The Thoughtful Leader Podcast with Ben Brearley

Difficult conversations are unavoidable in leadership if you want to be effective. These conversations could be about performance, behaviour or many other subjects. Without being able to have these conversations, you'll be stuck with conflicts and unmanaged expectations. In this episode, I introduce 3 questions that can help you to spur yourself into action to tackle that hard conversation. Let's face it, you probably already know you should be having the conversation... you just need some help to get started with it! Links: Resource: Difficult Conversations eBook. Article: Avoiding a Difficult Conversation? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions.

When it comes to retaining people, all you need to do is to stop them from leaving, right? No, not really. If all you do is try to keep people from leaving, it's not that hard. But then you run the risk of leading a team of people who are unhappy and unmotivated... but not unhappy enough to leave. I call this the motivation dead zone - you can see the zones pictured below. In this episode, we look at how to get people out of the Quitting Zone, through the Motivation Dead Zone and into the Satisfaction Zone, through the use of Hygiene Factors and Positive Motivators. It's the last episode for the year too - I hope you have some time off to spend with loved ones and take a break! Resource: If you need some more ideas to motivate your team, Thoughtful Leader can help. Check out the Motivating Your Team Audiobook, for tools and techniques to get the best out of your team members. Links: Article: Employee Retention: More Than Just Stopping People Quitting. Resource: Motivating Your Team Audiobook.

Passive leadership happens when leaders fail to take action, and it can be a huge problem for teams and workplaces. In this episode, I look at some key examples of passive leadership as well as ways that you can start taking action to avoid them. Passive leaders will make their teams feel like their situation is hopeless, so don't let this happen in your team! Resource: If you feel like you could benefit from greater leadership confidence to start taking the action you know you should be, sign up for the Leadership Confidence Coaching Program from Thoughtful Leader. Links: Article: Is Passive Leadership Destroying Your Team's Motivation? Resource: Leadership Confidence Coaching Program.

Leading a confident team has several important benefits. In this episode, I talk about these benefits and some of the simple things you can do to help grow the confidence of your team members and put your team in a better place. If you feel like you could benefit from greater leadership confidence or you are leading other managers who could use a boost, be sure to sign up for the Leadership Confidence Coaching Program from Thoughtful Leader. Links: Article: Why Building Team Confidence Should Be a Leadership Priority. Resource: Leadership Confidence Coaching Program.

In this episode I talk about a question I received from someone asking advice about having an insecure boss. Many of us have bad bosses at one time or another, so it's an important question for both leaders and team members alike! I give my thoughts on what to do in this situation and how you can try to make a shift in your manager's behaviour by putting on your "scientist hat" and experimenting with different approaches. The original question was: "My manager is extremely insecure, and he has good reason to be. He is supervising people who are smarter than him and better than him at everything that falls within the scope of work we are performing. He compensates for his lack of legitimate leadership capabilities by exercising arbitrary authority over us regularly to remind us that he is in charge. What can unlucky subordinates do to improve their situation when they find themselves under the thumb of a hopelessly incompetent leader?" Links: Article: Are You an Insecure Leader? Watch for These 10 Signs. Resource: Leadership Confidence Coaching Program.

When I have been the most stressed in my career, it was because I felt like I wasn't supported by my manager. We want to avoid this happening in your team, so in this episode, I cover 6 good ways that you can support your team to stop them from feeling exposed. Listen now and see whether you can do more to support your team, or whether you're on the right track. And leave a comment below with the things you do to support your team! Links: Article: 6 Great Ways to Support Your Team. Resource: Leadership eBook Series.

Directive leadership is not as common as it used to be. In many work environments, you don't get very far if you run your team as a dictatorship. However, this leadership style still has a purpose and can be very effective when used in the right situation. In this episode, Ben talks about what Directive Leadership is and when you might need to use it to get the best results. Links: Article: Directive Leadership: 4 Situations When You Should Be Using It. Resource: Adaptive Leadership eBook.

Fear does bad things to people in our workplaces. Fearful leaders might stay silent when they would normally speak out. They may fail to make a decision when normally they would act. There are many reasons why leaders feel uncomfortable and afraid to leave their jobs - are any of these reasons holding you back? The point is not that we should always be thinking about leaving our jobs. It's that when we feel like we have options, we will act more confidently and freely. In this episode, Ben looks at some ways to grow your confidence and give yourself options to free yourself from fear. Links: Article: Why Your Fear of Leaving Your Job Is Making You a Worse Leader. Article: Corporate Stockholm Syndrome from Psychology Today Resource: Managing Upwards eBook.

