Power In Excellence

Why do intelligent people follow the crowd?

Why do we trust some people instinctively and distrust others?

How can a teenager with a smartphone influence millions of purchasing decisions?

And how did ordinary people become involved in one of the most disturbing tragedies of the twentieth century?

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, Dr John McMahon explores the psychology of influence—the invisible force shaping our decisions, beliefs, relationships, leadership, and behaviour every day.

Drawing on some of the most famous studies in social psychology, including the work of Solomon Asch, Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, Robert Cialdini and Edward Bernays, we uncover how conformity, authority, social proof, identity, and belonging quietly shape human behaviour.

Through the story of Sarah, a successful CEO who begins to question how much of her decision-making is truly independent, we explore:

• Why most people underestimate how influenceable they are
• The psychology of conformity and groupthink
• Why authority can override judgement
• How roles and titles shape behaviour
• The hidden influence of advertising and public relations
• The rise of social media influencers and parasocial relationships
• How algorithms shape our perceptions of reality
• The psychology behind echo chambers and online tribes
• Why Jonestown remains one of the most important lessons in influence psychology
• The difference between ethical influence and manipulation
• How leaders, salespeople and negotiators can use influence responsibly

Whether you’re a leader, salesperson, entrepreneur, negotiator, parent, or simply curious about why people behave the way they do, this episode will change how you think about influence—and how often it shapes your own decisions without you noticing.

Because the most powerful forces shaping our lives are often the ones we cannot see.

References

Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of Group Pressure Upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.), Groups, Leadership and Men. Carnegie Press.

Asch, S. E. (1956). Studies of Independence and Conformity: A Minority of One Against a Unanimous Majority. Psychological Monographs, 70(9), 1–70.

Bernays, E. (1928). Propaganda. Liveright Publishing.

Burger, J. M. (2009). Replicating Milgram: Would People Still Obey Today? American Psychologist, 64(1), 1–11.

Cialdini, R. B. (2021). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Revised and Expanded Edition). Harper Business.

Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.

Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation. Penguin Press.

Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioural Study of Obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378.

Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. Harper & Row.

Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Random House.

Levine, R. (2003). The Power of Persuasion: How We’re Bought and Sold. Wiley.

Pratkanis, A., & Aronson, E. (2001). Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion. W. H. Freeman.

Singer, M. T. (2003). Cults in Our Midst. Jossey-Bass.

Lalich, J., & Tobias, M. (2006). Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships. Bay Tree Publishing.

Twenge, J. M. (2023). Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents. Atria Books.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

The Interview: Haleh Fardi, Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer, ProCFO Partners

What does a CFO actually do—and why do so many organisations wait too long to bring one into the business?

In this episode of the Power in Excellence Podcast, Dr John sits down with Haleh Fardi, Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of  ProCFO Partners, for a candid discussion about the evolving role of the CFO and the strategic value that financial leadership brings to organisations.

Together, they explore the power dynamics between CEOs and CFOs, the psychology of leadership and identity, French and Raven’s Five Bases of Power, how context affects communication, and the growing importance of fractional CFOs in helping organisations scale effectively without the need for a full-time finance executive.

Whether you’re a business owner, senior leader, finance professional, or simply interested in how influence, power, and decision-making shape organisational success, this conversation offers valuable insights into one of the most misunderstood roles in business.

In this episode:
• What fractional CFOs do and how they support organisations
• Why many businesses underestimate the importance of financial leadership
• The power dynamics between CEOs and CFOs
• French and Raven’s Five Bases of Power in practice
• Identity, influence, and executive decision-making
• Common misconceptions about the CFO role

A thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation about leadership, finance, power, and organisational success.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

We like to think we know who we are.

But what if that “identity” is less of a truth… and more of a story that our brain has rehearsed so often, it stopped asking whether it’s accurate?

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, Dr John explores one of the most powerful—and limiting—psychological forces shaping our behaviour: identity.

Why do we stay stuck in patterns that no longer serve us?
Why do capable people underperform in environments where they should thrive?
And why does change feel so uncomfortable—even when we consciously want it?

The answer sits deeper than habits, deeper than motivation. It sits in the way our brains construct and protect identity.

Drawing on research from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural science, we unpack how identity is formed, why it resists change, and how it quietly dictates performance, leadership, relationships—and even our perception of reality.

This isn’t about “reinventing yourself” with surface-level affirmations.

It’s about understanding the hidden architecture of who we believe we are… and how that belief shapes everything.

Because once you see identity clearly, you realise something uncomfortable:

You’re not just playing the game.

You’ve been playing a role.

References

Daryl Bem (1972). Self-Perception Theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.

Claude Steele (1988). The Psychology of Self-Affirmation: Sustaining the Integrity of the Self. In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.

Hazel Markus (1977). Self-Schemata and Processing Information About the Self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Dan P McAdams (2001). The Psychology of Life Stories. Review of General Psychology.

Leon Festinger (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.

Elliot Aronson (1999). Dissonance, Hypocrisy, and the Self-Concept. In Cognitive Dissonance: Progress on a Pivotal Theory in Social Psychology.

