No Bullsh!t Leadership

Episode #192 // We frequently hear about cognitive biases, especially when it comes to discrimination on the basis of gender, race, and sexual orientation. But our inbuilt biases operate much more broadly than this, and they can have a disproportionate influence on the outcomes we experience if we don’t develop a keen awareness of them.   In this episode, I explore some of the biases that lim...

Episode #191 // Many leaders inadvertently behave in a hypocritical way when they take a “ do as I say, not as I do ” approach. Sometimes, this is the result of a deep sense of entitlement in senior leaders, who are quite happy to set a standard for their people that they have no intention of observing themselves.    But many of us are simply oblivious to our own behaviors, and we aren’t...

Episode #190 // After the recent untimely passing of Foo Fighters’ drummer, Taylor Hawkins, I came across an article in Rolling Stone magazine. It was Hawkins’ last live interview, and I was struck by a few incredible leadership lessons about fear of failure, strong leadership, and teamwork.   In today’s episode, I not only want to pay tribute to Taylor Hawkins (who was one of my favorite dru...

Episode #189 // The term ' Transformation' can mean a lot of different things. I’ve seen it used to describe everything from a new IT system, to a simple cost cutting exercise, right through to a complete change in strategic direction and organizational structure.   However it’s defined, and whatever you want to call it, the unfortunate truth is that your transformation is unlikely to succeed...

Episode 188 // People make mistakes all the time, and leaders are people! More often than not, when a leader makes an honest mistake, everyone just moves on and leaves it behind with no fanfare or post mortem.   But there are times when it’s appropriate for a leader to stand up and say, “Hey, I got this wrong, and I’m sorry”.   Do this too much, and you can appear weak, ineffective, and...

Episode 187 // In a recent episode, we explored the continuing decline in mental health, and how it can affect a leader’s role. It’s a sensitive topic, and if this were the only disruptive trend we were experiencing, that would be enough to add to the tremendous load that leaders already carry.    But there are plenty of other issues to contend with: pandemic uncertainty… physical disloc...

Episode #186 // After being inundated with questions about our upcoming cohort of Leadership Beyond the Theory , we thought it would be useful to produce an episode for you to assess your current leadership capability.   By working through the 7 imperatives of my No Bullsh!t Leadership framework, you’ll be able to quickly determine where your blind spots are. What areas could you further deve...

Episode 185 // TW. Today’s episode is about mental health in the workplace, so if you are currently struggling with trauma or any other mental health-related issue, I will be discussing my perspective on this topic, hopefully to educate and enlighten leaders who are struggling with it. It may be triggering for some people. I am not a doctor or mental health expert, I’m just speaking from my own ex...

Episode #184 // Have you ever faced a situation where you were being paid to do a job, but your heart simply wasn’t in it? Even as an individual contributor it’s not a good look… but as a leader it can be almost impossible to get away with.  In this Q&A, Em and I discuss the difficulties of maintaining your leadership mojo when you aren’t aligned to your organization’s direction—and, of c...

Episode #183 // There’s an inordinate number of passionate, dedicated people all over the world who coach, mentor, and advise others. Many do this as part and parcel of their day-to-day roles as leaders, but some go even further to actually make it their career. So what’s the difference between coaching and mentoring? What are the pros and cons of each? How about a trusted advisor? If you’re coach...

Episode #182 // Almost all of the content that we produce on the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast is designed to help you become a stronger leader. But what is ‘strong leadership’? How would you know if you were being strong enough, without crossing the line into tough, controlling, or autocratic leadership? This episode delves into the detail of what defines strong leadership. What are the observab...

Episode #181 // This episode goes deep into the things that determine who we are, and how we lead. Arman Assadi is one of those rare individuals who’s truly able to shift your perspective, and change the way you view the world. After an early career working for global giants of innovation like 3M and Google, Arman set off to carve his own path. Since then, he has helped many venture-backed startup...

