The Thoughtful Leader Podcast with Ben Brearley
Episodes
#120: Are You Being a Weak Leader? Spot the Signs
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes even the best of us will go down the road of weak leadership… even if we don't mean to. Leadership is complex and can be difficult and som...
#119: Too Collaborative? Let's Avoid This Leadership Trap
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Collaborative and inclusive leadership can be great when used in moderation. But what happens when leaders collaborate too much? Many thoughtful leade...
#118: What is Purpose for Profit and How Can You Bring It Into Your Leadership?
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I interview Michael Watts, who is a consultant focused on helping business incorporate more purpose into their operations. In our conv...
#117: Have You Stopped to Appreciate These Under-rated Team Members?
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wouldn't it be amazing if everyone in our teams were super high performers? You know, go-getters who are striving to improve their career and going ov...
#116: How Leaders Can Build a More Resilient Team
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever wish your team members were more resilient? You know, putting up with the problems and striving forward with even greater motivation? We...
#115: Workplace Issues? Take These Powerful Leadership Actions
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever encountered tricky behaviour or performance issues in your team, it's not pleasant. Sometimes leaders will wait until the problem "sort...
How Being More Strategic Improves Your Leadership
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many people think that being strategic is just for company CEOs and executives, but this isn't necessarily the case. In this episode, I'll introduce s...
Do You Have a Victim Leadership Mindset?
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When you're in a tough leadership role, it can be easy to slip into a victim mindset. Nothing is your fault, you can't do anything to fix the workplac...
Why Smart Leaders Seek Continuous Improvement
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Continuous improvement is obviously very popular these days. Why wouldn't you want your team to keep improving? But there is more to team improvement ...
3 Handy Perspectives to Solve Your Next Leadership Challenge
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership situations are often complex, because they involve people and competing priorities. Each leadership challenge involves multiple dimensions ...
Managing Your Boss vs. Managing Your Team
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many leaders need to deal with a tricky situation – balancing the needs of their boss with that of their team. In this episode, I take a look at why...
Stakeholder Management Tips to Make Your Leadership Life Easier
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever had an influential stakeholder who blocked what you were trying to do? What about one who supported you and removed the roadblocks along the way?...
Are You Being Too Kind to Your Team?
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many leaders (especially the thoughtful ones) struggle to find the right balance between being too kind or lenient with their teams, and making them s...
Leadership vs Management - What's the Difference (and who cares)?
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the difference between leadership and management? Does it matter? And who cares? Well, in this episode, I answer all of these questions and pr...
Not Seeing Enough Teamwork? Try This!
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It can be super frustrating when your team members aren't working well together. Maybe you're seeing too much conflict, or perhaps people just aren't ...
Downsides of Delegation
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Delegation is often seen as the saviour of leaders who are struggling with their workload. "You just have to delegate more" is common advice for the...
Why Leaders Must Set Boundaries at Work
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Workplaces are busy, and different people have their own priorities that they are focused on. That's why to be productive and effective, leaders need ...
Want MORE Out of Your Leadership?
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As part of my coaching, I wanted a simple model I could use as a reference to help leaders target strengths and shortcomings in their leadership. So, ...
Leadership Qualities You Need to Succeed
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not all leaders are born equal. Some people will have personal qualities that will help them succeed in leadership positions better than others. Howev...
Is Your Team Feeling Safe ... or Scared?
02 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some workplaces operate with a culture of "command and control" and toxicity that can have our team members quaking in fear. In this episode, I talk a...
Leaders: Are You Looking After Yourselves?
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The sad reality in many workplaces is that leaders keep working harder and for longer, putting the needs of their organisations and bosses ahead of th...
Balancing the 4 Key Leadership Components
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what the main parts of leadership are? Me too! That's why in this episode, I'm going to take you through what they are. It's im...
Are These Job-Satisfaction Killers a Problem In Your Team?
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Job satisfaction is a critical aspect of team member motivation. If people aren't satisfied coming to work and are having to drag themselves into work...
Is Insecurity Damaging Your Leadership? Watch For These Signs
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever felt insecure during your leadership role? It's not uncommon to feel that way, as leaders are often having to deal with change and uncertainty in...
Why Team Members Aren't Meeting Your Expectations
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find yourself frustrated by team members who won't meet your expectations? You're not alone! Many leaders struggle with this issue, feeling lik...
