In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with Sonja Blignaut, a South African complexity practitioner who has spent 25 years helping leaders and organisations navigate uncertainty using the Cynefin framework. Sonja trained originally in meteorology and worked as an IBM consultant before a chance encounter with Professor Dave Snowden gave her language for a way of seeing the world she had always intuitively lived in.

Together, they explore why complexity is so often mistaken for a problem to be solved, rather than a relationship to be navigated. Sonja walks through vivid examples, a viral customer complaint, a rewards programme that backfired into what one leader called "death by committee", to show how small actions ripple into outsized, unpredictable outcomes. Michael connects her thinking directly to TripleGoal's own research on Red Zone reactivity, the fear-based scramble to try everything at once that our data shows accelerates organisational decline. The conversation turns to the near enemy of adaptive learning, where frantic activity disguises itself as genuine experimentation, and to the practice of stepping off the dance floor and onto the balcony to see the patterns clearly. Rather than adding more initiatives to an uncertain system, both agree that reducing the number of priorities often produces more learning and better results, a pattern Michael has seen firsthand in his own work with executive teams.

It closes on something more personal: Michael's reflection on the pull he feels, even now, to lurch toward the next idea rather than sit with what is actually happening, and how naming that pattern in real time is itself the practice both he and Sonja teach. If you've ever felt the urge to panic and grab at solutions when the path forward isn't clear, this episode offers a grounded way to rethink your relationship with uncertainty, starting with a simple question: what would it look like to befriend the complexity instead of fighting it?

In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with Trang Nova, a public speaking specialist and TEDx speaker who coaches professionals and organisations on using their voice with confidence and authority. Trang trained originally as a physiotherapist before a small, strange moment on an early morning run reshaped how she saw her impact on the world and set her on the path to coaching.

Together, they unpack why becoming a great speaker is never just a matter of technique, since mindset, self-worth and old programming often decide whether someone can get on stage at all. Trang traces her own path from a shy child who grew up speaking Vietnamese at school to an international speaker and workshop facilitator, and explains why surveys consistently rank public speaking above death as people's greatest fear. The conversation also covers the role accountability and social pressure play in pushing people past their doubts, the real difference between authenticity and rehearsal (including the "danger zone" that catches speakers who under-prepare), and three simple, practical shifts, in articulation, stillness and facial expression, that change how anyone comes across in a room.

It closes on something more personal: Michael's own admission that even after thirty years and thousands of audiences, he still wants to run in the ten minutes before he speaks. If you've ever felt that same flood of fear before standing up to talk, or wondered whether rehearsing too much kills authenticity, this episode offers a grounded, practical way to think about your own voice again, starting with one simple question: what would you attempt if you truly believed you could rewrite who you are?

In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with psychological safety expert Tom Geraghty about the myths and misunderstandings that surround one of the most talked about, and least understood, ideas in leadership. Tom trained originally as an ecologist before founding Psych Safety, a global community and resource hub with over 350 articles and research papers on the subject.

Together, they unpack why psychological safety is often mistaken for a magic wand or a licence to say anything, when it actually depends on accountability, shared standards, and a social contract a team builds for itself. Tom brings a reframe from his ecology background: teams, like ecosystems, don't respond to simple cause and effect, so there's no lever a leader can pull and guarantee a result. The conversation also covers why job security and psychological safety aren't the same thing, how socioeconomic background shapes how safe people feel speaking up, and the flywheel between accountability and safety that makes both stronger over time. It closes on something more personal: the idea that we are our own harshest critics, and that the way we judge ourselves quietly shapes the way we treat everyone else.

If you've ever dismissed psychological safety as a buzzword, or wondered why it doesn't seem to be working in your team, this episode offers a grounded, research backed way to think about it again, starting with one uncomfortable question: how much curiosity does your inner critic actually have?

In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with workplace politics expert Niven Postma about the uncomfortable truth most leaders avoid: politics isn't optional, and pretending otherwise is naive. Niven is the author of If You Don't Do Politics, Politics Will Do You, a contributor to Harvard Business Review, and a guest lecturer at Stanford, London Business School and Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership. She is currently completing a PhD examining how workplace politics play out differently for women.

