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Have you ever heard leadership advice that sounded great, but fell flat the moment you tried to put it into practice? Willing to Grow is the go-to podcast for business owners, practice leaders, and team managers who are serious about their leadership and how it impacts their team. Each episode is short and easy to digest, featuring fun, straight-to-the-point conversations filled with detailed strategies, exclusive resources, and sticky insights you can immediately put into practice. Hosted by Amy Lafko, bestselling author of People First: A Proven Method for an Exceptional Healthcare Practice, this show goes beyond theory. With more than 20 years of leadership experience across teams and organizations, Amy's work began in healthcare but extends far beyond one industry. Leadership works the same wherever people work. Each week, Amy brings you tactical, practical, and easy-to-implement strategies to help you lead with clarity, strengthen accountability, improve communication, and unlock your team's performance potential. If you're ready to close the gap between intention and impact and create a culture where people (and performance) thrive, subscribe to Willing to Grow and start leading in a way that actually sticks. Find additional tools and resources at CairnCS.com.

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Check latest episodes from Willing to Grow podcast

I'm Right, You're Wrong...But Is It Working?

2026/10/13

We tend to promote our most talented individual contributors into leadership roles. As our team grows, those brilliant managers expect brilliance in their team; after all, if they can understand a process, why can't everyone else? In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy examines a deceptively simple question: when we assume everyone operates at our level, what blind spots does that create? Through a real story from her workshops where a critical healthcare verification step kept falling through the cracks, Amy unpacks the gap between what we expect and what's actually happening, and what is actually more important - being right, or being helpful? If you've found yourself baffled by your team's performance, this episode is for you. Especially if you built your reputation on doing exceptional work yourself.

Squash Your ANTs: Stop Making Assumptions

2026/10/06

Ever find yourself overthinking someone's body language, tone or words in an email? Does "Okay, thanks" sound annoyed or anxious, or just genuinely thankful? From the moment we step into our workplace each day, our brains are instantly connecting dots and drawing conclusions based on who we are, what we've experienced, and what we believe. Those automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) aren't actually facts. They're simply assumptions. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy walks through one of her most transformative exercises from the Productive Conflict workshop, where she coaches others to learn to recognize those ANTs before they dig deep. If assumptions have ever derailed a conversation or created tension where there didn't need to be any, listen in.

Thank you for bringing up your concern.

2026/09/29

Interviews, which are fundamentally built on questions, mark the very beginning of our relationships with new employees. An entire industry has developed around mastering interview responses, and a standard piece of advice stands out: always kick off your answer by thanking the interviewer for the question. Why is it, then, that we as managers frequently default to defensiveness when confronted with the challenging questions that fly in our direction? In this episode, Amy explores how incorporating one straightforward statement into our daily interactions can shatter that barrier and create a truly noticeable difference. If you're ready to build a culture of healthy communication, start here.

Pit crew analogy: Everyone had a role in Profit

2026/09/22

Formula 1's fanbase is on the rise in the USA, and it makes sense why. The world has become increasingly fascinated by this sport - but for Amy, her focus isn't on what you'd expect. While most fans focus entirely on the championship standings and breakneck speeds, Amy's attention has been drawn to a completely different group of people: the pit crew. In a sport where pole positions are taken by tenths of a second, every moment matters, even those off the track. A second wasted in a tire change can cost a driver everything. In this episode, Amy explores exactly what this means for our organizations, and how exploring what's going on in the margins of our business can help us take our place on the podium. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/vbcjz6bx

Delegation for Doers

2026/09/15

"If I want it done right, I'll do it myself." This is a familiar motto that many managers echo. While it might work for a short season, failing to delegate appropriately ultimately deprives our teams of the chance to grow and reach their full potential. However, changing this habit is no small feat. So, what do we do when we realize we can no longer do everything? In this episode, Amy dives into mastering the art of delegation and how to provide our teams with the resources they need to succeed, instead of piling our plate higher with work we don't need to be doing. Download our Delegation for Doers resource here: https://cairncs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Delegation-Checklist.pdf Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4rxut9tt

Heart Head Heart Sandwich

2026/09/08

Although the traditional "compliment sandwich" is often viewed as a simple way to lower defenses or ease the delivery of bad news, it holds much greater potential. When re-imagined as a "heart-head-heart sandwich," this approach transforms into one of the most effective tools in your leadership toolkit. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy establishes the right balance between praise and constructive problem-solving. Using this ratio, you can guide conversations that do not just resolve immediate issues, but permanently optimize your entire workflow. If you're ready to take your feedback to the next level, listen in! Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/55bpfzzn

The Power of Asking the Right Question

2026/09/01

Great leaders don't always have the right answer. But they almost always know how to ask the right question. In this episode, Amy digs into one of her most-used leadership tools: powerful questions. If you've ever heard Amy speak, attended a workshop, or listened to previous episodes, you've likely already heard her mention them. This episode is the deep dive she's been promising—an exploration of what powerful questions actually are, why they work, and how to start using them in your practice right away. A full list of powerful questions is included below. Amy's invitation: pick one or two, try them this week, and then remember the most important part. Be quiet and let them answer. Powerful Questions Starter List Exploring the past: What have you tried so far? Walk me through your process. What worked and what didn't? Exploring next steps: What could you do differently this time? What options can you create from here? If you could have any solution, what would it be? Getting curious: Can you tell me more? Help me understand what got us here. What parts of this still don't feel like they're working smoothly? Clarifying: What's going well? What's challenging about this? What does success look like for you? Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/44z3h922

