The Leadership Project Podcast

Every leader knows the rush of validation when someone brings you a problem and you solve it on the spot. But Gary Cohen , founder of CO2 Coaching and author of Just Ask Leadership, learned that this habit can limit your team’s potential and make you the organizational bottleneck. While growing his company from a $4,000 investment to 2,200 employees, he and his business partner became overwhelmed...

The courage to say "I don't know" might be the most powerful leadership trait in today's rapidly changing world. Through reflections on conversations with five remarkable guests, this episode explores what authentic leadership truly means in 2023 and beyond. Randy Lyman introduces us to the often-overlooked "third element" of success – the emotional and spiritual dime...

The backlash against DEI has left many leaders unsure of how to champion inclusion in a politically charged environment. Kelli Lester , co-founder of Onyx Rising and seasoned diversity practitioner, brings clarity with a grounded, practical approach to creating workplaces where everyone truly belongs. Her journey began with a recruitment project that opened her eyes to deeper issues in workplace c...

What if your greatest leadership asset wasn't your product or service, but the emotional connection people feel towards your brand? In this thought-provoking episode, award-winning brand strategist Doug Zarkin challenges the idea that branding is just a marketing function. Instead, he positions it as a vital leadership responsibility—one that shapes how people engage with your organization at...

What if the secret to creating a truly inclusive workplace wasn't found in grand policies or mission statements, but in the small, intentional actions leaders take every single day? In this episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Stutz , President of Global Diversity Partners and co-author of The Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders, to explore how simple, consistent behaviors can reshape organizat...

Are you living or just existing? This powerful question anchors our conversation with Bill Zujewski , former tech executive and founder of Good Life. What began as a simple year-end spreadsheet became a transformative tool for intentional living. Bill introduces the HELP GROW framework: Health, Environment, Leisure, Purpose, Growth, Relationships, Occupation, and Wealth as a personal scorecard tha...

What does success really mean when you've checked all the boxes but still feel empty inside? Randy Lyman 's journey from physicist and multi-millionaire entrepreneur to emotional intelligence advocate challenges everything we think we know about leadership. Despite achieving multiple patents, thriving businesses, and academic accolades, Randy opens up about the profound emptiness he felt...

Leadership demands constant evolution in our rapidly changing world. Are you asking the right questions as a leader? Are you creating an environment where people can adapt, belong and thrive amid uncertainty? This solo episode distills the most powerful insights from four exceptional leaders featured on the podcast during June, blended with reflections on leadership in today's complex landsca...

Why do most transformation efforts fail, even when people are deeply committed? In this thought-provoking episode of The Leadership Project, Michael Lopez , transformation coach and author of Change, unpacks the science behind why change is so hard and what we’ve been getting wrong all along. With over 20 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex change, Lopez challenges the conve...

What truly matters more in hiring—skills or character? Dave MacDonald , founder of Better Together Group, brings hard-earned wisdom to this age-old question. After being fired multiple times in his twenties ("I was a lousy employee"), Dave transformed these setbacks into powerful leadership lessons that now guide his successful HR and staffing business. With refreshing honesty, Dave intr...

Do you wear "busy" as a badge of honor while still feeling behind? You're not alone. In this powerful conversation with productivity expert Jones Loflin , author of Focused as a Bee, we explore how busyness may be the very thing blocking your goals. Drawing from the focused nature of honeybees, Jones shows that true productivity comes not from doing more, but from doing what truly m...

Kumar Parakala delivers a timely wake-up call for leaders stuck in outdated models amid the rise of AI and digital disruption. Drawing from his experience building billion-dollar digital businesses and advising prime ministers, he argues that rigid hierarchies and authoritative styles are no longer effective. Instead, leadership today demands empathy, agility, and a clear sense of purpose. Kumar b...

