The Project Success Podcast
The Conversation With Clint Padgett
A Leading Communication Podcast for Business and Team Success
Team Execution
Team Empowerment
Team Accountability
The key to business and team success finds its roots deep in conversation.
Clint Padgett serves as the President and CEO of Project Success. With more than 30 years in project management, he has developed his expertise by assisting Fortune 100 companies in improving their operations. To learn how to manage projects, teams, and results effectively, listen to Clint Padgett on the Conversation podcast, where he engages with business leaders, best-selling authors, and academics conducting innovative research that encourages professional and business growth.
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Did you realize the key to business and team success finds its roots deep in conversation? Join Clint Padgett, who’s built his career helping Fortune 100 companies optimize their businesses, as he interviews leaders who encourage employees to learn, challenge, and grow. If you want to effectively manage people and optimize results, this is the podcast for you. The Conversation with Clinton M. Padgett from Forbes Books.
In Part Two of Clint’s conversation with Dr. Vanessa Druskat, Associate Professor at the University of New Hampshire and author of “The Emotionally Intelligent Team,” Dr. Druskat explains how leaders can actively build high-performing teams by shaping culture, not controlling people.
She shares practical ways to create team norms with input from the team itself, why top-down approaches often fail, and how leaders can act as “culture managers” to drive better interaction, trust, and performance.
Vanessa also dives into the realities of modern teamwork – remote collaboration, feedback challenges, personality differences, and communication breakdowns – and offers clear, actionable strategies to address each.
Throughout the conversation, she reinforces a powerful idea: the best teams aren’t defined by talent; they’re defined by how people work together.
This is the second part of a two-part conversation.
Topics Covered:
Why team culture must be co-created, not dictated by leaders
How to identify and build the right team norms
The role of team charters and clarity in avoiding dysfunction
Why belonging drives commitment and performance
The impact of trust on team outcomes (and why it’s often missing)
How communication tools don’t replace real connection
Managing different personalities (introverts vs. extroverts) on teams
How to structure meetings to ensure all voices are heard
Best practices for giving and receiving feedback on teams
Understanding negativity bias and its impact on performance
The importance of cultural awareness in global teams
What a “pre-mortem” is and how it improves team outcomes
The visible signs of a high-performing, emotionally intelligent team
Why listening and curiosity are core leadership skills
How leaders can bring out the best in every team member
Links:
Vanessa’s website – https://www.vanessadruskat.com/
Vanessa’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-druskat/
Vanessa’s book, “The Emotionally Intelligent Team” – https://amzn.to/4bN4mWl
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