Directive leadership is not as common as it used to be. In many work environments, you don't get very far if you run your team as a dictatorship. However, this leadership style still has a purpose and can be very effective when used in the right situation. In this episode, Ben talks about what Directive Leadership is and when you might need to use it to get the best results. Links: Article: Directive Leadership: 4 Situations When You Should Be Using It . Resource: Adaptive Leadership eBook ....
Nov 10, 2019•8 min
Fear does bad things to people in our workplaces. Fearful leaders might stay silent when they would normally speak out. They may fail to make a decision when normally they would act. There are many reasons why leaders feel uncomfortable and afraid to leave their jobs - are any of these reasons holding you back? The point is not that we should always be thinking about leaving our jobs. It's that when we feel like we have options, we will act more confidently and freely. In this episode, Ben looks...
Nov 04, 2019•12 min
Motivation at work is tough - most of us need to work, and we spend more time with the people at work than we often do with our friends and families! Everyone is motivated by different things, and we have a whole range of people from those who love their jobs, to those who'd rather be doing something else that they're passionate about outside of work. Work does play an important part in people's lives, so it's important that as leaders, we try to help our teams feel as motivated as we possibly c...
Oct 27, 2019•12 min
A challenge for every leader is to overcome limiting beliefs that we have developed over time. Productivity and effectiveness is one area where limiting beliefs can really damage performance as well as the motivation of your team. In this episode, Ben discusses 3 limiting beliefs that might be holding you back and how you can eliminate them. Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course . Article: 3 Limiting Beliefs That Damage Your Productivity . Article: How a Self Fulfilling...
Oct 19, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Supportive leaders are great - but problems can occur when leaders step over the line from being supportive leaders to protective leaders. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the traps that supportive leaders can fall into and some ways to avoid them in your team. Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course . Article: 3 Traps Supportive Leaders Must Avoid . Article: 10 Simple & Effective Tips For Giving Feedback ....
Oct 13, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Time-wasters at work can really have a big impact on your team's productivity. But that's not all, time-wasters also have the potential to damage team motivation if your people realise that they're not working on tasks that really add value. In this episode, Ben looks at three common time-wasters and how you can avoid introducing them to your team! And don't forget to check out the Time Management for Leaders Online Course , to become a more productive and effective leader for your team. Links: ...
Oct 06, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 39
It's easy for leaders to make assumptions about their teams when things get busy. But there are some assumptions that can really damage motivation in a team. In this episode, Ben talks about these assumptions and how they can damage motivation in your team, as well as how to avoid making them in the first place! Don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course , which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a leader who wants to build your confidence and feel more secure l...
Sep 29, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Communication is a critical leadership skill, but it's often a part of leadership that we get wrong. If you're unable to communicate effectively, you run the risk of demotivating and frustrating your team and the people around you. In this episode, Ben looks at some common communication mistakes, and how we can avoid making them in our teams. As mentioned in this episode, don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course , which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a lea...
Sep 22, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Confident leadership is not only useful for a leader's wellbeing - it's also great for their team too. In this episode, I look at some ways that confident leadership can help to improve motivation and trust within a team. There are also some tips to help you show confident leadership in your team... even if sometimes, you don't feel like it! Also, don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course , which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a leader who wants to build yo...
Sep 15, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Open communication is something that is valuable to every leader and team. In this episode, I talk about some of the benefits of open communication in a team, as well as simple ways to start encouraging it in your team. Open up those communication channels... because ignorance is not bliss! Links: Article: 5 Powerful Ways to Create Open Communication in Your Team ....
Sep 09, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Toxic workplaces are horrible places to be, but they don't just happen by accident. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the ways that toxic behaviour can start to cause problems and then looks at how we can try to do something about it before your workplace turns septic. Resource: If you struggle to have the hard conversations in your team, try the Difficult Conversations eBook , with tools and techniques to help you tackle the tough conversations and get results for your team. Links: Artic...
Sep 02, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Employee turnover is a topic that can see leaders breaking out in a cold sweat. However, it's not all bad. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the reasons why turnover in your team can be a good thing. However, it's not always good - Ben also covers some of the situations when you actually should worry about turnover in your team. Links: Article: 5 Reasons Why Employee Turnover is Your Friend . Article: 3 Signs Should Worry You When Team Members Are Quitting ....
Aug 27, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 33
We all want to hold our teams accountable. In almost every workplace I've been, I hear the familiar phrase "There's just no accountability!" This episode deals with that issue. In this episode, I talk about 4 of the most common reasons why I believe leaders can't hold people accountable, and what we need to be doing to make sure that doesn't happen. After listening to this episode, if you would like more information regarding accountability and how to improve it in your team, be sure to check ou...
Aug 18, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 32
One of the primary causes of bad outcomes in our workplaces is short-term thinking on the part of leaders. Taking action or failing to take necessary action often occurs because we don't take the time to think of the long-term outcomes of what we're doing. In this episode, Ben talks about short-term thinking and some of the simple questions to ask yourself to help you shift from a short-term to a long-term mindset. Links: Article: How Short Term Thinking Leads to Bad Leadership . Resource: Time ...
