“Imagine if Amazon was inefficient,” says Garrett Delph, Founder and CEO of Clarity Ops.

An inefficient Amazon would never reign in the very area that allowed it to disrupt the marketplace–that is, rapid, low-cost product delivery.

Operational inefficiencies are organizational kryptonite, says Delph in this conversation with Daniel and Peter. Garrett Delph is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three businesses, collectively generating over $40 million in revenue. Today, Garrett is an operating partner to business executive leadership in need of transformative solutions that extend business lifetime value, increase company profits, and improve employee well-being.

Tune in to learn:

• How the four types of leaders contribute to operational success
• The most underrated tool to build a lasting business
• What Formula 1, icebergs, and architecture have to do with operational success

With wit, insight, and clear analogies, Garrett shares his own journeys and lessons learned and offers clarity for business leaders caught in operational chaos.

In this episode:

1:35 – Introduction: Garrett Delph

2:40 – Topic: Achieving Operational Success as a Leader

6:40 – The Dangers of Inefficiencies

13:10 – Sea of Chaos?

18:10 – Architecting Order

22:06 – The QuadCore Management Framework

31:26 – Lightning Round

Clarity Ops Website

Garrett Delph LinkedIn

Formula 1: Drive to Survive

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Start Training on These 6 Essential Skills for Managers
• The 7 Critical Vital Signs of Organizational Health
• How to Identify and Develop a Core Process
• Taking a SPIN: A Simple Way to Serve Your Customers Better
• 5 Questions to Help With Your Process Flow Analysis
• 6 Ways to Drive Employee Retention

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“Empathy is not being soft,” says Jevon Wooden, CEO of BrightMind Consulting Group and today’s guest on The Leadership Growth Podcast.

Jevon is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant specializing in empathetic leadership. His proven strategies have been featured in major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine.

In this episode, Daniel, Peter, and Jevon discuss in detail the role of empathy in leadership–and why, as Jevon says, empathy is key to managing any situation.

Tune in to learn:

• The difference between being empathetic and having empathy
• The role of humility in being an empathetic leader
• How people leaders can better understand technical leaders

Bring empathy to your leadership with Jevon’s insights and tips, and watch engagement and results improve.

In this episode:

1:21 – Introduction: Jevon Wooden

9:22 – Empathy as a Skill

17:40 – Improving Business Results and People Results with Empathy

24:52 – Misusing Empathy?

30:15 – Lightning Round

BrightMind Consulting Group

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Ways to Prime Your Brain to Receive Feedback
• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• 6 Ways to Regulate Your Emotions for Leadership Effectiveness
• 10 Questions to Help You Manage Up
• 5 Executive Presence “Superpowers” of Quiet Leaders
• 6 Keys to Working Well With Your Employees

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“With every relationship, we make deposits into that trust account by the actions we take, the things we say, and the interest we show and display,” says Peter.

Are you making good deposits into the trust accounts with your bosses, peers, and team members?

Peter and Daniel get a little bit personal in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast with a discussion about the most important tools you need to build strong relationships at work–and in all areas of life.

Tune in to learn:

• The simple exercise that can help build connections on your team
• The most consistent element that science says will boost your personal happiness, wealth, and success
• The three questions you can ask yourself to help manage your reactions as you build a relationship

Plus, some of the milestones in Daniel and Peter’s lives, and a valuable quote about the importance of connecting with other people.

In this episode:

2:42 – Insight of the Week

8:18 – Memory Lane: Milestones

22:21 – Topic: Building Relationships in a Professional Setting

36:17 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

Harvard Study of Adult Development

An 85-year Harvard study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life, CNBC

Susan Pinker’s TED Profile

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust with Others
• Big Ears Are a Must
• Are You an Ideal Boss?
• 7 Ways to Become a People-First Manager
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• Five Keys for Rapidly Developing Trusting Relationships
• 5 Ways to Build Trust Within Your Organization

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“Some of the best goals out there have a 50% or 60% chance of success,” says Daniel.

How effective are your change efforts? If you only have a 20% chance of success, you may be sabotaging yourself. On the other hand, if you set a goal that has an 80% chance of success, are you really making a significant change?

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter offer some guidelines and tips for creating an effective action plan for sustained change.

“The ceiling on strengths is a lot higher than the ceiling on our weaknesses,” says Peter.

