MrJoe in Audio

What separates the VPs who progress into executive leadership from those who plateau? The answer is rarely intelligence, experience, or technical expertise. The VPs who thrive understand that their job is no longer to be the best functional expert in the room. Their job is to create outcomes through other people, influence decisions beyond their authority, and help the business succeed as a whole....

Why do so many brilliant strategies fail during execution? Because the layer responsible for pulling the levers (the VPs) are playing the wrong game. They are operating with functional expertise, but zero systemic view. They wait for direction on the how and the when, leaving the CEO to act as the ultimate air traffic controller for every cross-functional dependency. It’s exhausting, and it’s unsu...

Most strategies don't fail because they're wrong. They fail because nobody remembers them. Leadership teams spend months building strategies. The thinking is solid. The analysis is rigorous. The slides are beautiful. Then six months later, nobody can explain what the strategy actually is. Why? Because strategy doesn't spread through an organisation because it's intellectually c...

A CEO I spoke to recently was frustrated with the “friction” they were experiencing with a leader on their team. But the more we talked, the clearer it became: The friction wasn’t the problem. It was the signal. Most leaders try to remove friction quickly. Push through it. Make faster decisions. Stay decisive. But often, friction is pointing to something unresolved underneath: unclear expectations...

Most leaders don’t realise they’re the bottleneck… until it’s too late. You built your career on a style that worked. Fast decisions. Clear direction. Strong vision. And it did work. Until it didn’t. Now: Meetings go quiet  Your team waits for you Execution slows down And everything still runs through you That’s not a talent problem. It’s a range problem. Listen as we break down the 10 leadership...

Stop Drowning in Meetings! Fix Your Cadence with "Hot & Cool Weeks". Most leaders think the problem is their meetings. It isn’t. The problem is cadence. Weekly rhythms fill calendars with recurring syncs, updates, and reviews, leaving no space for the deep, strategic thinking that real leadership demands. Here’s the fix: Hot and Cool Weeks. Hot weeks: meeting-heavy by design. All you...

You probably think you have a productivity problem. More to do. Better systems. Tighter schedules. But what if the real issue isn’t what you should be doing..  it’s what you need to stop doing? In this episode, I coach a CEO named "Alfie" who believes he needs a better to-do list. What he actually needs is a “to don’t” list. We unpack the hidden habits that quietly drain your energy.  Th...

Most CEOs are "brilliant operators." They got to the top because they were the best at capturing tasks, solving problems, and getting things done. But there is a trap. Today I share the story of "Jane," a CEO with a world-class to-do list who felt like she was drowning in busyness while failing at the work that actually mattered. The truth is: To-do lists reward task completion...

In this episode, we explore the critical concept of 'headroom' for CEOs.  Discover why maintaining time, energy, and capital reserves is essential for seizing unexpected opportunities, from mergers and acquisitions to market shifts.  Learn how the best leaders design margin into their strategies to stay agile and responsive.  Share your thoughts on creating 20% headroom in your business...

Designing Freedom into Your Success: Strategic Path Planning for CEOs In this episode, we explore the concept that freedom is not a consequence of success, but something to design into it. Termed as 'strategic path design,' the script discusses the importance of building structural flexibility and creating options long before they are needed.  Real-world examples from Netflix, Adobe, and...

The question isn’t whether AI can do the work. It’s whether you can redesign the work around AI. Did you know? 👉 McKinsey (2024): 60% of AI projects fail to scale beyond pilot stage. 👉 MIT Sloan: Companies that reorganise workflows around AI see 3–5x higher productivity than those that just deploy tools. 👉 Accenture: Only 8% of companies capture ‘transformational’ value from AI. Most stay stuck...

The people who get promoted, trusted, and remembered? They’re not just talented. They’ve built habits that make them indispensable. In this video, I break down the 10 habits I see over and over again in the most successful employees, from entry-level to execs. The ones who stay, get noticed, and move up. ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel . If you enjoy my content and you...

