Leader2Leader with Tom Athenour

In this conversation, Ron Redell, president of DoubleLine, shares insights on leadership, risk management, and building a high-performing successful organization. Drawing from his sports background and decades of experience in money management, he discusses the nine attributes of effective leadership, including ownership, adaptability, and communication, and how these principles can be applied to foster a resilient and high-perform...

In this insightful conversation, Tom Athenour and Karen Posey discuss expert strategies for creating enterprise value, building effective leadership teams, and developing future leaders in mid-market companies. Discover practical tips on aligning your first team, leveraging stakeholder feedback, and rethinking leadership development to accelerate growth.

Summary of Episode Takeaways

• More focus in mid-market companies needs to...

In this conversation, Tom Athenour and Donna Zajonc explore the integration of psychology and business through the lens of the Empowerment Dynamic framework. They discuss the Drama Triangle, which includes the roles of Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor, and how these roles manifest in workplace dynamics. Donna emphasizes the importance of shifting from a Rescuer mindset to a Coaching approach, encouraging leaders to empower their tea...

In this conversation, Tom Athenour and Lisa Lahey explore the intricacies of organizational development and transformation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the difference between informational and transformational learning.

They discuss the role of leadership in fostering a deliberately developmental organization, the challenges leaders face in navigating change, and the significance of self-reflection and feedback in p...

In this episode, Tom Athenour welcomes listeners to season 2 of the Leader-to-Leader podcast, emphasizing the importance of holistic leadership and personal development. He discusses the significance of setting intentions for the new year and introduces the One Big Thing (OBT) framework, which helps individuals focus on one key area for growth.

The conversation highlights the need for accountability and the role of community in ach...

In this conversation, Parag Parekh, Chief Digital Officer at IKEA, shares insights into the evolution of retail, the importance of omni-channel strategies, and the challenges faced by leaders in adapting to rapid changes in the market. He discusses IKEA's journey from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to a digital-first organization, emphasizing the need for agility, collaboration, and a customer-centric approach. Parag also ...

Back in 2014, one of the biggest transformations in modern business history kicked off at Microsoft when Satya Nadella took over the reins as CEO from Steve Balmer. Today, Satya is largely credited with changing the business of Microsoft from a traditional software company into a cloud-first, mobile-first powerhouse—with a current market cap of more than $3.6 trillion.

In this episode, Tom Athenour sits down with Takuya Hiran...

In this episode, Tom Athenour and Mitch Harrison delve into the pressing issue of burnout, exploring its symptoms, personal experiences, and effective strategies for recovery. Mitch shares his journey through burnout and the development of a framework that emphasizes the importance of balancing stress with replenishment. 

The discussion highlights the five key areas—Rest, Release, Receive, Recreation, and Relationships&m...

In this episode, Tom Athenour sits down with Tony Garver, Chief Administration Officer at First Onsite, to unpack how the company pulled off 25 acquisitions in just 2½ years—and what it really takes to make that kind of growth stick.

Tony takes us behind the scenes of their bold M&A strategy, revealing the leadership moves that fueled their success. From aligning cultures and integrating leaders to keeping people front an...

In this conversation, Tom Athenour and Bob Anderson discuss the evolving landscape of leadership amidst unprecedented uncertainty. They explore the developmental challenges leaders face, the importance of mindset shifts, and the necessity of integrating intuition and creativity into leadership practices. Bob emphasizes the need for courageous conversations, the management of polarities, and the significance of shadow work in unlock...

In this episode, host Tom Athenour sits down with Shawn McBride, a seasoned couples therapist and counselor, to explore the importance of investing in your personal relationships (couples, marriage, dating) as part of being an effective leader. Shawn shares his journey from a childhood mediator within his family to being a professional counselor, emphasizing the importance of communication and emotional intelligence in both persona...

In this conversation, Barry Posner dives into the heart of what makes great leadership tick—championing trust, sparking empowerment, and inspiring others through genuine encouragement. He shares the personal journey that led him into the world of leadership and academia, offering powerful lessons shaped by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. With passion and clarity, Posner explores the vital role of curiosity and human ...

In this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Gordy Curphy about his work and research on how we as leaders can more effectively build high performing teams.  During the discussion, Gordy shared the eight interrelated components that need to be addressed to create the conditions for team success. Those eight components include: 

• Context – What's the situation in which the team must operate?
• Mission – Why is o...

In this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Jess Kindler about his extensive career in leadership within the mining industry and beyond. They discuss the evolving landscape of global business, the importance of customer-centric leadership, and the need for agility in response to rapid changes in technology and market dynamics. 

Jess shares insights on how leaders can effectively navigate challenges, meet their teams where they ...

Paul Monahan has spent years working with amateur and professional golfers and athletes to perfect the inner game or what we call the mental side of performance.  As the mental game coach for one of the largest golf instruction communities in the country, Paul's focus is on helping his clients overcome the inside-game challenges that show up during practice and play. Paul recently published his first book e...

Recently I had the opportunity to connect with Ann Betz, a neuroscience and leadership expert. During our discussion, we explored strategies to better navigate stress, tension, and uncertainty in our daily work environments. From our conversation, I gathered several neuroscience-based techniques (or "hacks," as she calls them) that can help us manage these challenges—both for ourselves and when supporting others.

1) Acknowled...

For this episode, I had the opportunity to connect with Mara Swan who is currently an Operating Partner with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm that invests in companies around the world. 

During our conversation, I asked Mara what she thought were the most important leadership capabilities needed to be effective in today's world. She quickly responded with leaning into change and driving performance. And so, th...

Jon is President and General Manager of Epiroc USA, a global company that serves the

mining, construction, and infrastructure industries. During this episode, Jon shares how he

and his leadership team led their organization through a transformational culture change

that has resulted in becoming one of the top performing companies within the Epiroc

organization as well as being recognized by USA Today as one of the best places to wo...

Feeling tired, emotionally exhausted, and frustrated with not being able to move things

forward? If you can relate, you're not alone. During this episode, John and Tom discuss how

we all can create a more fulfilling and healthy life, while also becoming a more effective

leader, partner, parent and human being!

A brief introduction to John's story. In 1987, John was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing

with fire and gasoline, John ...