Tune in to learn:

• The five elements of an effective action plan
• The right time frame to work on a new behavior
• The role of “micro-experts” in your personal action plan for change

Plus, how full is your tea cup? Peter shares a Zen parable that’s relevant to pursuing change. And Peter and Daniel reflect on hearing Colin Powell speak–and the unique team-building exercise developed by their dad.

In this episode:

2:06 – Insight of the Week

8:30 – Memory Lane: Teaming Through Skiing

14:37 – Topic: Creating an Effective Action Plan for Development

40:40 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

Parable of the Tea Cup

The enduring impact of Colin Powell (Washington Post)

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 10 Questions to Ask to Best Develop Your Individual Action Plan
• The Three Types of Learning You Need to Excel as a Leader
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• Six Secrets to Your Leadership Growth
• 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset Culture
• Workbook: LEAD NOW! Individual Action Planning Workbook
• Book: LEAD NOW! A Personal Leadership Coaching Guide for Results-Driven Leaders

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

We’ve all embarked on personal change efforts with great excitement and motivation–only to lose momentum and fall back on old habits or even crash and burn. Failing in our change efforts can result in frustration, discouragement, and disappointment.

Is there any way to change in a truly sustainable way?

In episode 12 of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter offer a proven method to create sustainable personal change.

Tune in to learn:

• The five steps of personal change
• How leaders can promote sustainable change for their team members
• How to help support someone who wants to make changes

Join our experts for a conversation about how to change–even when it’s tough! Plus, are you calling your employees by the right name? And remembering 1980s technology...

In this episode:

1:44 – Insight of the Week

7:35 – Memory Lane: Plotting Along…

12:08 – Topic: The Five Steps of Personal Change

38:30 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

HP ColorPro Pen Plotter Drawing the Mask of Tutankhamen

Understanding Motivational Interviewing

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 5 Steps for Sustaining Personal Change
• 4 Ways to Create Personal Change
• 4 Reasons FAST Goals Beat SMART Goals (includes downloadable worksheet)
• You Are Not Perfect! Mistakes Are Part of Life!
• Six Obstacles to Change and How to Overcome Them
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

It’s an historic day over at The Leadership Growth Podcast as Daniel and Peter conduct their first podcast interview!

Daniel and Peter interview Ed Evarts, founder and president of Excellius Leadership Development and author of the forthcoming book, The Bravery Trick: Four Easy Ways to Say Hard Things.

In this interview, Ed shares some observations, tips, and suggestions for how to be braver in conversations with bosses, colleagues, and direct reports–while preserving psychological safety and remaining respectful.

Tune in to learn:

• What bravery is and why it matters in the workplace
• The importance of curiosity in being brave
• The one tip every conflict averse person should practice to become braver

Join Daniel, Peter, and Ed as they discuss why it’s so hard to be brave at work, how to become braver, and how to foster bravery on your team and in the workplace.

In this episode:

1:33 – Introduction: Ed Evarts

2:51 – Insight of the Week: What is Bravery?

6:55 – How to Be Braver at Work

17:20 – On the Other Side of Bravery

23:00 – Creating a Brave Workplace

31:30 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Excellius Leadership Development

The Bravery Trick: Four Easy Ways to Say Hard Things page (release date: May 14, 2024)

Ed Evarts’ Amazon Author Page

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Three Levels of Managerial Courage
• 4 Suggestions for Giving Brain-Friendly Feedback
• 4 Ways to Prime Your Brain to Receive Feedback
• 6 Tips for Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Do you know the most important skill for a leader?

A conversation with an old friend from high school led Daniel to think carefully about this question, and his answer?

Coaching.

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter discuss the five most important steps to effectively coaching someone on your team.

Tune in to learn:

• The most important foundational skill to becoming a great coach
• How and when to use assessments
• The one thing you should not do as a coach

Plus, why sleep is so important to our overall function as leaders (and people), and a brief peek into what trivia nights were like in the Stewart household (hint: fingers were sprained).

In this episode:

1:57 – Insight of the Week

8:12 – Memory Lane: Lesson from a Choir Teacher

14:15 – Topic: The Five Steps of Great Coaching

35:53 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Five Steps of Great Coaching
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• Big Ears are a Must
• 4 Reasons FAST Goals Beat SMART Goals

“Discovering the Brain’s Nightly Rinse Cycle,” NIH Director’s Blog, Mar 5, 2020

“Sleep Loss Encourages Spread of Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein,” NIH Director’s Blog, Feb 5, 2019

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

What is your Personal Philosophy of Leadership?

