When the world is breaking apart what kind of leader do you need to be? With the environmental, technological and societal challenges we face our systems and playbooks can no longer be fit for purpose. So, who must we become to tackle the most pressing problems we are facing? My guest in this episode, Caroline Stokes, author of AfterShock to 2030 is trying to answer these questions. Her book is a wakeup call for leaders, arguing that if we want to thrive in the next five years, we must rewrite, ...
Aug 19, 2025•51 min
How well do you communicate? A simple question on the face of it, but are you really winging it? Whether it’s via email, that first impression, or contributing to meetings, there are ways we can improve how we contribute. That’s exactly what I discuss in this episode with my guest Chris Fenning, an award-winning author on the topic of communication. Chris shares the significance of structuring communication so we can deliver messages in high stakes situations with more skill. He also explores th...
Jul 22, 2025•40 min
Do you know what your digital footprint is? We all know that overusing digital devices isn't good for us. But do we know the full extent of what we leave behind when we use our phones or laptops? In this episode I am joined by Professor Sandra Matz to discuss the digital footprints we leave for companies and other individuals to use. Sandra talks about the misuse of digital footprints and the actions we can take to take back control of it. We also explore what can be done to create regulation ch...
Jul 08, 2025•39 min
Is your way of thinking limiting fresh ideas in your organisation? That dominant way of thinking you’re so used to could be doing more damage than good. Perhaps it’s time to find another way to enable innovation and growth amongst your team. In this episode I am joined by Rohit Bhargava, the man behind non-obvious thinking. Rohit tells us what non-obvious thinking is, and why it matters. He also gives you practical ways to develop it and how to use it to your own advantage. Rohit advocates for a...
Jun 24, 2025•38 min
Do you struggle to move the dial on your organisation’s culture? Perhaps, the answer to your problems lies in the use of a tool that breaks from traditional methods to measure culture: AI. In this episode I am joined by Charlie Sull, a pioneer in the use of AI to understand, measure and evolve culture in organisations. Charlie shares culture measurement methods you can use with AI, that use employee language to provide concrete, measurable insights. Charlie emphasises the importance of top-down ...
Jun 10, 2025•34 min
Can AI improve your company’s strategy? A question that is more and more prescient in the modern world of today. In this episode I am joined by Graham Kenny, a prolific author, consultant and professor in all things strategy. In recent years he has also been experimenting with how far AI can help organisations design and implement winning strategies. Graham discusses the transformative role of AI in strategy formulation and execution. He emphasises the importance of stakeholder perspectives in d...
May 27, 2025•47 min
Has your job become all-consuming as a leader in your organisation? Whether it’s organisational transformation, doing big M&A deals or handling a crisis, your health and relationships can be the things most impacted. In this episode I am joined by Klaus Kleinfeld, former CEO of Siemens, and author of "Leading to Thrive." He emphasizes the importance of energy management for sustainable success, highlighting four energy sources: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Leaders need to bala...
May 13, 2025•38 min
So here we are, 100 episodes of Lancefield on the Line. To celebrate I am taking the opportunity to reflect on my journey as a podcast host, sharing insights gained from interviewing a diverse range of brilliant guests. I discuss what I have learned it takes to be a good podcast guest and host, as well as key areas we have covered in strategy, leadership and self-development. For the first time I also have questions fired back at me by some of my esteemed guests over the 100 episodes, where I of...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Does your boss value everything you do? They should see it, get it, and tell us they appreciate it. But they don’t. Managing upwards could be the solution you need. It will help you perform at your best, and importantly, progress your career. My guest in this episode Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up, shares her research and experience on how to do this skilfully. She emphasises the need for employees to align with their bosses, understand different management styles, and communicate effecti...
Apr 16, 2025•42 min
Success can be exhilarating, exhausting, even emotional. But even if you have it, you get a niggling feeling you could achieve more. In this episode I am joined by Laura Gassner Otting, author of Wonderhell. We talk about the complexities of success, fulfilment, and personal growth. Laura shares the importance of recognising the emotional challenges that accompany success, and how to navigate them effectively. She discusses the significance of aligning personal goals with values, and the importa...
