The Long Way Forward : Practical Leadership & Self Improvement

Think you're a good leader?

There's one person who might not be the best judge of that.

You.

Because the leader you believe you are isn't necessarily the leader your team experiences.

You might think you're approachable, supportive, fair and clear. But do the people you lead feel the same way?

And would they tell you if they didn't?

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, I'll share a simple framework to help you understand how other people actually experience your leadership — and what you can do to become a better leader.

After more than 30 years in business, management and leadership, I've learnt that good intentions aren't enough.

Your leadership isn't defined by what you intended. It's experienced through what you say, what you do and how you make people feel.

And sometimes there's a significant gap between the two.

There are three things worth examining if you genuinely want to understand the impact of your leadership.

1. What you SAY

Are you communicating clearly?

Do you listen to understand, or simply wait for your opportunity to speak?

Do your people genuinely understand what's expected of them, or are you assuming they do?

Because communication isn't measured by how much you say.

It's measured by what people understand.

2. What you DO

Does your behaviour match your words?

Do you demonstrate the accountability, integrity and respect you expect from others?

It's easy to talk about standards, teamwork and ownership.

But people notice when a leader's actions tell a different story.

And those inconsistencies can undermine trust far more quickly than leaders realise.

3. How you make people FEEL

This is the one leaders sometimes overlook.

Do your people feel trusted?

Do they feel respected?

Are they comfortable challenging your ideas, admitting mistakes or bringing you bad news?

Or do they feel nervous, controlled or ignored?

Because the way people experience your leadership influences how confidently they're willing to contribute.

And that experience can be very different from what you intended.

• Why your leadership intentions aren't the same as your team's experience

• How to identify the gap between what you say and what you do

• Why communication should be measured by understanding

• How your behaviour influences trust and psychological safety

• Why people remember how leaders make them feel

• The warning signs that your leadership may not be working as intended

• How to use the Say • Do • Feel framework to assess yourself

• Why listening to your team is essential to becoming a better leader

• How everyday leadership behaviours shape workplace culture

There's another idea I want you to consider.

Think about a boat moving through the water.

As it travels forward, it leaves a wake behind it.

Leadership works in much the same way.

Every conversation, decision, reaction and behaviour leaves something behind.

Confidence or confusion.

Trust or fear.

Ownership or dependence.

Over time, those experiences help shape the culture of your team.

Culture is the wake a leader leaves behind.

And whether you intend it or not, you're creating that wake every day.

So here's a question worth asking yourself:

If I asked the people you lead what it's actually like to be led by you, what would they say?

And perhaps the more important question:

Would you be prepared to hear the answer?

Because becoming a better leader isn't about proving you're already a good one.

It's about being willing to discover where you can improve.

One conversation.

One behaviour.

One lesson at a time.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify for practical conversations about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation on LinkedIn and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward.

Your Leadership Toolbox: SAY • DO • FEELIn this episode, you'll discover:Culture is the wake a leader leaves behind

Want to become a better leader?

More experience alone won't necessarily make you one.

You can lead people for 5, 10 or even 20 years and still repeat the same habits, make the same mistakes and get the same results.

Because experience only becomes valuable when you learn from it.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, I share five practical things you can start doing right now to improve the way you lead — whether you've been managing people for years or you're still developing your leadership skills.

You don't need to have all the answers.

You don't need to be the most confident person in the room.

And you certainly don't need another title.

But you do need to keep getting better.

Across more than 30 years in business, management and leadership, I've worked with many different types of leaders.

Some were charismatic. Some were quiet. Some seemed naturally confident. Others were far more considered.

The really good ones weren't all alike.

But they did have something in common:

They kept learning.

Don't finish the day by only asking:

"What did I achieve?"

Ask:

"How well did I lead today?"

What worked? What didn't? What could you have handled differently? What did the experience teach you?

Without reflection, experiences simply happen.

With reflection, experiences become lessons.

As leaders, it's easy to judge ourselves by our intentions.

"I was trying to help."

"I thought I'd explained it."

"I meant well."

But your team experiences the outcome, not your intention.

