Leadership BITES

In this episode of Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom interviews Bas Warmerdam, who discusses the innovative approach of utilizing children's creative thinking to solve complex organizational problems. The conversation explores the importance of childlike intelligence in fostering fresh perspectives and problem-solving skills within professional settings. The conversation explores innovative approaches to problem-solving in educational settings, particularly through engaging children in collaborative projects that involve real-world challenges. Bas Warmerdam discusses the dynamics of teamwork, the importance of creativity, and how children's perspectives can lead to unexpected solutions.

Takeaways

• Childlike intelligence fosters creativity
• Simplifying complex problems aids understanding Engaging children fosters creativity
• Collaboration bridges communication gaps

Chapters

• 00:00 Harnessing Childlike Intelligence
• 01:54 The Journey to Innovative Thinking
• 08:12 Engaging Adults with Childlike Perspectives
• 14:30 Translating Complexity for Kids
• 16:44 Real-World Applications of Childlike Thinking
• 23:47 Fostering Collaboration Among Teams
• 24:49 The Power of Imagination in Problem Solving
• 27:11 Engaging Kids in Real-World Challenges
• 30:14 Transforming Adult Perspectives
• 31:39 Learning from Children's Insights
• 35:35 Encouraging Creative Thinking
• 40:09 Applying Childlike Principles in Professional Settings

Mike Grossman shares his journey of running early stage technology companies in Silicon Valley, reflecting on the challenges, successes, and the importance of people in business. He emphasizes the need for emotional intelligence and understanding the context of business, particularly in relation to people and financial aspects. Mike also discusses the significance of having the right people in the right places and the challenges of managing and dealing with people as a company grows. The conversation covers topics related to leadership, team dynamics, hiring, company culture, and the impact of technology on business. It also delves into the importance of radical honesty, mental health, and managing expectations in a business environment. The conversation delves into the roller coaster ride of business environments, the importance of emotional resilience, and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. It also explores the motivation behind writing a book and the evolving nature of decision-making in the tech industry.

Takeaways

• Silicon Valley CEO Mike Grossman shares insights on running early stage technology companies
• The importance of people and financial context in business
• Challenges and successes of managing and dealing with people as a company grows Trust and role modeling are essential for fostering effective communication and team dynamics.
• The focus on input rather than outcome, radical honesty, and managing mental health are crucial for navigating the challenges of running a business. Emotional resilience is crucial in navigating the ups and downs of business environments.
• The decision-making criteria in the tech industry is evolving, and the pace of change is accelerating.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Journey of Running Early Stage Technology Companies
• 03:10 The Role of People in Business
• 08:42 Managing and Dealing with People as a Company Grows
• 17:08 Fostering Effective Communication and Team Dynamics
• 18:07 Challenges of Hiring and Company Culture
• 18:32 Adapting to Small vs. Large Organizations
• 20:26 Managing Expectations and Radical Honesty
• 21:12 Defining Success and Societal Expectations
• 22:05 Navigating Business Pressures and Mental Health
• 23:00 Focus on Input and Managing Expectations
• 24:31 Navigating Business Challenges and Results
• 25:19 Maintaining Equilibrium and Managing Expectations
• 32:06 Impact of Technology on Business
• 35:34 Navigating the Roller Coaster
• 36:46 Emotional Resilience and Professionalism
• 37:16 Mental Health and Decision-Making
• 40:07 Motivation for Writing a Book
• 50:54 Evolving Decision-Making in Tech

Psychometric assessments can provide significant insight, but they should never be mistaken for a definitive answer.

In this episode of Leadership Bites, I speak with occupational psychologist Peter Rhodes about what psychometric assessments can genuinely tell us, where their limitations sit and why every result needs to be explored, tested and corroborated.

We discuss personality, resilience, conscientiousness, ambition, emotional intelligence and the handling of anxiety. We also consider what these characteristics might mean when recruiting senior leaders, assessing potential or building an effective leadership team.

Peter shares examples from his work with pilots, chief executives, public authorities and senior appointments, including what happens when ambition is not matched by conscientiousness and why somebody can be socially capable without being emotionally attached.

The profile creates the evidence and the questions. The real value comes from the quality of the conversation that follows.

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

Marc Jantzen, Founder of The Consultancy Growth Network, joins Guy Bloom to explore what it really takes to build, grow and lead a successful consultancy. 

Marc reflects on selling Blue Sky, taking time away from work and eventually returning to build something new in The Consultancy Growth Network. He shares how he tested his proposition, launched with only six members and adapted the business when lockdown made its original model impossible. 

The conversation explores the value of mentors, the importance of testing ideas with the market and why consultancy leaders need people around them who understand the journey. 

Guy and Marc also discuss the impact of AI on consulting, the move from charging for time to pricing around value and the changing shape of consultancy firms as technology replaces more junior analytical work. 

They close with an honest discussion about leadership, motivation, transparency, vulnerability and why being a decent human being matters, but is not always enough. There are moments when leaders must step forward, create belief and have the conversations others may prefer to avoid. 

