The Thoughtful Leader Podcast with Ben Brearley
Episodes
#221: How to Reduce the Impact of Staff Turnover
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Staff turnover is a natural part of life, even for excellent leaders. Even so, it can have a big impact on the functioning of a team if we aren't care...
#220: Some Tips For All the "Nice" Leaders Out There.
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In many respects, it's good to be a nice leader. But what happens if you're one of those leaders who is perceived as "too nice"? In this episode, I ...
#219: 4 Steps to Grow Your Leadership Confidence
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling confident in your leadership role always makes leading a whole lot easier. So in this episode, I take a look at the four steps I believe are...
#218: Master These Top 3 Time Management Skills
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many people are looking for a quick fix for their time management challenges, in the form of tools and technologies. While these can be helpful for ...
#217: Good Communication: What It Is & How to Do It
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Communication skills are a hot topic in leadership, and are often one of the most sought-after skills for leaders. However, we don't usually dig muc...
#216: Great Leadership Is About What You DON'T Do
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We often talk about the actions that leaders should take to get the best out of their teams. But it's worth thinking about the things we choose *not* ...
#215: Why Autonomy Matters For Your People and How to Provide It.
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Autonomy is a key factor when it comes to team member motivation at work. But unfortunately, it can feel daunting to let go and provide your people ...
#214: How to Start Being More Trustworthy For Your Team.
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trust is important in leadership. After all, it's tiring and stressful when people are questioning our motives all the time. But we can't just ask p...
#213: Don't Send Your People On Training Until You've Answered These 3 Questions
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I've noticed that leaders in many organisations like to send people on training without too much thought. Unfortunately, usually this results in a l...
#212: Managing by Exception - Is It a Good Approach?
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Managing by exception is a style of management that emphasises escalation of only significant issues to leaders in an organisation. It is often seen a...
#211: What To Do If You Work For An Insecure Manager
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Working for an insecure manager is no picnic. Many people react to this situation by fighting. Trying to prove to their insecure boss that they are ...
#210: Empowering Leadership Actions to Try In Your Team
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Empowering leadership is all about getting out of your team's way, so they can do their thing. However, this deceptively simple idea can be daunting...
#209: How to Build Empathy Using the Iceberg Model
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Being able to show empathy is a great skill for leaders to better understand and engage with their people. One tool I've found really useful in help...
#208: How to Feel Like a More Useful Leader
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the common complaints levelled at leaders (especially in the middle-management layer) is that they are "useless" and "don't do anything". And...
#207: Is "Sweeping the Sheds" Good Leadership?
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the book "Legacy" about the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team, the concept of "sweeping the sheds" is raised. That is – even leaders should pit...
#206: Lead Better By Understanding Your Core Values
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One way that we can help to set a good foundation for our leadership is to understand our core values. Our core values help us to understand what dr...
#205: Confident Leaders Ask These 5 Simple Questions
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You might not feel confident all the time, but that doesn't mean you can't ask confident questions! In this episode, I take a look at some good questi...
#204: Create Better Leadership Habits With These 3 Key Ingredients
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most leaders have parts of their leadership they'd like to improve. One way to improve is to create good leadership habits, to help you show up cons...
#203: Want to Feel Better Leading? Self-Acceptance Is a Good Start
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I sometimes work with leaders who pretty much need a complete confidence rebuild because of their experiences in crappy workplaces. Damaged confiden...
#202: Why Leaders Don't Delegate and How to Do It More
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It seems to be fairly common knowledge that delegation is a valuable leadership skill. But in my experience coaching and talking to my training atte...
#201: How to Bring More Honesty to Your Leadership
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Recent research shows that honesty is one of the most highly sought-after leadership characteristics. However, there are many situations in which we...
#200: How to Feel More Positive at Work
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Workplaces can often be busy and overwhelming places, convincing us that our situation is all doom and gloom. People like to focus on negativity and ...
#199: Leadership Focus Areas For 2023
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to get started with 2023! In this episode, I take a look at my 5 key leadership focus areas which I think are important. These include being...
#198: Going From "Doer" to Leader? Watch For These Challenges.
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most leaders don't go straight into a leadership position. They start by doing the technical work, and then progress to leadership positions afterward...
#197: Stressed Team Member? Look For These Common Causes
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stress is common in busy workplaces, and we might think that it usually occurs because the workload is too high. However, there can be many sources ...
