“If you’re not clear on who you are, then the people around you are not going to be clear on where they’re going,” says Dominic George. Dominic is a leadership strategist, executive coach, and founder of Vision Leadership for Life. He helps high-performing leaders rise into senior leadership without sacrificing their identity, values, or wellbeing. In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Dominic offers advice for leaders on how to stay centered on their core “why” without losing themselves t...
Aug 26, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 44
When you don’t delegate, you risk impairing the growth of your organization, says Daniel in today’s episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast. “That is a very limiting, very restrictive mindset,” he says. Choosing not to delegate will create bottlenecks in a system, and bottlenecks create inefficiencies. Delegating can be tough for many leaders. Personality traits, poor experiences, and even fears of micromanaging can interfere with efficient delegation. But as Daniel and Peter point out, delegat...
Aug 12, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Many leaders grew up with a mindset that encouraged giving 120% all day, every day. But giving 120% all the time is not your best, says Amanda Younts, because it’s not sustainable. Known to her audience as The Midlife Catalyst, Amanda promotes a leadership model that encourages self-compassion–a model that sustains leadership performance and improves the workplace for both leaders and their people. In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Amanda shares her philosophy and some practical advice...
Jul 29, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 42
“Each person has their own story,” says Kerim Kfuri, author and host of “The Supply and Demand Show” and President and CEO of The Atlas Network, LLC. In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Kerim shares insights gleaned from a lifetime of experiences in a multi-cultural and cross-border world. From growing up as a child of immigrants speaking multiple languages to leading a packing and logistics organization with over 2,000 suppliers around the world, Kerim has learned what works–and what do...
Jul 15, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 41
When uncertainty hits the marketplace and organizations are forced to lay off employees, there’s an under-discussed byproduct of the upheaval–namely, survivor guilt. How do those who keep their jobs cope with losing friends and colleagues to layoffs? In this episode, Daniel and Peter offer six clear steps to help layoff survivors deal with the shock, grief, and upheaval presented by keeping their jobs when others lose theirs. Tune in to learn: The one small change you should make to your languag...
Jul 01, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 40
It’s easy to think a strong executive presence requires an outgoing, gregarious personality. Not so, suggest Daniel and Peter in today’s episode. Introverts can “convey that sense of credibility and to be seen as influential, to be seen as a leader” just as well as extroverts, says Daniel. In this episode, Daniel and Peter explore the advantages and strengths introverted leaders can bring to their positions and offer some suggestions for developing skills to boost their executive presence. Tune ...
Jun 17, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 39
“Stress is like a bucket,” says Peter Stewart. As anyone who has worked in a dysfunctional organization can attest, that bucket can fill to overflowing very quickly when there are no spigots or holes to release the stress. In today’s conversation, Peter and Daniel discuss how to survive a dysfunctional work situation–what to track, how to deal with it when there are no immediate escapes, and when to leave. Tune in to learn: Three variables to track to help evaluate a dysfunctional situation Prac...
Jun 03, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 38
How do you react to conflict? Even that simple question can provoke a variety of emotions and responses. Some people look forward to engaging in heated debate, while others walk away or acquiesce to avoid even a hint of discord. No matter how you feel about it, though, it’s guaranteed that you will inevitably run into disagreements in your workplace–and in all areas of life! In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast , Daniel and Peter examine how to approach conflict in a healthy way. Tun...
May 20, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 37
“Great inspirational leaders are able to connect the bigger picture, that clear vision of what the future may bring, with the actions of today,” says Peter Stewart. In this second part of a deep dive into Executive Presence, Daniel and Peter look at how good emotional management and an ability to inspire contribute to a strong executive presence. Tune in to learn: Why it’s important to balance authenticity and awareness of others How storytelling and metaphor contribute to Executive Presence The...
May 06, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Leaders “take up a lot of space,” says Peter Stewart. What leaders do in that space can be the difference between great business and people results–and bad ones. In today’s episode, Daniel and Peter tackle the topic of executive presence–how it’s evolved over the years, what it means today, and how leaders can develop and improve it so they show up with credibility and confidence. Tune in to learn: What a modern model of Executive Presence looks like How decision-making impacts Executive Presenc...
