I Need To F***ing Talk To You

In this episode Ken and Russell discuss common questions they often get asked on their 'I Need To F***ing Talk To You' workshops, questions such as - 'Why do some leaders avoid difficult workplace conversations?', 'What’s the implications for me as a leader if I don’t have those difficult workplace conversations?' and 'How can I get even better at having these conversations?' Answers include - a Z...

In this episode the boys are joined by Nic Blanchet. They chat to Nic about his varied experiences - specifically his focus on learning and growth both personally and with his team, the importance of listening to different views and opinions even if you don’t agree with them, especially important when managing multiple stakeholders - politicians, the public, different interest groups and a variety...

In this episode Ken and Russell talk to Canadian Armed Forces Veteran and Managing Partner of URGEO Martin Hunter. The boy's conversation covers Martin's career, his business ethos, both the highs and lows of Martin's journey as a leader, as well as a number of golden nuggets of advice from Martin for business owners and leaders that you won't want to miss. As Martin says to his clients 'Grow reve...

Ken and Russell explore the world of non-profit fundraising and philanthropy with Director of Philanthropy at Bethany Care Foundation Amtul Siddiqui. They discuss how to increase diversity within organizations and within the donor pool, how to broaden your social network across cultures and the importance of volunteering in your community. Amtul is a dynamic, goal oriented fundraising professional...

For our regular listeners today’s podcast will be a little different, my regular co-host Ken is working south of the border in Portland, Oregon and as Jordan was my daughter’s hockey coach last season, Hannah will be joins us in the second half of the podcast to ask Jordan some hockey specific questions from her and her former teammates. Meanwhile I’ll be discussing the principles of effective lea...

In this episode Ken interviews Russell about the COACH model that is featured in their 5 Star Amazon book ‘I Want To F***ing Talk To You - The Art Of Navigating Difficult Workplace Conversations’. The boys talk about taking a coach approach to leadership, the importance of asking great questions and listening to the answers, before choosing a selection of their favourite questions from the f***ing...

Ken and Russell talk to Len about his global consultancy work, how he helps leaders to lead their organization through change programs and human systems design, his view that 'The future is unavoidably hybrid', his thoughts on the 'Future of management' and also touch on Len's love of the TV show 'Peaky Blinders' and his Rum tasting hobby. Len Nanjad is a Partner with MNP advising clients on Organ...

Ooops!! we've just cheekily added the f*** word to one of Heather's life mottos! In this episode the boys chat with Heather Martin from the Chiu School of Business at Bow Valley College about the importance of suitably preparing the next generation of Canadian employees and the need to bring a diverse group of voices to the forefront in business.  Heather has been facilitating groups of adult lear...

If you run a business, you've got problems: people problems, growth problems, profit problems. If your problems have gone from 'a bit annoying' to 'mildly infuriating' to 'downright painful' and you feel like you're losing your grip on the business or simply not getting what you want from it, the Chris is the man to speak to. Chris has a background in technology and management, having run the oper...

The guys speak with psychologist and entrepreneur Dr Laura Hambley Lovett about her thoughts on authentic leadership, organizational psychology and the culture of remote working and virtual teams.  Dr Laura is a sought-after thought leader on workplace psychology and career development in Canada and is regularly interviewed by the media on current trends – in addition to writing and speaking in pu...

In this episode the boys discuss the problems with a 'leader as hero' mindset and how this can lead to an office full of peanut throwing monkeys, you'll have to listen to find out what the f*** they are talking about. Ken and Russell go on to discuss the benefits of taking a 'coach approach' as a leader and what the balance should be between having technical expertise and leadership expertise in a...

Dean Jetten started his career as a heavy duty mechanic. Now he leads a Volker Stevin highways team that maintains 18,500 km of highway, mows the equivalent 38,376 football fields and uses 700,000 litres of reflective paint, all in an effort to keep drivers safe. Dean, a man whose employees drive 5 million km a year on scheduled road patrols, tells us how he believes that if you want to go far you...

Tyler has a love of marketing and co-founded clearmotive marketing in 2007. With offices in Calgary and Toronto Tyler’s goal was to build a marketing-first agency focused on better connecting clients to their customers. In a wide ranging conversation the boys talk to Tyler about his experiences of pivoting his business during COVID, the changing world of work, his experiences with the RCAF Snowbir...