Karl Friston (2010). The Free-Energy Principle: A Unified Brain Theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Andy Clark (2013). Whatever Next? Predictive Brains, Situated Agents, and the Future of Cognitive Science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Lisa Feldman Barrett (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

James Clear (2018). Atomic Habits. Avery.

Charles Duhigg (2012). The Power of Habit. Random House.

Wendy Wood (2019). Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Jerome Bruner (1991). The Narrative Construction of Reality. Critical Inquiry.

Erving Goffman (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor Books.

Paul Ricoeur (1992). Oneself as Another. University of Chicago Press.

Albert Bandura (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Freeman.

Carol Dweck (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Roy Baumeister (1998). The Self. In The Handbook of Social Psychology.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

What does it really take to lead when the pressure isn’t just professional… but personal?

In this episode of the Power in Excellence Podcast, Dr John sits down with Shivana Laughlin, CEO of International Shipping Limited in Trinidad and Tobago, for a candid conversation about leadership in one of the most demanding environments imaginable.

This isn’t just a story about business.

It’s a story about legacy.

Shivana leads a company founded by her parents—stepping into a role shaped by history, expectation, and responsibility. But beyond that, she operates in a global industry where perception matters, and where assumptions about small Caribbean nations can quietly shape opportunity.

And layered on top of it all…
the often unspoken reality of being a young female CEO, navigating bias, credibility, and influence in rooms where judgement can form before a single word is spoken.

In this conversation, we explore:

• What it really means to run a family business—and the pressures that come with it
• How bias shows up in global business (and how to handle it without losing authority)
• The psychology of credibility, perception, and power
• How leaders maintain control when so much is outside of it
• And how to carry legacy… while still building something that is distinctly your own

This is a conversation about leadership beyond the surface.

About the unseen dynamics shaping every interaction.
And about what it takes to lead with clarity, composure, and conviction—when the stakes are high.

Listen now and discover what power really looks like in practice.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

Why do smart, capable people keep pushing harder… and still not get the result?

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, Dr John explores one of the most subtle and costly traps in leadership, performance, and decision-making: the illusion of control.

Drawing on the groundbreaking research of Ellen Langer, alongside behavioural science from gambling psychology and organisational performance, this episode unpacks why effort often feels like progress—even when nothing is actually changing.

Through the story of a CEO navigating a stalled deal, a disengaged team, and board-level pressure, you’ll see how control quietly replaces clarity… and why that’s where performance begins to break down.

This episode introduces key Power in Excellence concepts including:

• The difference between control and influence
• Why perception—not reality—drives behaviour
• How the “Loop of Excellence” replaces reaction with precision
• The hidden cost of over-ownership (the Victim Virus in disguise)

If you’ve ever found yourself pushing harder on something that should be working—but isn’t—this episode will change how you see it.

And once you see it… you can’t unsee it.

References

• Ellen Langer (1975). The Illusion of Control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(2), 311–328.
• Langer, E. J. (1983). The Psychology of Control. Sage Publications.
• Grupe, D. W., & Nitschke, J. B. (2013). Uncertainty and anticipation in anxiety: An integrated neurobiological and psychological perspective. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(7), 488–501.
• Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: A unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138.
• Clark, A. (2013). Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(3), 181–204.
• Dixon, M. J., Harrigan, K. A., Sandhu, R., Collins, K., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2010/2013). Losses disguised as wins and near-misses in modern slot machines. Journal of Gambling Studies.
• Clark, L. (2010). Decision-making during gambling: An integration of cognitive and psychobiological approaches. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 365(1538), 319–330.
• Schüll, N. D. (2012). Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas. Princeton University Press.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Guilford Press.
• Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer Publishing.
• Gallup (2020). State of the Global Workplace Report.
• Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, engagement, and business outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

Conflict isn’t the problem.

Avoided conflict is.

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, Dr John explores why the most effective teams don’t avoid disagreement — they use it to think better, decide faster, and perform at a higher level.

Because behind every tense meeting, awkward silence, or “let’s take this offline” moment… there’s usually something more important going unsaid.

You’ll discover:

• The critical difference between task conflict and relationship conflict — and why one improves performance while the other destroys it
• Why smart people still argue poorly (hint: it’s not about intelligence)
• How ego, identity, and status threat quietly derail conversations
• The hidden cost of “alignment” — and how teams drift into polite dysfunction
• Why conflict often disappears in meetings… but reappears in corridors
• How leaders unintentionally shut down disagreement in the first three seconds of reaction
• Practical ways to keep conflict focused, productive, and psychologically safe

Drawing on organisational psychology, neuroscience, and real-world leadership experience, this episode shows how to transform conflict from something teams avoid… into something they rely on.

Because high-performing teams don’t eliminate friction.

They make it useful.

References

Jehn, K. A. (1995).
A multimethod examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly.

Jehn, K. A. (1997).
A qualitative analysis of conflict types and dimensions in organizational groups. Administrative Science Quarterly.

Rock, D. (2008).
SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal.

