Episode #349 // Psychological safety is a critical part of a high-performance culture. Unless people feel comfortable contributing their ideas and challenging the vocal majority, the team will easily slip into the complacency of groupthink. But psychological safety is often misunderstood, which is why we produced this mythbuster episode to debunk some of the commonly held misconceptions. I talk, from two different perspectives, about how the term ‘psychological safety’ has been misappropr...
May 06, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 349
Moment #119 // There’s been an increasing trend over the last several years for high profile leaders to come out in support of social issues. Many CEOs have crossed the line, using the company’s brand as a platform to demonstrate their personal virtue, or to support a cause that they believe in. Is it appropriate for leaders to use their professional platform to grandstand on social issues, even though they know it will disenfranchise a large number of their stakeholders? If you want to go deepe...
May 04, 2025•4 min
Episode #348 // Fear of feedback...it's one of the biggest barriers that holds leaders back from reaching their potential. Even some of the smartest, most talented leaders struggle when it comes to delivering honest, direct feedback…and the fallout is huge. Teams underperform. Culture weakens. Leaders lose confidence. The truth is, overcoming your fear of feedback isn’t about learning a new skill. It’s about building the will to have the tough conversations, and realising that avoiding the...
Apr 29, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 348
Moment #118 // Politics is so ingrained in human nature that it can be really hard to identify and neutralize… Political animals are everywhere. Identifying them, and proactively countering their silent attacks is a leadership challenge that gets more difficult the higher up you go. If you want to lead at your peak, and deliver superior performance by focusing on the things that truly matter, you have to make sure you aren’t blindsided by political animals. If you want to take a deep...
Apr 27, 2025•4 min
Episode #347 // Keeping people happy…it seems to be a constant focus for leaders at all levels, and it spawns all sorts of cultural ills. But the worst part is that, for all the time, money and energy that goes into trying to crack that nut, most leaders miss the mark… to be honest, the vast majority of leaders aren’t even aiming at the right target. You could work tirelessly, every day for the rest of your career, to try to exceed your people’s expectations… and not even move the ...
Apr 22, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 347
Moment #117 // Short-term focus is one of the biggest problems in business today. And it’s also one of the most intractable. In this moment, we explain why companies that don’t balance the short-term and long-term implications of their decisions often end up destroying incalculable value… If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can avoid making decisions that deliver today’s results at the expense of long-term value, have a listen to Ep.246: The Curse of Short-Term Focus . ———————— ...
Apr 20, 2025•5 min
Episode #346 // Leading a team in a unionised business is different. It’s hard enough to lead when you have direct line of sight to your people, but when there’s a third party running interference between you, it can be super tricky. I had the opportunity to work for a number of industrial businesses that had a heavy union influence, and I learned an incredible amount about leadership because of the inherent degree of difficulty. My goal in this episode is not to demonise or dispar...
Apr 15, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 346
Moment #116 // Leadership power can be dangerous, if you use it thoughtlessly. But if you take the time to understand it, and use your power deliberately, rather than unconsciously, you will see a world of difference. If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can understand and develop your performance, have a listen to Ep.5: Using Power Wisely ———————— 🔥 1,800+ Leaders Are Already Inside… Why Aren’t You? 🔥 Get the unfair advantage with the No Bullsh!t Leadership Hub on Skool ...
Apr 13, 2025•5 min
Episode #345 // Work-related mental health issues are on the rise - and this increase seems to be fuelled by an entitlement culture that’s holding many companies captive. Leading is becoming more and more complicated, as the separation between our work and personal lives is almost impossible to distinguish. We hear a lot about work-related anxiety, bullying, and harassment, and many well-intentioned leaders are being demonised as a result. But what happens when the shoe is on the other fo...
Apr 08, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 345
Moment #115 // Written communication in business is pretty poor, for the most part. People put countless hours into writing, and it may or may not surprise you to hear that most of it never gets read. If you start with the premise that most people don’t read what you write, it will liberate you to write less… and that’s better for everyone! If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can improve your written communication, have a listen to Ep.38: Communicating With Impact ———————— 🔥 1,800+ L...
