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The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

Michael Simpson

These are the books mentioned in Michael’s podcast.

Wind, Sand, and Stars

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Wind, Sand, and Stars

Wind, Sand, and Stars

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

The Little Prince

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The Little Prince

The Little Prince

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Complex work requires more than delivering what wa

Complex work requires more than delivering what was promised. Customers also need to trust the thinking behind the work and believe it will help them make good decisions and achieve the outcomes they want.Simon Bowen explains that customers need to feel safe in their decisions and believe a company understands how to help them win. The deliverable matters, but so does the judgment that shapes it.For leaders, this means making the organization's thinking clear, not just explaining what it does. Customers need to understand not only what they're buying, but why they should trust the people behind it.Listen to Simon Bowen on The Leadership Podcast. Link in the first comment.#Leadership #CustomerValue #StrategicThinking #LeadershipDevelopment #TheLeadershipPodcast

Only 7% of families fit the old nuclear mold. Le

Only 7% of families fit the old nuclear mold. Lee Benson says that this changes how leadership works at home. Modeling healthy behavior is a leadership skill. So is modeling a healthy relationship between parents. On this episode of the leadership podcast, Lee Benson breaks down why 82% of families are blended today and why modeling matters more than ever.#leadership #parenting #leadershippodcast #familyleadership #blendedfamily #leebenson #modeling #leadershipdevelopment

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

She was running a $1B P&L. She was also miserable.

She was running a $1B P&L. She was also miserable.Kim Svoboda is founder of Aspiration Catalyst, author of Bold Leadership, 20+ years leading sales orgs before walking away from it all.This week: what happens when you finally measure your life against your own values, and it doesn't add up.Listen to the full episode now. https://bit.ly/TLP-522?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube - https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-522?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadershippodcast #boldleadership #executiveburnout #leadershipdevelopment #highperformingteams #employeeengagement #intentionalleadership #careertransition

This applies to families. It applies to teams. Mo

This applies to families. It applies to teams.Most leaders and parents focus on outcomes. Lee Benson focuses on the environment.Get the environment right, and value creation follows, at home and at work.Learn how Lee builds that environment. #leadership #valuecreation #leebenson #familyleadership #executivecoaching #teamculture #podcast #theleadershippodcast

Leaders often focus on the problem people can name

Leaders often focus on the problem people can name. The harder work is finding the problem they feel but haven't yet been able to articulate.Simon Bowen, founder of the Models Method, argues that great leaders look beneath the surface to find the underlying "ache." Fixing the visible issue may help in the short term, but understanding what's driving it can lead to a different kind of solution.The conversation explores how leaders uncover hidden problems, preserve the thinking that makes an organization distinctive, and create an environment where people can do their best work.🎧 Listen to Simon Bowen on The Leadership Podcast. Link in the first comment.#TheLeadershipPodcast #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #SimonBowen

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

Leadership can make competition look different. G

Leadership can make competition look different.George Couros reflects on a lesson he learned early in leadership: being better than everyone else may feel good, but it is not the measure of success.The better measure is whether the people around you become more capable because of your leadership.The goal is not to be the strongest person in the room. It is to help others grow stronger.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast

Chasing success can quietly become the problem, no

Chasing success can quietly become the problem, not the solution.Tom Rath argues usefulness matters more than achievement, and the shift changes how you spend every hour of your day.It's a simple reframe with a big payoff: less hamster wheel, more contribution.Listen to Tom Rath's full conversation on the show. https://bit.ly/TLP-523?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#tomrath #leadershippodcast #purposeoverperformance #leadershipmindset #executivecoaching #findingpurpose #workplaceculture #meaningfulwork

A good leader needs conviction. But conviction can

A good leader needs conviction. But conviction can become a liability when it makes you stop listening.Ron Johnson learned this in very different ways at Apple and J.C. Penney.At Apple, he and Steve Jobs were willing to hit rewind after six months of work on the first Apple Store because they realized the concept was wrong. At J.C. Penney, Ron moved too quickly, relied too heavily on his own conviction, and later recognized that he needed to slow down, get more input, and bring people along.We also talk about kindness, and why Ron sees it not as softness, but as a way of creating the conditions for people to do their best work.That combination of conviction, humility, and kindness makes for an interesting way Ron approaches leadership.Link to the full episode in the comments.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipLessons #VisionaryLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast

Leaders often absorb the blame when things stall.

