The Influence Economy Podcast with Shayna Davis

Let’s just say the quiet part out loud: your sales cycle isn’t long—you’re just asking people to trust you too late. And if that stings a little, good. Because this is where most leadership teams are getting it wrong. We’ve been conditioned to believe slow deals are just the nature of B2B—more stakeholders, more complexity, more time. But let’s keep it real: two companies with the same product, same pricing, and same market can close at completely different speeds. So what’s actually driving that gap? Trust. And more specifically—when that trust gets built. In this episode, I’m breaking down why sales velocity has less to do with your process and more to do with your presence before the first conversation ever happens. Because buyers aren’t deciding during your sales cycle—they’re confirming what they already believe. Let’s fix that. What you’ll learn: Why your sales cycle is actually a trust timeline—not a process problem The three leadership signals that either accelerate or stall your deals How external influence becomes a direct revenue lever What your buyers are deciding before they ever take your call Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

Let’s keep it real—visibility is already happening whether you’re intentional about it or not. The question is: are you sending the right signals, or are you leaving your credibility up to chance? In this episode, I sat down with executive communication strategist Laura Camacho to unpack one of the biggest blind spots in modern leadership. Too many leaders are still operating like visibility is optional—or worse, something reserved for influencers and entrepreneurs. Let’s fix that. Because in today’s environment, visibility isn’t about attention. It’s about trust, perception, and ultimately, performance. Laura and I go deep into what’s really holding leaders back, why being “great at your job” is no longer enough, and how to step into external visibility without becoming performative or fake. This is the conversation leaders need to hear before they get passed over, overlooked, or outpaced. What you’ll learn: Why visibility is already a KPI—even if it’s not on your performance review The real risk of staying invisible (and why it’s costing you opportunities) How to stop sounding like a “corporate-branded parrot” and develop a real point of view The first shift to make if you want to build credible external influence Resources: Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauramcamacho/ Grab your Executive Presence Scorecard: Email [email protected] (Subject: “Score”) Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

Let’s keep it real: a lot of leaders think PR is the fix when the real issue is message ownership. In this episode, I’m breaking down the difference between visibility and influence, and why more media, more stages, and more polished language will not help if leadership has no real point of view behind the message. I’m also getting honest about what happens when companies outsource the center of their voice. Because PR can amplify a message, but it cannot create conviction. If your public language sounds polished but forgettable, safe but empty, or strategic but disconnected from how leadership actually thinks, let’s fix that. This episode is about why leadership-owned messaging is now a trust issue, a credibility issue, and a business issue. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why PR cannot solve a leadership message problem The difference between exposure and actual influence How borrowed messaging falls apart under pressure What leadership-owned messaging really requires before PR ever enters the room Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

Most leaders think attracting top talent is about compensation, benefits, or the size of the opportunity. Let’s keep it real—that’s not what makes high performers choose you. The companies that consistently attract the right people are the ones that know how to tell a story. Not a marketing story. Not a polished brand narrative. The real story behind why the company exists and what kind of people belong inside it. In this episode, I sit down with recruitment strategist EA Clarke, founder of Pivot and Edge, to talk about why employer branding is becoming one of the most overlooked leadership responsibilities in today’s war for talent. EA has spent more than 30 years in recruitment and startup leadership, helping companies scale their teams and raise capital. What he’s learned along the way is simple: the best hires aren’t just looking for a job—they’re looking for a mission they believe in. And if leaders can’t clearly communicate that mission? Let’s fix that. In this conversation, we unpack why storytelling is actually a talent strategy, how leaders accidentally repel the best candidates, and why every executive—not just HR—has a role in shaping the signals your company sends to the outside world. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why employer branding is not the same thing as company branding—and why the difference matters How storytelling helps startups attract the right talent instead of just more candidates What high-performing candidates are actually listening for when evaluating your company Why every executive’s LinkedIn presence is part of your hiring strategy Mentioned Resources: Pivot and Edge: https://pivotandedge.com Connect with EA Clarke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaclarke Email EA Clark: [email protected] Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

