Episode #108 // This episode takes a look at the delicate issue of relationships at work. Why do we still see a revolving door of very senior executives exiting organisations at incredible personal, financial, and reputational cost? Cultural standards and policies vary wildly from organisation to organisation and, let’s face it, around 1 in 5 of you actually met your current partner at work. But we’ve seen a massive shift in societal awareness and expectations of relationships in the workplace, ...
Sep 22, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Episode #107 // The amount of disruption, challenge, and uncertainty we’ve dealt with in the past six months has tested us all. Who is committed to coming out the other side better for the experience? This episode illuminates the road to true resilience, as we tap into the experiences of those who’ve come before us. How do we cope when everything appears hopeless, and the barriers seem insurmountable? The Stockdale Paradox is a roadmap to surviving even the most difficult and gruelling circumsta...
Sep 15, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Episode #106 // In this episode, we take a look at part of a mentoring session I did with a fantastic young leader named Kate. Kate is a leader in a financial services company that supports a major global manufacturer. We covered a lot of ground in the session, so I actually found it really difficult to select the most valuable piece. But the dialogue I liked best, is the part about enabling people. We go into some detail about what the 3 key things are to focus your leadership attention on each...
Sep 08, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 106
Episode #105 // Sometimes, you come into a new leadership role where the team you take over is broken. This happens with surprising regularity. Why? Because there’s a strong correlation between poor culture, poor performance, and poor leadership. We know that great leaders are in short supply, and the role models we look towards don’t necessarily show us how to improve. So how do you pick up the pieces after a poor leader has left? If you haven’t had to do this yet in your leadership career, jus...
Sep 01, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Episode #104 // Leaders often struggle with their workload, as they move to more senior levels in an organisation. Hard work is a given if you want to be successful in any field, and I certainly wouldn’t make a case for trying to avoid any of that hard work…it builds resilience and character. However, it’s sad to see people become myopically focused on work, to the exclusion and detriment of everything else in their lives. To have a sense of balance, you need to choose where to put your energy, ...
Aug 25, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Episode #103 // We’ve had lots of questions lately from listeners asking how to implement the learnings from the podcast into their organizations, and to get their leaders to pick up on the concepts and actually use them! Unfortunately there are no simple answers to this question. The podcast is designed for leaders like you, to expose you to different ways of thinking, and to give you some practical tips, from the leadership “front line”. But for most of us, including me, when we listen to a po...
Aug 18, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Episode #102 // It’s no surprise that leaders increasingly fall into the trap of acting only for short-term results, not really considering what they leave behind in the longer term. This trend seems to have accelerated with the instant availability of information (both true and fabricated). Do leaders ever think of their legacy after their postings? Do most even care? The issues that drive leaders to act in the short term are complex: Why is there such a disproportionate focus on short term res...
Aug 11, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Episode #101 // What keeps your people engaged, motivated, and committed? This week, we explore the world of talent retention. Staff turnover is expensive, but it’s not always undesirable. How do you keep the people you want, and turn over the ones you don’t? Obviously, if you get the right people on the team in the first place, life’s a lot easier. And if you pay them enough, you can actually take money off the table as a retention issue. But how do you lead your people in a way that makes them...
Aug 04, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Episode #100 // Today, we’re going to take a quick breather from our normal content, and talk about all things Your CEO Mentor related to celebrate our 100th episode! In this episode, Em and I talk about our first two years of operation, and our bold plans for the future. Em will tell the story of how she actually convinced me to set up Your CEO Mentor with her in the first place, and we’re going to take a behind-the-scenes look at how I landed my book publishing deal in the US! We'll also chat ...
Jul 28, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Episode #99 // How would you know if you’ve reached your use-by date in a role? Great organisations rise and fall - very few stand the test of time. What’s the connection between the executives that run these exceptional businesses, and their eventual demise? In this episode, we look at some of the reasons for organisational failure and why, individually, we tend to lose our effectiveness over time. How do you avoid the pitfalls that successful leaders encounter, which can result in the eventual...
