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The Leadership Podcast

The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

TLP475: Democratic Leadership: Building Agency with Nicola Ilic

September 3, 2025

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Nicola Ilic is a social entrepreneur, activist, and adjunct professor of leadership at Georgetown University. He’s the founder of Changelab and applies lessons from grassroots movements to transform how leaders build agency in others. In this episode, Nikola defines democratic leadership as enabling people to exercise leadership regardless of title when facing uncertainty rather than…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: activism, agency development, basketball, business transformation, challenging environments, change management, circle of influence, coaching questions, collective intelligence, culture by design, delegation, democratic leadership, Democratic Leadership: Moving Beyond Authority to Build Agency, employee empowerment, experiential learning, Georgetown University, idea competition, Jan Rutherford, Jim Vaselopulos, leadership development, meritocracy, moral compass, nicola ilic, nonviolent resistance, office politics, organizational change, parenting lessons, purpose-driven work, reflection, Serbia, social entrepreneurship, social movements, startup methodology, strategic change, Team Dynamics, The Leadership Podcast, trust building, uncertainty management, workplace culture

TLP467: Navigate Uncertainty with Kevin Eikenberry

July 9, 2025

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Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert with decades of experience and author of “Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence”.  Kevin explores what it takes to lead effectively in a constantly changing environment. He shares why being a “remarkable” leader isn’t about charisma or titles. It’s about intentional actions, self-awareness, and the ability to…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: balance, coaching, delegation, engagement, flexibility, Intentionality, Jan Rutherford, Jim Vaselopulos, Kevin Eikenberry, leadership, management, outcomes, self-reflection, The Leadership Podcast, trust

TLP433: Today’s Top Leadership Challenges with Jim and Jan

November 6, 2024

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In the episode of The Leadership Podcast, Jan and Jim discuss a recent study from the Center for Creative Leadership that highlights key leadership challenges at all leadership levels: Jim critiques the study, highlighting the blurred distinction between leadership and management, and emphasizes that leaders must delegate and trust others to succeed.  Also discussed is…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Business Relationships, Communication skills, Compassionate Leadership, Cultivating Future Leaders, delegation, Disengagement, Fairness in Leadership, Growth Mindset, Leadership Challenges, leadership development, Leadership vs Management, Managerial Influence, Meeting Preparation, Operational Efficiency, Organizational Processes, Side Hustles, Simplifying Processes, Team Engagement, time management, Trust and Curiosity, Trust in Leadership

TLP420: The Gift of Meritocracy with Shawn Dawley

July 31, 2024

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Shawn Dawley, an executive and former combat pilot, dedicated 25 years to military service, visiting 80 countries across six continents. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and master’s degrees in business, political science, and military studies. Overcoming a challenging childhood, he excelled in the Air Force, demonstrating that leadership potential can emerge from any…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Business Leadership, Decision-making, delegation, emotional intelligence, leadership, Military Leadership, Neuroscience of Leadership, Personal Growth, public speaking, Team Building, Transitioning Careers

TLP415: Saying “NO” Reduces Friction

June 26, 2024

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In this episode, Jim and Jan explore the importance of saying “no” in the workplace. They highlight how setting clear boundaries and aligning decisions with both personal and organizational values can help leaders manage their time and workload more effectively. Empowering lower-level employees to say “no” can also reduce friction and enhance organizational efficiency. Additionally,…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: adaptability, balance, clarity, communication, Decision-Making Skills, delegation, Efficiency, Employee Development, focus, Goal Setting, growth, leadership, Mindful Choices, No, Organizational Success, Professional Growth, Relationship Building, Resource Allocation, Strategic Planning, success, time management, values, Work-life balance, Workload Management, Workplace Dynamics

TLP340: An Entrepreneurial Journey from Hangry to Social Change

January 4, 2023

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Mike Evans is the Founder of GrubHub, and the author of “Hangry: A Startup Journey.” Mike founded GrubHub in his spare bedroom and grew it into a multi-billion dollar food delivery business that’s a household name. After leaving GrubHub, he founded Fixer.com, an on-demand handyperson service focused on social impact, and providing full-time work for…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: business, change, delegation, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial, interview, practitioner, startup

