# takeaways
37 moments across 35 episodes. Click any moment to jump straight to that part of the episode.
54:13Top 3 takeawaysOwen Fitzpatrick: Yeah. And here's the thing, Al, that's what Robert McKee, who's The greatest screenwriting teacher of all time. He's taught the greatest. If you think about anybody who's written a great screenplay, morEP 323 · 30 Jul 2026·interview· 54:13–60:3150:34Top 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· 50:34–52:3945:56Top 3 takeaways and where to find EllieAl Elliott: I feel like we need a part 2 on how to actually write a press release because I know that you've got so many different frameworks for it, triangles, all kinds of stuff we haven't got time for. Ellie, I just aEP 319 · 16 Jul 2026·outro· 45:56–47:4075:32Top takeaways and where to find the guestsAl Elliott: Well, talking of specific things that people can do differently, I mean, people who— we've covered an awful lot in this chat. Is the one practical thing that maybe a civilian leader could do differently startEP 303 · 21 May 2026·outro· 75:32–83:0745:52Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: That was Dr. Rosenna Bakari. And if you're a smart person, I bet that one stung a little bit Leanne Elliott: We've got 3 takeaways for founders and business owners, of course. Number 1, your intelligence is aEP 301 · 14 May 2026·interview· 45:52–46:5948:25Where to find Rachel and final takeawaysRachel Harris: I share lots more of the stuff that we've been chatting about today on social, so you can find me everywhere you consume content at accountant_she. It's punny, it's funny, it's Accountant Sheep. And yeah, EP 299 · 7 May 2026·outro· 48:25–51:0350:30Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: Yes. And lesson 2, bad hiring isn't just expensive, It's unfair. Kate made this point that we've romanticized the old way. The reality was that CVs were screened in 20 seconds by someone who'd lost enthusiasmEP 287 · 26 Mar 2026·interview· 50:30–52:0153:34Top 3 takeawaysLeanne Elliott: And third, confidential beats anonymous. Nearly every well-run survey is confidential, not truly anonymous. And that's a feature, not a flaw. It's the only way to find out that, say, your new hires hate tEP 283 · 12 Mar 2026·interview· 53:34–54:2549:00Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: That was Tom LeNoble, and that might be one of the most extraordinary lives we've ever heard compressed into a single interview Leanne Elliott: Absolutely incredible. And as always, we have 3 top takeaways. WEP 281 · 5 Mar 2026·interview· 49:00–50:1940:59One thing to take away and top 3 takeawaysLindsey Caplan: So, I think if there's one thing I want people to take away, it's the idea that people are not changed or moved by content. They're changed when they are affected by it, right? And so, that is our goal, tEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 40:59–43:1857:07The best place I've ever worked and takeawaysAl Elliott: So let me just ask you one last question, and I imagine that you You overheard your employees talking about working at Studio Xav. What would be the biggest compliment you could overhear, do you think, about EP 271 · 29 Jan 2026·panel interview· 57:07–61:3349:24A 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· 49:24–51:0547:07Top 3 takeaways and how to enter the drawAl Elliott: That was Rob Kalvorowski, and I really hope you noticed that interview was a little bit different because Rob's not selling us some productivity hack or morning routine. He's telling us the brutal truth. If yEP 257 · 11 Dec 2025·interview· 47:07–49:5847:06The 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· 47:06–47:1648:35Top 3 takeaways for leadersAl Elliott: Okay, so that was Aoife O'Brien, and if you like her stories, then definitely check out our podcast Happier at Work Leanne Elliott: I'd like to wrap up with our 3 takeaways for leaders. Lesson 1, there's rareEP 255 · 4 Dec 2025·interview· 48:35–50:2445:21Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: That was Dr. Ryan Martin and a masterclass in hacking your emotions. The thing is, I think we've all been so focused on managing our emotions when they explode that we've completely ignored all the tiny decisEP 247 · 6 Nov 2025·interview· 45:21–47:4254:15Wrap-Up and TakeawaysAl Elliott: Okay, so that's it for this week. Thank you so much for the letters. Thank you for listening this far. Thank you for putting up with all our rambling Leanne Elliott: Yeah, we were a bit rambly and ranty todayEP 232 · 16 Sept 2025·news roundup· 54:15–57:1246:01Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: And here's the proof that Tony's approach actually works. Adidas became known as the talent factory, with a conveyor belt of leaders going to senior roles across America, Amsterdam, Germany, and around the woEP 231 · 11 Sept 2025·interview· 46:01–46:4652:47Top 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· 52:47–54:2037:13The 'melting hug' and other takeawaysLeanne Elliott: What are they? Patrick Fagan: So melting hug is where you go up to someone and you hug them, And then you kind of breathe into them. So as you exhale, you kind of like both exhale together and melt togethEP 227 · 28 Aug 2025·interview· 37:13–38:4741:08Top 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· 41:08–43:1045:12Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: That was Andrew Palmer from The Economist, the Bartleby column, and host of Boss Class podcast. 