Kunda, Z. (1990).
The case for motivated reasoning. Psychological Bulletin.

Edmondson, A. (1999).
Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly.

Kahneman, D. (2011).
Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007).
Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal.

Janis, I. L. (1972).
Victims of Groupthink. Houghton Mifflin.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, we explore why trust is not a soft leadership virtue but the invisible infrastructure of every organisation. When trust is strong, teams speak openly, surface problems early, and collaborate freely. When it weakens, conversations become cautious, ideas arrive pre-packaged, and silence quietly replaces candour.

Dr John explores the three levels of organisational trust:

• Interpersonal trust – the trust between individuals and managers
• Team trust – the shared confidence that makes collaboration possible
• Systemic trust – trust in the organisation’s processes, fairness, and leadership

At the centre of the discussion is the R.I.C.E. model of trust:

Reliability – Integrity – Competence – Empathy & Vulnerability

You’ll learn why trust builds slowly but collapses quickly, how leaders unknowingly erode it under pressure, and why the earliest warning sign of declining trust is often silence in the room.

This episode blends organisational psychology, neuroscience, and practical leadership insight to show why trust isn’t built in speeches or policies — it’s built in patterns of behaviour.

Because leadership isn’t sustained by authority.

It’s sustained by trust.

References

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. (2001).
Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology.

Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C., & Ng, K. (2001).
Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of organisational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology.

Dirks, K. T., Lewicki, R. J., & Zaheer, A. (2009).
Repairing relationships within and between organizations. Academy of Management Review.

Edmondson, A. (1999).
Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly.

Eisenberger, N., Lieberman, M., & Williams, K. (2003).
Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science.

Fiske, S., Cuddy, A., & Glick, P. (2007).
Universal dimensions of social cognition: Warmth and competence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

Mayer, R., Davis, J., & Schoorman, F. (1995).
An integrative model of organisational trust. Academy of Management Review.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

Power is shifting. Quietly. Rapidly. Subtly.

In this episode of Power in Excellence, I’m joined by Stefan Farrugia, CEO of Eunoia, for a conversation that moves far beyond the predictable “AI is coming” narrative.

Yes, we explore artificial intelligence — but not through fear or hype.

What should we really be concerned about?
Is it job displacement — or something more subtle?
Is the true risk technological… or deeply human?

Stefan brings a calm, strategic lens to the conversation, cutting through hysteria to examine power, capability, responsibility, and adaptability in an age of acceleration.

We explore how power manifests in the workplace — how it shifts, how it concentrates, and how it can quietly erode trust. We discuss the psychology of influence, the emotional intelligence required to work with family, and the tension between loyalty and performance when business and bloodlines intersect.

But this episode also goes somewhere deeper.

We talk about branding.

How much power sits inside a single word?
A brand is never just aesthetics — it is positioning, psychology, identity.
And in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, language matters more than ever.

Eunoia means beautiful thinking — goodwill to all — the integration of heart and mind.
So I began by asking Stefan a simple question:

How important is the brand?

This is a conversation about influence in an age of automation.
About identity in a time of machine intelligence.
About staying human while building the future.

If you care about power, perception, leadership, AI, or the psychology of positioning — this one is for you.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

What does power look like when it isn’t loud?

In this episode of Power in Excellence, I sit down with the Hon. David Agius, MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Malta, to explore the psychology of authority at the very centre of democratic life.

From maintaining strict neutrality in a politically charged chamber to presiding over heated debate with composure and control, we unpack what it truly means to hold institutional power — and not be consumed by it.

We discuss:

• The real role of a Deputy Speaker (beyond the title)
• How neutrality is protected in high-stakes political environments
• How power manifests in Parliament — procedure, presence, perception
• The discipline required to exercise authority without ego
• The unseen psychological pressures of presiding over democracy

This is a conversation about restraint, responsibility, and the invisible architecture of leadership.

If you’ve ever wondered how power works behind the scenes — not in headlines, but in governance — this episode offers rare insight from inside the chamber.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John

In this episode of The Unseen Advantage, we explore the invisible force beneath every professional relationship: asymmetry. The moment someone’s opportunity, evaluation, or reputation is shaped by your judgement, power enters the room — and it quietly changes behaviour.

You’ll discover:

• The different bases of power (French & Raven, 1959) and how they operate in teams
• Why authority subtly changes your cognition and reduces friction (Keltner et al., 2003)
• How power narrows perspective-taking (Galinsky et al., 2006)
• The difference between dominance and prestige hierarchies (Henrich & Gil-White, 2001)
• Why compliance can look like commitment — but isn’t

This isn’t an episode about avoiding power.

It’s about recognising it, managing it, and preventing it from insulating you from truth.

If you lead people — formally or informally — this conversation will change how you walk into your next meeting.

Subscribe now and make sure you never miss an episode.

Support the show

Dr John McMahon is a Leadership Psychologist and Executive Coach. He holds a PhD in Management Psychology, and MBA. He has worked with senior leaders, boards, founders, and executive teams across industries and continents.

WhatsApp +44 7860 625551 for more information or to enquire about working with Dr John