TLP218: Culture Can Fix Good People Behaving Badly

September 2, 2020

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Frances Frei is a Professor of Technology and Operations Management at Harvard Business School, and her research involves understanding how leaders create the conditions for organizations and individuals to thrive. Frances discusses her new book, Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You. She dives into fixing broken cultures by creating an environment…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: authenticity, culture, delegation, empowerment, leadership

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The thing you've been calling "just how I am" migh The thing you've been calling "just how I am" might be a belief you picked up at 9 years old trying to figure out how to belong. That's not identity. That's an adaptation.Muriel M. Wilkins breaks this down in a way that's hard to dismiss. Ep. 503 on The Leadership Podcast. https://bit.ly/TLP-503?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#LeadershipPodcast #LeadershipUnblocked #ExecutiveCoaching #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #LeadYourself #HiddenBlockers #KnowYourself #CoachingTools #MurielMWilkins
Steve Taplin has started 30 companies. 20 of them Steve Taplin has started 30 companies. 20 of them failed. And he's not ashamed to tell you about it.His baseball buddy put it perfectly: "Taplin, you're batting .333. That's the Hall of Fame." Most leaders are terrified one failure will define them. Steve proves that's completely backward. The real problem? Refusing to learn from the wreckage.In this episode, he breaks down the $2 million deal he walked away from, why he keeps journals from 25 years of failures, and the 24-hour rule that keeps him from spiraling. Listen to episode 501 now. https://bit.ly/TLP-501?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube - https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-501?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#LeadershipPodcast #Entrepreneurship #FailureIsData #StartupLife #BusinessLessons
Seven beliefs that block every high performer. Mur Seven beliefs that block every high performer. Muriel M. Wilkins spent 22 years coaching C-suite leaders and kept seeing the same patterns surface. The problem isn't that these beliefs exist. It's that they stop working when the context changes, and most leaders don't notice until the damage is done. Which one do you recognize in yourself? Full episode 503 on The Leadership Podcast. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-503?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#LeadershipPodcast #HiddenBlockers #LeadershipUnblocked #ExecutiveCoach #MindsetWork #LeadershipMindset #SelfAwareness #CoachingConversations #ThinkBetter #LeadFromWithin
TLP510: Why Your Organization Keeps Getting the Sa TLP510: Why Your Organization Keeps Getting the Same Results (No Matter What You Change) Our latest episode with Maria Brinck https://bit.ly/TLP-510?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP510%3A%20Why%20Your%20Organization%20Keeps%20Getting%20the%20Same%20Results%20%28No%20Matter%20What%20You%20Change%29 #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #modernleadership #futureofleadership #leadershipmindset #organizationalleadership #businessleadership #managementskills #leadershipskills #workplaceculture #executiveleadership #leadershipgrowth #leadershippodcast #leadershipchallenges #leadershipstrategy
Most leaders only pay attention when disruption is Most leaders only pay attention when disruption is loud. But the ones that shape your team's direction the most are often the quiet ones you almost missed. Patrick Leddin redefines what disruption actually looks like in everyday leadership and once you hear it this way, you'll start seeing it everywhere. This is just one piece of a conversation that goes much deeper. Episode 507 is waiting for you. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-507?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #disruption #leadershipdevelopment #westudyleaders #disrupteverything #changeleadership #leadershipcoach #leadershippodcast #mindset #shorts
Dr. Bill Kline raises a simple but uncomfortable q Dr. Bill Kline raises a simple but uncomfortable question.Do we actually understand capitalism… or just think we do?Everyone has a take on capitalism. Hardly anyone has actually studied it. Dr. Bill made this point quietly and it hits harder than any political argument I've heard lately. 200 years old and we're still pretending we've figured it out.If this made you stop and think, the full episode will do even more. Go give it a listen. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-509?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#capitalism #criticalthinking #businessethics #economics #leadership #shorts #tlp509
