How do you speak truth to power? Or perhaps the real leadership question is, why would you speak truth to power? For Gordon Graham the answer was always because he had the best interests of his organisation at heart. When the integrity of his employer was under threat, Gordon put himself in the firing line by approaching his CEO with feedback. What unfolded was a long saga of toxic leadership and unethical management that took a concerted and courageous effort from Gordon and his colleagues to dismantle. In his book, The Intrepid Brotherhood, Gordon provides a cautionary tale to those in power and a reminder that vigilance and responsibility should filter through every level of an organisation.
Read MoreZoë Routh Leadership Podcast
Podcasts
259 A former Navy SEAL’s leadership strategies for motivating teams
As a combat-decorated Navy SEAL, Marty Strong is no stranger to highly motivated teams. When he transitioned into business leadership, Marty saw a major contrast from battlefield to boardroom around training and motivation. From being shocked at how employees were treated, to the lack of a common vision and under-investment in training and skills development, Marty has brought his SEAL’s sensibilities to a leadership model that creates resilient teams with harmony at their heart. Marty shares his insights not just into leadership but how people tick and why a community matters in times of conflict.
Read More258 Leadership strategies for innovation with Bruno Pešec
Bruno Pešec, an Oslo-based Croatian and former engineer once worked for Toyota and saw for himself that it didn’t matter how great the idea was, how talented the engineers were, if the end user couldn’t see the value in it. This sparked a passion for leadership strategies and innovation that meets a need. It took Bruno down a path that combined the discipline of datasets with the messy people stuff of innovation, new ideas and strategic change. Bruno shares his insights and practical examples of how we are going about innovation wrong and what to do instead. Spoiler: start with the end in mind!
Read More257 Leadership principles for creating safety at work with Tim Mousseau
After surviving sexual assault and harrassment, Tim Mousseau knew he didn’t want anyone else to fear going to work or be subjected to toxic behaviours and cultures. Through his research and work with organisations in the US, Tim has developed the ‘Feel Safe Framework’ designed to get to the root of cultural issues that are derailing safety and belonging in the workplace. With a special interest in boundaries, Tim makes safety about both the individual and the organisation.
Read More256 A leadership code for building better teams from George Karseras
As one of the first psychologists to work with elite sports teams in the UK, George Karseras knows a thing or two about winning ways. His many years of experience in occupational psychology have led to the creation of a science-backed code for better organisational teaming. George offers a new perspective on team building that puts mental trust and shared purpose before emotional safety and prioritises probing questions over psychometric testing. He talks of using deals and contracts, skin in the game and lists of demands to get on the same page and even has a (gentle) crack at Patrick Lencioni! Cracking the code on performance means stepping out of your comfort zone - are you ready?! P.S. His book, Build Better Teams, is my favourite on team building - EVER!
Read More255 Marie-Claire Ross’ leadership framework for instilling trust
Can we have safety without trust? Marie-Claire Ross doesn’t think so - in fact, her extensive research has told her so. Author of Trusted to Thrive, Marie-Claire was working in the safety communications space when she realised it wouldn’t work if there wasn’t trust in the workplace. So she left her family business to study, talk and write about trust – specifically, how leaders can instill it. Her work revealed a trend of leaders believing they had built trust (they hadn’t), cultures of stalled communication and assumptions a-plenty! In this episode Marie-Claire shares her formula for creating a trust foundation that everyone can build on.
Read More254 Leadership strategies for creating space to think with Donna McGeorge
Picture this: a meeting is unexpectedly canceled and you feel a jolt of gratitude for the time you’ve just been refunded. What if you took control of creating that feeling by designing your day to for more brain buffer time? That’s a leadership bonus. It’s what productivity expert Donna McGeorge advocates to engage with what matters most.
Read More253 A leadership framework for trust from Dr Toby Travis
Dr Toby Travis believes mission fulfillment with wellbeing is the leadership sweet spot we should be aiming for. And it can’t be done without trust. Engineered from his own experiences in the workplace and doctoral research, Toby has crafted a bridge metaphor to illustrate how the right foundations and materials must be in place for trust to be built. Instead of conceptualising trust, he turns it into an assessable and actionable component of leadership that can create a workplace culture people want to be part of.
Read More252 Leadership strategies for psychological safety with Dr Sam Mather
As Sam Mather ascended the leadership ladder in her 20 year L&D career, she realised that work was not working. Taking the opportunity to pursue a PhD in Organisational Psychology, researching psychological safety and resilience in the workplace, Sam gained a deep understanding of how leadership and culture impacts performance but also where personal responsibility has a role to play. In pursuit of peak performance, Sam advocates for brain fitness, being selective with our attention and safeguarding our finite mental resources.
