Do Sweat the Small Stuff: Harness the power of micro-interactions to transform your leadership

by Sarah Langslow

Overview

You may think it’s small stuff, but it has a big impact.

Great leadership is about people: connecting with them and inspiring them to perform at their best. But leaders under pressure tend to focus on tasks, to-do lists and deadlines.

The result? Teams are disengaged, performance and productivity are below expectations, morale is low.

Building relationships isn’t a one-off task. It happens through every single interaction, and we aren’t paying those everyday moments nearly enough attention.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff challenges you to notice and own the profound impact of your micro-interactions. To explore how your speaking and listening, your habits and your behaviours affect those around you, whether you realize or not. Finally, it reveals how to reinvent those interactions to reshape how you show up as a leader and build trusting, productive relationships with your people.

Sarah Langslow distils more than two decades of hands-on experience building effective leadership skills and behaviours in the corporate and sporting world and as an executive coach into an actionable plan for sustainable transformation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788604888
Publisher:	Practical Inspiration Publishing
Publication date:	07/08/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Sarah Langslow is a leadership development specialist, coach, speaker and writer on powerful, human-centred leadership. She has integrated two decades of hands-on experience building leadership skills and behaviours in the corporate and elite sporting worlds to become a sought-after coach and trusted adviser to senior leaders.

Sarah Langslow is an executive coach, leadership development specialist and writer on what it takes to lead powerfully and with humanity. She integrates leadership lessons from a sporting career as a rower, including competing twice in the Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race, a 15-year corporate career across management consulting and finance, and experience as an entrepreneur with her own coaching and leadership development business. With more than two decades of hands-on experience building leadership skills and behaviours, and over 3,000 hours coaching experience, she is a sought-after coach and trusted adviser for senior leaders. Known for her truth-telling and ability to offer challenge with a lightness of touch, Sarah helps her clients to develop as successful leaders with high-performing teams. She is a respected speaker on topics including effective communication, trust and relationship building, and has spoken internationally. An active writer, she regularly shares her experience, insights, and humour with her online communities and in her newsletter. Sarah has an MA and an MBA from the University of Cambridge and is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Professional Certified Coach. When not coaching, you'll find Sarah on the river umpiring rowing regattas, or lifting heavy weights with friends at her local gym. She lives in London, UK, with her mischievous cat Matilda. To find out more, visit www.sarahlangslow.com

Table of Contents

Foreword Preface Introduction Part I: Why you do need to sweat the ‘small stuff’? Chapter 1: Micro-interactions matter Why the seemingly insignificant is in fact critical Chapter 2: Why you can't afford not to pay attention The measurable business benefit of happy, engaged, high-performing teams Chapter 3: Put your people first Intentional, human-centred leadership is the day job Part I Summary Part II: It all starts with you Chapter 4: Leader, know thyself Understanding how you show up and what shapes your behaviours Chapter 5: Your words give you away Exploring the impact of the language you use Chapter 6: You hear exactly what you expect to What are you listening for, and what can’t you hear? Chapter 7: You are always being watched How your habits and behaviours create your organization‘s culture Part II Summary Part III: Becoming the leader you intend to be Chapter 8: The leader you want to be To address the micro, begin with the macro Chapter 9: Make every interaction count Making a difference through the words you use Chapter 10: (Re)learn how to listen How to own your biases and listen outside them Chapter 11: Set the tone The importance of owning your impact Part III Summary Part IV: A journey not a destination Chapter 12: Congruence Consistency is critical Chapter 13: The power of intentional practice Aligning intention and impact Chapter 14: Commit to the journey Why you'll never be 'done' Afterword Appendices Acknowledgements About the Author Endnotes Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

I’m a sucker for books like this! Packed full of practical examples, in Do Sweat the Small Stuff Sarah Langslow has done the hard work of breaking down how to translate our good intentions into the words we actually say to make those intentions real and tangible. - L. David Marquet, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around and Leadership is Language

As someone constantly searching for tools to become an effective leader this book by Sarah Langslow really resonated. Why? Because it made me stop immediately and think about the effectiveness of my micro-interactions with all the people I currently lead or have led in the past.

Micro-interactions are vital in building and maintaining relationships, yet they are so rarely discussed. Do Sweat the Small Stuff raises your awareness as a leader of how important all these are for every person we lead and gives you tools to help you reflect and improve your leadership effectiveness.

We owe it to the people we lead to use our leadership skills to grow every relationship, and for this to happen we need to understand these micro-interactions and use them to the best of our ability. I really think the rewards will be worth it. - Stuart Lancaster, Head Coach at Racing 92 Rugby, former Head Coach at England Rugby

This is a brilliant read that challenges you to notice how small, practical changes can have a significant impact on yourself, your colleagues and the wider workplace. Essential reading for leaders, managers and teams who want to look beyond intentions to understand and improve their impact. If we all paid more attention to what this book highlights, our workplaces would be better for it. - Cath Bishop, Olympian, diplomat, leadership and culture, coach, author of The Long Win

Do Sweat the Small Stuff is a great active read (keep a pen handy)! The book offers a valuable lens through which to observe your own leadership, and a practical set of exercises and suggestions to intentionally develop your influence and effectiveness as a leader by focussing on the acute impact of your so-called micro-interactions. - David Singleton, CTO of Stripe

For managers, aspiring leaders, or anyone with an eye on the executive suite, Sarah Langslow has created a vibrant road map to leadership effectiveness and high-performing teams. Packed with practical advice, Do Sweat the Small Stuff charts an actionable path to creating healthy workplace cultures and strong organizational outcomes.