Jul 21, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Episode #98 // There have been a couple of questions that we’ve seen appearing as common themes over the past few months, so Em and I thought we’d tackle them today in a Q&A! First, we answer a question from Dave, who asked about effective delegation: “How, why, and when should you delegate, and how do you ensure outcomes are achieved?” This is a common question that cuts across many of the themes we talk about and provide leadership tools for in No Bullsh!t Leadership, so it’s a good opport...
Jul 14, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Episode #97 // Many people suffer from addictions, and they don’t check them in at the door when they turn up to work each day - their choice is to either function through their dysfunction, or lose their job. How should we, as leaders, handle incidences of addiction in our people? What are the boundaries we should maintain, and how much slack should we cut people who suffer from these issues? We look at why no team is immune to the effects of addiction, the link between substance abuse and impa...
Jul 07, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Episode #96 // As we’ve just hit the end of the Australian 2020 Financial Year, a lot of our local listeners are about to step into the performance review cycle, and go through the gruelling schedule of meetings, documentation, and feedback. Episode #96 // This episode examines the trend of major companies going away from the annual performance review process, and replacing it with regular, timely feedback from leaders to their people at all levels of the organization. What could possibly go wro...
Jun 30, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Episode #95 // What should we outsource, when should we outsource, and how do we avoid the common pitfalls? In the 90’s, outsourcing became all the rage, particularly in the IT world. But the principles behind it go back to the economic theory of comparative advantage , first proposed by David Ricardo over 200 years ago, in the early 19th century. We explore some critical questions in this episode, like why you would want to outsource something, and what process you should go through to make a s...
Jun 23, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Episode #94 // This episode is another value-packed live mentoring session with two of our past Leadership Beyond the Theory students, Leina Broughton and Fleur Richardson. Leina is an Australian fashion designer and entrepreneur who, with her business partner Fleur, has brought the Leina Broughton label to market. We’ve taken the two topics from this session that we think are most relevant to the current circumstances. They are applicable to everyone, regardless of your industry, the size of yo...
Jun 16, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Episode #93 // Through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen some stark examples of leadership in crisis, both good and bad, as countries have tried to come to terms with the pandemic, and the impacts on their people and economies. Some leaders have fared better than others. This episode looks at some of the misconceptions about what constitutes good leadership (hint: look at the results first), and identifies some of the poorer leadership behaviours and approaches that we’ve witne...
Jun 09, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Episode #92 // There’s a great documentary series currently streaming on Netflix called The Last Dance , which looks at The Chicago Bulls basketball team, one of the most successful sporting teams of all time. The Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, one of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of Nikes, won six NBA championships in the span of eight years. We look at what made this team so special, and analyze some of the critical elements that unfold during the series. There are some great lead...
Jun 02, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Episode #91 // We're constantly receiving questions from listeners about leading when there is a significant age difference. And this can flow in both directions. In this episode, we look at what to do with an older person in your team who reports to you, and is difficult to manage. We also consider the case of working for an older leader who uses bullying, intimidation, and control as their primary means of achieving outcomes. Either way, as a leader you are going to have to work out how to dea...
May 26, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Episode #90 // We had some fantastic feedback on the first live mentoring session that we released a few weeks ago, Episode #87, so we’ve decided to continue this theme and bring more of these in-depth conversations to you. This episode is an excerpt from a mentoring session I had a few weeks ago with Martin Bishop . Martin is the Chief Operating Officer for a transport company, based in Australia. For context in this fast-moving world, to give you an idea where we were up to in pandemic terms, ...
May 19, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Episode #89 // Is it really inevitable that all projects will go overtime and over budget? I cut my leadership teeth as a project manager on large software development projects, and I’ve had executive accountability for mega-projects in construction, procurement, major asset overhaul, and capital efficiency. This episode takes a fly over the top of all things project-related. Why do they fail? What are some of the common misconceptions about projects? How do you improve the chances of success fo...
