Clay LinkousCo-founder, Linkous Solutions · International Speaker, Executive Coach, and Facilitator / Champion of Physicians, Leadership, the Human Experience, SDOH, Vulnerable Populations, & Neurodiversity.

Be Both Nice and Tough: Leadership's Winning Formula #shorts

12 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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1:10

In this brief motivational talk, Clay Linkous asks the listener, Will, to reflect on the most impactful leaders, parents, coaches, or teachers in his life. He suggests that the individuals who have shaped us the most are those who embody a blend of kindness and firmness—being supportive and pleasant while also delivering honest, sometimes uncomfortable feedback. Linkous emphasizes that effective leaders are not merely likable nor intimidating; they create strong, positive relationships while holding people accountable. He concludes by urging communicators to consciously adopt this "both/and" approach each day, balancing niceness with toughness to build meaningful, impactful connections.

Chapters

Will, for a minute, think back over your whole life. Think about leaders and bosses you've had, maybe parents, maybe coaches, people in your life who— maybe teachers, people in your life that you didn't just like, but you really respected them. All right. My guess is, is that if you think about the people in your life that had the biggest impact on you, not just people that made you feel good, but people that had the biggest impact on who you are today, there's probably a really good chance that when you think about them as a whole person, you probably could describe them as both nice and tough. They weren't always somebody that told you everything that you wanted to hear, right? So that's the nice. But they also weren't somebody that you were scared of constantly, right? They were somebody that they knew that they would tell you, or you knew that they would tell you when something wasn't good. But they also created a great relationship with you, they created a great dynamic with you, you felt good about interacting with them. And so it was a both/and, right? And so part of what we need to do as communicators is figure out how do we show up each day and try to be both.