For decades, companies relied on one voice to carry credibility: the CEO. But something is changing in the market—and if you work in technology, innovation, or any industry powered by complex systems, you’ve probably felt it already. The people audiences trust the most are no longer just the executives telling the story. Increasingly, it’s the people who actually understand how the systems work. The engineers. The architects. The CTOs. The builders. Technical credibility is quietly becoming leadership currency—and most organizations haven’t adjusted to this shift yet. Let’s keep it real: when audiences hear directly from the people who built the thing, something different happens. The message feels less polished, more grounded, and infinitely more credible. In this episode, I’m unpacking why technical leaders are becoming some of the most powerful trust signals a company can have—and what smart organizations are starting to do differently because of it. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why technical credibility is becoming one of the strongest trust signals in modern leadership The hidden credibility gap most organizations are creating without realizing it Why communication training alone won’t unlock technical leaders’ influence How companies can turn technical expertise into market trust, talent attraction, and investor confidence Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

If you’ve ever sent a leader to communication training and thought, “Why didn’t that land the way I expected?” — let’s keep it real. It’s not because they need better slides. It’s because they don’t have a defined leadership identity. In this episode, I’m saying something that might irritate a few executive programs: communication training is not the first step. Leadership identity is. Because if you don’t know what you stand for, no amount of media coaching or executive presence polish will make you magnetic. It will just make you polished… and generic. And generic is invisible in today’s Influence Economy. I share a story from a recent panel where one leader stood out — not because he was louder or more charismatic — but because he was defined. He wasn’t hiding behind the company. He was representing it. And that difference is everything. If you’re serious about building external credibility, attracting top talent, and strengthening market trust, this is where the real work starts. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why communication training without identity clarity makes leaders more replaceable The three components of true leadership identity and how to define yours How the war for talent, trust gaps, and tech disruption are reshaping executive evaluation Five powerful questions to clarify what you actually stand for Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

If you think your title is your brand, let’s fix that. Too many corporate leaders hide behind their company logo. They believe their credibility comes from the organization they work for, not from the signals they send personally. Let’s keep it real. In today’s war for talent, widening trust gap, and relentless tech disruption, that mindset is dangerous. In this episode, I sit down with personal branding expert and podcast host Nathaniel Schooler to talk about why leaders must stop seeing themselves as “just a representative of the company” and start recognizing that they are a brand — whether they like it or not. We break down what a personal brand actually is (hint: it’s not a logo), why AI won’t save you from being invisible, and how leaders who ignore their external presence risk getting passed over, replaced, or forgotten. If you want to get picked, paid, and promoted — and become an asset your company can’t afford to lose — this conversation is your wake-up call. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why seeing yourself only as your job title is costing you influence The real definition of personal brand (and why most leaders get it wrong) The foundational document every leader needs before building visibility How LinkedIn, external presence, and thought leadership protect your career Resources Follow Nathaniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanielschooler/Learn about Monday Influencer: http://www.mondayinfluencer.com/ Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

You can tell a lot about a company by what it does when things get shaky. Not when the stock price is up. Not when the press is glowing. But when the market tightens and stakeholders get nervous. Let’s keep it real. In unstable markets, silence is not neutral. It’s interpreted. And too many executive teams are still treating leadership visibility like a marketing preference instead of structural protection. Let’s fix that. In this episode, I walk you through why visible leadership is no longer branding — it’s insulation. I’ll introduce you to a fictional company, Northstar Systems, and show you exactly how silence created risk across reputation, talent, customers, and investors. Then we’ll break down the five categories of risk that visible leadership actively reduces — and the framework you can take straight into your next boardroom. What you’ll learn: Why silence is interpreted as instability in volatile markets The five categories of risk visible leadership reduces How to shift from reactive updates to strategic direction A five-step framework to operationalize executive visibility Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

We’re living in a trust recession—and most leaders are still showing up like it’s business as usual. In this episode, I’m joined by Salvatore Manzi—executive communication coach and author of the upcoming book Clear and Compelling—to talk about what it really takes to build trust before you speak. Let’s keep it real: memorizing talking points and “performing” presence isn’t cutting it anymore. Leaders today must embody credibility from the inside out—and that means aligning identity, values, and voice with the external moments that matter. We’re unpacking: Why self-trust is a prerequisite for market trust How over-relying on comms teams and scripts erodes credibility The “trust leaks” you’re not thinking about (like your tone of voice) The link between identity, legacy, and external influence If your leaders sound robotic, go off-script in a panic, or leave audiences uninspired—it’s not a polish problem. It’s a preparation problem. And this episode is your fix. What you’ll learn: The trust-building signals leaders must send before they say a word How to shift from “company rep” to recognized authority The biggest trust killers hiding in plain sight Why identity is the leadership strategy no one’s talking about Resources mentioned: Salvatore Manzi’s Clear & Compelling Resource Library: https://clearandcompellingplaybook.com Connect with Salvatore on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salvatoremanzi/ Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