If you can’t answer that question, this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast is for you!

Join Daniel and Peter as they coach you through a powerful exercise in self-reflection that can help you develop your own core philosophy.

Tune in to learn:

• The five core questions you need to answer to develop your Personal Philosophy of Leadership
• The most helpful piece of advice you need to complete your philosophy
• The bonus sixth question that can refine your philosophy even more

Plus, the importance of letting go, a few “poorly chosen words from the past,” and some insight into the Stewarts’ personalities as they share their pet peeves (hint: one of them hates this common office supply!)

In this episode:

1:37 – Insight of the Week

7:41 – Memory Lane: “A Few Poorly Chosen Words From the Past”

11:20 – Topic: The Personal Philosophy of Leadership

34:22 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• How to Delegate Like a Pro
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• The Value of an Iterative Process
• How to Leverage the Six Leadership Styles in Today’s Environment
• Internal vs. External Processing: What is Your Thinking Style?
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“What’s the value-add for each and every interaction?”

According to Daniel, this is a critical question every leader should ask about interactions with customers.

But it doesn’t just apply to customers. Leaders have four critical relationships to manage, and each one has different needs, concerns, and desired outcomes.

Managing these four relationships can make leaders feel stretched in multiple directions at once. As Peter points out, a leader who is focused on addressing the boss’ needs will still feel pulled toward direct reports, peers, and customers.

It is possible to successfully navigate the different needs of each relationship–without being pulled apart in the process!

Tune in to learn:

• What each relationship needs most from a leader
• Why taking the time to address peer needs and peer learning is so critical to collaboration
• The biggest trap you can fall into if you don’t treat each relationship uniquely

Plus, insight into why we don’t remember everything, and memories about epic Koosh Ball battles.

In this episode:

1:29 – Insight of the Week

8:36 – Memory Lane: Koosh Ball Mayhem

11:50 – Topic: Four Critical Relationships Every Leader Needs to Manage

32:40 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Four Critical Relationships All Leaders Must Develop
• 6 Tips for Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• 3 Human Needs to Retain Every Employee
• Six Keys to Successfully Working with Your Boss
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

Koosh Ball, Wikipedia

Brain Facts, Cleveland Clinic

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“Are you going to be curious, or are you going to be judging?”

This is the question Daniel asks in this conversation about how to create shared meaning through conversations.

As Daniel points out, there’s a time and place for both, but in striving to understand each other in conversation, we need to emphasize curiosity over judgment.

For leaders who want to create shared purpose and meaning with their teams, good conversation skills are vital. In this episode, Daniel and Peter review a number of conversational practices and principles that can improve relationships in the workplace–and in life.

Tune in to learn:

• How to implement the power of the pause
• How to identify your personal triggers and manage your emotional responses better
• What active listening is, and why it’s so important

Plus, lessons on customer experience from a Dutch supermarket, and a trip to Stewarts’ childhood living room.

In this episode:

1:32 – Insight of the Week

6:57 – Memory Lane: The Podium

10:55 – Topic: How to Create Shared Meaning in Conversations

33:29 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Key to Acquiring and Keeping Customers for the Long-Term
• 4 Actions for Increasing Customer Focus
• 6 Tips to Improve Your Executive Presence Through Language
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• 6 Ways to Help Regulate Your Emotions for Leadership Effectiveness
• Please, Help Me Communicate Better!

“Dutch supermarket introduces unique slow checkout lane for lonely seniors who want to have a chat,” Aditi Bora, Upworthy

Raspberry Pi

Solipsism, Wikipedia

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

When deadlines loom and a time crunch hits, what's the first thing you or your direct reports reschedule?

Too often, the answer is “one-on-one meetings.”

But as Peter points out in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, “It’s more important to have a one-on-one than to have a perfect one-on-one!”

So what makes a good 1:1 that doesn’t feel like a waste of time?

Daniel and Peter offer a number of tips for creating great 1:1 meetings, including:

• The four key questions to ask in your 1:1 meetings
• The ideal frequency and length of a 1:1 meeting (hint: it depends)
• The most important action you can take after each one-on-one
• Plus, some insights about shifting demographics, tips about using Leadership Gems, and memories of scouting adventures (or misadventures?).

