Episode #334 // Performance management gets a bad rap these days. There’s a school of thought that formal performance management processes do more harm than good. And in the hands of an inept leader working in a poor culture, that’s probably true. But I’m a huge believer in the power of 1:1 meetings and, even though formal performance meetings are just one example, some leaders use the trend against performance management as an excuse for not conducting 1:1 meetings at all. There’s...
Jan 21, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 334
Moment #104 // Conventional wisdom tells us that “ happy workers are productive workers ”... but short-term, sugar-hits of happiness don’t lead to high performance! Team morale is elusive, and you don’t build it by being overly protective, or by mollycoddling your people. You build it by giving them an environment where they’re expected to stretch, grow, and achieve. This builds individual self esteem, and genuine long-term satisfaction… it’s also the foundation of high team morale and superior ...
Jan 19, 2025•5 min
Episode #333 // For the last four years, we’ve run the Crush Your Career Challenge with thousands of ambitious leaders, who’ve not only set bold career goals but actually achieved them. The challenge isn’t just about planning, it’s about results. This year, we’re taking it to a whole new level. You’ll be joining over 1,000 other No Bullsh!t Leaders, all working towards their goals alongside me and Em, inside The No Bullsh!t Leadership Hub . Imagine the energy, the momentum, and the massive accou...
Jan 14, 2025•7 min•Season 1Ep. 333
Moment #103 // Virtually every company has natural tensions built into its DNA, and these tensions can deliver incredible value – if you know how to manage them ! Robust discussions and strong accountability are key to unlocking this rich source of value. It takes strong leadership to capture the upside of the tensions in your team, rather than just following the path of least resistance, and squandering the potential… If you want to go deeper on how to turn conflict into constructive tension, h...
Jan 13, 2025•4 min
Episode #332 // Many leaders struggle every day with oppressive workloads and long hours. We all have busy periods – it comes with the territory – but if this pattern persists for more than a few months, that’s not just a busy period… that’s the way you live! To regain control of your time, you need to fundamentally shift the way you think about your leadership role. Over the course of many years, I was able to develop what eventually became my No Bullsh!t Leader’s Time Mastery System . Lo...
Jan 07, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 332
Moment #102 // You may think that the most certain way to build job security is to make yourself indispensable – but you would probably be wrong! Indispensability isn’t good if it’s based on hoarding specialist knowledge – that will just make you a key risk to your team. Your value comes from building team capability, not from holding your team back by using your knowledge as a weapon. If you want to go deeper on how to balance your existing knowledge with your willingness to grow, have a listen...
Jan 05, 2025•4 min
Episode #331 // Today’s episode is a bit of fun! As I like to do each year, I take a look at what’s likely to be ahead for economies, businesses, and leaders in 2025. I’ve done the research so that you don’t have to! To put this episode together, I’ve drawn on highly reputable information sources – The Economist , The Wall Street Journal , The McKinsey Quarterly , The Atlantic , Harvard Business Review and of course, the most reliable website in the world, Wikipedia 😂 Taking a composite of info...
Dec 31, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 331
Moment #101 // In these days of competitive labor markets, greater employee mobility, and increasing recruitment costs, our emphasis has to be on growing talent from within. This requires a razor sharp focus on performance, potential, and capability development. How do you develop your internal talent, while showing your stars that they don’t have to leave the company to advance their careers? If you want to go deeper on how to bring value to the forefront, have a listen to Ep.231: Talent Manage...
Dec 29, 2024•5 min
Episode #330 // It’s Christmas Eve here in Boston, so Merry Christmas everyone! If Christmas isn’t your thing, then Happy Hanukkah, Ōmisoka, or Kwanzaa - whatever your beliefs, the end of the calendar year is a time of reflection and renewal. As is our tradition, Em and I are wrapping up the year by looking back on the incredible podcast content we’ve created in 2024. This week, we’re highlighting our five favorite episodes of the year, the ones you’ll definitely want to revisit during your holi...
Dec 24, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 330
Moment #100 // Many leaders talk about value, but for the people they’re trying to motivate, it’s almost meaningless. What should they do differently from what they’re already doing? How would they know if what they were doing was value-accretive, or not? Value isn’t forged in rhetoric, no matter how consistently you talk about it… it’s forged through your actions – and these actions begin in your decision-making process. If you want to go deeper on how to bring value to the forefront, have a li...
