Connected Leadership

As 2026 begins, Rich and Dave tackle a question many leaders avoid but feel deeply: How happy is my team really… and what role am I playing in that? A recent 2025 report states that just over half (51%) of UK workers are frequently happy in their jobs, a quarter (25%) often don't feel appreciated, and 22% feel undervalued at work. Moving beyond perks, incentives and short-term fixes, this conversa...

In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Rich and Dave explore one of the most common leadership bottlenecks in senior roles: when everything still comes back to the leader. They discuss why shared leadership, emotional intelligence, and team coaching will define high-performance teams in 2026 and beyond Drawing on research, real-world experience, and Zentano’s Connected Leadership a...

Courage in leadership is often misunderstood. It’s not about bold speeches or dramatic decisions; it’s about the everyday choices leaders make between comfort and effectiveness. In this re-released Leadership Unscripted episode, Dave and Rich explore how experienced leaders can unknowingly drift towards comfortable leadership: avoiding difficult conversations, over-relying on familiar approaches,...

Many capable leaders are delivering results yet quietly feeling more disconnected, from their teams, from peers, and sometimes from themselves. This isn’t a personal failing. It’s a predictable consequence of pressure, complexity and the way senior leadership roles have evolved. In this episode, we explore why disconnection is becoming more common at senior level, even among highly experienced ope...

Why Leaders Under Pressure Make Worse Decisions As leaders, we’re expected to make good decisions, even when we’re tired, stressed or running on empty. But what if that expectation is fundamentally flawed? In this reflective end-of-year episode, we explore a provocative truth: tired, stressed and sick people don’t make good decisions. Drawing on leadership psychology, decision-making research and...

“Never give up” is a phrase often used in leadership, sport, and business. But what if that mantra sometimes does more harm than good? In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others , Rich and Dave explore the often-ignored wisdom of knowing when to quit. Drawing on recent research, real leadership experience, and cultural examples from sport and business, they challenge the idea that perse...

In this episode, Rich and Dave explore what leaders can learn from the fast, disciplined, and constantly evolving world of Formula 1. Using the pit lane as a practical metaphor, they unpack how the best teams blend precision with adaptability, and why the same mindset is essential for leaders navigating rapid change. Drawing on real F1 case studies, they examine why agility isn’t chaos, why lean i...

In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Rich and Dave explore a leadership challenge that almost everyone recognises: the gap between being busy and adding value. Prompted by a simple question in the gym about why Dave prefers 30-minute classes, they dig into how short, deliberate pockets of time can fuel clarity, connection, creativity, and renewal. Drawing on Stephen Covey’s disti...

In this Leadership Unscripted episode, Rich and Dave dig into one of the most enduring psychological models for understanding workplace behaviour: Transactional Analysis and its Parent–Adult–Child (PAC) ego states. Using a playful PAC-Man analogy as the gateway into a deeper conversation, they explore how our internal “mini-me’s” influence tone, behaviour, decision-making, feedback conversations,...

In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Rich and Dave explore five common communication mistakes that quietly derail leadership impact. Despite endless tools and channels, teams still point to communication as the number one problem that impacts productivity and efficiency. Why is communication so hard? And why do good intentions so often get lost in translation? Drawing on real exa...

Why leadership today is about influence and connection rather than hierarchy In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Dave and Rich explore what it really means to lead beyond the organisational chart. Together, they challenge traditional notions of hierarchy and shareholder-driven thinking, arguing that true leadership today means viewing your organisation as an ecosystem, one where...

How reframing challenges builds confidence, creativity, and momentum. In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Rich and Dave explore what it means to move from problem-centric leadership to leading with possibility. They unpack how a reactive, firefighting culture where everything is urgent and important drains energy, stifles innovation, and erodes confidence and how a solutions-foc...

How RTT practitioner and former corporate leader Richard Stokes turned personal crisis into a mission to help others challenge limiting narratives and rediscover confidence. In this deeply honest Voices of Leadership episode, Dave sits down with Richard Stokes, RTT Practitioner and former senior corporate leader, to explore what happens when a successful life begins to unravel, and how it can lead...

