Leadership Lounge is a podcast hosted by Colin Tapscott and guests that explores topics around everyday leadership. It is framed as a relaxed, safe space for conversations that inspire and equip listeners to lead in their daily lives. The show focuses on practical leadership themes rather than marketing or news.
Episodes
Episode 57 - Why do hard working people still say yes?
The Pressure Paradox: Why Do Hard Working People Keep Saying Yes?“You don't have to be struggling to be under too much pressure.”Belinda is incredibly hard working. She prides herself on getting things done and will burn the midnight oil if she needs to. This week she’s got two major reports to hand in, 3 annual reviews to do, on top of her usual weekly work. Then her boss calls her in and says, ‘
Episode 56 - In the Spotlight - David Haze
David Haze is a Red Bull sponsored adventurer and 7 times world record holder in Stand Up Paddle Boarding. But, life wasn’t always that good. David has had a journey of transformation following twice being in prison and he decided he must turn his life around. Colin Tapscott interviews David, a former pupil of his, to discover what he has learnt about life, leadership and resilience. It’s a fascin
Episode 55 - Radical Candor
It should be simple to talk to someone honestly about an issue but so many leaders find it hard. Radical Candor means ‘caring personally while challenging directly’. Colin Tapscott and Anna Hennell James explore what it is and simple ways to do it and structure the conversation. Your critical conversations could be transformed.
Episode 54 - High Performance
As leaders, one of our aims is to bring our organisation to achieve high performance. Countless books have been written on it, on how to aim high and achieve it and ensure your team is a well oiled machine to constantly achieve high performance. But if we distil it all down, what is high performance and how do we achieve and maintain it? This month we invite Hayley Partridge and James Pointon, fro
Episode 53 - Wisdom
We need to be wise people and wise leaders. But what is wisdom? The dictionary says that ‘wisdom is the ability to apply accumulated knowledge, deep insight, and life experience to make sound judgments’, but what helps us evaluate wisdom amongst the noise of our own experiential confidence and our ego? Jane Lovett is Colin’s guest and they unpick how good counsel, seeking out discomfort and challe
Episode 52 - Engagement
Most leaders say they want engaged teams. But very few ask the deeper question: what creates engagement? It’s not pizza Fridays. It’s not staff surveys. And it’s not motivational posters. Engagement is something much more human.
Episode 51 - Imposter Syndrome
You hear it said, “I have Imposter Syndrome.” You may even feel it yourself at times. Colin & Anna explore whether the SYNDROME actually exists. What if there was a different way of viewing it?
Episode 50 - In the Spotlight: Laura Baines – Embrace Forever Flowers
Content warning:Laura shares honestly and openly about her significant mental health struggles, including being sectioned. Some listeners/viewers may find the content hard. Please watch/listen only if you are in a healthy space to consider mental health issues.Laura Baines is the founder of Embrace Forever Flowers. I met Laura at a networking event, and I was struck by her story and the power of h
Episode 49 - Everyday Alchemy - Treasure
Here we are in podcast 5 of 5 in the Everyday Alchemy series. We have learnt how to Pause, Reflect and Respong in the moment to make the best of the moment. We have learnt how to ReVISIT, ReVIEW, ReFRAME and ReBUILD aftwerwards to develop ourselves and our practice. But so what? Is it all just about bettering ourselves?In the fifth of our ‘Everyday Alchemy’ series of podcasts, Anna Hennell James i
Episode 48 - Everyday Alchemy - ReFRAME & ReBUILD
The ancient Alchemists transformed metal into gold. They changed its form. Everyday Alchemists look to take moments beyond their current form into a better way for the future. After the moment they have ReVISITed and ReVIEWed and now it is time to ReFRAME it and ReBUILD. In the fourth of our ‘Everyday Alchemy’ series of podcasts, Anna Hennell James interviews Colin Tapscott about his book Everyday
Episode 47 - Everyday Alchemy - ReVISIT and ReVIEW
Often our thinking can be unhelpful. We can tell ourselves something went wrong because it was our fault. Everyday Alchemy helps us move away from that thinking of binary pass or fail to seeing every moment as potential for learning and growth. After an event, taking time to revisit it and reflect on it, can enable us to see it more clearly and focus on the things we can control and change for the
