Ross Johnston

Signal & Leverage

Business EN ↓ 26 episodes

Insider Insights for Ambitious Executives Join Ross Johnston for candid conversations about VP & C-level career moves, with guests including industry leaders, seasoned investors, and leading headhunters.

Author

Ross Johnston

Category

Business

Podcast website

www.buzzsprout.com

Latest episode

Jun 27, 2026

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Episodes

AI Is About To Change - Here's How You Can Use That In Your Job Search 27.06.2026

AI is beginning to move from phase 1 to phase 2 of its lifecycle - from all the amazing things it can do, to how much it costs. How the technology is priced (and therefore everything built upon it) is about to increase significantly. This gives executives an opportunity to differentiate themselves in today's job market.

Stop Being The Best Kept Secret In Your Market 19.06.2026

Are you guilty of building a great product and then not marketing it? Most executives have an incredible background, experience and reputation - but fail to leverage it in a way that serves them in the job market.

Reverse Engineer Your Job Search Around Your Target Audience 07.06.2026

Too many executives think their experience and track record alone will be enough to stand out and get them the job they want. It won't. How you position yourself is critical - and the way to do that is to build it around the decision makers for the kind of roles you want.

Find Your Angle 10.05.2026

Most executives walk into interviews and sound exactly like every other candidate. They talk about their background, their achievements, and hope that's enough. It's not. In this episode, Ross breaks down how to find your unique angle — the thing your competition can't compete with — and how to use it to get your interviewer to reframe what they're really looking for.

Negotiating Great Offers Is Not About Negotiating Great Offers 22.04.2026

Most executives wait until the offer discussion before putting their negotiating hat on. It's too late.  90% of your ability to influence the offer you receive comes before that conversation. Executives are always negotiating, and most don't realise it.

Why You're Not Getting Past First Round Interviews 29.03.2026

If you're having a lot of first-round interviews that aren't progressing and you can't figure out why, this one's for you. Ross breaks down 5 practical things executives can do right now to change the way they interview — from shifting the dynamic with your interviewer, to telling your story at the right level, to the common mistakes that keep coming up over and over again. Dra...

Are You Struggling to Attract Opportunities? 22.03.2026

Most executive roles are never advertised. So if you're spending your time searching and applying, you're fishing in the wrong pond. In this episode, Ross breaks down why so many talented executives struggle to attract opportunities, the real cost of staying invisible in your market, and the three things you need to do to get the right roles coming to you instead of chasing them.

How to Get Clear on Where Your Career Should Go Next 16.03.2026

Most executives can tell you everywhere they've been but not where they're going. In this episode, Ross breaks down why a lack of career clarity quietly undermines your positioning, your visibility, and the quality of opportunities that come your way — and shares the three questions that help senior leaders find their sweet spot in the market.

Benchmarking - Friend or Foe? 09.03.2026

Benchmarking can be incredibly helpful to give executives' outside perspective and a steer on offer expectations. But it can also limit what they could earn. We discuss the pros and cons, and how to do it effectively.

Most Execs Get Comp Wrong - Here's Why... 29.08.2025

Most executives take the wrong approach to compensation and negotiating offers.  The 20% bump most expect when making a move is actually costing you thousands, maybe millions.  We share how you should really think about compensation and unlock a new level of earning power over your career.

'Crossing the Table' - the most powerful interview weapon there is 30.07.2025

Ross talks about 'Crossing the Table' - an interview technique that almost guarantees you'll get the job.  Put yourself in a market of one, turn your interviewer into an advocate, and create urgency to move forward with you.

What are you looking for in your next role? 07.07.2025

This question comes up in nearly every interview. It seems straightforward and yet a lot of executives trip themselves up. We discuss how we can get the interviewer to answer this for us and talk themselves into why we're right for the role.

Positioning Yourself for Corporate Opportunities 25.06.2025

Contrasting with last week's episode, Ross discusses how executives should position themselves for later-stage, corporate opportunities.

Positioning Yourself for Early-stage Opportunities 18.06.2025

Ross shares how positioning yourself for early-stage opportunities is fundamentally different to later-stage or corporate opportunities. He shares how to position yourself in a way which resonates and provides immediate clarity to decision makers.

A Quick Lesson in Confidence 11.06.2025

Ross shares a lesson he learned himself recently in confidence - what it actually is, how you get it, and how you use it.  This is particularly relevant to executives moving into a new company or making a step up in their career. 

Tenure - how long should you stay in your role for? 04.06.2025

Staying in your role for too long or too short a time can really hurt your career. In this episode, we peel back the layers and talk about how headhunters and CEOs really look at this, the questions you should be prepared to answer, and how to know when the right time to make a move is.

LinkedIn - your secret weapon for more opportunities 28.05.2025

LinkedIn is undervalued by the vast majority of executives when it comes to career moves. We reveal why it is so important, how to leverage it to get more opportunities, and avoid the mistakes nearly every executive is making.

Negotiating Compensation 20.05.2025

We discuss the mindset executives should have towards compensation, how to negotiate the right package, and where candidates usually let themselves down here.

Feedback: How to get it and what to do with it 15.05.2025

Feedback is the map that gives you directions to the job you want but can't yet get. Most executives do not prioritise feedback as they should, they don't know how to get it nor what to do with it once they have it.  Get Ross' insights on how to extract honest, direct feedback from interview processes and use it to zero-in on the development you need to make in order to land your dr...

Real Story: Stepping up from VP Sales to CRO 07.05.2025

Daniel had been a VP Sales for 7 years, struggling to make the step up to C-level. He was looked over when his company needed a new CRO as they hired externally. He kept losing out on CRO opportunities to candidates already at that level.  Deep-dive into how to position yourself to compete against candidates with more experience and to make that breakthrough step up in your career.

What's going on in the tech market right now and what does that mean for executive hiring? 29.04.2025

The tech industry is going through two fundamental shifts concurrently - mass adoption of AI and restriction of capital. This will have major implications for which tech companies are successful and how executives should think about building their own careers.

How Headhunters really work and how to leverage them to land your ideal role 25.02.2025

Ross explains the difference between a recruiter and a headhunter, and how to leverage them in the most effective way possible to land your dream role.

How start-ups and corporates differ in hiring executive roles 07.02.2025

We talk about how start-ups and corporates differ in how they think about and approach hiring executive leadership roles.  Understanding the differences is key to knowing how to position yourself.

How to tell your story in an interview and avoid the common pitfalls 29.01.2025

Learn how to tell your background story in an interview in a way which captures your audience's attention and keeps it.  Avoid the common mistakes executives tend to make and learn what to do instead. 

Why LinkedIn is More Important than your CV 20.01.2025

Learn about why you are likely massively undervaluing LinkedIn in your career search.

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