Skybound Leadership Podcast

I talk with Bree Groff, a leading voice in the future of work and author of the book Today Was Fun , which explores how we can incorporate more joy, energy, and humanity into the workday. In our conversation, we unpack what "fun at work" actually means and discuss some examples of how people and teams can tap into more aliveness in their daily work.

I talk with executive coach and speaker Amale Ghalbouni about building a culture of experimentation in your organization . We'll dig into what experimental cultures actually are, why they're so valuable in today's uncertain and fast-changing world, and how they can boost everything from innovation to team engagement.

I talk with David Saxe, Co-Founder of ELL agency, about creating emotional connection on teams. We'll discuss why it's important to cultivate authentic relationships between colleagues, and dive into David's approach of creating memorable moments of connection to drive team cohesion, trust, and productivity, especially in the remote team environment.

I talk with marketing agency leader Stephen Brent May about asking for feedback. Stephen is co-founder at the agency One Foot Over, and we'll discuss why it's important to seek input from others, what gets in the way, and how to get better feedback. He breaks down a helpful framework for the three types of feedback you can request, inspired by the book "Thanks for the Feedback."

I interview Ray Smith about building your personal brand through content. Ray is a Video Podcast Producer and Co-founder at the company Speakerbox Media, which helps leaders enhance their executive profiles through video-first podcast strategies. Ray and I will talk about what personal branding means, and discuss the key steps you should think about if you're considering using podcasting and other...

I welcome back guest Colin Cooper to talk about leadership themes and styles in the first Gladiator movie. Colin is a fellow pop culture and leadership nerd, and we'll be continuing the "leadership in the movies" series of podcast episodes, this time exploring a handful of key characters in Ridley Scott's first Gladiator film from the year 2000 staring Russell Crowe.

In this episode, I interview Ruth Reitmeier about why new managers fail. Ruth is a fellow facilitator and certified coach, and serves as the Director of Coaching for Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business. We'll discuss the sobering statistics of how many new managers flounder, and explore how the mindsets and skills of a coaching-style of leadership can make new managers more success...

In this episode, I talk with historian and author Dr. Rebecca Simon about the fascinating world of pirate leadership! We explore some of the surprising leadership best-practices of pirate captains, like democratic decision-making and written codes of conduct, while also delving into the darker side of their leadership tactics.

In this episode, I talk to Mickie Deveau about addressing change fatigue. Mickie's the Director of the Leadership Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and we'll discuss some strategies for helping teams navigate change and manage change fatigue.

In this episode, I talk to Leah Leaves about team goal setting. We'll discuss the value of doing collective goal setting and cover some best-practices for facilitating the team goal setting process to ensure you end up with effective goals and buy-in from your team.

In this episode, I welcome on Rodney Bass to discuss the topic of employee recognition. Rodney works for BI Worldwide, which helps companies design and deliver engagement programs for employees and customers. Rodney shares some helpful input and research on why to provide employee recognition and how to do it effectively.

In this episode, I welcome on Milly Lackey for a fun conversation about leadership styles in Harry Potter. Milly is the Director of Training and Development at the Engineering firm H2B, and she's also a huge Harry Potter fan. We'll talk about how various leadership styles and qualities show up in a handful of Harry Potter characters and what that tells us about being effective and influential lead...

In this episode, I interview Dori Albora, the VP of Client Services at the healthcare marketing agency Unlock Health, about how to be a leader who empowers their team. We'll discuss what it means to be an empowering-style leader, and talk through some approaches you can use to empower your employees to be their best.

In this episode, I interview marketing leader Corryn Williams about the topic of leading a remote team. We'll discuss some of the challenges of managing remote workers, the adjustments leaders have to make to own approach, and cover some strategies for effectively communicating with a remote team.

In this episode, I interview guest Stephen Davis about a 5-step decision-making process he developed as part of his master's thesis in arts leadership. Stephen is the Assistant General Manager for a theater company in Houston Texas called A.D. Players. We'll discuss why decision-making is important in leadership, what makes it difficult, and we'll review each of his 5 recommended steps for effecti...

In this episode, I interview Anamaria Dorgo about how to build community within your organization. Anamaria is the Head of Community at the video conferencing company Butter, while also consulting in the areas of learning and community building. We'll discuss the what, why, and how of fostering cross-functional community groups among employees.

In this episode, I talk with Karina Amanullah about bringing company culture alive. She's the Head of People and Culture at Tekmetric, and we'll discuss how organizations can clarify core values and principles and integrate those into the day-to-day of employees so they don't just remain words on paper.

In this episode, I talk with marketing leader and author Henry Adaso about the topic of authentic thought leadership. We discuss what it means to be a thought leader and how people can stay grounded in authenticity when putting their voice out there so they can have the greatest positive impact. 

In this episode, I welcome back guest Colin Cooper (who I had on episode 59 about leading creative teams) – and this time we discuss video games and what these can show us about making better decisions as leaders. Colin works as a photo and video team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory. We discuss how the strategy video game "Civilization VI" gives us a glimpse into the dynamics and repercus...

In this episode, I talk with former Apple executive Hilary Percy about what the tenets of improv comedy can teach us about fostering better teamwork. Hilary has a background in performing and teaching improv, and she spent 17+ years at Apple, most recently as Senior Teaching Faculty at Apple University. We'll look at how some of the mindsets and skills of good improv can be part of the formula for...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Stan Ward about strategies for managing stress and conflict. Stan has his Ph. D. in leadership studies, is a certified coach, and specializes in helping leaders and teams maintain high performance. We'll talk about some mindsets and skills that'll help leaders prevent burnout and navigate tension in workplace relationships.

In this episode, I interview Jakob Knutzen about making virtual meetings fun. Jakob is the Co-Founder and CEO of Butter, a virtual conferencing software platform that integrates various collaboration tools while bringing some playfulness and creativity to the virtual meeting experience. We'll talk about why play is an important part of connecting and learning, and we'll hear about some of the fun...

In this episode, I interview arts leader Matthew Van Besien about leading amid changes in the arts. Matthew is the President of the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan, and former Executive Director of several major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic. We'll discuss how he's adjusted leadership approaches in light of all the change happening around us and within the...

In this episode, I welcome on fellow leadership coach Ruth Calabrese to discuss negotiation skills for leaders. We'll talk about when and why you might need to have a negotiation-type discussion at work and what skills you can use to negotiate effectively.

In this episode, I interview Colin Cooper about how to lead a creative team. Colin heads a group of creative media professionals within Ochsner Health System in Louisiana. We'll discuss some of the unique aspects of managing creative-type employees and explore recommended leadership approaches.