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#44: Why Your Team Gets Quiet When You Walk In

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

Release Date: 02/02/2026

#44: Why Your Team Gets Quiet When You Walk In show art #44: Why Your Team Gets Quiet When You Walk In

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

Are They Underperforming…or Are You Over-Influencing? Have you ever walked into a meeting and felt the energy subtly change? The agenda stays the same—but suddenly people speak more carefully. Ideas slow down. Decisions start drifting toward you. To most leaders, this feels like respect. But what if it’s actually hesitation—and what if your presence is the reason? As one powerful truth from this episode reveals: “Leadership presence is never neutral.” In this episode of MPWR, Eric Pfeiffer and his co-host explore a leadership dynamic that quietly undermines team performance...

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#43: If They Keep Coming to You for Everything, This Is Why—and How to Fix It show art #43: If They Keep Coming to You for Everything, This Is Why—and How to Fix It

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

Why does your team keep coming to you for every answer—and why does it feel so exhausting?   In this episode of the MPWR Podcast, Eric and Dawn unpack one of the most subtle leadership traps: confusing helpfulness with effectiveness. When leaders default to solving problems, giving quick answers, and removing uncertainty, work may move faster in the moment—but long-term growth quietly stalls. This conversation explores why over-functioning leaders unintentionally create dependent teams, how certainty and responsibility migrate upward, and why many leaders become the bottleneck without...

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#42: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: The Shift Required for Your Next Level show art #42: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: The Shift Required for Your Next Level

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

You don’t hit a plateau because you’re failing; you hit it because you’ve outgrown the version of yourself that got you here.   In this episode of the MPWR Podcast, we unpack one of the most challenging truths in leadership, business, and personal growth: the habits, mindsets, and strategies that created your current success may now be the very things holding you back. This conversation explores the invisible ceilings leaders face when they rely on outdated patterns, over-optimize comfort, or mistake consistency for growth. The next level doesn’t require more effort—it requires...

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#41: The Ripple Effects of Underdeveloped Leadership — Part 2 show art #41: The Ripple Effects of Underdeveloped Leadership — Part 2

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

The Ripple Effects of Underdeveloped Leadership (Part 2)   In Part 2 of this conversation, we go deeper into what really happens when leadership development stalls—and why the consequences rarely stay contained. Most leaders don’t realize this until it’s already shaping their teams: what goes undeveloped internally begins to ripple outward. Emotional intelligence gaps, unregulated stress, and inconsistent leadership behaviors quietly influence communication, trust, psychological safety, and culture. In this episode, we explore two critical ripple effects of underdeveloped...

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#40: How Underdeveloped Leadership Spreads: From Your Inner World to Company Culture— Part 1 show art #40: How Underdeveloped Leadership Spreads: From Your Inner World to Company Culture— Part 1

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

The Ripple Effects of Underdeveloped Leadership Most leadership breakdowns don’t begin with obvious mistakes. They begin quietly—inside the leader. In this episode of MPWR, we explore a reality many leaders don’t recognize until it’s already shaping their culture, communication, and results: the ripple effects of underdeveloped leadership. Last week’s conversation focused on what it feels like when leaders get stuck. This episode takes that insight further by examining what happens next—when internal tension, unaddressed growth edges, or outdated leadership strategies begin to move...

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MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

Why Leaders Feel Stuck (And Why Pushing Harder Makes It Worse)   There’s a moment in leadership most leaders don’t prepare for. You’re experienced. Capable. Proven. The strategy is sound. The team is strong. And yet, progress feels heavier than it should. What once moved quickly now requires more effort. Decisions take longer. Momentum feels harder to sustain; not because you’ve lost discipline or drive, but because something deeper is shifting. For high-level leaders, the instinct is almost automatic: push harder. Apply more pressure. Increase output. Demand more from yourself...

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#38: We Promote People Because They Perform But Rarely Prepare Them to Lead (And How to Fix It) show art #38: We Promote People Because They Perform But Rarely Prepare Them to Lead (And How to Fix It)

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

We promote people because they perform, but we rarely prepare them to lead.   There’s a quiet epidemic happening inside organizations—and it isn’t burnout, turnover, or lack of talent. It’s underdeveloped leadership. In this episode of the MPWR Podcast, we unpack why high performers are so often promoted into leadership roles without the skills, tools, or support required to lead well—and why this gap doesn’t always show up as failure right away. Instead, it hides behind busyness, temporary results, and “getting by” until pressure exposes the cracks. You’ll hear why...