TLP504: Why Your Team Is Still Disengaged Our lat TLP504: Why Your Team Is Still Disengaged Our latest episode with Mark Crowley https://bit.ly/TLP-504?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP504%3A%20Why%20Your%20Team%20Is%20Still%20Disengaged #leadership #employeeengagement #employeewellbeing #leadership #markcrowley #leadfromtheheart #flourishingteams #belongingatwork #workplaceculture #teamperformance #remotework #hybridwork #micromanagement #employeeburntout #humanconnection #leadershipdevelopment #peoplemanagement #emotionalintelligence #workplacebelonging #manageraccountability #hrleadership #workethic #employeemotivation #leadershiplessons #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #gallup #workplaceemotions #teamcohesion #powersofemployeewellbeing
You're a great dad, a loyal friend, a real person You're a great dad, a loyal friend, a real person on Saturday. Then Monday comes and somehow you turn into a different human. Mark Morgenfruh spent 33 years watching it happen and he's got a lot to say about why. Episode 502 is worth your commute. https://bit.ly/TLP-502?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #trustbasedleadership #workplaceculture #leadershippodcast #theleadershippodcast #neverfireanyone
You emailed them. You cc'd HR. You told yourself y You emailed them. You cc'd HR. You told yourself you handled it. Mark Morgenfruh calls this keyboard cowboy leadership and it's more common than most leaders want to admit. The second one, happy talk, is even worse because it feels like kindness. Episode 502 will make you rethink both. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-502?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #remoteleadership #workplaceculture #theleadershippodcast #neverfireanyone #leadershipcoach
Matt Cavanaugh is not telling you to never quit. H Matt Cavanaugh is not telling you to never quit. He's saying the wisdom of any decision can only be judged from the finish line, not the middle of the race. And that the fastest thing that kills a team is a leader who stops believing before the sentence is over.That's worth thinking about this week. Full episode live now. https://bit.ly/tlpyt508?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #quit #endurance #militaryleadership #leadershiplessons #mattcavanaugh #bestscarwins #theleadershippodcast #resilience #growthmindset
Every time a leader complains about Gen Z being di Every time a leader complains about Gen Z being disloyal, Steve Cadigan has the same question. Are you talking about the children you raised? This generation grew up watching entirely new industries appear from nothing. Of course they want to explore. Calling that disloyal is like moving someone from their grandma's basement to a Vegas buffet and being surprised they want to try more than one thing. Steve does not hold back in the full episode. Catch TLP506 on The Leadership Podcast. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-506?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#Leadership #GenZ #TalentStrategy #TheLeadershipPodcast #SteveCadigan #FutureOfWork #WorkCulture
We spend so much time coaching the person at the t We spend so much time coaching the person at the top and zero time asking the people around them if anything actually changed. Will Linssen has data on 100,000 leaders that proves exactly why that doesn't work.Full conversation on TLP505. https://bit.ly/TLP-505?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipcoaching #leadershipdevelopment #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #executivecoaching #coaching
Not every day is going to feel meaningful. Difficu Not every day is going to feel meaningful. Difficult bosses, missed numbers, teams that won't move. But the leaders who come out the other side with something real are the ones who stayed in the fight long enough to earn the scar.Find the mission. Do it for someone else. Don't quit before the sentence ends.Drop everything for 45 minutes and listen to this one with Matt Cavanaugh. https://bit.ly/TLP-508?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershiplessons #growthmindset #militaryleadership #resilience #bestscarwins #mattcavanaugh #theleadershippodcast #failure #purpose
TLP506: Retention Is Dead: The Workquake Reshaping TLP506: Retention Is Dead: The Workquake Reshaping Talent Our latest episode with Steve Cadigan https://bit.ly/TLP-506?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP506%3A%20Retention%20Is%20Dead%3A%20The%20Workquake%20Reshaping%20Talent https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-506?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP506%3A%20Retention%20Is%20Dead%3A%20The%20Workquake%20Reshaping%20Talent #leadership #talentmanagement #futureofwork #workquake #stevecadigan #employeeexperience #careergrowth #leadershipdevelopment #organizationalculture #highperformanceteams #workplaceculture #hrleaders #peopleandculture #modernleadership #businessleadership #companyculture #talentstrategy #employeeengagement #careerdevelopment #learninganddevelopment #leadershippodcast
