No Bullsh!t Leadership

Episode #311 // In this episode I cover 12 things that you’ll instinctively resist on your leadership journey. Not all of you will resist all of them, obviously. But I suspect that you’ll instinctively try to avoid or ignore at least a few of these principles. There’s no doubt in my mind that these principles are rock solid. They’re like gravity… they operate the same way on all of us, whether we...

Moment #81 // During the pandemic, work became performance art for many, as they pursued the goal of looking busy, rather than actually delivering real, value-adding work. This wasn’t a particularly new innovation: there’s always been a fair share of people in the office who did exactly this—appearing to be busy while achieving little.  For leaders, it has definitely become trickier to identi...

Episode #310 // Over the last several months, a lot of leaders have told us that their companies are hunkering down, in a virtual promotion freeze… so, we poked around to see if there was any data to support these anecdotal observations, and came across an interesting statistic. According to Bloomberg, of the 68 million white collar workers in the US, only 1.3% were promoted in the first quarter o...

Moment #80 // Hiring really good people has always been hard. There’s serious competition for talent in many industries, and limitations in your potential candidate pools that arise from your geographical footprint, your industry, and the public perception of your brand. But, even when you do get the right people to turn up at your front door, there are factors at play that may prevent you from ac...

Episode #309 // We rarely do interviews on No Bullsh!t Leadership . But when Patrick Lencioni ’s team reached out to us earlier this year, we jumped at the opportunity to have him join us on the podcast.   Patrick Lencioni is a global thought leader, who has established himself as one of the preeminent thinkers of our generation in the field of leadership and organizational behavior.   P...

Moment #79 // Over the course of your leadership career, you’ll deal with people from all walks of life, many different cultures, and a range of socio-economic backgrounds… and you’ll see just about every dimension of human frailty. As part of this melting pot,you’ll lead many people who have substance abuse and mental health issues. Learning to recognize and deal with these (without crossing a li...

Episode #308 // It’s pretty rare that you’re faced with a decision that’s final or irreversible. And when one comes along, it’s normally pretty easy to recognize — you can sense the gravity of the moment, and the potential consequences that lie ahead.   But, as I look back on my experiences, some of the most significant decisions I’ve ever made, in terms of my life direction, didn’t seem to b...

Moment #78 // Most successful founders face a problem as their business grows: the attributes that made them successful in the first place (e.g. innovation, hard work, tenacity, sales skills etc.) become obstacles to future performance. Many unintentionally create a family culture . This might feel really nice, but it’s often mutually exclusive with the disciplined, constructive culture that ultim...

Episode #307 // There’s a lot to be said for having confidence. It’s an essential ingredient for any leader who aspires to lift their people to greater heights. Without confidence, it’s difficult to effectively execute on even the most fundamental tasks that competent leadership requires. Confidence is incredibly valuable… and you can’t fake it! But, I feel as though it’s been getting a bad rap la...

Moment #77 // We’re all driven, to a greater or lesser extent, by unconscious biases. These invisible forces hijack our cognitive processes, and impair our decision-making capacity. The only way to break free from the bonds of unconscious bias is to develop an acute awareness of the ones that affect you… especially when the pressure is on! In this Moment, I look at five of the most common biases t...

Episode #306 // I’ve always been fascinated by people who transcend the limits of human performance, in any field. They lead the way, expanding our perspective on what’s possible and giving us something to aspire to. When we look at the microcosm of our own team’s performance, we are the ones who get to choose the standard, so it’s useful to reflect on what each of us perceives to be exceptional p...

Moment #76 // If you want to build a team that outlasts others, you need each and every individual to be comfortable under pressure. And this starts with you . You set the tone for what happens in times of stress, pressure, and crisis. It’s important to show your people the way, leading by example… but the prescription for them is exactly the same as it is for you. The golden rule is - Don’t let y...

