Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn

By Allison Dunn

Deliberate Leaders Podcast is dedicated to helping leaders build strong, thriving businesses. Join host Allison Dunn, executive business coach and owner of Deliberate Directions, as she spotlights to... more

· Business
· Entrepreneurship
· Marketing
· Management

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FAQs about Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn:

How many episodes does Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn have?

The podcast currently has 269 episodes available.

Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn episodes:

June 24, 2026The Loneliness That Grows With Success
The Loneliness That Grows With Success
Success often brings opportunities, influence, and growth. It can also bring something leaders rarely discuss openly: loneliness.
In this episode, Allison explores:
Why leadership often becomes more isolating as organizations scale

How the gap between leaders and their teams naturally widens over time

Why people stop telling leaders the full truth

The hidden cost of carrying leadership challenges alone

How isolation impacts decision-making and strategic thinking

The role of trusted peers in preventing leadership blind spots

Why honest feedback becomes harder to access as your authority increases

How to create relationships where truth can be shared without fear

The importance of building support systems outside your organization
Key Question:
When was the last time someone told you something genuinely difficult to hear?
If you're struggling to answer that question, it may reveal more about your leadership environment than you realize.
Resources:
Think First: Stop Being the Bottleneck, Start Building Thinkers by Allison Dunn

Learn more: Deliberate Directions
Think First
...more
7min
May 26, 2026The Hidden Cost of Being Easy to Work With
Why “easy to work with” can become a leadership liability

How small acts of avoidance create cultural drift

The hidden relationship between accountability and trust

Why high performers notice inconsistent standards first

How unclear expectations frustrate teams over time

The concept of “autopilot leadership” from Think First

Learned helplessness and what it does to workplace culture

The difference between Firefighter leadership and Architect leadership

Why avoiding hard conversations creates bigger problems later

A practical question leaders should ask themselves regularly:
“Am I protecting this relationship, or avoiding discomfort?”

How deliberate leaders create clarity without sacrificing compassion

Why strong cultures are built through consistency, honesty, and accountability
Think First
...more
7min
May 19, 2026The Slow Burn Problems Leaders Ignore
Why the most damaging leadership problems are rarely the loudest

How small tolerated behaviors become cultural standards

The hidden cost of waiting too long to address issues

Understanding “thinking debt” and how it compounds over time

Why reactive leadership narrows long-term vision

The difference between Firefighter mode and Architect mode

How disengagement and resentment quietly build inside organizations

A powerful leadership reframe: “What happens if this pattern continues for another year?”

Why systems, not isolated incidents, shape organizational culture

How deliberate leaders identify and address problems early before they escalate

Reflection questions to help leaders identify their own “slow burn” issues

Why resilient cultures are built through consistent, intentional leadership
Think First
...more
10min
May 12, 2026 The "I'll Just Do It" Habit
• Why the “I’ll just do it” habit feels productive but creates long-term leadership problems
• The difference between being the fastest person to solve a problem and the right person to solve it
• How leaders unintentionally train teams to become dependent
• The hidden cycle of organizational bottlenecks and learned helplessness
• Why stepping in too quickly limits strategic thinking across the organization
• The shift from reactive firefighting to building thinkers
• Coaching questions that encourage ownership and better decision-making
• How to scale leadership by multiplying thinking capacity instead of personal effort
• Insights from Allison Dunn’s book Think First: Stop Being the Bottleneck, Start Building Thinkers
• Reflection question: “Where am I stepping in too quickly, and what is that teaching my team?”
Think First
...more
6min
May 05, 2026The Trust Equation Is Broken
Why “trust takes time” is an incomplete leadership belief

Time reveals patterns, it does not create trust

The real foundation of trust: consistency in behavior and response

How teams evaluate trust through patterns, not words

Signs trust is breaking: hesitation, avoidance, filtered communication

The impact of inconsistent leadership on team engagement and performance

Common leadership gaps: uneven accountability, defensive reactions, shifting expectations

Why predictability creates psychological safety

The difference between being rigid and being reliable

Practical reflection: Where am I being inconsistent without realizing it?

How consistent leadership builds high-performing, trust-driven teams

Connection to Think First: slowing down reactions to lead with intention
Think First
...more
5min
April 29, 2026The Cost of Neutral Leadership
What we cover:
Why neutral leadership feels reasonable but creates unintended consequences

How silence communicates standards more powerfully than words

The subtle way culture drifts through unaddressed moments

Why high performers feel the impact of inconsistency first

The real reason capable leaders avoid addressing issues

The connection between neutral leadership and autopilot decision-making

A practical leadership lens: “If I don’t address this, what am I teaching my team?”

