Episode #179 // While enjoying my holiday Netflix binge, I watched the documentary series, Formula 1: Drive to Survive . While I’m not a fan of motor sports, I found the series unbelievably compelling. There are countless lessons to be taken from the series about leadership, high-performing teams, organizational culture, and the consequences of the extreme pressure that comes with performing at the absolute highest levels. In this episode, I unpick the cultural dynamics of F1 racing portra...
Feb 01, 2022•26 min•Ep 179•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #178 // Since the pandemic forced us into remote working, many people have turned their work day into performance art . They now pursue the goal of appearing to be busy , rather than actually delivering value-adding results. The activity becomes the end, rather than the means to an end. Although this is nothing new (there have always been people who appear to be busy, while achieving little), it has definitely become harder for leaders to identify and deal with than it was in the past. H...
Jan 25, 2022•22 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #177 // In the billable hours world, supplier companies deliver services to client companies in an exchange of time for money. It’s the dominant business model in legal, accounting, and consulting firms. This presents a wonderful opportunity for organizations to leverage expertise and capability that they don’t possess themselves. But it also comes with its own peculiar issues and risks, which can erode or negate any potential value. In this episode, I explore the billable hours mo...
Jan 18, 2022•22 min•Ep 177•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #176 // Apart from the multitude of listener questions on leadership and business that we get at Your CEO Mentor each week, we also field quite a few seeking career guidance. The question we deal with in this episode is, “What should I do when I don't get the job that I thought I was certain to get?” To come up with an answer, I went back through the No Bullsh!t Leadership catalogue. When I realized how much relevant content we’ve already produced, I decided to bring together this ...
Jan 11, 2022•16 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #175 // 2021 is now behind us and we’re looking forward to what 2022 will bring! The time for uncertainty is over—the people and companies that are successful are the ones that understand ambiguity and complexity for what they are. They recognize the things that are out of their control, and map a bold path forward, regardless. In fact, the process of making bold, decisive moves in an uncertain environment is a key source of competitive advantage. Wherever there’s great uncertainty, ther...
Jan 04, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #174 // As we traditionally do at Christmas time, we take a look back on our year of podcast episodes. Em and I have picked our favorites for you to go back and listen to while you’re enjoying some downtime in the New Year. 2021 has been a big year for Your CEO Mentor! Amongst other things, the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast recently reached 2 million downloads. That translates into a whole lot of impact for the leaders in more than 100 countries who have tuned in. Once again, to break u...
Dec 28, 2021•21 min•Ep 174•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #173 // Today we bring you an in-depth interview with Paul Scurrah. Paul is the CEO and Managing Director of rail freight business Pacific National. When we recorded the interview almost 12 moths ago, Paul had just finished his stint as CEO of Australia’s second-largest airline, Virgin Australia, which had undergone a tumultuous change of ownership on the back of the covid pandemic. Given that it’s only a couple of days before Christmas, we thought this would be a nice free-flowing...
Dec 21, 2021•49 min•Ep 173•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #172 // When one of my articles for Harvard Business Review blew up recently on social media, we decided to make it more accessible to our community of No Bullsh!t Leaders by turning it into a podcast episode. And because I don’t have a word limit here, I can expand it out and offer examples until my heart’s content! When you first move into a leadership role, it’s easy to develop bad habits… one of those habits is over-functioning for your people: doing their work for them. We think we’...
Dec 14, 2021•16 min•Ep 172•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #171 // Christmas party season is upon us, and many of you may have already partaken in an early celebration to mark the end of the year. If you’re a leader trying to navigate the vagaries of the office Christmas party, there are a few considerations that will help you make good decisions. Let’s face it, you don’t want to be staring down the aftermath of a significant incident in the days following an event. You want everyone to enjoy the celebration appropriately, and at the same...
Dec 07, 2021•20 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #170 // This week, we’re taking a look at team building exercises. They come in all different shapes, sizes and colors… some are useful, some are borderline disastrous! During my corporate career, I had my fair share of both. So, do we need to reevaluate our commitment to the annual off-site meeting? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Does smashing each other with paintballs or abseiling down a cliff face actually bring us closer together? In this episode I give an insight into my own t...