Episode #180 // I’ve heard many leaders in my time making statements about their team being “ more like a family ” than anything else (as if that’s a good thing)! Recently, the CEO of one of the largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange railed against the company’s decline into a family culture. He sent a lengthy memo to his employees explaining exactly why this was a problem…and when it was...

Episode #179 // While enjoying my holiday Netflix binge, I watched the documentary series, Formula 1: Drive to Survive . While I’m not a fan of motor sports, I found the series unbelievably compelling. There are countless lessons to be taken from the series about leadership, high-performing teams, organizational culture, and the consequences of the extreme pressure that comes with performing at th...

Episode #178 // Since the pandemic forced us into remote working, many people have turned their work day into performance art . They now pursue the goal of appearing to be busy , rather than actually delivering value-adding results. The activity becomes the end, rather than the means to an end. Although this is nothing new (there have always been people who appear to be busy, while achieving littl...

Episode #177 // In the billable hours world, supplier companies deliver services to client companies in an exchange of time for money. It’s the dominant business model in legal, accounting, and consulting firms. This presents a wonderful opportunity for organizations to leverage expertise and capability that they don’t possess themselves. But it also comes with its own peculiar issues and risks, w...

Episode #176 // Apart from the multitude of listener questions on leadership and business that we get at Your CEO Mentor each week, we also field quite a few seeking career guidance. The question we deal with in this episode is, “What should I do when I don't get the job that I thought I was certain to get?”  To come up with an answer, I went back through the No Bullsh!t Leadership catalogue....

Episode #175 // 2021 is now behind us and we’re looking forward to what 2022 will bring! The time for uncertainty is over—the people and companies that are successful are the ones that understand ambiguity and complexity for what they are. They recognize the things that are out of their control, and map a bold path forward, regardless. In fact, the process of making bold, decisive moves in an unce...

Episode #174 // As we traditionally do at Christmas time, we take a look back on our year of podcast episodes. Em and I have picked our favorites for you to go back and listen to while you’re enjoying some downtime in the New Year. 2021 has been a big year for Your CEO Mentor! Amongst other things, the No Bullsh!t Leadership podcast recently reached 2 million downloads. That translates into a whol...

Episode #173 // Today we bring you an in-depth interview with Paul Scurrah. Paul is the CEO and Managing Director of rail freight business Pacific National. When we recorded the interview almost 12 moths ago, Paul had just finished his stint as CEO of Australia’s second-largest airline, Virgin Australia, which had undergone a tumultuous change of ownership on the back of the covid pandemic. ...

Episode #172 // When one of my articles for Harvard Business Review blew up recently on social media, we decided to make it more accessible to our community of No Bullsh!t Leaders by turning it into a podcast episode. And because I don’t have a word limit here, I can expand it out and offer examples until my heart’s content! When you first move into a leadership role, it’s easy to develop bad habi...

Episode #171 // Christmas party season is upon us, and many of you may have already partaken in an early celebration to mark the end of the year.   If you’re a leader trying to navigate the vagaries of the office Christmas party, there are a few considerations that will help you make good decisions. Let’s face it, you don’t want to be staring down the aftermath of a significant incident in th...

Episode #170 // This week, we’re taking a look at team building exercises. They come in all different shapes, sizes and colors… some are useful, some are borderline disastrous! During my corporate career, I had my fair share of both. So, do we need to reevaluate our commitment to the annual off-site meeting? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Does smashing each other with paintballs or abseiling...

Episode #169 // Even after the disruption of the last 18 months, I still see many companies weighed down by a perfectionistic culture. If we’ve learned nothing else from the Covid experience, it’s that we can move so much faster than we initially think we can—but to do so takes a commitment to the principle of excellence over perfection. What will it take to conquer our need for perfectionism and...

Episode #168 // Politics is no fun. It can undo you, even if you’re operating with good intent, and doing everything right. On one level, politics can be seen simply as the process of influencing—but on another it can be a devious, divisive, and manipulative tool, used by individuals to further their own power and control. If allowed to fester, this creates a toxic culture, which can ultimately ru...