The Leadership Growth Podcast

“Stress is like a bucket,” says Peter Stewart.

As anyone who has worked in a dysfunctional organization can attest, that bucket can fill to overflowing very quickly when there are no spigots or holes to release the stress.

In today’s conversation, Peter and Daniel discuss how to survive a dysfunctional work situation–what to track, how to deal with it when there are no immediate escapes, and when to leave. 

Tune in to learn:

• Three ...

How do you react to conflict?

Even that simple question can provoke a variety of emotions and responses. Some people look forward to engaging in heated debate, while others walk away or acquiesce to avoid even a hint of discord.

No matter how you feel about it, though, it’s guaranteed that you will inevitably run into disagreements in your workplace–and in all areas of life!

In this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast, Daniel and...

“Great inspirational leaders are able to connect the bigger picture, that clear vision of what the future may bring, with the actions of today,” says Peter Stewart.

In this second part of a deep dive into Executive Presence, Daniel and Peter look at how good emotional management and an ability to inspire contribute to a strong executive presence.

Tune in to learn:

• Why it’s important to balance authenticity and awareness of others
• H...

Leaders “take up a lot of space,” says Peter Stewart.

What leaders do in that space can be the difference between great business and people results–and bad ones.

In today’s episode, Daniel and Peter tackle the topic of executive presence–how it’s evolved over the years, what it means today, and how leaders can develop and improve it so they show up with credibility and confidence.

Tune in to learn:

• What a modern model of Executive ...

AI is “not special,” says Dr. Allen Badeau. “It’s just a bigger part of your technology strategy.”

In today’s episode, Daniel, Peter, and Dr. Badeau discuss the latest developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape and how leaders can best leverage this rapidly evolving technology for productivity and development.

Dr. Badeau is an AI evangelist with over 20 years experience building AI systems. He is the Co-Founder of Har...

“You don’t know you need it till you need it,” says today’s guest, Chris Hare.

Chris is the host of The Storied Future Podcast and founder of The Storied Future, where he helps midmarket and enterprise CEOs create narratives that unlock a future where they can be celebrated.

In this deeply personal conversation with Daniel and Peter, Chris unpacks the process he uses to guide leaders through unearthing their own stories and crafting ...

“The cool thing about leadership is that your customers are right there,” says today’s guest, Phil Wilson.

Phil is the CEO of LRI Consulting Services, Inc., and founder of Approachable Leadership. He’s the author of seven books, including the forthcoming The Leader-Shift Playbook: 4 Simple Changes to Score Big and Unleash Your Team’s Potential.

In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Phil shares some powerful ...

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is a game-changing technological advancement–one that has generated excitement, fear, nervousness, cautious optimism, and a fair amount of hype.

But what are its implications for leadership development?

Today’s guest has some answers. “AI, to me, is a power tool supreme,” says Frank Russell, CEO of the award-winning talent development consulting firm Prositions.

Of course, as exciting and...

A good coaching session is about more than just complaints or chit chat. “Coaching sessions are not just to have a feel-good moment,” says Daniel. “They are intended to focus on action and follow up.”

In this week’s episode, Daniel and Peter demystify a typical coaching session. They discuss some of the questions they typically ask, the common way they begin many sessions, and the importance of both behavior change and mindset shift...

Executive coaching is more than just a series of nice, but unconnected, conversations, says Peter Stewart. “It’s a development process with real teeth and traction in it” to help leaders meet goals.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel demystify the coaching process with a look at their five-step approach to coaching. This approach identifies clear objectives, sets measurable and time-bound goals, and integrates feedback to help leader...

Over the last few decades, the attitude on leadership coaching has shifted dramatically. What was once considered necessary only when there was a performance issue is now a common piece of leadership development.

“More and more leaders are seeing executive leadership coaching as actually a sign of investment and development,” says Daniel. “It’s a positive thing.”

But being given a coaching opportunity can raise a lot of questions. Ca...

What if AI were the key to innovation inside your company?

Today’s guest suggests that AI puts innovation in the hands of people who aren’t necessarily scientists or programmers.

Travis Hoppe is the Assistant Director of AI Research and Development at The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He co-authored The Pile, a pioneering open source dataset used for training large language models that served as a catalyst for ...

How do other people see you?

In a world where there’s more noise than ever before, many of us have lost our ability to communicate with empathy, says Stacey Hanke, executive mentor and author of Influence Elevated: Maximizing Your Connection Monday to Monday. In this conversation with Daniel and Peter, Stacey shares her insights about how leaders can learn–or relearn–how to connect with consistency across platforms and maximize thei...

“We don't spend a lot of time thinking about how we breathe. We just do it,” says Jamie Flinchbaugh. “But then we find out, whether we're training for sports or meditation or other things, that there's more to learn about breathing. And when we are thoughtful about it, we can do it better, more usefully.”

Solving problems as a leader is similar to breathing, says Flinchbaugh. Leaders take it for granted that they can ...

“Imagine if Amazon was inefficient,” says Garrett Delph, Founder and CEO of Clarity Ops.

An inefficient Amazon would never reign in the very area that allowed it to disrupt the marketplace–that is, rapid, low-cost product delivery.

Operational inefficiencies are organizational kryptonite, says Delph in this conversation with Daniel and Peter. Garrett Delph is a serial entrepreneur who has founded three businesses, collectively genera...

“Empathy is not being soft,” says Jevon Wooden, CEO of BrightMind Consulting Group and today’s guest on The Leadership Growth Podcast.

Jevon is a sought-after keynote speaker, coach, and consultant specializing in empathetic leadership. His proven strategies have been featured in major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine.

In this episode, Daniel, Peter, and Jevon discuss in detail the role of empathy in leadersh...

When it comes to accountability, the traditional approach has put leaders in charge of holding others accountable. Often this approach translates into a fear-based, command-and-control, “I have the authority, and I’m going to tell you what to do” approach to accountability.

But does this approach work in the modern workplace? (And, we might ask, did it ever work?)

In this episode, Daniel and Peter dive into the myth of accountability...

Are you “all that and a bag of chips”?

We all need an ego. As Peter says, ego serves a function.

But too much ego might translate into steamrolling over others. And too little ego can mean withdrawing and allowing others to steamroll over you.

There’s a good balance between being secure in your own voice without stomping out the voice of others. Good ego management is really intentional humility.

In this episode, Peter and Daniel take ...

“If you don’t find absolute joy in other people’s success, being a leader’s probably not going to float your boat,” says today’s guest, Laurie Labra.

Daniel and Peter welcome Laurie to this episode of The Leadership Growth Podcast for a fun and insightful conversation about leadership in a highly technical environment. Laurie is a vice president at KBR, Inc., leading the company’s Science & Space Human Exploration Division.

Lauri...