You’ve just taken the seat. Now what?  You’re smart.  You’ve earned your way here.  But no one handed you a playbook for this job.  You’re expected to lead with certainty.  But every decision feels like you’re making it in the dark.  And the pressure? Constant. Quiet. Heavy.  Over the years, I’ve worked with dozens of first-time CEOs. From high-growth startups to multi-billion exits.  And I’ve see...

You’re in a meeting. You ask a straight question. You get a… fuzzy answer. It happens all the time, especially in leadership. Here’s a lens I’ve found incredibly useful when coaching CEOs: Are humans evolved for truth… or for survival? As a CEO, you need truth. You need to know what’s really going on so you can make the right call. But most people? They’re wired for survival. That means: Saying wh...

You can’t lead a business effectively if you’re constantly reacting to meetings and obligations. It gets emotional when you start shifting things around, but here’s the truth:  👉 You can’t make time—you have to take it.  👉 Prioritize what truly matters.  👉 Create space for strategic thinking, not just reacting.  Are you taking time for what moves the needle, or just filling your calendar? ___ V...

It rains here on the edge of England, it rains a lot.  Everyday I check the weather to see if my little girl needs to take an umbrella to school.  Parenting 101, this of course leads to her relying on me to check the weather and packing a brolly.  So we go through the process of her doing just that, and of course she forgets and get's wet... ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube...

So how did you do it? How did you get to be a coach to CEOs?  That's the question I get asked the most often.  How did I go from research and design to working with CEOs? In this video, I share my journey from studying neuroscience to teaching young children, working in user experience, and eventually becoming a coach for CEOs.  I also dig into how my background in psychology, teaching, and s...

Is “work-life balance” setting you up to fail? Here’s the thing: trying to “balance” work and life assumes something is always off.  It’s a constant juggle, and it rarely feels sustainable.  What if the goal isn’t balance… but blend?  What’s one agreement you could make this week to create more clarity and less guilt? ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel . If you enjoy my co...

How do you build trust with a C-suite leader who resists change? Here’s the truth: you can’t coach someone who doesn’t want to change.  And that’s where trust begins (or breaks). It reminds me of a joke: How many coaches does it take to change a light bulb?  Only one.  But the light bulb has to want to change.  So, here’s the challenge: are you coaching the behavior,  or are you coaching the belie...

Why Being a CEO is Like Being a Gardener – The Three Tools for Great Leadership In this episode, I break down the three essential things that great CEOs and leaders do – and it’s surprisingly similar to what any good gardener does. It all comes down to seeding, feeding, and weeding. Seeding Ideas : Planting the vision and the strategy. Feeding Initiatives : Supporting and nurturing projects to ens...

Feeling like you’re just “surviving” in your role as a CEO? Discover how to break free from the constant pressure of “spinning plates” and transition into thriving leadership. This video breaks down four critical mindsets—Reactive, Proactive, Strategic, and Opportunistic—that can transform how you approach challenges. If you’re ready to move from managing daily fires to seizing bigger opportunitie...

Ever feel like you’re stuck within boundaries you didn’t choose? In this video, I share a powerful thought experiment involving a goose, a bottle, and two constraints that can’t be broken...or can they? This ancient Buddhist story challenges the rules and constraints we impose on ourselves, showing that sometimes the only way to free ourselves is to break the very rules that keep us trapped. 📌 Ma...

Imposter syndrome. Hustle culture. Burnout. We hear these words often, but what do they really mean for high-performing leaders who constantly push themselves to the limit? In this episode, I sit down with Eva Valovska, CEO of Trust Women, to explore the hidden challenges behind success and the complex emotions that accompany it. We start with imposter syndrome—something many leaders experience, b...

In this episode, I sit down with Alison Coward, founder of Bracket, to talk about how to transform offsites and workshops from mere team-building events into crucial strategic tools that drive real results. Many leaders may see offsites as an expensive exercise with little return, but Alison shares how a well-structured workshop can turn that perception upside down. We explore the common mistakes...

Mastering the Inner Game: The Key to Transformational Leadership In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of the 'inner game' versus the 'outer game.' The outer game encompasses all the external factors such as resources, strategies, and results that shape a business environment. However, it is the 'inner game,' which includes your capabilities, values, beliefs,...