Ken explains that a SHIFT Disturber is not the same as a sh__ disturber. He describes the SHIFT card deck and how to create a High-Performance Culture in 9 Not-So-Simple-But-Totally-Necessary Steps ... so that you too can become a SHIFT Disturber. Russell demonstrates how to use the deck to distill the core values of you or your team. Mentioned In This episode: https://www.corporate-culture-shift....

The boys talk with Customer Experience Guru, Passionate Leader and Catalyst for Change Shannon Burch and learn her insights into building the power of the customer experience, her leadership ethos as to why it’s important to allow people to fail and then learn from it. Shannon shares her experiences of a career in a range business leader roles.   Having listened to the podcast, if you are interest...

Do you know about the ‘hidden’ fees behind your investments? A. Yes B. No C. What hidden fees? The boys find out why knowing the answer to this question is f***ing important for your finances and investments. Dean is Calgary's only FLAT FEE for advice financial fiduciary providing truly comprehensive financial services, an author, public speaker and 8X National #1 BMX racing Champion. If you are i...

Chet enlightens the boys as to what the f*** a Ghostwriter does, the creative process and how this role differs from that of an editor. Despite Ken and Russell’s best f***ing efforts Chet holds firm and doesn’t divulge who his celebrity and business influencer clients are, we tried …. but Chet’s confidentiality agreements stick … so no need for the f***ing lawyers! A fascinating insight into Chet’...

Stephen Schroeder of the Calgary International Film Festival tells you how CIFF became an an Oscar-qualifying festival and is regularly cited as one of the world’s "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee". He also explains the best leadership lesson you can learn from the beaches of Thailand, how to rescue a soccer team from a flooded cave and how learning to put the customer first can rescue an or...

In this f***ing festive episode of the “I Need To F***ing Talk To You’ podcast the guys channel their inner Ebenezer Scrooge and look back at another f***ing COVID year, before looking forward to the upcoming Yuletide festivities. Along the way Ken and Russell offer you their insight into such important topics as - the best Christmas movie, favourite winter sport (as a Canadian Ken has lots of the...

After f***ing up a quote from Shakespeare the boys are in conversation with Kari Fulmek & Carolyn Charles from Equine Connection. They discuss what equine assisted learning is, the similarities between a team of people and herd of horses and how horses make great teachers bringing out the authentic leader in you. Kari and Carolyn also talk about the most important personality trait/strength someon...

Being the irreverent pair they are Ken and Russell embellish Shane’s own motto "Earn it, don't expect it”, before joining him in conversation and meandering with purpose through the topics of being an entrepreneur at Shane Holmes, leading culture change in the organization, Shane’s advice to the new Mayor of Calgary and learn a couple of Shane’s other favourite sayings from comic books and film. B...

In this episode the guys finally catch up with Byron Brooks the f***er, sorry builder, who built Ken’s new house and learn about the creative side to the construction industry that is more than simply hard hats and work boots. Byron talks about his philosophy of craft building with Brookwright Developments leadership lessons learnt running a small business, the company’s links to microbrewing and...

If you’ve ever wondered what an Economist actually does (and hey, who hasn’t) then you absolutely need to F-ing listen to Todd Hirsch, author, VP/Chief Economist at ATB Financial and host of The Future Of … podcast.  Todd shares his views on whether economics is an art or a science, what’s the best film with an economist as a lead character and how to forecast effectively. You can also find out wh...

In this episode Russell is in conversation with Kevin Kobelka, Executive Director with Hockey Calgary and thankfully neither of them end up in the penalty box! Kevin talks about the greatest challenges in leading Hockey Calgary, whether he feels that criticism of hockey culture is fair and why ultimately he believes that hockey offers more to young people than simply the sport itself. You will als...

Ward 4 candidate and brilliant polymath DJ Kelly shares some F***ing Leadership Lessons from City Administration, Community Building and And Baseball. In this episode the guys share a wide ranging discussion all of which boils down to this: "if you don’t like it, pitch better”. We hope you enjoy the podcast. Remember to subscribe via Apple podcasts or Spotify, share the link with your friends and...