Truth, Lies & Work

# leadership

404 moments across 201 episodes. Click any moment to jump straight to that part of the episode.

44:28Round 10 — The manager who says "I don't know"Al Elliott: Leave a link in the show notes. Definitely go and listen to that. Brilliant. Okay, so Meghan, it's your turn first, I think. Um, you start a new company, and on day 1, when you ask your manager a question, thEP 324 · 4 Aug 2026·interview· 44:28–45:57 56:15Final flags — the biggest green flags of allLeanne Elliott: Training their managers. Oh, you— I'm gonna kiss you on the lips Al Elliott: Do you know what I mean? Me or Meghan? Leanne Elliott: The person who's training their managers. Obviously, that's highly inappEP 324 · 4 Aug 2026·interview· 56:15–59:32 24:17Leading through AI and future changeAl Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work Al Elliott: It can Leanne Elliott: But come backEP 323 · 30 Jul 2026·interview· 24:17–27:45 29:54Steve Jobs and the reality distortion fieldAl Elliott: Owen, I'm following you into battle at this point. That was just, that was off the cuff. It felt like a Churchillian sort of speech thing. Tell me, how do I get as good as you just were then? How do I learn hEP 323 · 30 Jul 2026·interview· 29:54–34:50 39:22Holding beliefs lightly — intellectual humility for leadersAl Elliott: Yeah Owen Fitzpatrick: And I think intellectual humility, curiosity are underrated for leaders. And it's not that we want to always be unsure in front of the teams that we lead. We want to demonstrate convictEP 323 · 30 Jul 2026·interview· 39:22–44:31 0:00The Vet Analogy: Why HR Leaders Feel LonelyAl Elliott: Tom Emery spent 20 years in corporate HR, the last few years as a Chief People Officer, surrounded by people all day, every day. And he said at times he felt really lonely Tom Emery: The book People People waEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·interview· 0:00–5:41 16:43The Art of Disagreeing WellAl Elliott: You used a lovely phrase then, Tom. Disagree well, I think is what you said. Tell me, in practice, I'm sure you can't give us a specific example maybe from your life, but can you just generally explain what dEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·interview· 16:43–20:29 20:29Modelling Psychological SafetyTom Emery: I mean, I think with psychological safety, psychological safety is built through disagreeing and disagreeing well and building trust. The other model that we use when we talk about psychological safety in teamEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·interview· 20:29–29:54 29:54Tough Moments: Sitting in the DiscomfortAl Elliott: Might be a difficult question for you to answer, Tom, but what do you think were some of the toughest moments of being in HR when you were back in HR? Tom Emery: I suppose there were 2 sort of sets or 2 categEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·interview· 29:54–34:56 48:13The Book, People People, and Where to Find TomTom Emery: The book People People was written for HR leaders because I thought that there was a gap in the market. I didn't have anything when I was a chief people officer, and I found it really lonely when I first startEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·outro· 48:13–50:34 50:34Top 3 TakeawaysLeanne Elliott: That was Tom Emery. And I think that that analogy is one of the best we've had on the show, actually Al Elliott: I totally agree Leanne Elliott: So, let's wrap up with our top 3 takeaways. Number 1, get cEP 321 · 23 Jul 2026·interview· 50:34–52:39 11:02Story 1: The HR rebel calling out unhinged leadersAl Elliott: Pressing that button. Who are we going to do first, Leanne? Should we go to you first? Leanne Elliott: Yeah, you can come to me first. Mine's a bit, a bit, a bit sillier this week, a bit lighter, but also notEP 318 · 14 Jul 2026·news roundup· 11:02–21:02 60:17Workplace Surgery: When the toxic person is the founderAl Elliott: I think people need to go and listen to your podcast right now. No, not right now because we've got one last question. Um, and so we get a lot of questions around about toxic managers. We've had toxic superstEP 318 · 14 Jul 2026·workplace surgery· 60:17–66:20 22:33Why managers don't get it — and how to fix thatRichard Clarke: Yes. Yeah, I think it is. Yeah, it's difficult. It's difficult. I come across this a lot. Like, I will give talks and someone will come up to me afterwards and they go, I really want to make my team happyEP 317 · 9 Jul 2026·interview· 22:33–26:08 0:00Andrew's background: from US politics to Facebook's first global comms functionAl Elliott: When some of the world's best-known brands hit a very public crisis, like a scandal or a mass layoff or a product recall, somebody has to decide what that company says in the next hour, not in the next week. EP 315 · 2 Jul 2026·interview· 0:00–5:15 5:15Where to start when a crisis hitsLeanne Elliott: Can you talk us through then in terms of of if there's a starting point, say a crisis hits, somebody comes and says, this is happening, we need to tell somebody, everybody, what's the kind of the first stEP 315 · 2 Jul 2026·interview· 5:15–7:24 25:45Finding compassion in commercial decisionsLeanne Elliott: Where do you find the compassion in that, in that moment? I'm thinking kind of, you know, the big tech companies, I'm thinking about Oracle, tens of thousands of people, The official word being because weEP 315 · 2 Jul 2026·interview· 25:45–28:58 26:41"I wanted to do the best by a human being"Mike Harle: I wanted to do the best by a human being. I think as a manager, and as a person, as a leader, I always had a high regard for everyone's humanity and the dignity with which we deal with them at work. And that'EP 313 · 25 Jun 2026·interview· 26:41–29:28 34:27Manager vs leader — and creating meaning for othersMike Harle: Work out whether you want to be a manager or a leader. You know, when I think of management, Al, I think of someone that gives people objectives, that prioritizes, that allocates resources, that monitors progEP 313 · 25 Jun 2026·interview· 34:27–41:30 58:16Listener question — where should leaders start?Polly Collingridge: Yeah midroll (Phil Agnew, Nudge): Keep it going, keep it alive Leanne Elliott: And Bernie, you were saying about how in, you know, in a large organisation like the NHS, change is slow. In a small orgaEP LIVE-2026-06-19 · 19 Jun 2026·interview· 58:16–68:45 0:00Are middle managers being set up to fail?Al Elliott: You know that feeling when you meet someone and within about 90 seconds you're just nodding along and thinking, yes, yes, yes, this person gets it. Every single thing they say you agree with. Well, today's guEP 311 · 18 Jun 2026·interview· 0:00–3:30 29:07Brands doing it right — it's not all doom and gloomAl Elliott: Yeah Kristien Turner: When it comes to talent strategy, they've continued to invest in their people, in their middle managers. And so when we talk about international placements, language training, managementEP 311 · 18 Jun 2026·interview· 29:07–34:14 53:17Workplace Surgery: Handling Unpopular Corporate MandatesAl Elliott: Excellent advice. Excellent advice, as always, as always, Leanne. Right, okay, so we've got question number 3. This person is complaining that they didn't make the return to office decision, but they're havinEP 310 · 16 Jun 2026·workplace surgery· 53:17–56:55 1:13Meet Sean O'Shea: Turning People Potential into Business PerformanceAl Elliott: So if you manage a team or you're on one, this conversation is gonna change how you see every interaction you have starting tomorrow morning Sean O'Shea: Hello, this is Truth, Lies and Work Leanne Elliott: ThEP 309 · 11 Jun 2026·interview· 1:13–3:55 29:54Lessons from Microsoft: Satya Nadella's Growth Mindset RevolutionSean O'Shea: Yeah, I think it's really difficult, right? And You know, I think if you're, if you're startup area, that's probably where you are. You're gonna be remote first for quite a long time. So typically in the SMEEP 309 · 11 Jun 2026·interview· 29:54–40:10 0:00Intro: your manager vs. your therapistAl Elliott: Think about the people who have had the biggest impact on your mental health. Your partner, maybe a therapist, a close friend. Now here's a question that should make you feel slightly uncomfortable. What abouEP 307 · 4 Jun 2026·intro· 0:00–2:35 10:49What is Mission Command?Al Elliott: Yeah. And I mean, I've got a note written down here, the words mission command, and I don't think many people have heard of it James Hardie: We only have an hour, right? Al Elliott: I want to get all of your EP 303 · 21 May 2026·panel interview· 10:49–14:22 26:44The trust gap: trust as a starting point, not a prizeDanny Wareham: So, it's such a complicated question, and I've I've thought about trust a lot and I think there are different types of trust. I've used the example before of my best friend. I know I could call him at 3 o'EP 303 · 21 May 2026·panel interview· 26:44–34:42 36:31How do leaders respond to being challenged?Al Elliott: Do we want to, I don't know, should we start, James? Should we start with you? Matt Smith: Sure. I mean, firstly, how do you know it's the wrong decision? And how did you come to that decision would be where EP 303 · 21 May 2026·panel interview· 36:31–40:22 48:49Workplace Surgery — Q2: Hiding the wires as a senior leaderAl Elliott: Excellent, excellent answer. Okay, so question number 2 is kind of simply, it touches on a lot of things you've just been saying there. So question number 2, it says, I'm a senior leader and I'm burning out, EP 302 · 19 May 2026·workplace surgery· 48:49–53:40 65:25Workplace Surgery: The executive presence problemAl Elliott: Right. Okay. Moving on. Moving on. This, this person writes, I've been a director for about 18 months and I keep getting the same feedback. I'm great at execution, but I may need more. And they've got these, EP 300 · 12 May 2026·workplace surgery· 65:25–71:45 20:11Story 3: Is toxic leadership the new norm?Leanne Elliott: 6 in 10 workers say they currently have a toxic boss Al Elliott: Oh, 60% Leanne Elliott: Yeah, it's not, not so much fun really, is it? So this was in, I think this was in Fast Company. Yeah, it was, it wEP 298 · 5 May 2026·news roundup· 20:11–24:15 53:03Leadership, curiosity and contextPaul Spiers: I think everything comes back to curiosity and finding ways within your organization to create and enhance and really encourage curiosity. If you think about curiosity as a seed, if it's nurtured correctly, EP LIVE-2026-05-01 · 1 May 2026·panel interview· 53:03–58:49 19:07Jensen Huang's radical rules at NVIDIAAl Elliott: Go and find out more about her, about Momo mid-late career. Okay. So I want to talk about something I've seen, which also includes a huge, huge company. So let me tell you what's happened. So this CEO pays hiEP 296 · 28 Apr 2026·news roundup· 19:07–25:32 25:31The management gap: 'We're gonna get into it'Al Elliott: So did that come a little bit later, having all the management, the traditional management stuff? Leanne Elliott: Oh my goodness, Al, we're gonna get into it. So my entire full-time employment is limited to iEP 295 · 23 Apr 2026·interview· 25:31–28:40 16:57DoorDash CEO reads 2,000-word complaint emailsLeanne Elliott: Would you read a complaint letter from your employee if it was 2,000 words long? Al Elliott: You fell asleep? That's from Friends, in case you don't know. 8 sides, double. Anyway, I don't know. Yes, of coEP 294 · 21 Apr 2026·news roundup· 16:57–21:27 22:55Truth or Lie: Extroverts make more effective leadersLeanne Elliott: Keep that in Al Elliott: Welcome back to Truth or Lie. It's that time of the week where we take a popular workplace idea and ask Leanne if the research actually backs it up. Fun fact, it's not always LeanEP 294 · 21 Apr 2026·truth or lie· 22:55–42:12 44:08Advice for leaders who want to flatten their structure and top 3 takeawaysDanni Mohammed: I don't think it's about 2. I think the number 2, I think it's about what is their main output? What is their main focus? What kind of culture do they want? And, you know, for me, I want a culture of everEP 293 · 16 Apr 2026·interview· 44:08–47:51 25:05Truth or Lie: Does Vulnerability Make You a Better Leader?Alexis Zahner: It's both, isn't it, really? I think this is a term that we hear a lot in recent years, especially in leadership workplace culture conversations. I think the problem with it is that vulnerability has now bEP 292 · 14 Apr 2026·truth or lie· 25:05–39:20 39:50Leading Through Burnout When You're Running on EmptyAl Elliott: So I'll read the question. Uh, so this person's writing in and basically the problem is that their team's burning out and so are they. So they write, I can see my team is burning out. The energy's gone. PeoplEP 292 · 14 Apr 2026·news roundup· 39:50–44:05 44:05Building the Right Culture UphillAl Elliott: There you go. So that's also a very good resource. Great. Okay, now question number 2, how do you lead the right culture when the organization won't? So my organization talks a lot about values like psychologEP 292 · 14 Apr 2026·news roundup· 44:05–47:31 9:07The parents who shaped Ken's leadership philosophyAl Elliott: Martha, I don't want to give you too much away from the book, but how did this man get created? It sounds like at the beginning, there was a lot of things against him, but towards, you know, in the last 50 yeEP 291 · 9 Apr 2026·interview· 9:07–11:36 20:51What leading with love really looks like in practiceMartha Lawrence: No, no, no, no. No, it's just about being present to people. And there are moments when leading with love looks like being forthright with someone, telling them if they are not performing in the way thatEP 291 · 9 Apr 2026·interview· 20:51–23:53 23:53Getting yourself out of the wayAl Elliott: I have a sense that a lot of great leaders are great listeners. Is that something which you've come across in your career? Martha Lawrence: Absolutely. If you don't listen, you don't learn. It really depends EP 291 · 9 Apr 2026·interview· 23:53–47:24 59:06Workplace Surgery — the accidental manager trapLeanne Elliott: What? I know. I am shook. That happens? Al Elliott: Well, unfortunately it did happen in this case. This person says, I was promoted because I was good at my job, but no one ever trained me to manage peopEP 290 · 7 Apr 2026·workplace surgery· 59:06–67:37 25:05Truth or Lie: The glass cliffLeanne Elliott: But come back Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as this. So come back. I'll cut that out. Keep that in. Welcome back to Truth or Lie. It's that time of the weekEP 288 · 31 Mar 2026·truth or lie· 25:05–37:59 46:22Leadership, empathy, and looking inwardKelly Garthwaite: Well, I just, I was nodding. Furiously because I'm like, thank you for bringing up empathy and compassion because that is something that is so overlooked because it's not data points, it's not tangible.EP LIVE-2026-03-25 · 25 Mar 2026·panel interview· 46:22–53:04 40:57The return-to-office bias — leaders see what they want to seeAl Elliott: Well, if they have, they've missed gold and also they won't hear you say sorry. So they'll just be blaming you for the rest of the day, weren't they? Honestly, that is genuinely, that's exactly the kind of anEP 283 · 12 Mar 2026·interview· 40:57–45:46 45:46The manager who only takes what they want from the dataBill Yost: I saw this most often at Google because managers would get reports tied to their name, their organization. And any number of those questions could have a poor result, and it can be personally hurtful, right? NEP 283 · 12 Mar 2026·interview· 45:46–50:18 11:02Being the 'adult in the room' — and loving itAl Elliott: Were you upset about being the adult in the room? Did you feel excluded? Tom LeNoble: No, I didn't at all, because I've had the good fortune in my career of working with different generations. Today I do a loEP 281 · 5 Mar 2026·interview· 11:02–12:26 28:31Truth or Lie: Leaders are born, not madeAl Elliott: It can Leanne Elliott: But come back Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as thisEP 280 · 3 Mar 2026·truth or lie· 28:31–40:47 0:00How good a manager are you, really?Al Elliott: Quick question. How good a manager do you think you are out of 10? Whatever number just popped into your head, the science says your team almost certainly disagrees. Not a little bit and not in a few areas, aEP 279 · 26 Feb 2026·interview· 0:00–1:30 4:33Personality vs. behaviour: why what you do matters more than who you areJuliette Alban-Metcalfe: So, in answer to your question, Al, they are similar in the sense that the application is similar. So, people would apply something like DiSC or Myers-Briggs if they wanted to help leaders undersEP 279 · 26 Feb 2026·interview· 4:33–7:59 7:59Predictive validity: how leadership behaviours predict up to 60% of team motivationAl Elliott: Yeah Juliette Alban-Metcalfe: basically predict the future. And it's sort of looking at personality and understanding our different preferences and traits and so on is one way of us having a sense of control.EP 279 · 26 Feb 2026·interview· 7:59–11:34 36:43A fictitious scenario: how to respond when a leader is strugglingAl Elliott: Fabulous answer. And I think it totally explains everything. Can I give you a fictitious situation? So imagine we have someone who's got a creative agency. They have They're very— they've started it because tEP 279 · 26 Feb 2026·interview· 36:43–41:55 41:55Two things every leader can do todayJuliette Alban-Metcalfe: Can I have 2? Can I? You can't really say no, can you? Sorry, right, 2. There's 2 things that I think are really critical. The first thing is connection. And, you know, and part of that is feedbaEP 279 · 26 Feb 2026·interview· 41:55–45:45 28:39Truth or Lie: People don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad managersLeanne Elliott: Thank you Al Elliott: Is it a truth or is it a lie? Leanne Elliott: I'm not sure we'd find many people who haven't heard this phrase, to be fair. But have you ever thought about where it comes from?EP 278 · 24 Feb 2026·truth or lie· 28:39–38:49 48:03Be happily confused — advice for leaders who don't know how to feelLeanne Elliott: There are a lot of leaders I speak to, business owners who haven't quite figured out how to feel about AI yet. They're sitting in this space where they're excited by it, they're slightly concerned about iEP 277 · 19 Feb 2026·interview· 48:03–51:19 48:21Workplace Surgery: Mistakes leaders make fixing cultureLeanne Elliott: That they're trying to fix culture, that they think they can fix culture. Culture is really complicated and really nuanced. We don't have an agreed definition on culture as psychologists. We don't have anEP 276 · 17 Feb 2026·workplace surgery· 48:21–50:22 2:57Meet Steve Kemish and growing for the sake of growingSteve Kemish: Steve Kemish. I am the CEO of an organization called Intermedia Global, or IMG for shorthand. We're a marketing services agency based in the UK, but we work pretty much as the name suggests, globally. We woEP 275 · 12 Feb 2026·interview· 2:57–5:53 19:21Learning the recognition lesson the hard waySteve Kemish: No, I don't think so. I didn't even think I had a management style, and I don't necessarily think I do now. I try and treat people like they're decent human beings and treat them with respect where I can. IEP 275 · 12 Feb 2026·interview· 19:21–24:28 31:26It's not a one-player game and the P in protectionLeanne Elliott: Yeah Steve Kemish: Grow as individuals. We must invest. And P is for protection. That's making sure we've got a rainy day or a rainy month or a rainy year fund the best we can. So I'm not advocating just EP 275 · 12 Feb 2026·interview· 31:26–34:08 0:00The Stephen Colbert lesson: influencing a group is like jumper cablesLindsey Caplan: A lot of my lessons come from comedy, as we've talked about, and I often think about this quote from Stephen Colbert who says that influencing a group is like hooking up jumper cables to the audience, rigEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 0:00–0:23 8:16Start with the end: designing for behaviour changeLindsey Caplan: You know, the most important thing I tell every single client I work with is we wanna start with the end, which is very similar to what we do when we're writing, you know, a play, a movie, a television shEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 8:16–12:30 12:30What leaders get wrong when driving changeLindsey Caplan: I'm going to not use the word wrong, just so people are more motivated to listen to me, right? Might be my own influence trick. I think there's a few things to highlight. One is just kind of the basic assEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 12:30–15:03 31:58Where to start: deciding the behaviour you wantLindsey Caplan: The very first thing to do is to figure out what your desired effect is, or what— Al Elliott: Selfishly, what my desired effect is Lindsey Caplan: Yeah, it's what's the best way to move this group? What dEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 31:58–33:03 33:03The one thing Lindsey would ban in the workplaceAl Elliott: You've worked with a lot of leaders who are looking to effect change. If you could, like, ban something, if there was something you could say, you should never ever do this, what would you say? Lindsey CaplanEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 33:03–39:48 32:58Louise's story: the webinars leaders didn't want to runAl Elliott: I love that answer. I love that answer. Just quickly, we've got a couple of people who've commented. Dean Nicholls could not have a more apt surname, could he? Nicholls. Dean Nicholls said financial educationEP 272 · 3 Feb 2026·panel interview· 32:58–33:39 10:09Building a great place to work from the gutAl Elliott: Can you tell us a bit more about how you've set up your agency for, to make it a great place to work? Xavier Shariff: Well, it's interesting actually, because we, again, Gemma and I have never worked anywhereEP 271 · 29 Jan 2026·panel interview· 10:09–15:48 22:59Dividing leadership: creative director vs managing directorAl Elliott: I need to ask what might be a bit of a dull question, but the division of the leadership tasks between the two of you, is it fluid? Do you have specific tasks? How does it work? Gemma Ruse: We have very distiEP 271 · 29 Jan 2026·panel interview· 22:59–27:56 42:17Workplace Surgery: Finding a Good ManagerAl Elliott: A little detached, we are. Anyway, on to question number 2. Is it really that hard to find a good manager? Leanne? Yes Leanne Elliott: Next question Al Elliott: Leanne, this person writes, I'm trying to take EP 268 · 20 Jan 2026·workplace surgery· 42:17–48:25 0:50Introducing Dustin Hillis and his book CapacityLeanne Elliott: Our guest today is Dustin Hillis. Dustin has led a $100 million company and is currently building toward a billion valuation. He spent 16 years coaching hundreds of CEOs through the messy, often painful pEP 267 · 15 Jan 2026·intro· 0:50–3:24 3:24Why your systems are only as strong as your leadershipDustin Hillis: Well, that's the reason I wrote the book. And I really think that the strength of your systems is in direct proportion to your capacity. So the more that you create a system, the more that you build peopleEP 267 · 15 Jan 2026·interview· 3:24–4:49 0:00Introducing Matt Poepsel and the hope crisisMatt Poepsel: I had this bottomless pit of achievement as an insecure overachiever and an imposter syndrome sufferer for many, many decades. I knew that that goal wasn't going to bring happiness. And I think that insulatEP 265 · 8 Jan 2026·intro· 0:00–4:30 18:29Stretch goals vs. impossible promisesAl Elliott: I would worry that if I was a leader and I was coming in, right, okay, let's use this example of we're going to win number 1 for our customer, for our NPS, for our team or whatever. If the challenge is too biEP 265 · 8 Jan 2026·interview· 18:29–24:13 31:27Enlightened leadership and the role of human connection in the age of AIAl Elliott: I've got a note down here, enlightened leadership. Is that your term? Matt Poepsel: Yeah, that's my term. All right. I tell you how, that's a doozy. It's a doozy. Well, so I mentioned a couple years ago, I thEP 265 · 8 Jan 2026·interview· 31:27–42:24 49:24A leader Matt remembers and final takeawaysAl Elliott: That was Dr. Matt Poepsel, and I really hope, pun very much intended, that you're feeling a bit more hopeful than you were 45 minutes ago Leanne Elliott: What I really enjoyed about Matt's approach is that heEP 265 · 8 Jan 2026·interview· 49:24–51:05 0:02Leanne's favourite definition of culture: 'The worst behaviours tolerated'Leanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business prEP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 0:02–5:39 5:39Why 50+ definitions of culture leave leaders stuck?: Hmm Leanne Elliott: There's more than 50 definitions of culture out there. So, if we can't agree on a definition, how do we then navigate how to help organizations create an effective culture? So, I think that's, thatEP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 5:39–8:06 25:32Why results lag (and why managers matter more than anything)Leanne Elliott: Yeah, you're not wrong. I think the main issue with this in, in organizational life in general, in large organizations, in small organizations, evaluation is not a process that we engage in very often wheEP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 25:32–30:24 10:52Prediction 2 — More of the same… but with more pressure (Danny Wareham)Al Elliott: Our next prediction comes from Danny Wareham, who's the creator of Constellation Leadership and author of the book with the same name Leanne Elliott: Danny has got a bit of a contrarian take on 2026. He startEP 263 · 1 Jan 2026·other· 10:52–17:12 36:04Prediction 6 — A reality check for leaders (Jeanette Ramsden)Leanne Elliott: Yes, me too. I also like a bit of Jeanette Ramsden from The Curve Group Al Elliott: Okay, taken out of context, a little bit weird, but let's go with it Leanne Elliott: She is one of the most well-known HEP 263 · 1 Jan 2026·other· 36:04–40:03 24:03Prediction 4 — Anthony Taylor: Clarity and middle managers are the new superpowerLeanne Elliott: Okay, so prediction number 4 comes from Anthony Taylor, and Anthony's got what he calls a bit of a contrarian view Al Elliott: Anthony's a leadership coach who specialises in helping mid-career professionEP 262 · 30 Dec 2025·other· 24:03–31:06 3:04Al's pick: Steve Carse on why work should be funAl Elliott: But before that, we're gonna kick off with this absolute legend. He turned a post-recession layoff into what's now a $10 million ice pop empire and one of Atlanta's most beloved brands. Of course, I'm talkingEP 261 · 25 Dec 2025·other· 3:04–6:36 6:48Story of the Year: Rule-Bending LeadersLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Anyway. Okay. So our next highlight comes from the news roundup, Leanne's favorite time of the week, and caused quite the stir. Um, I had entrepreneurs calling me in existential crisis. UEP 260 · 23 Dec 2025·other· 6:48–11:51 9:37Apple's Leadership Shake-Up: Is Innovation Stalling?Al Elliott: Apple. Now, you know a company, it doesn't normally make a lot of fuss, and suddenly they start making a lot of noise. That unfortunately has Apple right now, in the space of a week, they've waved goodbye to EP 258 · 16 Dec 2025·news roundup· 9:37–16:33 16:33Veteran Talent: The Hidden Leadership Value in LiminalityLeanne Elliott: I've seen some new research this week, Al. It asks basically, are we doing enough for people who've served our country? So people in the military, when they leave said military and build civilian careers,EP 258 · 16 Dec 2025·news roundup· 16:33–25:17 7:51The internal battle: competing parts within leadersLeanne Elliott: So you talk so much in your book about how Chaos is as much, or dealing with chaos is as much the mental state as it is what is happening externally. How do we approach that in a way that feels manageableEP 257 · 11 Dec 2025·interview· 7:51–10:50 17:01What leaders fear most: decision points and 180-degree decisionsLeanne Elliott: With your coaching work, when you're talking to leaders, what's the thing that they're most fearful of when it comes to this disruption, when it comes to AI automation? What are they talking to you about?EP 257 · 11 Dec 2025·interview· 17:01–21:01 21:01Losing ourselves in chaos and the leaders who will succeedLeanne Elliott: And is this where we're losing ourselves? You said with your drive and your tour to help people reconnect with their reason, is that what we've lost? What we're losing in the chaos? Rob Kalwarowsky: What EP 257 · 11 Dec 2025·interview· 21:01–23:53 17:04Micromanagement as a signal, not a personality flawAoife O'Brien: I think it's really about asking those questions. So, let's take micromanagement as an example, because I think this is, it's, dare I say, and you know, you can let me know whether you agree with this or nEP 255 · 4 Dec 2025·interview· 17:04–21:53 27:15How to build a thriving team as a new managerAoife O'Brien: Yeah. So, when I did my own research when I was doing my master's a number of years ago, and that's where the, let's say the seed of this model came about. So, I looked into, really I was looking at engageEP 255 · 4 Dec 2025·interview· 27:15–30:45 37:58Where the manager's responsibility endsAoife O'Brien: Yeah, that's such an interesting question. And I don't think I've ever really thought about that. So, if we think about autonomy, like, do I have a sense of choice and control over what I do and how I do iEP 255 · 4 Dec 2025·interview· 37:58–39:58 47:06The one thing Aoife wants you to take from her bookAl Elliott: So, it comes out March 2026. Someone reads the book and they only implement one thing from it. What do you want that one thing to be? Aoife O'Brien: Can I cheat and have 2 things? Al Elliott: You mayEP 255 · 4 Dec 2025·interview· 47:06–47:16 49:04Creating space for someone to shine — and why that's leadership, not charityChristian Laing: Did tell me about that. I had the same conversation with a, a young— I was at a party and one of my mates brought me over to a couple and it was like they were saying that your— their daughter's leaving EP 253 · 27 Nov 2025·interview· 49:04–57:00 15:13Confidence rises at the bottom, falls at the topLeanne Elliott: Entry-level workers are feeling more hopeful than their bosses right now Al Elliott: That's interesting. That's a bit of a turn, isn't it? Leanne Elliott: It is a bit of a turn. This was the headline in aEP 252 · 25 Nov 2025·news roundup· 15:13–22:22 47:24Workplace Surgery: Reaching the top but feeling flatLeanne Elliott: Yes Al Elliott: No, question number 3. Harry, you've put me off. I've made it to the top, so why do I feel so flat? I'm in a senior leadership role, something I've worked towards 4 years on paper, I've maEP 252 · 25 Nov 2025·workplace surgery· 47:24–53:14 0:00Intro: Profit is the applause of people doing great workGarry Ridge: In 1999, about 2 years after being given the privilege to lead the company, I went to an information session for a master's degree in leadership at the University of San Diego. And I heard Ken Blanchard, whoEP 251 · 20 Nov 2025·intro· 0:00–5:22 7:50The mentors who shaped Garry's leadershipAl Elliott: Is there someone who you looked up to when you were younger as maybe a mentor? Garry Ridge: Well, I think there's not just one person. As I write in the book, there were a number of people as I grew up in AusEP 251 · 20 Nov 2025·interview· 7:50–11:14 11:14Servant leadership and Alec, the soul-sucking CEO of Fear IncorporatedAl Elliott: What does servant leadership actually mean? Garry Ridge: Well, let's go back to the principles. If we think about the beginning of servant leadership, I think about it like a pyramid. And at this stage, the lEP 251 · 20 Nov 2025·interview· 11:14–17:26 41:02Who's most like WD-40 today and co-authoring with Ken Blanchard during COVIDGarry Ridge: Profit is the applause of people doing great work Al Elliott: