Leadership Explored

Season 2 Retrospective: What We’ll Keep, Stop, and Start Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: Season 2 Retrospective Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: September 15, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Season 2 of Leadership Explored is officially in the books — 15 episodes, zero missed slots, and some genuine breakout moments. Ed and Andy are pulling...

Myth of the Natural Leader: Why Leadership Is Built, Not Born Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 29 (Season 2, Episode 15) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: August 25, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description “You’re a natural.” It sounds like a compliment — and in the moment, it might even feel accurate. But what if being called a natural is one of the...

Soft Skills Are Hard (And Hard Skills Are Easy) Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 28 (Season 2, Episode 14) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: August 11, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description The words “hard skills” and “soft skills” have been part of the professional vocabulary for decades — but what if that vocabulary has been misleading leaders the...

Leadership is Teaching: You’re Always in the Classroom Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 27 (Season 2, Episode 13) Runtime: Approximately 65 minutes Release Date: July 28, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this follow-on to their “Reading Is Leading” conversation, Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund make the case that leadership and teaching are inseparable — and...

Reading is Leading: Leadership Literacy Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 26 (Season 2, Episode 12) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: July 14, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Fifty-four percent of US adults read below a sixth grade level — and we’re promoting those same adults into management, trusting them with budgets, and calling them leader...

Stoicism (Not Broicism!): Reclaiming and Ancient Philosophy for Modern Leaders Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 25 (Season 2, Episode 11) Runtime: Approximately 80 minutes Release Date: Jun 30, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Stoicism is one of the most misread philosophies in popular culture — and the misreading isn’t harmless. A distorted version, what Ed...

Gripes Go Up: What You Do With Complaints Reveals Your Leadership Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 24 (Season 2, Episode 10) Runtime: Approximately 43 minutes Release Date: Jun 16, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored, Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund take on one of the most repeated phrases in management: don’t bring me probl...

The Privilege Trap: Why Leadership Perks Make You Dangerous Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 23 (Season 2, Episode 9) Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes Release Date: June 2, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description The higher you climb, the more friction gets removed from your daily life — and that’s not a coincidence, it’s a design feature. But when every mundane o...

So You’ve Been Laid Off… Now What? A Layoff Survival Guide Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 22 (Season 2, Episode 8) Runtime: Approximately 68 minutes Release Date: May 19, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Getting laid off is a shock to the system — one minute you’re in a meeting, and five minutes later your laptop is bricked and your identity, routine, and...

Make Layoffs Suck Less: Ethical Layoffs and Humane Exits Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 21 (Season 2, Episode 7) Runtime: Approximately 68 minutes Release Date: May 5, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund take on one of the hardest topics in leadership: layoffs. There is no such thing as a...

Mental Fitness: Recovery, Resilience, and Leadership Under Pressure Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 20 (Season 2, Episode 6) Runtime: Approximately 60 minutes Release Date: April 21, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund take on one of the workplace’s most celebrated but misunderstood ideas:...

Effective Communication: Leadership Signal vs. Noise Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 19 (Season 2, Episode 5) Runtime: Approximately 49 minutes Release Date: April 7, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund dig into one of the most overlooked leadership differentiators: effective communication....

You Sound Like an Idiot: Leadership Communication, Overconfidence, and Hollow Authority Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 18 (Season 2, Episode 4) Runtime: Approximately 38 minutes Release Date: March 24, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund take on a leadership behavior most people have witne...

Reporting vs Owning (Weather Reports vs Action Plans) Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 17 (Season 2, Episode 3) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: March 10, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund unpack a leadership tension most teams feel every week: when is it enough to “report t...

Projects Always Start Red Hosts: Ed Schaefer & Andy Siegmund Episode: 16 (Season 2, Episode 2) Runtime: Approximately 52 minutes Release Date: February 24, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description You kick off a new project, nothing has slipped yet, and the first status report goes out… green. But should it? In this episode, Ed and Andy challenge a default that quietly fuels lat...

Watermelon Projects: Green on the Outside, Red on the Inside Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 15 (Season 2, Episode 1) Runtime: ~54 minutes Release Date: February 10, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description A watermelon project is green on the outside and red on the inside—everything looks “fine” on dashboards, but the people doing the work know the risks are stack...

Welcome to Season 2 of Leadership Explored — We’re Back Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: Season 2, Episode 0 Runtime: Approximately 29 minutes Release Date: February 10, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Leadership Explored is back for Season 2. After a strategic (and necessary) pause, Ed and Andy return to talk candidly about why they stepped away, what they...

Leadership right now has a vibe—and it’s uncertainty. A lot of leaders are waiting for the ground to settle. But it hasn’t. Priorities keep shifting, expectations keep changing, and the friction keeps piling up. That’s why we’re back with Season 2 of Leadership Explored . This season, Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund are diving deeper into the friction that gets in the way of doing good work—bad habi...

Leadership has a public version—and a private reality. It’s the status report that says everything is “green,” while the team is quietly carrying risk. It’s the confident strategy leaders present on stage, followed by the uncertainty they feel when they sit back down. That’s the gap we’re stepping into in Season 2 of Leadership Explored . This season, hosts Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund are spendi...

We took a break to practice sustainable leadership—and now we’re back to talk about what it really takes to lead right now. Leadership didn’t get any quieter while we were away. 🎙️ Season 2 starts February 10, 2026—follow Leadership Explored so you don’t miss the premiere. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www....

Hosts: Ed Schaefer & Andy Siegmund Episode: Season 1 Special Runtime: ~75 minutes Release Date: December 30, 2025 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description In this Season 1 special, Ed and Andy do a “Leadership Year-to-Date” reflection—checking which beliefs got stronger, which shifted, and which messy lessons changed how they lead. From learning rate and team stability to slack time,...

Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: Season 1 Retrospective (Season Break Special) Runtime: ~44 minutes Release Date: December 23, 2025 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Season 1 is in the books—and instead of immediately charging into “what’s next,” we’re doing what effective leaders actually do: we’re pausing. In this special Season 1 Retrospective episode of Leader...

Hosts: Ed Schaefer Episode: Season Break - Season 1 Highlights Runtime: Approximately 7 minutes Release Date: November 18, 2025 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description: In this special season break episode of Leadership Explored , host Ed Schaefer looks back at Season 1 (Episodes 2–14) and pulls together the through-lines that kept showing up across every topic. Ed explores three co...

Hosts: Ed Schaefer Episode: Bonus — Season 1 Wrap & What’s Next Runtime: Approximately 9 minutes Release Date: October 7, 2025 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description: In this short bonus episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer shares why the podcast is taking a short, intentional break—and why that’s a leadership decision in itself. After 14 episodes diving into the realities...

Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 14 Runtime: Approximately 1 hour, 3 minutes Release Date: September 23, 2025 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description: In this episode of Leadership Explored , Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund shift the spotlight from the stars to the real game-changers: the glue people . These under-recognized teammates don’t always get the credit, but thei...