Episode 45 - Everyday Alchemy - Pause, Reflect, Respond
So often we react to situations. We can then find ourselves in a position where the situation controls us rather than us controlling the situation. Reacting and letting the situation control us can lead to us feeling out of control and anxious. Everyday Alchemy has a different approach to make the best of any sitatuion in the moment. Rather than ReACT we can Respond, using 3 simple steps: Pause; R
Episode 44 - Everyday Alchemy
Life doesn’t have to be pass or fail. It can be so much more fulfilling if you have a reflective mindset. Anna Hennell James interviews Colin Tapscott about his new book, Everyday Alchemy - Turning your Trash into Treasure, which explores how you can thrive even from the most difficult moments. In this episode Colin explains what an Everyday Alchemist is, the mindset you need and the power of refl
Episode 43 - Leadership Lounge - Banter
It’s just banter. No harm done.” It’s what they say when they have been held to account for comments made in the workplace, that they say is humour but actually are not funny at all. So, what is banter and what is its impact? Is there any place for it in the workplace? How do we create a healthy culture where the negative effects of banter cannot take place? How do we deal with banter as leaders a
Episode 42 - Leadership Lounge - Deliberate Delegation
How to delegate well is a key component of leadership. But yet, so often delegation doesn’t go well and can lose its way with deadlines missed and outcomes that don’t match expectation, causing the leader to utter those immortal words, “I might as well do it myself!” But there is a better way.Delegation is not just about giving someone a job to do. Delegation is the act of giving someone else the
Episode 41 - Leadership Lounge - Leading Without The Badge
s leading all about the badge that you wear? But what if you haven’t been given a badge yet that says leader? Can you still lead? Colin Tapscott and Anna Hennell James believe you can lead without a badge and they discuss what this looks like. Leadership is rooted in purpose and a sense of presence that comes from that. You start being a leader when you lead yourself and then you can lead others w
Episode 40 - Leadership Lounge - Kindness
What do you think of kindness? How important is it to have in our organisations and what should it look like? Our interview in the Leadership Lounge is with Rachael Wyartt, Director and Co-founder of Kiltti, a training, coaching & consultancy business where kindness and consideration is at the heart of everything. Colin Tapscott explores with Rachael how kindness is much stronger than you thin
Episode 39 - Leadership Lounge - Navigating The Unexpected
In leadership and life we are often taught to evaluate, strategise and plan. These can indeed be important for us as leaders. Life and leadership though does not always go to plan and the unexpected can happen. Colin interviews Alex Menhams about ‘Improv’ as he is a Trainer, Speaker and Improviser who runs the ‘Here & Now People’ Improvisation Community. So Alex has the perspective of ‘Improv’
Episode 38 - Leadership Lounge - Creating a People Centred Culture
What is the power of being people centred in our organisations? If we really support and develop our people can it also help us to raise standards in our organisation?Joining me today, we have Colette Firth - Executive Head; Ross Colley, Head of school at Winyates, Alice Braxton, teacher at St Johns and Connor Knowling, Head of school one day a week, an assistant head and a class teacher to have r
Episode 37 - Thresholds
We often find ourselves in moments of transition. Moments of moving from one thing to another, whether that is a new job, a new moment in life, a new approach at work or a new way of doing something. The moment when we process this transition is the threshold. Thresholds can feel scary, but Trevor in his new book ‘The Gift Of Thresholds: Flourishing Through Challenging Transitions’ helps us see th
Episode 36 - Targeting Talent and Cultivating a Continuous Learning Culture
Creating a high performing team is what every leader dreams of to accomplish their vision for their organisation. Key to this is both growing and nurturing talent and getting the best from everyone so that the team is greater than the sum of its parts.