Motivation at work is tough - most of us need to work, and we spend more time with the people at work than we often do with our friends and families! Everyone is motivated by different things, and we have a whole range of people from those who love their jobs, to those who'd rather be doing something else that they're passionate about outside of work. Work does play an important part in people's lives, so it's important that as leaders, we try to help our teams feel as motivated as we possibly can. In this episode, Ben talks about the Motivation Spectrum, and how you can move people along the spectrum towards the high motivation end! Links: Audiobook: Motivating Your Team Audiobook. Article: Motivation at Work: Moving Your People Along the Motivation Spectrum. Podcast: Episode 29: 5 Questions to Ask an Unmotivated Team Member.

A challenge for every leader is to overcome limiting beliefs that we have developed over time. Productivity and effectiveness is one area where limiting beliefs can really damage performance as well as the motivation of your team. In this episode, Ben discusses 3 limiting beliefs that might be holding you back and how you can eliminate them. Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course. Article: 3 Limiting Beliefs That Damage Your Productivity. Article: How a Self Fulfilling Prophecy Will Make or Break Your Team.

Supportive leaders are great - but problems can occur when leaders step over the line from being supportive leaders to protective leaders. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the traps that supportive leaders can fall into and some ways to avoid them in your team. Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course. Article: 3 Traps Supportive Leaders Must Avoid. Article: 10 Simple & Effective Tips For Giving Feedback.

Time-wasters at work can really have a big impact on your team's productivity. But that's not all, time-wasters also have the potential to damage team motivation if your people realise that they're not working on tasks that really add value. In this episode, Ben looks at three common time-wasters and how you can avoid introducing them to your team! And don't forget to check out the Time Management for Leaders Online Course, to become a more productive and effective leader for your team. Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course. Article: 3 Major Work Time Wasters That Create an Unhappy Team. Article: Do You Have An Effective Team, or Are You Focused on Busywork?

It's easy for leaders to make assumptions about their teams when things get busy. But there are some assumptions that can really damage motivation in a team. In this episode, Ben talks about these assumptions and how they can damage motivation in your team, as well as how to avoid making them in the first place! Don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course, which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a leader who wants to build your confidence and feel more secure leading your team, this course could be just what you need - Click here for more details and to enrol now. Links: Article: A Simple & Effective Model For Team Motivation. Article: 4 Leadership Assumptions That Will Decrease Motivation in Your Team. Article: Motivation at Work: Moving Your People Along the Motivation Spectrum.

Communication is a critical leadership skill, but it's often a part of leadership that we get wrong. If you're unable to communicate effectively, you run the risk of demotivating and frustrating your team and the people around you. In this episode, Ben looks at some common communication mistakes, and how we can avoid making them in our teams. As mentioned in this episode, don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course, which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a leader who wants to build your confidence and feel more secure leading your team, this course could be just what you need - Click here for more details and to enrol now. Links: Article: 3 Communication Mistakes That Will Damage Your Leadership. Article: 5 Good Communication Skills Every Leader Should Focus On.

Confident leadership is not only useful for a leader's wellbeing - it's also great for their team too. In this episode, I look at some ways that confident leadership can help to improve motivation and trust within a team. There are also some tips to help you show confident leadership in your team... even if sometimes, you don't feel like it! Also, don't forget to check out the new Leadership Confidence Online Course, which is open for pre-sale right now! If you're a leader who wants to build your confidence and feel more secure leading your team, this course could be just what you need - Click here for more details.

Open communication is something that is valuable to every leader and team. In this episode, I talk about some of the benefits of open communication in a team, as well as simple ways to start encouraging it in your team. Open up those communication channels... because ignorance is not bliss! Links: Article: 5 Powerful Ways to Create Open Communication in Your Team.

Toxic workplaces are horrible places to be, but they don't just happen by accident. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the ways that toxic behaviour can start to cause problems and then looks at how we can try to do something about it before your workplace turns septic. Resource: If you struggle to have the hard conversations in your team, try the Difficult Conversations eBook, with tools and techniques to help you tackle the tough conversations and get results for your team. Links: Article: Toxic Workplaces: How Leaders Can Stop Them. Article: 3 Ways Leaders Can Survive a Toxic Work Environment.

Employee turnover is a topic that can see leaders breaking out in a cold sweat. However, it's not all bad. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the reasons why turnover in your team can be a good thing. However, it's not always good - Ben also covers some of the situations when you actually should worry about turnover in your team. Links: Article: 5 Reasons Why Employee Turnover is Your Friend. Article: 3 Signs Should Worry You When Team Members Are Quitting.

