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Leader & Learner newsletter from Bobby Powers

June 2025 - Leader & Learner Newsletter 📚

Published 29 days ago • 2 min read

Visit BobbyPowers.com or my Substack publication Leader & Learner to learn how to become a stronger leader & a more curious learner.

🧑‍💼 Quick Leadership Takeaway

“Unlike traditional leadership responses—offering advice, jumping to solutions, or minimizing feelings—attunement is about being with another person instead of trying to fix them or the situation.
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Attunement is the art of full-body, non-judgmental presence. It’s when a leader deeply notices, actively listens, and signals to an employee: I see you. I understand you. You are safe here. Leaders who attune don’t try to change emotions—they acknowledge them.” -L. Zigarmi & S. Grizont

The quote above comes from the HBR article “When the best leadership skill is just being present” by Lisa Zigarmi and Stella Grizont. (Thanks to my colleague James S for sharing this article!)

This concept of attunement resonated with me deeply because it's connected to a skill I've been trying to improve for years: listening and asking questions (coaching) rather than giving advice.

The art of coaching is the topic of this month's newsletter.

⛽ Articles to Fuel Lifelong Learning

​You're (Probably) Giving Too Much Advice. Leaders, Try Doing This Instead.​

Asking well-calibrated coaching questions is a leadership superpower. Here are nine tips on how to do that.

​The 7 Best Books on Decision-Making​

From the 1,000+ books I’ve read, these are the best I’ve found on decision-making, including gems from Annie Duke and Nate Silver.

📚 Books Definitely Worth Your Time

​The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier​

One of the shortest, simplest, and most powerful books I've ever read. Stanier offers practical tips about how to become a stronger leader by giving less advice and asking more questions.

​You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy​

If you only read one book this year, consider this one. Journalist Kate Murphy shares the listening advice she's learned from interviewing hundreds of people. Murphy explains that giving someone your full attention is one of the most selfless gifts you can give, and it's a skill you can practice.

🔥 Inspiring Quotes

“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
"If you’ve ever left a conversation feeling energized, inspired, or enlightened, you’ve been in the presence of a great listener—not necessarily a great speaker. The best conversationalists are the best listeners."
-Ximena Vengoechea
"A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself."
-Lisa Kirk

🤓 A Personal Tidbit

I'm excited because next weekend is HoopFest!

If you're unfamiliar, Spokane, WA hosts the world's biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament every summer. I've played in it with friends for quite a few years, and I always look forward to this weekend.

Roughly 225,000 fans swarm the city for HoopFest, and they shut down the streets downtown to put up temporary hoops everywhere. It's a great weekend to be a basketball fan.

Btw, go Pacers! ;-)

👇 Helpful Resources

Visit me at BobbyPowers.com for more articles and book recommendations about leadership, communication, and productivity.

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Leader & Learner newsletter from Bobby Powers

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Join 1000s of new & aspiring leaders who subscribe | I read 70+ books/year & write about Leadership, Books, & Communication | Bylines in Fast Company, The Startup, etc. | Visit me at BobbyPowers.com

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