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom speaks with Sharath Jeevan OBE, legacy expert, Oxford lecturer, author of Inflection: A Roadmap for Leaders at a Crossroads, and founder of the Generational Success Lab at Saïd Business School.

Sharath describes legacy not as something leaders think about at the end of their career, but as the mark they are choosing to leave right now. The conversation explores why legacy matters in a world of uncertainty, AI, pressure, private equity, short term targets and constant organisational change.

Guy and Sharath challenge the idea that leadership is just task, output and performance management. They discuss why leaders need to think more deeply about meaning, contribution, significance and the experience they create for others.

Sharath shares how his own background, from being an Indian immigrant to becoming a social entrepreneur, adviser, author and OBE, shaped his thinking on preservation, reinvention and impact. He also explains why legacy is not only for CEOs or people nearing retirement, but for anyone who wants their work to matter.

This conversation looks at legacy through the lens of individuals, teams and organisations. It asks how leaders can build institutions, develop people, create ideas and shape cultures that continue beyond them.

A key theme is that legacy is not a soft idea. It is a strategic lens. It helps leaders stay grounded, make better decisions, hold long term intent alongside short term pressure, and create work that has meaning beyond the immediate task.

If you are leading a team, shaping a business, working through an inflection point, or asking what your leadership is really leaving behind, this episode will give you plenty to think about.

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode, Guy Bloom sits down with long time colleague Jamie MacPherson for a conversation grounded in real leadership experience. 

This is not theory. It is what leadership looks like in practice when expectations are high, pressure is real, and people are watching. 

Together, they explore: 

•  The gap between knowing and doing in leadership 
•  What shows up under pressure 
•  The behaviours that build trust and the ones that quietly erode it 
•  The reality of leading peers, not just teams 
•  Why experience does not always equal effectiveness 

This is a conversation shaped by years of working in and around leadership, not observing it from a distance.
 
If you are serious about your impact as a leader, there is something in here for you.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Dynamics
01:03 Defining Leadership: What Does It Mean?
04:11 The Spectrum of Leadership: Big L vs. Small L
10:02 Contextual Leadership: When Position Doesn't Matter
14:02 The Role of Followership in Leadership
19:48 The Essence of Being a Leader
29:47 Conclusion: When Does Leadership Truly Start?
 

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, I sit down with Gary Clarke, Group Head of Learning and Development at Qatar Airways, based in Doha. 

Gary leads group wide learning across a 65,000 person organisation, with a team of around 80, covering everything from operational training that keeps aircraft flying, to leadership and capability, learning tech, digital content, and vendor partnerships. Along the way, we get into what it really takes to run an internal learning function like a business, build credibility fast, and become the supplier of choice inside a complex, high pace, multi subsidiary organisation. 

We talk about leading in a multicultural reality, the tension between standards and psychological safety, why bland harmony is a risk, and how to create a community of practice that pulls people together without forcing compliance. We also touch on AI and learning, not as a shiny distraction, but as a tool, while the real edge remains human connection, trust, and leadership craft. 

If you care about culture in the real world, not the poster on the wall, this one will land. 

Connect with me at livingbrave.com 

Subscribe for more episodes and share this with someone who cares about doing leadership properly. 

Chapters
 00:00 Intro and welcome
 00:29 Gary Clarke and Qatar Airways context
 02:51 Scale, growth, and operational pace
 05:03 What learning covers in an airline
 08:57 Supplier of choice mindset for internal L and D
 10:43 Quality, credibility, and Brandon Hall Awards
 12:14 Centralised vs federated learning models
 14:19 Building community through internal conferences
 21:17 Multicultural leadership, standards, and integration
 33:04 Clear standards, clear intention
 34:03 Human centred leadership and psychological safety
 49:13 AI, generational gaps, and learning strategy
 57:12 The next few years and what matters most 

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom sits down with Dr Steven Farmer DBA MPhil MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Alconex Infrastructure and Solutions Ltd, author of Soft Skills, Hard Numbers. Steve leads a multi utilities business delivering gas, water and electric connections to homes, while expanding into energy transition work across data centres, battery energy storage and solar. 

Steve shares a straight talking leadership philosophy that blends soft skills with hard numbers. He talks about rising from an apprenticeship and life on the tools, to senior leadership and board level accountability, then pushing himself through an MBA and a doctorate while working full time. The conversation moves into what servant leadership really means when performance dips, why poor behaviour is a fast route to the exit, and how leaders can build psychological safety without lowering standards. 

They explore the human reality leaders are dealing with right now, a workforce arriving already anxious, the importance of being excellent at receiving bad news, and the practical power of one simple principle: do not make life worse for people at work. Steve also unpacks his doctorate research into values based recruitment in construction, and why the industry needs a new story if it wants young talent to choose trade and craft over debt and drift. 

Expect clear thinking, grounded experience, and leadership that respects people while still hitting the numbers. 

