Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast

Gain back time by understanding your leadership priorities Picture this: a meeting is unexpectedly canceled and you feel a jolt of gratitude for the time you’ve just been refunded. What if you took control of creating that feeling by designing your day to incorporate a brain buffer for thinking? That’s what productivity and time management expert Donna McGeorge advocates for as a way to engage deeply in what’s important and stop trying to do all of the things, all of the time. Why you should listen: Leadership that looks forward instead of backwards  Refine your leadership perspective - where is your attention and effort? We explore designing your day for optimum team development Building a brain buffer for leadership thinking Leadership tips for striking a hybrid team time balance Defrag with a leadership relationships audit

The first leadership principle is: it’s not about you Dr Toby Travis believes mission fulfillment with wellbeing is the leadership sweet spot we should be aiming for. And it can’t be done without trust. Engineered from his own experiences in the workplace and doctoral research, Toby has crafted a bridge metaphor to illustrate how the right foundations and materials must be in place for trust to be built. Instead of conceptualising trust, he turns it into an assessable and actionable component of leadership that can create a workplace culture people want to be part of. During our conversation, Dr Toby shares his wise counsel for being a leader that both gives and gets trust. Why you should listen: Does your corporate culture walk the talk? Swap leadership control for team support We explore trust built on servant leadership Outsource your leadership confidence with mentoring Repair relationships through leadership humility Live your leadership values to inspire trust

A corporate culture is only as safe as its least safe leader As Sam Mather ascended the leadership ladder in her 20 year L&D career, she realised that work was not working. Taking the opportunity to pursue a PhD in Organisational Psychology, researching psychological safety and resilience in the workplace, Sam gained a deep understanding of how leadership and culture impacts performance but also where personal responsibility has a role to play. In pursuit of peak performance, Sam advocates for brain fitness, being selective with our attention and safeguarding our finite mental resources. Why you should listen: Wellbeing doesn’t replace leadership Encourage brain fitness through your leadership choices We explore ditching leadership buzzwords Communicating safety is a leadership responsibility Embracing servant leadership to boost safety Creating a corporate culture around storytelling

Ease leadership growing pains by learning to trust your teams Sean McAuliffe loves fast cars and is driven to succeed but his leadership philosophies have evolved from a realisation that sometimes you have to take a back seat. An entrepreneur with a talent for understanding what the market needs, Sean built a successful car key supply business from scratch and, following a merger, identified the need to simplify employee communication and connection. So he came up with the solution and now practices what he preaches with his growing software business.  Sean shares how he learned to step back in his leadership and let his people find their own paths and why you can’t go wrong with being nice. Why you should listen: Don’t become a leadership bottleneck Leadership communication is about describing the destination We explore incremental corporate culture shifts How leadership humility enables accountability Intentional leadership connection keeps hybrid teams together Team development starts with stepping ba

Leadership influence and language are intrinsically linked Businesses spend time, money and attention on visual identity but what about verbal identity? It’s a missing link in leadership frameworks.Language matters. From the disruptive to the dreary, language frames the experience for those both inside and outside of an organisation. With a background in physiology and computer sciences, Chris West leverages his rational thinking to bring the magic and mechanics of language to businesses around the world, helping brands to craft and communicate a verbal identity. Here he shares how words build worlds and language drives change. Why you should listen: a common language is crucial to corporate culture  Leadership communication has the power to help or hurt How Elon Musk uses language to shape his companies’ brands The change Elon made when discussing the future of ‘humanity’ to the future of ‘consciousness’. We explore leadership responsibilities around language An expanded leadership perspective to help

A leadership mindset where spirituality meets practicality As a corporate executive in a cut-throat environment managing big teams and even bigger budgets, Amy Lynn Durham knew something had to change. With tiny adjustments and brave experimentation she took her team on a journey to build connection through emotional and spiritual intelligence. The process built bonds and the business, and was the catalyst for Amy’s Create Magic At Work coaching practice and book. From crystals and journaling to setting the past on fire, Amy’s radically different approach gets to the heart and soul of great team cultures. Why you should listen: Connection expands leadership perspective Use your leadership strengths to bring lightness to deep work People crave deeper insights and connection: help them get it at work Advanced emotional intelligence begins with reflection We explore a calm and healing leadership presence Why a connected team frees up leadership headspace Journaling as a team development strategy Let the hum