Oh goodness. Say that again Garry Ridge: Profit is the applause of people doing great workEP 251 · 20 Nov 2025·interview· 41:02–49:11 49:11Where to find Garry and the dumbass quizAl Elliott: People will want to hear more about you. So I've got written down here thelearningmoment.net. Is that the best place or? Garry Ridge: Yeah. Yeah. My website is thelearningmoment.net. Go and take the dumbass qEP 251 · 20 Nov 2025·outro· 49:11–51:41 9:04Quiet-quitter rises to senior leadershipLeanne Elliott: Anyway, let's brighten the mood, shall we, my love? What have you seen this week? Al Elliott: Okay, so I was reading on— now don't, don't judge me Leanne Elliott: I'll be the judge of thatEP 248 · 11 Nov 2025·news roundup· 9:04–16:42 42:12The knock-on effect for leadersAl Elliott: Yeah Ryan Martin: And then now that I know it, that's what I'm going to do. And so it feels empowering while also offering some level of acceptance for how we got here Leanne Elliott: This is such a powerful EP 247 · 6 Nov 2025·interview· 42:12–45:21 41:57Workplace Surgery: Presenting a strategy you don't believe inLeanne Elliott: No, no Al Elliott: I'm in a leadership role and I've been asked to roll out a strategy I don't fully agree with. I understand where the decision's coming from, but I'm struggling with how to present it toEP 246 · 5 Nov 2025·workplace surgery· 41:57–47:34 6:01The 7-11 rule: first impressions and leadership perceptionLeanne Elliott: Has there been anything, or again, from your experience, how, if that's how clothing impacts our own, our own mood, our own behaviors, our own general mental ability, by the sound of it, which is Really cEP 245 · 30 Oct 2025·interview· 6:01–10:19 25:00Truth or Lie: Are firstborn children natural leaders?Al Elliott: That, like me, every firstborn wants to know the answer to. Are firstborn children natural leaders? This feels like a truth to me Leanne Elliott: I bet it does as the oldest child Al Elliott: Yes, it doesEP 244 · 28 Oct 2025·truth or lie· 25:00–35:10 0:00Navy SEAL beach landing: leadership shifts in real timeAl Elliott: So a Navy SEAL team is mid-mission on a hostile beach. The boat driver is in charge. Then suddenly the explosive expert takes the top position. Then the sniper. Leadership is shifting every few minutes and noEP 243 · 23 Oct 2025·interview· 0:00–1:23 7:55The pandemic moment that sparked the researchLeanne Elliott: Your book is exactly what I wanna start talking about today. So, it's called Constellation: Leadership Reimagined for a Connected Age. I wanna just start right at the beginning. You literally start the fiEP 243 · 23 Oct 2025·interview· 7:55–11:59 42:00Danny's two hopes for the future of workplacesLeanne Elliott: What's your hope for the future in terms of our workplaces where we are seeing divide, and we're seeing polarization, and we're seeing incivility, and we're seeing the impact, such a dark impact of AI. WhEP 243 · 23 Oct 2025·interview· 42:00–44:49 46:56Workplace Surgery: Keeping great people when you can't compete on payLeanne Elliott: No, no, you go first Al Elliott: We've got an interview this Thursday coming out with Josh Levine, and he talked exactly about this. And in fact, he interviewed someone called Gary Ridge, who was the CEO EP 238 · 7 Oct 2025·workplace surgery· 46:56–52:03 22:05Who decides the workplace strategy?Leanne Elliott: Welcome back. Okay, let's get practical. Who actually calls this decision about the work policy? Should it be the leaders setting the rules, or do the teams set the tone? Ina's take might surprise you Al EP 237 · 2 Oct 2025·panel interview· 22:05–24:50 31:10Workplace Surgery: Is DiSC profiling useful for leadership?Al Elliott: Now it's onto my favourite time of the week. Well, one of the favourite times of the week. to enjoy Gin Friday. It is time for the world-famous Weekly Workplace Surgery, where I put your questions to Leanne. EP 236 · 30 Sept 2025·workplace surgery· 31:10–39:27 39:27Workplace Surgery: How do senior leaders answer tough questions without committing?Al Elliott: Interesting. Thank you very much. Okay, so question number 2, how do senior leaders answer tough questions without actually answering them? Oh, this is going to be interesting. I've noticed something in compaEP 236 · 30 Sept 2025·workplace surgery· 39:27–45:59 19:41The accidental manager crisisIsabel Berwick: Okay. So it's not my phrase. It's what it's, um, I think the Chartered Management Institute came up with it and it's great. So an accidental manager is someone who hasn't had any training to be a manager.EP 235 · 25 Sept 2025·interview· 19:41–23:07 33:54Being prepared for unexpected management momentsAl Elliott: You have a bit in your book which I've not seen before, and it says, if you're a manager, how do you make your manager listen to you? There's a hot— if you listen to this, you should definitely go and read thEP 235 · 25 Sept 2025·interview· 33:54–36:12 36:12The managers Isabel admires — and whyAl Elliott: I think I read in your book that there was a particular manager or number of managers who you admire and you learned a lot from. So, I mean, can you maybe, I don't know whether you can tell me who they are, bEP 235 · 25 Sept 2025·interview· 36:12–37:52 34:49Workplace Surgery — building genuine passion in your teamLeanne Elliott: I mean, it's a big ask for, to expect any employee to care about your business as much as you do. That's not impossible, but it's a big ask and you need to be very intentional about how you build your envEP 234 · 23 Sept 2025·workplace surgery· 34:49–39:42 6:42The advice that changed Amy's career trajectoryAl Elliott: I have a note down here that there was a particular point that kind of changed the career trajectory for you. Is that something you feel like you could talk to, talk about? Amy Bouque: I would love to. And I'EP 233 · 18 Sept 2025·interview· 6:42–11:52 13:35How important is it that your team likes you?Al Elliott: How important is it that your team likes you as a person? Amy Bouque: Yeah, maybe a do-over card. I wouldn't use the like, maybe it's the respect, maybe it's the admire, or probably more than like, right? BecEP 233 · 18 Sept 2025·interview· 13:35–16:20 26:33Leading across five generationsLeanne Elliott: Now, if you're sitting there thinking, this is all well and good for a Fortune 500 company, but I've got 25 people and no budget— well, Amy's got you covered. She's about to share exactly how to have thosEP 233 · 18 Sept 2025·interview· 26:33–27:09 27:09Practical advice for leaders of 75 peopleAl Elliott: I can imagine someone perhaps sitting there going, I've— listening to this going, I've got 75 people. I don't have an Amy in my organisation. It's all me. What Amy is telling me to do now, I've already got enEP 233 · 18 Sept 2025·interview· 27:09–30:15 0:00The James Bond movie that wasn't a movieAl Elliott: Right, imagine you're the head of an HR team and you get asked to present the team's vision for the future workforce of the largest sportswear company in Europe. But instead of sitting down and putting togethEP 231 · 11 Sept 2025·interview· 0:00–3:57 35:02The art of building relationships with decision-makersTony Cooke: I think you learn that, you find it. The art, I think, is to develop good relationships with the people who are in group. I think that's key. So for example, with me, we had somebody in the group in Germany, EP 231 · 11 Sept 2025·interview· 35:02–39:37 39:37Tony's golden rule for HR leadersTony Cooke: Well, the golden rule, as, as will always be, collaborate with the HQ or collaborate with seniors or collaborate with the decision makers. Uh, even if I say it to you again, you think you're doing things for EP 231 · 11 Sept 2025·interview· 39:37–41:26 7:21Why coaching skills matter more than tellingLeanne Elliott: And this is where a great manager with the coaching skills is going to do this intuitively or intentionally anyway. You know, they're going to go to a newer employee or a more junior employee and say, doeEP 230 · 9 Sept 2025·other· 7:21–12:03 4:15The Best Boss They've Ever HadAl Elliott: We first met you in a LinkedIn thread where someone called you the best boss they've ever had, and then weirdly said, because you had some of the most deepest personal conversations, I believe on day 1. Tell EP 229 · 4 Sept 2025·interview· 4:15–6:23 52:47Top 3 TakeawaysLeanne Elliott: Before we go, let's talk about our top 3 takeaways for leaders who really do want to build businesses without becoming banana-hoarding monkeys Al Elliott: Lesson 1, you need to learn how to actively listeEP 229 · 4 Sept 2025·interview· 52:47–54:20 25:57How teams and leaders can apply these principlesAl Elliott: And this connects to something we're seeing everywhere, really— the back-to-office debates, discussions about forced fun, questions about how to create authentic connection in hybrid teams Leanne Elliott: WhaEP 227 · 28 Aug 2025·interview· 25:57–28:00 41:08Top 3 takeaways for leadersLeanne Elliott: Be present. I love it Al Elliott: That was Patrick Fagan, and I hope that he's made you rethink a little bit about your employee experience Leanne Elliott: And let's wrap up with our top 3 takeaways for lEP 227 · 28 Aug 2025·interview· 41:08–43:10 22:32Story 3: Jamie Dimon's WFH rant at JPMorganLeanne Elliott: Jamie Dimon's work from home rant Al Elliott: This is funny Leanne Elliott: So this takes us back to February 2025. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon lost it at a town hall in Ohio when an employee asked aboEP 226 · 26 Aug 2025·other· 22:32–29:03 26:29Dumb Ass Managers: the fun-eatersAl Elliott: Let me ask you about DAMs, or do you call them DAMs? DAMs? How do you say that? Joel Zeff: From the book, Dumb Ass Manager. Can we say that on the podcast? Al Elliott: We absolutely can, and we just haveEP 225 · 21 Aug 2025·interview· 26:29–28:56 22:01Why more than half of managers aren't equipped to leadAl Elliott: Wow Leanne Elliott: So, more than half of our managers aren't equipped with the skills they need to lead our people. And they're the people, the managers, that have the single biggest impact on employee perfoEP 224 · 19 Aug 2025·other· 22:01–27:58 11:04Sticking to boundaries as a leaderElaine Smith: Yeah, definitely. So there's a couple of things. There's, um, doing a handover. Like, if there's somebody else that's going to be taking care of your work, or, I mean, I know it's sort of rarer that there'sEP 219 · 31 Jul 2025·interview· 11:04–14:27 0:00Intro: The Derby car factory and what makes a better bossAl Elliott: There's a car factory in Derby, England, where workers deliberately stop production multiple times every single day, and the managers love it. There's a very senior exec at Stripe who has produced a manual ouEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·intro· 0:00–0:51 3:48Does company size change how you manage?Al Elliott: I feel like with the amount you've written and recorded on management, we have to ask you the question early on. What do you think a great manager is? Andrew Palmer: So I'm going to borrow a line which Reid HEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·interview· 3:48–4:49 4:49Interviewing leaders you've never been managed byAl Elliott: Let's stick with Reid for a second then, because he's obviously quite a famous sort of startup guy. Is there a difference between someone who's perhaps a sort of like a manager for IBM or someone like Reid whEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·interview· 4:49–6:15 11:43Liz Reid, Google Search, and the 'loud voice'Andrew Palmer: I mean, his thesis is that humans are really bad at making decisions. That's not quite— that's a little unfair, actually. But lots of the decisions within organizations are subject to cognitive bias, humanEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·interview· 11:43–13:30 33:40Does national culture shape leadership?Leanne Elliott: Andrew's podcast is packed with examples just like this Andrew Palmer: So, there's a medical tech firm called Stryker, which is based in Kalamazoo, and that's in Michigan. And it's a weird place because yEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·interview· 33:40–38:33 21:10Stories We Don't Have Time For: the Coldplay gig bossAl Elliott: But, um, look forward to your letters. Um, I've got a new segment. I've just thought of a new segment. I'm gonna call it Stories We Didn't Have Time For Leanne Elliott: Right Al Elliott: And, uh, so in today'EP 216 · 22 Jul 2025·news roundup· 21:10–22:45 0:00Intro: The Disney movie leadership philosophyAl Elliott: One of the most powerful leadership philosophies in the world comes from a Disney movie. Yes, a Disney movie. And not just any Disney movie, Frozen 2 Leanne Elliott: Frozen 2 is a great movie. And our guest tEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·intro· 0:00–2:20 2:42Why Tim still calls himself a student of leadershipTim Lupinacci: I'm Tim Lupinacci. I'm the CEO and chair of one of the largest law firms in the United States, Baker Donaldson. I've been in the role about 6 years, and I've been practicing law about 35 years. And this phEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 2:42–4:37 4:49The pressure to have all the answersTim Lupinacci: I think, Leanne, that's a great question because I kind of view that in that vein. And I know people have different views about this, of sort of that imposter syndrome, that people are going to find out thEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 4:49–9:21 9:21How vulnerability shapes organizational cultureLeanne Elliott: How has that influenced the organizations you've worked in, having that approach to leadership, which is quite unique in the industry that you're in? Tim Lupinacci: Well, you know, like I said, it's interEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 9:21–14:14 14:14Handling the skeptics and ego-driven leadersLeanne Elliott: We see a lot online, on the media about very different styles of leadership, very coercive styles of leadership, very masculine styles of leadership to, you know, pull up on Meta and Mark Zuckerberg's calEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 14:14–21:14 21:23Jump balls — risk-managed empowermentLeanne Elliott: So basically what Tim's saying is it's risk-managed empowerment. So you're creating these safe-to-fail experiments where people can practice leadership skills, and the evidence on that is actually really EP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 21:23–24:13 24:32Small CEO moves that send big messagesLeanne Elliott: Is there something small that a CEO can do that really sends a big message? that shared leadership is a reality in this organization? Tim Lupinacci: I think just being willing to have somebody else even sEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 24:32–26:56 30:42Humility with authority — the real intersectionLeanne Elliott: Is there a person or certain people in the organization that will maybe be the ones that will come to you and go, I'm not sure this landed well, or you made this comment and now people We're running it. AEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 30:42–34:11 34:11Discipline and self-leadershipLeanne Elliott: You've mentioned discipline a couple of times, and I think people use that word when talking about leadership. What does discipline in leadership mean to you? Tim Lupinacci: It really starts with me, withEP 215 · 17 Jul 2025·interview· 34:11–39:20 2:15Story 1 — Empathsplaining: performative empathy in leadershipLeanne Elliott: Got a new word Al Elliott: Okay, tell me what the new word is and do I guess it? Leanne Elliott: Yeah, you do. YeahEP 214 · 15 Jul 2025·news roundup· 2:15–7:56 15:08Story 3 — What happens when leaders break their wordAl Elliott: So, Leanne, anything else to add or should we move on to what you've seen? Leanne Elliott: Move on. Let's move on. I guess a similar theme really. I saw some research that basically looks at what happens whenEP 214 · 15 Jul 2025·news roundup· 15:08–21:03 2:41I'm not necessarily