No Bullsh!t Leadership

Episode #236 // Have you ever wondered why people who are clearly at the top of their game all of a sudden have a steep decline in performance? Things that they’ve been able to routinely do at an elite level all of a sudden seem to be beyond their reach. I saw an example of this just recently, where a professional NFL footballer inexplicably lost the plot. His physical abilities were no different...

Moment #6 // Great leaders set an appropriate decision-making culture. People need to know that robust challenge is expected and rewarded , not frowned upon and suppressed. You have to be able to challenge each other , if you want to bring out your best.  This invariably involves some friction… but it’s the only way to bring the often opposing views to the table, debate them, and work through...

Episode #235 // Momentum is really picking up for Your CEO Mentor in 2023, so in this episode I thought I’d share our plans for the evolution of No Bullsh!t Leadership . Of course, the fundamentals will remain the same. Our purpose keeps us focused on delivering practical, high-quality content every week to cut through the spin, the noise, and the political correctness that dominate today’s world...

Moment #5 // What’s Busy Work, and Why Is It So Common? One of the hardest things to do in any organization is to stop activity once it’s started—even if you know it’s not delivering value. It gets a life of its own, because people get emotionally attached to it, and they protect it.  “Busy Work” is activity that keeps you occupied , but doesn't necessarily create value . It's justifiable to...

Episode #234 // Without Amy Porterfield there would be no Your CEO Mentor, no No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast and no Leadership Beyond the Theory , the program that has transformed thousands of leaders on six continents! Amy’s work laid the foundations for our business model, and it’s her content that enabled Em to develop the strategy that convinced me to quit my CEO gig and start this business, f...

Moment #4 // It’s great to lead from the front, but you have to understand what that means. You can’t do your people’s work for them, only to say, " I'm leading from the front .” That’s not leading from the front, and it’s not setting a virtuous example. Just the opposite. Listen to what leading from the front really means. You can take a deeper dive into these insights by listening to Ep.88:...

Episode #233 // Workforce layoffs have continued in the US, as large companies trim the fat in advance of the recession that looks likely to head our way. But the latest data on economic growth and jobs are more positive than most commentators expected. Europe is leading the way, with some better than expected growth figures, and the US added almost 600,000 jobs to the economy in January, which wi...

Moment #3 // Why Most Leaders Avoid Hard Conversations Why do so many leaders choose to avoid hard conversations? It's much more about a lack of will than a lack of skill . Avoiding interpersonal conflict isn’t that hard, and it’s easy to rationalize why you don’t need to do it.  Competent leaders know the power of difficult conversations, and they recognize that it’s the only real path to hi...

Episode #232 // Motivation can be pretty tricky. Trying to work out what you can do to help your people reach a state of motivation and stay there for a little while is more complicated than it sounds. Should you try to make them happy? Should you pay them more? Should you lavish them with praise and positive feedback? The truth about what motivates people might surprise you. Interestingly, the pa...

Moment #2 // Ban These 5 Words from Your Corporate Values Virtually every company has a set of values that adorns its glossy brochures and marketing materials. But many of your customers (and your own people), will be deeply cynical about them. What words should you avoid, and how do you not fall into the trap of having a meaningless set of company values. You can take a deeper dive into these ins...

Episode #231 // If you’re a regular listener of No Bullsh!t Leadership , you’ll know that I speak about talent frequently, in a range of different contexts. But the word “ talent ” is so overused these days that it’s hard to differentiate between the real work of nurturing and developing your best people, and the more mundane aspects of running a business. There’s a number of critical components t...

Moment #1 // The Purpose of Leadership We sometimes forget what the true purpose of leadership is. It’s not to entertain your people during their working hours, and it’s not to focus on helping them to live their best lives. Leadership is about creating the right standards, conditions, and culture to optimize results. You can take a deeper dive into these insights by listening to Ep.4: What is Lea...

