The Leadership Growth Podcast

“With every relationship, we make deposits into that trust account by the actions we take, the things we say, and the interest we show and display,” says Peter.

Are you making good deposits into the trust accounts with your bosses, peers, and team members?

Peter and Daniel get a little bit personal in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast with a discussion about the most important tools you need to build strong relationships at work–and in all areas of life.

Tune in to learn:

• The simple exercise that can help build connections on your team
• The most consistent element that science says will boost your personal happiness, wealth, and success
• The three questions you can ask yourself to help manage your reactions as you build a relationship

Plus, some of the milestones in Daniel and Peter’s lives, and a valuable quote about the importance of connecting with other people.

In this episode:

2:42 – Insight of the Week

8:18 – Memory Lane: Milestones

22:21 – Topic: Building Relationships in a Professional Setting

36:17 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

Harvard Study of Adult Development

An 85-year Harvard study found the No. 1 thing that makes us happy in life, CNBC

Susan Pinker’s TED Profile

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• The 3 Most Important Factors in Building Trust with Others
• Big Ears Are a Must
• Are You an Ideal Boss?
• 7 Ways to Become a People-First Manager
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• Five Keys for Rapidly Developing Trusting Relationships
• 5 Ways to Build Trust Within Your Organization

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. 

“Some of the best goals out there have a 50% or 60% chance of success,” says Daniel.

How effective are your change efforts? If you only have a 20% chance of success, you may be sabotaging yourself. On the other hand, if you set a goal that has an 80% chance of success, are you really making a significant change?

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter offer some guidelines and tips for creating an effective action plan for sustained change.

“The ceiling on strengths is a lot higher than the ceiling on our weaknesses,” says Peter.

Tune in to learn:

• The five elements of an effective action plan
• The right time frame to work on a new behavior
• The role of “micro-experts” in your personal action plan for change

Plus, how full is your tea cup? Peter shares a Zen parable that’s relevant to pursuing change. And Peter and Daniel reflect on hearing Colin Powell speak–and the unique team-building exercise developed by their dad.

In this episode:

2:06 – Insight of the Week

8:30 – Memory Lane: Teaming Through Skiing

14:37 – Topic: Creating an Effective Action Plan for Development

40:40 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

Parable of the Tea Cup

The enduring impact of Colin Powell (Washington Post)

Stewart Leadership Insights and Resources:

• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 10 Questions to Ask to Best Develop Your Individual Action Plan
• The Three Types of Learning You Need to Excel as a Leader
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• Six Secrets to Your Leadership Growth
• 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset Culture
• Workbook: LEAD NOW! Individual Action Planning Workbook
• Book: LEAD NOW! A Personal Leadership Coaching Guide for Results-Driven Leaders

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. 

We’ve all embarked on personal change efforts with great excitement and motivation–only to lose momentum and fall back on old habits or even crash and burn. Failing in our change efforts can result in frustration, discouragement, and disappointment.

Is there any way to change in a truly sustainable way?

In episode 12 of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter offer a proven method to create sustainable personal change.

Tune in to learn:

• The five steps of personal change
• How leaders can promote sustainable change for their team members
• How to help support someone who wants to make changes

Join our experts for a conversation about how to change–even when it’s tough! Plus, are you calling your employees by the right name? And remembering 1980s technology...

In this episode:

1:44 – Insight of the Week

7:35 – Memory Lane: Plotting Along…

12:08 – Topic: The Five Steps of Personal Change

38:30 – Lightning Round

 Resources:

HP ColorPro Pen Plotter Drawing the Mask of Tutankhamen

Understanding Motivational Interviewing

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 5 Steps for Sustaining Personal Change
• 4 Ways to Create Personal Change
• 4 Reasons FAST Goals Beat SMART Goals (includes downloadable worksheet)
• You Are Not Perfect! Mistakes Are Part of Life!
• Six Obstacles to Change and How to Overcome Them
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

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. 

It’s an historic day over at The Leadership Growth Podcast as Daniel and Peter conduct their first podcast interview!

Daniel and Peter interview Ed Evarts, founder and president of Excellius Leadership Development and author of the forthcoming book, The Bravery Trick: Four Easy Ways to Say Hard Things.

In this interview, Ed shares some observations, tips, and suggestions for how to be braver in conversations with bosses, colleagues, and direct reports–while preserving psychological safety and remaining respectful.