the cleverest person in the roomAl Elliott: I think you admitted to me when we chatted before that you are not necessarily the cleverest person in the room. So how do you manage all these geniuses? Steve Roest: Sure. So I don't have a clinical backgrouEP 213 · 10 Jul 2025·interview· 2:41–7:20 13:04How to lead experts when you're not the technical expertAl Elliott: This is such a classic trait for an entrepreneur. When everyone tells you to quit, you dig in. Now, it doesn't always work out, but when it does, it's a personal victory because entrepreneurs love to prove thEP 213 · 10 Jul 2025·interview· 13:04–18:57 25:47Hot Take: Why Wellbeing Leaders Have to Be Perfect (with Matt Smeed)Leanne Elliott: It is, it's such, it's such a good show. Of course, you'll hear all the stuff you want to hear about how to grow your business by using behavioural science in your marketing. But there's also just some reEP 212 · 8 Jul 2025·hot take· 25:47–39:45 2:19Story 1: Great bosses exist (and here's the proof)Al Elliott: Anyway, Le, your favourite time of the week, I believe Leanne Elliott: It is time for the news roundabout. Cue that lovely jingle Al Elliott: Okay, my love, what have you seen this week?EP 210 · 1 Jul 2025·news roundup· 2:19–10:40 0:50Meet Roit: 20 Years Conducting OrchestrasAl Elliott: Today we are joined by someone who spent 20 years conducting orchestras on almost every single continent. From the Jerusalem Symphony to the London Soloists Orchestra. Now, I know what you're thinking— conducEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 0:50–4:34 4:34Bringing Conducting into the Business WorldLeanne Elliott: And how did you begin to bring all of that into the business world? Roit Feldenkreis: Well, it happened like organically. It's really amazing, you know. A few years ago, I started giving keynote speeches EP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 4:34–6:30 6:30Why Communication Is More Than WordsRoit Feldenkreis: The notion is that what we as leaders have to really master is communication, of course. So when we say communication, most people think, okay, so I will prepare this fantastic presentation. I have AI tEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 6:30–8:37 8:37The Biggest Lesson About Presence on the PodiumRoit Feldenkreis: Well, the thing is that we are social creatures, and although we have gotten used to doing meetings on Zoom and, you know, reading emails and doing all this, and of course, when you have to work with teEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 8:37–10:37 10:37When Leaders Get Nonverbal Communication WrongAl Elliott: Now, I think we've all been in those meetings where something just feels a bit off, you know, You can't put your finger on it, but you know that that leader isn't connecting with their team Leanne Elliott: YeEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 10:37–13:35 13:35Reading Your Team's Nonverbal CuesRoit Feldenkreis: Oh, for sure, because I think before things actually happen, before people leave, before people tell you that they are having a hard time, you can see that in their body language before anything else. SEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 13:35–14:50 16:25Two Things Leaders Must DoRoit Feldenkreis: I mean, you have to do 2 things, basically, to come in when you are not distracted, or if you are distracted because things are going on, you can say, I'm so sorry, I'm distracted today because You knowEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 16:25–19:05 19:05Emotional Regulation and AuthenticityRoit Feldenkreis: I think it happens more often than we think. I think that, you know, most people unfortunately do not have the time or did not take the time beforehand to really understand what ticks them off, you knowEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 19:05–23:58 23:59Building Trust and Self-AwarenessRoit Feldenkreis: That is a huge question, of course. And we don't have, you know, like the entire map for, you know, doing that because it's a life's work. What I suggest, well, there are a few things I suggest, but theEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 23:59–29:19 29:19What It Feels Like Leading an OrchestraLeanne Elliott: What does it feel like in that moment when you're leading an orchestra and everyone is together? Roit Feldenkreis: Oh, this is such an incredible feeling. I think there's nothing like it. Maybe Maybe likeEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 29:19–31:44 31:44One Thing to Take AwayLeanne Elliott: You've given us so much to think about. If there's one thing that a listener would take from this conversation, what would you want it to be? Roit Feldenkreis: Wow. Just one thing. Let's see. I think thatEP 209 · 26 Jun 2025·interview· 31:44–32:41 10:08Story 2: Steve Jobs and Creative Rule-BreakingAl Elliott: I have been reading an article about Steve Jobs. Now you might have heard of him Leanne Elliott: iPhone dude Al Elliott: iPhone dude. Exactly. This, this article was like Steve Jobs and creativity and all theEP 208 · 24 Jun 2025·news roundup· 10:08–15:13 47:30Workplace Surgery: What Does Purpose-Driven Leadership Really Look Like?Al Elliott: Love it. In your own skin. I love it. Okay. Question number 3, Leanne. What does purpose-driven leadership really look like in practice? This is a great question. I want to know the answer to this question. IEP 208 · 24 Jun 2025·workplace surgery· 47:30–52:37 0:00Intro: What do you picture when you hear 'kindness at work'?Leanne Elliott: What do you picture when you hear the word kindness at work? Is it a boss that always checks in on your mental health, or someone who lets things slide a little too often? Does it sound strong or soft? AlEP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·intro· 0:00–2:40 3:04Jeff's origin story — where the Engaged Empathy Leadership Model came fromJeff LeBlanc: Ultimately, the idea was what I was seeing from younger generations and frankly, anyone, not just younger generations. That just happened to be where my study was focused, is that I was really finding that,EP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·interview· 3:04–4:21 4:21The 3 pillars: kindness, structure, and fairnessJeff LeBlanc: So the other 2 are structure and fairness. And that's really essentially where I found that, you know, what I was finding, and that's where I sort of draw the, draw the difference. If so to speak. And I wasEP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·interview· 4:21–6:25 23:55Mid-roll / power and the 'brilliant jerk' mythAl Elliott: So now we understand what kindness can look like. After the break, we'll ask what happens when it gets misunderstood or gets in the way of power. Billion Dollar Moves hosted by Sarah Chen Spellings is broughtEP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·interview· 23:55–27:07 23:38Hot Take: Should Management Be a Regulated Profession?Leanne Elliott: Join venture capitalist and strategist Sarah Chen Spellings as she asks the hard questions and learns through the triumphs, failures, and hard lessons of the crème de la crème so you too can make billion-EP 206 · 17 Jun 2025·hot take· 23:38–32:47 47:41Workplace Surgery: Managing Someone Who Keeps Pushing ItAl Elliott: Okay, Lee, question number 3. How do you manage someone who keeps pushing it? I've read this before Leanne Elliott: Push it real good Al Elliott: That's got a different— that's a different pushing, I think. MEP 206 · 17 Jun 2025·workplace surgery· 47:41–53:34 12:49Strategic silence as a leadership skillAl Elliott: Yeah. And we've already found out that senior executives become more direct. As they gain the confidence because they know their time is valuable, they cut straight to the results. The highest performers don'EP 205 · 12 Jun 2025·interview· 12:49–19:15 20:48Why smart leaders don't skip small talkAl Elliott: I have, I've got a note down here that, um, that smart leaders skip small talk. Now I understood that as like, hi, Sandra, how's your day being? How's Dave the dog? That's, that's not what you mean by small tEP 205 · 12 Jun 2025·interview· 20:48–23:33 23:33If Dr. Cheryl were Minister for MeetingsAl Elliott: Let's imagine that the Prime Minister of the UK just suddenly appoints you the Minister for Meetings. And so you are allowed to set, you're allowed to set the criteria for a meeting, then it's illegal to breaEP 205 · 12 Jun 2025·interview· 23:33–25:35 18:32Story 3 — Why you're still hiring the wrong leadersLeanne Elliott: Sticking on the recruitment, um, chat, actually, um, a case study fell into my email inbox this week and I thought it was really quite cool. Um, I mean, I think we've all made a hire that we regret at somEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·news roundup· 18:32–26:47 44:55Workplace Surgery — am I building a great place to work?Al Elliott: Okay, question number 2. Am I doing enough to make this a great place to work? Oh, oh, lovely. I run a business in the UK with 30+ employees, and I've been trying to build a workplace people actually enjoy beEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·workplace surgery· 44:55–51:45 25:13Hot Take: Julian Hayes II on why happy employees are overratedLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. It is time for our Hot Take, those honest expert perspectives that make us rethink What we know about the world of work. Today we are talking about happiness. It's a word you'll find in almoEP 200 · 27 May 2025·hot take· 25:13–36:15 34:45Where real change startsLeanne Elliott: And that's the point. Inclusion isn't about getting everything perfect. It's about building a culture where people feel safe enough to show up as they are and supported enough to keep showing up, even wheEP 199 · 22 May 2025·interview· 34:45–35:15 24:05Hot Take — The trust crisis, with Rose SoffelLeanne Elliott: Keep that in. Welcome back. Right now it is time for our hot take. If you're a regular listener, you will know that this is where we bring you those spicy, sometimes controversial opinions about the workpEP 198 · 20 May 2025·hot take· 24:05–39:40 0:02Introducing Elina Teboul and Feminine IntelligenceLeanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. We are brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for businEP 197 · 15 May 2025·intro· 0:02–6:51 6:51Beyond masculine vs. feminine energyElina Teboul: Yeah. And again, this is because it's not about gender, then we can say that there are certain strengths and values and principles associated with the feminine archetype. And those are things around intuitiEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 6:51–9:48 9:49Why the pendulum is swinging backAl Elliott: Is this something to do with feminine energy? Are they trying to rebel against it? What's going on there? Elina Teboul: I think it's true that the pendulum always swings one way and then overindexes and swingEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 9:49–13:49 23:07Metrics, numbers, and what they missElina Teboul: And that's another important aspect actually, is that very often you'll see just metrics, numbers, and the way we make decisions is based on the Excel spreadsheet. Like, this makes sense for our organizatioEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 23:07–25:28 25:28Pushback: do you need it to be successful?Elina Teboul: No, absolutely not. And there are, there are examples both ways. I think certainly there are examples of profitable companies that have been built Without feminine intelligence. Now, I wonder whether the woEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 25:28–30:20 30:20The Gordon Gekko era and redefining powerAl Elliott: So you just mentioned there Gordon Gekko, which obviously is a fictional character, but we also have seen Jordan Belfort in Wolf of Wall Street, and we've had a glimpse into what that world is like. Do you thEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 30:20–37:13 37:13Does lacking feminine intelligence make you a bad leader?Al Elliott: If someone doesn't have feminine intelligence, does that mean that they're a bad leader? Elina Teboul: Great question. I think if someone doesn't have feminine intelligence, it might depend on the people theyEP 197 · 15 May 2025·interview· 37:13–39:00 6:37Toddlers vs CEOs: Emotional regulationAl Elliott: I saw a great post on Twitter by Peter Steinberg. He's Stipeet is his handle. That's a cool name. Yeah. Um, and, uh, he's actually quite a cool guy. Um, if you go and look at his profile, you'll see what he'sEP 196 · 13 May 2025·news roundup· 6:37–14:48 44:28Workplace Surgery: Scared to manage peopleAl Elliott: Okay. Question number 3. I'm scared to manage people. Would a course help me get over that? So this listener writes, I've been offered a chance to step up and lead a small team, and I want to say yes, but if EP 196 · 13 May 2025·workplace surgery· 44:28–50:57 17:33Why senior leaders are reluctant to share lived experienceSarah Hughes: I think it's very rare that people haven't had any. So, and I say that because it's not just about themselves. It could be in their families or, you know, workplaces, whatever. I think we've all got that exEP 195 · 8 May 2025·interview· 17:33–20:32 38:28Pivotal moments that shaped Sarah's leadershipLeanne Elliott: Has there been any pivotal moments in your career, Sarah, that have shaped your approach to leadership? Sarah Hughes: There's been so many, so many. I think there's been experiences I've had with staff thEP 195 · 8 May 2025·interview· 38:28–40:01 0:02Klopp to Slot: A masterclass in leadership successionAl Elliott: Coming up on This Week in Work, fraud, deception, or just a sign of the times? As more workers secretly hold down 2 or 3 full-time jobs, we ask, is this about greed or survival in an economy which is pushing EP 194 · 6 May 2025·news roundup· 0:02–8:37 17:28Pushiness, decision makers vs. followersAl Elliott: What I really like about your book is there's so many stories in there and I really love it. I hate a textbook storybook where they would say this has happened and this is what you should do. Have you got anyEP 193 · 1 May 2025·interview· 17:28–26:20 0:01Mindful maneuvering: the new leadership buzzwordAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work, will your job be obsolete in 5 years? According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs report— catchy title— about 92 million jobs will become obsolete by 2030. Is yourEP 192 · 29 Apr 2025·news roundup· 0:01–6:12 18:23Hot Take with Sophie Wade: why Gen Z isn't the problemLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. If you are a regular listener, you'll know that every week we ask a workplace expert to share their hot take on the world of work, something we should all be thinking about a little bit diffEP 192 · 29 Apr 2025·hot take· 18:23–28:30 28:30More from Sophie: leadership in an AI worldLeanne Elliott: That is a fantastic Sophie Wade. I will leave a link back to an episode that she did right in the early days of the podcast and shared some wisdom there, and probably some predictions that have now come tEP 192 · 29 Apr 2025·news roundup· 28:30–31:37 38:59How Amit wants the world of work to changeAl Elliott: So let's just talk about what, how you want the world to be. You've obviously got experience of business, you've got experience of working, of employment, you've got experience of being a father. Imagine thatEP 191 · 24 Apr 2025·interview· 38:59–42:10 26:15Team leads vs managers — and why leads aren't paid moreAl Elliott: You've mentioned 2 words there. You said team lead and you said manager. Are these the same people? James Hawkins: Yeah, pretty much now they are. And to start off with, it wasn't really the case, but yeah. SEP 189 · 17 Apr 2025·interview· 26:15–33:00 51:50Leanne and Al unpack the approachLeanne Elliott: Well, that was really interesting, Al, from James. What an unconventional approach to building teams. Um, and I, I, I like data and science