The Leadership Podcast by Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc / NB Networks

How does a global digital business emerge from a teenage project built in an attic? In this episode, Niels Brabandt speaks with Jeroen Derwort , founder of Online Soccer Manager, about leadership, focus and timing in building a product that reached more than one hundred million players worldwide. The conversation explores early-stage entrepreneurship without capital, the importance of strategic fo...

Getting your message across is one of the most underestimated challenges in leadership. In this episode, Niels Brabandt speaks with communication expert Frankie Kemp about why so many leaders struggle to be heard and how decision-makers can communicate with clarity, credibility and strategic impact. The conversation explores ineffective meeting cultures, overreliance on slide decks, and the miscon...

Artificial Intelligence is no longer experimental. It is embedded in daily business decisions, workflows, and leadership processes. Yet across organisations, trust in Artificial Intelligence remains fragile. In this episode of the Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt explains why AI adoption fails not because of technological limitations, but because leadership underestimates the human, cultural, an...

In this episode of The Leadership Podcast , Niels Brabandt provides an evidence-based, executive-level analysis of how to lead Generation Z effectively in today's organisations and why traditional authority-driven leadership models are no longer sufficient. Drawing on organisational psychology, labour market dynamics and practical leadership experience, Niels Brabandt explains why credibility now...

This interview is highly valuable for anyone who wants to do more than merely survive in the corporate world and instead build a truly successful, resilient, and fulfilling career. In his conversation with Edward Bjurstrom, former Vice President of Operations at Gilead Sciences and author of The Success Guide: How to Thrive in the Corporate Environment , Niels Brabandt explores what sustainable su...

This podcast interview is a must-listen for anyone who is facing strategic, professional, or personal change and wants to navigate it with clarity, structure, and confidence. In his conversation with author and transformation expert Darryl J. Heffline, Niels Brabandt explores one of the most underestimated leadership challenges: recognising the need for change before disruption forces it upon you....

Uncertainty has become a permanent condition for today's business leaders. Geopolitical instability, technological disruption, economic volatility and shifting workforce expectations mean that executives can no longer rely on linear planning or long-term certainty. The central leadership question is no longer how to predict the future, but how to lead credibly when outcomes cannot be fully known....

In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt analyses a growing and highly relevant challenge in modern organisations: conflict incompetence combined with pseudo-coaching. Based on a real, legally adjudicated case from an international company in London, Niels Brabandt explains how professionally conducted critique conversations are increasingly being interrupted or rejected with refe...

How can Innovation and Efficiency take place at the same time? Anne J. Thorensen shares her experiences on this interview with Niels Brabandt.   Host: Niels Brabandt /  NB@NB-Networks.com Contact with Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/  

How can you deliver innovation in your organisation while at the same time staying in time, on track and on target with your daily business? Kris Poria and Jeff Penrose share their approach, their expertise and their experience in this interview with Niels Brabandt. Host: Niels Brabandt / NB@NB-Networks.com Contact with Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/   Niels Brabandt's...

How may a modern approach to coaching look like? Scott Abbott shares his approach in this interview with Niels Brabandt.   Host: Niels Brabandt / NB@NB-Networks.com Contact with Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/  

How to optimise Public Services? Vijay K. Luthra shares his insights and expertise in this interview with Niels Brabandt.   Host: Niels Brabandt / NB@NB-Networks.com Contact with Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter:  https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/  

Why do so many professional goals fail, even in well-led organisations with capable people? In this episode, leadership expert Niels Brabandt breaks down professional goal setting from a leadership and governance perspective, separating evidence-based practice from motivational theatre. Drawing on real-world executive experience and scientifically grounded principles, this episode explains how lea...

Do New Year's resolutions genuinely lead to lasting change, or are they merely an annual illusion of progress? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast , Niels Brabandt examines the question through the lens of scientific research and executive leadership practice. Rather than relying on popular myths or motivational slogans, this episode is grounded in peer reviewed studies from behavioural scie...

The end of the year is more than a date on the calendar. It is a leadership moment. In this end-of-year reflection, Niels Brabandt takes a deliberately humorous yet thoughtful look at end-of-year business —not as a last-minute rush for numbers, but as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and say thank you. Drawing on insights from The Leadership Podcast and Leadership Videocast , this piece addresses...

Is your recruiting process truly fit for today's talent market – or is it silently driving the best candidates away? In this episode, Niels Brabandt , leadership expert, executive coach, and organisational advisor, examines why recruiting can no longer be treated as an administrative HR task. Instead, modern recruiting must be understood as a core leadership strategy that directly influences organ...

Long-term planning has become one of the most decisive leadership responsibilities in today's volatile business environment. Yet many leaders struggle to provide clear direction, manage uncertainty and communicate strategy in a way that earns trust. In this episode, Niels Brabandt , international leadership expert and founder of NB Networks, delivers a rigorous, evidence-based analysis of how mode...

In this new episode, Niels Brabandt , international leadership expert and founder of NB Networks, examines one of the most overlooked but decisive factors in modern business leadership: standing up for values . Across industries, executives frequently speak about values, ethics, and integrity—yet real-world decisions often tell a very different story. Triggered by a recent, highly controversial ev...

In this week's episode, Niels Brabandt welcomes internationally recognised executive coach Ash Seddeek for a deep, evidence-based conversation on excellent executive coaching —what it is, how it works, and why it has become essential for today's business leaders. The unregulated coaching market is crowded with self-proclaimed experts, online "gurus," and superficial advice. This episode separates...

Leaders are expected to communicate confidently, clearly and without notes. Yet the reality inside organisations — and on the global stage — shows a different truth: some leaders need a script, and when they abandon it, organisations pay the price. In this episode, Niels Brabandt , international leadership expert and founder of NB Networks, examines why scripted communication is often essential fo...

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries at unprecedented speed — but the organisations that thrive will not be those that automate the fastest. They will be those that think the best. In this episode, Niels Brabandt speaks with Geoff Gibbins , author of Critical Intelligence: Strengthening Human Thinking in the Age of AI and founder of Human-Machines. Together they explore how AI expose...

In a world defined by volatility, disruption and rapid transformation, leaders face a critical question: Do you merely react to disruption, or do you use it to take control of your future? In this episode, Niels Brabandt speaks with Dr. Patrick Leddin — professor at Vanderbilt University, bestselling author, former U.S. Army officer, entrepreneur and one of the world's leading voices on leadership...

Ghosting has become one of the most underestimated risks in today's professional world. Whether it appears in leadership communication, recruiting processes, internal collaboration, or high-stakes sales negotiations, disappearing without explanation damages credibility, weakens employer branding, and undermines organisational culture. In this episode, Niels Brabandt , international leadership expe...

In this episode of The Leadership Podcast , Niels Brabandt explores the decisive factor that determines whether hybrid work succeeds or fails: leadership quality . Drawing on new evidence from the MIT Sloan Management Review , Brabandt examines why hybrid work itself is not the real challenge — ineffective leadership is. He unpacks how executives fall into filter bubbles and echo chambers , how op...

In this episode of The Leadership Podcast , Niels Brabandt , Founder and Owner of NB Networks (London | Zurich) , explores one of the most pressing challenges for today's leaders: When does a strong opinion become a leadership asset – and when does it turn into a liability? In a world dominated by loud voices and instant expertise, leaders face a crucial task: separating conviction backed by evide...