Aug 11, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 31
It's never fun having a stressed and overworked team. But did you know that all stress is not created equal? In this episode, Ben talks about Eustress vs. Distress and how applying the right amount of pressure to your team can improve work performance, without burning everybody out. Learn how applying just the right amount of pressure and stress can be beneficial to your team. Links: Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/30/ Article: How to Use Work Pressure to Help Your Team Thriv...
Aug 04, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Early in my career I remember thinking that people who were unmotivated at work were just "slackers". Now, my perspective has changed a lot, because I believe that one of the biggest factors in motivation is the work environment and how people are treated, rather than it all being up to the individual. In this episode, I talk about some questions you might try asking your unmotivated team members, to try to uncover the root causes of motivation issues, so you can improve the situation. Links: Ar...
Jul 29, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Softly spoken leaders face some challenges in the workplace, struggling to be heard over the noise of their dominant, outspoken counterparts. In this episode, Ben talks about the challenges and strengths of being a softly spoken leader, and some things softly spoken leaders can do to succeed in leadership. Links: Article: Why Softly Spoken Leaders Make a Big Impact . Article: Important Ways That Leaders Can Earn Respect at Work ....
Jul 22, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Ever walked away from a meeting you thought was going to be controversial, where there was actually no conflict at all? You could have a problem, because your team isn't speaking up. You don't have all the answers, so you need your team to be offering up their opinions to help you to achieve better results. In this episode, Ben talks about some common reasons why your team doesn't speak up at work, why you really need them to and what you can do to help them be heard.
Jul 16, 2019•6 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Leaders can be one of the greatest sources of wasted time in the workplace. This is unfortunate, but true! In this episode, Ben talks about how leaders who manage their time better can have a positive effect on their teams and improve their productivity. We also cover some of the ways that poor time management can really waste a lot of time in the workplace...and we don't want to let that happen! Don't forget to check out the link to the Time Management for Leaders Online Course below! Links: On...
Jul 07, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Ever worked in a team where an adversarial attitude builds against people outside of the team? This can be a damaging mindset if left unchecked. In this episode, Ben talks about trying to break down some of these adversarial attitudes that often build up between teams in large, complex organisations. Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/25/
Jun 30, 2019•8 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Having the confidence to speak up and out about issues and inefficiencies in your workplace is a key role of a leader. But it's not always easy to do that. In this episode, Ben speaks about some of the reasons why leaders need to speak up, and the reasons why they don't. Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/24/
Jun 23, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Self-confidence is one of the most critical parts of leadership. Without it, you'll second guess yourself, be less decisive and have difficulty getting people to follow you. In this episode, we look at the benefits of self-confidence in leadership and how to start building your self-confidence to improve the way you lead. You can sign up for the free email leadership confidence course by going to the show notes page here: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/23/...
Jun 17, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Self-fulfilling Prophecy is a phenomenon I've seen in workplaces for a long time, and it can make or break your team. In this episode, Ben talks about Self-fulfilling Prophecy and how it often has negative effects in the workplace, resulting in reduced motivation and low confidence in team members.
Jun 09, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Ever micromanaged someone? I certainly have, and it's not a great thing for a leader to do. What I have noticed over my career is that micromanagement isn't something that people want to do... but they feel like they have to. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the issues with micromanagement and also some ways to stop your micromanagement tendencies from getting out of control!
Jun 04, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Perfectionism seems to be quite a common trait in our workplaces. What is the impact of perfectionism on leadership and is it just another form of procrastination? In this episode, Ben discusses the topic of perfectionism and how you can take action to stop it damaging the way you lead your team.
May 27, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Most leaders want to manage a team of happy employees. But what does it take to get there, and how can leaders go about it? In this episode, Ben talks about his recipe for employee happiness: Clarity, Consistency and Transparency. Listen to the episode to see how they all fit together!
May 20, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Delegation isn't about just getting rid of your most hated tasks and giving them to your team members. We can use delegation as a great way to improve our team performance and motivation. In this episode, Ben outlines the basics of delegation as well as some ways to use it to improve your team performance.
May 13, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Feedback is one of the most important tools leaders can use to both manage performance and to recognise team members. However, many leaders avoid providing feedback in the right way, which reduces its effectiveness. In this episode, Ben outlines his top 10 tips for giving effective feedback.
May 05, 2019•9 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Hiring people is difficult, and sometimes it's difficult to know just what to look for when you're interviewing your next potential team members. In this episode, Ben talks about the "5 Factor Model of Personality" or OCEAN model, which is a simple tool to help you assess your next candidate and make sure their personality is a good fit for your team.
Apr 29, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 16
I find pushing back to be an underrated skill. Pushing back means sometimes, you need to say "No" to people who try to burden you with too much work, or tasks that are not even yours to do. This might be your boss, or other colleagues. It's not easy, but if you continuously say "Yes" to everything that comes your way, you are heading for burnout, and so is your team. In this episode, Ben discusses the power of pushing back as a tool to help leaders do their best work. Resources Mentioned in this...
Apr 22, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 15