We all want to hold our teams accountable. In almost every workplace I've been, I hear the familiar phrase "There's just no accountability!" This episode deals with that issue. In this episode, I talk about 4 of the most common reasons why I believe leaders can't hold people accountable, and what we need to be doing to make sure that doesn't happen. After listening to this episode, if you would like more information regarding accountability and how to improve it in your team, be sure to check out the Hold Your Team Accountable eBook. Links: Article: 4 Reasons Why You Can't Hold People Accountable. Resource: Hold Your Team Accountable eBook.

One of the primary causes of bad outcomes in our workplaces is short-term thinking on the part of leaders. Taking action or failing to take necessary action often occurs because we don't take the time to think of the long-term outcomes of what we're doing. In this episode, Ben talks about short-term thinking and some of the simple questions to ask yourself to help you shift from a short-term to a long-term mindset. Links: Article: How Short Term Thinking Leads to Bad Leadership. Resource: Time Management For Leaders Online Course.

It's never fun having a stressed and overworked team. But did you know that all stress is not created equal? In this episode, Ben talks about Eustress vs. Distress and how applying the right amount of pressure to your team can improve work performance, without burning everybody out. Learn how applying just the right amount of pressure and stress can be beneficial to your team. Links: Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/30/ Article: How to Use Work Pressure to Help Your Team Thrive.

Early in my career I remember thinking that people who were unmotivated at work were just "slackers". Now, my perspective has changed a lot, because I believe that one of the biggest factors in motivation is the work environment and how people are treated, rather than it all being up to the individual. In this episode, I talk about some questions you might try asking your unmotivated team members, to try to uncover the root causes of motivation issues, so you can improve the situation. Links: Article: 5 Questions to Ask An Unmotivated Team Member. Article: Improve Motivation In Your Team With This Simple Theory. Article: 4 Job Satisfaction Killers That Are Demotivating Your Team. Audiobook: Motivating Your Team Audiobook. Online Course: Time Management For Leaders Online Course.

Softly spoken leaders face some challenges in the workplace, struggling to be heard over the noise of their dominant, outspoken counterparts. In this episode, Ben talks about the challenges and strengths of being a softly spoken leader, and some things softly spoken leaders can do to succeed in leadership. Links: Article: Why Softly Spoken Leaders Make a Big Impact. Article: Important Ways That Leaders Can Earn Respect at Work.

Ever walked away from a meeting you thought was going to be controversial, where there was actually no conflict at all? You could have a problem, because your team isn't speaking up. You don't have all the answers, so you need your team to be offering up their opinions to help you to achieve better results. In this episode, Ben talks about some common reasons why your team doesn't speak up at work, why you really need them to and what you can do to help them be heard.

Leaders can be one of the greatest sources of wasted time in the workplace. This is unfortunate, but true! In this episode, Ben talks about how leaders who manage their time better can have a positive effect on their teams and improve their productivity. We also cover some of the ways that poor time management can really waste a lot of time in the workplace...and we don't want to let that happen! Don't forget to check out the link to the Time Management for Leaders Online Course below! Links: Online Course: Time Management For Leaders - Online Course Article: How Better Time Management Will Help Your Team (Not just you!) Article: 4 Ways Leaders Can Build Empathy in the Workplace (and Why It Matters).

Ever worked in a team where an adversarial attitude builds against people outside of the team? This can be a damaging mindset if left unchecked. In this episode, Ben talks about trying to break down some of these adversarial attitudes that often build up between teams in large, complex organisations. Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/25/

Having the confidence to speak up and out about issues and inefficiencies in your workplace is a key role of a leader. But it's not always easy to do that. In this episode, Ben speaks about some of the reasons why leaders need to speak up, and the reasons why they don't. Shownotes: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/24/

Self-confidence is one of the most critical parts of leadership. Without it, you'll second guess yourself, be less decisive and have difficulty getting people to follow you. In this episode, we look at the benefits of self-confidence in leadership and how to start building your self-confidence to improve the way you lead. You can sign up for the free email leadership confidence course by going to the show notes page here: https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/podcast/23/

Self-fulfilling Prophecy is a phenomenon I've seen in workplaces for a long time, and it can make or break your team. In this episode, Ben talks about Self-fulfilling Prophecy and how it often has negative effects in the workplace, resulting in reduced motivation and low confidence in team members.

Ever micromanaged someone? I certainly have, and it's not a great thing for a leader to do. What I have noticed over my career is that micromanagement isn't something that people want to do... but they feel like they have to. In this episode, Ben talks about some of the issues with micromanagement and also some ways to stop your micromanagement tendencies from getting out of control!

Perfectionism seems to be quite a common trait in our workplaces. What is the impact of perfectionism on leadership and is it just another form of procrastination? In this episode, Ben discusses the topic of perfectionism and how you can take action to stop it damaging the way you lead your team.