#196: Integrity Risks for Thoughtful Leaders
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When leaders do bad things in your workplace, do you assume they are bad, evil people? Or could it be that in a different environment, they'd lead in ...
#195: Don't Believe These Common Leadership Misconceptions
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are still some common misconceptions about leadership floating around in our organisations. Leadership has changed. Gone are the days of comma...
#194: 4 Overrated Leadership Attributes We Can Stop Admiring
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world is full of top 10 leadership characteristics lists which we should all aspire to. In this episode, I wanted to do something a little differe...
#193: Want to Manage Your Time Better? Focus On These Areas.
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Good time management won't necessarily make you a great leader, but I consider it to be a key enabler in being able to lead effectively. A frazzled, d...
#192: Want to Stop Being a Bottleneck In Your Team? Do These Things.
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughtful leaders never set out to become the bottleneck or "single point of failure" in their teams. Unfortunately, it still happens for a bunch o...
#191: Are Your People Clock-Watching? Try These Ideas.
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When I notice team members watching the clock waiting for the time when they can go home, I know it's a problem. It's not that I want people to be wor...
#190: 3 Ways to Be a More Reliable Leader
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Reliable leaders have a tendency to build trust easily, because people know what to expect from them. It's easy to say "just do what you say you're go...
#189: 4 Leadership Focus Areas for Thoughtful Leaders
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since I started coaching thoughtful leaders, I've noticed a few focus areas that we spend most of our time working on. I've found that thoughtful le...
#188: Ideas to Help You Create a More Committed Team
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I work with lots of leaders who wish their team members would show a little more motivation and commitment. And recently I've also seen a lot of art...
#187: Leading High Performers? Remember These Things
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most leaders love high performers. However, there is a bit of a misconception that leading high performers can be easier. While in some ways this mi...
#186: Could Doing the Opposite Be Good For Your Leadership?
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If we follow our instincts all the time when leading people, we're likely to run into trouble at some point. The problem is that we're wired to protec...
#185: How a Chaotic Work Environment Is Hurting Your Team
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who wants to work in a chaotic work environment? Most people would answer… "of course, nobody does!" However, working in a chaotic work environmen...
#184: Let's Reclaim Your Leadership Freedom
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When leaders feel like they don't have autonomy to make the decisions or take actions they need to, bad things can happen. That's why it's so importan...
#183: Power Dynamics: How Are They Impacting Your Team?
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many people think that the boss is the most powerful person in a team. While the boss certainly does have power, they probably aren't the only one! So...
#182: Are These Helpful Actions *Hurting* Your Team?
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's nice to be a helpful leader, rather than being an obstacle or causing your team to do more work "managing" you. However, all that helpfulness can...
#181: How to Decide Whether It's Worth Taking That Hard Leadership Action
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's common for leaders to be faced with tough situations such as ethical dilemmas or conflicts, where they need to decide whether it's worth fighting...
#180: Team Member Made a Mistake? Try This.
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Even the best of us make mistakes, and our team members will too! In this episode, I answer a reader question about what to do when your team member m...
#179: Leading Former Colleagues? It's Tricky... Try These Ideas
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leading former colleagues can be tricky, because you used to be one of the gang and now you're the boss! This can be awkward for some people and can p...
#178: So You Have an Open Door Policy… But Is It Working?
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The "Open Door Policy" came about from the days where we actually had offices and doors. However, it's still a valuable concept today, to promote free...
#176: Common Phrases to Avoid When Leading People
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like it or not, leaders are role-models in the workplace. What we say and do matters, so it's important to try to set the right example. In this episo...
#175: Avoiding Conflict? Here's What You're Really Doing
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Avoiding conflict often feels good in the short-term. But over time, avoiding conflict can cause bigger issues, that may have been more easily tackl...
#174: Procrastinating at Work? Try These Tips
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever had tasks on your list that continue to stare at you week after week, while you keep putting them off? Procrastination is a common problem, even ...
#173: Is "All or Nothing" Thinking Holding You Back?
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever found yourself stuck in an "all or nothing" mindset? Where everything is black or white, always or never? We can get stuck in this type of thin...
#172: Team Member Lacking Confidence? Here's How to Lead Them
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever had to lead a team member who is lacking in confidence? It can be a daunting experience for some leaders, and for others it may seem like a burde...
