Episode 353 // Over the last several years, Em has had countless conversations with the leaders in our global community. One of the trends she’s recognised lately is the breaking point that many leaders reach as they get promoted to more senior roles. Many natural leaders have the ability to wing it… at least for a while. But eventually, they realise that it takes more than good instincts to lead confidently. In this Q&A episode, we explore some of the most compelling questions from these co...
Jun 03, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 353
Moment #123 // When it comes to any company’s operations, leaders tend to focus purely on the technical and process elements of performance. But the technical barriers that confront you are dwarfed by the organisational barriers that exist in your people and culture. How do you get your people to step up for the good of the business? If you want to take a deeper dive into how to make your operations really hum, have a listen to Ep.247: Achieving Operational Excellence . ———————— 🔥 2,000+ No Bul...
Jun 01, 2025•4 min
Episode #352 // We hear a lot these days about personal branding, and there’s an expert for every occasion promising to guide us through the leadership branding maze. Is our “brand” important in helping us to realise our career aspirations? Probably… But there’s a dangerous misconception that you can construct an external image of desirable behaviours and values, without actually possessing them. That approach is doomed to failure. In this episode, I give you a clear, practical approach to reinv...
May 27, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 352
Moment #122 // Some of the most important success principles are counterintuitive. It’s in our nature to look for easy answers to the things that challenge us. The fact is, though, there aren’t any silver bullets. In this Moment, I look at one of the most powerful counterintuitive truths, which every leader faces at some point. If you want to take a deeper dive into how to build a mindset for leadership success, have a listen to Ep.130: Counterintuitive Truths . ———————— 🔥 1,800+ Leaders Are Al...
May 25, 2025•4 min
Episode #351 // I came across a great quote recently, thanks to one of the leaders in our inner circle, Natasha Read . It was a quote from Maria Montessori , who devised the Montessori method of teaching. The method focuses on the development of a child's inherent initiative and ability, allowing them to develop at their own pace. It emphasises growth through independence and experimentation. The quote is a blinder… “ Everything you do for me, you take from me! ” It hit me like a pie in the face...
May 20, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 351
Moment #120 // Humour can vastly improve team dynamics and culture, by breaking through tension and giving people a laugh. But organisations have become pretty stiff over the last 10 years, and the part that humour plays seems to have greatly diminished. In this moment, we look at what forms of humour are likely to be OK, and what might cross a red line at work. If you want to take a deeper dive into how to bring some comic relief to your team, have a listen to Ep.145: Humour is Underrated . ———...
May 18, 2025•5 min
Episode #350 // Fewer, Better People. What a great mantra! The meaning is crystal clear and, what’s more, there’s absolutely zero fat on it - no corporate speak, no flowery adjectives! It’s one of those expressions that can apply to any business, in any industry, in any geography…it sounds blindingly obvious as soon as you hear it, doesn't it!? But that’s what makes it so incredibly powerful. It’s clear, and it’s obvious…and it’s incredibly difficult to achieve! In this episode, I deconstruct th...
May 13, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 350
Moment #120 // It’s almost guaranteed that when you take over a new team, it’s going to be a little dysfunctional. Sometimes, the team you inherit is completely broken, and you’re left with the unenviable task of repairing it. Fixing a broken team takes relentless commitment, but there are a few things you can do to greatly improve your chances of success. If you want to take a deeper dive into how to repair a team that's fallen into disrepair and neglect, have a listen to Ep.105: Steadying the ...
May 11, 2025•6 min
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 misappropriated: ...
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 them will...
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
