TLP504: Why Your Team Is Still Disengaged
Mark Crowley’s newest book is The Power of Employee Well-Being: Move Beyond Engagement to Build Flourishing Teams.
For more than a decade, organizations have chased employee engagement – through surveys, gamification, perks, and wellness apps – yet the results haven’t improved. Gallup now reports engagement at a ten-year low. Mark was one of the early voices questioning the engagement movement, and in this conversation he explains why the model itself is flawed.
We talk about what leaders have been measuring incorrectly, what employee well-being actually means, and why the strongest predictor of team performance isn’t compensation, perks, or pressure to produce. It’s belonging.
If you’re seeing burnout, quiet disengagement, or people simply going through the motions, this conversation offers a different lens on leadership—and practical insights you can start applying immediately.
Find episode 504 on The Leadership Podcast, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!
TLP503: 7 Hidden Beliefs That Sabotage Leaders (And How to Break Them) – with Muriel M. Wilkins
TLP503: 7 Hidden Beliefs That Sabotage Leaders (And How to Break Them) – with Muriel M. Wilkins
Muriel M. Wilkins is the founder and CEO of Paravis Partners, host of the HBR podcast, Coaching Real Leaders, and author of “Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential.”
Muriel makes the case that lasting leadership change doesn’t come from better tactics. It comes from changing the hidden assumptions driving those tactics in the first place.
Drawing on research with over 300 coaching clients, Muriel introduces seven hidden blockers—simple, pervasive beliefs that quietly sabotage even the most capable leaders. She explains why high performers are especially vulnerable, why action bias becomes a liability at the top, and what “doing the inner work” actually looks like when you’re in the thick of real pressure and expectations.
This is one of the most practically grounded conversations we’ve had on self-awareness, sustainable change, and what it really takes to lead at the next level.
TLP502: Never Fire Anyone with Mark Morgenfruh
Mark Morgenfruh is the President and CEO of GetHRready and author of “Never Fire Anyone: A Leader’s Guide on how to Lead People not Companies.” He holds a Master of Human Resource Management from Rutgers University and built his no-nonsense, trust-first philosophy from the ground up.
In this episode, Mark dismantles the two most common leadership failures he calls “keyboard cowboys” (leading from behind a screen) and “happy talk” (avoiding the real conversation until it’s too late). He makes the case that trust isn’t built through programs or policies — it’s built by being a normal human being when you walk through the door.
Mark introduces his values-based leadership and disciplinary model — an alternative to PIPs and terminations. He explains why firing someone is more often a reflection of a bad hire or promotion decision than a performance problem. He also challenges HR to stop being the policy police and start being an enabler of real relationships between leaders and their people.
If you’ve ever avoided a hard conversation, put someone on a PIP, or wondered why your culture feels transactional — this episode is for you.
TLP495: The Accountability Paradox
Patrick Veroneau is CEO of Emery Leadership Group and author of The Leadership Bridge: How to engage your employees and drive organizational excellence and The Missing Piece: What Great Teams Do That Others Overlook. In this episode, Patrick explains why organizations’ increasing focus on accountability systems over the past five years has coincided with employee…
TLP494: When Leadership Is About Who You Serve: Mark Steffe’s Story
Mark Steffe is President and CEO of First Command Financial Services, bringing over 30 years of financial services leadership. In this episode, Mark explains why he left his dream job working with ultra-high-net-worth families to serve military members who truly need financial guidance. He shares how military families face unique challenges including frequent relocations, spouse…
TLP493: “Sand People” – The Hidden Drag on Your Team’s Performance
Jim and Jan tackle the uncomfortable truth about “sand people,” those team members who grind everything to a halt, and why even your best glue guy can’t overcome the friction they create. Drawing from their coaching experience, Jim and Jan reveal how to identify and deal with sand people before they destroy your team. They…
TLP492: Stop Fitting In with Jinky Panganiban
Jinky Panganiban serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon’s Sports Product Management Program, founder of 1969Blue Consulting, and founding member of Oregon Sports Angels. She is a former Vice President and General Manager at Nike with over 20 years of global executive experience. She led multibillion-dollar businesses across Asia Pacific, North America,…
TLP487: Three Ways to Motivate Teams and Align Strategy
Hans Lagerweij is the author of The Why Whisperer: How to Motivate and Align Teams That Get Your Strategy Done. In this episode, Hans shares that he wrote the book after watching great strategies fail during execution. He saw a gap between understanding the importance of purpose and actually implementing it. Hans explains that you…
TLP481: The New Language of Leadership with Michael Ventura
Michael Ventura is an entrepreneur, author of “Applied Empathy: The New Language of Leadership”, and advisor to leaders at organizations including the ACLU, Google, Nike, and the UN. He has taught emotionally intelligent leadership at Princeton, West Point, and Esalen. In this episode, Michael explores why our natural childhood empathy fades as adults due to…
TLP480: Number One Factor for Changing Team Behaviors with Tamara Myles
Tamara Myles is a speaker, professor, and co-author of “Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee.” She specializes in the science of human flourishing at work and serves as faculty at Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, Tamara challenges the biggest misconception leaders hold about purpose and…
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