#171: 3 Ways to Show People You're a Good Leader
05 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leaders who inspire confidence in others have it easier. People tend to listen to what they say and leave them to do their work. Want to be one of t...
#170: Shift Your Mindset to Improve Your Productivity
29 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being effective and productive are important for good leadership. We want to be focusing on the right things and doing them well, rather than rushing ...
#169: Why Leaders Need to Prioritise Their Mental Health
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Acknowledgement of the importance of mental health has grown steadily over the past few years. In years past, we mainly used to focus on physical he...
#168: A Short Story - 3 Steps to Employee Engagement
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leaders love to have engaged, enthusiastic employees working for them, but it's not always easy to make it happen. In this episode, I recount a short ...
#167: Are Your People Feeling Unfulfilled at Work? Try These Ideas
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With the rise of remote and flexible working, people are becoming more open to the idea of actually enjoying their work. Instead of just going throu...
#166: The Importance of Mindset With Mark Altman
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Altman, who is the founder of MindsetGo, a company that helps people become more confident a...
#165: Don't Stagnate! How to Provide Development Opportunities For Your Team
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Development opportunities are one of the best ways to stop your team from stagnating, ensuring everyone keeps learning and staying motivated. However,...
#164: Don't Let Blind Spots Derail Your Leadership
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Blind spots are dangerous for leaders. It might be that you think people are perceiving you in one way, but actually they think something else about...
#163: Team Members Relying On You Too Much? Try This
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's natural for team members to need your support, but when it happens too often, it can be a real drag on your time. However, it's not useful to lay...
#162: Don't Have a Team Operating Model? Here's Why You Need One.
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever taken the time to actually write down what your team does, and how it does it? It can be a really useful process to go through to help...
#161: Simple Ways to Improve Accountability In Your Team
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you one of the many leaders who wish your people would take more accountability? Do you yearn for the day when your people will take greater own...
#160: Are People Testing Your Leadership? Try This
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you'll come to work feeling like you're being tested by your people. They'll push boundaries, do their own thing and maybe give you some a...
#159: How to Switch From a Reactive to a Proactive Team
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find your team reacting to problems rather than taking proactive action? You're not alone – this can be a huge problem for team productivity ...
#158: Let's Build a Better Leadership Mindset
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wanted to feel better about your leadership, enjoy your role more and have more motivation to make change and lead the way? Well, you're not alon...
#157: Getting Unstuck with Coach Robbie Swale
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Robbie Swale who is a Coach and Author of the new book "How to Start When You're Stuck". In this interview we cover a lot...
#156: Let's Dismantle the Cult of Busyness
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever noticed how busyness is often a sign of capability, competence or importance in many workplaces? Well, it's time we put a stop to this. The pro...
#155: How Are You Holding Yourself Back? Let's Fix It
13 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes thoughtful leaders have a tendency to get in their own way. It might be not asking for what they really want, putting everyone else's need...
#154: Common Sense Principles to Help Your Leadership
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership can be daunting, and it can feel like we need to have years of leadership training and study under our belts to feel confident. The truth...
#153: Why Knowing Yourself Equals Better Leadership
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's important to understand our team members to create an environment where they can perform at their best. But it's no different for the leader. I...
#152: How to Feel More At Peace With Your Leadership Situation
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many leaders go through tough times dealing with politics, bad bosses and many other problems. Not all of these issues are within our control to sol...
#151: Low on Confidence? Let's Tackle the Root Cause, not the Symptoms
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's very common for leaders to feel low on confidence. After all, they're often dealing with new situations and challenges which they've never had to...
#150: The Thoughtful Leader Backstory, with Akua Asare
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of the Thoughtful Leader Podcast, I'm interviewed by Akua Asare, who is the founder of the Not-For-Profit Professional Women a...
#149: Simple Steps to Break Negative Behaviour Patterns
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Negative behaviour patterns are common in workplaces, and you've probably run into them yourself. So how do we put a stop to behaviour that impacts ...
#148: Here's Why You're Taking On Too Much (and What to Do)
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a common problem for thoughtful leaders – taking on too much work to handle. Often, this comes from trying to help others more than we are tryi...
#147: Tailoring Your Leadership to Your Team
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. Every team is made up of different individuals with varied goals, motivations an...
#146: Want to Lead Better? Do Less!
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us are still caught in the busyness mindset – where we feel like we should be rushing around busy all day. However, in my experience, I've f...