Thank You: The Most Underused Leadership Tool

2026/08/25

It was a simple email. Not a performance review, not a bonus, not a standing ovation at the all-staff meeting. Just a specific, heartfelt thank you. But the response will stop you in your tracks. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy digs into what it looks like to connect the what of someone's work to the why, and how that connection ties directly to motivation, retention, and the kind of team culture that people actually want to show up for. If you've been waiting for the perfect moment to recognize someone on your team, this episode is for you! Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n99hbyj

Simple Words That Can Change Any Difficult Conversation

2026/08/18

Someone came at her hot. Frustrated, ready to blow, full of complaints after a board meeting. And instead of getting defensive, she did something unexpected. She got curious. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy Lafko shares a story from a friend of what happened when she slowed down and asked just a handful of words: "Can you tell me more?" What unfolded from there is a masterclass in what it actually means to lead through conflict rather than around it. If you've got a difficult conversation ahead of you, this one is worth a listen before you walk in the room. Listen in to unpack why leading with curiosity is not only emotionally intelligent, but also strategically smart for any healthcare team trying to move forward together. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mry5449e

Stop. Are You Actually Solving the Right Problem?

2026/08/11

It feels like the problem is obvious. You've already identified it. You've already started planning the solution. And then someone asks one more question, and everything shifts. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy Lafko shares a coaching conversation that illustrates one of the most common and costly mistakes healthcare leaders make: solving confidently for the wrong thing. Amy explores why our instinct to find the fastest, least disruptive path to a solution can actually lead us further from resolution, and what happens when we take a few extra minutes to challenge our own assumptions before we act. If you've ever found yourself frustrated that a solution didn't actually solve anything, or even made things worse, hit play. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/e86tc5f2

Keeping the Wrong Person Is Costing You the Right Team

2026/08/04

Most hiring conversations focus on getting the right person through the door. So, what happens when the wrong person is already inside, and they're not leaving on their own? In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy Lafko tackles one of the most common and most avoided challenges in healthcare leadership: what to do when someone is technically doing their job, but quietly, or not so quietly, tearing up the culture you've worked so hard to build. Listen in to explore the difference between a performance problem and a culture problem, and why the distinction matters more than most leaders realize. Read more: https://tinyurl.com/yjj4dm72 Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4vk79xz9

How a Soap Dish Changed My Approach to Conflict

2026/07/28

It started with a flipped-over, seemingly harmless soap dish in a hotel bathroom. It shouldn't have been a big deal…but you'll never believe the stir it caused. In this episode of Willing to Grow, Amy Lafko shares a story that might sound small but hits remarkably close to home for anyone who has ever walked into a difficult conversation absolutely certain they were right. There's a difference between knowing what you see and knowing what IS true. This episode will challenge you to ask which one you're actually leading from, and how to deal with the upside down soap dish moments in your work life. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3rcwpcxk

Stop the One-and-Done: Why Your Training Isn't Sticking

2026/07/21

You invested time, energy, and resources into a training session. Your team attended. And then...not much changed. Sound familiar? In this episode, Amy Lafko tackles one of the most common (and costly) mistakes leaders make when developing their teams: treating training as a one-time event. Whether it's a conference, a webinar, a technical skills session, or a leadership program, the transfer of knowledge is just the beginning. The real transformation happens after the room clears. Amy introduces a simple but powerful concept she has built into every one of her leadership and training programs: the Learning Lab. It's not a follow-up for the sake of following up; it's a deliberately timed, intentionally structured session designed to turn knowledge into wisdom through real-world application, honest reflection, and yes, a little practice. If you lead a healthcare practice or manage a clinical team, this episode will change how you think about every training investment you make, and give you a concrete next step you can implement immediately. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5dn29k68

You Can Be People First AND Fire Someone. Here's How.

2026/07/14

Firing someone. It's the conversation no one wants to have, and yet it's one of the most common things healthcare leaders and practice managers reach out to Amy about. And the question is almost always the same: Can I still be People First if I let someone go? In this episode, Amy pulls back the curtain on a recent experience where she had to let someone go, walking you through the four mistakes she made along the way and what each one taught her about leadership, organizational design, and the gap between who we hire and what our organizations actually need. If you've ever questioned whether letting someone go aligns with a people-centered leadership philosophy, this episode will challenge your assumptions, give you a practical framework for thinking it through, and leave you with three reflective questions to ask before you make your next move. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4stktm36

What If You Stopped Asking for Feedback and Did This Instead?

2026/07/07

Surveys going out. Responses not coming in. The same ten people answer every time. If you've led a team, a practice, or an organization for any length of time, you've probably been there. In this episode, Amy Lafko shares a story from a recent facilitation experience in Alaska. What she brought to the room wasn't another survey or an open-ended group discussion. It was something far more unexpected: markers, flip chart paper, and a challenge to design a magazine cover. What happened next surprised even the most skeptical people in the room. Whether you're trying to re-engage a stagnant team, plan for the year ahead, or just break out of the meeting rut, this episode gives you a concrete tool you can pick up and use immediately, along with a few important facilitation tips that make all the difference. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/hchkfk4u

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5 out of 5

4 reviews

★★★★★

Marcella Moyer 2026/04/14

Great message!

I am super excited for your podcast Amy! Today’s message was a great example of just being diligent with your people and planning ahead to make and ke...

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