Have you ever felt that knot in your stomach before speaking to a group? That flutter of fear that makes you question whether you should just stay quiet? What if that sensation isn't weakness but potential trying to break through? Following my powerful conversation with Israel Duran —who transformed from a boy who would get in trouble to avoid public speaking into a globally sought-after spea...

What if the very thing you fear most holds the key to your greatest impact? For Israel Duran , that fear was public speaking—a challenge so intimidating that, as a young boy with a stutter, he would deliberately get into trouble just to avoid addressing his class. But what once silenced him has now become the foundation of his purpose. Israel has turned his childhood struggle into a powerful missi...

Are you building your workplace culture intentionally, or allowing it to form by default? This question lies at the heart of effective leadership, yet few leaders truly understand how their everyday decisions silently shape what it feels like to work in their organizations. Culture isn't the aspirational language hanging on your office walls. It's the unspoken rules that govern how decis...

What if the workplace friction you face daily isn’t just “how things are” but something you can change? In this eye-opening conversation, Margaret Graziano —bestselling author of Ignite Culture —shares how most dysfunction at work is created, not inevitable. Drawing from decades of experience and research in neuroscience and organizational development, Margie empowers us to stop pointing fingers a...

What if the secret to exceptional customer experience isn't found in customer-facing strategies at all, but in how you treat your own team? This powerful question frames our exploration with Lynn Daniel , CEO of The Daniel Group, who has achieved something remarkable in an industry known for turnover: a team that not only stays but thrives. "If you're not listening to your people, t...

The secret to building customer loyalty might be hiding in plain sight—within your own team. In this fascinating conversation with Lynn Daniel , founder and CEO of The Daniel Group, we uncover the powerful connection between remarkable customer experiences and dedicated employees who stay for decades. Lynn's story begins with a resourceful decision in the early 2000s to create a remote work e...

What drives people to perform at their highest level? Contrary to popular belief, it's rarely money or status. During this thought-provoking solo episode, I reflect on my transformative conversation with Dan Johnson , who built a non-profit organization with over 10,000 dedicated volunteers. His powerful insight? When you lead with genuine humility and humanity, people will walk through fire...

What motivates people to give their best effort without financial incentives? This was the central theme of a compelling conversation with Dan Johnson , a nonprofit coach who has galvanized over 10,000 volunteers. Dan’s story begins with a moment of disillusionment during political meetings, where he recognized a lack of genuine problem-solving. Realizing he was "in the wrong room," he m...

Ever wondered if your team's greatest strength could also be its biggest weakness? When expertise becomes tunnel vision, even the most talented teams can miss what matters most. Drawing from my enlightening conversation with Professor Henrik Bresman of INSEAD, co-author of "X-Teams," this episode explores a counterintuitive truth: truly exceptional teams aren't defined by their...

Truly innovative teams distinguish themselves not by what happens within their team rooms, but by how actively they engage with the world outside. In a powerful conversation, Professor Henrik Bresman of INSEAD draws from his decades of research and his book X-Teams: How to Build Teams that Lead, Innovate and Succeed to challenge traditional ideas of high-performing teams. He emphasizes that while...

Have you ever wondered why brilliant strategies often fail to deliver results? The answer might lie not in the strategy itself, but in how it's created and communicated throughout your organization. When frontline employees don't understand why they're doing their daily tasks or how those tasks connect to the bigger picture, even the most brilliant strategic plan will falter. This r...

Imagine strategy as something felt , not just written—that's the core of Britt Hogue 's approach to leadership. After years in corporate roles immersed in data and KPIs, Britt realized that behind every metric were real people making decisions. As the founder of The Collective Good, she now champions "humanized strategy" for mission-driven organizations, focusing on inclusion a...

The difference between going fast and going far lies at the heart of this powerful exploration of inclusive leadership language. Drawing from Kyle McDowell 's transformative work in "Begin With We," we unpack how a simple shift from "me-centered" to "we-centered" language fundamentally reshapes organizational culture and leadership effectiveness. Language isn&apo...