and order in the workplace. I kind of like this idea of introducEP 189 · 17 Apr 2025·interview· 51:50–55:43 35:10Workplace Surgery: Inherited a Toxic DepartmentLeanne Elliott: I don't, I don't envy the person in this role, but also I'm kind of excited for you because this is a really cool opportunity. If they've already burnt through 3 managers and you could be the person to tuEP 184 · 1 Apr 2025·workplace surgery· 35:10–40:30 13:23News: Jamie Dimon attacks corporate DEI — is he right?Leanne Elliott: Yes, I have to ask you, Al, are diversity policies hurting companies? Al Elliott: Oof, this is a thorny one. I mean, the thing is, what's difficult is that I have edited this afternoon Sarah Gashier's OurEP 180 · 18 Mar 2025·news roundup· 13:23–20:25 28:23Debrief: Wellness washing and leadership accountabilityLeanne Elliott: Goodness, Sarah certainly didn't hold back there. I think what a term that I really liked that Sarah used was performative EDI, because I think that explains it perfectly. These organizations that are parEP 180 · 18 Mar 2025·news roundup· 28:23–31:18 4:53What matters most in leadership todayLeanne Elliott: There seems to be a shift at the minute in terms of leadership. And I know you've spoken before in the past about leadership in the 21st century and what is required. From your perspective, what does goodEP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 4:53–5:50 9:01Why leaders don't need all the right answersEric Stone: I think, and I might have even been victim along the way, that you're supposed to have all the right answers. And really what's important is you ask the right questions. And so, you know, I used to use what wEP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 9:01–10:26 25:13Connecting leadership to operationsLeanne Elliott: What I love about that, Eric, is that you've connected leadership to operations, you've connected it to people and culture, to HR, and I think there's not I don't hear many conversations about leadership EP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 25:13–27:22 29:39Why some leaders won't adaptEric Stone: Yeah, I mean, Well, I mean, I think the people who aren't going to adapt, I think, are always going to face issues and opportunities. And whether it's in the OpenAI world and being able to get data or a largeEP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 29:39–31:31 36:09When leadership behaviours become normalisedEric Stone: There's no doubt. And I'll give you, I'll share an example, but this also will go back to my point. So there was a point with someone like a Jack Welch who His leadership style was get rid of the bottom 10, aEP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 36:09–38:57 0:33The primary job of a managerAl Elliott: Nice Vince Sanderson: The primary job of a manager is to create an environment for other people to excel. So how are you going to do that? I mean, that's the biggest issue that people find. They get promoted,EP 177 · 6 Mar 2025·interview· 0:33–1:49 45:26Long-term strategy and the question Vince asks every leaderAl Elliott: So at this point, is it too early to start thinking about a longer-term strategy? Your sort of what I'm going to be doing over the next year? Should they be giving it 6 months? What do you think? Vince SanderEP 177 · 6 Mar 2025·interview· 45:26–56:28 23:12Hot Take: Dr. Elaine Smith on why leaders are human tooLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. Al, what is today's hot take? Al Elliott: Right, we've got a brilliant guest for you today. Today we're joined by Dr. Elaine Smith, who's a clinical psychologist and a business wellbeing conEP 176 · 4 Mar 2025·hot take· 23:12–34:57 6:41What managers need to know about supporting ADHD employeesLeanne Elliott: And if leaders are listening and perhaps feel that, I would imagine what you described then might trigger you know, somebody in the organization that they're thinking about. How do we maybe reeducate oursEP 173 · 20 Feb 2025·interview· 6:41–8:37 2:20Story 1: Jamie Dimon's leaked Gen-Z rantLeanne Elliott: JP Morgan CEO lost his shiz. Have you seen this? No, I haven't Al Elliott: Oh, actually, no, I did. Was it like a— was it a sneak Zoom secret recording that was leaked or something? Leanne Elliott: Yeah, EP 172 · 18 Feb 2025·news roundup· 2:20–8:52 20:52How leaders can bring this into the workplaceMarie-Helene Pelletier: So as a leader, I would say, keep in mind, back to a bit of what we mentioned earlier, that workplace is a system. In that system, we've got individuals, all of us, we've got teams, and we've got EP 171 · 13 Feb 2025·interview· 20:52–28:48 28:48A real-world example of a leader using The Resilience PlanLeanne Elliott: And can you maybe give an example of somebody that you've worked with, a leader or an organisation, using the resilience plan and how they've successfully built up their resilience? Marie-Helene PelletierEP 171 · 13 Feb 2025·interview· 28:48–34:00 34:00Common mistakes leaders make when implementing resilience strategiesLeanne Elliott: Are there any mistakes leaders can make when implementing this type of strategy or implementing the resilience plan? Are there some fundamental things that they might Unintentionally get wrong? Marie-HeleEP 171 · 13 Feb 2025·interview· 34:00–38:04 26:02The message from HubSpot's leadership on AI and jobsLeanne Elliott: I really enjoyed the message that came out from Grow and that's coming from, from HubSpot at the highest level, that AI isn't coming for your job, but somebody who uses AI more effectively probably is. AnEP 169 · 6 Feb 2025·interview· 26:02–33:06 7:16Story 2: Netflix Founder Says Stop Calling Workplaces a FamilyAl Elliott: Well, this is one, an article I saw. Well, it's not an article, it's a post I saw on X or Twitter or whatever we call it now. Stop calling your workplace a family. Now, you have been banging on about this, LeEP 168 · 4 Feb 2025·news roundup· 7:16–12:17 16:54Leadership in a distributed world: trust by defaultTony Jamous: It is less about the managerial skills because How you supervise somebody, how you manage somebody, support somebody can be transferable between office and remote. What is really critical is to change the chEP 167 · 30 Jan 2025·interview· 16:54–20:22 4:34What is Motivational Intelligence (MQ)?James Fleming: So my name is James Fleming. I'm the Managing Director and co-founder of our training and development company called The Power Within Training. We are a leadership development, business growth, we do execuEP 165 · 23 Jan 2025·interview· 4:34–9:21 22:04Hot Take: Paula Brockwell on why vision and values don't workAl Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work Al Elliott: It can Leanne Elliott: But come backEP 164 · 21 Jan 2025·hot take· 22:04–31:54 22:47One takeaway for every leaderAl Elliott: In terms of work and leadership, is there any kind of one takeaway that you just wish all leaders could take from Fortitude? Bruce Daisley: Yeah, I think for me, especially the moment of work we're in right nEP 162 · 14 Jan 2025·interview· 22:47–24:36 13:38Where the Disconnect Comes From — and Why Managers Aren't TrainedNora Burns: I think there's 2 big things. One is, as important as it is that we— and if you ask a group of managers and hiring managers and leaders about the importance of hiring, They will all agree it's radically imporEP 161 · 9 Jan 2025·interview· 13:38–16:01 46:55Sir Cary's biggest lesson on workplace cultureLeanne Elliott: Exactly. Exactly Al Elliott: So before I ask my final question to ask you, um, ask you where people can find out a bit more about you, I'm guessing they can go into Amazon, type your name in, and with 200EP 160 · 7 Jan 2025·other· 46:55–51:38 18:08Rob Kalwarowsky on the fall of toxic leadershipLeanne Elliott: Rob Kalvarovsky thinks 2025 could be the beginning of the end For toxic leadership. Oh, Rob, I hope so Al Elliott: My prediction for 2025. So we're seeing this and we've seen this for a while. We've seen EP 159 · 2 Jan 2025·other· 18:08–23:52 23:52Leanne's prediction: a reckoning for fractured culturesAl Elliott: Speaking of predictions, Leanne, we haven't shared ours yet. Do you want to go first? Leanne Elliott: I mean, workplace in 2025, who knows? Buckle in, kids. Um, I, and I do think, and I don't mean to be like EP 159 · 2 Jan 2025·other· 23:52–29:55 5:56What leadership actually isAl Elliott: I tend to think that leadership is is a couple of things. It's about having the perspective, qualities, and will to create an environment where lots of people can operate effectively together and in service oEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 5:56–7:43 7:43Leadership vs. management — the real distinctionAl Elliott: I think it's a bit of a— it's probably an unfair and a bit of an artificial Distinction. But I suppose what I mean is you can technically manage resources. Even saying that makes me feel a bit icky in the mouEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 7:43–8:56 8:56Grading leadership in 2024Leanne Elliott: Moving back to leadership, I mean, if you were a teacher, how would you grade our efforts in leadership in 2023, moving into 2024? Are we grade A students? Al Elliott: Well, it's such an interesting questEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 8:56–10:48 10:48The biggest misconceptions about good leadershipLeanne Elliott: What are the biggest misconceptions about what makes a good leader or somebody who's good at leadership? Al Elliott: The biggest misconception is really drawn from the way that we create leaders because wEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 10:48–12:56 12:56Can introverts be effective leaders? (And why personality tests are 'mostly bollocks')Leanne Elliott: Can introverts be effective leaders? Al Elliott: Personality tests are, they're mostly bollocks. I don't know what kind of language you do on your podcast, but they're just mostly, they're mostly bollocksEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 12:56–19:39 26:11The marzipan layer — why mediocrity is the enemyLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: I'm talking about people who simply choose to be mediocre. We call them in workplaces, what, the marzipan layer, the permafrost, these people who, you notice them right before appraisal aEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 26:11–26:11 27:24The Promises of Giants — Leanne's favorite bookLeanne Elliott: I want to ask you about your book, The Promises of Giants. It's one of my favorites. I mean, it's— I love how it's set out. And I know you must hear this all the time, how it's set out, how personal it isEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 27:24–34:51 54:58Is empathy the key to leadership?Al Elliott: If we could mandate self-awareness, many of the problems would dissipate or be more easily managed. Great harm is done to other human beings by people who don't know themselves. Even greater harm is done to vEP 158 · 31 Dec 2024·other· 54:58–58:02 7:45Should bosses have favourites?Al Elliott: Well, I have a question for you, Leanne. Should bosses have favourites? Leanne Elliott: Should they have favourites? No. Do they have favourites? Probably Al Elliott: Well, I'll tell you who does. The founderEP 154 · 17 Dec 2024·news roundup· 7:45–11:44 18:51Hot Take: Leadership training is broken with Katie O'MalleyAl Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work Leanne Elliott: their work Al Elliott: And we talk about the behavioural science behind fandom and how that enEP 152 · 10 Dec 2024·hot take· 18:51–32:04 20:50Should leaders define a dress code?Al Elliott: Okay, let's go into this thorny subject. As a leader or business owner or manager, should I be defining a dress code? It kind of feels like I'm telling people how to dress for work, and that doesn't feel likeEP 149 · 28 Nov 2024·interview· 20:50–25:10 19:03Hot Take: Rob Kalwarowsky on Asshole BossesLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. As regular listeners will know, every week we ask a workplace expert expert for their hot take on the world of work. Today we hear from the awesome Rob Kalwarowsky, the world expert on asshoEP 148 · 26 Nov 2024·hot take· 19:03–30:33 42:00Advice for leaders ready to implementGarrett Delph: I would encourage maybe 2 high-level points. One is an agreed-upon approach to business that I learned from Andrew Carnegie and also from Berkshire Hathaway, and that is control your costs. Probably the beEP 147 · 21 Nov 2024·interview· 42:00–46:54 26:04Does prioritisation have to come from the top?midroll (Phil Agnew, Nudge): Okay, on to the question that is on every leader or owner's lips: why do my brilliant plans never work out the way I imagine? Al Elliott: Yeah, as I said at the top, it's a question I ask mysEP 145 · 14 Nov 2024·interview· 26:04–26:53 7:50Nike's New CEO: Promoting from Within vs. Fresh BloodAl Elliott: Well, this was an article on LinkedIn, but it was originally reported in the FT. The Nike— Nike? Nike? How do you say it? Nike or Nike? Leanne Elliott: I think I say Nike, but I'm not sure if that's right Al EP 144 · 12 Nov 2024·news roundup· 7:50–12:22 20:23Kate's origin story and her own management mistakesLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. Kate already has said that Linda the bad manager is based on the mistakes she made when she was a young manager. I'll ask Kate what some of her biggest mistakes as a younger manager were. I EP 143 · 7 Nov 2024·other· 20:23–22:56 22:56Nurturing the other person's point of view and first-time managersAl Elliott: Yeah Leanne Elliott: Rather than pushing to get what you want, actually to nurture the other person's point of view. And one of the things I teach on my course is conflict management, and we talk about the deEP 143 · 7 Nov 2024·other· 22:56–29:15 2:31BBC email blunder: Tony Livesey's incivility lessonAl Elliott: That was smooth. That was smooth. Okay, Lee, what you've seen this week? Leanne Elliott: Have you ever accidentally sent an email to the wrong person at work? Al Elliott: Yes, yesEP 140 · 29 Oct 2024·news roundup· 2:31–7:27 13:59Where leaders draw the line on workplace conversationLeanne Elliott: As a leader, where do you draw the line between this is just good conversation for, you know, relationship building, camaraderie, versus this is actually disrupting the workday? Liz Bronson: I think The wEP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·panel interview· 13:59–18:22 33:17Living company values, not just displaying themAl Elliott: So here's a question: if you mandate a certain way of behaving with these agreed values, can you use this as a kind of guideline for behaviour, Leanne? Leanne Elliott: Yeah, values can definitely be used to gEP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·panel interview· 33:17–39:58 7:12Story 2: Do childless bosses lack empathy?Al Elliott: Childless people Leanne Elliott: Um, I believe it's childfree. Is that the more politically correct term? Al Elliott: I believe it is, but this article, which I will link to, it's in Forbes I think, was actuaEP 134 · 8 Oct 2024·news roundup· 7:12–11:48 11:48Story 3: Cynicism's impact on leadershipLeanne Elliott: Um, well, funnily enough, um, I came across an interesting study looking at cynicism Al Elliott: All right Leanne Elliott: Um, so how cynicism impacts leadership and power dynamics in the workplace. Um, yEP 134 · 8 Oct 2024·news roundup· 11:48–18:58 34:36Advice for leaders: don't try to be too big too soonAl Elliott: So if someone's listening and they are a leader, they've got an— they've got a business, what advice would you have for them to grow a business the way that you've grown your businesses? Jackie Stewart: Don'tEP 133 · 3 Oct 2024·interview· 34:36–37:39 0:33Intellectual humility in leadershipAl Elliott: Nice Leanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning psychology podcast brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. The audio destination for business professionals. My name isEP 130 · 24 Sept 