Episode #311 // In this episode I cover 12 things that you’ll instinctively resist on your leadership journey. Not all of you will resist all of them, obviously. But I suspect that you’ll instinctively try to avoid or ignore at least a few of these principles. There’s no doubt in my mind that these principles are rock solid. They’re like gravity… they operate the same way on all of us, whether we believe in them or not! And they will ultimately have a huge bearing on how successful you are, as a...
Aug 13, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 311
Moment #81 // During the pandemic, work became performance art for many, as they pursued the goal of looking busy, rather than actually delivering real, value-adding work. This wasn’t a particularly new innovation: there’s always been a fair share of people in the office who did exactly this—appearing to be busy while achieving little. For leaders, it has definitely become trickier to identify and deal with these people than it was in the past. How can you tell when someone is substi...
Aug 11, 2024•5 min
Episode #310 // Join the free bootcamp here ! Over the last several months, a lot of leaders have told us that their companies are hunkering down, in a virtual promotion freeze… so, we poked around to see if there was any data to support these anecdotal observations, and came across an interesting statistic. According to Bloomberg, of the 68 million white collar workers in the US, only 1.3% were promoted in the first quarter of 2024 — the lowest percentage in 5 years. At times like these, it’s e...
Aug 06, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 310
Moment #80 // Hiring really good people has always been hard. There’s serious competition for talent in many industries, and limitations in your potential candidate pools that arise from your geographical footprint, your industry, and the public perception of your brand. But, even when you do get the right people to turn up at your front door, there are factors at play that may prevent you from achieving the best hiring outcome. How do you ensure that you’re getting access to the best talent, an...
Aug 04, 2024•5 min
Episode #309 // We rarely do interviews on No Bullsh!t Leadership . But when Patrick Lencioni ’s team reached out to us earlier this year, we jumped at the opportunity to have him join us on the podcast. Patrick Lencioni is a global thought leader, who has established himself as one of the preeminent thinkers of our generation in the field of leadership and organizational behavior. Pat has written more than a dozen books, which are incredibly easy to absorb and apply – some of the ...
Jul 30, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 309
Moment #79 // Over the course of your leadership career, you’ll deal with people from all walks of life, many different cultures, and a range of socio-economic backgrounds… and you’ll see just about every dimension of human frailty. As part of this melting pot,you’ll lead many people who have substance abuse and mental health issues. Learning to recognize and deal with these (without crossing a line) is often incredibly difficult. If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can manage these c...
Jul 28, 2024•5 min
Episode #308 // It’s pretty rare that you’re faced with a decision that’s final or irreversible. And when one comes along, it’s normally pretty easy to recognize — you can sense the gravity of the moment, and the potential consequences that lie ahead. But, as I look back on my experiences, some of the most significant decisions I’ve ever made, in terms of my life direction, didn’t seem to be that big a deal at the time. I made them using a liberal dose of gut feel , not suspecting for a m...
Jul 23, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 308
Moment #78 // Most successful founders face a problem as their business grows: the attributes that made them successful in the first place (e.g. innovation, hard work, tenacity, sales skills etc.) become obstacles to future performance. Many unintentionally create a family culture . This might feel really nice, but it’s often mutually exclusive with the disciplined, constructive culture that ultimately underpins exceptional performance. Whether you’re a business owner, or just trying to work out...
Jul 21, 2024•5 min
Episode #307 // There’s a lot to be said for having confidence. It’s an essential ingredient for any leader who aspires to lift their people to greater heights. Without confidence, it’s difficult to effectively execute on even the most fundamental tasks that competent leadership requires. Confidence is incredibly valuable… and you can’t fake it! But, I feel as though it’s been getting a bad rap lately — confidence comes with a range of negative connotations, and those who are less confident ofte...
Jul 16, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 307
Moment #77 // We’re all driven, to a greater or lesser extent, by unconscious biases. These invisible forces hijack our cognitive processes, and impair our decision-making capacity. The only way to break free from the bonds of unconscious bias is to develop an acute awareness of the ones that affect you… especially when the pressure is on! In this Moment, I look at five of the most common biases that I see play out, even in the most intelligent, capable, experienced executives I work with. If yo...