Did they understand?

Did behaviour change?

Did performance improve?

Did trust increase?

Those outcomes give you evidence about whether your leadership is actually having the effect you intended.

There's something difficult about assessing your own leadership:

You can't fully experience what it's like to be led by you.

Other people can.

Seek feedback from managers, peers, colleagues and the people you lead. Listen for patterns and resist the urge to immediately explain or defend yourself when you hear something uncomfortable.

Because sometimes the feedback you'd rather not hear is exactly where your next leadership tool is hiding.

Accountability doesn't stop when you become the leader.

You will get things wrong.

You'll make decisions you wouldn't make again. You'll handle conversations poorly. You'll support ideas that don't work.

The question isn't whether you'll make mistakes.

It's what you do next.

Own them.

Learn from them.

Then move forward.

This may be the most important one.

People change.

Workplaces change.

Technology changes.

And you change too.

The leadership approach that worked for you 20 years ago isn't automatically the leadership approach you should be using today.

Keep learning from mentors, conversations, books, feedback, experience — and especially your mistakes.

Keep adding tools to your leadership toolbox.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Five practical ways to become a better leader
• How reflection turns experience into learning
• Why outcomes matter more than good intentions
• How to ask for useful leadership feedback
• Why your team may experience your leadership differently than you think
• Why good leaders openly own their mistakes
• How accountability strengthens leadership credibility
• Why great leaders never stop learning
• How everyday experiences can become leadership lessons

You don't need to completely reinvent yourself to become a better leader.

Improve one behaviour.

Then another.

Then another.

One lesson. One behaviour. One tool at a time.

And here's a question worth thinking about after this episode:

If I asked the people you lead to name one thing you could do to become a better leader, what would they say?

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify for practical conversations about leadership, personal g

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

Want to become a leader, but haven't been given the opportunity yet?

Don't wait for the promotion.

Because long before anyone gives you a leadership title, people are already forming an opinion about how you would lead.

They notice whether you keep your word. Whether you help others. Whether you're prepared. Whether you take responsibility. And whether you learn when things don't go according to plan.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, I'll give you five practical behaviours you can start developing now to become a better leader before anyone gives you the title.

These aren't theories I've picked up from a leadership textbook. They're behaviours I've developed, observed and refined across more than 30 years in business, sales, management and leadership — including behaviours I started practising long before I became a manager myself.

Because leadership starts with behaviour.

1. Turn up early, prepared and ready

Reliability builds your reputation. People remember the person they can depend on — particularly when things become difficult.

2. Help other people grow

You don't need direct reports to help someone succeed. Share what you know. Support people. Help them become better. Leadership starts when your focus begins extending beyond yourself.

3. Do what you say you'll do

Every commitment you keep adds to your credibility. Every commitment you repeatedly break takes something away.

4. Understand that activity isn't achievement

Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're effective. Great leaders learn to distinguish between doing lots of things and achieving the outcomes that actually matter.

5. Reflect, seek feedback and keep learning

Every mistake, success, conversation and piece of feedback can teach you something — if you're willing to examine it.

I share an example from my own sales career where simply making more customer calls gave me something far more valuable than additional activity.

It gave me more opportunities to practise.

More opportunities to get things wrong.

More feedback.

And more opportunities to improve.

That process eventually helped me become Sales Representative of the Year — not because I was naturally brilliant at sales, but because I deliberately created more opportunities to learn.

And that same principle applies to leadership.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Five behaviours you can develop before becoming a manager
• Why leadership starts long before you have authority
• How credibility is built through consistent behaviour
• Why helping others succeed develops your own leadership
• The difference between activity and achievement
• How reflection accelerates your development
• Why admitting mistakes can strengthen credibility
• How integrity shapes the way people experience you
• Why great leaders model the standards they expect
• How to keep building your leadership toolbox before you're promoted

And there's one leadership tool I particularly want you to take away from this episode:

Model the behaviour before you mandate the behaviour.

Want higher standards?

Model them.

Want people to take ownership?

Take ownership.

Want people to listen?

Listen.

