The Thoughtful Leader Podcast

When leaders do bad things in your workplace, do you assume they are bad, evil people? Or could it be that in a different environment, they’d lead in a better way? In this episode I take a look at some of the integrity risks that I find can have even good leaders doing bad leadership things. Watch out for them, to be able to lead better, more often. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

There are still some common misconceptions about leadership floating around in our organisations.  Leadership has changed. Gone are the days of command and control and the days of more inclusive leadership are upon us. However, many workplaces are still battling “old-school” leadership challenges.  In this episode, I take a look at some common leadership misconceptions that I feel still have a tendency to trip us up! Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

The world is full of top 10 leadership characteristics lists which we should all aspire to. In this episode, I wanted to do something a little different, so here are four characteristics that I think are overrated in leadership.  I still see these attributes celebrated in many organisations even when the senior leaders say they don’t endorse them! Leave a comment with your favourite overrated leadership attribute! Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

Good time management won’t necessarily make you a great leader, but I consider it to be a key enabler in being able to lead effectively. A frazzled, disorganised leader will often appear unreliable, untrustworthy and will struggle to focus their attention on the people who need it most (their people).  In this episode, I take a look at four key areas to focus on for better time management. If you get these right, you’re on the way to being much more effective… and the results will follow! Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but m

Thoughtful leaders never set out to become the bottleneck or “single point of failure” in their teams.  Unfortunately, it still happens for a bunch of reasons.  In this episode, I take a look at why leaders might fall into the bottleneck trap and of course, how you can take steps to stop becoming a bottleneck in your team! Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

When I notice team members watching the clock waiting for the time when they can go home, I know it’s a problem. It’s not that I want people to be working longer and harder than they need to.  But ideally, we want people to enjoy what they do and feel motivated to achieve it, to the point that they feel accountable and take more ownership. This might mean working longer to finish something important one day, and leaving earlier the next. After all, it should be about outcomes, not hours. In this episode, I look at some of the common reasons for clock watching, and some ideas to help you solve it. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

Reliable leaders have a tendency to build trust easily, because people know what to expect from them. It’s easy to say “just do what you say you’re going to do” to get someone to be more reliable, but it’s not always so easy to make it happen. In this episode, I’m going to look at some simple ways to show up more reliably at work, so you can hopefully put them into practice. As always, it’s not rocket science… it just needs a little focus! Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but many people do!  >>> Click here to apply for your c

Since I started coaching thoughtful leaders, I’ve noticed a few focus areas that we spend most of our time working on.  I’ve found that thoughtful leaders are often great people-people, but this can have it’s challenges too! In this episode, I take a look at the common areas of leadership improvement that I think many thoughtful leaders could benefit from. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

I work with lots of leaders who wish their team members would show a little more motivation and commitment.  And recently I’ve also seen a lot of articles about “quiet quitting”, where people are effectively doing the bare minimum at work, or simply tuning out.  In this episode, I take a look at some of the factors to check to see if you can build commitment in your team. You can’t *make* your people commit, but you can do your best to create an environment where people are more likely to feel committed. Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this

Most leaders love high performers.  However, there is a bit of a misconception that leading high performers can be easier. While in some ways this might be true, there are a few things you need to keep an eye on to make sure you can keep getting the best out of them – and have them wanting to remain in your team! In this episode, I look at some of the challenging parts of leading high performers and some strategies to keep in mind to keep them motivated and satisfied. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

If we follow our instincts all the time when leading people, we’re likely to run into trouble at some point. The problem is that we’re wired to protect ourselves, and we can be consumed with the “fight or flight” response that can cloud our judgement.  While this response has helped us survive and thrive over many thousands of years, in the modern workplace it can hold us back.  In this episode, I look at some leadership situations where doing the opposite of what your natural instincts tell you might be exactly what you need to do! Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

Who wants to work in a chaotic work environment?  Most people would answer… “of course, nobody does!” However, working in a chaotic work environment can sometimes actually be easier! In this episode, I look at a few ways that a chaotic work environment is hurting your team and your leadership, and of course some ways that you can bring some structure to the situation. Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

When leaders feel like they don’t have autonomy to make the decisions or take actions they need to, bad things can happen. That’s why it’s so important to have freedom when it comes to your leadership role.  However, it’s not easy – you often need to navigate many stakeholders to achieve what you need to. In this episode, I take a look at some ways to take back your leadership freedom! Like the Show? Please Leave a Review! ✅ If you like this episode or the show in general, please take a few minutes to leave a review by clicking one of the links below. Your review really helps me to reach a wider audience of thoughtful leaders, so we can improve workplaces around the world. I appreciate you taking the time!