2024·news roundup· 0:33–6:38 18:07Does a psychology background make a better leader?Harry Cramer: Seamless Al Elliott: It can Leanne Elliott: But come backEP 129 · 19 Sept 2024·interview· 18:07–21:52 46:37How to lead Gen Z — the key lessons and final thoughtsLeanne Elliott: So there it is, how to lead Gen Z from senior leaders, business owners, founders, management teams that are actually doing it and doing it incredibly well. That is the story of MAP. And, and, you know, frEP 127 · 12 Sept 2024·other· 46:37–56:21 7:18Founder Mode vs. Manager ModeAl Elliott: There is a whole thing going on at the moment on social media that we need to talk about. It's based on this question: What makes a founder different from a manager? So some people say it's the title. Some peEP 126 · 10 Sept 2024·news roundup· 7:18–13:55 6:30Eric Schmidt's outdated views on Google's work-from-home cultureAl Elliott: Google is in the news yet again, and it's their ex-CEO who's been a bit outspoken. You might remember his name, Eric Schmidt. I'd like to call him the boomer's boomer. He left Google in 2020, but a recent StaEP 124 · 3 Sept 2024·news roundup· 6:30–11:50 8:55News: Managers vs. LeadersLeanne Elliott: Yeah, if you are new to this conversation, if you are like me and you're in your late 30s, quickly approaching 40, uh, I will leave a link to— we did an episode probably about a year ago on like an introdEP 123 · 27 Aug 2024·news roundup· 8:55–12:49 34:04Workplace Surgery: championing unwanted changeAl Elliott: So this is— this question is from a manager. So I'll keep this quick. My company is introducing a new piece of software that is vastly different to the one I use. I can see why they want to change things up. EP 122 · 19 Aug 2024·workplace surgery· 34:04–38:43 37:11Workplace Surgery: transitioning to managementLeanne Elliott: Oh, I enjoy a tone Al Elliott: Yeah. I'm interested to hear whether you pick it up straight. Well, I'm sure you will pick it up, but interested whether you address it straight away. I've been at the same EP 120 · 6 Aug 2024·workplace surgery· 37:11–42:37 33:44What leaders get wrong about changeAl Elliott: What are leaders and managers doing wrong? So, let's start with that, when they are implementing change Hilary Scarlet: Yeah, well, I guess the big one for me, I've worked on many change programs over the yeaEP 116 · 20 Jul 2024·interview· 33:44–40:31 4:47The transition from corporate structure to entrepreneurshipCate Luzio: Cate Luzio. I am presently the founder and CEO of Luminary, which is a global professional education and networking platform. I'm sure we're going to get into that. I spent the better part of 20 years in finaEP 114 · 10 Jul 2024·interview· 4:47–7:16 36:12Redefining leadership and influenceAl Elliott: It can Leanne Elliott: But come back Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as thisEP 114 · 10 Jul 2024·interview· 36:12–42:13 10:15What human-centric leadership actually meansAl Elliott: So let's talk about the term human-centric. I suspect there's a number of people, probably my age, who will sit there and roll their eyes and go, this is hippie bullshit. What's— what— why are you calling it EP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 10:15–14:18 14:18The best human-centred leader Alexis has seenAl Elliott: I say the best human-centered leader you've come across, who springs to mind? Alexis Zahner: I would have to say we had an incredible conversation about a year and a half ago now on We Are Human Leaders with EP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 14:18–17:01 22:23Self-leadership as the foundationAlexis Zahner: So, self-leadership is, at Human Leaders, what we deem to be the foundation of human leadership. And self-leadership We define this as doing the continuous work of understanding yourself. So for us, it hasEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 22:23–31:20 31:20Emotional wisdom explainedAl Elliott: So let's talk about emotional wisdom. So you've, you've mentioned Emotional wisdom is the second pillar. And I really get that. You said your example was just see how you react if you are pushing down your owEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 31:20–35:11 35:11Why coaching isn't softer than managingAlexis Zahner: A leader is often a great coach, and a great coach I think what people mistake is coaching being softer than management, and it's not the case. The difference is with a coach, with any good coach— and agaiEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 35:11–40:24 40:24Generational differences in leadershipAlexis Zahner: You know, it's such an interesting one, Al. And I would like to say personally, anecdotally, I think that there is some, um, some things that exist across generations. that we can sort of generally say migEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 40:24–43:47 43:55What Alexis thinks is overhyped right nowAlexis Zahner: You know, not that there's concepts that I think are too fluffy or buzzy or bullshitty, but I just think there's a lot of misconceptions around what these things mean. Um, I think one of the things that frEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 43:55–46:50 35:42Fix it loud — what it really meansPaula Brockwell: I think the first step is always going to be, how do we want it to be around here from a leadership point of view? What is it that we need to get from people? And then have a conversation with your staffEP 110 · 27 Jun 2024·panel interview· 35:42–40:50 30:29Workplace Surgery: Setting Boundaries with Your TeamLeanne Elliott: So what's, what's this? So they're, they're a head, a head of regional head? Al Elliott: Yes, they're a department head, and they've got no problem with anyone coming to them and telling them about their EP 109 · 25 Jun 2024·workplace surgery· 30:29–36:46 40:24Practical steps for leadersDimple Dhabalia: Yeah, so it's, um, it's still, you know, it's similar to what I was just talking about. So what was interesting about that particular, uh, training was that it was very self-focused. And so, you know, thEP 108 · 20 Jun 2024·interview· 40:24–45:37 6:34Adam Grant on hybrid workingAl Elliott: Well, Adam Grant Leanne Elliott: Oh yeah Al Elliott: The Adam Grant, the guy who, if you're listening, Adam, get on the pod. We've, we've been, we want you on the pod anyway. So Adam Grant is the, like the grEP 107 · 18 Jun 2024·news roundup· 6:34–11:00 17:37Book Club: Find Your Yellow Tux by Jesse ColeAl Elliott: No, we can't ask that because no one was gonna No one's gonna say that. So my book recommendation is called Find Your Yellow Tux by Jesse Cole. I read this maybe about a year and a half ago, 2 years ago. I heEP 107 · 18 Jun 2024·news roundup· 17:37–21:46 22:53Workplace Surgery: building rapport in a new leadership roleAl Elliott: Okay, welcome back. We are out in the world-famous Weekly Workplace Surgery where we have 3 questions that I'm going to put to Leanne. Although, did you just say that we've— there's one for me, so maybe only EP 107 · 18 Jun 2024·workplace surgery· 22:53–28:52 0:33The lonely leader — and why coaches matterJonathan Bennett: Nice Leanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning psychology podcast Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. My nEP 104 · 6 Jun 2024·interview· 0:33–10:04 9:31Unbossing explainedLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: As Leanne's talked about before, when she was managing and she had an amazing boss, both of them— her boss supported her and then she supported the people underneath her. In fact, I thinkEP 103 · 4 Jun 2024·news roundup· 9:31–13:04 3:19Tip 1: Train Your Managers (Prof. Sir Cary Cooper)Al Elliott: The problem we have is to do with line managers. What we tend to do in developed countries is we recruit and promote people to managerial roles based on their technical skills, not their people skills. This iEP 102 · 30 May 2024·other· 3:19–10:36 13:22Jurgen Klopp and the psychology of leadershipLeanne Elliott: So yeah, I mean, football fans— or sorry, soccer fans for our American audiences— will know it has been a pretty big weekend for the Premier League. Uh, the season came to an end, Man City won again, and EP 99 · 21 May 2024·news roundup· 13:22–19:01 3:56Who is Todd Davis?Todd Davis: I'm Todd Davis. I do a lot of things, but for my profession, I am now a senior consultant with Franklin Covey. I've been here for 28 years, and for 18 of those years, I was their chief people officer Leanne EEP 96 · 9 May 2024·interview· 3:56–5:09 20:31Talk less, listen moreTodd Davis: And again, this book was written from the Chief People Officer's view on those people who used principles from The 7 Habits and some of our other content and became and are so masterful at their relationshipsEP 96 · 9 May 2024·interview· 20:31–22:59 40:47What Dr. Covey was really likeTodd Davis: He was one of the most authentic people I've ever met. Imperfect. Um, you know, humble, but he was, and he was quite a jokester. People are surprised about that. Um, and this story has nothing to do with anytEP 96 · 9 May 2024·interview· 40:47–43:41 2:51Is Tesla the new Enron? Elon Musk's leadership under fireLeanne Elliott: It is time for the news roundup. Al, cue the jingle Al Elliott: What you got, Lee? Leanne Elliott: Well, I may have been accused in the past of unfairly branding Elon Musk as a psychopath. Well, yes, and,EP 93 · 30 Apr 2024·news roundup· 2:51–8:33 10:03Clip: Leanne on the We Are Human Leaders PodcastAl Elliott: Yep, it's those pesky Gen Zers again thinking they're first to come up with things. I mean, of course they're just— because every generation thinks they've invented something new, and the older generation smiEP 92 · 23 Apr 2024·news roundup· 10:03–10:40 37:30Leadership styles: respect vs. fearJon Smith: Ferguson, who I knew very well, reasonably well, did it by respect and fear. Arsène did it by physical and verbal eloquence. Klopp, what little I know, because my son was involved with one of the players thereEP 91 · 18 Apr 2024·interview· 37:30–40:05 8:52The death of the 'chairman'Leanne Elliott: Yes, I read something about chairs this week. Al Elliott: Chairs. Leanne Elliott: Yes.EP 90 · 16 Apr 2024·news roundup· 8:52–14:20 11:55Decision-making and leadership insightsLeanne Elliott: Building a business relies on making hundreds of decisions, probably each day. I was interested in how Ben approached these decisions, especially as the company and his team grew Ben Branson-Gateley: It'sEP 89 · 11 Apr 2024·interview· 11:55–13:57 20:24Personal leadership philosophy and avoiding comparisonBen Branson-Gateley: I always think about that phrase, which is that comparison is the thief of joy. And, um, in the company-building world, in the technology world, it's, it's, it's rife. You know, there is so much compEP 89 · 11 Apr 2024·interview· 20:24–23:37 16:1060 Second Highlights: Dave Klein on bad managersLeanne Elliott: Marie, if you're listening, hook us up, would you? And of course, speaking of great guests, we had the amazing Dave Klein on the podcast last week, last Thursday's episode. Dave and his wife have created EP 88 · 9 Apr 2024·news roundup· 16:10–18:40 0:33The unconventional path to managementAl Elliott: Nice. Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses Dave Kline: We pick our absolute best salesperson, software engineer, A-player. So this person has been wildly successful. ThaEP 87 · 4 Apr 2024·interview· 0:33–2:35 2:35Meet Dave Kline: from bad engineer to management guruLeanne Elliott: Yes, we talk a lot about leadership on the podcast, but what about management? Well, today's guest is a thought leader and influencer in the world of management. You can find him on Twitter, or X, dispensEP 87 · 4 Apr 2024·interview· 2:35–6:59 39:43The Elon Musk debate: what should we admire in leaders?Al Elliott: Before you go though, I had one more question for Dave, and this is a recurring theme, I think, on the pod. But I had to ask him, does he think Elon Musk is a good leader? Dave Kline: I generally don't know, EP 87 · 4 Apr 2024·interview· 39:43–44:41 25:05The importance of team dynamics over individual brillianceLeanne Elliott: I mean, say what you want about Bezos, and believe me, I do, uh, but he, he has had some fairly good ideas. If we're to believe that Mad Men was based loosely on Ogilvy, then what did Ogilvy look like wheEP 83 · 21 Mar 2024·panel interview· 25:05–28:52 6:22Defining leadership: perspective, qualities, and willJohn Amaechi OBE: I tend to think that leadership is, is a couple of things. It's about Having the perspective, qualities, and will to create an environment where lots of people can operate effectively together and in seEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 6:22–7:59 8:11Management vs. leadership: transactional vs. transformationalJohn Amaechi OBE: You can be one of those people who has a transactional relationship with work. And sees people as points in a Gantt chart, and you can effectively project manage. But that to me is a form of pure manageEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 8:11–9:07 10:50The biggest misconceptions about leadershipJohn Amaechi OBE: The biggest misconception is, is really drawn from the way that we create leaders, because we don't really distinguish in workplaces or organizational systems between a manager and a leader. We assume tEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 10:50–12:29 20:02Why Donald Trump is so attractive to so many peopleJohn Amaechi OBE: Why is Donald Trump so attractive to so many people? Never underestimate The ability for people to suspend their morality for a quick fix. I'm a gay person. I have no self-interest in that thing that soEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 20:02–21:49 28:45The leadership void: abdication of responsibilityJohn Amaechi OBE: Yeah, it's the abdication of the responsibilities of power, even as people embrace the benefits of it. So again, we talked about people like Donald Trump and Rishi Sunak and others, right? Boris JohnsonEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 28:45–32:34 39:15Self-awareness: the key to effective leadershipJohn Amaechi OBE: If we could mandate self-awareness, many of the problems would dissipate or be more easily managed. Great harm is done to other human beings by people who don't know themselves. Even greater harm is donEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 39:15–42:20 25:29When leaders finally get it: amazing things happenPetra Velzeboer: I literally heard about one yesterday, and I don't have permission yet to share them as a company. So, I'll just kind of talk you through what happened because we internally were so impressed with this cEP 80 · 29 Feb 2024·interview· 25:29–27:31 13:24"In my day, we could cope"Al Elliott: A lot of senior leaders we're talking to seem to think that if we could only get back to how things were pre-pandemic, everything is going to be okay, which is probably the drive to bring people back to the oEP 78 · 20 Feb 2024·interview· 13:24–19:18 26:08Managing the team and public perceptionAl Elliott: That makes sense. Thank you. Carry on Leanne Elliott: So yeah, so with Matt and Joe, it wasn't just the reputation impact of their internal teams they had to consider. It was quite a public separation Joe FieEP 76 · 1 Feb 2024·interview· 26:08–28:12 6:29Why most of us aren't very good at persuadingAl Elliott: Absolutely. So I wanted to find out a bit more about what leaders could learn from the psychology of persuasion that marketers use every single day. After all, a huge part of leading effectively is persuadingEP 75 · 25 Jan 2024·interview· 6:29–9:28 19:37The pratfall effect — why flaws make you more likableAl Elliott: Now, what about being likable? Because great leaders and managers are inherently likable. So assuming that you're not an awful human being, how do you leverage persuasion and psychology to encourage your teamEP 75 · 25 Jan 2024·interview· 19:37–24:44 5:08Prediction 4: Managers and