Dec 22, 2024•5 min
Episode #329 // One of the more difficult aspects of leadership is managing your people’s expectations. You’re in the hot seat, and your team will judge your leadership based on whether or not they feel as though you’ve met their expectations. So, what do you do when your people’s expectations are unrealistic? Or irrational? Or even delusional? As a No Bullsh!t Leader , I know you try to be as open, clear, and direct with your people as you possibly can… At times, though, you’ll be faced w...
Dec 17, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 329
Moment #99 // During my executive career, I gained a lot of experience in driving change. I’ve also read all the iconic literature on change management, much of which is incredibly useful But there’s one thing, above all else – a make-or-break element of any major change program – that’s often overlooked: It has to be abundantly clear to everyone that not changing is not an option. How do you deal with people who work covertly to derail your change initiative in an attempt to preserve the ...
Dec 15, 2024•5 min
Episode #328 // After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we seem to be reaching a more stable position on how work and life should coexist in a post-Covid world. But, just as stability seems within reach, there are other forces at play which could very well create the perfect storm. An older generation of workers is beginning to vacate the workforce, making way for fresh talent, new ideas, and different ways of working. A workforce that was historically compliant and relatively resilient, is gr...
Dec 10, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 328
Moment #98 // Sitting down to interview Scott J Miller was like sitting down with Graham Norton, or Joe Rogan, or David Letterman — so, I was intrigued to uncover what Scott had learned from interviewing some of the world’s most iconic and successful people. What do Deepak Chopra, Malcolm Gladwell, and Matthew McConaughey have in common? If you want to go deeper on what makes the world’s most successful people tick, have a listen to Ep.254: What the Best Leaders Do Differently . ————...
Dec 08, 2024•5 min
Episode #327 // Bad news can be really tough to handle, especially when it’s so unexpected that you didn’t see it coming. At times like these, it’s human nature to try to find an explanation for what happened, so that you can process it and find some meaning. This enables you to eventually move on. The first place you’ll look for answers is in what we were told . When the boss delivered the bad news, how did she explain it? (because there’s always an explanation, right?!) It’s easy to latc...
Dec 03, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 327
Moment #97 // Everyone says leaders are learners, but the truth is, not all learning accelerates your career. You can spend hours consuming information without gaining the wisdom and insight that truly set great leaders apart. In a world where knowledge is a commodity, the real power lies in knowing how to apply it. But what are the unconventional strategies, the career accelerators no one talks about, that can take your leadership to the next level? In this Moment, I share the critical steps th...
Dec 01, 2024•5 min
Episode #326 // Yes I'm talking about Tom Brady again in this episode BUT DON'T KEEP SCROLLING! This episode is an absolute must-listen!! As you know, I occasionally take a leadership example from the world of professional sport, but it’s rare to see one of the greatest sportsmen of all time talking in detail about what makes a team great . I came across an article in Harvard Business Review , which fuses together the worlds of professional sport and business leadership to give us some indelible...
Nov 26, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 326
Episode #96 // Every organization talks about performance – but not every organization is serious about it. When push comes to shove, many companies simply aren’t prepared to do the basic things that would deliver high performance. What are the telltale signs that the culture you’re a part of isn’t serious about driving performance… despite all the rhetoric to the contrary? If you want to go deeper on this silent performance killer, have a listen to Ep.239: Leading in a Low Performance Cul...
Nov 24, 2024•5 min
Episode #325 // I’m sure you hear me talk frequently about value creation. As a leader, your primary objective above all else is to deliver value. How you do that depends on your context . One of the key principles that enables this razor-sharp fixation on value is simplicity and focus . Simplifying your company's objectives, its work program, and its customer value proposition is a complex and difficult process – but if you can get it right, it opens the door to greatness. In this episode...
Nov 19, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 325
Moment #95 // Working successfully in complex organizations requires collaboration. But you shouldn’t sacrifice strong accountabilities for the sake of collaboration. When you don’t structure your team’s work program around single-point accountability, it’s hard to know who’s doing what. Accountabilities become opaque, confused, and misunderstood… and performance suffers accordingly. Most of the epic fails I witnessed in my corporate career were the consequence of shared or unclear a...