Episode #305 // Over the last decade, there’s been a creeping trend for CEOs to weigh in on social issues, making their private stance very public. This has now almost become an expectation of high-profile corporate leadership roles. But when CEOs air their personal views on social issues, it also anchors their company, brand, and every stakeholder associated with it, to that position. Some of the...

Moment #75 // Many people rate public speaking as one of their top fears. And even though they may learn to push through and suck it up, it’s only a rare few who actually manage to reach the point of mastery, where they completely transcend their fear. In my experience, the primary skill you need to develop is not public speaking - it’s your ability to think on your feet. In this Moment, I give yo...

Episode #304 // There are many things that can go wrong between when we utter the words, “ Let’s develop our corporate strategy ” and the words, “ How did we perform last year? ”  I get a lot of questions about the strategy process, and one thing has become really obvious to me — very few people realize how many moving parts there are… not just in developing a sound strategy, but also in sett...

Moment #74 // Communication is an incredibly important element of leadership. How you talk to your team, how you deliver a presentation when you’re in a room full of important people, and how well you connect one-on-one with your direct reports can all have a huge bearing on your performance, and your personal credibility. Knowing how to convey complex information in a manner that’s tailored for y...

Episode #303 // We know that problem solving is a critical part of leadership life — we spend a lot of time on any given day solving our own problems, and helping our people to solve theirs.   As you’ve no doubt learned, though, there are problems and there are… problems . It’s important to know how to leverage good problem solving techniques. But it’s equally important to manage your head sp...

Moment #73 // I talk a lot about high performance. But what about the people who find themselves doing relatively mundane, repetitive, or low-skilled jobs? We tend to imagine occupations like cleaners, fruit pickers, and production line workers when we think about mundane jobs. But many people in your team could also be doing some mind-numbing work, to fulfill the less-glamorous requirements of th...

Episode #302 // One of our dedicated listeners, Jonathan , observed that a number of culture killers can be described by words that end with the suffix, “ -ism ” . He rattled off a couple to get me started — nepotism , narcissism , and favoritism. He suggested that I should create a podcast episode based on these, and other “ -isms ” that negatively impact team culture and productivity, so I’ve co...

Moment #72 // It is common in most larger organizations to restructure from time to time, even though these restructures are often ill-conceived. Any value they might yield is dwarfed by the disruption, cost, and uncertainty they create. Regardless, you may well be in a position where you have to execute on management intent, which means telling a bunch of people that their roles have been made re...

Episode 301 // A lot has been written and said over the years about the necessary role that failure plays in our quest for success. Anyone who has ever been successful, first had to endure (and bounce back from) failure!   It’s easy to reduce this process to a few pithy sayings: “ Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly! ” (John F Kennedy) “ Failure is another stepping stone to g...

Episode #71 // How often do we hear leaders claim that their project was delivered “on time, and on budget”. This is often wildly misleading, because it depends on your reference point. They often neglect to mention how many project delays and budget blowouts occurred before the final targets were set… and they rarely talk about all the features that had to be removed as the project scope shrunk t...

Episode #300 // “If you can look on the light side of any crisis, remain positive and optimistic, and crack a joke or two, you'll be in a much better place to deal with whatever comes your way.” Looking back on 300 episodes of No Bullsh!t Leadership , I’m incredibly proud of the body of knowledge that Em and I have created to help leaders all over the world to become better. I’m also humbled that...

Moment #70 // There are any number of life lessons that I could absolutely have used earlier on, and lots of stuff that would have made me a better leader way sooner.  But, then again, with the benefit of hindsight and wisdom, I’ve come to realize that the depth and value of any lesson comes from the very fact that it’s hard fought and won. If you learn by starting in the right place, going t...

Episode 299 // “When you try to protect your people by setting a lower standard, you effectively rob them of their opportunity to improve, to thrive, and to build their confidence and self-esteem.” Occasionally, I throw in a myth busting episode to challenge conventional leadership wisdom. This is my way of helping you to adopt the essential mindset of a truly successful leader. One of the broadly...