Leaders Need to Step UpAl Elliott: So let's get stuck in. Moving on to prediction number 4. If you're a regular listener, you will know Leanne's favourite word is managers. It's her favourite subject. Managers and leaders, our 4th prediction. EP 72 · 4 Jan 2024·interview· 5:08–7:57 10:57Isabel on Leadership in 2024Leanne Elliott: Isabel, our Financial Times journalist and podcast host, completely agrees ?: You know, right at the top in this country, you know, CEOs are appointed who have no experience at all in their sector. DuringEP 72 · 4 Jan 2024·interview· 10:57–11:56 11:56Ruth on Redefining What Leadership MeansAl Elliott: Ruth from Octopus Money goes one step further, and she suggests that we need to redefine what being a leader actually is ?: I don't think people look to leaders to direct them anymore. I think people look to EP 72 · 4 Jan 2024·interview· 11:56–13:14 13:14Professor Sir Cary Cooper on Looking EastAl Elliott: And Professor Sakeri Cooper suggests that maybe the answer lies in us looking east ?: You know why the Japanese have been very successful for so many years? Because manager's role is very different from what EP 72 · 4 Jan 2024·interview· 13:14–14:26 8:51The trap of people-pleasing and the sustainability problem for leadersSean Tolram: I cared a lot about impressing people. About doing what I thought other people wanted me to do. I would push myself, I would compete with those around me because some of us work in competitive environments. EP 70 · 21 Dec 2023·panel interview· 8:51–13:46 18:54Why leaders must invest in their own mental health — Gen Z challengeDr Audrey Tang: Well, business leaders need to invest in their own mental health because actually they're role modeling their behavior to everybody else. If you as a business leader are going around saying, oh, well, we EP 70 · 21 Dec 2023·panel interview· 18:54–23:55 12:48Sean on managing big teams and major life transitionsSean Tolram: Yeah, so, um, as my career progressed and I found myself managing bigger and bigger teams, I became less interested in myself and my own skills and started to think more about the people in my teams, how to EP 69 · 14 Dec 2023·panel interview· 12:48–15:04 6:57Why culture mattered to Chris from the startLeanne Elliott: I was keen to learn why culture was so important to Chris and Brandon. Turns out, It started pretty early for them Chris Savage: The first thing is when we started, it was just the two of us for 2 years aEP 68 · 8 Dec 2023·interview· 6:57–9:01 37:23Making hard decisions by consulting core valuesAl Elliott: What a story. And I bet now with 375,000+ customers and household names like Zendesk and Mailchimp, turning down the HBO deal doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all Leanne Elliott: Yes. What a company. EP 68 · 8 Dec 2023·interview· 37:23–38:36 26:52The vaccination-only policy and quick decisionsAl Elliott: And as I mentioned before, having an entrepreneur who leads your organization means that you can make quick decisions much easier Patti Simpson: This is an incredible opportunity. And working for an entreprenEP 66 · 23 Nov 2023·interview· 26:52–28:42 11:35Three takeaways for leaders from Clarke & Carrie's experienceLeanne Elliott: I think there are, there are 3 really key takeaways there for me, and I think that all leaders should, should try and take with them too. First, even successful people can feel inadequate. You know, it's,EP 65 · 17 Nov 2023·other· 11:35–12:27 15:13People are not widgets — great leaders know thisLeanne Elliott: Generational differences are undeniable, but we should try to understand generational differences. We definitely should not stereotype our teams based on their age alone Al Elliott: I think that great leaEP 64 · 16 Nov 2023·other· 15:13–18:23 18:23Understanding people: the most rewarding manager skillLeanne Elliott: Hey, hey, I think understanding people is one of the most difficult but most rewarding skills a manager can learn. I think, you know, if you really want to get into the psychology of people, it takes contEP 64 · 16 Nov 2023·other· 18:23–19:49 28:17The lazy manager trapLeanne Elliott: Let's not sugarcoat this. Being a great manager is really, really hard. Being a lazy manager is pretty easy. And you can probably tell, being honest, which one you are by just reflecting on that. How hardEP 64 · 16 Nov 2023·other· 28:17–33:31 36:50Priority 4 — Have great managersLeanne Elliott: The fourth and final priority is have great managers. It is one of my favourite topics. You know, management is so important. Leadership is so important. If you want to make the quickest and biggest impacEP 63 · 2 Nov 2023·other· 36:50–44:06 45:16The surprising role of empathyLeanne Elliott: Another aspect of leadership behavior and the culture that is critical to eliminating corporate bullshit and building a ministry of common sense is empathy Martin Lindstrom: But what it comes down to is tEP 59 · 5 Oct 2023·panel interview· 45:16–53:33 36:41What leaders must do — the panel's calls to actionLeanne Elliott: As business owners and leaders, we have an obligation to not only make our workplace places a better place, but wherever possible, the world a better place. So how can we create a healthier future for eveEP 58 · 28 Sept 2023·other· 36:41–44:49 40:02Building authentic workplace cultureLeanne Elliott: Maneesh went on to explain how being accessible translates into workplace culture and specifically creating an authentic workplace Maneesh Goyal: It's a bit of a dream. Um, I'll start by saying that. BecaEP 56 · 14 Sept 2023·interview· 40:02–43:48 43:59Words of encouragement for leadersManeesh Goyal: As you just mentioned, your time is, is not only limited, but also your role isn't to be everything for everyone. Really, who you need to be as a CEO. Who you really need to be is you need to look at your EP 56 · 14 Sept 2023·interview· 43:59–50:29 9:21Clip 1 — Dr. Candice Schaefer: empathy in layoffsAl Elliott: Um, but it's good. It's good. Anyway, so should we get on to the clips then? So do you wanna kick things off with your— one of your first favourite clips? Yes Leanne Elliott: My first clip is from Uh, the verEP 52 · 17 Aug 2023·other· 9:21–12:30 12:30Clip 2 — Rob Kalawowski: the 'am I an asshole?' momentAl Elliott: And my first favourite clip is from Rob Kalawowski, who is incredible. He's got the Leadership Launchpad product. He's got the Leadership Launchpad podcast, and the episode he was in was How Not to Be an AsshEP 52 · 17 Aug 2023·other· 12:30–14:09 24:04Happiness vs. wellbeing — why leaders should focus on wellbeingAl Elliott: So we've got these 4 chemicals. I think I understand them. Um, what's the difference between happiness and wellbeing? You said at the beginning that, that one's a state, but you didn't really go into what welEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 24:04–27:46 39:28What leaders can (and can't) do — environment over emotionsAl Elliott: So we talked about wellbeing as something in your teams, in your company's wellbeing is really, really important. Is it down to the leader? Is it the leader's responsibility to increase happiness? Leanne ElliEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 39:28–43:57 2:41Myth 1 — Workplace culture is just a passing fadAl Elliott: Yeah. Go to Instagram. Okay. So today we're gonna tackle a number of lies about workplace culture. Now, I say a number because we'll just see how long we've got because we wanna keep this around about 40 minuEP 50 · 3 Aug 2023·other· 2:41–10:30 38:02Myth 5 — Stick values on the wall and you've got a great cultureLeanne Elliott: I'm gonna go 15 because I was born on the 15th Al Elliott: If you create values and you stick them on the wall, then you've got a great culture Leanne Elliott: Go. Why?EP 50 · 3 Aug 2023·other· 38:02–48:11 60:54Trend 6: Leadership and cultureLeanne Elliott: That leads us nicely onto our 6th trend, which again, I'm sure not necessarily comes as a surprise to regular listeners of the podcast. Trend number 6, leadership and culture. So, we're currently finishinEP 49 · 27 Jul 2023·panel interview· 60:54–72:11 21:24Leadership Lessons from the PitchAl Elliott: Yeah, I totally agree. I totally agree. So I asked Bernard a little bit more about the psychology behind both athletes and entrepreneurs Bernard Brogan: I think probably high-performance sport gives you— you EP 48 · 20 Jul 2023·interview· 21:24–23:53 48:35Bernard's Enthusiasm is InfectiousLeanne Elliott: Mic drop moment there, Al. That was fabulous Al Elliott: I'm not dropping these mics. They're about £300 Leanne Elliott: Well, not this oneEP 48 · 20 Jul 2023·interview· 48:35–50:31 55:15Christine's journey — from the Jersey Shore to leading a top agencyAl Elliott: So at this point, you're probably in agreement with us that they're pretty incredible women. I wanted to know what they thought their superpower was. So here's Christine Lauren: I grew up at the Jersey Shore EP 46 · 5 Jul 2023·panel interview· 55:15–60:05 12:30Kevin's Story: The Genesis of SwellAl Elliott: Yes, he is. A very, very good one too. Okay, so we are diving today into the 7 essential leadership lessons that our guest Kevin Dahlstrom has accumulated over more than 20 years in corporate and startup busiEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 12:30–20:57 20:57Lesson 1: Values Are for Life, Not for WallsAl Elliott: Just bullshit. Not for Kevin. Let's listen. Let's hear from Kevin. Yeah, no, I'm a big proponent of having clear values. You know, of course, like Most companies do have values. They end up being something thEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 20:57–25:21 25:21Lesson 2: The Way You Do Anything Is the Way You Do EverythingLeanne Elliott: It really is. So that is our first leadership lesson from Kevin: values are for life, not for walls. Kevin's second leadership lesson takes this idea one step further by saying, the way you do anything isEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 25:21–30:10 35:07Lesson 4: Don't Chase a Misguided Definition of SuccessAl Elliott: Now on to number 4. There is a misguided definition of success. When I started, when I started building businesses back when I was about 23, 24, I thought success was big house, big car, horses, yachts, helicEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 35:07–42:31 42:31Lesson 5: Culture Trumps Strategy, Every TimeAl Elliott: So, number 5, Kevin's 5th lesson is culture trumps strategy every time. When I asked Kevin about this, he drew on his own experience from case studies from other industries, and he explained that if you look EP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 42:31–51:34 58:54Lesson 7: Compounding Is KeyLeanne Elliott: What a call to action. You need to take the time to clearly define what the desired end state is for your life. Goodness, that can feel overwhelming. There is an awesome coaching exercise that I use a lotEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 58:54–65:45 65:45Recap and Final Words of Wisdom from KevinLeanne Elliott: Yeah, and I think that's all you can do, you know, as a leader. Just keep on moving forward, keep striving to be better, keep listening to yourself, investing in yourself. And we hope that these 7 lessonsEP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 65:45–69:44 0:00The great remote vs office debate beginsAl Elliott: The dirty little secret is that most businesses think they know their customers. They have the data, the records, the history, but it's scattered across 3 teams and 4 systems. And in our case, it's about 216,EP 42 · 7 Jun 2023·panel interview· 0:00–4:22 0:33Editing your ego: why leaders must make the story about the teamAl Elliott: Nice. So you might say, all right, this year we want to be a successful company that grows. That's about me. The reality is, in an uncertain economic climate, A lot of people are worried about how businesses EP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 0:33–0:58 1:40Marketing storytelling as the model for leadershipAl Elliott: Now, as a marketer, regular listeners know that I'm a marketing nerd. As a marketer, we've kind of learned that this is, this is always the best policy. Because if you think about the best marketing campaignsEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 1:40–4:37 12:48The problem: leaders assume people care (they don't — yet)Al Elliott: So let's just start with the problem. Okay? So the biggest problem with being a leader is you almost certainly have to spin lots and lots of different plates. And I'm talking business owner, leader, whatever EP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 12:48–14:58 17:58Why employees are silently editing your presentationAl Elliott: As a leader in your organization, your people are getting bombarded with information all the time, whether it's emails, whether it's just the, the details in their office, whether it's commercial messages thaEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 17:58–19:59 20:05Wrapping your message in story — the 'calories' of communicationAl Elliott: Now what I really love is that JJ talks about wrapping things up into a story, because let's be honest, when we are watching a film an hour and 2 hours, 2 hours 20— isn't Titanic about 3 hours or something? LEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 20:05–20:17 28:19Stop being the hero — become the guideLeanne Elliott: This is absolute gold. So we have the formula: the hero, the problem, the guide, the plan, the call to action, avoiding failure, and securing success. I joke daily that employees are looking for a hero. AEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 28:19–29:28 33:57Step one: who am I? Clarifying what you doAl Elliott: The first step is always, who am I? And by that I mean Do you understand very clearly what you do and what it means and why it matters, right? So that gets to the core value, the value prop, what makes you diEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 33:57–35:18 44:12Recommendation #3: authenticity in leadershipLeanne Elliott: Our third recommendation is authenticity. So if you listen to our WaterCool episode, you'll remember that all of our experts agreed when it comes to effective communication as a leader, Authenticity is crEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 44:12–46:54 52:38Recommendation #4: culture as a living, breathing thingAl Elliott: So number 4 is all about this idea of culture. People think culture is very complex. And, you know, they go, right, we're going to go away. The leadership team are going to go away for 2 weeks, and we're goinEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 52:38–53:58 61:36The 5 key takeaways recapAl Elliott: It really will. So stop seeing your employees as a cost and start seeing them as an investment Leanne Elliott: Oh, put that on a t-shirt, Al! Al Elliott: T-shirts available from store.truthliesandwork.com. NoEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 61:36–66:15 66:15What happens when you get it wrong — the cautionary taleLeanne Elliott: Oh, okay Al Elliott: Now, I'm suspicious because you're trying to win, you're trying to be a $100 million company, and I know what the Profit margins, it's 25%. So, you're getting $25 million out of this EP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 66:15–68:28 71:03The best leaders make it about their peopleAl Elliott: So the thing is, as a leader or business owner, you obviously want to hit certain goals. But the best leaders know that in order to get what they want, they have to stay together, they have to help their teamEP 39 · 17 May 2023·other· 71:03–73:51 14:45Theme 1: Board-level buy-inLeanne Elliott: Yes, theme number 1, board-level buy-in. Uh, so having culture on the board agenda. This first theme won't be a surprise for our regular listeners. Uh, culture and wellbeing has to be on the board agenda,EP 37 · 3 May 2023·other· 14:45–17:15 48:03Theme 7: Authenticity in leadersLeanne Elliott: So number 7 