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The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

Ron Johnson

These are the books mentioned in our discussion with Ron.

Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius

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Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius

Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple’s Genius

Excellence Wins

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Excellence Wins

Excellence Wins

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Most leaders delay hard conversations. They hope t

Most leaders delay hard conversations.They hope the problem fixes itself.Patrick Emmons says that hope is the mistake.Waiting doesn't soften the issue, it just adds interest.Listen to the full episode for Patrick's approach to difficult conversations. https://bit.ly/TLP-524?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #difficultconversations #executivecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #directcommunication #teamculture #accountability #patrickemmons

Results are foundational to leadership. They estab

Results are foundational to leadership. They establish credibility and show that a leader can deliver on what they are responsible for.Carlos Gutierrez learned that principle from his father. But his experience also showed him that results alone are not enough.Leadership requires trust, honor, courage, and humanity. It is not only about what a leader accomplishes, but also about how they make decisions, how they treat people, and how they carry themselves when circumstances become difficult.Results may be the foundation. What a leader builds on that foundation is what shapes their leadership.Listen to the full conversation with Carlos Gutierrez on The Leadership Podcast.#Leadership #LeadershipLessons #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast

Here's a framework worth borrowing from David Crai

Here's a framework worth borrowing from David Craig, former CEO of Refinitiv.Meeting overload isn't the actual problem. It's a symptom of unclear ownership.When it isn't obvious who owns a decision or a budget, people default to scheduling a meeting to sort it out. David solved this at Refinitiv by documenting exactly who owns what, a reference guide his team nicknamed the Blue Book.He also questioned a habit most companies never examine: why every meeting defaults to 60 minutes. His team ran 25-minute meetings instead, built around what the meeting actually needed.Two practical ideas any leader can apply this week.Full conversation is live now https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-525?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #davidcraig #meetingculture #businessefficiency #leadershippodcast #organizationalculture #executiveleadership #productivitytips

Leadership creates a difficult tension. Leaders ha

Leadership creates a difficult tension. Leaders have to develop their people while also making sure their time is going toward the work only they can do.The challenge is that developing people isn't a one-time task. It requires continued support, appreciation, and attention.The work of leadership is figuring out how to do both, and when each requires your attention.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipLessons #TimeManagement #PeopleLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast

You have two deaths, not one. The first is physic

You have two deaths, not one.The first is physical. The second is the last time someone says your name.Tom Rath says legacy isn't about what you build or leave behind. It's about what quietly outlives you in someone else's habits.You may never see the moment your influence shows up in someone else's life. That's the point.Listen to the full episode with Tom Rath now. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-523?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#tomrath #leadershippodcast #legacyleadership #purposeatwork #leadershipmindset #executivecoaching #meaningfulwork #leadershipdevelopment

Everyone hits hard seasons. Not everyone responds

Everyone hits hard seasons. Not everyone responds to them the same way.Lee Benson has survived health crises, financial setbacks, and a rough start most people never recover from.His reframe: every setback either builds you or defines you. You choose which.Hear how Lee turned his hardest years into his biggest advantage. #resilience #leadership #leebenson #mindset #growth #familyleadership #executivecoaching #podcast

He was one of Kim Svoboda's best performers. He wa

He was one of Kim Svoboda's best performers. He was also a bully.She tolerated it. The results were good. Then he quit in a rage.A week later, the truth came out. Team culture lifted almost overnight.Kim breaks down what tolerating bad behavior really costs a team.Ask yourself who's costing you culture. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-522?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#boldleadership #kimsvoboda #teamculture #toxicemployee #leadershipdevelopment #highperformingteams #leadershippodcast #accountability

You have more technically qualified people enterin

You have more technically qualified people entering the workforce than ever.You also have fewer people who know how to have a real conversation.This gap is costing you. It's costing every organization. It's being missed in every leadership development program.The most expensive credential in 2026 is something no degree can teach: the ability to actually connect with another human.Find what's missing: https://bit.ly/TLP-516?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #talentdevelopment #workforcedevelopment #peopleskills #teambuilding #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast

Being good at something can make you worse at maki

Being good at something can make you worse at making decisions.The more experience and expertise we gain, the easier it can become to trust our judgment without questioning it.David Robson calls this the "curse of expertise."He argues that good judgment requires something that doesn't always come naturally to smart, experienced people: actively looking for evidence that challenges what we already believe.In our conversation, we explore what that looks like in leadership, along with the role of curiosity, vulnerability, communication, and self-compassion in becoming more effective.Listen to the latest episode of The Leadership Podcast.#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #decisionmaking #leadershippsychology #cognitivebias #executiveleadership #selfawareness #davidrobson

Kindness is often confused with being nice. Ron J

Kindness is often confused with being nice.Ron Johnson makes a different distinction. Kindness can include honesty, high standards, and difficult conversations. What changes is the way those things are delivered.The goal isn't to lower the standard. It's to create an environment where people can meet it.#Leadership #KindnessInLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #CompanyCulture #LeadershipLessons #TheLeadershipPodcast

Give first to gain everything sounds noble. Donnie

Give first to gain everything sounds noble. Donnie Boivin says it's a trap. One-sided giving just trains people to take advantage of you. His fix: give, give, get, give — mutual respect over martyrdom. It changes how you should be showing up in every relationship you're building. Catch the full breakdown on this week's episode. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-521?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#networking #leadershipmindset #businessstrategy #relationshipbuilding #salesleadership #entrepreneurmindset #leadershippodcast #businessgrowth

Most people treat networking like a numbers game.

