The Leadership Growth Podcast

“Imagine if Amazon was inefficient,” says Garrett Delph, Founder and CEO of Clarity Ops.

An inefficient Amazon would never reign in the very area that allowed it to disrupt the marketplace–that is, rapid, low-cost product delivery.

Operational inefficiencies are organizational kryptonite, says Delph in this conversation with Daniel and Peter. Garrett Delph is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three businesses, collectively generating over $40 million in revenue. Today, Garrett is an operating partner to business executive leadership in need of transformative solutions that extend business lifetime value, increase company profits, and improve employee well-being.

Tune in to learn:

• How the four types of leaders contribute to operational success
• The most underrated tool to build a lasting business
• What Formula 1, icebergs, and architecture have to do with operational success

With wit, insight, and clear analogies, Garrett shares his own journeys and lessons learned and offers clarity for business leaders caught in operational chaos.

In this episode:

1:35 – Introduction: Garrett Delph

2:40 – Topic: Achieving Operational Success as a Leader

6:40 – The Dangers of Inefficiencies

13:10 – Sea of Chaos?

18:10 – Architecting Order

22:06 – The QuadCore Management Framework

31:26 – Lightning Round

Clarity Ops Website

Garrett Delph LinkedIn

Formula 1: Drive to Survive

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Start Training on These 6 Essential Skills for Managers
• The 7 Critical Vital Signs of Organizational Health
• How to Identify and Develop a Core Process
• Taking a SPIN: A Simple Way to Serve Your Customers Better
• 5 Questions to Help With Your Process Flow Analysis
• 6 Ways to Drive Employee Retention

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

“Empathy is not being soft,” says Jevon Wooden, CEO of BrightMind Consulting Group and today’s guest on The Leadership Growth Podcast.

Jevon is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant specializing in empathetic leadership. His proven strategies have been featured in major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine.

In this episode, Daniel, Peter, and Jevon discuss in detail the role of empathy in leadership–and why, as Jevon says, empathy is key to managing any situation.

Tune in to learn:

• The difference between being empathetic and having empathy
• The role of humility in being an empathetic leader
• How people leaders can better understand technical leaders

Bring empathy to your leadership with Jevon’s insights and tips, and watch engagement and results improve.

In this episode:

1:21 – Introduction: Jevon Wooden

9:22 – Empathy as a Skill

17:40 – Improving Business Results and People Results with Empathy

24:52 – Misusing Empathy?

30:15 – Lightning Round

BrightMind Consulting Group

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Ways to Prime Your Brain to Receive Feedback
• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• 6 Ways to Regulate Your Emotions for Leadership Effectiveness
• 10 Questions to Help You Manage Up
• 5 Executive Presence “Superpowers” of Quiet Leaders
• 6 Keys to Working Well With Your Employees

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

When it comes to accountability, the traditional approach has put leaders in charge of holding others accountable. Often this approach translates into a fear-based, command-and-control, “I have the authority, and I’m going to tell you what to do” approach to accountability.

But does this approach work in the modern workplace? (And, we might ask, did it ever work?)

In this episode, Daniel and Peter dive into the myth of accountability–the idea that leaders must hold their people accountable. This myth often leads to micromanaging, conflict, and a kind of “parent-child” approach to leadership.

Daniel and Peter suggest a better path–one that encourages a culture of self-accountability where teams work together in a partnership to deliver results.

Tune in to learn:

• What the CMC model of accountability is–and why it works
• How to encourage self-accountability as a leader
• What to do if your team resists an approach of self-accountability

Plus, some thoughts on Artificial Intelligence, including a big announcement! And remembering leadership lessons on VHS (that’s “Video Home System” for those of you under 40).

In this episode:

1:30 – Insight of the Week: Artificial Intelligence

8:52 – Memory Lane: Leadership Lessons on Video–Before YouTube!

14:20 – Topic: The Myth of Accountability

33:46 – Lightning Round

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Ask a Coach: How do I hold others accountable? (Video)
• Leadership Lesson: Employees are Like Turtles
• The Accountability Scale
• Four Keys to Creating Accountability
• 4 Ways to Create Layers of Accountability in a Virtual Environment
• How to Delegate Like a Pro
• Fight, Flight, or Freeze: Our Brains on Feedback
• Matching Managerial Oversight to Employee Competence
• 3 Ways to Avoid Being a Micromanager

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Are you “all that and a bag of chips”?

We all need an ego. As Peter says, ego serves a function.