Apr 22, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 35
AI is “not special,” says Dr. Allen Badeau. “It’s just a bigger part of your technology strategy.” In today’s episode, Daniel, Peter, and Dr. Badeau discuss the latest developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and how leaders can best leverage this rapidly evolving technology for productivity and development. Dr. Badeau is an AI evangelist with over 20 years experience building AI systems. He is the Co-Founder of Harmonic AI and the host of NowMedia’s weekly broadcast “AI Today....
Apr 08, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 34
“You don’t know you need it till you need it,” says today’s guest, Chris Hare. Chris is the host of The Storied Future Podcast and founder of The Storied Future, where he helps midmarket and enterprise CEOs create narratives that unlock a future where they can be celebrated. In this deeply personal conversation with Daniel and Peter, Chris unpacks the process he uses to guide leaders through unearthing their own stories and crafting narratives that help them “make a dent in the universe.” Often,...
Mar 25, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 33
“The cool thing about leadership is that your customers are right there,” says today’s guest, Phil Wilson. Phil is the CEO of LRI Consulting Services, Inc., and founder of Approachable Leadership. He’s the author of seven books, including the forthcoming The Leader-Shift Playbook: 4 Simple Changes to Score Big and Unleash Your Team’s Potential . In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Phil shares some powerful insights about leadership from the perspective of a consultant and a leader–includ...
Mar 11, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 32
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is a game-changing technological advancement–one that has generated excitement, fear, nervousness, cautious optimism, and a fair amount of hype. But what are its implications for leadership development? Today’s guest has some answers. “AI, to me, is a power tool supreme,” says Frank Russell, CEO of the award-winning talent development consulting firm Prositions. Of course, as exciting and powerful as AI is, we still need to balance it with a healthy...
Feb 25, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 31
A good coaching session is about more than just complaints or chit chat. “Coaching sessions are not just to have a feel-good moment,” says Daniel. “They are intended to focus on action and follow up.” In this week’s episode, Daniel and Peter demystify a typical coaching session. They discuss some of the questions they typically ask, the common way they begin many sessions, and the importance of both behavior change and mindset shift. Tune in to learn: The one thing a coachee should do to optimiz...
Feb 11, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Executive coaching is more than just a series of nice, but unconnected, conversations, says Peter Stewart. “It’s a development process with real teeth and traction in it” to help leaders meet goals. In this episode, Peter and Daniel demystify the coaching process with a look at their five-step approach to coaching. This approach identifies clear objectives, sets measurable and time-bound goals, and integrates feedback to help leaders course correct as they progress. Anyone can benefit from a coa...
Jan 28, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Over the last few decades, the attitude on leadership coaching has shifted dramatically. What was once considered necessary only when there was a performance issue is now a common piece of leadership development. “More and more leaders are seeing executive leadership coaching as actually a sign of investment and development,” says Daniel. “It’s a positive thing.” But being given a coaching opportunity can raise a lot of questions. Can you choose your coach, or will your company assign you a coac...
Jan 14, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 28
What if AI were the key to innovation inside your company? Today’s guest suggests that AI puts innovation in the hands of people who aren’t necessarily scientists or programmers. Travis Hoppe is the Assistant Director of AI Research and Development at The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He co-authored The Pile, a pioneering open source dataset used for training large language models that served as a catalyst for promoting open science within the field of AI, and he holds a P...
Dec 31, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 27
How do other people see you? In a world where there’s more noise than ever before, many of us have lost our ability to communicate with empathy, says Stacey Hanke, executive mentor and author of Influence Elevated: Maximizing Your Connection Monday to Monday . In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Stacey shares her insights about how leaders can learn–or relearn–how to connect with consistency across platforms and maximize their influence. “Every conversation is your opportunity to practic...
Dec 17, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 26
“We don't spend a lot of time thinking about how we breathe. We just do it,” says Jamie Flinchbaugh. “But then we find out, whether we're training for sports or meditation or other things, that there's more to learn about breathing. And when we are thoughtful about it, we can do it better, more usefully.” Solving problems as a leader is similar to breathing, says Flinchbaugh. Leaders take it for granted that they can solve problems in the usual way. They’re often on autopilot, and they forget to...