Many people think that the boss is the most powerful person in a team. While the boss certainly does have power, they probably aren’t the only one! Sometimes power can come from different sources, not just your formal job title or position. In this episode, I take a look at several sources of power that can impact teams, and some actions you can take if you think a power imbalance is impacting team performance. Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but many people do!  >>> Click here to apply for your complimentary coaching session

It’s nice to be a helpful leader, rather than being an obstacle or causing your team to do more work “managing” you. However, all that helpfulness can go too far if we’re not careful. Many good people leaders are motivated by supporting their people, so it’s easy to fall into the helpfulness trap. In this episode, I take a look at three seemingly helpful actions that may actually be hurting your team. Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but many people do!  >>> Click here to apply for your complimentary coaching session.  Like th

It’s common for leaders to be faced with tough situations such as ethical dilemmas or conflicts, where they need to decide whether it’s worth fighting… or perhaps not worth the trouble.  In this episode, I look at 6 good questions to ask yourself if you’re trying to work out whether it’s worth fighting that battle, or letting it go instead. There is never a perfect answer to this question, but hopefully this episode will help you to gain some clarity about what you should do when faced with your next tough situation. Like the Show? Leave a Review On Apple Podcasts ✅

Even the best of us make mistakes, and our team members will too! In this episode, I answer a reader question about what to do when your team member messes up. It’s a common challenge, because we want to encourage our people to be proactive and build their confidence without feeling scared of failing… and at the same time, we don’t want the organisation to fall apart! Listen to this episode for some ideas on how to approach this situation. Join the Thoughtful Leader Membership As a Thoughtful Leader Member, you get access to: All my online courses, eBooks and Audiobooks Group Coaching calls to tackle your leadership challenges Additional members-only video content about leadership tools, tips and techniques; and Discounted 1 on 1 coaching sessions with me Level up your leadership with the Thoughtful Leader Membership - all for a reasonable monthly price.  >>> Click here to learn more and join today. Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, whe

Leading former colleagues can be tricky, because you used to be one of the gang and now you’re the boss! This can be awkward for some people and can put you in a difficult position. However, you shouldn’t refuse a good leadership opportunity just because of some potential discomfort. In this episode, I take a look at some tips for leading former colleagues, so you can feel more comfortable taking on the role… and so can the people you’re leading! Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but many people do!  >>> Click here to apply for

The “Open Door Policy” came about from the days where we actually had offices and doors. However, it’s still a valuable concept today, to promote free-flowing communication between a leader and their people. It’s not all roses though, there are some pitfalls that can occur if we aren’t careful. In this episode, I take a look at some of the challenges that can occur with this approach and how you can overcome them. Apply For Your Complimentary Coaching Session I invite you to a complimentary Discovery Coaching Session, where we will: Get clear on your most important goals and what is most important to you Identify blockers and limiting beliefs that are holding you back; and Develop key actions you can take to move forward and make progress. You will leave the Discovery Coaching Session with a sense of clarity, purpose and practical steps to move you forward. There is no obligation to pursue further coaching after this session - but many people do!

Like it or not, leaders are role-models in the workplace. What we say and do matters, so it’s important to try to set the right example. In this episode, I look at some common phrases that can really cause some damage in our teams and workplaces! If you’ve said some of them yourself, don’t worry (I have too!) It’s not about beating ourselves up… it’s about doing better next time! Show Links: The Thoughtful Leader Membership is now open! Click here to learn more and enrol. Article: 7 Things Leaders Should Stop Saying. Article: Too Busy at Work? Try These 5 Things. Podcast: Thoughtful Leader Podcast #22: Self-Fulfilling Prophecy & Leadership. Podcast: Thoughtful Leader Podcast #9: Leadership Weaknesses.