E2A 107 From Everything to Essential: The Focus Behind The Connect Effect with Kylie Paatsch 

In this episode of The Entrepreneur to Author Podcast, your host Scott MacMillan speaks with leadership coach, speaker, and facilitator Kylie Paatsch about her new book, The Connect Effect: How to Build Loyalty, Ownership, and Engagement with Your Leaders. Drawing on three decades working with senior leaders across Australia and internationally, Kylie explains why she focuses on “leaders of leaders” and how often mid-to-senior level leaders are underdeveloped and left to “just know” what to do. She unpacks her core Know–Show–Grow framework, revealing that even experienced leaders frequently don’t know their people as deeply as they think they do—beyond surface-level details to what truly motivates them, worries them, and helps them thrive. Kylie also explores the risks of stepping in and micromanaging instead of intentionally growing each leader based on their confidence and capability.

Kylie shares the vulnerable bathroom-floor moment that opens her book and why she chose to lead with such a personal story: to prove she understands the pressures of senior leadership and to model the kind of real, relational connection she advocates. She talks candidly about her writing journey—from trying to cram “20 leadership books into one” to narrowing in on the critical role of one-on-one relationships—and how the process sharpened and expanded her thinking, including evolving her “show you care” ideas to include presence alongside kind love and firm love. Kylie explains why she chose a book as a scalable, permanent resource and how she now uses it as both a companion to her coaching, workshops, and keynotes and a door-opener into new industries. For listeners sitting on a book idea or framework of their own, she offers a clear challenge: stop waiting for the perfect moment and just start, because writing will deepen your framework, strengthen your voice, and grow your impact.

SHOW LINKS

To receive a chapter sample head to https://kyliepaatsch.com.au/book/

GUEST BIO

Kylie Paatsch is a Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Author of The Connect Effect: How to Build Loyalty, Ownership and Engagement with Your Leaders.
With three decades of leadership experience and twenty years of coaching and facilitating, Kylie has worked with thousands of senior leaders, their teams and their organisations across a wide range of industries throughout Australia and internationally. She has led at every level from frontline through to executive and knows firsthand what it takes for leaders to get the best out of themselves and the people they lead and work with.

CONNECT WITH KYLIE 

Website: kyliepaatsch.com.au

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kyliepaatsch

Instagram: instagram.com/kyliepaatschleadership

CONNECT WITH SCOTT

Episode Transcript

Please note: The transcript is produced by a third-party company from an audio recording and may include transcription errors.

Scott MacMillan:

You're listening to the Entrepreneur to Author podcast. 

Announcer

Welcome to the Entrepreneur to Author podcast, the podcast that brings you practical strategies for building authority and growing your business. And now, here's your host, Scott MacMillan.

Scott:

My guest today is Kylie Paatsch. Kylie is a leadership coach, speaker, and facilitator who has spent three decades working with senior leaders, coaching them to lead themselves, their people, and their teams with greater clarity, confidence, and impact. She's worked with thousands of leaders across industries throughout Australia and internationally, and she's channeled everything she's learned into her new book, The Connect Effect, how to build loyalty, ownership, and engagement with your leaders.

Kylie, welcome to the show.

Kylie Paatsch:

Thanks for having me, Scott.

Scott:

Of course. For our listeners who may not know your work, can you share a little bit about yourself? What do you do?

Who do you work with? And what's driven your focus on senior leadership specifically?

Kylie:

Sure. So I am a leadership coach, facilitator, and speaker. And I work mainly with senior leaders from mid-level leadership through to C-suite.

And I also work with their teams. Actually, one of my sons said to me the other day, so basically, mom, you work with leaders of leaders. And I was like, yeah, that's pretty much what I do.

And what drove me to this work is that most senior leaders, especially at that mid-level leader level and a couple of, I hate being hierarchical, but a couple of rungs above, often don't get the development that they should. I find a lot of, particularly programs, I find a lot of programs are catered to emerging leaders and frontline leaders. And what happens at senior leadership level is there's a lot of assumptions made.

