Call Yourself a Leader - Practical insights for Business Leaders in 10 minutes

If you have ever wondered why you can't seem to motivate yourself or others to do some of the important stuff that needs doing, this ten-minute podcast is for you. We explore what underpins personal motivation, and I share some simple things that have worked well for my clients that you can use in order to find the motivation you need to keep moving forward.  

You probably took offence at the title here because you never have a bad attitude...... do you? In this episode, we explore the hidden driver of performance: attitude.  We explore where attitude comes from, correct a misunderstanding about how we create our attitude and offer some simple enquiry questions that can help you adjust and reframe your attitude (and help you deal with the attitude of ot...

In the final part of this four-part series on conversation and relationship-building, we explore the ultimate reason for communication in business: to drive action and outcomes.  We'll look at some important ideas to ensure that when someone commits to an action, they will actually do it

In this podcast (part three of four in this exploration of the conversational cycle), we explore what to do when it's your turn to speak. How to minimise the risk that people misinterpret, ignore or forget your messages.  You'll learn some common leadership language traps, how to balance brevity and clarity and the importance of channel selection AND how not to be boring. 

In this ten-minute episode, we explore the importance of understanding others' perspectives as the best way to create influence, inspire and collaborate with them.  You'll learn how to create powerful questions, listen intently and use silence as a transformational tool. 

If you are a leader (or in Sales) a huge part of your job is building and managing relationships. It's also a deep source of frustration for many as people won't do what you want them to do or their attitude just stinks (in your assessment, of course)  In this podcast, we explore some of the things you can do to build new connections and deepen those you already have

In this episode, we explore the importance of making good priority decisions,  revisit 'importance' and 'urgency' with the Eisenhower matrix. We'll also reveal  your hidden ranking method (preference)

In this wide-ranging conversation, Mark poked away at why I do coaching, which clients stay and which go and what's in it for the client and what's in it for me, the coach.  If you are thinking about coming along to one of my events or having a conversation with me, this is well worth a listen. You'll pretty soon know if I am the kind of catalyst you want to move towards or run away...

 If businesses and markets stood still, we wouldn’t have any need to think about planning.  In reality, there are always things changing; new opportunities to jump on and new land mines to avoid or work around This means we have to make judgements and decisions about what to do in the future; therefore, we have to plan Perhaps your boss, coach, mentor or even the bank has asked you to prepare a pl...

In this episode, we explore how your leadership presence is influenced by both biological responses and acquired characteristics we think of as part of our personality and identity. This gives us a sense of confidence (or lack of it) in the various situations leaders encounter and have to deal with. 

If your experience of leading or managing in a company doesn't match the hype from others, this is the podcast for you. In this episode, Dave reflects on the imagined idea of micro-management.  This insidious idea often leaves managers afraid of actually doing their job for fear of being accused of micro-management, and employees unclear of how well they are performing.  If you find yourself...

If your experience of leading or managing in a company doesn't match the hype from others, this is the podcast for you. In this episode, Dave reflects on the often difficult decisions that must be made to balance the desire for perfection and control with pragmatism and speed. These kinds of decisions can lead to 'damned if you do, damned if you don't situations, so it's import...

If your experience of leading the company doesn't match the hype from others, this is the podcast for you. In this episode, Dave reflects on the concept of work-life balance and explores how leaders must grapple with this debate for themselves and with their teams. He offers a fresh perspective on the subject as well as some practical tools to use in thinking about what a meaningful balance m...

If your experience of leading the company doesn't match the hype from others, this is the podcast for you. In this episode, Dave reflects on the leadership gap as the reason why companies and individuals fail to meet their full potential. He also talks about why conventional training and business coaching/mentoring are largely ineffective at dealing with the root cause. The answer lies in coa...

Do you find yourself saying things like 'I am who I am', 'That is just not me' or 'They won't change'? In this episode, Dave reflects on the power of a lightning-bolt transformational conversation he experienced Transformational insights often come unexpectedly and from surprising places and whilst conventional coaching and training can support change, lasting tr...

In this episode, Dave shares some fresh thinking about how to escape the pull of the transactional hamster wheel that stops Owners / Directors and Managers. The podcast explores Why hamster wheeling becomes a preference The cost and payoffs of doing instead of leading Making 'management stuff' task led There is a summary document to accompany this podcast (email me at dave@sixthsensebusi...

Its hard enough running a company in these volatile, uncertain and chaotic times without the pressure of family ties and not wanting to be the one who blows it.  In this episode, we examine how to cope with the leadership challenges of taking on the family company. Many of my clients have found themselves as the second and even third generation at the helm so I have some perspectives that can be h...

Ever wonder why you end up arguing with others or making decisions and then blaming circumstances for why they didn't play out? It may be your perspective that is off balance.  In this episode, we examine the role that your thinking plays in how you interpret various situations. In a fast-changing environment, your ability to see past your assumptions, biases and beliefs is the key difference...

This month I am truly delighted to get to interview my longest-standing client, Gary Livingstone. He's a Basingstoke legend and the Owner/MD of three science and engineering companies.  We talk about taking the plunge to start a business, thoughts on investment (in machines and people) and acquisitions. There are some huge insights into the entrepreneurial mindset this month. 

Is the Leadership grass greener in the dynamic small business or the structured corporate world? Martyn and I discuss how to manage your boss, coach your employees and keep your shit together in the fast-paced cut and thrust of the business world (whether you are in a small company or a huge corporate.)  

In this episode, you'll meet Lulu who runs a manufacturing company employing 24 people in Dorchester. The story of how Lulu found herself taking the helm at Cygnus is both remarkable and inspirational, as is the way she has shaped a Leadership team to support her in driving the business forward.  Getting your management team behind driving the business forward is incredibly challenging for a...

In this episode, you'll meet Andy, the Operations Director at He-Man Dual Controls Ltd; a unique company based in Southampton.  Andy attended one of my Leadership programs to explore his perceived lack of confidence. Something that we soon saw for the myth it was.  In this podcast, we unpick some of this thinking and also reflect on leadership through the pandemic.