Apr 02, 2025•47 min
Strategy is a word that invokes many emotions. There are those that fear it, those excited by it, and those apathetic to it. To help me on my quest to develop millions of strategic people I am joined by Alex MH Smith, author of No Bullsh*t Strategy. Alex talks with clarity on what strategy should mean to companies and how to approach it. He shares the ways in which people get strategy wrong, and the emotional weight the term has. Alex believes humility is the key to strategic thinking and growth...
Mar 19, 2025•47 min
Be honest, how much time do you spend looking at screens? It’s probably more than you’d care to admit. The bigger question is, what is all that screen time doing to your brain? In this episode I am joined by Richard Cytowic, author of Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age. We discuss the impact of screen addiction on the brain and body. Astonishingly, Richard explains that our brains have not evolved since the Stone Age. They also have fixed energy bandwidths that make multitasking inefficient,...
Mar 05, 2025•39 min
I am a carer to my son who's disabled. Which makes this episode discussing the often unrecognised role of carers in society and the workplace a very personal one. I am joined by Charlie Beswick, the author of Our Altered Life. Charlie is a mother and carer to her beautiful son, Charlie, and we discuss her hard-earned wisdom on the topic of carers in the workplace. We share our personal experiences as carers, and talk about the superpowers carers bring to businesses, through their resilience, pro...
Feb 19, 2025•38 min
Are you finding out how the people around you really think and feel? Being able to do so will enable deeper relationships both at work and home. In this episode I am joined by Topaz Adizis, the creator of The Skin Deep, a powerful platform of curated conversations between partners, friends, relatives and strangers. We explore what it takes to create space for vulnerability in relationships. Topaz explains that to achieve this you need to express your intention clearly and ask questions that stim...
Feb 05, 2025•43 min
Are emotions at work a sign of weakness? This is the view of many, but understanding and harnessing our emotions, and the emotions of others around us can be incredibly powerful. In this episode I am joined by Dina Denham Smith, to argue the case for a skilful use of emotions at work. Dina is the co-author of Emotionally Charged, where she explores how to lead with the strategic use of emotions. We address common myths about emotions in the workplace and how you can prepare for and recover from ...
Jan 22, 2025•42 min
How healthy is your organisation's culture? As a leader you play a crucial role in creating and sustaining a healthy culture. My guest in this episode, Tobias Sturesson, is the author of "You Can Culture" and co-founder of Heart Management. He outlines four critical habits leaders need to build a thriving culture: get humble, get clear, get listening, and get integrity. He stresses the importance of aligning culture with the organisations mission and having a responsible impact by instilling int...
Jan 08, 2025•42 min
What makes you feel a sense of outrage? It’s everywhere we look. Be it directed at institutions, especially those in politics, geopolitical conflicts, business opposing communities, or different aspects of society. That’s why in this episode I am joined by Professor Karthik Ramanna, an expert and author on the age of outrage. We explore the impacts outrage has on organisations and the individual, as well as how leaders can respond to it in their context. Karthik shares his experience of working ...
Dec 11, 2024•41 min
How have life’s struggles shaped you? We all go through hardships in our personal and professional lives that inform who we are. How we react to these big moments is often put down to our resilience. But what if we looked at resilience differently? In this episode I am joined by coach and author Luis Velasquez, who discusses how to reframe your perception of resilience. He suggests that rather than being a reaction to those shock moments, resilience is something we should nurture day in day out....
Nov 27, 2024•40 min
Do you use AI to its full potential? Knowing how AI can supercharge your work, and your business must be a priority for any C-suite executive. But there are also risks leaders must consider to be able to make informed decisions. So where do you start? My guest in this episode, Professor David De Cremer, is an author and business school Dean. He believes leaders need AI savviness and shares his thoughts on the mindsets needed to use AI in the board room and wider organisation. He also discusses p...
Nov 13, 2024•43 min
What does disruptive innovation really mean? It's a term that's widely misunderstood. But leading people using disruptive change can reinvent your organisation. In this episode I am joined by prolific author, advisor and teacher Scott D. Anthony. We talk about what it takes to search out weak signals of change and how to wonder intentionally as you do. We also talk about how to experiment by testing growth hypotheses. Scott explains how to trust your leadership judgment when making difficult and...