Want your team to keep learning?

Let them see you learning.

You don't need to be perfect to become a great leader.

But you do need to understand that the standards you expect from others must also apply to you.

So if leadership is where you want your career to take you, don't wait for the title.

Start demonstrating the behaviours now.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify for practical conversations about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

The five things:

Think you need a promotion before you can start becoming a leader?

That's one of the biggest mistakes aspiring leaders make.

Because when the opportunity finally arrives, you don't suddenly know how to build trust, communicate clearly, make difficult decisions or lead other people.

The best time to learn leadership is before anyone gives you the title.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, you'll learn how to start developing the skills and behaviours of a leader right now — even if you have no direct reports, no management authority and no leadership title.

I started building many of the skills that would eventually shape my leadership career when I was still working as a courier. I wasn't a manager. I had no authority. And I certainly didn't know where my career would eventually take me.

But I started paying attention.

I watched great leaders and asked myself what made people want to follow them.

I watched poor leaders and learnt just as much about the leader I didn't want to become.

I asked questions, reflected on experiences and gradually started building what I now call my leadership toolbox.

And that's something you can start doing too.

You don't need direct reports to practise listening.

You don't need authority to build trust.

You don't need a promotion to improve your communication.

And you certainly don't need "manager" in your job title to start behaving like a leader.

We'll also work through a simple personal SWOT analysis to help you identify the leadership strengths you already possess, where your gaps are and what you can deliberately start developing now.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to start developing leadership skills before becoming a manager
• Why leadership behaviour matters more than a job title
• How to identify gaps in your leadership skills
• How to use a personal SWOT analysis for leadership development
• Why great and poor leaders can both become valuable teachers
• How to learn from the leaders already around you
• Why you shouldn't simply copy someone else's leadership style
• How regular reflection accelerates your development
• Why preparing for leadership should begin before the promotion arrives

If leadership is where you want your career to take you, don't wait until someone else decides you're ready.

Build leadership before you need it.

Start becoming the person your future opportunities will require — so when the title eventually arrives, you're already prepared to lead.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify for practical conversations about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Ever had someone on your team explain exactly why a poor result wasn't their fault?

The customer caused it. Another department dropped the ball. The market changed. Management made the wrong decision.

And sometimes they're absolutely right.

But something doesn't have to be your fault for you to take ownership of what happens next.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, you'll learn a simple leadership shift that can move conversations away from blame and excuses and towards responsibility, problem-solving and action.

I first learnt this lesson as a young courier, long before I became a leader. It's stayed with me through more than 30 years in business and leadership, and today it's one of the simplest coaching tools I use:

Move from fault to influence.

Instead of asking:

"Whose fault is this?"

Start asking:

"What part of this can I influence?"

That question changes the conversation.

It doesn't mean pretending circumstances don't matter or blaming people for things outside their control. It means recognising what can't be changed, then focusing attention on what can.

That's what high performers tend to do differently.

When something goes wrong, they don't spend all their energy explaining why it happened. They identify what they can influence and decide what they're going to do next.

And leaders have an important role in developing that mindset.

We'll explore why simply telling someone to "take more ownership" rarely works, why leaders should coach the behaviours behind results, and how managers can accidentally destroy initiative by second-guessing decisions or punishing every mistake.

Because you can't ask people to take ownership while simultaneously teaching them that making a decision is dangerous.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why telling employees to "take more ownership" rarely works
• The important difference between fault and ownership
• The simple fault to influence leadership tool
• Why high performers focus on what they can control
• How to coach behaviours rather than simply criticising results
• Why results are often the shadow of repeated behaviour
• How leaders accidentally discourage initiative
• Why mistakes don't automatically mean poor performance
• How to create a culture of greater responsibility and accountability

If you're leading people who constantly look elsewhere when something goes wrong, don't immediately ask:

"Whose fault was this?"

Try asking:

"What part of this can we influence, and what are we going to do next?"

You may be surprised by how quickly the conversation changes.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify for practical conversations about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Do you ever avoid a difficult conversation because you don't want to upset someone?