Nov 30, 2021•17 min•Ep 170•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #169 // Even after the disruption of the last 18 months, I still see many companies weighed down by a perfectionistic culture. If we’ve learned nothing else from the Covid experience, it’s that we can move so much faster than we initially think we can—but to do so takes a commitment to the principle of excellence over perfection. What will it take to conquer our need for perfectionism and instead, to adopt an achievement orientation? In this episode, I explore why the pursuit of perfecti...
Nov 23, 2021•17 min•Ep 169•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #168 // Politics is no fun. It can undo you, even if you’re operating with good intent, and doing everything right. On one level, politics can be seen simply as the process of influencing—but on another it can be a devious, divisive, and manipulative tool, used by individuals to further their own power and control. If allowed to fester, this creates a toxic culture, which can ultimately ruin your company. During my corporate career, I was almost brought undone a few times by political at...
Nov 16, 2021•17 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #167 // We receive a lot of questions about resilience, and we’ve produced several episodes over the last three years that offer some guidance for how to cope when things are tough. While still on the resilience theme, the focus of today’s episode is slightly different, as we explore what happens when teams become addicted to crisis. Well-run teams and businesses don’t wait for a crisis to occur, and then spring into action. Quite the opposite: they mitigate risks proactively, and avoid ...
Nov 09, 2021•15 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #166 // Debate is raging about the merits of remote work versus on-site colocation, exposing some real issues for leaders. One of the lighter discussions is on whether people should be allowed to turn their cameras off during Zoom meetings. This has generated some interesting debate in the wake of a research study published recently in the Journal of Applied Psychology . I released an episode a couple of months ago that deals with a few of these types of issues — Ep.154 Return to Wo...
Nov 02, 2021•22 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #165 // A few months ago I was fortunate enough to be interviewed on Jacob Morgan’s podcast ‘The Future of Work’. We had such a cracking conversation that I wanted to get him on our podcast, so that he can share his wisdom with you! Jacob is a 4 x best-selling author, speaker and futurist. I devoured his book, ‘The Future Leader’ in 48 hours, and this conversation covers all my post-read questions. Over 45 minutes Jacob and I cover: How he was able to interview 140 CEOs...
Oct 26, 2021•45 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #164 // We have two types of people who follow the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast. The first, are leaders who love leadership and want to get better. The second, are people who are unwilling conscripts, as I call them. They don't enjoy leadership and they're looking for some short-cuts that might alleviate the inherent misery they feel in having to lead others. Even if you're in the category of leaders who love leadership, I can guarantee that you have people working for you in lea...
Oct 19, 2021•19 min•Ep 164•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #163 // In this episode, Em and I cover three brilliant questions from past Leadership Beyond the Theory students! These questions are taken from the Deliver Value, Work at Level and Drive Accountability modules - three of our favourites. Every week during the program, at the end of the weekly module, we run two live webinars. In these sessions, Em and I answer questions from the cohort so that each individual can put the learnings into their specific context. One of ...
Oct 12, 2021•21 min•Ep 163•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #162 // We get an unbelievable number of questions every month about how to manage up more effectively. It’s important to make sure your boss doesn’t prevent you from performing at your best (or enjoying your work)! So the dynamic you should be trying to create is to manage up to enhance performance, not just to feather your own nest. All too often, managing up becomes a Machiavellian game with a high body count, and the organization suffers tremendously as a result, in terms of bo...
Oct 05, 2021•19 min•Ep 162•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #161 // Today is the day, No Bullsh!t Leadership is officially published! It’s been a long road (which you heard about in last week’s episode), and I couldn’t be more excited to get this piece of work out into the world and into the hands of leaders who have the courage to be better. This episode is an [exclusive] replay of the official book launch event, where accomplished television presenter, keynote speaker and author, Riaz Meghji , dove into the nitty gritty with me in a no-ho...
Sep 29, 2021•53 min•Ep 161•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #160 // With the US publication of my book, No Bullsh!t Leadership on the horizon, we decided to dedicate this episode to tell the story of how the book journey unfolded, from start to finish. There are some important takeaways from this tale, which I know you’ll be able to apply to your own career journeys. I talk in detail about the strategy, delivery, people, marketing, and PR aspects of the publishing process. I also expose some of the obstacles we had to overcome along the way. Anyt...