Jul 14, 2024•5 min
Episode #306 // I’ve always been fascinated by people who transcend the limits of human performance, in any field. They lead the way, expanding our perspective on what’s possible and giving us something to aspire to. When we look at the microcosm of our own team’s performance, we are the ones who get to choose the standard, so it’s useful to reflect on what each of us perceives to be exceptional performance . Unfortunately, so many leaders bandy around the term “high performance” that it’s...
Jul 09, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 306
Moment #76 // If you want to build a team that outlasts others, you need each and every individual to be comfortable under pressure. And this starts with you . You set the tone for what happens in times of stress, pressure, and crisis. It’s important to show your people the way, leading by example… but the prescription for them is exactly the same as it is for you. The golden rule is - Don’t let your people avoid adversity – build it into their day! In this Moment, I give you 5 key tips to build...
Jul 07, 2024•5 min
Episode #305 // Over the last decade, there’s been a creeping trend for CEOs to weigh in on social issues, making their private stance very public. This has now almost become an expectation of high-profile corporate leadership roles. But when CEOs air their personal views on social issues, it also anchors their company, brand, and every stakeholder associated with it, to that position. Some of these are laudable, timely, commercially effective, and entirely consistent with the brand. Others rang...
Jul 02, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 305
Moment #75 // Many people rate public speaking as one of their top fears. And even though they may learn to push through and suck it up, it’s only a rare few who actually manage to reach the point of mastery, where they completely transcend their fear. In my experience, the primary skill you need to develop is not public speaking - it’s your ability to think on your feet. In this Moment, I give you my fail proof exercise to build your confidence and competence in presenting – whether it’s just y...
Jun 30, 2024•5 min
Episode #304 // There are many things that can go wrong between when we utter the words, “ Let’s develop our corporate strategy ” and the words, “ How did we perform last year? ” I get a lot of questions about the strategy process, and one thing has become really obvious to me — very few people realize how many moving parts there are… not just in developing a sound strategy, but also in setting up the environment for successful execution of that strategy. One of the biggest problems with s...
Jun 25, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 304
Moment #74 // Communication is an incredibly important element of leadership. How you talk to your team, how you deliver a presentation when you’re in a room full of important people, and how well you connect one-on-one with your direct reports can all have a huge bearing on your performance, and your personal credibility. Knowing how to convey complex information in a manner that’s tailored for your audience is critical. In this Moment, I give you my 7 hot tips for communicating in a way that’s...
Jun 23, 2024•5 min
Episode #303 // We know that problem solving is a critical part of leadership life — we spend a lot of time on any given day solving our own problems, and helping our people to solve theirs. As you’ve no doubt learned, though, there are problems and there are… problems . It’s important to know how to leverage good problem solving techniques. But it’s equally important to manage your head space so that your biggest leadership problems don’t take over your whole life. Wicked problems...
Jun 18, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 303
Moment #73 // I talk a lot about high performance. But what about the people who find themselves doing relatively mundane, repetitive, or low-skilled jobs? We tend to imagine occupations like cleaners, fruit pickers, and production line workers when we think about mundane jobs. But many people in your team could also be doing some mind-numbing work, to fulfill the less-glamorous requirements of their role. In this Moment, I give you my six hot tips for leading people to do the sh!t jobs. If you ...
Jun 16, 2024•5 min
Episode #302 // One of our dedicated listeners, Jonathan , observed that a number of culture killers can be described by words that end with the suffix, “ -ism ” . He rattled off a couple to get me started — nepotism , narcissism , and favoritism. He suggested that I should create a podcast episode based on these, and other “ -isms ” that negatively impact team culture and productivity, so I’ve come up with my list of seven big culture killers. This episode’s pretty straightforward — I explain e...
Jun 11, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 302
Moment #72 // It is common in most larger organizations to restructure from time to time, even though these restructures are often ill-conceived. Any value they might yield is dwarfed by the disruption, cost, and uncertainty they create. Regardless, you may well be in a position where you have to execute on management intent, which means telling a bunch of people that their roles have been made redundant. In this Moment, I give you my 9 top tips for getting this right. If you want to take a deep...