Key moments and ideas
 • The route to CEO, and why effort beats talent when talent coasts
 • Doctorate level work while leading a business, what it really takes
 • Values based recruitment and making construction a cause people want to join
 • Servant leadership without softness, command without control
 • Psychological safety and performance, do not shoot the messenger
 • Bad news is like fresh bread, better when it is new
 • High performance, low tolerance, high nurture, the leadership balance
 • Creating workplaces where people do not get the Sunday scaries
 • One leadership book Steve would still recommend: Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People 

Guest
Dr Steven Farmer DBA MPhil MBA
Chief Executive Officer, Alconex Infrastructure and Solutions Ltd
Author, Soft Skills Delivering Hard Numbers 

Host
Guy Bloom
Leadership Development, Executive Coaching and Team Effectiveness
Living Brave Leadership
Leadership Bites podcast 

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this extended studio conversation on Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom sits down with Danny Nelson, MD WINVIC, Industrial & Logistics who has grown with a construction business from its early days into a billion pound organisation. This is not a polished leadership story. It is a real one. 

Danny talks openly about starting out as an apprentice, learning the craft from tough early experiences, and what changes when you move from being good at the job to being responsible for people, culture and long term performance. Together they explore what trust actually looks like when you stop micromanaging, why accountability is not about blame, and how letting go becomes one of the hardest disciplines of senior leadership. 

The conversation goes deep into lived culture. Not values on the wall, but how standards are set, how people are treated, how suppliers are paid, and how consistency builds credibility over time. They discuss succession, stepping into ownership, recalibrating peer relationships, and why leadership maturity often comes through discomfort, feedback and reflection rather than confidence or charisma. 

This episode is for leaders who have grown inside an organisation, who feel the weight of responsibility, and who know that leadership is less about being right and more about learning, trust and sustained behaviour over time. 

 00:08:56 From apprentice to boardroom learning leadership through craft
 00:15:40 Growing inside one organisation what you learn that outsiders do not
 00:17:38 Where culture really comes from standards not slogans
 00:20:02 Doing it right why credibility is built through behaviour
 00:23:56 What culture feels like when it is working
 00:26:23 What got you here will not get you there
 00:28:50 Leadership maturity learning through reflection
 00:30:28 Trust versus control why micromanagement kills leadership
 00:32:10 Letting go without letting things fall apart
 00:33:37 Accountability without blame owning performance properly
 00:35:14 The John Terry effect leadership without needing the spotlight
 00:36:53 Succession without ego stepping into ownership
 00:39:09 Recalibrating peer relationships at senior level
 00:42:05 Getting honest feedback when you are at the top
 00:44:21 Why senior leaders hear less truth over time
 00:46:03 Trusting each other enough to challenge properly
 00:48:11 Why perfection is not the goal in leadership
 00:49:21 Advice to younger leaders what really matters
 00:51:18 Growth comes from facing into discomfort
 00:52:39 Learning from leaders you do not want to become
 00:54:10 Leadership is not meant to be easy 

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this first ever Leadership Bites conversation between Guy Bloom and Jamie MacPherson, two long time colleagues finally press record and get into what sits underneath the glossy talk of culture. 

They explore a blunt question: can the promise of a great culture ever meet expectations, or does it always fall short once real people, real pressure, and real leaders show up. 

They unpack the gap between the marketing story and the lived experience, the hidden corridor culture that never makes the posters, and the reality that most organisations do not have one culture at all but many, shaped by local leaders and daily interactions. 

Jamie frames culture as the aggregation of every interaction and offers three simple tests that cut through the noise: do interactions leave people clearer, more interested, and learning. 

Guy adds a hard edge to that with survival versus contribution, where people are either performing to stay safe or showing up with enough trust to offer half formed ideas, challenge, and honesty. 

They also tackle the uncomfortable truth of culture programmes: if you raise awareness and set a standard, you create a new lens people will judge the organisation by. 

If leadership cannot live it, the disappointment gets louder. 

Great culture is not Nirvana. It is averages, peaks and troughs, small behaviours done consistently, and the craft of leadership at senior level, where the work is granular, deliberate, and owned from the top. 

A candid, funny, reality based conversation about what culture really is, what it is for, and why the promise only becomes real when leaders have the courage to be specific, accountable, and human. 

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Bites
03:22 Exploring Culture and Performance
06:25 The Promise of a Great Culture
09:10 Defining Culture and Its Purpose
12:27 Interactions Shape Culture
15:15 Survival vs. Contribution in Culture
18:26 Navigating Fear and Anxiety in the Workplace
21:05 Setting Realistic Expectations for Culture
24:36 The Pursuit of Realistic Standards
25:54 Understanding Happiness in High-Performance Cultures
29:46 The Difference Between Enjoyment and Satisfaction
31:06 Reevaluating Expectations in Organizational Culture
33:29 The Importance of Listening in Leadership
36:39 Managing Expectations and Reality in Culture Change
40:02 Crafting a Culture of Continuous Improvement
43:03 Defining Specific Behavioral Expectations
48:51 Embedding Change for Sustainable Culture

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.livingbrave.com