Leaders often absorb the blame when things stall.David Craig learned the hard way that grinding harder inside a broken system doesn't fix anything. Sometimes the people are working exactly as hard as they should, and the structure around them is what's failing.That single reframe is what led him to walk away and rebuild Refinitiv from the outside in.New episode with David Craig is live now. https://bit.ly/TLP-525?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #davidcraig #organizationalculture #leadershippodcast #executiveleadership #businesstransformation #systemsthinking #leadershipmindset

Steve Jobs is often remembered for his vision. Bu

Steve Jobs is often remembered for his vision.But vision was not enough.After being pushed out of Apple, Jobs had to learn something he had not fully understood before: building a great product and building a successful business are two different things.He had to learn to listen to people who disagreed with him. To understand the market. To trust people with responsibilities outside his own expertise. And to recognize when persistence was becoming stubbornness.That period of failure and uncertainty may have been just as important to his leadership as the successes that came later.In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Geoffrey Cain joins us to explore what Steve Jobs learned during those wilderness years, and why the lessons extend well beyond one famous leader.Sometimes the wall in front of us isn't failure. It's information about what needs to change.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #SteveJobs #LeadershipLessons #VisionaryLeadership #LeadershipMindset #BusinessLeadership #Adversity #DecisionMaking #TheLeadershipPodcast

Most leaders spend years perfecting self-awareness

Most leaders spend years perfecting self-awareness and almost no time on other-awareness.Tom Rath, #1 New York Times bestselling author of StrengthsFinder 2.0 and How Full Is Your Bucket, joins the show to talk about his newest book, What's the Point?In this episode, Tom breaks down why purpose isn't a big moment you find once, it's a question you ask five times a day.Listen now to rethink how you spend your next hour. https://bit.ly/TLP-523?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube - https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-523?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadershippodcast #purposedriven #strengthsfinder #tomrath #leadershipdevelopment #workplaceculture #findingpurpose #leadershipmindset #executivecoaching #meaningfulwork

Strong conviction can help a leader make bold deci

Strong conviction can help a leader make bold decisions. But conviction can also make it harder to recognize when an idea needs to change.Ron Johnson reflects on his experience at J.C. Penney and acknowledges that he held too tightly to his original vision.Leadership isn't about being right every time. It also requires the humility to recognize when you were wrong and learn from it.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipLessons #LeadershipMindset #DecisionMaking #HumilityInLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast

What happens when a leader stops trying to convinc

What happens when a leader stops trying to convince people and starts listening to them?George Couros, author of The Innovator's Mindset and Forward, Together, joins The Leadership Podcast to discuss what it takes to bring people along through change.The conversation explores the value of listening to skeptics, making room for disagreement, and building enough trust for people to challenge ideas. When people have a hand in shaping a solution, they have a reason to take ownership of it.Leadership isn't just about getting people to follow your vision. It's also about creating the conditions for them to shape it.🎧 Listen to the conversation with George Couros. Link in the first comment.#TheLeadershipPodcast #Leadership #GeorgeCouros #LeadershipDevelopment

You can talk about work-life balance all day. You

You can talk about work-life balance all day.Your team is watching what you actually do.Tom Rath says most leaders preach rest and recovery, then model the opposite. First in. Last out. Never fully off.If you want a well-rested team, be the first one to log off.Listen to Tom Rath's full conversation on the show. https://bit.ly/TLP-523?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#tomrath #leadershippodcast #leadingbyexample #executivecoaching #workplaceculture #burnoutprevention #leadershipmindset #peoplefirstleadership

Culture isn't something you mandate from the C-sui

Culture isn't something you mandate from the C-suite. It's built by the people doing the work.David built Fed Up Foods on this principle, and it's why his team stayed committed through disruption, crisis, and rapid growth.When you invite people to shape how you work together, they own it. When you tell them how to work, they comply.The difference is everything.Listen to David's full framework for culture-building that lasts. https://bit.ly/TLP-520?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#culturebuilding #leadership #teamculture #leadershipdevelopment #westudyleaders #peopleirst #theleadershippodcast #valuesdriven

Slowing down does not mean stepping away from resp

Slowing down does not mean stepping away from responsibility. Bouchra Danwra makes a more specific point: people need space to think, reflect, and allow new ideas to develop.When every hour is accounted for and every decision is driven by urgency, that space can disappear. Making time to think is part of the work, not a distraction from it.Listen to the full conversation on The Leadership Podcast. Find the episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.#Leadership #Creativity #LeadershipDevelopment #TheLeadershipPodcast

Titles and achievements can create distance betwee

Titles and achievements can create distance between people, even when they have much in common.Through You Are What's Next, Bouchra Danwra creates opportunities for young graduates and experienced leaders to connect through personal stories and honest conversations. By stepping away from their professional identities and sharing experiences from earlier in life, leaders become more relatable, and younger people can see the human being behind the position.Sometimes, building a bridge between generations begins with a simple conversation.#TheLeadershipPodcast #LeadershipCommunication #HumanConnection #AuthenticLeadership #IntergenerationalLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment

One question. Ask it every day. Tom Rath says the

One question. Ask it every day.Tom Rath says the best leaders track one thing: what conversation did I start today that helped someone grow?It sounds small but it builds a career of impact.And Tom's reminder hits hard. You don't always get tomorrow.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 #leadershipmindset #dailyhabits #peopledevelopment #executivecoaching #purposeatwork #leadershipdevelopment

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