3 key takeaways, I think. Number one, great management is both poetry and prose. You need to inspire and organisEP 217 · 24 Jul 2025·interview· 45:12–46:2043:27Where to find Steve and key takeawaysSteve Roest: It's pocdoc.co, P-O-C-D-O-C.co, or you can find me on LinkedIn. I'm Steve Roest, or on Instagram where I'm @SteveRoest Al Elliott: That was the amazing Steve. Go and listen to his podcast, link in the show nEP 213 · 10 Jul 2025·outro· 43:27–44:4129:39Top 3 takeaways from StuartAl Elliott: Absolutely. So Just quickly then, the top 3 things we're taking away from Stuart's story. Leanne, what are they? Leanne Elliott: Number 1, just talk to people. Communicate. If someone's putting the time and eEP 196 · 13 May 2025·news roundup· 29:39–32:1151:30Book takeaways and where to startAl Elliott: Is there a part, we've got this link, sweatystartup.com/ideas. Is that a good place for people to start? Nick Huber: Yeah, go download that list of business ideas. And then there's some other resources. That'EP 193 · 1 May 2025·interview· 51:30–56:3047:26The five big takeaways from this conversationAl Elliott: Don't. Don't grow up. Never grow up. So this is what we've learned so far from this episode. First up, and this really surprised me, both our guests, despite being generations apart, said exactly the same thiEP 141 · 31 Oct 2024·other· 47:26–49:3547:16Top 3 takeaways and where to find Kat and LizAl Elliott: So that's how to have difficult conversations at work. The key things that I learned really were. Number 1, that conflict is natural and nothing new, but kindness and compassion diffuses almost any conflict. EP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·outro· 47:16–51:2343:05Wrap-up and takeawaysAl Elliott: So, there you have it. That is this week's world-famous weekly workplace surgery. If you've got a question, you know how to get in touch. Check the show notes. There'll be an email address in there. Just sendEP 130 · 24 Sept 2024·news roundup· 43:05–45:1445:29What Harry wants listeners to take awayAl Elliott: Yeah Harry Cramer: You add that up over the years and people spend thousands and thousands and thousands of hours working with you. So I feel very proud that they've entrusted an element of their career with EP 129 · 19 Sept 2024·interview· 45:29–48:1111:35Three 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· 11:35–12:2756:15Top 5 takeaways and outroAl Elliott: 100%. Let's do that Leanne Elliott: I think the first one for me is embrace your differences. You know, this is going to sound really stupid. I don't mean to take away from Maneesh in any way, but this reallyEP 56 · 14 Sept 2023·interview· 56:15–61:0211:05Takeaway 1 — The most significant factor in productivityAl Elliott: Well, there are actually 3 takeaways that we can talk about now. The first of these is that the most significant aspect of management which has influenced design leads to toxic workspace. That's the first thiEP 43 · 14 Jun 2023·other· 11:05–14:5276:06Top takeaways and wrap-upAl Elliott: So regular listeners will know that we don't just leave you, drop you in the shit. We always try and tell you where you can get more help and support. We asked Nancy, as a business owner, what's our first steEP 41 · 31 May 2023·panel interview· 76:06–82:3270:28Final advice and takeawaysAl Elliott: I would say find a mentor as soon as possible. Find someone in your organization, female, if you're a female, another female who you trust, respect, and you want to learn from, and start now. Invite them to cEP 32 · 29 Mar 2023·other· 70:28–73:3476:30Top 3 takeawaysAl Elliott: What a story. The fact that they— he's still living with his parents, although not working anymore, but still living with his parents. I stand and applaud at that. Anyway, so Stephen says there are 5 Ps to suEP 26 · 15 Feb 2023·panel interview· 76:30–78:3941:09Getting started: practical steps and final takeawaysLeanne Elliott: Very nice. Very well said. A really great sentiment from Donna there. And again, I think just that authenticity shines through. So let's say that you are convinced, you understand the business case for haEP 24 · 31 Jan 2023·other· 41:09–51:1142:06Leanne's reflectionsLeanne Elliott: I think Al and Jim have given us a lot to reflect on there. And if you'll indulge me for a few more minutes, I'd like to share some of Some of mine. I wonder sometimes whether we're so concerned with our EP 22 · 17 Jan 2023·interview· 42:06–46:51
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