How to address issues without becoming reactive or overly critical

The long-term cultural cost of avoidance
Key takeaway:
Leadership is always teaching. The question is whether you are teaching intentionally or by default.
Think First
...more
5min
April 21, 2026When Consulting Becomes a Platform
Episode Notes
About Amy Farner
Amy Farner is Executive Vice President and Head of Product at The Josh Bersin Company. She previously led Deloitte Consulting’s survey research and analytics practice and brings over 20 years of experience helping organizations drive results through data, insights, and industry trends.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why consulting firms are shifting from projects to AI-powered platforms

How tools like Lilli, AskGartner, and Galileo are changing the industry

What early signals, like higher renewal rates, reveal about AI adoption

The difference between access to information and trusted insight

How AI is accelerating speed, scale, and personalization in consulting

Why SaaS models are becoming more valuable than traditional services

How AI is opening access to advisory services for underserved markets

The evolving role of consultants in a world of instant information

Where human judgment remains essential in decision-making

What the next 3–5 years of consulting could look like
Key Insights from the Episode
The value of consulting is shifting from delivering answers to guiding decisions

AI is not replacing consultants, it is redefining where they create value

Firms that fail to adapt to AI-enabled delivery models risk being displaced

Smaller and mid-sized companies now have access to insights that were once reserved for the enterprise level

Communication and strategic thinking are becoming more important than traditional “hard skills”
Resources & Links
Galileo AI Agent by The Josh Bersin Company
https://getgalileo.ai/agent

The Josh Bersin Company
https://joshbersin.com/
Think First
...more
34min
April 14, 2026From “Good” to Exceptional Leadership | Featuring David Grossman
In today’s environment, leadership requires more than results. It requires connection, clarity, and the ability to lead people through constant change.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why “good” leadership is a hidden liability

What employees are really thinking but not saying

The six differentiators of exceptional leaders

Why Heart skills are critical in today’s workplace

How leaders unintentionally create distance by “wearing armor”

What it looks like to lead with authenticity and clarity

Simple, practical actions you can implement this week
Learn more from David Grossman:
📘 Book + resources:
https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/heart-work-modern-leadership?utm_source=deliberateleaderspodcast&utm_medium=pr_podcast&utm_campaign=heartworkbooklaunch
📊 Research study:
https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/hubfs/Heart%20Work%20Modern%20Leadership%20Book/Bonus_Gifts/Bonus%20Gift_The_Grossman_Group_Harris_Poll_Study_Exceptional%20Leadership_v.4_FINAL.pdf?utm_source=deliberateleaderspodcast&utm_medium=pr_podcast&utm_campaign=heartworkbooklaunch
🎤 Speaking & leadership insights:
https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/leadership-speaker?utm_source=deliberateleaderspodcast&utm_medium=pr_podcast&utm_campaign=heartworkbooklaunch
📝 Blog:
https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/blog?utm_source=deliberateleaderspodcast&utm_medium=pr_podcast&utm_campaign=heartworkbooklaunch
🔗 LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgrossmanaprabc/
Think First
...more
28min
April 07, 2026Energy Is a Strategy (And Most Leaders Get This Wrong)
The Core Idea
Execution problems are often misdiagnosed as strategy issues

In reality, teams respond to the energy behind the message, not just the message itself
Why Energy Matters
Same strategy + same team ≠ same results

The difference is often how the leader shows up

Energy sets the tone for how people receive, interpret, and act
The Leadership Blind Spot
Many leaders default to their natural energy (optimism, urgency, momentum)

Strengths can become liabilities when mismatched to the moment

Example: positivity can feel dismissive when people need acknowledgment
Key Insight
Energy is not about personality

It’s about intentionality
The Three Questions to Lead with Energy
What does this moment actually require?
Push forward vs. pause

Momentum vs. reflection

Direction vs. collaboration

Am I creating clarity or just intensity?
Clarity drives confident action

Intensity creates urgency without direction

Fast does not equal effective

Do people need to be lifted or met where they are?
Lift: vision, possibility, forward movement

Meet: acknowledgment, validation, presence

Misalignment leads to disconnection or stagnation

Practical Application
Adapt your energy based on the situation:
Strategy sessions → vision and momentum

Difficult conversations → groundedness and empathy

Crisis moments → calm and stability

Cultural Impact
Your consistent energy becomes your culture:
Urgency → reactive teams

Positivity without acknowledgment → hidden struggles

Calm without movement → complacency

The Leadership Shift
Stop expressing energy unconsciously

Start directing energy strategically
Reflection Question
What energy are you bringing into your conversations—and is it what’s needed?
Call to Action
Explore the full framework in Think First: Build a Team That Thinks Like Leaders
Think First
...more
9min
March 31, 2026 The $250,000 Question I Ignored
In this episode, Allison Dunn shares a personal story about a decision that cost her $250,000 and reshaped the way she coaches leaders today.
When she was launching her coaching practice, buying into a franchise felt like the safe and strategic move. It offered structure, systems, and the promise of certainty. But the day before signing the agreement, her dad asked one simple question: What’s your end game here? Instead of pausing to reflect, she pushed forward.
That moment became a powerful lesson in leadership and decision-making. Often, the decisions we rush toward are the ones most influenced by fear. And the questions we resist are often the ones we most need to answer.
This episode unpacks:
Why fear can disguise itself as strategy
How leaders outsource their thinking when they rely too heavily on someone else’s formula
Why knowing better is not enough to protect you from costly decisions
The role cognitive traps play in reactive leadership
How to catch yourself before autopilot takes over
Allison also gives a preview of her upcoming book, Think First, where she outlines five cognitive traps and five practical methods to help leaders think more clearly, make better decisions, and avoid expensive patterns.
Get on the early access list for Think First at: deliberatedirections.com/thinkfirst
Think First
...more
3min

FAQs about Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn:

How many episodes does Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn have?

The podcast currently has 269 episodes available.

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Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn

FAQs about Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn:

How many episodes does Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn have?

Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn episodes:

FAQs about Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn:

How many episodes does Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn have?

More shows like Deliberate Leaders Podcast with Allison Dunn

Coaching for Leaders

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