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Laura Crawshaw: The Boss Whisperer

Updated: Mar 30, 2021

Episode 34


About Laura Crawshaw: Dr. Laura Crawshaw is known as The Boss Whisperer. She focused her research and practice around relieving workplace suffering caused by what she refers to as abrasive leaders. Laura wrote a book, which is called Taming the Abrasive Manager, and Unnecessary Roughness in the Workplace. Laura has also been one of my main sources of feedback over the years. She has over 30 years of experience as a corporate officer, executive coach and as a psychotherapist. She got her Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Human and Organizational Systems at the Fielding Graduate University. She founded the Executive Insight Development Group in 1994 and The Boss Whispering Institute in 2009. The Boss Whispering Institute is dedicated to research and training in the field of coaching abrasive executives and professionals. Laura is a member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations, the American Psychological Association, the British Psychological Society, the International Association on Bullying and Harassment at Work, and the Society for Human Resource Management as well as the International Coach Federation. Her training is also certified for continuing education in ICF.

 
 

In this episode, Jordan and Laura discuss:

  • Most bosses who are perceived as abrasive or even bullies are not evil.

  • Many have underlying anxiety and insecurity.

  • The 3 step process to coaching abrasive leaders.


Key Takeaways:

  • Most abrasive behavior is a result of “TAD” which stands for Threat-Anxiety-Defense.

  • Most abrasive bosses don’t realize that employees view them as disrespectful or even bullies. Instead, their intent is to ensure the job gets done.

  • Leaders need to have intrinsic motivation to change for coaching to be successful. Many believe that the pressure they receive to treat their employees differently is politically correct bull.


"I want to help employers understand that they have a responsibility to provide a psychologically safe workplace."— Laura Crawshaw



Connect with Laura Crawshaw: Self Assessment: abrasive.workplacewarrior.com

 
Jordan Goldrich

Your host, Jordan Goldrich, grew up in a loud New York family and once lost an executive position because of his style. He is co-author of the Amazon Best Seller, Workplace Warrior®: People Skills For The No-Bulls**t Executive, Chief Operations Officer, Master Corporate Executive Coach, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. His guests are part of his international network of Workplace Warrior® executives, master corporate executive coaches, and thought leaders. Each guest will engage you in conversation about their successes, mistakes, and solutions. You will get strategies for being completely authentic, while you fulfill your commitment to your organization, build positive relationships, and take performance to an even higher level.


Connect with Jordan Goldrich: 


Get the Are You Abrasive Self Test at:abrasive.workplacewarrior.com


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