Last week, EFBC welcomed communication expert and keynote speaker Colette Carlson for an evening focused on one of the most important challenges leaders face today: how to stay connected, communicative, and emotionally aware in a world that is changing faster than ever.
Connection Requires Intention
The conversation centered around a simple but powerful idea: connection requires intention.
As leaders, it can be easy to default to control, certainty, and assumption, especially during times of pressure or change. But throughout the evening, Colette challenged attendees to think differently. Real connection, strong leadership, and healthy workplace cultures often begin with the willingness to let go of always needing to be right or in control.
“You need to let go so others can grow.”
That message resonated deeply with many in the room, particularly in the context of family and entrepreneurial businesses where leadership can become closely tied to identity, habits, and long-standing ways of operating.
Colette encouraged attendees to examine how self-awareness shapes communication.
“Our way isn’t always the right way,” she shared. “It’s just another way.”
That mindset creates room for curiosity, stronger collaboration, and more meaningful conversations across teams and generations.
The “Many Hats” Leaders Carry
One of the most memorable moments of the evening came during an interactive exercise involving EFBC intern Luv, who volunteered to participate in a visual demonstration on leadership pressure and communication.
As responsibilities, expectations, interruptions, and competing priorities continued to pile on throughout the exercise, the audience laughed in recognition at how accurately it reflected the realities many leaders experience every day while “wearing many hats.”
The activity served as a reminder that behind every leadership role is a person often carrying far more than others realize. It also reinforced one of the evening’s larger themes: leaders who communicate intentionally and create supportive environments help prevent that weight from becoming isolating.
Creating Psychological Safety
A major focus of the discussion was psychological safety and the role leaders play in creating environments where people feel safe to speak honestly, contribute ideas, and communicate openly.
Referencing Google’s Project Aristotle research on high-performing teams, Colette shared that only 26% of leaders are actively creating psychological safety for their teams.
The takeaway was clear: leadership today is less about people “watching their back” and more about creating cultures where employees feel others “have their back.”
Colette also emphasized that how leaders respond to honesty and vulnerability directly impacts whether employees continue speaking up in the future.
“How we receive someone’s truth determines whether we will ever hear from them again.”
For leaders, that means creating workplaces where honesty is met with openness rather than defensiveness, and where people feel respected enough to continue contributing ideas, feedback, and concerns.
Communicating Through Change
Another important theme throughout the evening was communication during change.
As businesses continue navigating rapid technological shifts, evolving workplaces, and growing demands on leaders, many attendees connected with Colette’s reminder that:
“The pace of change has never been so fast, and it will never be this slow again.”
In an environment where change is constant, organizations cannot simply slow down and wait for clarity before moving forward. Instead, leaders must learn how to communicate through uncertainty with transparency, empathy, and intention.
Colette emphasized that awareness gives leaders the ability to choose curiosity over assumption, and that asking thoughtful questions is often more valuable than immediately having answers.
Leading with Intention
The evening sparked thoughtful conversations among EFBC members and guests and served as a reminder that strong leadership is not only about strategy or results. It is also about self-awareness, communication, trust, and the ability to create genuine human connection within organizations.
Thank you again to Colette Carlson for an engaging and meaningful evening with the EFBC community.