The Experimental Leader

What happens when leaders become so focused on having power, making decisions, and getting things done that they stop listening to the people around them? In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford explore how power can affect a leader’s ability to listen, understand others, and make thoughtful decisions. When leaders rely too heavily on their own perspectiv...

The higher you climb in leadership, the easier it can be to overlook your own biases. You might find yourself favoring people who think like you, agree with your ideas, or remind you of yourself. But how often do you stop and question whether your decisions are truly fair? In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford explore how leaders can recognize im...

Do you find yourself fixing your team’s work, even when it’s already good enough to move forward? Many leaders fall into the trap of believing they need to add value to every project. But constant editing and offering solutions can slow progress, undermine employee confidence, and take ownership away from the people doing the work. In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Dr...

What if becoming a better leader starts with looking inward? In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford sit down with JD Johnson to explore personal accountability, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership. They discuss why understanding your values, motivations, and emotional triggers is essential to leading yourself and others effectively....

In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford explore how communication is a leadership skill we can continually develop to navigate different priorities, expectations, and responsibilities. From coordinating family holiday plans to managing workplace schedules and holiday coverage, clear communication helps prevent misunderstandings, reduce tension, and...

When should a leader ask for input, and when is it better to simply make the decision? In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore one of the trickier parts of leadership: knowing when collaboration is helpful and when asking for input can actually create confusion, frustration, or a false sense of shared decision-making. They unpack the differenc...

What if one of the biggest untapped resources in today’s workplace isn’t technology, but experience? In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford sit down with leadership strategist and author Dan Pontefract to rethink age, experience, longevity, and the future of work. This conversation invites leaders to ask an important question: What could your organization ga...

Leadership doesn’t stop when the meeting ends. Sometimes, it shows up around the dinner table. In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Dr. Mel Rutherford explore how leaders can intentionally shape informal gatherings, business dinners, and social events to create connection, inclusion, and meaningful conversation. From choosing the right seating arrangement to managing alc...

What happens to your organizational culture when a valued employee leaves? In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore one of the often-overlooked moments in leadership: how we handle employee departures . Even when an exit is complicated by frustration, conflict, or disappointment, the way leaders respond sends a powerful message to the people who remain...

What if feeling overwhelmed isn’t really about your workload but your thought load? In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford sit down with leadership expert Liane Davey to explore the invisible mental and emotional demands that can leave leaders and teams feeling depleted, distracted, and overwhelmed. Liane introduces the concept of thought load , which goes b...

Are you hiring people who truly fit the role or simply people who feel familiar? In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Mel Rutherford and Melanie Parish explore one of the most common leadership traps: hiring people who think, work, and lead just like you. While it may feel comfortable, it can limit innovation, collaboration, and long-term organizational success. Melanie shares how...

What happens when everything is a priority? In this episode of The Experimental Leader, Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore one of the most common leadership traps: creating urgency without providing clarity. When leaders assign too much work without clear priorities, employees are left to sort through competing demands, often leading to stress, rework, and reduced productivity. Melanie shar...

Unclear expectations can quietly undermine even the strongest teams. Miscommunication, frustration, reduced accountability, and stalled growth often stem from one overlooked leadership challenge: a lack of clarity. In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Melanie Parish, MCC, and Dr. Mel Rutherford, PCC, welcome Georgia Thomas , former corporate lawyer, entrepreneur, and multi-business...

What if your biggest leadership challenge becomes your greatest opportunity? In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore how unexpected setbacks can become "lucky disasters" when leaders approach them with curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to adapt. Through personal stories—including an ice storm that sent a tree crashing into a swimming po...

In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , Melanie Parish speaks with Dr. Mel Rutherford about leading through crisis, identity, and organizational transformation, drawing from his book The Glass Cliff: One Trans Man’s Leadership Odyssey . The conversation explores the “glass cliff” phenomenon, where leaders from marginalized groups are often placed into high-risk leadership roles during...

In this episode of Traps and Tricks , Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford explore two leadership challenges that often go hand in hand: criticism and emotions. Why do leaders become defensive when receiving feedback? What happens when emotions are ignored in the workplace? And how can leaders respond with empathy while still maintaining accountability? Melanie and Mel discuss how criticism can be va...

Welcome to Skill Up, the newest segment of The Experimental Leader Podcast, where Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford break down practical leadership skills that help leaders grow, develop teams, and create lasting impact. In this episode, Skill Up: Developing People, Melanie and Mel explore why employee development is one of the most powerful tools in leadership today. They discuss how strong leade...

In this episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast, Melanie Parish and Mel Rutherford are joined by Jacob Chase, CEO of Infin, for a strategic exploration of leadership, accountability, and the future of human performance. The discussion examines how organizations can evolve beyond traditional performance management systems and succession planning models that often fail to capture the full scope o...

What makes people truly engaged at work? In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Dr. Roz Cohen joins the conversation to explore the power of connection, belonging, and human-centred leadership in today’s workplace. As an inclusion strategist and founder of Socius Strategies, Dr. Roz shares insights from her work helping organizations build cultures rooted in trust, psychological safety, and...

Burnout is not the cost of leadership. It is a signal. In this episode of The Experimental Leader , we explore a more sustainable way to lead by moving beyond either or thinking and learning how to manage competing priorities more effectively. This conversation focuses on balancing results and relationships, performance and well being, and leadership and personal life through a concept known as Po...

In this episode of The Experimental Leader, the show explores a trauma-sensitive perspective on leadership, examining how early relational experiences shape executive behaviour, emotional triggers, and decision-making patterns. The conversation highlights how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses show up in the workplace—and what leaders can do to manage them effectively.

Start 2026 with a fresh take on leadership. In this episode of The Experimental Leader , Mel Rutherford and Melanie Parish are joined by designer and community builder Paulo Gregory to explore leading through collective wisdom. They discuss the power of soft skills, non-hierarchical leadership, and collaboration, and how experimentation and trust can unlock innovation and shared ownership in teams...

This episode dives into how leaders can use experimentation to navigate the intensity of the December season with more clarity, efficiency, and humanity. The conversation explores practical strategies for running purposeful meetings, setting clear expectations, and respecting time during a high-pressure month. You’ll also hear fresh perspectives on blending personal and professional traditions, fo...

In this episode, Dr. Torben Noerby—CEO of People & Performance, author of The Contextual Leader , and creator of the Contextual Leadership AI Bot (CLAI)—explores how leaders can adapt to their organizational context to drive performance, accountability, and collaboration. Discover how contextual leadership helps shape culture and strengthen inclusivity, and learn how AI can become a powerful a...

In this month’s episode of The Experimental Leader Podcast , we explore what it takes to build leadership that lasts. The conversation covers the essentials of self-leadership, aligning words with actions, and the role of diversity in shaping stronger, more authentic leaders. You’ll hear insights on managing reputation, balancing transparency with credibility, and why empathy and quick apologies a...