Leadership Learned

In this episode of Leadership Learned, Matt and Rona speak with Professor Tom Harrison from the University of Birmingham, a leading voice on character and virtue in education and leadership. Together, they explore the real meaning of character - how it’s defined, how it’s developed, and why it matters more than ever in leadership today. From the classroom to the boardroom, Tom shares insights ...

What it really takes to lead through adversity — with Alex Staniforth Resilience isn’t about bouncing back—it’s about moving forward with purpose. In this episode of Leadership Learned, we sit down with adventurer, author, and mental health advocate Alex Staniforth to explore the truth behind resilience: how it’s built, why it matters, and what it reveals about leadership in today’s world. Dr...

Change is inevitable—but confidence isn’t always easy to find when navigating uncertainty. In this episode of Leadership Learned, we explore how leaders can develop true confidence, not just in how they present themselves, but in their ability to adapt, grow, and lead through change. Our guest, Andrew Richards, is an experienced executive coach who has helped leaders across industries unlock t...

People want more from their organizations and their leaders. Following Covid, The Great Resignation, and the cost of living crisis, it has become more important for people to have work with meaning. Similarly, the organizations that can align what they do with a reason for doing it - their 'Why' - have found great success. It comes down to Purpose: finding it, and being driven by it. Here's ...

Bad managers can cripple a business. It can lead to people leaving, a disengaged workforce, and an archaic culture that is unattractive to talent. It has been partly blamed for the UK's current productivity gap, whereas managers who have been given the skills and knowledge required to nurture engagement and boost motivation outperform on all key leadership metrics. A recent CMI report highligh...

Command and control is dead. In today's modern business world, leaders have to be more in tune with their people in order to get the most out of them. Whether it is due to hybrid/remote working, being more inclusive, adopting a growth mindset, developing an innovative culture - all of these rely on a leadership style that enables and trusts people and teams to deliver the strategic goals on the...

Leading yourself is all about self-awareness: having the courage to learn the truth about what drives you, being authentic to yourself and what your values truly are - not the things you claim to believe, but the things that actually drive your behaviour. People tend to mould their leadership style based on what they see around them, without thinking about how well that style fits with their o...

We talk a lot on this podcast about the importance of mental health in modern leadership in terms of knowing yourself and your teams so you can be the best leader you can be. In this episode we are talking specifically about the detrimental effects of anxiety and stress and what can be done it about it individually and organizationally. It's not just a case of taking a break every now and then...

The second part of our chat with record-breaking mountaineer, Jake Meyer.  We are talking about his latest expedition to climb some of the highest mountains in the world, and the equivalent leadership, business and personal lessons that can be gleaned from it. If you haven't listened to part 1, you should go back and listen to it first: not just because we are recounting the story chronologica...

There are a lot of parallels between elite mountaineering and the business world when it comes to the leadership, teamwork, collaboration and communication needed to be successful. Whilst our everyday work and decisions are rarely a matter of life or death, there are still a lot of lessons that can be taken from an expedition to climb the highest and most dangerous mountains in the world. Jake...

Just one in three business leaders think schools are doing enough to equip pupils with skills for work.  The part of the curriculum that focuses on the world of work is not statutory – however, 85% of business leaders, 90% of parents and 92% of young people think that it should be. We think leadership skills should also be a key part of youth development, and in this episode we discuss why, in...

Curiosity is a quality related to inquisitive thinking and is heavily associated with all aspects of succesfful human development and learning. Yet it is a quality that we are warned against as we grow ("Curiosity killed the cat") and we need less and less in the modern world, where everything is literally at our fingertips. However, curiosity is vital for leaders in order to understand the pe...

Every leader has to face their fair share of 'courageous' conversations - those meetings with your team, peers or bosses where difficult, problematic topics have to be discussed. Everyone hates them but they are a necessity - so how can you make them as effective as possible? What can be done in advance to make sure both parties are fully prepared? Should you prepare differently depending on wh...

If there was something that had a significant, adverse effect on the productivity of around 50% of your workforce, you as a leader would want to know about it. Well, there is, and it’s called the Menopause. It is something that affects almost all women, at its worst it can be utterly debilitating, but even in its milder form it significantly affects a woman’s ability to perform at their peak....

In this episode, we talk about the challenges leaders and managers will face in 2023. We talk about the broader skillset leaders will need and how they can deal with the subsequent increase in capacity. We discuss the growing requirement for authentic leadership, emotional intelligence and legitimate self-confidence, and also what cultural intelligence is and why its becoming important. We th...

Mental Toughness: it’s not just about resilience, and its not something some people have and others don’t. It’s something that all leaders should look to develop, along with other personality aspects, in order to become the most effective leader possible. In this episode we discuss what it is, what it isn’t, and how it can be developed and strengthened using psychometrics and diagnostics. We t...

What are the true drivers and motivators behind Human Performance? What is it that makes people deliver their best, consistently? And how can it be measured and developed? We've been researching these topics and in this podcast we answer those questions and more. We discuss the key factors of behaviour, capability and wellbeing and why all three need to be given equal importance - without pand...

Whether you are about to step into your first leadership post, move into a different one, or even need to refresh your current role, the key is preparation and in this episode we will tell you why and how. Chances are you will have achieved your position using a completely different set of skills to those required to be an effective leader. As you move into your role, you may be thinking about...

Kindness: not a word commonly associated with leadership. But why? Studies have shown that practising kindness is a powerful and profitable driver of competitive advantage for many successful organisations. Yet as an attribute it can be seen as weakness. This week, we investigate why this dichotomy exists and talk about the research exploring the effects of kindness, how it forms a vital part ...