There's assumptions that the leaders in those positions, because they are in senior leadership positions, will actually know what they're doing or that they will have had some development or training. And when you go into those roles, it's really different. The people side of leadership's different.

The juggle and the struggle and the challenges are really different. So I was called to that work because I had experienced not receiving that myself. And so I was really passionate about making sure that I was supporting leaders at that level.

So that's really what motivated me and drew me to it.

Scott:

Yeah. You know, it's funny, as you were talking, I was thinking back to my time in the corporate world and, you know, moving into a position where I was no longer, you know, just sort of managing people who were doing the work, but I was managing people who were managing teams. And, you know, I had the exact same reaction that you had is, you know, I didn't get what I thought I needed or in hindsight, what I what I now know that I needed.

So, you know, you're really hitting on a sweet spot, I think. And you've written The Connect Effect. And I'm wondering if you would share with the audience what the book is about.

And you know, I think we have a sense already for who you wrote it for. But what do you want your readers to take away from it?

Kylie:

So the book is essentially a practical guide for senior leaders on how to build loyalty, ownership and engagement with their leaders, the people that they need on board and at their side, you know, at their side the most. Most senior leaders and leadership books, I find often when it comes to connection are often about the importance of connecting a team, but very few are focused on connecting with the individual team members and, you know, really focusing on that personal and that relational side. So that's, that's one of the reasons why I really wanted to write the book about that.

And the thing that I would love is that the readers, the leaders walk away with greater awareness of just how important it is to make their leaders a priority and to walk away knowing that there is a solution when they are facing those challenges, particularly those people challenges with their leaders, where they're disengaged or dismissive or disconnected with either them or the organization or the work that they're, that they're doing.

Scott:

That's great. And you open the book with a pretty vulnerable personal story, right? You talk about sitting on the bathroom floor, realizing that good intent alone doesn't build trust.

Was that always going to be the opening or did it take some convincing of yourself to put it in?

Kylie:

Yes. No, it didn't take some convincing. It was always going to be the opening and there are a couple of reasons why.

I think firstly, it's really important to be real about your experiences. In fact, I encourage the leaders I work with to share as many of their experiences as they possibly can appropriately, of course, because I think it's a really important way to actually connect with others. So that was definitely one of the reasons.

The other was that, that crying moment in the, in the bathroom at work and fainting in front of an audience a couple of months later, which is for the next book, Scott, I didn't, didn't, didn't put that, that one in there were actually two really, really pivotal moments for me in my life and leadership. And they really reshaped how I, uh, I went on to lead and to lead differently. So I felt like it was really, really important to put that in the book.

And the other thing is I wanted the reader to know that I get what it's like to do their role and their work that I've had firsthand experience with it. And I wanted to be vulnerable upfront because I know sometimes when I've read books, sometimes you go, this sounds really great, but do you understand it? Do you know it?

And also the last thing I wanted was for the reader to feel bad about things that they perhaps, you know, they perhaps hadn't realized or hadn't been doing. So that was, yeah, that was pretty, it was a big yes for me.

Scott:

Very good. Yeah. Those, those vulnerable stories can be really powerful and can, can be really important in a book like this.

And the other part, of course, to a book that delivers what you want for your reader are the frameworks. And at the heart of the book is the, the no show grow framework. And you know, I think it might sound deceptively simple, but it really is powerful.

And I'm wondering, where is it that most senior leaders typically fall down across those three elements? And is there one maybe of the three that you find is most commonly skipped or, or underestimated perhaps?

Kylie:

Yeah. So surprisingly it's usually the no that senior leaders typically fall down across. And often when I work with leaders, especially those that are really struggling with some of, some of the people challenges or with some of their team members, I'll ask them the question.

So how well do you know your people? And most of the time they'll say, yeah, pretty well. Like, you know, I, I know their work history.