Most people treat networking like a numbers game.Donnie Boivin treats it like a business model.The shift from collecting contacts to building other people's success is what actually opens doors.Hear how he built an entire company around it in this week's episode. https://bit.ly/TLP-521?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#networking #leadership #businessdevelopment #relationshipbuilding #salesmindset #entrepreneurship #leadershippodcast #b2bsales

Most networking advice is training you to waste yo

Most networking advice is training you to waste your time in the wrong rooms.Donnie Boivin, CEO of Success Champion Networking and creator of the C3 Model, built a 30-chapter, 450-member organization on one reframe: networking means building other people's businesses, not collecting business cards.This episode breaks down his 30/30/30 framework, the Home Depot story that changed everything, and why give-give-get-give beats give-first-to-gain-everything.Listen now, then rethink your next room. https://bit.ly/TLP-521?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube -https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-521?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #networking #businessdevelopment #salesleadership #b2bsales #leadershippodcast #executivecoaching #relationshipbuilding #salesstrategy #entrepreneurship

Donnie Boivin doesn't work the room. He plants his

Donnie Boivin doesn't work the room.He plants his feet and lets the room come to him.He calls it command presence, and it's a leadership skill, not a personality trait. The best leaders aren't controlling every conversation, they're guiding the room just by how they show up.Hear Donnie break down what that actually looks like in practice. Full episode is live now. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-521?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #networking #executivepresence #personalbranding #leadershipdevelopment #salesleadership #leadershippodcast #businessgrowth

Most leaders treat ethics as a cost. Patrick Ryan

Most leaders treat ethics as a cost. Patrick Ryan says that's backwards. Morality isn't friction. It's the lubricant that makes markets actually function. Without it, you don't have capitalism. You have extraction. This is what modern business gets fundamentally wrong—and how it shifts everything about how you lead.Watch the full conversation. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-519?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#capitalism #ethics #leadership #adamsmith #moralcapitalism #businessethics #leadershippodcast #virtuouscapitalism

Most leaders blame the market, the deal, or the te

Most leaders blame the market, the deal, or the tech when things fall apart.David Craig says look closer. The system is usually the real problem.David is the former CEO of Refinitiv and author of the Blue Book on business transformation and growth, having led a 25,000-person company through the financial crisis, Brexit, and Covid.This episode breaks down how to spot complexity killing your organization before it's too late, and what real conviction looks like when leading people through change.New episode is live now. https://bit.ly/TLP-525?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube - https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-525?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershippodcast #theleadershippodcast #businesstransformation #executiveleadership #organizationalculture #changemanagement #ceointerview #leadershipdevelopment #davidcraig

Jim Vaselopulos and Jan Rutherford describe four w

Jim Vaselopulos and Jan Rutherford describe four ways leaders can shape a tribe: subtraction, division, addition, and multiplication.The first is leadership by subtraction. Jim describes it as a form of bullying, where a leader elevates themselves by pushing someone else down.It raises a useful question for leaders: Are you building your own position by developing others, or by diminishing them?This is the first of four leadership approaches discussed in the full conversation. Watch the full episode to hear the other three.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipLessons #LeadershipCulture #OrganizationalCulture #TheLeadershipPodcast

Ever wonder why founders can't step away? Patrick

Ever wonder why founders can't step away?Patrick Emmons has an answer.He built and sold three companies, and the pattern was always the same.Businesses fail to scale when there's no bench.No corporals, no sergeants, just one general running to the front.Watch the full episode to hear Patrick break down what leadership at every level actually looks like. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-524?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #entrepreneurship #teambuilding #scalingbusiness #executiveleadership #businessgrowth #patrickemmons

Patrick Ryan names the practice most leaders never

Patrick Ryan names the practice most leaders never do. Before you decide. Before you send that email. Before you justify it to yourself. Take a step back. Ask: What would a knowledgeable, impartial observer think of this? That's the impartial spectator. It's not philosophy. It's a daily tool. One question. Applied consistently. It changes everything.Watch the full episode. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-519?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #ethics #decisionmaking #adamsmith #leadershippodcast #corporateethics #executiveleadership #virtuouscapitalism

Chasing the next promotion isn't the same as chasi

Chasing the next promotion isn't the same as chasing the next skill.David Craig watched talented people burn years climbing a ladder instead of building capability, and he says it's one of the costliest mistakes in a career.The shift is simple: choose the work that develops you, not just the title that impresses others.Hear David explain the lesson behind it in episode 525. https://bit.ly/TLP-525?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #davidcraig #careeradvice #leadershipdevelopment #leadershippodcast #careergrowth #executivecoaching #professionaldevelopment

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