Together, they unpack the false choice between being a decent human being and playing the political game, and why the real distinction is between good politics and bad, not politics and none. Niven reframes reputation as trust at scale, explores how image management sits on a spectrum between narcissism and naive self-effacement, and explains why matching your political skill to your environment matters more than any single tactic. The conversation also moves into the gendered reality of workplace politics, including striking research on how careers shift when people transition gender, and closes with a warning on toxic environments: when the fear in a room stops being motivating and starts being corrosive, no amount of savvy will save you.

If you have ever felt torn between staying above the fray and getting outmanoeuvred by people who aren't, this episode offers a grounded, ethical way to engage with the politics that already surround you, starting with one simple audit: who is actually in your personal boardroom?

In this thought-provoking episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with Non-Executive Director and Chair Greg Ridder about what it truly means to lead with values and pursue deliberate growth as a leader. Drawing on a 30-year career in the packaging industry and his current work across major for-purpose organisations, Greg explores why leadership is never really about the leader and what happens when you fully embrace that.

Together, they unpack the rarely examined question of what your values actually are and how to articulate them, why most leaders struggle to walk the talk, and how a focus on others' strengths rather than weaknesses unlocks far greater outcomes. The conversation also explores vertical growth, the idea of examining your own behaviour objectively, and why authentic, consistent presence is the foundation of real influence.

If you're interested in values-based leadership, adult development, or what it takes to become the kind of leader who genuinely multiplies the people around you, this episode offers rare and practical wisdom from someone who has lived it at the highest levels.

In this thought-provoking episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with organisational psychologist and systems thinker Bryn Edwards about why psychology may be failing to address many of today’s most pressing leadership, workplace, and mental health challenges. Drawing on his background in psychology and management consulting, Bryn argues that human beings and organisations are living systems that cannot be understood by examining isolated parts alone. 

Together, they explore the limitations of traditional approaches to leadership and organisational development, why toxic cultures and dysfunction persist despite good intentions, and how leaders can better understand the deeper patterns driving behaviour. The conversation also examines the role of self-awareness, systems thinking, and organisational design in creating healthier, more adaptive workplaces. 

If you’re interested in leadership, organisational psychology, culture change, or the future of human development, this episode offers a fresh and challenging perspective on what it takes to create sustainable performance, learning, and wellbeing in complex organisations.

In this thought-provoking episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, Michael Bunting speaks with UK consultant and author Paul Sweeney about the hidden dysfunctions, fashionable management trends, and “corporate nonsense” that quietly shape modern organisations. Drawing on experience from frontline operations to the C-suite, Paul challenges many common assumptions about organisational culture and leadership change.

Together, they explore why so many culture initiatives fail, how fear and image management drive reactive leadership behaviours, and why genuine transformation requires far more than new frameworks or slogans. The conversation also unpacks the importance of self-awareness, accountability, and vertical development in creating healthy, high-performing workplaces.

If you’re interested in leadership, organisational psychology, behavioural change, or building more authentic organisations, this episode offers a refreshingly honest and insightful perspective on what truly drives sustainable performance and trust.

What does it take to lead a hospitality company of mostly immigrant, entry-level workers to the #1 spot on Australia's Great Place to Work list — six years in a row? According to Paul Hutton, Area Vice President of Hilton Australasia, the answer isn't complicated: treat people uniquely, not equally.

In this episode, Michael Bunting sits down with one of the most people-centred leaders in the business to unpack the philosophy and practical habits behind Hilton's extraordinary workplace culture. Paul shares how radical accessibility, authenticity, and genuine human connection — not salary or bonuses — drive loyalty, retention, and ultimately, guest experience. They explore the fine line between psychological safety and a "decaying country club," how Hilton turned guest satisfaction into a commercial metric, and why Paul's famous four-minute speech to 1,400 APAC leaders came down to five simple words: care, passion, integrity, genuine interest, and kindness.

Whether you're a frontline team leader or a senior executive, this conversation is a masterclass in what it means to lead with heart — and why that's not soft, it's the most powerful business strategy there is.

What does it really take to build a workplace culture people are truly proud of? In this episode, host Michael Bunting speaks with Søren Brogaard, CEO of TrackUnit, about the beliefs and lessons behind one of the most intentional culture-building journeys in global tech.

Søren shares how a simple desire to have fun at work evolved into a sophisticated philosophy of leadership and growth. They explore the universal ingredients that put people into a state of flow, why engagement without results is just as dangerous as results without engagement, and why following the flag rather than the leader is the secret to sustaining culture through rapid growth.