High performing teams are a myth Who doesn’t like being part of a high performing team? They’re fun and motivating. You get stuff done. You enjoy each other’s company. But are they realistic? It turns out high performing teams are a myth. It’s more of an ideal to strive for than a reality to experience. No team or culture can sustain high performance. High performance goes in cycles, and that’s what we need to manage. Why you should listen: leadership effectiveness affects team performance Insights from the podcast season’s best interviews Hot tips for high performing teams Preview of topics for the season coming on Hybrid Team Success We explore books for your leadership journey Books with ethical challenges  Books with practical productivity tips A reading for my second book, Moments - Leadership when it matters most

No more leadership ‘own goals’ - performance is a team sport From paper and pulp to performance management might sound like a big leap, but Hedda Bird sees opportunities for improvement wherever she looks so it turned out to be a natural fit. Hedda, author of the Performance Management Playbook, works with organisations to help them use performance management as a route into better communication, culture, creativity and results. Her enthusiasm for understanding what makes people tick is infectious and she brings a refreshingly practical and pragmatic leadership perspective. Why you should listen: a leadership framework for turning strategy into action Setting expectations is a leadership priority Banish ambiguity with a corporate culture that loves clarity Understand the people stuff of performance - what makes your team tick? We explore a fresh leadership perspective on performance reviews Shifting leadership focus to collective achievement Embedding a corporate culture of contribution  Leadership quest

The ultimate leadership principle: treat everyone the same Keith Renninson has lived many lifetimes and taken leadership lessons from them all! From financial planning to military service, non-profits, executive boards and bicycles, it’s been a wildly interesting ride that has enabled Keith to develop his TRIP tool that helps leaders explore their character traits and unlock their potential. A prolific author and public speaker, Keith shares his wealth of knowledge and what he believes are the essential characteristics of successful leadership. Why you should listen: leadership traits to cultivate Expand your leadership perspective by learning from others Leadership confidence built from knowledge Get on the shop floor - visible leadership The importance of a positive leadership mindset Leadership means living the values Innovation needs leadership imagination Add persuasive communication to your leadership skills Team Tips How might you have a conversation with your team on developing tenacity, resi

Poorly executed brainstorming is a leadership fail Author and leadership coach Edoardo Binda Zane recognised early on that developing his emotional intelligence skills gave him an edge over his peers and enabled him to lead with influence and impact. Now Edoardo helps others to do the same through exploring the nuances of emotions, perspectives, biases and decision-making to make them leaders worth following. Edoardo shares his leadership insights, research findings and practical strategies for leading with emotional intelligence, including his three critical elements of trust in leadership. Why you should listen: The must-have leadership qualities required to build trust Establishing leadership priorities Emotional intelligence as a leadership strength Expanding the leadership perspective to consider context We explore transitioning from tasks into people stuff: Creating a corporate culture conducive to trust Team development driven by benevolence  A leadership framework for moving from convention to

Successful leadership starts with YOU Happy New Year! Right. I guess. Doesn’t feel so ‘happy’ or exuberant this time around. It could be something to do with the darn pandemic that, like the pungent odour from your neglected gym gear, is just lingering. Suffering from New Year’s malaise? Uncertainty, fear, frustration are characterising the start of 2022. We need to shake that off! Here are some practical leadership tips to refocus that will boost your morale. Share with your team. Why you should listen: leadership mindset is crucial right now The unspoken fears affecting all leaders: how these are contributing to pervasive malaise. Step 1: Shrink your world. The big picture can be overwhelming. Focus on what is in front of you: what do you have control over? (your focus, your decisions like what to wear and what to eat) What is going right? What are you grateful for? Step 2: Take stock. What are your resources? These include money, people, belongings. It also includes your skills, knowledge and attitude.

Perspective is power: reflection is the secret leadership strategy What can we make of this year? It’s year 2 of the pandemic. Polarised conversations are still happening, and this time it’s all about vaccinations. In this episode, I share some key perspective shifts - both personally, as well as from different books and podcast interviews I’ve done. You'll gain insights on how to think better, live better, and lead better! Why you should listen: critical insights to shift your leadership perspective to be more inclusive Leadership perspective starts with reflecting on self: here are my painful self observations Two books to help us think better about others, especially polarised conversations Two books to help us be better humans and leaders We explore fiction books that have nothing to do with leadership but are still awesome! Our most listened to episode is with a down-to-earth leader with practical leadership tips The most inspiring story: how business leaders are creating generational change Par