I’ve had the joy to lead high performing teams across some of the world’s top organisations, and I think Sarah has written the leadership, management, and culture guide we all need to move forward. - Deb Taft, CEO of Lindauer Global Search and Talent

Reading this book felt like having a coach on my shoulder; quietly but firmly challenging me to think differently about leadership, and providing the tools, support and reassurance to do so. It’s helped me notice how the small choices I make and interactions I have influence how I show up at work and figure out how by changing them I can improve my leadership. - Katie Smith, Executive Director Global Hub of CAMFED International

This is a very important book. We spend a lot of time teaching people the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of management but, typically, not enough on the how. Do Sweat the Small Stuff is on the how. Sarah offers a structured guide to the small, ubiquitous, crucial behaviours that leaders need to demonstrate to lead effectively. - Ben Hardy, Clinical Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

In a post-pandemic world where hybrid and remote working has become the norm, many of us have defaulted to task-focused meetings and interactions with our work colleagues. This book is a healthy reminder that we are social animals – that people work with people. And our micro-interactions with other people are the glue within a company culture that make it social and empathic as well as efficient and productive.

A great, practical book for leaders and employees alike to step back and consciously reappropriate the transformative power of micro-interactions at work and in your personal life. - Abel Ureta-Vidal, CEO of Octiocor, Serial Entrepreneur, NED, Investor

Do Sweat the Small Stuff is a fresh take on approaching leadership. It made me think differently about how the small stuff can impact not only other people but also myself! It reminded me how easy it is to get into habits, and that taking the time to concentrate on the small things helps all my interactions – with team members, peers and other parties. Though aimed at leadership, I would encourage everyone to read it as its principles and practical tools will be valuable to professionals at all levels and will equally impact your life beyond work. - Claire Shepherd, COO

Do Sweat the Small Stuff zooms in on the culture makers and breakers that we have the power to control in our everyday choices as a leader. So many leadership books focus on the big and the strategic and overlook the micro changes that aggregate to make us extraordinary people leaders. The reflective and practical exercises throughout help you see yourself as others might and by the end you will already be operating at a higher level. - Joanna Lyall, Founder and CEO of The Better Menopause

I’ve always been someone who appreciates the small moments and little gestures that accumulate over time to make our interactions and relationships what they are. This book makes a convincing case for paying A LOT more attention to the ‘small stuff ’, especially in a leadership context. When we’re leading anything, the tendency can be to focus on the big ideas, leaving our micro-interactions frequently overlooked. Do Sweat the Small Stuff lays out their critical importance. More than that, it provides a practical guide to making positive change, delivered in an engaging and entertaining style. - Clarissa Sowemimo-Coker, CEO of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies

Do Sweat the Small Stuff draws necessary attention to an often ignored aspect of leadership, opening up thinking about our relationships with our teams. This book guided me to reflect on the micro-interactions that make up these relationships, as well as providing tools and practical suggestions to change and improve the impact I have in my organisation. An essential read if you want to up your leadership game. - Clare Harvey, Chief Executive of The Ogden Trust

Do Sweat the Small Stuff is a great call to action for leaders and aspiring leaders to do not just the ‘right thing’ or the ‘business’ thing, but to do the things that they will be remembered for and will support their people to be their best.

Sarah reminds us that best doesn’t just happen, we have to learn about ourselves and work at getting better – this book will lead you to do that step by step. It’s a wakeup call to humanise leadership that you will want to read from cover to cover. - Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, President, European Rowing, Vice Chair, British Olympic Association

Sarah Langslow makes a convincing case for the value to leaders and managers of improving their micro-interactions. An intensely practical handbook for leaders who are willing to make changes in the way they interact, so that they can have a more positive impact at work. - Felicity Dwyer, author of Crafting Connection: Transform how you communicate with yourself and others

Seven out of ten people leave their managers not their organisation. What actions can you take to prevent you being one of the seven? One is to read this book – because the small stuff really matters. Highly recommended reading for any manager or leader who wants to improve their performance. - Krista Powell Edwards, author of Credible HR - Why HR don’t have credibility and what to do about it

Like the middle-of-the-night A-hah!recognition when something seemingly complex becomes ground-breakingly simple, Do Sweat the Small Stuff reveals the steps needed to take to infuse the practical with the inspirational. Blending humour with real-life exam- ples, Sarah calls for leaders to cultivate the mindful and humane leadership style that meets the requisites of our times, resulting in leadership and teams that no longer just work at their day jobs, but indeed function at their zone of genius. - Laura Kline Taylor, Life & Business Coach, PCC

This book will not just change the way you think, but will turn how you think upside down. In Do Sweat the Small Stuff Sarah distils complex ideas into practical and actionable insights, creating a toolkit for impact that will allow individuals and leadership teams to get the most out of themselves and create real change. Essential reading for the modern workplace. I loved it! - Niamh Corbett, Head of Americas at Board Intelligence