Nov 17, 2024•5 min
Episode #324 // Welcome to a special episode from our recent No Bullsh!t Leadership Live event in Sydney! Marty dives into the real, pressing issues leaders are facing today with his no-nonsense insights. In this episode, he tackles questions on: Managing a “Nike Boss” : How do you handle a boss who ignores resource limitations and expects you to “just do it”? Effective Downward Communication : How can you ensure that strategic messages reach all levels and don’t get lost as they filter through ...
Nov 12, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 324
Moment #94 // During my corporate executive career, not working at the right level was probably the most common problem that I saw holding leaders back, and it happens at every level – from front-line supervisors to CEOs of major companies. Most leaders say they want to delegate more… to give their people more responsibility, and not have to do so much themselves… but even before those words have passed their lips, they manage to shoot themselves in the foot. In this Moment, I give you my ...
Nov 10, 2024•5 min
Episode #323 // Last week, we launched our No Bullsh!t Leadership Hub community, and it’s already firing on all cylinders. For those of you who have joined, you may have answered the initial survey questions, some of which highlight the common problems that every leader faces. One comment in particular, which was articulated beautifully by Sarah, really hit home. She said, “ I think a big leadership challenge right now is capturing and communicating the nuances of what is slow...
Nov 05, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 323
Moment #93 // Middle management jobs are the toughest jobs in any organization. You’re effectively the meat in the sandwich, and the senior leadership might see you as just another person in the concrete layer. You get pressure from above, and resistance from below, creating incredible dissonance. This can increase your stress levels to the point where you’re downright miserable. How do you rise above the concrete layer? How do you make your objectives clearer? How do you stop the never-ending t...
Nov 03, 2024•5 min
Episode #322 // This week, I’m announcing something big: The No Bullsh!t Leadership Hub , our brand-new free community built for leaders who are serious about cutting through the noise and creating real impact. Em and I have been doing this podcast for over six years, and it’s time to take it to the next level by giving you a place to connect with like-minded leaders. In this episode, I share why community is a game-changer for growth, how our Member-Led Podcast Club will help you bring NB...
Oct 29, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 322
Moment #92 // Whenever you need approval to allocate resources, you’ll most likely need to convince your boss that it’s a good idea. All organizations have scarce resources, and have to allocate these resources carefully. The only thing I know for sure about your business is that you will never have enough time, money, and people to do everything that you’d ideally like to do. So, you have to do the things that give you the biggest bang for buck. If you want to learn how to wow your boss with a ...
Oct 27, 2024•5 min
Episode #321 // In the final part of my conversation with leadership expert Pat Lencioni, we take a quick dive into the complex dynamics of working with family and close friends in a business setting. Whether you're leading a family-owned company or managing close-knit teams, this episode is packed with insights on how to set the right boundaries while nurturing important relationships. Here’s what you’ll take away from this episode: Balancing Standards for Family : Learn how to navigate the fin...
Oct 22, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 321
Moment #91 // You’ve no doubt heard the expression, Employee Engagement . It’s roughly equivalent to the age-old concept of job satisfaction, or JSAT. The big question is, does increased employee engagement improve performance? It sounds like it should be true – as long as you believe that happy workers are productive workers. Unfortunately, I don’t! Most often, happy workers are just… happy! If you want to find out more about the reality of leading employees to be happy, and to perform at their...
Oct 20, 2024•5 min
Episode #320 // Was Lucy Letby wrongly convicted in her healthcare murder trial? We may never know… but what we do know is that her trial was plagued by serious flaws in the statistical evidence presented by the prosecution. I find it just a little disturbing that the judge, lawyers, and jury were so innumerate, that they accepted the bogus statistics on face value. This lack of numeracy is probably just as endemic in business! But everyone talks a good game, and it’s often difficult to see the ...
Oct 15, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 320
Moment #90 // There’s a lot of talk these days about purpose… we’re indoctrinated with the notion that, if you don’t pursue your purpose, what you choose to do has no meaning or value. I’m calling bullsh!t… I didn’t find my true purpose until I was in my mid-50s – but in the years prior to that, I loved my life, and made a hell of an impact. If you want to find out more about the reality of pursuing your purpose, have a listen to Ep.201: Finding Your Purpose ———————— FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a ...
Oct 13, 2024•5 min