I know stuff about their family. I know what they do on weekends, which is all really, really important. And I often say to them, that's great that you know that, but that's stage one.

That's almost the surface stuff. What's really important is to know your leaders a little bit more deeply and to know, you know, what motivates them, what keeps them up at night, what they fear, what their ways of working, what their strengths are, and, you know, also what they aspire to do and how they think and how they like to communicate. Because when you know that about the people that you lead, it makes it easier to work with them.

And so often I find that when we get into the depths of things that actually don't know, you don't know their people at that level as well. So, yes, that's, that's the one that's, you know, that's often, yeah, a little bit, a little bit surprising. And the other one that is most commonly skipped or underestimated, I would actually say is the grow piece.

So what you find at senior leadership most of the time is that leaders will actually, you know, let their people get on with it. But sometimes what they'll do is when things aren't working, they'll step in, they'll take over, and they'll micromanage, yes, you're putting your hand up there, they'll micromanage. And the other thing that they will often do is they won't just stop to think about the individual leader that they have in front of them.

So where are they in confidence? Where are they in capability? And what style of leading do they need from me right now?

So yeah, the grow is one that's often underestimated.

Scott:

Yeah, I bet. And, you know, I'm curious to shift a little bit to the writing process. You know, clearly, with all of your experience working with senior leaders, you had a lot to say.

What made you decide that a book was the right vehicle for communicating what you wanted to communicate? You know, compared to, say, another program, a course, you know, video series, there are lots of ways that you can communicate. What was it that you found was compelling about writing a book?

Kylie:

Well, there's probably three reasons. Firstly, I had always wanted to write a book. So that was my big motivator.

I wanted to see what it was like to experience it. But the other two, certainly the first one was scale. So there's, you know, only so far your programs and your coaching can reach.

So I felt by putting a book out in the world that I would be able to share more of that at scale. The other thing that I felt was that there's a real, was permanence. Like a book's a resource, like I really wanted this book to be a resource, like a practical guide that something that my leaders or the readers could actually come back to.

I often find when I run programs or I'm coaching, like at the end of it, I'm like, wouldn't it be really good if I had a book and I could say, hey, just go to the book, like use that. It's all in the book, like go to the book. So they were, yeah, they were a couple of the big reasons.

Scott:

And what about the process of writing? Did you find that, and, you know, I'll share my experience. I found when I wrote my book that, you know, the process of writing sort of sometimes clarified my thinking on certain areas, sometimes even changed my thinking, right?

I went in with a particular point of view, but then spending some time on the topic that I'd never gone that deep on before caused me to rethink how I was, you know, approaching that particular topic. What did you find with your writing experience?

Kylie:

Oh my goodness. So many things. We could have a whole podcast series, we could have a podcast interview on this.

I think there are a couple of things. The biggest thing that I actually found is when I started writing the book, so doing the first draft, after three months of writing, I realized I was trying to write 20 leadership books in one. And I was so lost, I was so confused, and I didn't even know what I wanted to write anymore.

So it challenged me in lots of ways because I'm so used to developing programs or workshops or keynotes, which are very, very different to writing a book. So that challenged me. And one of the things that I really decided, like after that three months of writing, I went, okay, I just really need to hone into what is the most important thing.

And right now, I think in the current environment we're in, it is for leaders to have those one-on-one relationships. So that was really helpful, but it challenged me. I didn't want to let it go.

Like I had, I wanted to, you know, I was like, I'm putting this book out into the world and I want to share all my frameworks and all my tools and all the things. And so, and people are not going to get all of that. So it really challenged me, like I really had to let go.

And I actually had to let it sit for a couple of months before I picked it up and wrote this book. And in actual fact, I wrote this draft of the book pretty quickly. Like I did it actually in four months.

So because I got really, really clear. But when I was actually writing the book, yeah, I was challenged. So particularly in the show part of the framework.

