Can you be a tough leader, set high expectations, and achieve exceptional results without being a jerk? Is it more important to be liked or respected as a leader?

In this episode of the Live Greatly podcast, Kristel Bauer sits down with executive leadership coaches John Baird and Matt Hunter, coauthors of Tough Enough: How to Lead a Team to Greatness Without Being a Jerk. Drawing from their experience coaching executives and leaders at companies including Apple, Nike, DoorDash, and MasterClass, John and Matt share insights into what it really takes to lead effectively and bring out the best in others.

Discover why effective leadership isn't about choosing between toughness and compassion, how to build greater authority and respect, and why expressing difficult emotions can sometimes lead to better outcomes. John and Matt also share strategies to navigate challenging conversations, avoid passive-aggressive communication, and create a culture of honesty, accountability, and high performance.

Whether you're an experienced executive, a new manager, or someone looking to strengthen your leadership skills, this conversation offers actionable insights to help you lead with greater confidence, clarity, and impact.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why being respected matters more than being liked as a leader

• How to balance toughness with compassion to bring out the best in your team

• Ways to build greater authority and confidence without becoming overly aggressive

• How to recognize when you're being too tough or not tough enough

• Why expressing frustration, concern, or disappointment respectfully can improve communication and results

• How to overcome passive-aggressive tendencies and communicate more directly

• The five-minute wait rule and how it can help you navigate challenging leadership situations

• Why fiercely pursuing the truth is essential for building trust, accountability, and high-performing teams

About John Baird:

John Baird is the cofounder of Velocity Coaching and one of Silicon Valley's leading executive coaches. With more than 30 years of experience, he has coached top executives at companies including Apple, Nike, DoorDash, and MasterClass. His work includes more than two decades coaching leaders at Apple, beginning with the early iPhone team. He is also the coauthor of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Leading with Heart: Five Conversations That Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results.

About Matt Hunter:

Matt Hunter is an executive leadership coach, entrepreneur, and author with two decades of experience founding, leading, and coaching organizations. He previously cofounded Turnstyle, which was acquired by Yelp, and served as president and US CEO of Founders Pledge. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs of high-growth companies and works with leaders to build exceptional teams and achieve ambitious goals.

About the Book:

Tough Enough: How to Lead a Team to Greatness Without Being a Jerk challenges the idea that leaders must choose between demanding excellence and treating people with respect. John Baird and Matt Hunter share a framework for leading with toughness, clarity, accountability, and humanity to achieve exceptional results.

Connect with John Baird & Matt Hunter

John Baird

• Website: https://velocitycoaching.com/pages/john-baird

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbaird2191/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@john_baird

Matt Hunter

• Website: https://www.matthunter.co/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthuntercoach/

About the Host of the Live Greatly podcast, Kristel Bauer:

Kristel Bauer is a corporate wellness and performance expert, keynote speaker and TEDx speaker supporting organizations and individuals on their journeys for more happiness and success. She is the award-winning author of Work-Life Tango: Finding Happiness, Harmony, and Peak Performance Wherever You Work (John Murray Business November 19, 2024). With Kristel's healthcare background, she provides data driven actionable strategies to leverage happiness and high-power habits to drive growth mindsets, peak performance, profitability, well-being and a culture of excellence. Kristel's keynotes provide insights to "Live Greatly" while promoting leadership development and team building.

Kristel is the creator and host of her global top self-improvement podcast, Live Greatly. She is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur, and she is an influencer in the business and wellness space having been recognized as a Top 10 Social Media Influencer of 2021 in Forbes. As an Integrative Medicine Fellow & Physician Assistant having practiced clinically in Integrative Psychiatry, Kristel has a unique perspective into attaining a mindset for more happiness and success. Kristel has presented to groups from the American Gas Association, Bank of America, bp, Commercial Metals Company, General Mills, Northwestern University, Santander Bank and many more. Kristel's work has been featured in Forbes and she has had multiple TV appearances including NBC News Daily, ABC News Live, FOX Weather, ABC 7 Chicago, WGN Daytime Chicago and more. Kristel lives in the Chicago, IL area and she can be booked for speaking engagements worldwide.