May 12, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Episode #88 // It’s difficult to lead properly or act at a more strategic level, if your boss expects you to have a very hands-on component to your role. Some larger organisations these days seem desperate to become more entrepreneurial, and to ‘transform’. To do this, they are trying to mimic start ups. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all be tech unicorns?! What it means in practice, though, is that people in senior leadership positions are expected to roll their sleeves up and work alongside t...
May 05, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Episode #87 // Some of the best things in life happen purely by accident. Remember that impromptu party that turned out to be one of the best nights of your life? Well that’s how this episode came about. I was conducting a mentoring session via Zoom with an incredible young leader, coincidentally named Emma. When we came to a discussion on decision making models and frameworks, I asked Emma to “press record” so that she could replay it later (I wanted to move through the concepts fairly quickly)...
Apr 28, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Episode #86 // Although we are still in lockdown mode in many parts of the world to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can start to look at the long term benefits that we are likely to see when we come through the other side. Indisputably, there is incredible pain for some, uncertainty for others, and for all of us, a change in how we view our world. But, eventually, we’ll emerge better for the experience (as humans have done over centuries). It’s now fast approaching the time when leade...
Apr 21, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Episode #85 // The word “strategy” is much misused and misunderstood. A lot of people use it without really understanding what it means - ever had a well-meaning boss say; “You need to be more strategic”? Today, we take a step back and ask the question “What is strategy?”, and give you some practical tips for how to think about it (if you ever find yourself in the position where you need to). We cover the key concepts, looking at both the classical theory, and the contemporary application, leavi...
Apr 14, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Episode #84 // I have met some incredibly intelligent executives, who struggle to get the outcomes they should because they can't elicit the buy-in and commitment of those around them. Many senior leaders try to drive outcomes from a position of ‘the smartest person in the room’. Well, being smart is awesome, but you’ve got to be REALLY smart if you want to learn how to use your intellect to get the job done the best way possible. This means going way beyond your pure intellect into the nebulous...
Apr 07, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Episode #83 // In October of last year we released Episode #60, and looked at leading remote teams. In that episode, we outlined a number of principles to ensure that a lack of proximity doesn’t translate into a lack of results or value. Life has changed quite a bit since then, and now companies that previously had their whole complement of people within arm’s reach, are having to deal with managing a workforce that is fragmented in dozens (or even hundreds) of individual, remote work locations....
Mar 31, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Episode #82 // Although the world is immersed in pandemic panic, today’s episode DOESN’T focus on the Coronavirus - there’s already an overload of information (and misinformation) in the public domain on this. However, it is timely for us to open our eyes to the wide world of crisis management, a core part of any senior leader's repertoire. Mastering the fundamentals of crisis management will enable you to lead your stakeholders through the uncertainties that invariably present when the sh!t hit...
Mar 24, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Episode #81 // On 1st March 2020, we heard the news that Jack Welch had passed away at the age of 84 from renal failure. For over 20 years, he was the CEO and Chairman of General Electric, at the time one of America’s premier firms. Welch guided GE through the heady 1980s and 90s, at a time before the 2001 recession and the 2008 GFC curbed everyone’s enthusiasm. Welch is widely credited with transforming American capitalism. He was named the Manager of the Century by Fortune magazine in 1999, be...
Mar 17, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Episode #80 // Decision fatigue has been spoken about over the last several years as a serious problem, a by-product of our fast paced world. Overcoming his initial reaction (“what a crock of sh!t”), Marty explored the topic, with an open mind, to understand it a little better. The outcomes of this journey of discovery are intriguing - the brain is an incredible thing, and we don’t understand it enough, even now, to definitively unveil all of its miracles. This episode will challenge your thinki...
Mar 10, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Episode #79 // This episode takes us into another Q&A, where we address three excellent listener questions - and to celebrate International Women’s Day, we have an all-female roster. Janine asks about driving leadership change in an organisation where the tenets of accountability and empowerment that we subscribe to are not supported by the organisation’s prevailing culture. Vicky, an HR professional, asks us how organisations can better recognise the value to be achieved from the HR functio...
Mar 03, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 79