Episode #230 // In this modern era of enlightened inclusiveness, the pendulum has swung decisively from independently operating silos towards sharing and collaboration. This has seen the resurgence of role sharing, at all levels, in organizations of all sizes. Collaboration is a critical ingredient to working successfully in the complex organizations we now live in. But what happens when accountab...

Episode #229 // In the world of modern leadership, we’re conditioned to believe that humility is the most essential characteristic we can possess. And there’s no doubt that some measure of humility is important. But it’s easy to misinterpret this to mean that we shouldn’t display confidence… that confidence is somehow the enemy of humility. Nothing could be further from the truth and, in my experi...

Episode #228 // Since the Covid pandemic, resilience has captured a much greater share of our collective consciousness. And, as tends to happen, the world now seems to be flooded with “resilience experts”, who profess to be able to teach us how to handle the most difficult situations effortlessly.  I’m not an expert in resilience per se, but through my own journey I can confidently say that I...

Episode #227 // At the end of each year, I usually spend some time studying a variety of sources to come up with a view on possible future outcomes in business, politics, and society. In this episode, I take a look at what’s likely ahead for leaders in 2023 and, without making any fearless predictions, give you some sense of where the world appears to be heading.  Remember, trend is your frie...

Episode #226 // This is the fifth Christmas for the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast and, as we traditionally do at this time of year, Em and I are taking a look back on our catalog of episodes from 2022. We smashed through the 3 million downloads milestone a few months ago, which is a whole lot of impact for the leaders in more than 150 countries who’ve tuned in…  But, especially if you’re new...

Episode #225 // The restructuring and layoff season appears to be in full swing… and many of the examples that are popping up in the public domain feel a little chaotic and destructive.   This episode outlines how to handle staff layoffs so that you don’t fall into the same traps that some of the more public sh!t-shows have over the last year.   I look at the core principles that govern...

Episode #224 // There are many upheavals that you’re likely to experience throughout your career that will challenge you. And sometimes, they’ll push you to the very edge of your personal and professional capacity.   In my corporate career, I was fortunate to be involved in a number of significant business events, which stretched me well beyond my comfort zone. I realized that I needed to cha...

Episode #223 // There’s a lot going on in the world of work right now. The Covid pandemic was a huge catalyst for a major shift in how people see their careers and, more importantly, their lives.     Since then, we’ve come through the Great Resignation , moved onto Quiet Quitting , and now we’re seeing mass layoffs. And the net result of all this? The latest figures in the US show a...

Episode #222 // We live in a complex world… a world where, as a leader, you have to find a way to interpret the complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity, and turn that into clarity for your people. The ability to understand and absorb complexity, to strip it down to its most essential form, and then communicate that to others is one of the most valuable skills you can possess… and it’s a skill that...

Episode #221 // Times are tough. Inflation is on the rise, input costs are escalating, and organizations are tightening their belts. And it won’t be long before companies start to squeeze their suppliers in an attempt to find further cost reductions. Unfortunately, your suppliers are facing exactly the same pressures as you. So how do you make sure that you’re getting the best deal possible from y...

Episode #220 // Many companies use consultants of one type or another. In this episode, I give a bird’s-eye view of the consulting market, based upon my years of experience as a corporate client, engaging at many different levels. Whether it’s developing a new corporate strategy, embarking on a restructure, improving workforce productivity, or reducing the baseline costs of the business, there’s a...

Episode #219 // When it comes to business, the relationship between intellect and leadership can be fraught. A strong leader with high intellect can be incredibly effective, and make a huge difference to the companies they work for, and to every person they lead. But highly intelligent people who rely on their intellect, to the exclusion of the leadership skills that would mobilize their people, g...

Episode #218 // The dust is well and truly starting to settle on the Covid pandemic, and life is back to relative normality. But one of the lingering hangovers that hasn’t yet lifted is the issue of hybrid work. Many companies are increasingly keen to see their employees return to the office… but many of their people increasingly don’t want to do so. How is the work landscape developing, and what...