Apr 06, 2025•5 min
Episode #344 // In the high stakes world of Formula 1 motor racing, the difference between the fastest cars and the slowest cars can be measured in fractions of a second. What is it that separates the genuine contenders for world championship glory, from those that are destined to just make up the numbers on the starting grid? I came across a recent interview in Fortune Magazine with Zac Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing: How a ‘no-blame’ work culture helped McLaren win its first major rac...
Apr 01, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 344
Moment #114 // Although we like to create neat definitions for different leadership approaches, every individual has a different style. Any style can be effective, but some leadership behaviors are not negotiable, if you’re serious about performance. Once you’re exposed to these simple principles, you’ll realize how valuable it would be to take a leaf out of the strong leaders’ success playbook. If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can adapt your style to lift team performance, have a ...
Mar 30, 2025•5 min
Episode 343 // I was preparing a resource for a group of CEOs who are currently in our Business Accelerator Program , and one part of the content jumped out at me— how do you improve your odds of bringing outstanding talent into your team? You’ve probably heard me say that high-performing teams start with high-performing individuals… and that is absolutely true . It’s almost impossible to take a team of mediocre people, and try to drag them kicking and screaming to high performance. It wo...
Mar 25, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 343
Moment #113 // Many company strategies look good on face value, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re effective. There are many reasons for this, and in this Moment, I look at four of the more common ones. Once you see all the places where strategy can go wrong, you’ll understand why delivering value is sometimes so difficult. If you want to go deeper on how to improve execution by working on the highest-value work, have a listen to Ep.318: 5 Reasons Why Your Strategy Is Failing . ———————— �...
Mar 23, 2025•5 min
Episode #342 // In this episode of No Bullsh!t Leadership , we’re tackling one of the biggest, most complex issues in the workplace - gender equality. Joining me for this discussion is Helen Conway , one of Australia’s foremost experts on the topic. With an impressive career spanning executive leadership, law, and corporate governance, Helen has spent decades driving change at the highest levels. She served as the CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency , solidifying her reputation as a cred...
Mar 18, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 342
Moment #112 // Are Your Stakeholders Your Biggest Blind Spot? Too many leaders throw around the word stakeholders without actually knowing who they are or what they expect. And that’s a dangerous game. If you don’t have a strategy to manage them, you’ll get blindsided...fast. In Ep.290: Stakeholder Mastery , we break down exactly how to identify, manage, and get your diverse stakeholders onside, so you can lead with confidence (and avoid nasty surprises). 🎧 Tune in now and take control. ...
Mar 16, 2025•4 min
Episode #341 // In this episode, I address a question from Virginie Hoareau , one of our dedicated listeners and Leadership Beyond the Theory alumna. Virginie asked if I could discuss the different stages of a business, and whether a different type of leadership is required for each. How critical is it to match a leader’s style to a business phase? And can any leader be successful in any stage of an organization’s lifecycle? Even though I often talk about different leadership style...
Mar 11, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 341
Moment #111 // There are many schools of thought on which competencies are most useful to help you achieve your career ambitions. So, which key areas should you focus on, in order to build the bulletproof competencies that underpin a stellar career? In this Moment, I give you a strategic map of the playing field, which you can then use to focus your professional development efforts at any point of your journey. If you want to go deeper on how to build a bulletproof foundation of car...
Mar 09, 2025•5 min
Episode #340 // Every day, you’ll find countless opportunities to get distracted, which could potentially compromise your ability to deliver on the main game. Many years ago, when I was CIO of an insurance company, I used a simple but powerful mantra: whenever someone came up with a bright idea that would potentially add a task to our work program, I brought some perspective by asking the simple question: “ Will it make the boat go faster? ” Of course, that expression’s not original, and I begin...
Mar 04, 2025•17 min•Season 1Ep. 340
Moment #110 // We talk a lot about resilience. These days, just mustering the capacity to cope with the pressures of everyday life is difficult. For leaders though, the challenge is even tougher. You not only need to manage your own physical and mental state – you also have to model self-mastery for your team. In this moment, I give you a couple of high-value hacks to develop Grace Under Pressure, so that you can become completely unflappable! If you want to go deeper on how to buil...