Our guest in this week's episode is Will Linssen, Our guest in this week's episode is Will Linssen, he has coached over 100,000 leaders across six continents. 95% of them got measurably better. Not self-reported. Confirmed by their coworkers.So what is everyone else missing?If your team isn't noticing your growth, Will's answer about it is simple and kind of uncomfortable. Click the link to listen to TLP505 with Will Linssen. https://bit.ly/TLP-505?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it on YouTube- https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-505?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipcoaching #executivecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #teamperformance #theleadershippodcast #westudyleaders #triplewin #willlinssen
Big news! The Leadership Podcast is now #2 in Sale Big news! The Leadership Podcast is now #2 in Sales Weekly, #3 in Sales Monthly, #5 in Management Monthly, #6 in Military History Weekly, and #8 in Sales All Time on Goodpods. Thank you for your amazing support! #Leadership #Podcast #Goodpods
Most people assume selling a company for nine figu Most people assume selling a company for nine figures would feel incredible.Kevin Rice was not most people.After years of leading through a pandemic as a single father, growing his team by over 100 people, and closing the biggest deal of his career, the victory arrived completely flat.He called it robot mode. Hear the full story on episode 512 of The Leadership Podcast. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-512?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #entrepreneur #robotmode #fulfillment #theleadershippodcast #CEOmindset #personalgrowth #executiveleadership #leadershipdevelopment #successmindset
In this episode, Mark Crowley talks about belongin In this episode, Mark Crowley talks about belonging like it's an HR buzzword. But the data says it's the number one driver of well being at work. Not pay. Not perks. Not pizza Tuesdays. Connection. Are you actually building it or just assuming it happens on its own? Full episode out now. https://bit.ly/TLP-504?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#belongingatwork #leadershiplessons #markcrowley #employeewellbeing #hybridwork #teamcohesion #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #workplaceculture #humanconnection
No sugarcoating it. Will Linssen has coached leade No sugarcoating it. Will Linssen has coached leaders across six continents and says ego is the single biggest reason people don't change, no matter how much potential they have.And the scary part? Most of them don't even know it's happening. He breaks down exactly how to spot it early and what to do about it. TLP505 here - https://bit.ly/TLP-505?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #leadershipcoaching #coachability #selfawareness #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #executivecoaching
Most people treat disruption like a storm they jus Most people treat disruption like a storm they just have to survive. Patrick Leddin spent years studying the people who don't. And what he found is that the gap between leaders who get buried by change and leaders who use it has nothing to do with talent or timing. It starts with one question: are you willing to pause long enough to see what's actually in front of you?Episode 507 is out now. Go give it a listen. https://bit.ly/TLP-507?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersThe full conversation will change how you think about this. Episode 507 is out now. https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-507?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #disruption #disrupteverything #patrickleddin #leadershipdevelopment #militaryleadership #theleadershippodcast #westudyleaders #growthmindset #changemanagement
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Recent Posts

  • TLP513: The Leadership Cost of Isolation with Nick Black
  • TLP512: Winning at Work, Losing at Home
  • TLP511: What 500 Top Leaders Taught Us — And Why It’s Not What You Think
  • TLP510: Why Your Organization Keeps Getting the Same Results (No Matter What You Change)
  • TLP509: Capitalism Without Ethics Is Just Chaos

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on TLP511: What 500 Top Leaders Taught Us — And Why It’s Not What You Think
  • Anonymous on TLP508: Your Scars Are Your Resume
  • Anonymous on TLP505: Why Leadership Coaching So Often Fails
  • Anonymous on TLP504: Why Your Team Is Still Disengaged
  • Anonymous on TLP503: 7 Hidden Beliefs That Sabotage Leaders (And How to Break Them) – with Muriel M. Wilkins

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