Magic in the Room #14: From Here to There w/ Special Guest: Steve Laswell

June 9, 2020

Reaching the next level – moving from point A to point B – requires leaving the comfort zone and entering the growth zone. Through reflecting on the truth in our story, we are constantly becoming who we were meant to be. In this engaging conversation, Executive Coach Steve Laswell joins Chris and Hannah to chart the journey of becoming.

Spend five minutes with Steve Laswell and you’ll discover why he went from rookie radios sales rep to general sales manager for Clear Channel’s top Oklahoma City station and later to station manager for Cox Radio’s cluster in Tulsa. Steve develops leaders. It oozes from his pores. It’s who he is and what he does. Since founding Next Level Executive Coaching, LLC in 2008, he’s published three books, mentored dozens of leaders, and developed team-based coaching.

Chris and Hannah talk about the impact that Laswell’s writing has had on their careers. In this podcast episode, the guest asks the hosts to think about a moment that nudged or nurtured them into creating a space to think a little bit differently about how they are showing up as a leader. Hannah revealed that her love of listening to audiobooks is helping her unlock fresh perspectives.

Hannah reveals that listening to  Nine Lies About Work  helped her challenge the assumptions that underlie contemporary managerial practices. For example, one of the lies is that we believe that people need feedback. But people need helpful and positive attention. Hannah calls this praise and believes that we can take it a step further and call it recognition. Ultimately, everybody needs to feel seen and to feel heard and to feel understood.

Instead of giving feedback, Hannah is focussing on recognizing strengths and paying attention to what people do well. The book delivered a big aha moment in terms of leadership. On the feedback versus attention debate, Chris believes even the words are a little harsh. But his mushroom cloud moment was when he was asked, isn’t it funny how we gauge ourselves based on our intent and everyone else based on their behavior?

Chris talks about the importance of focusing on the truths of our story. He explains that by taking the inventories of those truths and looking at where those truths are taking us, we can write the story that we want our legacy to be. But if we’re not, now is the time to disrupt and change and reimagine the next chapters of our, of our story.

When we come to the end of the journey, Chris talks about how we will look back on a life well-lived that was anchored to a purpose. He also explains how it helps us have a significant impact on our companies, communities, and our families, along with one another. And, Steve, thank you so much for just contributing to my life that way.

Finally, Hannah encourages everyone to check out  The People Project  and  Leaders Create Space  by Steve Laswell.

 

Magic in the Room #201: Leading from Within

By Emma Holland • June 9, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Chris Province, Hannah Bratterud, and Luke Freeman reflect on six years of conversations and explore a foundational leadership question: why leadership is ultimately an inside game. Drawing on personal growth, facilitation experiences, and organizational leadership lessons, they argue that effective leadership cannot be reduced to frameworks, checklists, or techniques alone, but instead depends on the ongoing work of self-awareness, discernment, courage, and wisdom. They explore the relationship between courage and conviction, the importance of responding rather than reacting, and the role of personal development in creating positive impact for teams, organizations, and communities. The episode presents leadership as a lifelong practice of leading oneself first, emphasizing that meaningful change begins not with external systems, but with the internal work of becoming more intentional, hopeful, and aligned with one’s values.

Magic in the Room #200: How to Lead through Polarities

By Sarah Whitfield • May 5, 2026
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke and Hannah explore the concept of polarities. Tensions like purpose and performance, stability and change, or accountability and grace that are often mistaken for problems to solve rather than dynamics to manage. Drawing on insights from Barry Johnson’s work, they explain how these opposing forces are interdependent and must be balanced over time to achieve sustained success. Through practical examples and personal reflections, they show how over-relying on one side of a polarity leads to predictable “shadow sides” such as stagnation, chaos, inefficiency, or burnout, while effective leadership requires recognizing where you are on the cycle and intentionally recalibrating. The episode emphasizes that many recurring organizational frustrations are not failures, but signals of imbalance, and offers a more nuanced approach to leadership. One that replaces rigid either/or thinking with flexible both/and awareness to improve decision-making, team dynamics, and long-term performance.
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