Jun 09, 2024•5 min
Episode 301 // A lot has been written and said over the years about the necessary role that failure plays in our quest for success. Anyone who has ever been successful, first had to endure (and bounce back from) failure! It’s easy to reduce this process to a few pithy sayings: “ Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly! ” (John F Kennedy) “ Failure is another stepping stone to greatness ” (Oprah Winfrey) “ The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising e...
Jun 04, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 301
Episode #71 // How often do we hear leaders claim that their project was delivered “on time, and on budget”. This is often wildly misleading, because it depends on your reference point. They often neglect to mention how many project delays and budget blowouts occurred before the final targets were set… and they rarely talk about all the features that had to be removed as the project scope shrunk to fit the envelope of available money and time. This Moment gives you an overview of the 7 things yo...
Jun 02, 2024•5 min
Episode #300 // “If you can look on the light side of any crisis, remain positive and optimistic, and crack a joke or two, you'll be in a much better place to deal with whatever comes your way.” Looking back on 300 episodes of No Bullsh!t Leadership , I’m incredibly proud of the body of knowledge that Em and I have created to help leaders all over the world to become better. I’m also humbled that each of you tune in, week after week, putting in the hard yards to improve your leadership capabilit...
May 28, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 300
Moment #70 // There are any number of life lessons that I could absolutely have used earlier on, and lots of stuff that would have made me a better leader way sooner. But, then again, with the benefit of hindsight and wisdom, I’ve come to realize that the depth and value of any lesson comes from the very fact that it’s hard fought and won. If you learn by starting in the right place, going through the trial and error, (and, yes, a little of the essential pain), the lessons you learn stay l...
May 26, 2024•5 min
Episode 299 // “When you try to protect your people by setting a lower standard, you effectively rob them of their opportunity to improve, to thrive, and to build their confidence and self-esteem.” Occasionally, I throw in a myth busting episode to challenge conventional leadership wisdom. This is my way of helping you to adopt the essential mindset of a truly successful leader. One of the broadly accepted leadership myths is that any focus on individual performance detracts from the needs, want...
May 21, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 299
Moment #69 // Virtually every senior leader finds themself executing a major change or transformation program at some point in their career. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype – expensive consultants telling you what needs to be done… teams drowning in PowerPoint decks that explain the change… and a whole bunch of traffic light reports to convince you that what you’re doing is working. I’m a simple man, and I like simple metrics. My favorite change barometer is, “ How much push back am...
May 19, 2024•5 min
Episode #289 // "Build an island of excellence within your team, even if the organizational culture resists change. Your leadership can thrive despite the barriers." It’s often the case that the biggest impediments to improving your leadership performance are the organizational barriers that frustrate your efforts to be a strong leader. For example: A boss who doesn’t want to change the way things are being done; Irrational policies in critical areas like HR and finance; Cultural barriers that p...
May 14, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 289
Moment #68 // There are many ways to get your team to do things, and the type of power you use to get results is all-important. But, we rarely think about it. Some types of power are more sustainable than others, so be careful to wield your leadership power deliberately , not just let it flow subconsciously, based on your mood of the day! Being aware of power dynamics opens the door for you to wield real influence. You can’t be successful at senior levels unless you have the ability to influence...
May 12, 2024•5 min
Episode #297 // “If you ever find yourself thinking, "How could the company possibly do without me?" Well, trust me, they'll work it out!” For as long as I can remember, the business media has been awash with stories about the job market… how to get a job, how to keep a job, how to juggle your job with other demands, and how to climb the corporate ladder . Since the Covid pandemic, it seems as though the volume of this advice has grown exponentially. The most recent article to catch...
May 07, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 297
Moment #67 // You’ll often hear people explain away someone else’s success by saying, “ It’s not what you know, it’s who you know! ” It’s easy to discount another person’s achievement by putting it down to their position of privilege… to believe that the only reason they made it was because they received a leg-up, or a head start… to succumb to the dangerous thinking that says, “ they have something that I don’t ”. Don’t lull yourself into surrender. Don’t wait until you’re in a rocking ch...
May 05, 2024•5 min