Investing in relationships is a vital leadership skill A fascinating example of what happens when worlds collide, Susan Davidson brought a decade of business and finance experience to a career in health education after personal circumstances became a catalyst for change. Relationships, identity and community all feature strongly in Susan’s leadership philosophy, helping her to successfully steer complex change both professionally and personally. Why you should listen: leadership strategies for transformation Projects are all about the people stuff Leaning in to leadership connections Amplifying leadership skills through service and empathy We explore turning challenges into leadership strengths Creating community on your leadership journey Shifting leadership focus from you to them Creating a corporate culture of curiosity by saying ‘Tell me more’

A positive leadership mindset takes intentional effort Losing a good friend in college spurred Eric Twiggs to swap partying for purpose as he confronted the fact that time is not replaceable.  As an author and coach, Eric partners with his clients to help prevent procrastination while paying attention to passions on the path to success. With an infectious energy that comes from his desire to make an impact, Eric shares his strategies for action - now! Why you should listen: leadership principles for moving beyond fear The Be-Do-Have leadership cycle  Factoring in failure on the leadership journey Team development that starts with you! We explore how procrastination stalls leadership success Ignoring your passions is a leadership fail Leadership planning can stop the fear Pursue your leadership goals with patience

Setting a goal is not enough - there’s a leadership responsibility to show the way Having worked for many years in HR there’s very little people stuff that Will Schirmer hasn’t encountered in his career. On the gnarly subject of team performance he takes a clear cut view of leadership responsibility across expectations, accountability and follow-up and shares how to do that in practice. Why you should listen: creating a corporate culture of accountability Leadership principles for setting expectations Timely follow-up is a leadership must-do Being a leadership resource, not an obstacle We explore why structure is key to leadership success: You’re a leadership coach - even if you didn’t know it Team development is about quality and quantity A leadership mindset focused on fit, not failure

How a leadership mindset of action can lead to direction Sociologist and author Gayle Smerdon’s time in local government led to her light-bulb moment: organisations and teams oscillate between doing everything and doing nothing when they should be doing one thing. By giving it the time and space to do it deeply they do it well. Gayle shares her ‘do one thing deep’ leadership philosophy and breaks down the engagement required to create sustainable change. Why you should listen: a leadership framework for focus

Why you might need a leadership identity shift Alister Esam is a self-confessed control freak and former actuary who bootstrapped a business and worked to the point of burnout before having a leadership revelation. By embracing process as a tool for freedom and creativity - not compliance and control - he turned around his team, business and own leadership identity. After finding a happier, more efficient way to be a successful CEO, Alister is on a mission to help others realise that process is empowering and ever-evolving.  Why you should listen: leadership frameworks for empowerment Using tools to create a corporate culture of trust Understanding the people stuff of process Focusing on leadership skills for amplifying others We explore flipping the leadership perspective on control Being a leadership liberator Using process to perform as an Amplifier Letting go as a leadership strength

Understanding where to focus at different stages of the leadership journey Tech savvy CEO Tigran Nazaryan turned a side-hustle into a start-up and scaled it at speed. Confident in his AI expertise, it was the people stuff that proved a more challenging transition. Tigran combined his creative thinking with continuous learning to build a corporate culture of transparency, empowerment and innovation where small teams do focused work and meetings are actually useful!  Why you should listen: leadership frameworks for successful scaling  Evolve leadership style and skills for growth Leverage the people stuff to support innovation Establish the corporate culture early and enthusiastically We explore a leadership shift from doer to delegator: Lead by leadership example - do the boring tasks!  Rethinking leadership priorities  Task-based team development strategies

Human centred leadership starts with deep reflection Zoë Routh shares a revelatory reflection on polarised conversations and shifting perspectives that digs into the role of identity in our beliefs. Why you should listen: leadership strategies for complex situations Learning from leadership extremes A 3-step leadership approach for exploring shadow Leadership principles for humanising conflict We explore a leadership framework for being more curious Reframing conflict as a leadership growth opportunity Keeping heart and mind open on the leadership journey Leadership principles for understanding identity, values and beliefs

It’s not about the content - a fresh leadership perspective on disagreement  Author of Why Are We Yelling? Buster Benson flips the perspective of difficult conversations and conflict, turning them from something to be feared into a super power. By asking thoughtful questions, disagreements become leadership learning opportunities, goodwill generators and windows into a bigger world. Buster explains why ‘What am I missing?’ could be the most important question you’ll ask today and shares what it is like to go from entrenchment to exploration. Why you should listen: leadership principles for caring conflict How to recalibrate team development dynamics  Navigating corporate culture clashes The leadership questions you need to be asking We explore a leadership mindset shift from war to campfire Holding up the mirror to leadership beliefs A leadership perspective that’s open to change Agreeing to disagree is not a leadership strategy