Sep 21, 2021•23 min•Ep 160•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #159 // With a hot labor market emerging in many countries at present, the threat of your people being headhunted by a competitor is increasing. What steps can you take to keep your people committed to your organization? Who should you be trying to retain, and why (because it’s NOT everyone!)? Even when other companies are able to pay more for the same skills, there are things you can do to ensure you don’t lose your best people. But you may need to make some tough decisions pretty quick...
Sep 14, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #158 // Blaming others when something doesn’t go to plan is one of the most insidious (and unfortunately, most common) leadership behaviors. Culturally, this is a cancer that has to be eradicated. When a leader tolerates the blame game as a part of the performance evaluation cycle, excuses become the norm, and organizational politics finds fertile ground. In this episode, I look at how the blame game plays out in politics and business, and I revisit an old podcast episode that’s pl...
Sep 07, 2021•20 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #157 // Samantha Wills is an Australian designer, entrepreneur, and author, who achieved global prominence with her eponymous jewelry range. From humble beginnings, Samantha’s designs took the fashion industry by storm, with a host of global celebrities being photographed wearing her distinctive pieces. Her new book, Of Gold and Dust , chronicles Samantha’s journey with her jewelry business, and gives us a no-holds-barred account of both the business and personal challenges she faced ove...
Aug 31, 2021•39 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #156 // I recently came across a new book called Return on Ambition: A Radical Approach to Your Achievement, Growth, and Well-Being . The book exposes a study on ambitious people, in which over half of those interviewed felt as though they’d sacrificed too much to get to where they were, and didn’t feel as though the rewards were commensurate with their effort and sacrifice. This got me thinking about my own ambition, and how I felt about my career achievements and the energy it took to ...
Aug 24, 2021•21 min•Ep 156•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #155 // Earlier this month, the Tokyo Olympics provided a welcome distraction from some of the other pressing global issues that have dominated our attention for what seems like an eternity! I couldn’t help but notice the stark leadership lessons that came from watching elite athletes striving to make their long-term vision a reality. These opportunities don’t come around often, so being on your game ( on the day ) is all-important. For these athletes and coaches, it’s a much less forgiv...
Aug 17, 2021•14 min•Ep 155•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #154 // As we start to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, and governments around the world loosen restrictions, business leaders are faced with the incredibly difficult task of working out how to get their businesses back to a relatively functional state. The imposition of vaccination mandates has been big news in the US in the last few weeks, and major corporations are taking a variety of positions on this complex issue. What are the right risk settings? What rules should be put in plac...
Aug 10, 2021•21 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #153 // This Q&A episode deals with two excellent listener questions! The first, is about how to communicate the uncertainty of the current environment, while still making employees feel supported and secure. Sometimes, it can be tricky to find the balance between honesty and optimism. In the second question, we explore how to manage your emotions when a new employee comes in, all shiny and keen, and casts a shadow over you. The contrast between their attitude and energy, and your ow...
Aug 03, 2021•15 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast #152 // We get so many questions from listeners about career management and progression. I normally shuffle these to the back of the deck, purely because I always feel as though this isn’t my sweet spot - leadership is! But, due to popular demand, I’ve decided to do an episode (with a little help from a friend). My special guest is Laurie Ruettimann, and this topic is absolutely her sweet spot! Laurie’s an ex-HR professional who became disillusioned with how organizations worked, and chose...
Jul 27, 2021•21 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #151 // I was being interviewed for a podcast in the US a few weeks ago, and the interviewer asked an excellent question: he said, “ it’s all well and good when you talk about motivating professionals and senior leaders, but not everyone has jobs like that. How do you motivate people who have mundane, repetitive, and mind-numbing jobs?” Although we tend to imagine occupations like cleaners, fruit pickers, and production line workers when we think about mundane jobs, we may have many of t...
Jul 20, 2021•18 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast Episode #150 // Our listener base incorporates leaders from a massive range of different circumstances and experiences…leaders in over 70 countries, in countless industries, leading at all levels, in organizations of all shapes and sizes. That’s why not everyone gets the same things out of each episode - it’s obviously context dependent! This episode attempts to bridge all of these worlds, by addressing the issue of organization size, and highlighting some of the differences you’ll f...
Jul 13, 2021•20 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast 