You're not alone.

Most leaders know when something needs to be addressed.

But instead of having the conversation, they hope the problem will fix itself.

It rarely does.

In fact, every conversation you avoid sends a message to the rest of your team about what you're willing to accept.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, we explore one of the most uncomfortable—and most important—responsibilities of leadership: holding people accountable.

Drawing on my experience leading a fleet of more than 120 owner-drivers, I share one leadership lesson that completely changed the way I approached accountability. You'll discover why accountability isn't about catching people doing the wrong thing or handing out punishment. It's about helping people understand the impact of their behaviour, reinforcing clear standards, and creating a culture where everyone knows what's expected.

Because every behaviour in the workplace is an outcome.

And great leaders learn to address the cause, not just the symptom.

Together we'll explore a simple framework you can use to have difficult conversations with confidence, fairness and respect—without damaging trust or relationships.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why accountability conversations feel so uncomfortable
• The hidden cost of avoiding difficult conversations
• Why behaviour is often the outcome, not the real problem
• The Behaviour • Impact • Standard framework for better conversations
• How to hold people accountable without blame or punishment
• Why consistent standards shape culture over time
• The difference between discipline and genuine accountability
• Practical ways to strengthen trust while addressing poor performance

If you've ever delayed an important conversation because you didn't want conflict, this episode will give you practical tools you can use immediately.

Because leadership isn't measured by the conversations you avoid.

It's measured by the conversations you're willing to have—with clarity, fairness and respect.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify so you don't miss future episodes about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Do people in your team keep coming back to you for every decision?

Every approval.

Every answer.

Every small problem.

At first, it feels like good leadership. You're staying involved. Making sure nothing goes wrong. Keeping standards high.

But what if you're actually creating the very behaviour that's frustrating you?

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, we explore one of the biggest traps leaders fall into: believing accountability comes from tighter control.

After more than 30 years in leadership, I've learned that the opposite is often true. The more people depend on you for every decision, the less ownership they take themselves. Real accountability begins when authority and responsibility exist together.

We explore why micromanagement creates dependence instead of confidence, how great leaders coach rather than control, and why empowering people to make decisions is one of the fastest ways to build stronger teams.

Because if every decision has to come back to you...

You don't have a team.

You have a bottleneck.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why micromanagement quietly destroys accountability
• The hidden cost of approving every decision
• Why authority and responsibility must always go together
• How coaching creates stronger decision-makers than controlling
• A practical framework for empowering your team
• Why trust develops better judgement over time
• The leadership behaviours that encourage genuine ownership
• How to delegate without losing accountability

If you want people who think independently, solve problems confidently and take ownership of their work, this episode will give you practical leadership strategies you can start applying immediately.

Because great leaders don't create dependence.

They create people who no longer need permission to do the right thing.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify so you don't miss future episodes about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Ever feel like you've got something valuable to contribute at work… but people just aren't listening?

You don't need a bigger title to change that.

Influence isn't something that suddenly arrives with a promotion. It's something you can build now — through the way you communicate, the trust you create, the value you bring and the way you help the people around you succeed.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, you'll learn how to become someone people naturally listen to, trust and support — without relying on authority to make it happen.

I've spent more than 30 years working across business, management and leadership, and I've seen people with enormous authority struggle to influence anyone. I've also seen people without the title become some of the most influential people in the room.

The difference is rarely position.

It's behaviour.

We explore the important difference between compliance and genuine influence. Someone might do what you ask because you're their manager. But that's very different from someone supporting your idea because they trust your judgement and believe in what you're trying to achieve.

So how do you build that kind of influence?

It starts with trust and credibility, but it grows through something many people overlook: the value you create for other people.

When you help colleagues succeed, share what you know, understand what matters to them and consistently follow through on your commitments, something changes.

People start seeking your opinion.

They listen when you speak.

