Y-Connect Thought Leadership

Blog
Emotional Intelligence
Yoke

How to Reframe Negative Thoughts: An NLP Tool for Leaders

In June 2023, I walked onto a keynote stage on crutches, wearing a moonboot and hiding tears from the drive over. What I told that audience turned my worst professional moment into my most memorable opening line. In this post I share two NLP reframing techniques you can use to shift a negative thought before you walk into your next high-stakes meeting.
That’s 63 words, which sits comfortably in the excerpt sweet spot. If your theme cuts excerpts at 55 words, here’s a tighter version:
In June 2023, I delivered a keynote on crutches, in a moonboot, after crying the whole drive there. What I said on that stage turned pain into my best opening line. Here are two NLP reframing techniques to shift a negative thought before your next high-stakes meeting.

read more
15 July 2026
Yoke van Dam podcast episode with Gaurav Rampal on Leadership Lyrics
Emotional Intelligence
Yoke

Why your best people quit and don’t tell you why

Most leaders who’ve lost good people will tell you they never saw it coming.
But Gaurav Rampal, founder of The Horseman Way™ and the only Indian to co-own a Kentucky Derby winner, has spent over 20 years watching horses tell a different story.
Horses don’t respond to titles, authority or positional power. They respond to who you actually are, your presence, your anxiety, your need for control, before you’ve opened your mouth. And what they reveal about a leader in minutes is often what that leader’s team has been experiencing for years.
In this Leadership Lyrics conversation, Yoke van Dam and Gaurav explore the real reasons good people disengage and leave, why psychological safety starts with the leader and not the policy, what it actually costs an organisation when control replaces trust, and why the most important work a leader can do has nothing to do with strategy.
Including a Gallup finding that will make every MD stop and think: disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.8 trillion annually.
Gaurav’s closing advice for every leader:
“Spend time in stillness, silence and solitude. Your work of life should be to discover yourself because everything else is available on Google.” Watch the full episode here https://youtu.be/Ok-rbvFmkgU?si=2BxjzttMP8HVZ2Yv

read more
22 May 2026
Executive Coaching
Yoke

Leadership is like a game of chess

I have often found that leadership is much like a game of chess. While many people focus on the power players like knights, queens, and rooks, I’ve learned that playing with the King in mind can ultimately win the long game. If you are the King, the leader of your company, you need to be confident and lead from a position of power.

Here are five famous chess plays where the King is prominently featured, each offering valuable lessons in strategic leadership:

read more
29 July 2024
5 signs of a toxic workplace
Executive Coaching
Yoke

5 Signs of a Toxic Workplace

Identifying and addressing toxic behaviors in the workplace is crucial for employee retention and engagement, according to Forbes Insights. This article highlights five key red flags—such as stifled communication and fear of mistakes—that indicate a need for leadership to promote a healthier, more supportive work environment.

read more
23 July 2024