In This Episode:

1:51 – Insight of the Week
5:58 – Memory Lane: Leadership Gems
12:43 – Topic: The Communication in One-on-One Meetings
34:02 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:
Here Come the Zoomers!
6 Tips to Help Build Support for Your Next Change Effort
6 Tips to Make 1:1 Meetings More Effective (Includes link to a free downloadable guide!)
Matching Managerial Oversight to Employee Competence
The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
3 Human Needs to Retain Every Employee
The Two Types of Questions Great Leaders Ask

Stewart Leadership Resources:

52 Leadership Gems: Practical and Quick Insights for Leading Others, by John Parker Stewart

Glassdoor’s 2024 Workplace Trends

“Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024. The year will test even the most robust democracies,” Jill Lawless, AP

“Five Ways to Make Your One-On-One Meetings More Effective,” MIT Sloan Management Review

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“Nothing is improved by accident,” says Peter Stewart.

When it comes to leadership development, the need for intentional improvement is greater than ever, according to a recent report from Boston Consulting Group.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel discuss the importance of behavior and emotional intelligence for leaders and warn against “boxology”--shifting organizational boxes and pursuing change for the sake of change.

Daniel also shares his “spectrum of conscientiousness” theory–the observation that leaders have a spectrum of interest in pursuing behavior change.

Tune in to learn:

• The four priorities for leadership development in 2024
• The one thing leaders need to be effective as leaders this year
• The one thing leaders need to be effective - organizational design

Plus, some reflections on the value of reward–even just a peppermint candy!

In This Episode:

1:38 – Insight of the Week

8:16 – Memory Lane: The “Candy Man”

12:37 – Topic: Business Challenges for 2024

33:57 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 4 Priorities for Leadership Development in 2024
• What Are the Most Desired Leadership Behaviors?
• The #1 Missing Element When Organizational Change Fails
• The Three Types of Learning You Need to Excel as a Leader
• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 4 Truths About Being a Compassionate Leader
• Organizational Design Consulting
• LEAD NOW! Model

Creating People Advantage 2023, Boston Consulting Group

Carmen Simon - Memorable Message, BigSpeak Speaker’s Bureau

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

When it comes to accountability, the traditional approach has put leaders in charge of holding others accountable. Often this approach translates into a fear-based, command-and-control, “I have the authority, and I’m going to tell you what to do” approach to accountability.

But does this approach work in the modern workplace? (And, we might ask, did it ever work?)

In this episode, Daniel and Peter dive into the myth of accountability–the idea that leaders must hold their people accountable. This myth often leads to micromanaging, conflict, and a kind of “parent-child” approach to leadership.

Daniel and Peter suggest a better path–one that encourages a culture of self-accountability where teams work together in a partnership to deliver results.

Tune in to learn:

• What the CMC model of accountability is–and why it works
• How to encourage self-accountability as a leader
• What to do if your team resists an approach of self-accountability

Plus, some thoughts on Artificial Intelligence, including a big announcement! And remembering leadership lessons on VHS (that’s “Video Home System” for those of you under 40).

In this episode:

1:30 – Insight of the Week: Artificial Intelligence

8:52 – Memory Lane: Leadership Lessons on Video–Before YouTube!

14:20 – Topic: The Myth of Accountability

33:46 – Lightning Round

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Ask a Coach: How do I hold others accountable? (Video)
• Leadership Lesson: Employees are Like Turtles
• The Accountability Scale
• Four Keys to Creating Accountability
• 4 Ways to Create Layers of Accountability in a Virtual Environment
• How to Delegate Like a Pro
• Fight, Flight, or Freeze: Our Brains on Feedback
• Matching Managerial Oversight to Employee Competence
• 3 Ways to Avoid Being a Micromanager

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Intentionality–it’s an ability that can make or break so many aspects of leadership.

From understanding that leaders are always setting the example to collecting insights and stories to managing time and relationships, all of us can benefit from a more deliberate approach to our lives.

In this episode, Daniel and Peter look at four more of the skill sets new managers need to be successful–and all of them require being intentional and deliberate.