How to Lead People Who Resist Your Leadership
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever had to lead people that don't really want you to? Awkward! But this can be quite a common problem in leadership, because there are lots ...
How Open and Honest Should You Be With Your Team?
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the leader of your team, the openness and honesty of your communication can be a bit of a balancing act. It can feel good to be open with your team...
People-Pleasing Leadership & How You Can Stop It
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt like you wanted your team, colleagues or your own boss to like you so much, that it has impacted your leadership? If so, you're not...
Struggling to Say No? Try These 5 Ways!
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Saying "No" is a critical leadership skill, and one that many leaders still struggle with. We all want to be seen as "team players" and good leaders, ...
Think You Know What Your Team Wants? Think Again!
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever fallen into the trap where you think you know what your team members want? And perhaps you've made assumptions based on your own experie...
Beating Leadership Imposter Syndrome
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever felt like you're just not good enough for your leadership role? Do you feel like other leaders seem more calm and confident than you do? Well, ...
Common Ways You Might Be Reducing Accountability In Your Team
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Building team accountability is a great way to improve performance in a team. Team members that take accountability are more likely to put in extra ef...
Avoiding a Negative Team Culture
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The way that leaders behave can have a dramatic impact on the way our team operates. Leadership behaviour can be contagious, so we need to make sure w...
How to Fix Behaviour Issues In Your Team
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever had trouble with behaviour issues in your team, you're not alone! In this episode, I take a look at some simple steps to take to diagno...
Want to Improve Team Performance? Set Good Deadlines.
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With the rise of more inclusive and collaborative leadership, setting deadlines can be uncomfortable for many leaders. However, there are good reasons...
Signs That You're Not Really Solving Your Team Issues
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ever felt like you're constantly dealing with people problems and team issues, rather than doing actual work? You're not alone. Dealing with people pr...
How to Give Your Team More Meaningful Work
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Doing meaningful work is one of the greatest motivational factors that drives team member performance. When people feel as if they are taking on wort...
Handling Emotions in Leadership
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As humans, we are constantly experiencing emotions and the workplace is no exception. Leaders often need to deal with deadlines, team problems and oth...
Thoughtful Leader's 5 Cs of Performance Management
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When I hear the words "Performance Management" these days I tend to cringe a little. Why? Because over the years, Performance Management seems to have...
The Power of Setting a Direction for Your Team (and how to do it)
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Setting a direction is an extremely powerful action that leaders can take to reduce conflict, improve productivity and make sure everyone is on the sa...
What to Do When You Have Too Many Priorities
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many organisations seem to be trying to do too much, with too little. The list of "critical" initiatives and projects seems to keep getting bigger. ...
Are You Showing the Signs of a Self Serving Leader?
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Self-serving leaders put themselves ahead of other people in their organisation, including their teams. Most of us have a tendency to believe that ...
Want to Feel More In Control of Your Team? Try Letting Go.
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership can be stressful. Sometimes we feel like we want to have all the answers, when the reality is that our workplaces can be full of ambiguity ...
Is All Your Hard Work Helping or Hurting?
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have been conditioned to believe that hard work is a good thing. Working long hours, being exhausted every day - it's all part of the gener...
Don't Wait for a Crisis - Why Leaders Should Focus On Workplace Wellbeing
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I've worked in many organisations where leaders are still running on the hamster wheel of work. These leaders treat themselves poorly, without takin...
How to Ignore the Trivial Issues and Tackle that Elephant in the Room
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many organisations spend an enormous amount of time focusing on small, trivial issues and working around problems instead of tackling them head on. ...
Want a More Proactive Team? Try These Things.
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a leader who would love your team to be more proactive? I'm sure you're not alone! Having proactive team members is great because it reduce...
Why We Need More Mindfulness In Leadership
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stress is a common part of every workplace, and leaders experience it more than most. In one particularly stressful part of my leadership career, I st...
How You Can Be a More Thoughtful Leader Today
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Thoughtful leaders show empathy, are introspective, perceptive but they also push back when they need to. Contrary to popular belief, being a thoughtf...
A Simple Model for Team Motivation
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Team Motivation is an ongoing challenge for many leaders, because work isn't the only thing many team members want to be doing. Some team members are ...