Oct 30, 2024•37 min
What does it take to perform at your best in critical moments? It’s what differentiates the great from the good. Being at the top of your game requires years of courage, skill, and discipline. This is why some falter whilst others shine. In this episode I am joined by the multi-award-winning trumpet soloist, Alison Balsom. She shares what it takes to get to, and sustain, the highest levels of performance. These are concepts and practises that leaders in all fields would do well to apply. Alison ...
Oct 16, 2024•41 min
What does it take to master innovation in companies? It takes a lot of grit, skill, savviness and convincing. My guest in this episode, Jayshree Seth, has been leading the way in innovation in 3M for more than 30 years. So listen for a window into the world of innovation at one of the most successful companies and innovators out there. We talk about what it takes to make innovation really work using her three C's: constraints, context, and commitment. She explains what it takes to convince peopl...
Oct 02, 2024•40 min
How does business really work? We need to cut through the myths and misconceptions to get to the true nature of it. To make people shine we need to understand how to navigate how work gets done, how people think and behave, and how decisions are made. In this episode I am joined by Liz Kislik, a management consultant and coach, who brings refreshing clarity to the subject. She cautions that the work is hard, but we can use the power of language to express what we really want. She establishes the...
Sep 18, 2024•44 min
As a leader how well do you craft stories that influence people to change? Storytelling is one of the most critical skills a leader needs, but is so often done badly. Failing to have the desired impact. Done well it convinces people to listen, commit and change. My guest in this episode, Neil Bearden, is a master in crafting and using stories to help meet an objective. Neal’s outlook on storytelling is influenced by his experience as a former professor, and the idea that to be truly authentic an...
Sep 04, 2024•54 min
Do you know somebody with autism, ADHD, a development delay or Tourette's? If you do, how well are they doing at work or indeed are they at work? Leaders have a responsibility to ensure conditions are flexible and enabling in their organisation or the job market to people with all aspects of neurodiversity. My guest in this episode, Ludmila Praslova, makes a convincing case for the benefits of more inclusion and belonging for all. Describing the damage caused by feeling excluded, leading to anxi...
Jul 03, 2024•51 min
Be honest with yourself, how would you rate your meetings? More importantly how would those attending rate them? Too often executives and professionals have schedules full of them. They even see meetings as a sign of their status, their importance. Yet they still hate the thought of them. My guest in this episode, Steven Rogelberg, is a world-renowned authority and academic on the topic. He's pioneered some fascinating research, and he's found great ways to distil it into practice. He shares pra...
Jun 19, 2024•28 min
Are you able to execute the vision you have for your life? For many creating a vision is hard enough, to then take action to get closer to it can seem near impossible. But if you knew how to develop your vision from the inside out you would see that it is indeed possible. In this episode I am joined by Caterina Kostoula, a vision coach and author. She shares what it takes to develop your vision and how to move towards it. She also shares her own obstacles she has had to overcome to achieve the v...
Jun 05, 2024•38 min
Have you ever sat around a campfire? Sharing moments talking about what truly matters in life. No performance, no script, just being part of a community. My guest in this episode, Tony Martignetti's mission is to help people create these connections in work and life. Allowing people to feel part of the bigger picture and do their best work. Tony shares how to create those moments, emphasising the importance of curiosity and compassion. This can sometimes be difficult, so he gives insights into h...
May 22, 2024•34 min
What can leadership learn from nature? And from fishing in particular? From operating in demanding, choppy waters with lives on the line to the individualised attention each catch needs, there are a great many similarities according to my guest in this episode, Oleg Konovalov. As you’ll hear it’s not just fishing but nature itself that can teach us about leadership. Oleg shares the lessons he has learned from his time as a fisherman that he now brings into his coaching practices. We talk about t...
May 08, 2024•42 min
How do you respond when you’re caught off guard? Imagine holding a meeting but you don’t know how to respond to a situation. The way you react to your anxieties can negatively impact the outcome you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be this way; you can be prepared. In this episode I am joined by Matt Abrahams, an expert in communication. He says there are ways of preparing yourself and then responding, which is achieved through changing your mindset and having structures to follow. He discuss...
Apr 24, 2024•39 min