Some of the most powerful people inside STEM companies are also the least visible—and that invisibility is quietly eroding trust in the market. In this solo episode, I’m breaking down a leadership blind spot I see everywhere: technical leaders whose credibility is trapped internally while investors, talent, and customers are forming opinions externally. CTOs, heads of product, and engineering leaders often understand the future best—yet they’ve been trained to stay heads-down in a world that now rewards visible, intentional leadership. This isn’t about personal branding or turning engineers into influencers. Let’s fix that narrative. This is about leadership infrastructure—and recognizing that external influence is no longer optional. It’s baseline performance. If you’re a technical leader navigating visibility, or an executive wondering why trust feels harder to earn than it used to be, this episode will change how you think about leadership, credibility, and silence. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why silence from technical leaders actively erodes trust The difference between internal authority and external credibility How to communicate complex work without hype What intentional external leadership actually looks like Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com If you want this even sharper (ultra-short, Apple Podcasts–style) or adapted for YouTube descriptions vs. podcast apps, say the word and I’ll trim it further.

If you think influence is just about being visible, we need to fix that. In this episode, I’m spilling the tea on why attention is currency—and how leaders are quietly burning through it every time they show up unprepared, over-scripted, or disconnected from the humans on the other side of the room. I’m joined by speaker, author, and founder of Engagify, Anders Boulanger. After nearly two decades commanding attention on global stages and trade show floors, Anders has cracked the code on what actually makes people listen, trust, and remember you. We get real about why smart leaders still lose the room, how executive communication has become dangerously dehumanized, and why external engagement failures are far more expensive than most companies realize. From monotone delivery and robotic messaging to leaders who can’t articulate a single original point of view—nothing is off limits. This isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being effective. And if you’re a leader representing your company in public—investors, media, talent, or the market at large—this conversation is required listening. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why attention isn’t free—and how leaders unknowingly waste it The fastest ways executives lose trust the moment they open their mouth How to balance authority and warmth without sounding scripted or sloppy What “rehumanizing executive communication” actually looks like in practice Resources & Mentions: Learn more about Anders, grab his PDF, and Book: https://engagify.ai/engage-first/ Follow Anders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersboulanger Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/ Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com

AI didn’t just change how companies operate.It changed how leadership is evaluated. And here’s the part most leaders are missing: the evaluation isn’t happening internally anymore. It’s happening externally—in the market, the media, with investors, customers, and talent who are watching every move. In this solo episode of The Influence Economy Podcast, I’m spilling the tea on why leadership messaging in the AI era is no longer about keeping people informed—it’s about shaping perception in real time. Because perception is now performance. And when everything is moving this fast, clarity becomes the signal that determines whether leaders are trusted… or quietly written off. This isn’t an internal comms conversation.It’s not about change management decks or carefully worded FAQs. This episode is about external influence—the lens that actually determines outcomes. I’m breaking down why silence, vagueness, and noise are the three biggest messaging traps leaders fall into when things feel uncertain—and why none of them build trust. We’re redefining executive presence for a world where presence is no longer physical. It’s narrative. And if you’re waiting until AI “settles down” before you speak? Let’s fix that. Because clarity doesn’t require certainty. It requires judgment. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why leadership messaging is now reputation management How AI collapsed the distance between internal decisions and external judgment The three messaging traps that quietly erode trust Why clarity beats certainty in high-uncertainty environments How executive presence has shifted from the room to the world The three things clear leaders do differently in public Why sense-making—not prediction—is the new influence skill How your AI language impacts employer brand, media credibility, and career trajectory Your Next Steps: Access the white paper: External Influence: The Currency Every Leader Must Carry. https://externalinfluence.us Follow Shayna on LinkedIn: http:/linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler Visit our website: https://executivesignalsgroup.com