How to Take the Lead

This episode is an in-depth exploration of psychological safety, what it means for you as a leader, for your teams and your organisation. We share our own experiences, thoughts and advice and really do get personal to help you understand the importance of psychological safety. In this episode we share our own views, thoughts and experiences: 02:50  – what do we mean by psychological safe...

In this episode we explore what it really means to listen as a leader. Listening isn’t just about what you hear through your ears but what you see and experience. Working out who to listen to and how is one thing but you also need to decide what to do with what you are hearing. 04:27  – cutting through the noise 07:39 – what have you put in place to listen well? 09:14 – don’t just listen...

In this episode we question what charisma really is and if you need it to be a good leader. We discuss how much personality impacts how effective you are as a leader. And we ask whether charisma is only associated with male leaders. 08:48  – building rapport and charisma 09:22 – is charisma inspirational? 11:52 – charisma as a label 14:05 – being likeable doesn’t always get the job done...

In this episode we share recent research as well as our own thoughts and experiences on women in leadership. We ask if women are still facing the same challenges as leaders and what needs to happen to support more women in leadership positions: 02:19  – setting the context, Lean In and McKinsey report 04:47 – is it because I’m a woman? 11:17 – have the challenges for women changed? 13:42...

We explore when you are a leader from a few angles, including your perception versus the perception of others, if you ever switch off as a leader and how your home life might be influenced by your leadership role and vice versa: 02:15  – is there a difference between management and leadership? 05:33 – the role of organisations in leadership development 09:39 – perceptions of when you are...

Managing change is something we all need to do as a leader but what happens when the changes are personal? In this episode we explore how we can deal with transitions as a leader. We share our own experiences of dealing with change as leaders as well as offer advice and tips for those points in your career when change happens: 03:14 – dealing with your step up into leadership 08:40 – working out h...

In the first episode of this series we thought we should start with a review of leadership so far in 2022, covering some of the highs (there have been a few we promise) and lows of leadership right now.  We share our thoughts on what’s impressing us in the leadership space, as well as the things that are causing us to get on our soapboxes: 03:16 – Patagonia, living their values and staying tr...

Welcome back to How To Take The Lead, our podcast exploring all things leadership. We are back for our second series and ready to share our latest thoughts on the state of leadership right now. No corporate BS here, just us, debunking myths, sharing our experiences and giving you practical tips. We might even get on our soapbox every now and then. Between us we have extensive leadership and commun...

In this bonus episode of How To Take The Lead it’s our end of series after party ... or reunion show, if you watch too much Below Deck like Lee! In this episode we reflect on and discuss the things we wished we'd covered in the first series, bits we missed, what we've learnt and everything in between, including: ·       10:22 – that Jack Duckworth moment · &...

In the series one finale of How To Take The Lead we consider what you should be making time for as a leader. It’s a question we both get asked a lot so we share our views on what to prioritise and how to protect your time.  We share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: ·       03:03 – expectation versus reality ·     &n...

In this episode of How To Take The Lead we talk about trust and what this means as a leader. Trust is something we discuss a lot in the leadership space and we explore what we really mean by trust.  In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: ·       03:50 – the neuroscience of trust and how this translates to the workplace ·&...

In this episode of How To Take The Lead we focus on allyship as a leader. Neither of us profess to be experts in this area, in fact we are on our own learning journeys, but we feel this is an important aspect of being a leader. In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: ·      07:52 – why does allyship matter? ·    ...

In this episode of How To Take The Lead we explore the power of storytelling in the context of leadership. Whether you are a natural born storyteller or you are a leader who deals in facts and figures, we discuss the importance of storytelling to build connections. In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: ·       03:38 – creatin...

We are just over halfway through our first series of the How To Take The Lead podcast so we wanted to share a short bonus episode to thank you for your support and let you know what we’ve got coming up for the rest of the series. Still to come this series... 01:30 – leadership storytelling 01:46 - trust and leadership 02:20 – allyship and your role as a leader 03:31 – where should leaders focus th...

In this episode of How To Take The Lead we talk about what it’s like to be an introvert or an extrovert as a leader. We talk about the positives, the challenges and your role as a leader in supporting others to thrive. In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: ·       06:29 – challenges for extroverts  ·   &nb...

This episode of How To Take The Lead is focused on motivation. As leaders we often have the role of motivating others and we wanted to take the opportunity to explore how we ourselves stay motivated in our leadership roles. Did you know that 75% of people are motivated by knowing what they don’t want? So motivation is an important part of life as a leader. In this episode we share our thoughts, ex...

In this episode of How to Take the Lead, we talk about how you can develop your leadership brand. Is your leadership brand something you are aware of? How do you feel about it? And why is it important? In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: 2:50 – what is personal brand? 8:40 – how seriously should leaders take personal brand? 18:20 – being inten...

In this episode of How to Take the Lead, we are talking all things comfort zone. Do you operate in yours most of the time? We discuss how and why you should step outside of your comfort zone as a leader.   In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: 03:58 – comfort zones and subjectivity 18:23 – putting your judgements aside 24:30 – values b...

In this episode we explore emotional intelligence... what is it? How aware of your own emotional intelligence are you as a leader? Can you look to build an emotionally intelligent team? We also reference the work on emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman. In this episode we share our thoughts, experiences and learning, including: 05:47 – being vulnerable as a leader 18:23 – putting your judgemen...

We just couldn’t resist sharing another bonus episode because we are so excited about our first series of How To Take The Lead. New episodes will be released every Thursday at 6am and you can listen/download on your favourite platform. We wanted to take the opportunity to share more about those who have inspired us along the way and to thank some of the most amazing cheerleaders and supporters. In...

We are dropping another cheeky bonus episode because we are so excited about our first series of How To Take The Lead. Over the next four weeks we will be delving into all aspects of leadership including: Emotional intelligence – what even is it? Stepping outside of your comfort zone as a leader What it means to build your leadership brand, and do you even have one? How to stay motivated as a lead...

Bonus drop alert! In the first of our short bonus episodes, we let you know how you can help us spread the word about How To Take The Lead. We've had a few people asking us how you can help and support the podcast, so we thought we'd share a few ways that would make a big difference! New episodes will be released every Thursday at 6am and you can listen/ download on your favourite platform. If you...

In episode two of How to Take the Lead, we discuss why we have decided to ditch the power suits and how that has impacted our approach to leadership. Authenticity is something we talk about a lot and this topic really highlights the importance of being able to show up as your true self as a leader. In this episode we cover a lot of ground, including: 02:45 – does appearance matter? 06:10 – how to...

Think you don’t have a leadership superpower… think again! In the first episode of How to Take the Lead, we discuss how to find your leadership superpower and how you can use it for maximum impact. In this episode we cover a lot of ground, including: 03:11 – are leadership superpowers even a thing? 16:45 - how do you identify your superpower? 20:03 – can you lose your leadership superpowers? 25:11...

In this episode of How to Take the Lead, we wanted to share some of our learning from our careers to date so you get the chance to find out a little more about us and our leadership lessons. We share our individual experiences and some of our shared learning, including: 02:15 – being open to new opportunities without compromising your boundaries 04:56 - making the right impact in a new job 17:10 -...