344: Lead by Lifting Others (Not Your Title)
5/27/202617 min
In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin explores why the best leaders are the ones creating connection, recognition, and growth for the people around them. If you’ve ever wondered how to become a more impactful leader without forcing authority, this episode is your reminder that leadership is built in small moments of recognition.
Inside This Episode:
- Why Titles Don’t Create Great Leaders: Employees rarely remember your title. They remember how you made them feel. Erin breaks down why connection-based leadership creates stronger teams and better workplace culture.
- Recognition Is a Retention Strategy: With 66% of employees leaving jobs without feeling appreciated, Erin explains why genuine recognition directly impacts employee engagement, retention, morale, and performance.
- The Lyft Method Makes Leadership Actionable: Erin introduces her four-step, improv-inspired leadership framework to help leaders create more collaborative and human-centered workplaces: Look for the good, Initiate the scene, Follow their lead, Tag them in.
- Leadership Happens in Small Moments: Learn how everyday interactions shape trust, psychological safety, and team culture.
- Empowering Others Creates Better Teams: Erin shares practical ways leaders can spotlight strengths, share opportunities, and help team members grow into leadership themselves.
What to Do Now:
- Practice the Spotlight Swap: Choose three people on your team this week and intentionally recognize something specific they contributed.
- Customize Recognition: Pay attention to how each person prefers to receive appreciation instead of using one-size-fits-all praise.
- Share the Mic: Find one opportunity this week to invite someone else into visibility, ownership, or leadership.
Your Freebie
What’s your leadership style and next business move? Find out by taking a fun little quiz here.
And thank you to our sponsors Intuit Quickbooks Payroll.
To learn more visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/workforce/
Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!
- Leadership Playground online membership community
- Erin’s website
- Erin’s Instagram
- Erin’s TikTok
- Erin’s LinkedIn
- improve it!’s website
- improve it!’s Instagram
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Speaker 10:12
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Speaker 20:42
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Speaker 01:09
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Erin Diehl· Host1:11
Okay, I want you to think about the best leader you've ever worked with. Picture them in your mind. Got them? Now, I want you to tell me what was their title, their exact title on their business card. Exactly. You didn't remember the title. You