But too much ego might translate into steamrolling over others. And too little ego can mean withdrawing and allowing others to steamroll over you.

There’s a good balance between being secure in your own voice without stomping out the voice of others. Good ego management is really intentional humility.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel take a deep dive into ego management–why it’s important, how to bounce back from hits to our egos, and why too little ego can be just as much a problem as too much.

Tune in to learn:

• The “antidote” to ego
• The one thing to keep in mind for ego management
• The value of “safe places” in managing ego

Plus, how feedback has changed–and how it hasn’t–through the decades, and the balance between glory and work.

In this episode:

2:42 – Memory Lane: Feedback Tools Through the Generations

5:58 – Insight of the Week

13:18 – Topic: Ego Management

32:47 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Freakonomics Podcast Episode 592: How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway

Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Lobsters and Egos
• The Lobster and the Ego (Video)
• Big Bear, Little Ego
• You Do Need an Ego! But How Much?
• Leadership: It’s Not About You Anymore

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

“If you don’t find absolute joy in other people’s success, being a leader’s probably not going to float your boat,” says today’s guest, Laurie Labra.

Daniel and Peter welcome Laurie to this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a fun and insightful conversation about leadership in a highly technical environment. Laurie is a vice president at KBR, Inc., leading the company’s Science & Space Human Exploration Division.

Laurie brings great expertise to this conversation about leadership, and she shares some important insights about decision-making, developing new leaders, and communication.

Tune in to learn:

• How to balance the tension between delivering technical excellence and maintaining strong team relationships
• Why the mirror can be your best friend before a tough conversation
• The one test you can never ace

Plus, the value of meeting new people, and how early career lessons can stick with you for the rest of your life.

In this episode:

0:59 – Introduction and Background

4:28 – Leadership Lessons for the Next Generation

10:39 – Achieving Technical Excellence Without Damaging People

15:51 – Decision Making When You Don’t Have All the Info

21:08 – Communication Tips

27:51 – Lessons from Real Life

32:59 – Meeting People

35:29 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Laurie Labra LinkedIn Profile

KBR, Inc.

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Steps to Effective Decision Making
• What Cheetahs Can Teach Us About Decision-Making
• 5 Ways Your Decision-Making Impacts Your Leadership Presence
• 6 Traits of Leaders Who Deliver Excellence
• The 5 Phases of Teaming
• The Nine Dimensions of Successful Teaming
• The 10 Rules for Amazingly High Performing Teams
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• 5 Questions to Answer Before Your Next Hard Conversation
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• High-Performing Team Guide

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

What can leaders learn from horseshoe crabs, cottonwood trees, and polar bears?

This episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast takes a fascinating dive into the lessons that leaders and organizations can take from nature. Guest Ron Amodeo, Chief Strategy Officer at UC Davis Health, shares some examples and insights from nature that can inform the way leaders direct their organizations.

Join us for this fresh and unique perspective that takes us out of the stale, gray conference room and into the lively and ever-changing world around us.

Tune in to learn:

• How concepts such as evolution and extinction apply to business
• Why operating with new constraints can help innovation
• How a new environment changes everything

In this episode:

2:49 – Topic: How Nature Informs Strategy

 Resources:

Ron Amodeo Bio, UC Davis Health

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, by Stephen Jay Gould

Burgess Shale

Square-Cube Law

Great Expectations: The Saturn Cars Story

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 4 Strategic Planning Pitfalls to Avoid
• 4 Ways to Focus Your Strategic Action Plan
• Scenario Planning for an Uncertain World
• Leading Through Change: How to Future Proof Your Team
• Prescribed Burns
• Processionary Caterpillars
• The Power of Imagination in Planning
• Leadership Lessons

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Why do people want to work for you?

And perhaps more importantly, why do they want to continue to work for you?

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter look at how both external and internal onboarding can make or break the employee experience.

As Peter points out, the talent market will continue to experience generational shifts for several years to come, and the number of people entering the workforce isn’t enough to fill all the gaps. Attracting and retaining talent is more important than ever, and a great onboarding process can help everyone avoid unmet expectations, uncertainties, and unknowns.

Tune in to learn:

• The three different levels of onboarding
• The value of a team charter
• The biggest mistake to avoid with onboarding

Plus, wisdom from an old proverb, and how skiing is like many onboarding experiences.