Join them to learn:

• How to effectively delegate as a new manager
• Why ego management is so important for leaders
• The two big mistakes new managers should avoid

In This Episode:

1:05 – Insight of the Week

7:29 – Memory Lane: The Index Card

13:24 – Topic: First Time Managers (Part 2)

32:42 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 7 Mindset Shifts That Will Make You a Great Manager
• Develop Your Managers by Focusing on These 8 Skillsets
• How Not to Listen to Your Leader
• How to Leverage the 6 Leadership Styles in Today’s Environment
• The One Powerful Leadership Tool You Probably Aren’t Using Enough
• The Ten Tenets of Calendar Management
• How to Prioritize Your Work
• You Do Need an Ego! But How Much?
• The Value of an Iterative Process
• The Four Critical Relationships All Leaders Must Develop
• Manager Development Programs

“Remote workers spend about 13 hours staring at screens each day: survey”, The Hill

“The minutes in between can be pathway to productivity”, by Vanessa Hua, Datebook

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Making the leap from individual contributor to manager can be one of the most significant–and challenging–steps in a career.

It’s so challenging, in fact, that it will take Daniel and Peter two episodes to talk about it.

In part one, Daniel and Peter share some recent insights and reminisce about their grad school experiences before talking about the skillsets new managers need.

Tune in to learn:

• The biggest myth about leadership
• The one piece of advice every new manager needs
• The two pieces of advice for leaders who are leading new managers

Be sure to tune in for Episode 4, where Daniel and Peter share the rest of the skillsets every new manager needs.

1:30 – Insight of the Week

8:17 – Memory Lane: Practical Lessons From Grad School

14:45 – Topic: First Time Managers (Part 1)

31:01 – Lightning Round


Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 7 Mindset Shifts That Will Make You a Great Manager
• Develop Your Managers by Focusing on These 8 Skillsets
• 7 Ways to Become a People-First Manager
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots 
• The Value of an Iterative Process
• Ask a Coach: How can I avoid being a micromanager?
• Manager Development Programs

“The ROI of Executive Coaching: A Comprehensive Guide,” Forbes.com

2023 ICF Global Coaching Study

What is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? Agile Alliance

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

How much of your job satisfaction and engagement depends on your boss?

According to Gallup, it’s a lot–up to 70%, in fact!

In this episode of the Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter take a deep dive into what makes a great boss, including:

• The one question that can change your employee/manager relationships forever
• Nine characteristics of an ideal boss
• The most important thing a new manager can do to start out on the right foot

Download and listen for more great tips, along with some new insights and a trip down memory lane.

0:00 – Intro

1:08 – Insight of the Week

7:15 – Memory Lane: The Ideal Boss

16:20 – The Top Characteristics of the Ideal Boss

33:28 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• Are You an Ideal Boss?
• 7 Ways to Become a People-First Manager
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• Leadership: It’s Not About You Anymore
• The Three Most Important Factors in Building Trust with Others
• You Do Need an Ego! But How Much?

It’s the Manager: Moving From Boss to Coach, by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter

“What is Employee Engagement and How Do You Improve It?” Gallup

The Storied History of Reader’s Digest, Book Riot

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

What makes a good metaphor? Leadership experts Daniel Stewart and Peter Stewart dive into some of their favorite metaphors and discuss how to make them “sticky.” Hint: Avoid pop culture references.

This inaugural podcast also features insights about how to improve organizational change, a discussion about high turnover at McDonald’s, and a trip down memory lane.

Join us for this “historic” episode!

0:00 – Introductions

2:42 – Insight of the Week

10:04 – Memory Lane

17:18 – The Power of Metaphor

30:14 – Lightning Round

Resources:

The #1 Missing Element When Organizational Change Fails

6 Reasons Employee Retention Should Matter to Your Organization

Leadership Lessons from John Parker Stewart

Images of Organization, by Gareth Morgan

The Perfect Story, by Karen Eber

The Power of Metaphor in Leadership

LEAD NOW! A Personal Leadership Coaching Guide for Results-Driven Leaders, by John Parker Stewart and Daniel J. Stewart

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Welcome to The Leadership Growth Podcast, where we explore the tools, ideas, and habits to grow your ability to lead effectively. 

I'm Peter Stewart, and along with my brother Daniel Stewart, we're the hosts for the podcast. And we've been thinking about how to be better leaders since we were kids.  

It all started with helping our father, John Parker Stewart, put together binders for leadership training events and talking about leadership theory at the dinner table. - 

Now, after several degrees and decades of coaching and consulting to thousands of leaders throughout the world, we're continuing the legacy of building leaders in this twice-monthly podcast. 

If you're interested in elevating your leadership ability and showing up as your best self each day for your team, then join us. Join us for The Leadership Growth Podcast, where we'll share practical tips and actionable insights designed for results-driven but time-starved readers. 

Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast fix.

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Are you “all that and a bag of chips”?

We all need an ego. As Peter says, ego serves a function.

But too much ego might translate into steamrolling over others. And too little ego can mean withdrawing and allowing others to steamroll over you.

There’s a good balance between being secure in your own voice without stomping out the voice of others. Good ego management is really intentional humility.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel take a deep dive into ego management–why it’s important, how to bounce back from hits to our egos, and why too little ego can be just as much a problem as too much.

Tune in to learn:

• The “antidote” to ego
• The one thing to keep in mind for ego management
• The value of “safe places” in managing ego

Plus, how feedback has changed–and how it hasn’t–through the decades, and the balance between glory and work.

In this episode:

2:42 – Memory Lane: Feedback Tools Through the Generations

5:58 – Insight of the Week

13:18 – Topic: Ego Management

32:47 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Freakonomics Podcast Episode 592: How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway

Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Lobsters and Egos
• The Lobster and the Ego (Video)
• Big Bear, Little Ego
• You Do Need an Ego! But How Much?
• Leadership: It’s Not About You Anymore

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“If you don’t find absolute joy in other people’s success, being a leader’s probably not going to float your boat,” says today’s guest, Laurie Labra.

Daniel and Peter welcome Laurie to this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a fun and insightful conversation about leadership in a highly technical environment. Laurie is a vice president at KBR, Inc., leading the company’s Science & Space Human Exploration Division.

Laurie brings great expertise to this conversation about leadership, and she shares some important insights about decision-making, developing new leaders, and communication.

Tune in to learn:

• How to balance the tension between delivering technical excellence and maintaining strong team relationships
• Why the mirror can be your best friend before a tough conversation
• The one test you can never ace

Plus, the value of meeting new people, and how early career lessons can stick with you for the rest of your life.

In this episode:

0:59 – Introduction and Background

4:28 – Leadership Lessons for the Next Generation

10:39 – Achieving Technical Excellence Without Damaging People

15:51 – Decision Making When You Don’t Have All the Info

21:08 – Communication Tips

27:51 – Lessons from Real Life

32:59 – Meeting People

35:29 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Laurie Labra LinkedIn Profile

KBR, Inc.

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Steps to Effective Decision Making
• What Cheetahs Can Teach Us About Decision-Making
• 5 Ways Your Decision-Making Impacts Your Leadership Presence
• 6 Traits of Leaders Who Deliver Excellence
• The 5 Phases of Teaming
• The Nine Dimensions of Successful Teaming
• The 10 Rules for Amazingly High Performing Teams
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• 5 Questions to Answer Before Your Next Hard Conversation
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• High-Performing Team Guide

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

What can leaders learn from horseshoe crabs, cottonwood trees, and polar bears?

This episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast takes a fascinating dive into the lessons that leaders and organizations can take from nature. Guest Ron Amodeo, Chief Strategy Officer at UC Davis Health, shares some examples and insights from nature that can inform the way leaders direct their organizations.

Join us for this fresh and unique perspective that takes us out of the stale, gray conference room and into the lively and ever-changing world around us.

Tune in to learn:

• How concepts such as evolution and extinction apply to business
• Why operating with new constraints can help innovation
• How a new environment changes everything

In this episode:

2:49 – Topic: How Nature Informs Strategy

 Resources:

Ron Amodeo Bio, UC Davis Health

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, by Stephen Jay Gould

Burgess Shale

Square-Cube Law

Great Expectations: The Saturn Cars Story

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Strategic Planning Pitfalls to Avoid
• 4 Ways to Focus Your Strategic Action Plan
• Scenario Planning for an Uncertain World
• Leading Through Change: How to Future Proof Your Team
• Prescribed Burns
• Processionary Caterpillars
• The Power of Imagination in Planning
• Leadership Lessons

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Why do people want to work for you?

And perhaps more importantly, why do they want to continue to work for you?

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter look at how both external and internal onboarding can make or break the employee experience.

As Peter points out, the talent market will continue to experience generational shifts for several years to come, and the number of people entering the workforce isn’t enough to fill all the gaps. Attracting and retaining talent is more important than ever, and a great onboarding process can help everyone avoid unmet expectations, uncertainties, and unknowns.

Tune in to learn:

• The three different levels of onboarding
• The value of a team charter
• The biggest mistake to avoid with onboarding

Plus, wisdom from an old proverb, and how skiing is like many onboarding experiences.

