Leadership Decanted

Serious. Social. Play. WTF?!?

On this episode, KG and Paul welcomed Chris Maxwell and Marcus Crow, the duo behind the consulting firm 10,000 Hours and the digital product company Pod & Hive to discuss their unique approach to leadership development, built on a conversation that began 18 years ago.

Their methodology centres on what they call "serious social play" - using simulated sandbox environments for teams to practi...

The word 'transformation' is thrown around in all sorts of contexts and in all manner of attempts to sell change. The outcomes are never given, despite best laid plans, and it often falls down not because of process nor technology. The stumbling block is usually us. And it's not about the oversimplified trope of being resistant to change. On many occasions we actually want to see the change succeed - especially if it...

After a welcome break over Easter (sorry we forgot to mention it!), KG and Paul get back to the podcave for an amazing conversation with Dr. Rachael Jacobs - artist, academic, activist. 

You may have heard the oft repeated phrase, "Bring your whole self to work." What does that even mean? Rachael chats to our hosts about her own deep cultural reconnection through the discovery of dance, as well as how her many paths in lif...

When many of us consider leadership and leadership practice, we may assume specific contexts (corporate, politics, the public domain), and specific ways to 'do' leadership. In fact, from accepted governance processes to the way organisations are structured and even how they might report their outcomes, effective leadership is assumed to include a set of agreed 'rules' - ways of doing this thing that we've c...

According to DDI's Global Leadership Forecast 2025 Report, the state of global organisational leadership is nothing short of dire. But how bad is it?

Paul & KG kick around a some of the stats, and reflect on a few infographics to try and get a handle on what might be going on. But more importantly, they ask some uncomfortable questions. If current organisational Leadership across the globe is as bad as the report...

[Episode contains explicit language - but not too much!]

In this episode, KG and Paul kick off the year with an inspiring conversation featuring Dr. Jason Graham-Nye, an entrepreneur tackling global environmental challenges through the circular economy. Jason shares how his team is addressing the massive problem of disposable nappy waste in the South Pacific, where nappies make up 30% of household waste and where both, eco-systems a...

We're back for Season 5! How amazing is that??!!

We kick things off with Paul & KG catching up, chatting about the year ahead and then quickly digress into a conversation on endurance. This Cheeky Half episode is definitely 'on brand', as it introduces a half-baked idea, and leaves it hanging. Maybe you can help them finish it?

Have a listen (it's very brief). We'd love to hear what yo...

This is it folks! Well, for this year, anyway.

Paul & KG look forward to what may be in store for 2025, and throw around some ambitious ideas in the process.

Have a listen (it's very brief), and let us know what you think! We'd love to hear what you thought of this conversation.

See you in Season 5, kicking off in February 2025. But please, feel free to send us your thoughts, comments and s...

In our final main episode for this season, Paul & KG reminisce over a cracker of a wine! As they sip on a 2022 Toolangi Chardonnay they highlight moments in Leadership Decanted's many conversations over this last year that resonated with them most.

For those of you who might be catching up, or wondering where you might dip your toe next, this episode is a great primer!

We are very much looking forward to...

KG has referred to this conversation topic as a little 'spicy'. Though we suspect many of our listeners will feel the heat in different ways, if at all.

Before you listen, be aware this conversation is politics 'adjacent'. However, we do not delve into any political detail, and it is not really a response to an election result. It is, though, a response to the many responses an election result has trigg...

Being aware of how we 'show up' in our workplaces, how we interact with our colleagues and what our bodies are telling us in even the most seemingly trivial interactions (am I anxious, tense, relaxed, energised?) is, at least in our experience, a critical set of skills for anyone practicing leadership - at any level.

What if we told you that acquiring this most valuable of skills can be found in the paddock, by e...

Do you ever feel like things are getting just a little too 'noisy' for you? Maybe you're juggling too many things at work, or change is coming at you at increasing speeds and frequency, or maybe 'doom scrolling' is taking its toll?

Experiences of cognitive load are being increasingly reported in the workplace. It is a real thing that can create high levels of instability in people's experience...

In some ways, the word 'Culture' is as difficult to define as one of our other favourite words, 'Leadership'. A number of competing definitions abound, but what seems common to many of our experiences is that, whilst a clear and concise definition may not always roll off the tongue, we certainly seem very clear when we see or experience 'bad' culture. Research increasingly suggests there are clear corr...

When leading teams or organisations, there is often an unspoken expectation that, no matter how dark the challenge, those leading us will know a way through to the light. After all, surely they have done this before. They simply open their leadership playbooks to the relevant page, and there we go.

But there we don't.

In this Cheeky Half Paul and KG talk about the potential folly of insisting on solving probl...

Back in Cheeky Half 17, Paul & KG considered the Social Cohesion Report, researched and published by the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. It is a veritable goldmine of insight and possibility, pointing out the many ways our society connects, grows and flourishes - and the potential risks we should all guard against in order to protect societal cohesion. They also wound up their conversation wondering if there would be an ...

The concept of Resilience is one whose purchase has increased exponentially in Leadership circles over the past few decades. We preach its virtues and benefits with increasing zeal and seek out practices that will instil in us the necessary skills to overcome and bounce back from adversity. But what if we have so totally misunderstood resilience as to render it nothing more than a myth - an unattainable holy grail that, in fact, ca...

We often talk about leadership as if we all shared a common understanding of its purpose. But what is leadership for, really? Is it to ensure things get done? Is it to inspire others to a shared goal or purpose? What if its purpose were both grander and more noble than that? What if leadership practice exists to effect the 'common good' in society and those that dwell within it?

According to Associate Professor S...

Cheeky Half episodes are Paul and KG's attempts at articulating ideas on leadership they've been tossing around but not fully comprehended. It's a way of starting a conversation and seeing whether anything 'sticks'. It is also a great vehicle for engaging with a growing, and increasingly vocal, audience. And it's the latter that really pumps them up!

In this short episode they address some li...

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." It is an affirmation as well as a promise made by many countries via the ratification of a number of Human Rights treaties. Australia is one of the countries that has made the 'promise' to uphold those treaties. However Australia has not fully incorporated these treaties into its own domestic...