Erika Leonard is a co-leader of the Workpower project created by the team at Safetypowers.org, the adult services branch of Kidpower International. Erika has 31 years of experience with Kidpower International teaching skills to improve the safety and quality of interactions between people of all ages and abilities.

Workpower resources are free thanks to funding from Ability Central, which funds organizations and projects such as Workpower that expand access to communication and information. Learn more at abilitycentral.org

What if the key to leading your team more effectively wasn't a new strategy — but a new question? In this episode, I talk with Erika Leonard, co-leader of the WorkPower Project at SafetyPowers.org, about what truly connected workplace communication looks like, and what quietly gets in the way.

Erika and her team set out to build communication resources for employees with disabilities — and what they discovered changed everything. The skills that help people with disabilities navigate the workplace turn out to be the same skills every leader needs to build trust, connection, and a team that actually works.

The Three Core Principles of Connected Communication

Erika shares the framework that SafetyPowers.org has taught across all ages and abilities for over 30 years:

• Be Aware — Self-awareness is the foundation. Are your habits still serving you, or have they become automatic and ineffective? Staying reflective keeps you from leading on autopilot.
• Take Charge — And not over people, but with them. Taking charge means creating space for genuine two-way conversation — not downloading your frustration or doing the work yourself.
• Get Help — Leaders often suffer in isolation, unsure what to do or afraid to ask. Building community and seeking out what's working for others is a leadership skill, not a weakness.

The Difference Between a Good Conversation and a Great One

Erika walks us through real video scenarios from the WorkPower for Employers course that show the same workplace conversation at three levels — from breakdown to breakthrough. The difference between them isn't dramatic. It's a shift in intention. One small question — Is everything okay? instead of What are you doing? — can completely change the outcome.

Repair is an Underrated Leadership Skill

We're all going to make mistakes. The question is what we do next. Erika and I talk about why repair — the skill of addressing miscommunication and making it right — is one of the most overlooked and most powerful tools in a leader's toolkit. When leaders model repair well, it strengthens the whole team.

Are You Missing the Gold?

One of the most thought-provoking parts of our conversation: could your standard hiring process be filtering out exactly the people you need? Erika shares practical ways to open up your recruitment approach — from offering multiple application formats to rethinking the traditional face-to-face interview — so you don't miss the "shining pieces of gold" who just don't shine in conventional settings.

The Question Every Leader Should Be Asking

Before you assume you know why someone is distracted, disengaged, or underperforming — pause. Ask yourself: How do I know? That shift from assumption to curiosity is where real connection begins.

Resources Mentioned:

• WorkPower for Employers — Free video-based training modules on workplace communication and leadership skills. Explore real conversation scenarios and practical tools you can use immediately with your team.
• WorkPower: Skills for Getting and Keeping Jobs — A companion course made by, for, and with people who have disabilities, covering communication skills for navigating the workplace. 
• Learn more about Ability Central

Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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