There is no hiding in this solosode as I share how I approached a leadership mistake with a focus on being proactive and rebuilding trust. I took full accountability - and it hurt! But it was the right thing to do and the only way to move forward. In this episode I also talk about above and below the line leadership behaviours and their ripple effect, role modelling ethics and values as a leader and what we can learn from a ‘mystery poo’! 

If you’re looking for a leadership perspective that is not only relatable but also grounded in the reality of our current times, my guest Dr Karuna Ramanathan has some vital insights for you.  An ex naval warship captain, formerly the Senior Principal Change Consultant in Singapore Government and, prior to that, Deputy Head of the Center for Leadership Development in the Singapore Armed Forces, Karuna is the author of Navigating the Seas of Change, a concise guide to leadership and change management with a maritime metaphor. Karuna compares the unpredictability of change to the sea, emphasising the crucial role of leadership in navigating these tumultuous waters.

Work-Life Balance or Work-Life Bloom? My guest, award-winning author Dan Pontefract, argues that the traditional concept of work-life balance is a zero-sum game that sets us up for failure and the data backs it up. Instead, he introduces the idea of "work-life bloom," a gardening metaphor that encourages personal growth and fulfilment in both work and life.

I’ve known my guest, Bernard Desmidt, for several years and it has been wonderful to see his success and impact in the world of work. A corporate coach, facilitator and author obsessed with the importance of team dynamics and the factors that contribute to high-performing teams, Bernard emphasises the significance of moods, language, and the body in team dynamics and introduces the concept of the five disciplines of flourishing teams.

I’m searching for better ways forward in this solosode. In the current context it’s easy to feel hopeless but that won’t help us to progress and change so I’m asking the big leadership question of: What human systems can we design that allow for all human flourishing? There’s a nuanced difference to this question rather than simply, ‘what problems can we solve’? 

Far from her childhood on a farm in Bavaria, Regina Huber has lived and worked in Argentina, Brazil, US and Africa. She brings this richness of understanding of the human experience to her work of helping people connect more deeply with one another. Regina is the author of Speak up, Stand out and Shine and is CEO of Transform Your Performance and her journey to where she is now is a fascinating one, full of life lessons, incredible leadership experiences and tenacity.

My guest Doug Thorpe is a leadership consultant, prolific writer, and fellow podcaster. Doug describes leadership as a lifelong passion, from his studies at college, to his military commission and career in banking, and now coaching and supporting others in their leadership journeys. Together we delve into the topic of trust at work and how to build it within a team.

Oksana Kukurudza is a Ukrainian American author, speaker and management consultant who joins me from upstate New York to share her remarkable family history and her perspective on what’s happening today in Ukraine. We time-jump almost 100 years and yet many things remain or resonate for people who have already lived through unimaginable conflict, displacement and hardship.

This is a really special solosode, so thank you for being here - thank you for connecting with me. That’s one of the big themes of this episode - how are we intentionally creating and sustaining connections, especially in our fragmented working lives? So I’m sharing some key reflections on that in a leadership context. I also talk about how important goodwill is in creating solid cultures. Goodwill is all about your relationship currency and as leaders and as employees, we need to constantly deposit into that goodwill bank. 

My guest this week is team performance expert and author Adrian Baillargeon who shares his fascinating journey from corporate work in Saskatoon, Canada, to becoming an independent consultant in Australia via Major League Baseball in Africa!  We delve into the importance of creating a sense of belonging within a team, the impact of poor leadership decisions, and how to turn around a sinking team.

From joining the Navy at just 17 and now reflecting on a 30-plus year military career, retired Commodore Peter Scott returns to the podcast to talk about his memoir Running Deep which offers insights into the life of a submariner. Peter has written an open hearted, courageous, honest and compelling account of his naval life and the many personal and leadership challenges he has faced and overcome.

The entirely frank and fearless Retired Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch shares his decades of leadership wisdom in this episode as we grapple with the big question: What makes a good leader? 
Oakland shares his experience as a combat arms officer in the US Army and his views on leadership, emphasising the need for accountability and servant leadership

Join me for this solosode where I reflect on conversations with recent podcast guests, plus what has been inspiring me - from books to amazing developments in technology. Then I respond to a question about executive presence and its role in effective, influential leadership.

My guest this week is author and expert in business and finance, Chris Lautenslager. We talk about Chris’ book The Prosperity Loop and explore his views on purpose-driven business and capitalism. We get into the importance of building relationships, adapting to change, and creating shared prosperity in business. Chris believes that businesses should focus on enhancing the value of the people they work with, including customers, vendors, and the community. This people-oriented approach, he suggests, is key to thriving in today's changing world.

Thomas R. Fox is literally the guy who wrote the book on compliance, with his international best seller The Compliance Handbook now into its third edition. In my conversation with Tom we delve right into the compliance landscape and its impact on leadership. We move from macro to micro issues, encompassing ethical business practices, the relationship between compliance and remuneration, the push for ESG, to international affairs, global trade practices and the role of technology in enabling transparency and accountability.

In this episode, I’m welcoming back friend of the pod and productivity expert Donna McGeorge. We talk about Donna’s latest book ChatGPT Revolution, including, in a very meta moment, how AI helped her write that book!, and we go deep into how ChatGPT can help with productivity, decision-making and more.

In a career that from the outside appears to zig and zag across journalism, law and philanthropy, Laura Fredricks saw a through line : asking questions and listening, really listening, to the answers. Laura went on to develop the ‘ask’ framework and has written seven books about it, with her latest - Hard Asks Made Easy - already a bestseller.

Brace yourself! Here's a bold statement: Sometimes, simplicity is the secret ingredient for long-term success in strategic planning. That is just one of the leadership insights from my guest, entrepreneur, author and master of the quick iteration, Brandon White.