In this Leadership Unscripted episode, Dave and Rich explore one of the biggest myths in leadership development: that you can “train” people into becoming better leaders. They unpack why so many leadership programmes fail to create real behavioural change and deliver a return on both investment and expectation. They introduce a different approach, a concept that does work, transformational learnin...

In this Voices of Leadership conversation, Dave sits down with Daniel Walton, Founder and Managing Director of OLPRO, a certified B-Corp and one of the UK’s leading outdoor leisure brands. From growing up climbing in the Peak District to helping launch lastminute.com at the dawn of e-commerce, Daniel’s story is a rich blend of adventure, experimentation, and entrepreneurial courage. He shares how...

In this Voices of Leadership episode, Dave speaks with Karen Nolan, founder of Bid Essentials, about the power of embedding social value into business strategy. Drawing on her background in construction, housing, and public sector tenders, Karen shares how leaders can move beyond the bottom line to create ripples of lasting impact in their communities. Dave & Karen explore why social value mat...

It’s the Heartbeat of Leadership: Why Courage Changes Everything. In this Leadership Unscripted episode, Dave and Rich explore one of the most essential, yet often misunderstood, qualities of leadership: courage. Drawing inspiration from a Harvard Business Review article, they unpack what it really means to be brave in today’s fast-changing world of uncertainty, disruption, and pressure. Far from...

How a young author’s journey with neurodiversity can help us reshape the way we think about leadership and inclusion. In this inspiring Voices of Leadership episode, Dave sits down with Daisy Merle, a young neurodiverse author and advocate, to explore what it really means to see the world differently. Daisy shares her journey of growing up with dyslexia, autism, and ADHD, and how these experiences...

Why healthy scepticism and sense-making tools matter more than quick-fix models In this Voices of Leadership conversation, Dave speaks with Stephen E. Morris, author of Leaders, Believers and Expert Deceivers, about the risks of relying on “one right way” models for leadership and organisational development. Drawing on his IT background and later research, Stephen shares how frameworks like Tuckma...

How Purpose-Led Leaders Create Positive Ripples In this first Voices of Leadership episode in season 2 of The Connected Leadership Podcast, Dave sits down with sustainability and B Corp expert Camilla Barnes, founder of Better Business, Better World to explore how purpose-led leadership can be a force for good. This thought-provoking conversation explores how businesses, particularly SMEs, can ali...

Why energy management—not time management—holds the key to optimal performance. Do you feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? What if the problem isn’t time management—but how you manage your energy? In this Leadership Unscripted episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Dave and Rich dive into the powerful concept of Energy Management, exploring why&nbs...

Resilience isn’t just about “toughing it out.” It’s not about the stiff upper lip, nor is it about playing the victim. True resilience is a dynamic process—one that requires vulnerability, recovery, and intentional action. In this Leadership Unscripted episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Dave and Rich explore: ✔️  Why resilience isn’t just about surviving—it’s about thriv...

What does true confidence look like? Is it boldness, assertiveness, and certainty? Or does it come from a quiet assurance, deep self-awareness, and humility? In this episode of  Leadership Unscripted , we explore a different take on confidence—one that challenges the traditional view of leadership. We discuss why confidence isn’t about bravado or faking it, but instead, it...

Rerelease In Episode 3 of  Unleash Your Impact: Unlock Others , Dave Morris and Rich Horton delve into the Connected Centre, the core of Zentano’s innovative Connected Leadership Model. Learn how to stay grounded and flexible while navigating the complexities of modern leadership. Highlights : Emotional intelligence and its role in leadership. Viewing organizations as ecosystems: creatin...

What makes some teams thrive while others stall? In this episode, Rich and Dave unpack how successful teams build and sustain momentum and performance using the lens of Zentano’s Connected Leadership model. They explore four key phases of team flow, Ignite, Inspire, Enable, and Execute plus the leadership styles that drive each phase forward. Using Rich’s music-mixer metaphor, they discuss how lea...