In this episode:

2:11 – Insight of the Week

10:05 – Topic: Onboarding: How to Help Prepare People for Success In Their Roles

37:10 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Employee Retention: Use the First 90 Days to Keep Your Best New Talent
• Employee Experience: It’s the Moments That Matter
• 6 Reasons Employee Retention Should Matter to Your Organization
• Top 10 Reasons Why Your Competitors are Getting Your Candidates
• 5 Takeaways for Improving the Employee Experience Lifecycle
• The 7 Elements of Employee Experience
• 4 Ways to Improve the Onboarding Experience in a Remote Environment
• 4 Vital Considerations for Your Team Charter

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

“I don’t know what I’ve said until I’ve learned what you heard.”

Daniel kicks off a robust discussion about communication with this provocative insight. He and Peter are joined in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast by executive coach and communication expert Yosi Kossowsky.

“That’s something I coach leaders on 80% of the time,” says Kossowsky. Leaders often believe communication has happened, but really, it’s only the illusion of communication.

“We are often in the habit of talking, but not validating,” he says.

Our three leadership experts discuss barriers to understanding and perception, the value of open-ended questions, and the most common leadership objection to clarifying communication.

Tune in to learn:

• Techniques to solicit more interaction, feedback, and engagement from listeners
• Why curiosity is vital to understanding
• The most important question leaders should use to improve communication

Plus, how developing good communication skills is like brushing your teeth, why perceptions can change from day to day, and how Daniel and Peter really felt about childhood piano lessons.

In this episode:

2:52 – Topic: How to Not Assume People Understand You

26:18 – Practical Guidance to Improve Communication

33:38 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Yosi Kossowsky LinkedIn Profile

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust with Others
• The Two Types of Questions Great Leaders Ask
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• Please, Help Me Communicate Better!
• 7 Types of Difficult People (and How to Communicate With Them)

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

What does psychology have to do with business?

“Absolutely everything,” says Dr. Ernest Wayde, host of the Psych in Business Podcast.

Dr. Wayde joins Daniel and Peter on this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a discussion about how psychology can impact leadership and the workplace.

In this conversation, Dr. Wayde offers some insights on how leaders can use psychology to grow and develop their leadership skills.

Tune in to learn:

• How to improve self-awareness
• Why leaders need to be vulnerable
• The most important skill you can practice to for effective leadership

With wide-ranging expertise in everything from psychology to systems management to artificial intelligence, Dr. Wayde applies his knowledge and insights to helping companies and leaders achieve their long-term goals. He is the founder and CEO of Wayde Consulting.

In this episode:

3:34 – Insight of the Week

7:46 – Topic: How to Use Psychology to Achieve Success in Business

31:10 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Wayde Consulting

Psych in Business Podcast

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence: How Do Others React to You?
• The Three Levels of Managerial Courage
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust With Others
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. 

On this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter take a deep dive into one of the most popular videos on the Stewart Leadership website: The Tale of the Three Envelopes.

In this story, a new CEO receives three envelopes from the previous CEOs. The new CEO tucks them away and forgets about them. As he struggles in his role, he takes out the first two envelopes every few months and finds a new tactic to try. Unfortunately, neither of these approaches work, and he is forced to read the third letter.

The third letter says only, “write three new letters.”

As Daniel and Peter break down what went wrong in the fictional CEO’s approach, they offer some tips and guidance about how leaders can succeed in their roles–and avoid that third letter.

Tune in to learn:

• The risks of “boxology”
• The main takeaway from the Three Envelope Story
• The one thing you need for a successful restructure

Plus, a helpful productivity tool for busy people, and memories of John Parker Stewart’s office.

In this episode:

2:05 – Insight of the Week

6:37 – Memory Lane: Dad’s Office

10:23 – Topic: The Three Envelopes

35:37 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

“Virtual coworking spaces aim to offer best of remote productivity and in-person collaboration,” Fast Company, May 9, 2023

The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership, by Dr. Warren Blank, Amacom Press, 1995

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Video: The Tale of the Three Envelopes
• Ten Ways to Successfully Launch into Your First 90 Days
• What C-Level Executives Need for Their First 100 Days
• The #1 Missing Element when Organizational Change Fails
• 5 Questions to Answer Before Your Next Hard Conversation
• Four Keys to Creating Accountability

If you liked this episode, please share it with a friend or colleague, or, better yet, leave a review to help other listeners find our show, and remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode. 

For more great content or to learn about how Stewart Leadership can help you grow your ability to lead effectively, please visit stewartleadership.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.