is authenticity in leaders. So we've talked about line managers, this is about leaders. Increasingly, the, the line between effective leadership and management behaviours is blurring, and reseEP 37 · 3 May 2023·other· 48:03–54:57 18:05Meet Banks Benitez — CEO who made the leapLeanne Elliott: Our next guest is Banks Benitez. Excellent name. Banks runs Smart Work Week, which helps leaders of small organizations successfully transition to a 4-day work week. He did this himself with his previous EP 36 · 25 Apr 2023·other· 18:05–21:09 57:44The 10 recommendations for fixing toxic cultureLeanne Elliott: I have 10, 10 recommendations for you. So before we dive into each one, should I just go through? The 10? Al Elliott: That'll be good Leanne Elliott: Yeah, so the first one is stay curious, be open to havEP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 57:44–58:39 69:21No. 3: Build trust with your peopleAl Elliott: As Puller explains, I think one of the things is, you know, asking if you're okay is a great way to start the conversation. It shows that you care. It's a good conversation starter, you know, but we kind of lEP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 69:21–73:25 88:15No. 9: Model good leadership behavioursAl Elliott: I think the number one thing, and I mentioned all the, all the, the, the characteristics of, um, of, of leaders, and I think paying attention to that is sort of important in terms of just, you know, checking EP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 88:15–92:37 52:53'Finally, I'm in charge' — building the culture you wantLeanne Elliott: Mm-hmm Al Elliott: You have to let people just fly. And I think that lifting the lid off, um, anyone can do anything if they really put their mind to it and they're blessed with the physical and mental caEP 33 · 5 Apr 2023·other· 52:53–58:39 57:01Practical recruitment advice for busy leadersLeanne Elliott: Martin shared there as well is actually a really good technique, um, in terms of setting these ground rules, um, in terms of your culture. So, if we have these values, what do these behaviours look like? EP 31 · 22 Mar 2023·other· 57:01–59:05 1:47Introducing our guests — Rob, Susan, PJ and DuncanAl Elliott: Yeah, I think it might have been taken out of time. So, uh, today we're talking about how not to be an asshole boss. Now there is some, already some contention around this because we are Brits, so we say asshEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·intro· 1:47–5:37 14:42What makes an asshole boss?Leanne Elliott: Yes. Al Elliott: Okay. So I think everyone has had an asshole boss. There's that meme with the guy who's saying, I'm gonna have to get you to stay over the weekend. You know, he's got braces. You know theEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 14:42–19:26 19:26Values as the foundation of leadershipAl Elliott: And I think as PJ explains, like, this is down to the values of the individual leader. Like, if your values, if you've borrowed your values from Gordon Gekko, probably not a great example, but borrowed it froEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 19:26–21:22 24:34The self-awareness cure — and Rob's polo coach confessionAl Elliott: So being aware that you're an asshole is probably one of the best things that you can do as an asshole boss. And it's— and you don't have to say, I am an asshole boss. You can have asshole moments like Rob exEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 24:34–26:58 26:58Values as the glue between systemic and emotionalRob Kalwarowsky: If you want to connect the systemic and the emotional sides, values is the glue, because values at a deep level is how we operate, how we evaluate our time to be meaningful, just by definition, right? ItEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 26:58–29:08 29:08Transparency, vulnerability and leadershipAl Elliott: So we've mentioned before that this feeling of pain or fear is the major way of becoming an asshole boss. But there's an idea that Leanne came up with that leaders should be a filter for information. Leaders EP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 29:08–33:05 33:07Why being a leader is genuinely hardAl Elliott: Exactly. That's why being a leader is hard. It's really hard. It's not a question of just being promoted until you're good at the actual technical side of it. You've got to be good at the actual empathy. You'EP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 33:07–35:21 44:12Failing from extreme values, not lack of valuesAl Elliott: So PJ explains that it's not just having no values or not knowing what your values are that can make you fail as a leader. It's also having an extreme value of some kind. Here's PJ. Rob Kalwarowsky: I don't bEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 44:12–45:18 48:46"If you think you're an asshole, that's a good sign"Al Elliott: So this idea of being self-aware is something which Rob thinks is really, really important. Rob Kalwarowsky: First off, if you're thinking that you're an asshole, it's a good sign. Yeah. I mean, not that I'm EP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 48:46–51:54 51:54Trump, ambition and the motive behind leadershipLeanne Elliott: PJ also agrees that Donald Trump makes an interesting case study in the world of leadership. Rob Kalwarowsky: You can look at a load of leaders throughout history who have been ambitious, and I could throEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 51:54–58:17 60:03When you get it right — the flow of high-performing teamsAl Elliott: So that's what can happen when you get it wrong. But when you get it right, when everyone feels like they're playing for the same team, if everyone feels like there's energy in the room, we're all trying to dEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·panel interview· 60:03–63:39 69:16Outro — the fact you're asking means you're not a narcissistAl Elliott: So hopefully now you know what an asshole boss looks like, whether you are gonna be an asshole boss and what you can do about it. Leanne Elliott: If you do find yourself being an asshole boss, chances are youEP 30 · 15 Mar 2023·outro· 69:16–70:01 4:39The 'family' trap: why culture-as-family backfiresMelissa Carson: I think when people talk about they wanna feel like a family, that it's just that everybody cares about each other and we're in it for the long haul together. But it, it is, it is a business that people aEP 28 · 1 Mar 2023·panel interview· 4:39–7:01 7:01Are you the bottleneck or the lifeline?Al Elliott: So I think most people would think about that and go, purpose, okay, well, my purpose is to make a, make a load of money. Let's build a company to exit it. But that's not really what Leanne was talking about EP 28 · 1 Mar 2023·panel interview· 7:01–14:25 40:06Melissa on imperfect leadership & self-awarenessLeanne Elliott: I would love to. And this is a section where we're gonna be hearing a lot more from our 3rd guest, Melissa Carson. Um, as we mentioned as well last week, Melissa has worked with Accenture for a number of EP 28 · 1 Mar 2023·panel interview· 40:06–44:28 44:28Why great leaders don't pretend to know everythingLeanne Elliott: well, I'm not gonna say really good analogy Simon Berger: Adequate analogy Melissa Carson: AdequateEP 28 · 1 Mar 2023·panel interview· 44:28–46:07 39:45What investors look for in entrepreneurs and leadersAl Elliott: So the first thing they're looking for is leader and entrepreneurial leadership. The second thing they're looking for is people leadership. So what are the commonalities here? What are the traits of a businesEP 27 · 22 Feb 2023·other· 39:45–46:32 60:07What got you here won't get you thereStephen Shortt: There's another phrase that I use, and I use it a lot in keynotes and workshops, which is, what got you here is not going to get them there. And when you have a current generation that is risk-averse and EP 26 · 15 Feb 2023·panel interview· 60:07–64:24 46:55Tip 1 — Learn how to listenLeanne Elliott: If I understand what Sophie is saying, and in terms of, of empathy, and empathy being a leadership, um, superpower that we need in this new era. I guess it seems to follow for me that if we're removing thEP 25 · 8 Feb 2023·interview· 46:55–52:20 52:20Tip 2 — Clarify purpose and valuesAl Elliott: But let's Okay, so the first one is to learn how to listen. The second one is all about clear purpose and values. Now, we've talked all before about empathy is understanding others, but we need to invest equaEP 25 · 8 Feb 2023·interview· 52:20–56:41 56:42Tip 3 — Stay curious and genuinely careAl Elliott: So the third thing is to stay curious and genuinely care. I mean, if you're an entrepreneur, if you're listening to this and you've started a business, you're already curious. Um, that's the reason why you stEP 25 · 8 Feb 2023·interview· 56:42–57:53 22:48Lessons from the winners: culture, leadership, and line managersLeanne Elliott: The survey is a really great resource, and as Gill said, it's free and it's going to give you some really great insights into how your, your business is currently managing it. its wellbeing, its wellbeingEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 22:48–28:50 30:16From natural marketer to leaderLeanne Elliott: A really honest view there, I think, of remote work and, and how we're coming to terms with it. And as Kyle said, you know, it is early days and we haven't quite cracked it yet, but what we do know is it'EP 23 · 25 Jan 2023·other· 30:16–36:51 36:51Three traits of leaders who build great culturesLeanne Elliott: Some really great examples from, from Kyle there. And I guess just 3, 3 traits and behaviors that I see in leaders that Kyle talked about there to expand on and explain a little bit. He talked there aboutEP 23 · 25 Jan 2023·other· 36:51–38:54 2:53How to know if your team is burnt outAl Elliott: Yeah, 3 fantastic guests with very different, well, not very different, but quite, quite different ways that they approach the burnout with different stories. In fact, I think all 3 of them have experienced bEP 21 · 13 Jan 2023·other· 2:53–9:31 27:15Recommendation 1 — Reflect on your behaviour as a leaderLeanne Elliott: So let's go through some practical things you can do as a business leader, as a, as a business owner to nurture wellbeing and prevent burnout within your team Al Elliott: So the first thing So firstly, yoEP 21 · 13 Jan 2023·other· 27:15–31:32 39:15Recommendation 3 — Think of yourself as a managerLeanne Elliott: So our 3rd recommendation is to think of yourself as a leader, as a manager, or if you're a business leader, to help your managers in, in this type of development, managers as coaches. This is all about oEP 21 · 13 Jan 2023·other· 39:15–50:12 9:24Prediction 8: Why transparency will be vital in 2023Al Elliott: So that brings me on nicely to prediction number 8, which is mine, which is going to be a lot more transparency, or there should be a lot more transparency in a business. Now, whether it's— I mean, why I origEP 19 · 4 Jan 2023·other· 9:24–14:21 13:34The difference between a manager and a leaderLeanne Elliott: Yeah, that is, that is a very widely debated and discussed question. I think what's really interesting about the way the research is going is that actually there is becoming less of a distinction between EP 17 · 20 Dec 2022·other· 13:34–16:06 29:37The 7 mistakes most managers makeLeanne Elliott: I guess having— feeling that they need to have all the answers, feeling that they need to come up with every solution, not running those solutions past their people. And that's a mistake that I made, and EP 17 · 20 Dec 2022·other· 29:37–33:14 9:48Meet Stephan WiednerAl Elliott: We brought in a guest called Stephan, who he will introduce himself in a second. And I'm not going to— deliberately not going to ask Leanne to define psychological safety or why we need it, because these are EP 15 · 6 Dec 2022·interview· 9:48–10:40 0:33Introduction and why leaders should care about psychometricsSandy McKenzie: Nice Al Elliott: Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses Sandy McKenzie: We need the Elon Musk high HDS people, you know, in our worldEP 14 · 29 Nov 2022·intro· 0:33–9:02 19:05Derailment: Boris, Trump, and positive examplesAl Elliott: That all makes sense. So what happens when we do derail? Sandy McKenzie: If, if I, on the one hand, talk about somebody like, you know, Boris Johnson or Donald Trump, So these are individuals who are likely tEP 14 · 29 Nov 2022·interview· 19:05–22:47 45:32The Elon Musk caseAl Elliott: Now, I read something, or in fact, it might have been an interview I saw with Elon a little while ago. And he said when he was building Tesla, he said that he was on the brink of bankruptcy for about 3 years.EP 14 · 29 Nov 2022·interview· 45:32–53:46 53:46Coaching the high-HDS leaderSandy McKenzie: I think the coaching aspect would be about helping him to gain perspective on situations in order to be able to recognize what the triggers are, and then to be able to try and learn behavior to mitigate tEP 14 · 29 Nov 2022·interview· 53:46–58:01 33:24What leaders should do if someone on their team has itLeanne Elliott: Yes. And I think I, I know that I've kind of made a point, do you know, is it really imposter phenomenon? Is it something else? But I say that to you as a business leader. I don't say this to as an employEP 10 · 3 Nov 2022·other· 33:24–37:39 22:34Empathic leadership without burnoutLeanne Elliott: Yeah, and empathic leadership is something that's getting a lot more coverage at the moment, and it can be really effective in terms of motivating performance and nurturing wellbeing. I guess, first of alEP 08 · 23 Aug 2022·other· 22:34–27:07 3:29Book #1 — Leanne's pick: The Leader's Guide to Resilience by Dr. Audrey TangLeanne Elliott: It's not catchy. Awesome reading list. And my first one is actually a really good one. If you are feeling on the edge of burnout, you really should be switching off, my friend. But if you absolutely can'tEP 07 · 9 Aug 2022·other· 3:29–5:01 6:32Book #3 — Leanne's pick: The Promises of Giants by John AmaechiLeanne Elliott: Lovely. See, what I love about this, Al, is you were already thinking about the relationship between leadership, organisational, and performance when you were a mere 20-what? Al Elliott: Well, in 2007, I EP 07 · 9 Aug 2022·other· 6:32–9:25 3:25Why leaders should care: recruitment & developmentLeanne Elliott: I think psychometric tests tend to fall into 2 places that can be of use to an organisation. If you think about that through the lens of the OBLONG framework, which if you're a regular listener, you will EP 06 · 2 Aug 2022·other· 3:25–6:49 10:23Why Leaders Are Still Clinging to the OfficeLeanne Elliott: Yeah, I think what, what we have experienced, and I think perhaps business owners or leaders are in, in still somewhat in a state of shock from the significant shift in our working patterns that's happeneEP 05 · 25 Jul 2022·other· 10:23–14:06 30:04Silo 3: Culture, Bad Managers, and the 3 R'sAl Elliott: Okay, so back in the '80s and '90s, the Tom Peters of the world were talking about this open-door management technique where anyone can walk in, etc., etc. There have been lots of different management fads siEP 05 · 25 Jul 2022·other· 30:04–39:57 6:23From Mad Men to modern leadership — how engagement has changedAl Elliott: So, think back to Mad Men. If you've watched Mad Men, if you're in the marketing advertising industry, I'm sure you've seen it. What made them want to stay till 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, work on a campaign, worEP 02 · 12 Jul 2022·other· 6:23–7:17 11:41Pillar 1 — Strategic narrative (and why it gives you goosebumps)Leanne Elliott: Yes. So, strategic narrative— that's a difficult word— strategic narrative is really about leadership. It's about vision. It's about empowering people. It's about creating a vision that people can buy intEP 02 · 12 Jul 2022·other· 11:41–18:40

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