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#37: Leadership Hot Seat: Eric Answers Your Top Questions About Influence & Culture show art #37: Leadership Hot Seat: Eric Answers Your Top Questions About Influence & Culture

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

Executive Q&A: Leading with Trust, Clarity, and Strategic Coaching In this executive-focused Q&A session, Eric Pfeiffer, CEO of MPWR Coaching, and Dawn Neldon, Director of Content, address some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s senior leaders: earning trust, strengthening team alignment, and developing people to perform at a higher level. Together, they deliver an elevated conversation designed for CEOs, founders, and executives who are responsible for driving culture, shaping organizational performance, and leading through complexity. This episode provides strategic...

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#36: Leadership Q&A Every High Performer Needs to Hear show art #36: Leadership Q&A Every High Performer Needs to Hear

MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

The Questions That Build Better Leaders   In this special Q&A episode of the MPWR Podcast, Eric and Dawn pull back the curtain on the real-world pressures leaders are facing today—and the practical tools they use to stay grounded, focused, and effective. This conversation goes deeper than the typical leadership advice. It’s raw, honest, and rooted in lived experience from decades of coaching high-performing executives, entrepreneurs, and teams. Across fast-moving industries and unpredictable environments, leaders everywhere are asking the same urgent questions: How do I lead well...

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MPWR Podcast | Become The Leader YOU Want To Follow

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More Episodes

Are They Underperforming…or Are You Over-Influencing?


Have you ever walked into a meeting and felt the energy subtly change? The agenda stays the same—but suddenly people speak more carefully. Ideas slow down. Decisions start drifting toward you. To most leaders, this feels like respect. But what if it’s actually hesitation—and what if your presence is the reason?

As one powerful truth from this episode reveals:
“Leadership presence is never neutral.”


In this episode of MPWR, Eric Pfeiffer and his co-host explore a leadership dynamic that quietly undermines team performance across industries. Teams are constantly scanning the room to determine where certainty lives. When they decide it lives with the leader, something subtle but dangerous happens: people stop fully thinking for themselves.

Eric explains it plainly:
“Hesitation isn’t about permission. It’s about gravity.”

When leaders speak too early, carry strong authority, or unintentionally signal the “right” answer, teams begin self-protecting. They wait. They hedge. They align with what they think the leader wants rather than offering their best perspective. What looks like collaboration on the surface is often quiet dependency underneath.

Through real-world stories—from executive teams to professional sports scouting organizations—this conversation exposes why brainstorming stalls, why buy-in weakens, and why even highly capable teams fail to tap into their collective intelligence.


What if your leadership presence could unlock confidence instead of creating caution? This episode reframes empowerment as something deeper than delegation. True empowerment is about shaping an environment that requirespeople to think, own decisions, and contribute honestly.

As Eric puts it:
“The leader becomes the place where certainty lives.”

And when that happens, leaders unintentionally rob themselves of the very insight, creativity, and responsibility they hired their team to bring. You’ll learn practical shifts—like sharing last, setting clear expectations, and modeling curiosity—that move teams from performative agreement to real ownership.


As you listen, pause and ask yourself one simple but powerful question: What is my presence producing in the room?Identify one shift you can apply immediately in your next meeting. Then share this episode with another leader who’s ready to stop carrying everything alone and start harnessing collective genius.

To go deeper, explore upcoming MPWR leadership masterclasses at mpwrcoaching.com/masterclass and continue developing leadership that multiplies impact—not dependence.

 


Are you ready to unlock your full potential and lead with purpose, clarity, and conviction?


The MPWR Podcast, hosted by Eric Pfeiffer, CEO of MPWR Coaching, is your go-to space for transformational conversations, powerful insights, and practical strategies to help you step into the next level of your leadership journey. Whether you're scaling your business, seeking greater alignment in life, or stepping into your calling—this podcast will challenge, inspire, and empower you.

Want more tools to accelerate your growth? Head over to mpwrcoaching.com where you'll find free resources, game-changing books, and programs designed to elevate your mindset, build resilience, and transform the way you lead—from the inside out.


🔥 Subscribe to the MPWR Podcast on your favorite platform.
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