The Leader's Kitbag

The Leader's Kitbag

By Ben MortonBusinessScienceSocial SciencesCareersManagement
Download on the App Store

The Leader's Kitbag episodes

  • Ep #032 – Jenny Burns. Partner, Fluxx

    Jenny Burns is a Partner at the product and service innovation company Fluxx, which was  featured in the 2020 Financial Times’ Top Management Consultancies List. Jenny spent the vast majority of her career client side working for some of the UK's biggest brands, from insurance to telco, retail and utilities. 

    She specialises in marketing, communications and customer experience, and was the youngest ever female store manager at WHSmith. With a practice rooted in behavioural and cultural change, Jenny has written keynote speeches for some of the most prolific CEOs in Britain and was named PR Week's Communications Personality of the Decade.

    In this episode we explore what it takes to be a positive disruptor within big business and how you can manage your energy and motivation whilst trying to drive change. We also explore the leadership challenges associated with this, and how important strong relationships really are.

    Links Mentioned:


    Find out more about Jenny’s work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyburns55/  


    Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

    35 min
  • Ep #031 – Simon Blake. CEO, Mental Health First Aid England

    Simon Blake, CEO of the social enterprise Mental Health First Aid England, joins me today to explore how they are leading with their  mission to improve the mental health of the nation. Simon is also the deputy chair of the LGBT Charity, Stonewall, a member of the Sleep Charity Advisory Committee and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. 

    He was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to the voluntary sector and young people. Outside of work, he describes himself as a reluctant runner, a massive dog lover and enthusiastic horse rider. 

    It was a fascinating conversation as we zoomed into the micro, day-to-day things that we can do to promote good mental health in the workplace. Simon also spoke about some of the cultural and systemic problems that are impacting the mental health of everybody, but especially those in minority groups.

    Links Mentioned:

    Connect with Simon: https://twitter.com/simonablake

    Find out more about Mental Health First Aid England: https://mhfaengland.org/ 

    Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

    40 min
  • Ep #030 – Calvin Niles. Communication Coach

    Known as The Mindful Storyteller, today’s guest is Calvin Niles, a communication coach. He is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches and wider society through his services and products. 

    Through his experience in public speaking, coaching and business, he empowers others to be more authentic and impactful in their communication. Calvin has worked with hundreds of people and senior leaders in large corporates down to SMEs, and from solopreneurs to charities. Join us as we discuss the role of storytelling, how leaders can demonstrate their authenticity and lessons from mindfulness. 

    Links Mentioned:

    Find out more about Calvin’s work: https://calvinniles.com/ 

    Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership

    41 min
  • Ep #029 – Carola Becker, The Nutrition Coach
    Carola is a forward-thinking Nutritionist and Fitness Instructor with a focus on brain health and performance. As well as running her own business, she works as our in-house nutritionist at Ben Morton Leadership. I’m very grateful to have gotten to know over the past few years.
    She has been delivering cutting edge, inspirational and engaging talks on Nutrition and Lifestyle for leading organisations in the UK and Europe, including the European Athletics Coaching Association.
    She works with corporates and individuals so they can shape rewarding food and lifestyle routines, for a greater feeling of wellbeing and readiness for every challenge life throws at them. I can personally recommend Carola’s services as she was instrumental in preparation for riding the entire Tour de France route for charity in 2019.
    Carola is also part of the complementary therapy team at University of Exeter and runs award-winning Wellbeing Retreats in amazing locations in the UK, north Africa and the US.
    Links Mentioned:
    Find out more about Carola’s work: https://www.carolabecker.com/ (https://www.carolabecker.com)
    Find out more about Ben’s work: https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership (https://linktr.ee/BMLeadership)
    38 min
  • Ep #028 – Brian Dow. CEO and MD, Mental Health UK and ReThink Mental Illness
    I’m excited to have Brian Dow on the show today. He is the Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, and the Managing Director of Mental Health UK – a coalition of four charities across the UK. Brian is also Co-Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance.
    Episode Overview
    I’m so pleased to be able to share this episode with you as mental health is such an important topic, more so now than ever.
    He began his career as a broadcast journalist in Scotland, moving to the BBC in London. He has spent 20 years in the voluntary sector with organisations including Shelter, the School Food Trust and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
    In this candid conversation we explore what leaders can do on a very practical level to look after the mental health and wellbeing of their team and themselves.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    Links Mentioned:
    Personal Leadership Mastery: https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system)
    Clic: https://clic-uk.org/ (https://clic-uk.org)
    Mental Health UK: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYpAuuuEpaue5jZAkpZ8cqF0DaMdm5VhcCOWgjR9TOku8Iu7BVMlyTwaAnf9EALw_wcBandgclsrc=aw.ds (https://mentalhealth-uk.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYpAuuuEpaue5jZAkpZ8cqF0DaMdm5VhcCOWgjR9TOku8Iu7BVMlyTwaAnf9EALw_wcBandgclsrc=aw.ds)
    ReThink Mental Illness: https://www.rethink.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYrLNxY45k4D1hT-1EnzsQWIFSUCSWL4qPVDQmfeO7IBhOPmQUJ4sRAaAkYcEALw_wcB (https://www.rethink.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYrLNxY45k4D1hT-1EnzsQWIFSUCSWL4qPVDQmfeO7IBhOPmQUJ4sRAaAkYcEALw_wcB)
    36 min
  • Ep #027 – Peter Cheese. Chief Executive, CIPD
    Today’s guest is Peter Cheese, CIPD’s Chief Executive. He writes and speaks widely on the development of HR, the future of work, and the key issues of leadership, culture and organisation, people and skills.
    Episode Overview
    Peter is a Companion of the Institute of Leadership and Management, the Chartered Management Institute, and the British Academy of Management. He is a visiting Professor at the University of Lancaster and sits on the Advisory Board for the University of Bath Management School.
    Prior to joining the CIPD in July 2012, he was Chairman of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a member of the Council of CityandGuilds. Up until 2009 he had a long career at Accenture holding various leadership positions, including a seven year spell as Global Managing Director – leading the firm’s human capital and organisation consulting practice.
    In this episode Peter talks extensively about the future or work, making work more human and how we mustn’t go back to normal post-COVID19. He shares the challenges and problems of the pre-COVID19 workplace – better than anyone I’ve heard – and gives some incredibly insightful advice for us all going forward.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    42 min
  • Ep #026 – Marvyn Harrison. MD, BELOVD
    Episode Overview
    Marvyn Harrison's leadership experience as the founder and driving force behind Dope Black CIC – an educational and healing platform designed to improve the outcomes of black people – has seen him become the voice of the Black community across the UK, US, and African continent.
    Marvyn is the co-founder and VP of Strategy, Marketing and Sales of BELOVD Agency, a DEI consultancy working for the advancement of all intersections of humanity in the workplace and places of education. It’s Marvyn’s mission to help support businesses and organisations in their evolution to becoming more representative of the diverse cities they operate in and the dynamic consumers they serve.
    This is a fascinating and enlightening episode that touches on some areas that we’ve not explored in previous episodes, as Marvyn talks about the similarities and differences of leading social enterprises or organisations in the charitable sector. One of the most insightful sections of the interview for me was what Marvyn shared around his own experience with therapy and emotional work, and how it can benefit all leaders.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    38 min
  • Ep #025 – Dr Paul Brewerton. Founder, Strengthscope
    I’m really excited about today’s episode and my interview with Dr Paul Brewerton, the Founder and now Chair of Strengthscope, not least because we both had great fun recording it for you.
    Episode Overview
    I’m a huge fan of the Strengthscope tools. If you’re not familiar with them, Paul and his team created them to solve the issues of lowered workplace engagement, productivity, meaning and stress, amongst other challenges at work today.
    The Strengthscope platform works by helping individuals identify who they are when at their best, the qualities and strengths that make them different and how they can utilise these qualities in order to drive up their confidence, engagement with work, productivity and build better relationships with colleagues.
    Paul is a Doctor of Psychology, serial entrepreneur, podcaster and executive coach. He’s committed to transforming people’s lives and creating more productive, more human and more sustainable organisations.
    I think this is an incredibly timely episode as Paul shares his thoughts and tactics around how we can all stay motivated, energised and happy as we navigate our way through the pandemic. We also touch on Growth Mindsets; focussing on progress as opposed to perfection.
    Let’s dive right into my interview with Dr Paul Brewerton.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    48 min
  • Ep #024 – Richard Moriarty. CEO, Civil Aviation Authority
    Today we’re joined by Richard Moriarty who has been the CEO of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority since May 2018.
    https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (Free Visual Summaries)
    I've been working with an incredibly talented artist to create a set on fantastic visual summaries of the first five episodes. To grab the full set simply click this https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (link), enter your details https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (here) and we'll fire them straight across to you via email.
    Episode Overview
    Richard Moriarty has been at the helm through some truly unprecedented times for the aviation sector with the drone attacks at Gatwick Airport, a number of failed airlines and the need to coordinate the largest repatriation operation since Dunkirk – and of course the impact that COVID19 has had on the sector.
    There are so many fascinating insights and pieces of actionable advice from Richard. To quote Richard directly, he says that a lot of his current leadership approach comes from “the school of hard knocks”… and to quote a Chinese proverb, “the wise man learns from his mistakes, the wiser man learns from the mistakes of others”.
    Please enjoy my interview with Richard Moriarty, CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    41 min
  • Ep #023 – Patricia Riddell. Consultant Neuroscientist
    Today I’m joined by Professor Patricia Riddel, a Consultant Neuroscientist. Patricia specialises in how neuroscience can be applied to the business world, to support and extend our understanding of human behaviour.
    https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (Free Visual Summaries)
    I've been working with an incredibly talented artist to create a set on fantastic visual summaries of the first five episodes. To grab the full set simply click this https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (link), enter your details https://mailchi.mp/1a4280df3501/9gcib1bw0r (here) and we'll fire them straight across to you via email.
    Episode Overview
    Patricia provides access to Applied Neuroscience through customised training, consultancy and public programmes. She teaches at several business schools including Henley as well as running training programmes for organisations and businesses.
    She is also an author having co-authored a book, written several book chapters and many academic articles in the areas of coaching and leadership. You can see why I’m so excited to have her on the show!
    In recent years I’ve started to hear neuroscience findings being used more and more in the business world. I’ve also begun to realise that much of it is miss-quoted, miss-understood or out of date information.
    With that in mind I focussed my conversation with Patricia Riddel on debunking a lot of the false information around neuroscience, and the practical ways in which we can use the real findings to improve our own productivity and become even better leaders for those that we serve.
    Personal Leadership Mastery
    Check out my brand new online course, https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (Personal Leadership Mastery), designed to help you and your team play at your best in the new normal, post-covid world. And remember to use you Friends of the Podcast discount code and save 30% on the regular tuition cost. Sign-up for the course https://benmortonleadership.thinkific.com/courses/personal-leadership-success-system (here) for just £139.00 with discount code 'FRIENDS21'.
    #LeadOn
    41 min

About The Leader's Kitbag

From the publisher's feed

The Leader’s Kitbag is a practical podcast for busy and aspiring leaders, hosted by leadership expert Ben Morton.