The 11th Thing Podcast

Episode 37: Belonging as a Growth Strategy

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Rene Grywnow DBA

In this seventh episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘belonging as a growth strategy’ with special guest, Rene Grywnow DBA, Europe President at DESMI, a leading multinational engineering company specialising in advanced pumping solutions and environmental flow technology.

Drawing on his extensive executive level experience, Rene Grywnow explains how leaders can effectively communicate objectives that resonate with their employees , balance the urgency to meet deadlines with the need to promote empowerment and maintain momentum in high pressure environments, whilst avoiding burnout.

In addition, Rene, addresses the shifts necessary to move from a target driven to a shared success mindset and how to measure whether employees are truly invested in organisational success.

Episode 36: The Blueprint for Improvement

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Dr Laura Stout

In this sixth episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘the blueprint for improvement’ with special guest, leadership and improvement expert and author Dr Laura Stout.

Delving into her extensive experience and looking through the lens of her new book, Dr Stout explains why knowledge is an essential component of the improvement economy and how rapid change makes improvement, not just an opportunity but a necessity.

With pratical examples, drawn from first hand experience, Dr Stout explains how the core tenets of improvement are applicable in any operational environment and presents her learning and experience as tools to empower other leaders to grow.

Episode 35: Aligning Aspiration with Results

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest David DeLong

In this fifth episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘aligning aspiration with results’ in conversation with special guest, business executive, executive coach and leadership specialist David DeLong.

In this masterclass, David DeLong reveals the reasons why many aspirations stall before yeilding tangible results and describes the specific role of leaders in bridging the gap between aspiration and delivery. DeLong also goes on to explain how leaders can sustain momentum by balancing short-term wins with long term goals.

Delving deeper, David DeLong, explores the structures and cultures that align aspiration with results most effectively and explains how even failure can be reframed as progress when results do not immediately meet aspirations.

Episode 34: Unlocking a Coaching Culture

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Rusty Tugman

In this fourth episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘unlocking a coaching culture’ with special guest, executive coach, keynote speaker and trainer Rusty Tugman.

Drawing on his extensive experience including coaching in an organisation comprising 6,000 employees and as a consultant to billion dollar organisations and non-profits, Rusty Tugman describes the biggest misconceptions about coaching in the workplace, the main barriers to building a coaching culture as well how these can be overcome.

Further on in this episode, Rusty Tugman also describes how organisations can measure the qualitative and quantitative impact of coaching as well as how managers can balance coaching, with the need to deliver results under pressure.

Episode 33: The Superpower of Resilience

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Sharon Parmar

In this third episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘the superpower of resilience’ with special guest, speaker, consultant and leadership coach Sharon Parmar.

During this masterclass, Sharon Parmar describes the dynamic relationship between resilience, aspiration and organisational effectiveness. Reflecting on trust built over many years, with businesses including in Silicon Valley, Sharon Parmar focuses on the signs of organisational resilence, the key archetypes that emerge when resilience is tested, the importance of psychological safety and the way in which vulnerability strengthens resilience.

Delving deeper, Sharon Parmar explores the culture of team resilience, the reward systems that support it and the organisational constructs most likely to contribute to resilient teams.

Episode 32: Cultivating a Culture of Aspiration

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Dr Joy Karavedas

In this second episode of a new series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘cultivating a culture of aspiration’ with special guest, speaker, author, academic and leadership coach Dr Joy Karavedas.

Drawing on her extensive leadership experience from academia, education and non-profits Dr Karavedas describes the traits the sustain aspiration in the face of adversity and how organisations can create an ownership culture around aspiration in which everyone can recognise themselves.

Delving deeper into the topic Dr Karavedas explains the importance platforming diverse voices and the stewardship role of leaders in shaping and nurturing the ideas that bring aspiration to life.

Episode 31: The Mindset of Excellence

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Rod Olson

In this first episode in the series, focusing on the culture of aspiration, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘the mindset of excellence’ with special guest, speaker, author and leadership coach Rod Olson.

Drawing on his experience as a US football coach, mentor and parent, Rod Olson describes his approach to excellence as a lifestyle choice, underpinned by a desire to be the best that he can possibly be in any given situation. Amongst many nuggets of advice, Rod explains why it is essential that those pursuing excellence are clear about what they want to achieve, are able to control their controllables and can reframe in response to changing dynamics.

Emphasising the need to always be mindful of context, Rod Olson also reminds leaders of the importance of celebrating small wins and not just the big achievements.

Episode 30: The Leadership Superpower of Showing Up

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Salvatore Manzi

In this seventh episode in the series, focusing on the culture of accountability, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘the leadership superpower of showing up’ with special guest, leadership communications expert and author, Salvatore Manzi.

Drawing on best practice and first hand experience, Salvatore explains why it is essential for leaders to show up authentically and specifically how by doing so, they can create psychologically safe environments for their teams.

In addition, Salvatore cites the dangers of performative behaviours and explains how leaders should show up even when they are making mistakes and unpopular decisions. Salvatore concludes with advice to leaders including the importance of showing up, even if nobody cares.

Episode 29: The art of leading through complexity

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Jeff Ogren

In this sixth episode in the series, focusing on the culture of accountability, the 11th Thing podcast explores ‘the art of leading through complexity’ with special guest, seasoned leadership expert and author Jeff Ogren.

With decades of experience gained from global leadership in highly complex environments, Jeff Ogren presents tried and tested methods to demonstrate how effective leadership is forged in the landscape of complexity, not outside it. In doing so, Ogren draws on specific examples to highlight the skills, competencies and capabilities required to lead through complexity and describes its functional, systemic and cultural dimensions.

Concluding this masterclass, Jeff Ogren, explains why organisations must embrace complexity and notes that, with the right approach, it can be their competitive advantage.

Episode 28: The advantage of accountable leadership

Hosted by Paul Aladenika with special guest Brian Dodd

In this fifth episode in the series, focusing on the culture of accountability, the 11th Thing podcast focuses on ‘the advantage of accountable leadership’ with special guest, best selling author, speaker and leadership consultant Brian Dodd.

With decades of leadership experience to draw upon, Dodd brings uncommon insight to the subject and notes that love is the foundation of accountable leadership. Going further, Dodd explains how organisations can harness the advantages of accountability as well as the habits and behaviours of those who lead in this way.

Concluding, Dodd describes the harm wrought by unaccountability and offers sage advice to those looking to build a culture of leadership accountability.