Mar 02, 2025•5 min
Episode #339 // I’m often asked, “ Marty, how did you manage your career to get to where you are today? ” Like everyone else, I had to start at the bottom and work my way up. My journey isn’t particularly remarkable but, like your path, it’s absolutely unique. In my usual No Bullsh!t style, I dedicate this episode to giving you a warts-and-all look behind the glossy headlines of my career – the stuff that podcast interviewers don’t typically ask. I want to give you inspiration and h...
Feb 25, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 339
Moment #109 // One of the most important principles of great leadership is to let go of perfectionism, and instead drive towards excellence… it’s the ultimate application of the 80/20 rule! This implies that failure will be an integral part of your career, so it’s important to work out how to accept failure, without allowing it to dent your confidence. If you want to go deeper on how to use your biggest mistakes to your advantage, have a listen to Ep.301: Bouncing Back From Major Failures...
Feb 23, 2025•5 min
Episode #338 // Many leaders find it difficult to keep up with the pace of change. And you may be feeling as though that the world is changing faster than it ever has… If you pay attention to mainstream leadership theory, you’ll often hear that, if you want to have any hope of keeping up in our rapidly evolving world, you need to change the way you lead. But, do you? The more I see, the more I’m convinced that the fundamental principles of leadership are timeless. Somet...
Feb 18, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 338
Moment #108 // We often kid ourselves that someone is a high performer when, in reality, they’re just good at one particular aspect of their job. How do you identify your true high performers? And how do you get the most out of them, once you know who they are? If you want to go deeper on how to lead high potential talent, have a listen to Ep.293: Leading High Performers . ———————— Get the insider edge with the No Bullsh!t Leadership Hub on Skool - completely FREE! Join like-minded ...
Feb 16, 2025•5 min
Episode #337 // If you’re like most people, there’s probably a key area of leadership that you’ve been struggling with – or even worse, not struggling with, because you’ve decided to avoid it, and convinced yourself of all the reasons you didn’t need to do it in the first place! Success in anything relies on your ability to develop the habits and disciplines that enable you to perform at your best. And, often, the most difficult step is the very first. Breaking through the inertia, and pushing y...
Feb 11, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 337
Moment #107 // As you rise through the ranks of your organization, you’ll see that your peers are really smart too… increasingly so, the higher up you go. At the top of virtually every organization, being really smart is the norm – it’s no longer the differentiator that it might have been at lower levels. So how do you differentiate yourself? By delivering superior results that they can’t ignore! If you want to go deeper on how to stand out in a sea of competent people, have a liste...
Feb 09, 2025•4 min
Episode #336 // Last week, we produced a BUMPER episode on the pros and cons of an MBA qualification. I even gave you a framework to help you evaluate whether an MBA is right for you, at this particular point in your career. In this episode, I go a step further, as I take a look at the overabundance of leadership development options that you might choose (or your company might choose for you). How do you navigate the maze of leadership development options? It’s important to consider your Return ...
Feb 04, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 336
Moment #106 // Most people would rather resign than raise issues with their boss…but before you push the big red button, it might be helpful to think about how you improve your relationship with your boss by giving them feedback. Giving feedback to the people below you is hard enough, but giving it to your boss can be downright intimidating! How do you earn the trust and respect of your boss, so that you’re able to give them feedback, and improve your outlook in your current role? I...
Feb 02, 2025•5 min
Episode #335 // If you’re considering the possibility of studying an MBA – or even if you have an MBA and want to work out how to maximize its value – this episode is your ultimate guide. We’ve developed a structured framework to guide your decision-making process, and determine whether it’s worth investing the time, money, and energy into pursuing an MBA. For many decades, the MBA has been the business leader’s qualification of choice. Things may be changing, though. These days, the know...
Jan 28, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 335
Moment #105 // With ready access to mountains of information, decision-making processes in many companies have become more and more about data analytics. But some of the things that should influence your decisions defy accurate measurement. Just because something isn’t quantifiable or measurable doesn’t necessarily mean you should ignore it. Judgment and experience play a part in all great decisions. If you want to go deeper on how to make your gut feel work for you, have a listen to Ep.112: Is ...
Jan 26, 2025•5 min
