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
Episode #296 // "Middle management is the engine room of performance. This is where you are closest to the work, and you can make some real inroads into performance improvement." I produced a podcast episode over 4 years ago, titled “ The Curse of the Middle Manager ”. So, when I recently came across an HBR article that signaled a resurgence in middle management roles, I figured it was time to take another look! In many businesses, the role of the middle manager is by far the toughest. If you’re...
Apr 30, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 296
Moment #66 // Leaders who have been passed over for promotion are often told, “ You need to be more strategic ”... whatever that means! There could be a number of possible explanations for this… but you can’t always rely on your boss to explain exactly what she means! In this Moment, I give you a few suggestions for how you might be able to interpret this feedback, and use it to work on the things that will better prepare you for the next level. You can take a deeper dive into these insigh...
Apr 28, 2024•5 min
Episode #295 // “We make mistakes, at each new level that we move to – it's an essential part of our growth and development. But the higher up you go, the bigger the impact that those mistakes have.” One of my recent social media posts went viral ( this one - 2.7mill views as of writing this), as I outlined the three biggest mistakes I made when I was finding my feet in my first few senior leadership roles. The good news is that, once I was aware of them, I was able to put some strategies in pla...
Apr 23, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 295
Moment #65 // If you want to be a great leader, you have to learn to read the play – to know when it’s appropriate to push one of your people harder, when it’s appropriate to work more closely with them, and when it’s appropriate to stand back and let them get on with it. In this Moment, I take a look at Situational Leadership Theory (SLT). This model gives us guidance for how to adapt our style so that we have the best chance of getting through to our people, and enabling them to be successful....
Apr 21, 2024•4 min
Episode #294 // “If you can create a culture that values momentum, you will almost always outperform teams that don't!” I often talk about the need for speed. As a leader, placing a premium on forward progress is one of the most reliable tools you have to achieve execution excellence in your team. If you can create a culture that values momentum, you will almost always outperform teams that don’t. Teams that don’t value speed just seem to stagnate. I’ve seen lots of them over the ye...
Apr 16, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 294
Moment #64 // Many CEOs and senior executives talk a good game when it comes to culture change and transformation… it’s almost expected. But, even though they might make the right noises , it doesn’t necessarily mean they have the commitment to set a higher standard, or generate the level of momentum it would take to lead the change successfully. Pretty much every senior leader says they want a constructive, high performance culture. But very few can clearly articulate what this means… and even ...
Apr 14, 2024•4 min
Episode #293 // “ I look at my high performers with one thought in mind: What will it take for them to get to the next level?” When you focus on setting a high standard for performance, it’s easy to fall into the habit of managing the exceptions — to focus on the people who fall behind, or don’t meet the minimum standard you’re trying to preserve. The old saying that the squeakiest wheel gets the oil is as true in the leadership context as it is in every other aspect of life! When p...
Apr 09, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 293
Moment #63 // Times are tough and, when the pressure is on, it doesn’t take long before companies start to squeeze their suppliers in an attempt to find cost savings. Unfortunately, your suppliers are facing exactly the same pressures you are. Their costs are rising too, and they’re experiencing the same difficulty in finding and keeping their best people. Knowing how to manage your suppliers for optimum long-term benefit is critical, especially as you seek to outsource more and more of the comp...
Apr 07, 2024•4 min
Episode #292 // “ In team sports, “leading from the front” means a completely different thing than it does in business. ” There are a number of elements that contribute to your leadership identity. Many leaders let their identity form organically, without much conscious thought or planning. That’s fine, but there’s an enormous amount of upside to be captured, if you choose to be deliberate and methodical in your approach. For every leader, regardless of level, industry, company size, or location...
Apr 02, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 292
Moment #62 // The board of directors is increasingly seen as the accountable body for ensuring ethical, responsible behavior from companies. But we still seem to be witnessing some pretty spectacular failures in corporate governance. To me, this isn’t at all surprising. The board has very little influence over what the management team does on a day-to-day basis. Boards have limited control over what really goes on. I’m sure that many professional directors will disagree with me on this… bu...
Mar 31, 2024•6 min
Episode #291 // “ The boundaries between our work and personal lives have shifted, and leaders need to deal with the fallout. ” When I began my corporate executive career, the only concern leaders had for safety was to ensure that people working in dangerous environments didn’t get seriously injured or killed. Then, there were a lot of businesses that didn’t even need to think about the word “safety”, because they were predominantly white-collar, office-bound enterprises. For most of my senior l...
Mar 26, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 291
Episode #61 // What if your people knew exactly what to expect from you? What if they understood your style, the objectives that drive you, and the things you value the most? If you want your people to be really clear on what you’re after, developing your own Leadership User Manual can be a simple but effective way to lay out the ground rules, and establish your expectations in an unambiguous way. This could save years of trial and error, and give your people a clear path to thriving under your ...
Mar 24, 2024•4 min
Episode #290 // "The best leaders do what's needed to master their stakeholder ecosystem, taking it from chaos and unpredictability to control and alignment." In last week’s episode , I outlined the 10 key ingredients that contribute to your promotion prospects. In doing so, I realized that, after almost 300 full-length episodes of No Bullsh!t Leadership , we hadn’t yet produced one that deals specifically with the key discipline of stakeholder management. Well, this is it! In today’s complex or...
Mar 19, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 290
Moment #60 // I’m a big believer in avoiding the problems that inevitably emerge when you become too isolated, or spend too much time cocooned in your own little world. There’s no end to the number of consultants out there who hold themselves up as experts, and promise to make your business better in oh-so-many ways. How would you know which options are likely to give you real value for money, and which are likely to be an expensive waste of time? The management consulting market is segmen...
Mar 17, 2024•5 min
