138 - Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement with Lewis Eisen
The Workplace Communication Podcast
Release Date: 09/29/2025
#142 - Emotional Empowerment: The Human Advantage in the Age of AI with Jamelle Lindo
The Workplace Communication Podcast
You can have the strategy, the roadmap, and the results to prove it, and still feel completely disconnected from your own leadership. That’s the quiet tension Jamelle Lindo has seen time and time again. After a decade in leadership roles, he realized something most organizations overlook: success isn’t just built on intellect or execution - it’s built on humanity. And when that piece is missing, even the highest performers can feel emotionally powerless. As the creator of the Emotional Empowerment Process™, Jamelle works with leaders to help them reconnect with themselves...
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#141 - The Human Cost of Change and How Leaders Can Do Better with Myriane Ouellette
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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#140 - Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss with Dr Laura Hambley Lovett
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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#139 - Unlocking Leadership Excellence through Psychological Safety with Kelly Meerbott
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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138 - Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement with Lewis Eisen
The Workplace Communication Podcast
In today’s collaborative workplaces, outdated “command and control” policy language feels completely out of step. Instead of encouraging cooperation, it often creates resentment and disengagement. That’s why Lewis Eisen, author of Rules: Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement, has been challenging the traditional way organizations write policies. Drawing on his background as a lawyer, IT professional, and senior government policy advisor, Lewis shows leaders how respectful, plain-language policies can inspire genuine cooperation, strengthen employee engagement, and...
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#137 - Inside-Out Leadership: Transforming How You Lead at Work and in Life with Monica Chang
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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#136 - Instilling Confidence Through Sports With Amy Buchan Siegfried
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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#135 - Conquering Imposter Syndrome While Building Skills and Confidence with Sue Musson
The Workplace Communication Podcast
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#134 - The Art of Effective Communication and How To Overcome Communication Gaps with John Whitehead
The Workplace Communication Podcast
No matter where you are in the world, communication is at the heart of everything - how we lead, how we connect, and how we get things done. Yet even with the best intentions, misunderstandings still happen. Whether it’s a clash of communication styles, unspoken expectations, or deeply rooted behavioral habits, gaps can form in the most unexpected places which often leads to people talking at each other instead of with each other. John Whitehead, Executive/Leadership Coach at JKWhitehead & Associates, spent over a decade helping senior and emerging leaders navigate the human...
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#133 - Essential Communication Skills for Professionals in the Ever Evolving Healthcare Industry with Shweta Ramkumar
The Workplace Communication Podcast
Whether it’s a language barrier, a generational gap, cultural misunderstandings, or the invisible walls built by socioeconomic class, communication in today’s world can be complex and challenging. More often than not, miscommunication isn’t just about words; it’s about tone, context power dynamics, and the silent biases we carry. In a setting with high-stakes such as healthcare, where an interaction could literally affect lives directly, bridging these gaps is very critical. Inspired by her mother - a dedicated doctor who served patients from all walks of life - Shweta...
info_outlineIn today’s collaborative workplaces, outdated “command and control” policy language feels completely out of step. Instead of encouraging cooperation, it often creates resentment and disengagement.
That’s why Lewis Eisen, author of Rules: Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement, has been challenging the traditional way organizations write policies. Drawing on his background as a lawyer, IT professional, and senior government policy advisor, Lewis shows leaders how respectful, plain-language policies can inspire genuine cooperation, strengthen employee engagement, and reflect organizational values.
On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we’re talking with Lewis Eisen, author of Rules: Powerful Policy Writing to Maximize Engagement, about how to move away from rigid, adversarial wording and instead create policies that employees want to follow. You’ll learn how language choices shape culture, how to separate policies from procedures, and why policies are a key part of your organization’s brand.
Leadership tips you won’t want to miss:
🎙️ Recognizing how “command and control” language sends messages of distrust
🎙️ Shifting from “you must” to “we” language that fosters cooperation
🎙️ Defining policies as organizational boundaries instead of adversarial rules
🎙️ Treating policy writing as part of your brand and employee experience
🎙️ Identifying the most common word to eliminate for more engaging policies
Lewis Eisen combines his experience practising law with 20 years in consulting and 17 in policy writing in the federal government. His Amazon international bestseller Rules: Powerful Policy Wording to Maximize Engagement. came out in 4th edition this spring and his approach to drafting policies using respectful language has been adopted at organizations around the world.
If you’re looking to create policies people actually want to follow, then this episode is for you!
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🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/
For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.
Lewis Eisen’s contact information:
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