Dec 03, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 25
“Imagine if Amazon was inefficient,” says Garrett Delph, Founder and CEO of Clarity Ops. An inefficient Amazon would never reign in the very area that allowed it to disrupt the marketplace–that is, rapid, low-cost product delivery. Operational inefficiencies are organizational kryptonite, says Delph in this conversation with Daniel and Peter. Garrett Delph is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three businesses, collectively generating over $40 million in revenue. Today, Garrett is an operatin...
Nov 19, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 24
“Empathy is not being soft,” says Jevon Wooden, CEO of BrightMind Consulting Group and today’s guest on The Leadership Growth Podcast. Jevon is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant specializing in empathetic leadership. His proven strategies have been featured in major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine. In this episode, Daniel, Peter, and Jevon discuss in detail the role of empathy in leadership–and why, as Jevon says, empathy is key to managing any situa...
Nov 05, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 23
When it comes to accountability, the traditional approach has put leaders in charge of holding others accountable. Often this approach translates into a fear-based, command-and-control, “I have the authority, and I’m going to tell you what to do” approach to accountability. But does this approach work in the modern workplace? (And, we might ask, did it ever work?) In this episode, Daniel and Peter dive into the myth of accountability–the idea that leaders must hold their people accountable. This...
Oct 22, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Are you “all that and a bag of chips”? We all need an ego. As Peter says, ego serves a function. But too much ego might translate into steamrolling over others. And too little ego can mean withdrawing and allowing others to steamroll over you. There’s a good balance between being secure in your own voice without stomping out the voice of others. Good ego management is really intentional humility. In this episode, Peter and Daniel take a deep dive into ego management–why it’s important, how to bo...
Oct 08, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 21
“If you don’t find absolute joy in other people’s success, being a leader’s probably not going to float your boat,” says today’s guest, Laurie Labra. Daniel and Peter welcome Laurie to this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a fun and insightful conversation about leadership in a highly technical environment. Laurie is a vice president at KBR, Inc., leading the company’s Science & Space Human Exploration Division. Laurie brings great expertise to this conversation about leadership,...
Sep 24, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 20
What can leaders learn from horseshoe crabs, cottonwood trees, and polar bears? This episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast takes a fascinating dive into the lessons that leaders and organizations can take from nature. Guest Ron Amodeo, Chief Strategy Officer at UC Davis Health, shares some examples and insights from nature that can inform the way leaders direct their organizations. Join us for this fresh and unique perspective that takes us out of the stale, gray conference room and into the ...
Sep 10, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Why do people want to work for you? And perhaps more importantly, why do they want to continue to work for you? In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter look at how both external and internal onboarding can make or break the employee experience. As Peter points out, the talent market will continue to experience generational shifts for several years to come, and the number of people entering the workforce isn’t enough to fill all the gaps. Attracting and retaining talent...
Aug 27, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 18
“I don’t know what I’ve said until I’ve learned what you heard.” Daniel kicks off a robust discussion about communication with this provocative insight. He and Peter are joined in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast by executive coach and communication expert Yosi Kossowsky. “That’s something I coach leaders on 80% of the time,” says Kossowsky. Leaders often believe communication has happened, but really, it’s only the illusion of communication. “We are often in the habit of talking, b...
Aug 13, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 17
What does psychology have to do with business? “Absolutely everything,” says Dr. Ernest Wayde, host of the Psych in Business Podcast . Dr. Wayde joins Daniel and Peter on this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a discussion about how psychology can impact leadership and the workplace. In this conversation, Dr. Wayde offers some insights on how leaders can use psychology to grow and develop their leadership skills. Tune in to learn: How to improve self-awareness Why leaders need to be v...
Jul 30, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 16
On this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter take a deep dive into one of the most popular videos on the Stewart Leadership website: The Tale of the Three Envelopes . In this story, a new CEO receives three envelopes from the previous CEOs. The new CEO tucks them away and forgets about them. As he struggles in his role, he takes out the first two envelopes every few months and finds a new tactic to try. Unfortunately, neither of these approaches work, and he is forced to re...
Jul 16, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 15
