The 11th Thing Podcast

Episode 46: The Power of Practical Leadershio

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Barry Cryan

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the leadership philosophy series continues with a focus on the power of practical leadership, featuring Barry Cryan, founder of Do More Better and a business growth and systems expert.

Drawing on his work with ambitious business owners, Barry explores why decisions often flow back to the founder as a business grows, and how unclear decision rights or excessive oversight can make the founder a bottleneck. He discusses what teams need in order to take genuine ownership—and how leaders can hold people accountable for results while giving them freedom to decide how to achieve them.

The conversation also examines how founders can respond when a decision goes wrong without diminishing trust, and what practical change can help a business run well without constant founder involvement. Through his Founder Capacity Engineering™ approach and F.A.S.T. OS™ framework, Barry champions a simple idea: a growing business should give its founder more freedom, not less.

Episode 45: The CEO Operating System

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Joel Trammell

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the conversation goes inside the mind of an elite CEO with special guest Joel Trammell — CEO educator, author and co-founder of CEO-SYS.

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience including multiple nine-figure exits as CEO of private and public companies, Joel explores what the term “elite” really means in executive leadership and how exceptional CEOs think about themselves, their organisations and leadership responsibility at the highest level.

Delving deeper, Joel examines how elite CEOs think about people and culture, high-stakes decision-making, performance and execution, and how they maintain a strategic focus on the future while managing the demands of the present. The conversation concludes by exploring CEO legacy and impact.

Episode 44: The Accountability Culture

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Sean Phelps

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the conversation explores the accountability culture with business executive, leadership expert and author Sean Phelps.

Through the prism of his new book ‘Accountability: An Algorithm for Consistent Success’ and drawing on his tried and trusted leadership development methodology, Sean explores why accountability should be built around the principle of “us versus the goal, never me versus you.” He examines why traditional approaches based on browbeating and immediate negative consequences can undermine trust and explains how leaders can instead create accountability through clarity, capability, coaching and support.

Delving deeper, Sean explains his concept of “account plus ability,” how simple questions can transform difficult performance conversations, and why organisations need to become “extraordinary at the ordinary.” He also explores how leaders can build a scalable culture of accountability that strengthens ownership, trust and long-term development without descending into either micromanagement.

Episode 43: The Power of Humility

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Jacqui Kimmel

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the leadership philosophy series continues with an insightful conversation on 'The Power of Humility' featuring special guest, global marketing expert, leadership consultant, entrepreneur and publisher, Jacqui Kimmel.

Drawing on her leadership experience and personal insights, Jacqui explores what humility really means and what it does not. She examines how humility shapes leadership character, strengthens capability, and why one of leadership's most overlooked qualities is often mistaken for weakness.

Delving deeper, Jacqui explains how humility builds confidence and trust, influences the way leaders are perceived, and ultimately becomes a defining element of an authentic and enduring leadership brand.

Episode 42: Tackling Organisational Toxcity

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Dr Byan Hughes

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the leadership philosophy series continues with a thought-provoking conversation on 'Tackling Organisational Toxicity' featuring special guest, executive advisor, best-selling author and Founder of Clear Day Strategies, Dr Bryan Hughes.

Drawing on decades of executive leadership experience and his pioneering research into workplace culture, Dr Hughes challenges conventional thinking about toxic leadership, exploring why toxicity often goes unnoticed, how organisational success can mask unhealthy behaviours, and the patterns that allow toxic cultures to take root.

Delving deeper, Dr Hughes shares practical insights into recognising the early warning signs of toxicity, rebuilding trust, creating healthier workplace cultures, and ensuring organisations develop the resilience to prevent toxic behaviours from returning.

Episode 41: Leadership That Makes a Difference

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Laurent Pierre Jr

In this latest episode of The 11th Thing podcast, the leadership philosophy series continues with a thought-provoking conversation on 'Leadership That Makes a Difference' featuring special guest, global technology executive, author and leadership strategist, Laurent Pierre Jr.

Drawing on more than three decades of leadership experience across global organisations, Laurent reflects on the defining moments that have shaped his leadership philosophy. From learning through failure and maintaining a connection with frontline teams, to building high-performing cultures and leading with people at the centre of organisational success, he explores the principles that distinguish leaders who create a lasting difference.

Delving deeper, Laurent examines the balance between delivering results and developing people, the importance of leadership maturity, and why the greatest legacy any leader can leave is measured not by personal achievement, but by the lives they have empowered and the leaders they have inspired.

Episode 40 [Part 2] How to Build an Elite Leadership Culture

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guests Troy E. Black and John Neyer

In Part 2 of Episode 40 of The 11th Thing Podcast, host Paul Aladenika continues the conversation with retired Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Troy E. Black and executive coach, leadership consultant, speaker and Senior Vice President at Decision Reflex John Neyer to explore the hidden cultural dynamics that shape elite organisations.

The discussion examines why leaders can become isolated from honest feedback, how cultures of silence and compliance emerge, and why organisations often stop challenging poor decisions. The episode also explores what truly creates belonging, trust, loyalty, and resilience within teams; beyond branding, slogans, and corporate messaging.

Paul, Troy, and John also tackle one of leadership’s toughest questions: are organisations hiring for genuine competence or simply for comfort and familiarity? Drawing from military, executive, and organisational leadership experience, the conversation unpacks the importance of standards, fairness, diversity of thought, accountability, and the courage to challenge groupthink in high-performance cultures.

Episode 40 [Part 1]: How to Build an Elite Leadership Culture

Host Paul Aladenika with Special Guests Troy E. Black and John Neyer

Episode 40 of The 11th Thing Podcast explores what it truly means to build an elite leadership culture. In part 1 of this two part episode, Host Paul Aladenika is joined by retired Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Troy E. Black and executive coach, leadership consultant, speaker and Senior Vice President at Decision Reflex John Neyer, for a powerful conversation on trust, accountability, mission clarity, distributed leadership, and decision-making under pressure.

Together, drawing on their decades long experience, they examine why elite organisations thrive while others decline, exploring the dangers of fear-based cultures, over-centralised leadership, and mission confusion. The episode also unpacks how reflective leadership, ethical judgement, emotional intelligence, and resilience shape leadership performance during moments of uncertainty and crisis.

Drawing from military, executive, and organisational leadership experience, this episode offers practical insight into how leaders can create high-trust, high-performance cultures capable of sustaining excellence under pressure.

Episode 39: Leading with Peace

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with Special Guest Gabriel Andreson

In this first of a new series, focusing on leadership philosophy, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘leading with peace’ in conversation with special guest, co-founder and president of INOVIS Energy, key note speaker, author and leadership coach, Gabriel Andreson.

Reflecting on decades of leadership experiences, personal disappointment, faith-based values and professional insights, Gabriel Andreson highlights the critical role that wisdom has played in providing the space and clarity needed to make better decisions.

Delving deeper, Gabriel describes the importance of core values in communicating authenticity in group settings and explains how peace functions as a ‘superpower’ in times of crisis.

Episode 38: Special Episode Book Review: The Leadership TAP

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Dr Joy Karavedas

In this special episode, The 11th Thing podcast explores “The Leadership TAP”, authored by leadership coach and consultant Dr Joy Karavedas.

The discussion examines key leadership themes including learning through mistakes, overcoming imposter syndrome, building trust, and recognising the importance of celebrating success.

This episode offers a focused and practical perspective on a meaningful addition to contemporary leadership thinking.