Talking Leaders

Is it possible to be an effective leader of experts in a highly technical field when you are not an expert in that field yourself? Karin Wingstrand thinks so and the evidence of her highly successful career leading experts in a number of disciplines concerned with drug development is proof. In this episode Karin to talks through her career as a leader of experts and shares advice distilled from he...

It’s one thing to be successful in getting promoted, but what about making a success of the new role once you’re doing it? Business Psychologist Katie Humes believes that you can enhance your chances of success by properly understanding yourself: your motivations, your preferences, your strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge will increase your chances of taking a promotion that is truly right fo...

What are your motivations for seeking promotion? Jeffrey Skolnik is a physician and senior VP in the pharmaceutical industry specialising in Oncology. Jeffrey’s  career has advanced to the point where he could quite probably leverage his experience and expertise to significantly enhance his income and his overall benefits, but in my conversation with Jeffrey one thing that came through is that whi...

Deborah Litman-Goch is a senior HR professional with an extensive career in the field. Coming from HR Deb has a well-rounded perspective on the topic of promotion. In this conversation which is an extract from a much longer discussion we had, we concentrated upon her personal experiences of being promoted. Things to listen out for: How Deb’s reasons for seeking promotion have changed over time Why...

Season 2 of the Talking Leaders podcast “Conversation about promotion” is all about, not surprisingly, promotion: Why we seek it How reality matches expectations What can be learned from listening to the experiences of others. 3 mins 20 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

If as a leader, watching what has unfolded since the killing of George Floyd, you have been wondering what you could do. What action you can take in your sphere of influence to make a difference? Well, you’re not alone. While the subject of improving Diversity and Inclusion has been trending for some time, people who work in this field will tell you that since the surge in protest and calls for ch...

When was the last time you were moved by something you heard? I don’t mean something someone said, I mean a sound. A sound other than music. Our grandchildren’s squeals of glee or leaves rustling in the breeze are two recent positive examples I can think of. What about fingernails down a blackboard? Makes me shudder just imagining it. Mike Edwards of Sound Matters is particularly attuned to the po...

What gives great leaders their magic touch? This is a question that has fascinated Olly Purnell, Andy Cottrill and their colleagues at Q5 for over ten years. And in pursuit of answers, they have seized the opportunity when it presents to interview great leaders about how they got to where they are. Having amassed a library of these interviews Q5 is now releasing a selection in a book called “Magic...

Do you ever feel stuck with a problem? It’s something you know you should be able to deal with but the harder you think about it, the more you seem to dig yourself into a hole. Mindfulness coaching could be the answer. Following on from the previous episode looking at mindfulness coaching and leadership, Eric Le Gal takes us deeper into how mindfulness helps lift you out of this kind of thinking h...

How true to yourself are you as a leader? Are the roles you adopt and the behaviours you display in line with your core values? Or are you living in what Eric Le Gal calls a duality: one person at work, someone different elsewhere. In this episode, Eric shares his experiences of being torn by these kinds of feelings, and how he turned to mindfulness, meditation and Buddhism for help. He found many...

Does business school theory get in the way of the development of good leaders? Laurence Barrett believes much of it does. He is a founding director of Heresy, the leadership and organisational development consultancy with a difference. Rooted in the principles of psychodynamics, Laurence and Heresy believe in the need to return to a grounded approach to leadership. An approach that connects at a h...

How do you get a team to think strategically? Do you have the people to deliver the strategy they develop? Is the organisation’s culture going to be a help or a hindrance? Working at the interface of these strategy success factors is Joanne Rencher’s sweet spot. After more than 25 years working as a senior HR professional, Jo knows her way around strategy. In a fascinating interview, Jo shares ide...

How do you connect 2,500 people across 100 countries? Not just keeping them informed but helping them feel part of one organisation. At one time the common way to do this was by holding the annual company get-together, where everyone flew to a hotel in a nice location for a week of work and social activities. But as pressures on travel increase, these events are increasingly rare. So how can you r...

Apologies for the gap since our last podcast, but we have some exciting news. We are changing. New look, new name, new us. This episode is a quick update on the change. And as you'll hear, we'll be back podcasting again shortly. 2 mins 36 secs. New website:  https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Even though conversational communications are my business, it is still a bit of thrill to be reminded why I think this medium is so powerful and can be so useful to leaders. Listening to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer and one-time star of the hit musical Hamilton, I got just such a reminder. What he said was good but what impressed and even inspired me most was the way that he said it, infusing hi...

Kurt is a bridge fan (the card game, not the river crossings). So, as he set off on a long car journey, he was looking forward to listening to the latest episode of a podcast he follows. But he soon found that it was so excruciatingly bad that he could only bear to listen to short bursts, hoping each time he went back in that things would improve. There are many styles of podcast hosting and inter...

If you need to build trust, explain ideas in depth, convey the personality and commitment of yourself or others, then audio could be the perfect medium for you. Debbie Aurelius, owner of Peppermint Fish communications and host of the podcast Be A Bigger Fish is an expert internal communicator and a passionate advocate for audio. In this episode, we explore why and where audio is most effective, an...

Neil Reavey knows what it is like to have to hide the real Neil from colleagues in order to fit in with “the norm”. As a young gay man going into a career in science, he experienced discrimination in various forms. That led to him feeling pressured into “covering” in order to be accepted, like when he would mug up on the latest football (soccer) news in order to be able to join in with the blokey...

Mike Catalonello brands himself as a double-digit growth expert, a bold claim, but one fully backed up by an impressive track record in boosting business performance. Key to his approach is talent management and in this extract from my recent conversation with him, we explore his people-oriented approach to talent. 18 mins 50 secs Want to chat about podcasting? Get in touch paul.gisby@talkingleade...

In the second part of “Why do experts struggle to tell stories?”, we look at different ways to help trigger an expert’s story memory, including getting them all worked up. Plus how emotion is what makes stories so powerful. 13 mins 17 secs  https://medium.com/@cscalfani/why-experts-make-bad-teachers-ccaed2df029b https://www.talkingleaders.com  

We have interviewed many experts. Most of them excellent. They know their stuff and what they want to pass on to others. But, frequently when we ask them to illustrate a point with a story they struggle to come up with a concrete real example. Why is this? In this two-part episode, we explore possible explanations and ways that we use to get around it. 14mins 36 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com...

Ever had that piece of work that you just can't get started on? You keep putting it off, and putting it off, knowing that you need to get down to it, but your brain is just stalled on this one. Well, we definitely have had that problem. But the good news is there are ways to overcome these hurdles, whether it's employing a new "toy" or changing your location it can be done, and we're happy to shar...

Not long after Lynne Ashcroft-Griffiths set up AG Communications, she and her team realized that if they were to help their clients make their leadership communications really fly, they needed to offer more than just the creation of great content and upgrading leaders’ communication skills. They needed to help leaders in all aspects of their leadership development; because the most effective leade...

It doesn’t necessarily follow that someone who evidently has the skills and the aptitude to lead is always going to be keen to take up the challenge. Joanne Lamb is a voiceover artist, owner of Childvoices.com, and reluctant leader. In this episode of Talking Leaders Jo shares some of her leadership experiences and achievements, and we discuss why the idea of being a leader does not sit easily wit...

 The contribution that body language makes to communication is well known, but did you know that how you look has a significant influence on how you sound. In this extract from my conversation with Laura Sicola, author of “Speaking to Influence: Mastering your Leadership Voice,” we look at the third “V”, visual. It’s all about PEGS: Posture, Eyes, Gestures, Smile. 10 mins 4 secs. For more informat...