In this episode:

2:11 – Insight of the Week

10:05 – Topic: Onboarding: How to Help Prepare People for Success In Their Roles

37:10 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Employee Retention: Use the First 90 Days to Keep Your Best New Talent
• Employee Experience: It’s the Moments That Matter
• 6 Reasons Employee Retention Should Matter to Your Organization
• Top 10 Reasons Why Your Competitors are Getting Your Candidates
• 5 Takeaways for Improving the Employee Experience Lifecycle
• The 7 Elements of Employee Experience
• 4 Ways to Improve the Onboarding Experience in a Remote Environment
• 4 Vital Considerations for Your Team Charter

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

“I don’t know what I’ve said until I’ve learned what you heard.”

Daniel kicks off a robust discussion about communication with this provocative insight. He and Peter are joined in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast by executive coach and communication expert Yosi Kossowsky.

“That’s something I coach leaders on 80% of the time,” says Kossowsky. Leaders often believe communication has happened, but really, it’s only the illusion of communication.

“We are often in the habit of talking, but not validating,” he says.

Our three leadership experts discuss barriers to understanding and perception, the value of open-ended questions, and the most common leadership objection to clarifying communication.

Tune in to learn:

• Techniques to solicit more interaction, feedback, and engagement from listeners
• Why curiosity is vital to understanding
• The most important question leaders should use to improve communication

Plus, how developing good communication skills is like brushing your teeth, why perceptions can change from day to day, and how Daniel and Peter really felt about childhood piano lessons.

In this episode:

2:52 – Topic: How to Not Assume People Understand You

26:18 – Practical Guidance to Improve Communication

33:38 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Yosi Kossowsky LinkedIn Profile

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust with Others
• The Two Types of Questions Great Leaders Ask
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• Please, Help Me Communicate Better!
• 7 Types of Difficult People (and How to Communicate With Them)

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

What does psychology have to do with business?

“Absolutely everything,” says Dr. Ernest Wayde, host of the Psych in Business Podcast.

Dr. Wayde joins Daniel and Peter on this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a discussion about how psychology can impact leadership and the workplace.

In this conversation, Dr. Wayde offers some insights on how leaders can use psychology to grow and develop their leadership skills.

Tune in to learn:

• How to improve self-awareness
• Why leaders need to be vulnerable
• The most important skill you can practice to for effective leadership

With wide-ranging expertise in everything from psychology to systems management to artificial intelligence, Dr. Wayde applies his knowledge and insights to helping companies and leaders achieve their long-term goals. He is the founder and CEO of Wayde Consulting.

In this episode:

3:34 – Insight of the Week

7:46 – Topic: How to Use Psychology to Achieve Success in Business

31:10 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Wayde Consulting

Psych in Business Podcast

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence: How Do Others React to You?
• The Three Levels of Managerial Courage
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust With Others
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

On this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter take a deep dive into one of the most popular videos on the Stewart Leadership website: The Tale of the Three Envelopes.

In this story, a new CEO receives three envelopes from the previous CEOs. The new CEO tucks them away and forgets about them. As he struggles in his role, he takes out the first two envelopes every few months and finds a new tactic to try. Unfortunately, neither of these approaches work, and he is forced to read the third letter.

The third letter says only, “write three new letters.”

As Daniel and Peter break down what went wrong in the fictional CEO’s approach, they offer some tips and guidance about how leaders can succeed in their roles–and avoid that third letter.

Tune in to learn:

• The risks of “boxology”
• The main takeaway from the Three Envelope Story
• The one thing you need for a successful restructure

Plus, a helpful productivity tool for busy people, and memories of John Parker Stewart’s office.

In this episode:

2:05 – Insight of the Week

6:37 – Memory Lane: Dad’s Office

10:23 – Topic: The Three Envelopes

35:37 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

“Virtual coworking spaces aim to offer best of remote productivity and in-person collaboration,” Fast Company, May 9, 2023

The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership, by Dr. Warren Blank, Amacom Press, 1995

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Video: The Tale of the Three Envelopes
• Ten Ways to Successfully Launch into Your First 90 Days
• What C-Level Executives Need for Their First 100 Days
• The #1 Missing Element when Organizational Change Fails
• 5 Questions to Answer Before Your Next Hard Conversation
• Four Keys to Creating Accountability

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.