Nicolas Pokorny: Leading the People Who Do the Business

On this episode of Adapt or Die: Transformative Leadership Conversations, Andreas Pettersson sits down with Nicolas Pokorny, neuroscientist, global executive, and Founder & CEO of Mammoth Leadership Sciences. With over 30 years of experience leading multicultural teams, Nicolas unpacks a pivotal leap: moving from managing a small group of direct reports to guiding a large, layered organization. His approach—rooted in neuroscience, organizational behavior, and strategic transformation—has helped shape cultures so strong, one was accused of being “too good to be true.”

Challenge → Nicolas went from leading a team of 8 to overseeing a 100-person department through multiple leadership layers, cultural tensions, and post-merger complexity—without a roadmap for scaling human behavior.

Adaptation → He let go of control and shifted his mindset from “How do I do this?” to “Who can do this with us?”—investing real time in understanding his managers’ personal lives, motivators, and blind spots to build a high-functioning leadership ecosystem.

Success → Nicolas built a culture so unified and high-performing that it raised eyebrows during an internal audit. That success sparked his book The Mammoth in the Room, a podcast, and now a global leadership academy helping others transform chaos into coherence.

🔥 60-Second Hot Seat:
Nicolas breaks down why new leaders often feel overwhelmed, the emotional cost of control, and why understanding human drivers—not just P&Ls—is the fastest route to scalable leadership. His golden rule? You don’t lead the business. You lead the people who do the business.

Great leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about knowing who to grow—and letting go so they can lead.

📘 Learn More: The Mammoth in the Room – Book & Resources

Visit www.leadersadapt.com/adaptordie for show notes, free resources, and coaching programs.

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