Tune in to learn:

• What bravery is and why it matters in the workplace
• The importance of curiosity in being brave
• The one tip every conflict averse person should practice to become braver

Join Daniel, Peter, and Ed as they discuss why it’s so hard to be brave at work, how to become braver, and how to foster bravery on your team and in the workplace.

In this episode:

1:33 – Introduction: Ed Evarts

2:51 – Insight of the Week: What is Bravery?

6:55 – How to Be Braver at Work

17:20 – On the Other Side of Bravery

23:00 – Creating a Brave Workplace

31:30 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Excellius Leadership Development

The Bravery Trick: Four Easy Ways to Say Hard Things page (release date: May 14, 2024)

Ed Evarts’ Amazon Author Page

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Three Levels of Managerial Courage
• 4 Suggestions for Giving Brain-Friendly Feedback
• 4 Ways to Prime Your Brain to Receive Feedback
• 6 Tips for Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace

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. 

Do you know the most important skill for a leader?

A conversation with an old friend from high school led Daniel to think carefully about this question, and his answer?

Coaching.

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and Peter discuss the five most important steps to effectively coaching someone on your team.

Tune in to learn:

• The most important foundational skill to becoming a great coach
• How and when to use assessments
• The one thing you should not do as a coach

Plus, why sleep is so important to our overall function as leaders (and people), and a brief peek into what trivia nights were like in the Stewart household (hint: fingers were sprained).

In this episode:

1:57 – Insight of the Week

8:12 – Memory Lane: Lesson from a Choir Teacher

14:15 – Topic: The Five Steps of Great Coaching

35:53 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Five Steps of Great Coaching
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• 6 Tips for Improving Your Active Listening Skills
• Big Ears are a Must
• 4 Reasons FAST Goals Beat SMART Goals

“Discovering the Brain’s Nightly Rinse Cycle,” NIH Director’s Blog, Mar 5, 2020

“Sleep Loss Encourages Spread of Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein,” NIH Director’s Blog, Feb 5, 2019

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 is your Personal Philosophy of Leadership?

If you can’t answer that question, this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast is for you!

Join Daniel and Peter as they coach you through a powerful exercise in self-reflection that can help you develop your own core philosophy.

Tune in to learn:

• The five core questions you need to answer to develop your Personal Philosophy of Leadership
• The most helpful piece of advice you need to complete your philosophy
• The bonus sixth question that can refine your philosophy even more

Plus, the importance of letting go, a few “poorly chosen words from the past,” and some insight into the Stewarts’ personalities as they share their pet peeves (hint: one of them hates this common office supply!)

In this episode:

1:37 – Insight of the Week

7:41 – Memory Lane: “A Few Poorly Chosen Words From the Past”

11:20 – Topic: The Personal Philosophy of Leadership

34:22 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• How to Delegate Like a Pro
• 7 Ways Leaders Develop Themselves and Others
• The Value of an Iterative Process
• How to Leverage the Six Leadership Styles in Today’s Environment
• Internal vs. External Processing: What is Your Thinking Style?
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

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’s the value-add for each and every interaction?”

According to Daniel, this is a critical question every leader should ask about interactions with customers.

But it doesn’t just apply to customers. Leaders have four critical relationships to manage, and each one has different needs, concerns, and desired outcomes.

Managing these four relationships can make leaders feel stretched in multiple directions at once. As Peter points out, a leader who is focused on addressing the boss’ needs will still feel pulled toward direct reports, peers, and customers.

It is possible to successfully navigate the different needs of each relationship–without being pulled apart in the process!

Tune in to learn:

• What each relationship needs most from a leader
• Why taking the time to address peer needs and peer learning is so critical to collaboration
• The biggest trap you can fall into if you don’t treat each relationship uniquely

Plus, insight into why we don’t remember everything, and memories about epic Koosh Ball battles.

In this episode:

1:29 – Insight of the Week

8:36 – Memory Lane: Koosh Ball Mayhem

11:50 – Topic: Four Critical Relationships Every Leader Needs to Manage

32:40 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Four Critical Relationships All Leaders Must Develop
• 6 Tips for Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace
• 3 Human Needs to Retain Every Employee
• Six Keys to Successfully Working with Your Boss
• 6 Ways to Become Aware of Your Leadership Blind Spots

Koosh Ball, Wikipedia

Brain Facts, Cleveland Clinic

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni

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 going to be curious, or are you going to be judging?”

