In this episode of Leadership Limbo, Josh and John dive into one of the most foundational—and often overlooked—skills of leadership: communication. Picking up from their exploration of performance and management, they shift focus to the ways leaders communicate with their teams, their peers, and their managers.

The conversation unpacks a simple but powerful formula:

Communication = Transmission + Reception.

It’s not enough to just speak or listen—both have to work in tandem for true understanding.

Josh and John frame today’s tension as the gap between accidental communication and intentional communication. Too often, leaders over-invest in the intentional while overlooking how much influence their “accidental” moments - or overall lack of self-awareness and intentionality about their communication - can have on team trust, alignment, and culture.

Along the way, they share personal reflections on their own communication gaps—Josh’s tendency to over-talk as a verbal processor, John’s habit of letting facial expressions betray his thoughts—and highlight why building self-awareness is essential.

They also introduce practical tools, linked below:

• Blindspotting – A model for uncovering motives and tendencies that drive leadership behaviors.

• The Five Voices – A personality-based framework for understanding your natural communication style and how others receive it.

The big takeaway? Leaders need to narrow the gap between formal and informal communication by increasing self-awareness and choosing intentionality in both. Communication is the foundation of alignment, execution, and trust—and without it, even the best strategies fall flat.

Resources:

• Free 5 Voice Assessment and Report: Click Here
• Blindspotting: Click Here

In this episode of Leadership Limbo, Josh and John reflect on the central thesis of their podcast—leadership is about navigating polarities, not choosing sides. From transparency versus discretion to friendship versus professionalism, they dig into the tensions leaders constantly toggle between and how these dynamics shape team culture and effectiveness.

Josh shares insights from Edwin Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve and the concept of self-differentiation, while John highlights the practical realities of leading through both collaboration and decisive direction. They also explore the Sherpa mentality from The 100X Leader, reframing leadership success as helping others reach the summit rather than chasing individual achievement.

The conversation surfaces four key relational tensions managers face with their teams:

• Transparency vs. Discretion

• Friendship/Friendliness vs. Professionalism

• Collaboration vs. Decision-Making

• Advocacy vs. Directive Management

Josh and John remind listeners that effective leaders don’t settle on one side of these spectrums—they learn to toggle with intentionality. The episode closes with a reflective exercise using two “thermometers”: one measuring how well you’re performing, and the other how well you’re leading performers. The challenge: notice gaps and identify where your leadership toggle might need to shift.

Resources Mentioned:

Feel free to check out two books referenced in this episode, as well:

• A Failure of Nerve, by Edwin Friedman
• The 100x Leader, by Steve Cockram and Jeremie Kubicek

In this episode of Leadership Limbo, Josh Hugo and John Clark continue their multi-part series on identity shifts in leadership. Building on last week’s focus on how stepping into management reshapes relationships, today’s conversation zeroes in on one of the most critical dynamics for any middle manager: your relationship with your own manager.

Josh and John explore what makes this relationship healthy and productive, starting with the foundation of trust and moving into practical elements like:

• High Support + High Challenge: Creating a liberating environment through balanced accountability and encouragement.

• Intentional Two-Way Communication: Ensuring not just that information is transmitted, but also truly received and understood.

• Autonomy + Accountability: Striking the right balance between independence and responsibility to your boss.

• Mutual Belief: Not just expecting your manager to believe in you, but actively showing belief in them.

• Managing Up: Bringing forward the realities of your team so your manager has the visibility needed to lead effectively.

They also highlight common pitfalls that can derail this relationship—like unclear communication systems, falling into a “what have you done for me lately” mindset, or passively waiting to be developed—and offer strategies to avoid them.

The episode closes with practical reflection tools for listeners:

1. Conduct a two-way communication audit to identify and close gaps.

2. Apply the Red-Yellow-Green framework to your current projects to clarify decision-making authority and opportunities for growth in autonomy.

Several helpful resources were referenced in this episode. See the links below for more information:

Cory Scheer's book: Closing the Trust Gap.

Patrick Lencioni's book: The Advantage.