#145: Causes of Bad Leadership and What Thoughtful Leaders Can Do
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many people "Like" all the nice leadership quotes on social media, and there seems to be an overwhelming amount of agreement of what constitutes good ...
#144: Is It Time to Start Putting Yourself First?
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many thoughtful leaders suffer from the common problem of putting their own needs last, and focusing on everyone else first. This is admirable, but ...
#143: How to Stop Overthinking Things
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many thoughtful leaders have a habit of overthinking things. It's great to be thoughtful, but too much thinking can turn into a lack of action. You ...
#142: How Leaders Can Support Wellbeing at Work
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wellbeing is no joke. Working long hours and experiencing stress and pressure is still seen as a badge of honour in many workplaces, but it's time we ...
#141: Leadership Insights from Professional Sport with Ben Alexander
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Alexander, the retired Australian international Rugby player. Ben played for the Wallabies 72 t...
#140: Are You Being Too Optimistic?
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's nice to be optimistic, but what happens when we go too far? In this episode, I take a look at optimism bias and the impact it can have on our lea...
#139: Supporting Emerging Leaders With Justin Peters
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Justin Peters, a young leader who went from being an intern at one of his first employers to being the Program Manager fo...
#138: How to Tackle Passive Aggressive Behaviour
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Passive aggressive behaviour can be quite common in the workplace, as many of us work in a relatively polite society. Passive aggressive behaviour is ...
#137: Falling Into Bad Leadership Behaviour? Do This!
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We often think that only "bad" leaders fall into displaying poor leadership behaviour. In reality, I believe that depending on the situation, we all h...
#136: Simple Tips to Help You Coach Your People
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coaching can be a really powerful way to help your people improve. It also shows that you're interested in committing significant time to their person...
#135: Why People Won't Follow Your Process (and What to Do About It)
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Leaders often need to introduce process and structure into their teams. So it can be really frustrating when your people won't follow what you're tryi...
#134: Improve Your Leadership With Daily Commitments
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daily commitments are a powerful tool that I use with some of my coaching clients. Commitments are a great way to shift mindset and help you show up t...
#133: How to Improve Engagement & Make Work More Interesting
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wanted to improve engagement in your team, and make work more interesting at the same time? Well, you're in luck! In this episode, I interview ...
#132: Would You Rather Be Liked or Respected?
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many leaders struggle with the balance between wanting their people to like them and getting the respect they need to perform their leadership role ef...
#131: People Not Doing What You Want? Ask These Questions
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's frustrating when you ask your people to do something and they just can't seem to get on board. Your first instinct might be to think they are inc...
#130: How to Make Your 1 to 1 Meetings Better
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some leaders consider regular 1 to 1 meetings with their team members to be a waste of time and effort. After all, there are lots of other things that...
#129: Are Your People Resistant to Change? Try These Tips!
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's never pleasant when your people aren't getting on board with what you're trying to do. But leaders are in the business of making change, and resi...
#128: Is a Lack of Confidence Showing In Your Leadership?
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's very common for leaders to feel a lack of confidence sometimes, and it's nothing to be ashamed about. But ideally, we'd like to be perceived as s...
#127: Resilience: Bouncing Back From Toxic Workplaces
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever struggled working in a tough role in a challenging workplace? How about working for a horrible boss? If the answer is yes, then this episode is ...
#126: Are You Protecting Your Team Too Much?
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughtful leaders sometimes get caught in the trap of trying to shelter their people from harm. While this can be a good thing, it can also slow the ...
#125: How to Build Trust In Your Team
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Trust is a vital ingredient in a productive, cohesive team. When people in a team trust each other, they feel like they are in a safe environment, fre...
#124: How to Stay Calm In Tricky, Stressful and Uncertain Situations
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Work doesn't always go smoothly, or to plan. As leaders, we are often put in situations where we are under stress and having to work through uncertain...
#123: Common Leadership Fears and How to Challenge Them
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fear is a natural part of leadership, because leaders are always pushing forward, trying to make change and improve their workplaces. They are taking ...
#122: Suffering From a Communication Breakdown? Let's Fix It.
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most frustrating parts of workplace life happens when people aren't communicating effectively. After all, it's easy for communication to br...
#121: Difficult Colleague? Let's Improve the Relationship
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's inevitable that at some point in your leadership career, you're going to come across a colleague that you just don't see eye to eye with. In this...