This is the question Daniel asks in this conversation about how to create shared meaning through conversations.

As Daniel points out, there’s a time and place for both, but in striving to understand each other in conversation, we need to emphasize curiosity over judgment.

For leaders who want to create shared purpose and meaning with their teams, good conversation skills are vital. In this episode, Daniel and Peter review a number of conversational practices and principles that can improve relationships in the workplace–and in life.

Tune in to learn:

• How to implement the power of the pause
• How to identify your personal triggers and manage your emotional responses better
• What active listening is, and why it’s so important

Plus, lessons on customer experience from a Dutch supermarket, and a trip to Stewarts’ childhood living room.

In this episode:

1:32 – Insight of the Week

6:57 – Memory Lane: The Podium

10:55 – Topic: How to Create Shared Meaning in Conversations

33:29 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• The Key to Acquiring and Keeping Customers for the Long-Term
• 4 Actions for Increasing Customer Focus
• 6 Tips to Improve Your Executive Presence Through Language
• The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
• 6 Ways to Help Regulate Your Emotions for Leadership Effectiveness
• Please, Help Me Communicate Better!

“Dutch supermarket introduces unique slow checkout lane for lonely seniors who want to have a chat,” Aditi Bora, Upworthy

Raspberry Pi

Solipsism, Wikipedia

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 deadlines loom and a time crunch hits, what's the first thing you or your direct reports reschedule?

Too often, the answer is “one-on-one meetings.”

But as Peter points out in this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, “It’s more important to have a one-on-one than to have a perfect one-on-one!”

So what makes a good 1:1 that doesn’t feel like a waste of time?

Daniel and Peter offer a number of tips for creating great 1:1 meetings, including:

• The four key questions to ask in your 1:1 meetings
• The ideal frequency and length of a 1:1 meeting (hint: it depends)
• The most important action you can take after each one-on-one
• Plus, some insights about shifting demographics, tips about using Leadership Gems, and memories of scouting adventures (or misadventures?).

In This Episode:

1:51 – Insight of the Week
5:58 – Memory Lane: Leadership Gems
12:43 – Topic: The Communication in One-on-One Meetings
34:02 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:
Here Come the Zoomers!
6 Tips to Help Build Support for Your Next Change Effort
6 Tips to Make 1:1 Meetings More Effective (Includes link to a free downloadable guide!)
Matching Managerial Oversight to Employee Competence
The 2 Levels in Every Conversation
3 Human Needs to Retain Every Employee
The Two Types of Questions Great Leaders Ask

Stewart Leadership Resources:

52 Leadership Gems: Practical and Quick Insights for Leading Others, by John Parker Stewart

Glassdoor’s 2024 Workplace Trends

“Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024. The year will test even the most robust democracies,” Jill Lawless, AP

“Five Ways to Make Your One-On-One Meetings More Effective,” MIT Sloan Management Review

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. 

“Nothing is improved by accident,” says Peter Stewart.

When it comes to leadership development, the need for intentional improvement is greater than ever, according to a recent report from Boston Consulting Group.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel discuss the importance of behavior and emotional intelligence for leaders and warn against “boxology”--shifting organizational boxes and pursuing change for the sake of change.

Daniel also shares his “spectrum of conscientiousness” theory–the observation that leaders have a spectrum of interest in pursuing behavior change.

Tune in to learn:

• The four priorities for leadership development in 2024
• The one thing leaders need to be effective as leaders this year
• The one thing leaders need to be effective - organizational design

Plus, some reflections on the value of reward–even just a peppermint candy!

In This Episode:

1:38 – Insight of the Week

8:16 – Memory Lane: The “Candy Man”

12:37 – Topic: Business Challenges for 2024

33:57 – Lightning Round

Resources:

Stewart Leadership Insights:

• 4 Priorities for Leadership Development in 2024
• What Are the Most Desired Leadership Behaviors?
• The #1 Missing Element When Organizational Change Fails
• The Three Types of Learning You Need to Excel as a Leader
• Five Behaviors to Help Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Eight Skills of Great Coaching Managers
• 4 Truths About Being a Compassionate Leader
• Organizational Design Consulting
• LEAD NOW! Model

Creating People Advantage 2023, Boston Consulting Group

Carmen Simon - Memorable Message, BigSpeak Speaker’s Bureau

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.