Most leaders want to manage a team of happy employees. But what does it take to get there, and how can leaders go about it? In this episode, Ben talks about his recipe for employee happiness: Clarity, Consistency and Transparency. Listen to the episode to see how they all fit together!

Delegation isn't about just getting rid of your most hated tasks and giving them to your team members. We can use delegation as a great way to improve our team performance and motivation. In this episode, Ben outlines the basics of delegation as well as some ways to use it to improve your team performance.

Feedback is one of the most important tools leaders can use to both manage performance and to recognise team members. However, many leaders avoid providing feedback in the right way, which reduces its effectiveness. In this episode, Ben outlines his top 10 tips for giving effective feedback.

Hiring people is difficult, and sometimes it's difficult to know just what to look for when you're interviewing your next potential team members. In this episode, Ben talks about the "5 Factor Model of Personality" or OCEAN model, which is a simple tool to help you assess your next candidate and make sure their personality is a good fit for your team.

I find pushing back to be an underrated skill. Pushing back means sometimes, you need to say "No" to people who try to burden you with too much work, or tasks that are not even yours to do. This might be your boss, or other colleagues. It's not easy, but if you continuously say "Yes" to everything that comes your way, you are heading for burnout, and so is your team. In this episode, Ben discusses the power of pushing back as a tool to help leaders do their best work. Resources Mentioned in this Episode: The Managing Upwards eBook - build the confidence to Say "No", build confidence and help your team do their best work.

Sometimes, it feels as if we're still stuck in the mindset that we need to do a training course to learn anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this episode, Ben discusses the benefits of the 70-20-10 model for learning and development, and how you can start applying it to your team.

I see it often today - leaders are too busy in meetings and stuck working on other people's priorities to actually fulfil their leadership roles effectively. But I would ask the question... if you're too busy, then what are the things that aren't being done? In this episode, Ben talks about the "busyness mindset" and how being too busy stops you from being effective in your leadership role, as well as some ways to try to overcome it.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of our leadership roles, we start to wonder what we're doing. It's easy to lose sight of why our roles matter and how we're adding value as leaders. So in this episode, I wanted to take a step back and look at 5 reasons why I think leaders are so important in the workplace.

Do you ever rely on a single person for important tasks in your team? What happens if they aren't able to attend work, or happen to resign unexpectedly? In this episode, Ben talks about the possible risks and some possible ways to address this in your team.

Resilience is a great quality to have for overcoming short to medium term challenges. But it's also something that I believe can be used as a "cop out". When organisation provide their employees with resilience training to help them become more resilient, are they really saying "We need you to be able to put up with our rubbish better"?

It can be uncomfortable to acknowledge your leadership weaknesses and limitations. However, when you do realise what they are, they can be an important tool to use to improve the way your team functions. Learn more about how to turn your leadership weaknesses into team strengths!

When you first get your leadership role, it seems like you'll have a lot of power to make changes and really get things done. But in reality, there is one thing that might stop you - the relationship you have with your boss. If you're struggling at work, it's time to get your boss on your side. It will make you life easier and give you far more autonomy. Let's look at some ways to do this!

The most effective leaders are those who aren't afraid to say "No" and to push back against unreasonable demands. The least effective are those that cave in to pressure and let people walk all over them! Learn some ways to help you build the confidence to push back and challenge at work when things aren't quite right. In this episode, I mention the book "Giving Voice to Values". If you're interested in reading it, you can go here: https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Voice-Values-Speak-Whats/dp/0300181566

Managing junior team members is one thing, but leading experienced people is another. Learn some of the ways of leading experienced people that will get the best results.

Sometimes it's your quieter team members that may have the bright ideas...but you'll never know about them because they won't tell you! Learn about some of the reasons why this might happen and how you can improve the situation and see improvements in your team.

Sometimes, I'll wake up not feeling so great about going to work. The problem is, leaders are sometimes expected to be the shining figurehead who motivate their teams every day. In this episode, I discuss some techniques to keep things moving along, even when you don't feel motivated.

Meetings at work are often criticised as being a "waste of time". But is that always the case? Ben discusses meetings at work and how you can improve your meetings to make them more useful, without getting rid of them altogether.

Leaders who avoid conflict set themselves up for failure. In this episode, Ben discusses the problems with conflict avoidance and how you can start to reframe conflict in different ways to help yourself push forward, even if you don't enjoy confrontation!

Collaboration is a necessary part of success in any workplace. Without it, progress is slow, conflict is high and job satisfaction suffers. In this episode, Ben discusses some ways that leader can improve collaboration in the workplace. After all, why can't we all just get along?