Ever had a conversation go nuclear in 60 seconds flat? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Business Mechanic Show, Vaughn Sigmon breaks down how great leaders turn explosive moments into opportunities for trust and clarity. Learn how to stop pouring gas on the fire and start becoming the calm thermostat your team needs when emotions run high. This is your playbook for defusing tension and keeping control. 🎯 Vaughn shares tactical phrases, body language tips, and science-backed techniques to help you cool the temperature before it ever hits boiling. Don’t just survive conflict—lead through it. &nbsp; In this episode, you’ll learn:   What not to say when someone’s emotional   How to use silence as a leadership tool   The “70/30 Rule” for listening vs. talking   A script for when you’re being personally attacked   The psychology of calm authority   &nbsp;  Timestamps: 00:00 – Opening: The moment a conversation explodes 02:08 – Why managers unknowingly make it worse 03:55 – Fight fire with calm: What the brain does in conflict 06:27 – The power of emotional contagion 08:12 – Pattern interrupt and naming the emotion 10:02 – What not to say (and what to say instead) 12:31 – Jefferson Fisher’s 3-part response to verbal attacks 14:55 – The power of pausing and silence 16:45 – The 70/30 listening rule 18:33 – Witness, don’t fix: Let them drain 20:10 – Final reminder: They’re not mad at you &nbsp;  Links: 📘 Download the Free eBook:&nbsp; 🌐&nbsp;Explore Our Leadership Programs:&nbsp; &nbsp;  Join our mailing list to receive our team's latest news and updates. Don’t worry; your information will not be shared. &nbsp;We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information for any reason.   Contact&nbsp;&nbsp;for a Free Consultation  &nbsp;

Deescalation Playbook for Leaders

&nbsp; The Real-World Steps to being a World Class Leader. Learn my “Transformational Triangle”. It provides you the Step by Step Educational Strategy, Support Through Coaching and the Mindset Performance Technique that create a new you.&nbsp; Once you have started the program and apply it, you, in turn, will have a huge impact on your company's performance. &nbsp;This Video is just one of the steps to understanding how to transform yourself into the great leader you want to be. All my leadership coaching and management training programs are based on me living it for decades, not teaching theory out of some book.

Improving Performance Reviews Part 1

The Real-World Steps to being a World Class Leader. Learn my “Transformational Triangle”. It provides you the Step by Step Educational Strategy, Support Through Coaching and the Mindset Performance Technique that create a new you.&nbsp; Once you have started the program and apply it, you in turn will have a huge impact on your company's performance. &nbsp;This Video is just one of the steps to understanding how to transform yourself into the great leader you want to be. All my leadership coaching and management training programs are based on me living it for decades, not teaching theory out of some book.

Catcth Them Doing It Right!

&nbsp; The Real-World Steps to being a World Class Leader. Learn my “Transformational Triangle”. It provides you the Step by Step Educational Strategy, Support Through Coaching and the Mindset Performance Technique that create a new you.&nbsp; Once you have started the program and apply it, you in turn will have a huge impact on your company's performance. &nbsp;This Video is just one of the steps to understanding how to transform yourself into the great leader you want to be. All my leadership coaching and management training programs are based on me living it for decades, not teaching theory out of some book.

Improving Performance Reviews Part 2

We tend to avoid them and hope they will just go away. They don't and eventually, we have to deal with them. This leadership development training will give you the RIGHT Way to deal with those problem people. You will gain confidence and in the future know how to avoid hiring them and if you create one how to deal with the problem before it affects your entire team. &nbsp; The Real-World Steps to being a World Class Leader. Learn my “Transformational Triangle”. It provides you the Step by Step Educational Strategy, Supports Through Coaching and the Mindset Performance Technique that create a new you.&nbsp; Once you have started the program and apply it, you, in turn, will have a huge impact on your company's performance. &nbsp;This Video is just one of the steps to understanding how to transform yourself into the great leader you want to be. All my leadership coaching and management training programs are based on me living it for decades, not teaching theory out of some book. &nbsp;    00:000

How to Fire Unpleasant Employees Leadership Development

Improving Peformance Reviews Part 3

The Real-World Steps to being a World Class Leader. Learn my “Transformational Triangle”. It provides you the Step by Step Educational Strategy, Support Through Coaching and the Mindset Performance Technique that create a new you.&nbsp; Once you have started the program and apply it, you in turn will have a huge impact on your company's performance. &nbsp;This Video is just one of the steps to understanding how to transform yourself into the great leader you want to be. All my leadership coaching and management training programs are based on me living it for decades, not teaching theory out of some book. &nbsp;

Improving Performance Reviews Part 4

Are You a Good Boss?

Babies Down the River Parable for Improved Problem Solving

5 Hacks for Hiring Employees

Who’s Running You? Easy Time Management Tips that are hard to put into place
There’s an old saying “Time Flies and you’re the Pilot”
•	Anybody that is growing in their career or in their business, is unlikely to ever wake up one day and have less to do. 
•	Nope, that would be a pretty sexy fantasy that most overworked, stressed out frustrated executives and managers have given up on. But Wait! Maybe there is a way of having less stress, less pressure, fewer distractions and surprises.
•	 It just won’t happen overnight. 
•	Take control of your work load. It is the only way to truly manage your responsibilities to a level where the job is not running you.
•	 Easier said than done…right? How in the world do you literally start running your business and stop your business running you?
•	Allow the Business Mechanic to show what’s broken under your hood so we can order the right parts, then get them installed. 
•	It’s not a 30-minute lube job. This will be  a long-term commitment by you in order to make this change work.
•	Understand and accept that the biggest barrier to time management is YOU!
•	You must raise your level of self accountability. Commit to your self that you will  take these approaches one at a time. There is no order to them, just pick one that you would like to start with and get started.
•	I learned an important lesson not long ago from Dr. John O’Keefe. It takes 21 days to BEGIN to form a habit, not ingrain a habit.
•	 It takes months to fully form a new habit into your daily life to where it is fully part of your natural routine.
•	 Ah RATS, instant success is not part of this advice. Thanks for that insight Dr John.
•	 Don’t get down on yourself if your resort back to your old ways during the formation phase. Just recognize it, stop, readjust and get back on track to forming a better personal relationship with your workload.
•	As any Business Coach would tell you…You must become uncomfortable to begin the process of learning and changing anything in your daily habits. 
•	So that’s where you must hold yourself accountable, know that it will take a while, it will not be easy or come without some level of discomfort and strain
•	I'm sharing some great tips today to help you begin to start the process of changing who runs your day

Time Mangement Tips For Leadership DevelopmentVideo

Vaughn is the co-founder of Results-Driven Leadership. He is a leadership development expert, podcaster, and author. His methods are brought from his real-world experience working on the front lines and living the role of being a results-driven leader and manager.

There is no theory, just common-sense advice, and direction from someone who developed the team that scaled a $2 Billion business with 3000 employees. CarMax is the world's largest and most respected auto industry companies and is a Fortune 100 Best Places to Work.

Vaughn's mission is to improve the impact of executives and other managers by increasing their knowledge, skills, and abilities. His motto is "No matter what business you're in; you're in the people business."

Deescalation Playbook for Leaders

The Business Mechanic

Related tracks