How Team Alignment Will Help You Get On (and Stay On) the Right Track
24 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you feel like your team isn't operating as well as it could be, it might be that you aren't all pulling in the same direction. Confusion, frustrati...
Leading Change In Your Team
17 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you're trying to implement a change in your team, it can be tempting to just push it through. After all, you're the boss, right? Unfortunately...
Q&A: Micromanaging Bosses & Failing to Delegate
10 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I answer some reader and listener questions that recently came through regarding how to manage a micromanaging boss and what happens...
3 Pillars of Effective Leadership
03 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Effective leadership is all about getting your important work done while being able to support and improve your team at the same time. I have seen so...
How to Feel In Control Without Being a Controlling Boss
26 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leadership can be uncomfortable, especially when you're worried that your team might not be able to deliver what you need. Unfortunately, some leaders...
How to Deal With Uncertainty - Working "In the Grey"
19 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Working "In the Grey" is a term used to describe a situation where we don't have all the answers. We might be embarking on a project that we've nev...
Overwhelmed? Let's Work at 80%
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy for leaders and their teams to become consumed with the day to day work, never finding the time to take a breath. There also seems to be a d...
"I Don't Have Time" - Taking Back Control of Your Leadership
05 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are all busy and have constraints on our time, but that doesn't mean that we need to be a victim of our circumstances. I hear it often - "I don'...
Why Formal Authority Won't Solve Your Leadership Problems
29 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Often we dream of being "the boss" and having the authority to make any changes we like. The reality of our workplaces is much different. So much o...
Tips for Leading Remote Workers
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The working world has been changing over recent years, with more flexible working arrangements and the ability to work remotely. Some online softwar...
High Performers? Or Just Acting Like It?
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As leaders we need to be reinforcing the right behaviours in our teams. We do this by praising or rewarding people for good behaviour and making sure ...
The Middle-Management Conundrum - When You Disagree With Senior Management Direction
08 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Middle Managers sometimes have a pretty tough role. They need to ensure their teams are performing well, while also pleasing their senior management a...
Why Leaders Should Do More Planning (and Why They Don't)
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Planning is an often underrated skill. The reason many people don't care about planning is because when you spend time planning, you don't feel like y...
Employee Wellbeing: Is it Important Or Are We Just Ticking a Box?
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's clear that there has been an increase in employee wellbeing programs in our workplaces in recent years. This is a positive step, because a focus ...
Why Thoughtful Leaders Need the Most Confidence
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I believe that Thoughtful Leaders (the ones who lead intentionally and think about the impact of their behaviour on their people) actually need to foc...
The Importance of Consequences for an Effective Workplace
09 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I talk about the importance of consequences in the workplace. Sounds scary? It isn't really. Consequences don't have to be all bad, a...
Are You a Valuable Leader? The Fine Line Between Hurting and Helping Your Team.
02 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I look at some situations where leaders are actually hurting their teams... when they might actually think they are helping. Sometime...
Why Trusting Your People Is Your Best Strategy
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Trust is a huge factor in improving engagement and motivation in your teams. Imagine, your team members feeling like you believe in them ... wouldn't ...
Is a Productivity Problem Hurting Your Leadership?
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I'm a big believer that effective time management and productivity is one of the foundations of good leadership. Leaders who manage their time poorly ...
Leadership Lessons for 2020
11 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I share 5 leadership lessons from my career, with the hope that you can use some of them to help you in 2020 (or any year really...)....
Are You Avoiding a Difficult Conversation?
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Difficult conversations are unavoidable in leadership if you want to be effective. These conversations could be about performance, behaviour or many o...
Employee Retention: More Than Stopping People Quitting
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to retaining people, all you need to do is to stop them from leaving, right? No, not really. If all you do is try to keep people from le...
The Perils of Passive Leadership
08 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Passive leadership happens when leaders fail to take action, and it can be a huge problem for teams and workplaces. In this episode, I look at some ke...
Why Building Your Team's Confidence Should Be a Priority
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Leading a confident team has several important benefits. In this episode, I talk about these benefits and some of the simple things you can do to help...
Insecure Bosses and the Scientist Mindset
24 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I talk about a question I received from someone asking advice about having an insecure boss. Many of us have bad bosses at one time or...
