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The Leadership Podcast

The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

TLP511: What 500 Top Leaders Taught Us — And Why It’s Not What You Think

May 13, 2026

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What happens when you spend 10 years interviewing some of the world’s top leaders? After 500 interviews with CEOs, generals, founders, bestselling authors, athletes, and elite performers, Jim Vaselopulos and Jan Rutherford discovered a surprising pattern. The most successful leaders were NOT the most polished, they were the most self-aware, adaptable, and relentlessly committed to…

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: adaptive leadership, business leaders, Business Leadership, CEOs, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, Executive Coaching, executive leadership, high performance, Jan Rutherford, Jim Vaselopulos, leadership development, Leadership Lessons, leadership mindset, leadership myths, Leadership Podcast, leadership skills, Leadership Strategies, lessons from leaders, Personal Growth, self awareness, success mindset, Team Leadership, The Leadership Podcast, what makes a great leader

TLP505: Why Leadership Coaching So Often Fails

April 1, 2026

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TLP505: Why Leadership Coaching So Often Fails
Will Linssen is the CEO of Global Coach Group, and the author of “Triple Win Leadership Coaching: The Coach’s Guide to More Impact, More Coaching, and More Clients.”
In this conversation, Will challenges the traditional model of leadership coaching. Too often, coaching focuses on the leader while leaving the team out of the equation—one reason why team satisfaction frequently remains low even when leaders feel they’ve made progress.
Will explains how great coaches assess coachability before the work even begins, why ego is often the biggest barrier to meaningful change, and what leaders in global, multicultural environments consistently misunderstand about communication and feedback.
We also explore the impact of AI on leadership. Will argues that decades of accumulated expertise are losing their advantage. The leaders who will thrive going forward aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones who know how to ask the right questions.
If you’ve ever wondered why leadership development often fails to stick inside organizations, this conversation offers a candid look at what’s missing—and what needs to change.
Find episode 505 on The Leadership Podcast, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 360 feedback, AI and leadership, behavioral change, coachability, coaching methodology, coaching roi, coaching success rate, coworker feedback, cross-cultural leadership, Executive Coaching, global leadership, leadership coaching, leadership development, Leadership Podcast, leadership skills, leadership tips, leadership transformation, leading with questions, management coaching, organizational change, Team Leadership, team performance, the coach group, triple win, will linssen

TLP476: Engineering Social Change with Jed Brewer

September 10, 2025

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Jed Brewer is the president and founder of Good Loud Media, a nonprofit organization that uses music and video to drive social impact in underserved communities around the world.   In this episode, Jed describes how Good Loud Media operates by bringing together Grammy-winning musicians, renowned psychologists, and subject matter experts to create targeted media campaigns.  …

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Community Outreach, Crisis Communication, Cultural Bridge Building, Empathy Building, Engineering, Faith-Based Leadership, International Development, Media Production, Mental Health Advocacy, Music for Change, networking, Nonprofit Leadership, Opioid Crisis, Perspective Taking, Prison Ministry, Public Health, Social Impact, Systemic Change, Team Leadership, Violence Prevention

