In this episode of Deep Dive, The Futur’s Chief Content Officer, Matthew Encina, and Futur Video Content Producer, Mark Contreras, talk with executive coach, Marie Elena Rigo. They discuss their struggles with communication, leadership and the invisible pressure of working here at The Futur.

Marie Elena Rigo is a consultant, facilitator, trainer, and coach here in Santa Monica. She’s worked with several marketing agencies, social services, and mental health organizations to help transform executives into effective leaders.

With over 25 years of experience and a master’s degree in spiritual psychology, Marie brings a unique approach of her own to helping others develop personally and professionally. She mostly focuses on communication, self-awareness, and using experiences to apply skills to groups she coaches.

There’s no cut-and-dried method to becoming an effective leader, but Marie lends her expertise as to how you can start. She starts by highlighting one key phrase that opens the door to trust and collaboration between teams and leaders: “What are your thoughts?”

This simple question, when asked in an authentic tone, shifts a task from being just something that needs to get done, into an opportunity to learn what your team is thinking about. It’s important to show that you are listening and present to the conversations that unfold.

Oftentimes, teams are under the impression that the leader knows everything that needs to be going on. Conversely, sometimes leaders believe their teams already know everything that needs to be done.

This inevitably leads to miscommunication or loss of direction, but it can be easily avoided when there’s room for discussion and clarification.

Listen to the full episode to get a peek into the minds of our management team. In this candid conversation about what life is like under our roof, we reveal everything—warts and all. This episode is a long a one, but well worth the listen.