Good Ways to Support Your Team
16 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When I have been the most stressed in my career, it was because I felt like I wasn't supported by my manager. We want to avoid this happening in your ...
Directive Leadership... What It Is and When You Should Use It
10 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Directive leadership is not as common as it used to be. In many work environments, you don't get very far if you run your team as a dictatorship. Howe...
Is Your Fear of Leaving Your Job Making You a Worse Leader?
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fear does bad things to people in our workplaces. Fearful leaders might stay silent when they would normally speak out. They may fail to make a decisi...
Moving Your People Along the Motivation Spectrum
27 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Motivation at work is tough - most of us need to work, and we spend more time with the people at work than we often do with our friends and families! ...
Limiting Beliefs That Ruin Your Effectiveness
19 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A challenge for every leader is to overcome limiting beliefs that we have developed over time. Productivity and effectiveness is one area where limiti...
Traps for Supportive Leaders
13 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Supportive leaders are great - but problems can occur when leaders step over the line from being supportive leaders to protective leaders. In this epi...
Work Time-Wasters That Create Unhappy Teams
06 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Time-wasters at work can really have a big impact on your team's productivity. But that's not all, time-wasters also have the potential to damage team...
Leadership Assumptions That Ruin Motivation
29 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy for leaders to make assumptions about their teams when things get busy. But there are some assumptions that can really damage motivation in ...
Communication Mistakes That Will Damage Your Leadership
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Communication is a critical leadership skill, but it's often a part of leadership that we get wrong. If you're unable to communicate effectively, yo...
How Confident Leadership Will Help Your Team Thrive
15 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Confident leadership is not only useful for a leader's wellbeing - it's also great for their team too. In this episode, I look at some ways that confi...
How to Create Open Communication in Your Team
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Open communication is something that is valuable to every leader and team. In this episode, I talk about some of the benefits of open communication in...
How Toxic Workplaces Happen (and what you can do about it)
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Toxic workplaces are horrible places to be, but they don't just happen by accident. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the ways that toxic behav...
Employee Turnover - Why It's Good and When You Should Worry
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Employee turnover is a topic that can see leaders breaking out in a cold sweat. However, it's not all bad. In this episode, Ben talks about some of th...
Why You Can't Hold Your Team Accountable
18 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to hold our teams accountable. In almost every workplace I've been, I hear the familiar phrase "There's just no accountability!" This epis...
Short Term Thinking = Bad Leadership
11 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the primary causes of bad outcomes in our workplaces is short-term thinking on the part of leaders. Taking action or failing to take necessary ...
Using Work Pressure to Improve Team Performance
04 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's never fun having a stressed and overworked team. But did you know that all stress is not created equal? In this episode, Ben talks about Eustress...
5 Questions to Ask an Unmotivated Team Member
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Early in my career I remember thinking that people who were unmotivated at work were just "slackers". Now, my perspective has changed a lot, because I...
Why Softly Spoken Leaders Make a Big Impact
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Softly spoken leaders face some challenges in the workplace, struggling to be heard over the noise of their dominant, outspoken counterparts. In this ...
Why Your Team Won't Speak Up (and Why You Need Them to)
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever walked away from a meeting you thought was going to be controversial, where there was actually no conflict at all? You could have a problem, beca...
How Better Time Management Will Help Your Team
07 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Leaders can be one of the greatest sources of wasted time in the workplace. This is unfortunate, but true! In this episode, Ben talks about how leader...
Everyone Is Stupid...Except for MY Team
30 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever worked in a team where an adversarial attitude builds against people outside of the team? This can be a damaging mindset if left unchecked. In th...
Why You Need to Speak Up At Work
23 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Having the confidence to speak up and out about issues and inefficiencies in your workplace is a key role of a leader. But it's not always easy to do ...
Building Self-Confidence
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Self-confidence is one of the most critical parts of leadership. Without it, you'll second guess yourself, be less decisive and have difficulty gettin...
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Leadership
09 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Self-fulfilling Prophecy is a phenomenon I've seen in workplaces for a long time, and it can make or break your team. In this episode, Ben talks about...
Micromanagement...and How You Can Stop It
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever micromanaged someone? I certainly have, and it's not a great thing for a leader to do. What I have noticed over my career is that micromanagement...