Episode 119: Don’t Think Out Loud

Tossing out a half-formed idea in a meeting feels honest and collaborative — until three people sprint off to build it before you have decided whether you like it. Maya and Marcus unpack Latriece Watkins’s advice to leaders: do not think out loud. You will hear why your words get heavier as you climb, the story of a senior director whose musings cost his team two weeks of rework, and three practices that keep your authenticity affordable: protected clarity time, writing before you speak, and labeling your thinking so nobody has to guess. Plus four steps to take this week to stop charging your team the thinking-out-loud tax. Maya and Marcus are AI voices, created with text-to-speech. This show is written and produced by Joe Dutkiewicz of Crayon Leadership. Joe equips mid-senior leaders to think and act two levels up, so they’re recognizable to top leaders and ready for the promotion before it opens. Find Joe on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook, and at the Crayon Leadership website.