So one of the things that I talk about is show that you care. And I've always spoken about the importance of, in the book I talk about it, kind love and firm love and having the balance of the two. And when I got into it and got a bit deeper into it, I was like, there's actually another element here, which is presence.

And when we bring presence to those two things, it really shows people that we're there with them, that we care about them, that we want the best for them. But I didn't want to let it go. I only wanted to keep the two because that's what I've taught people the whole time.

So yeah, that was another really big one for me. And now when I read that piece, I'm like, oh, it's really good. It sounds so much better.

And now of course, I've integrated that into my work as well.

Scott:

I really appreciate you sharing that thinking because I think a lot of people who haven't written a book before, sort of feel like they have to have everything sorted out before they sit down at the page. But it really is the process of writing really challenges your thinking and forces you to go into areas that you've maybe only treated at a surface level previously. So yeah, I'm really happy that you shared that journey.

How are you using the book? How do you plan to use your book within your coaching and speaking work? Is it a door opener, a companion to your programs or something else?

Kylie:

Definitely probably those first two. I definitely would love it to be a companion for the coaching programs that I have, the workshops that I run, the keynotes. So I definitely want it to be a companion and also a door opener because I would love to expand and open up into different industries and to go a little bit further and wider than the network that I currently have.

I have been so, so fortunate that I've been doing this work for a while. So I'm pretty well known in this space, in this field. So I do get a lot of referral business, but I would love it to open doors to other places.

Scott:

Yeah, amazing, amazing. Our listenership sort of spans a few different audiences. There are other authors like yourself who've written their book.

They're now looking for ideas of how do they leverage it. But we've also got a lot of people who have maybe contemplated writing but haven't taken that leap. They maybe have some ideas, maybe they don't.

If someone's been listening and has been sitting on an idea for a book, maybe it's a framework that they've developed over years of practice. Maybe it's just an idea for a topic that they want to cover. What would you say to them to help move them forward?

Kylie:

I would say, I know it sounds very cliche, but I would say just do it. Right. So I think sometimes we're always waiting for the perfect moment to do something like, you know, this will be if I get everything lined up and I have all this there and I'll write the book.

Nothing ever works as we know, nothing ever works that way. So just just get into it and have a go at it. What you will find is the framework that you have will be enhanced.

It will be better than what you have been teaching, coaching, training, whatever that speaking about, whatever that might be. It will take it to a whole nother level. It will give you confidence with your framework.

It'll give you confidence with your voice. It will also solidify and expand your thinking around it as well. I think that was another big learning that I had for myself is I've been using this model.

Interestingly enough, before I wrote the book, I've been using this model for a long time, but I don't think I was able to articulate it at the level that I now can. And it's bigger than it was before. And you just learn and grow so much.

You've got like you really have nothing to lose, right? Like the worst thing that can happen is you write a book and. I don't know, you've written a book.

Scott:

Well said, well said. Kylie, for anyone who wants to get their hands on the Connect Effect or follow your work, get in touch, what's the best place to find you?

Kylie:

The best place to find me would be my website. So KyliePaatsch.com.au and the other place is LinkedIn. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn.

So my husband tells me he's like, are you on LinkedIn again? You seem to spend a lot of time there. I go, it's work purposes.

And the other one that I'm on is Instagram, which is Kylie Paatsch Leadership.

Scott:

Very good. Those are my favorites, too. And we'll put those all in the show notes so that it's easy for people to find.

Kylie, thank you so much for joining us today. What strikes me most about this conversation is how practical and grounded your approach is. It's not just theory.

It's the real work of leadership built over decades in the room. So I really appreciate you sharing it so generously.

Kylie:

Thank you. And thank you for the opportunity. I really, really appreciate it.

Scott:

Of course. Of course. Happy to have you.

As we wrap up this episode of Entrepreneur to Author, remember this. Now is the time. Time to write, time to publish and time to grow.

I'm Scott MacMillan. Until next time.