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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
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
Only two leaders in Lee Benson's entire career mad Only two leaders in Lee Benson's entire career made him feel like they truly saw his potential. One was Jack Welch, who built General Electric from $14 billion to more than $400 billion in value. The other was an assistant manager at a Coco's restaurant where Lee worked as a dishwasher. The difference in their titles didn't matter. What mattered was how they showed up. Great leaders don't just see what someone is doing today. They see what that person could become. And that can change the trajectory of someone's life. #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leebenson #greatleadership #mentorship #potential #leadershippodcast #executetowin
It's easy to chase the next title. Harder to ask w It's easy to chase the next title. Harder to ask what you're actually building once you get there.Kim's closing message reframes leadership away from status — and toward legacy and impact.Dive into the full conversation now. https://bit.ly/TLP-522?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#boldleadership #kimsvoboda #leadershiplegacy #intentionalleadership #executivecoaching #leadershipmindset #leadershippodcast #whatmatters
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
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
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
Carlos Gutierrez saw his father go from being a su Carlos Gutierrez saw his father go from being a successful executive in Cuba to parking cars in Miami after their family became refugees.What stayed with Carlos was not only how dramatically his circumstances changed, but how his father carried himself through difficult moments.For Carlos, that became an early lesson in leadership: people reveal who they are under pressure.Listen to the full conversation with Carlos Gutierrez on The Leadership Podcast. Link in the first comment.#Leadership #LeadershipLessons #LeadershipDevelopment #TheLeadershipPodcast #Resilience #ExecutiveLeadership
Carlos Gutierrez, the 35th U.S. Secretary of Comme Carlos Gutierrez, the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former chairman and CEO of Kellogg, joins The Leadership Podcast to share the experiences that shaped his approach to leadership.From learning the importance of results from his father to leading at the highest levels of business and government, Carlos reflects on what it takes to build trust, navigate relationships, make difficult decisions, and develop people.His perspective is grounded in a simple but consequential idea: results matter, but leadership ultimately depends on people.Listen to the full conversation with Carlos, Sheer Will: The Unlikely Path from Cuba to the Cabinet. Link in the first comment.#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveLeadership #TheLeadershipPodcast #BusinessLeadership
Your people spend more hours with you than with th Your people spend more hours with you than with their families.That's not a business metric. That's a moral obligation.David Gray sees it as both privilege and responsibility. You're not just developing workers. You're developing humans—their skills, their confidence, their sense of purpose.Most leaders treat people like resources. David treats them like people entrusted to his care for a significant portion of their lives.It changes everything about how you lead.Explore David's complete philosophy on servant leadership. https://bit.ly/TLP-520?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadershipphilosophy #servantleadership #peopledevelopment #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #teamleadership #managementphilosophy #compassionateLeadership
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
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
Most leaders say they prioritize people. David Gra Most leaders say they prioritize people. David Gray actually does it—and it's made all the difference.David Gray, CEO of Fed Up Foods, has doubled his team, scaled to become the largest functional beverage supplier to major retailers, and navigated Hurricane Helene without compromising his mission.In this episode, he shares the four-point crisis playbook he used when infrastructure failed, why connection must come before accountability, and what he learned about empathetic leadership.Listen now. https://bit.ly/TLP-520?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleadersWatch it here https://bit.ly/TLP-YT-520?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadershipdevelopment #crisisleadership #valuesdriven #empathyatwork #culturebuilding #westudyleaders #theleadershippodcast #missiondriven #davidgray #fedupfoods
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
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
Patrick Emmons wasn't a great student. He'll tell Patrick Emmons wasn't a great student.He'll tell you that himself.But he's built and sold three companies over 25 years.His point: the hero story isn't the requirement people think it is.Hear Patrick's full story on episode 524. https://bit.ly/TLP-524?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #entrepreneurship #growthmindset #careeradvice
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
Most companies reward CEOs for riding good markets Most companies reward CEOs for riding good markets and punish them for bad timing. Patrick Ryan says that's backwards. If the boom isn't your doing, the credit isn't yours. If the crash isn't your fault, the blame isn't either. Judge leaders on what they actually controlled. On the value they built. Not on the luck they rode. That changes how you hire, promote, and evaluate performance.Hear the full conversation. https://bit.ly/TLP-519?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders#leadership #ethics #performance #accountability #executiveleadership #moralcapitalism #leadershippodcast #businessethics
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
Leaders often treat self-criticism as if it were a Leaders often treat self-criticism as if it were a tool for improvement.David Robson argues the opposite. When we constantly criticize ourselves, we create stress that clouds our thinking and makes positive change harder. Self-compassion doesn't mean ignoring mistakes or lowering your standards. It means acknowledging what went wrong without turning the mistake into a judgment about who you are.That distinction matters.You can hold yourself accountable without tearing yourself apart.#leadership #selfcompassion #selfawareness #leadershipdevelopment #leadershippsychology #resilience #davidrobson #leadershippodcast
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