How do you make sure your message gets heard—and acted on? In this Squiggly Careers Ask the Expert episode, Helen speaks with author and influence expert Steve Martin about the powerful role of the messenger in communication.

Drawing on insights from his book Messengers, Steve explains how people respond differently depending on who delivers the message, and why understanding the difference between hard and soft messenger traits can transform your influence at work.

Together, they talk about how you can be more effective in meetings, remote settings, and team communication—plus how to match the right message to the right messenger for maximum impact.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to the Squiggly Careers Podcast

01:00 Why the Messenger Matters as Much as the Message

04:40 Trust vs Truth: How We Really Decide Who to Listen To

07:20 Hard vs Soft Messengers (and When Each One Works Best)

13:15 The Kevin Keegan Story: Choosing the Right Messenger

15:20 Why Content Isn't Everything: Choosing the Right Voice

16:30 A Better Way to Start Meetings (That Builds Credibility)

20:00 The Role of Introductions in Empowering Messengers

21:15 Influence in Remote Work: Tips for Zoom & Teams

25:30 Mimicry and Mirroring: Small Shifts That Build Connection

29:08 Announcements

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- Why who delivers a message can be more important than what they say

- The difference between hard and soft messenger traits—and when to use each

- Practical ways to increase your influence in meetings and remote settings

- How to elevate others as effective messengers to get results as a team

📚 Resources Mentioned

Steve's Book, Messengers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Messengers-Who-Listen-Dont-Why/dp/1847942350

Try Steve’s free quiz: https://www.influenceatwork.com/quiz/

Influence with Robert Cialdini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d5VBsx-Rec

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free careers tools https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♂️ Sign-up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024

📮 Sign up for Squiggly Careers in Action, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’ www.amazingif.com/books/ http://www.amazingif.com/books/

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Are you always doing too much yourself? Do you struggle to let go, even when you know you should? In this episode of the Squiggly Careers Podcast, Helen and Sarah explore why so many of us don’t delegate—and what we can do differently to delegate with clarity, confidence, and collaboration. Learn how to avoid the 4 common delegation mistakes and how to give people space without leaving them stuck.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to The Squiggly Careers Podcast

00:48 Why You Don’t Delegate (Even When You Should)

12:55 4 Don'ts Of Delegation (And What To Do Instead)

13:15 Don’t Delegate the How

16:52 Don’t Delegate and Disappear

22:41 Don’t Do It for Them

25:06 Hybrid Approaches to Teaching & Delegating

26:25 Don’t Expect It Done Your Way

28:00 Letting Go of “Your Way” and Embracing Other Styles

🎯 What You’ll Learn

- Why delegation feels uncomfortable for even experienced leaders

- 4 delegation mistakes to avoid & what to do instead

- How to give people freedom without micromanaging

- The power of clear outcomes, expectations, and trust

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free careers tools https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♂️ Sign-up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024

📮 Sign up for Squiggly Careers in Action, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’ www.amazingif.com/books/ http://www.amazingif.com/books/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how to help teams think better—together. They share simple but powerful tools you can use to encourage reflection, collaboration, and better decision-making in your team. Discover a practical matrix to help you choose the right thinking tool for your team—whether you need to improve performance or inspire new ideas. From “worry lists” to “borrowed brilliance,” you’ll learn how to create space for smarter, more intentional team thinking.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Intro: Welcome to the Squiggly Careers Podcast

00:43 Why We Struggle to Think as Teams

01:56 Who Are Your Thinking Partners?

02:18 Team Thinking Drives Team Performance

03:02 Principles for Better Team Thinking

07:38 Signal Thinking Activities in Your Team

08:46 Turning Thinking into Action via Experiments

09:43 The Team Thinking Matrix Explained

11:48 Idea for Improvement: Worry Lists

17:20 Idea for Improvement: What's Not Working (The "Knots")

23:30 Everyday Idea for Inspiration: Borrowed Brilliance

🎯 What You’ll Learn:

- Why teams need more time to think (and how to make that time work)

- 3 powerful principles for better collective thinking

- Tools like “worry lists,” “what’s not working,” and “borrowed brilliance”

- How to run quick team exercises

- Ways to turn thinking into action—without overcomplicating it

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers:

📩 Download our free careers tools https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

🏃‍♂️ Sign-up for our Squiggly Careers Skills Sprint https://bit.ly/skillssprint2024

📮 Sign up for Squiggly Careers in Action, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction

📚 Read our books ‘The Squiggly Career’ and ‘You Coach You’ www.amazingif.com/books/ http://www.amazingif.com/books/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.