Read More251 Leadership strategies for getting out of the way with Sean McAuliffe
Sean McAuliffe loves fast cars and is driven to succeed but his leadership philosophies have evolved from a realisation that sometimes you have to take a back seat. An entrepreneur with a talent for understanding what the market needs, Sean built a successful car key supply business from scratch and, following a merger, identified the need to simplify employee communication and connection. So he came up with the solution and now practices what he preaches with his growing software business.
Read More250 How to use language better in leadership with Chris West
Businesses spend time, money and attention on visual identity but what about verbal identity? It’s a missing link in leadership frameworks. Language matters. From the disruptive to the dreary, language frames the experience for those both inside and outside of an organisation. With a background in physiology and computer sciences, Chris West leverages his rational thinking to bring the magic and mechanics of language to businesses around the world, helping brands to craft and communicate a verbal identity. Here he shares how words build worlds and language drives change.
Read More249 Creating connections is a leadership responsibility with Amy Lynn Durham
As a corporate executive in a cut-throat environment managing big teams and even bigger budgets, Amy Lynn Durham knew something had to change. With tiny adjustments and brave experimentation she took her team on a journey to build connection through emotional and spiritual intelligence. The process built bonds and the business, and was the catalyst for Amy’s Create Magic At Work coaching practice and book. From crystals and journaling to setting the past on fire, Amy’s radically different approach gets to the heart and soul of great team cultures.
Read More248 Hot tips for high performing teams
Who doesn’t like being part of a high performing team? They’re fun and motivating. You get stuff done. You enjoy each other’s company. But are they realistic? It turns out high performing teams are a myth. It’s more of an ideal to strive for than a reality to experience. No team or culture can sustain high performance. High performance goes in cycles, and that’s what we need to manage.
Read More247 Hedda Bird on why high performance starts with people stuff
From paper and pulp to performance management might sound like a big leap, but Hedda Bird sees opportunities for improvement wherever she looks so it turned out to be a natural fit. Hedda, author of the Performance Management Playbook, works with organisations to help them use performance management as a route into better communication, culture, creativity and results. Her enthusiasm for understanding what makes people tick is infectious and she brings a refreshingly practical leadership perspective.
Read More246 Ideal leadership mindset with Keith Renninson
Keith Renninson has lived many lifetimes and taken leadership lessons from them all! From financial planning to military service, non-profits, executive boards and bicycles, it’s been a wildly interesting ride that has enabled Keith to develop his T.R.I.P. tool that helps leaders explore their character traits and unlock their potential. A prolific author and public speaker, Keith shares his wealth of knowledge and what he believes are the essential characteristics of successful leadership.
Read More245 Leadership principles for high performance with Edoardo Binda Zane
Author and leadership coach Edoardo Binda Zane recognised early on that developing his emotional intelligence skills gave him an edge over his peers and enabled him to lead with influence and impact. Now Edoardo helps others to do the same through exploring the nuances of emotions, perspectives, biases and decision-making to make them leaders worth following. Edoardo shares his leadership insights, research findings and practical strategies for leading with emotional intelligence.
Read More244 Leadership tips: New Year Malaise? Let’s make it MAGIC instead!
Suffering from New Year’s malaise? Uncertainty, fear, frustration are characterising the start of 2022. We need to shake that off! Here are some practical leadership tips to refocus that will boost your morale. Share with your team.
Read More243 End of Year: Book and podcast recommendations
What can we make of this year? It’s year 2 of the pandemic. Polarised conversations are still happening, and this time it’s all about vaccinations. In this episode, I share some key perspective shifts - both personally, as well as from different books and podcast interviews I’ve done. You'll gain insights on how to think better, live better, and lead better!
Read More242 The people stuff of implementing change with Susan Davidson
A fascinating example of what happens when worlds collide, Susan Davidson brought a decade of business and finance experience to a career in health education after personal circumstances became a catalyst for change. Relationships, identity and community all feature strongly in Susan’s leadership philosophy, helping her to successfully steer complex change both professionally and personally.
Read More241 Leadership strategies to stop procrastination with Eric Twiggs
Losing a good friend in college spurred Eric Twiggs to swap partying for purpose as he confronted the fact that time is not replaceable. As an author and coach, Eric partners with his clients to help prevent procrastination while paying attention to passions on the path to success. With an infectious energy that comes from his desire to make an impact, Eric shares his strategies for taking action - now!
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