And when you eventually need their support, you've already built the relationship that makes that support far more likely.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why influence doesn't require a leadership title
• The difference between authority, compliance and genuine influence
• How trust and credibility make people more willing to listen
• Why helping other people succeed strengthens your own influence
• How understanding someone's priorities can completely change a conversation
• Why consistency matters more than one brilliant interaction
• How better communication increases your ability to influence
• Five practical behaviours you can start using immediately

If you want more influence at work, don't focus on becoming more powerful.

Focus on becoming more valuable to the people around you.

Influence isn't given with a title.

It's earned long before you ever need to use it.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify so you don't miss future episodes about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Ever feel like people comply with you because of your position… but you're not sure they'd actually follow you without it?

That's the difference between authority and credibility.

Authority can give you compliance. Credibility gives you influence.

And in this episode of The Long Way Forward, you'll learn how to build the kind of credibility that makes people trust your judgement, listen to your ideas and choose to follow your lead — whether you have the title or not.

I've spent more than 30 years working across business, management and leadership, and one lesson has followed me throughout that journey: the people with the most authority aren't necessarily the people with the most influence.

So what makes someone genuinely credible?

We explore why competence alone isn't enough, why character matters when things get difficult, and how trust is built through the small behaviours people observe every day.

Because people are watching.

Do you keep your commitments?

Do your actions match your words?

Can you admit when you've made a mistake?

Are you reliable when the pressure is on?

Every interaction either adds to your credibility or takes something away from it.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why credibility can be more powerful than authority
• The difference between competence and character
• Why trust is built through behaviour, not intention
• How consistency strengthens your reputation
• Why reliability matters so much in leadership
• How credibility compounds over time
• Five practical ways to build credibility every day
• How to become someone people genuinely trust and want to follow

If you want greater influence at work, don't wait for the next promotion or leadership title.

Start building the reason people will want to follow you before you ever need to ask them to.

Thanks for listening to The Long Way Forward.

If you're enjoying the podcast, follow The Long Way Forward on Spotify so you don't miss future episodes about leadership, personal growth and becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

You can also continue the conversation and find more from The Long Way Forward on YouTube at @thelongwayforward and LinkedIn.

More content:
https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

Have you ever shared an idea you knew would help… only to watch it get ignored?

Then, a few minutes later, someone else says almost the same thing—and suddenly everyone thinks it's brilliant.

If that's happened to you, you're not alone.

In this episode of The Long Way Forward, we explore why people listen to some voices while overlooking others, and what you can do to make your ideas more influential at work and in life. Whether you're leading a team, presenting to management, contributing in meetings, or simply trying to have your voice heard, this episode will help you communicate with greater influence and credibility.

One of the biggest misconceptions about influence is that good ideas speak for themselves. They don't. People rarely judge an idea in isolation. They also evaluate the credibility of the person presenting it. That's why trust, reliability, and reputation often determine whether your message is heard before you've even started speaking.

The episode explores why credibility matters more than volume, how understanding your audience dramatically increases influence, and why timing can be just as important as the message itself. You'll also discover why the best communicators spend more time listening than talking, allowing them to present ideas that genuinely connect with the people they're trying to influence.

Another important lesson is the difference between confidence and arrogance. Confident communicators invite discussion, remain curious, and focus on helping others. Arrogant communicators focus on proving themselves right. That difference has a profound impact on whether people choose to listen.

Whether you're trying to influence decisions at work, gain support for an idea, improve your leadership, or simply become someone people naturally pay attention to, this episode provides practical techniques you can apply immediately.

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love you to connect with me here:

https://au.linkedin.com/in/bryandance

Prefer to watch instead of listen? Full episodes are available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@thelongwayforwardpodcast

Also available wherever you get your podcasts:

https://linktr.ee/thelongwayforward

⏱️ Episode Breakdown

00:00 Why do people ignore good ideas?
01:00 How do you get people to listen?
02:20 Why isn't being right enough to influence people?
04:02 How does credibility determine whether people listen?
05:23 Why should you think about your audience before speaking?
07:05 How does timing affect influence?
08:52 Why is listening the fastest way to be heard?
11:10 What's the difference between confidence and arrogance?
13:08 What five habits make people want to listen to you?

#leadership #communication #influence #leadershipdevelopment #thelongwayforward