So, today in our podcast Colin Tapscott will explore with Ashley Bowdler, Managing Director at FORCE Business Development, how do you grow and ma
Episode 35 - Mastering the Minimum
Our topic today is ‘Mastering the minimum’. As a leader, we are encouraged to ‘paint the picture of the future, go there and people will follow’ as Seth Godin put it. We are the artists of the culture we want to create. In reality, we know that painting the picture we want established is not always followed. People have their own ideas and standards that are different to ours. Therefore, as a lead
Episode 34 - Ruling Risk
Nobody likes to get it wrong and so sometimes we like to reduce the risk to make no chance of failure. But this can then lead to risk reduction ruling us and stifling innovation. Colin speaks to Adam Golding, who is General Manager at Electroglass, & soon to be Chairman of the Charity Sizewell Hall, to explore how we can get the balance to ensure successful change and innovation.
We explore
Episode 33 - Team Thinking
Any leader knows that successfully leading your team is key to success and taking people with you. Leading a team well does not happen by accident. It must be purposeful and responsive. This month’s guest is Dawn Jarvis, Managing Director of Stellar Leadership Group, author of Leading Corporate Clans, and she explains key components for leading your team well. Using the core components of the Stel
Episode 32 - Creating a Strong Culture
Beyond the purpose and values that drive the organisation, what else helps you ensure you have a culture that helps the organisation and the people thrive? Colin Tapscott and Anna Hennell James interview Nick Osborne who is the CEO of Maritime Academy Trust to explore how you create a strong culture. Psychological safety is a key part of that and Nick explains practical steps he takes to create th
Episode 31 - Managing Me
Before leading others, you have to lead yourself. This means recognising the emotions in us and choosing to respond rather than react. So, this month’s topic is great for anyone and especially for those of us who lead others, making sure we are the best version of ourselves to lead others.
Colin Tapscott and Anna Hennell James explore steps to do that.
• What do I know about myself?
• What
Episode 30 - Confident Challenging Conversations
Even an experienced leader can find it hard to have a challenging conversation with someone. We like to get on with people and so having a difficult conversation with a colleague or your line manager about something that isn’t working or talking to a colleague about a performance issue, can feel like a binary pass/fail moment and therefore unsettling.
But what if there was a different way of h
Episode 29 - Improvement
‘Improvement’. It’s a key element of leadership, leading yourself and leading others. Leading involves telling a story, of a journey from here to there. We are here and we need to be there. We need to move forward, to improve. It starts before that though, in us as leaders, being personification of the change that we want to encourage others to make.
So, how do we plan for improvement that engage
Episode 28 - Processing Pressure
Every day leaders will face pressure. Sometimes it is external and sometimes it is internal, that we put ourselves under. So, how do you process it healthily and manage this so we can perform at our best? In this podcast, Colin explores with Anna Hennell James, former CEO, how to manage general pressures using six steps. Sometimes there are also high-pressure moments that need you to respond and n
Episode 27 - In the Spotlight - Jamie Warner
Jamie is the Managing Director of STC Teamwear. STC is a custom sportswear and off-field clothing company where the clothing is designed and made in the UK. Operating since 2003, they work with grassroots to national division sports teams, academies and organisations, schools, colleges and universities across the UK, Europe and as far as the USA and Africa. In this Leadership Lounge interview, we
Episode 26 - In the Spotlight - David Dodds
David Dodds is a Managing Director of Sackers, a leading scrap metal and waste disposal company. David and Colin Tapscott met at a Suffolk Chamber event, and he was struck by David’s story. David has been in the scrap & recycling industry for 40 years rising through the ranks of his organisation. We wanted members in the Leadership Lounge to hear his story and find out what David has learned f
Episode 25 - In the Spotlight - Mary Myatt
Mary Myatt is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She curates Myatt & Co where she works with colleagues to develop thoughtful work on the curriculum and wider school improvement. She trained as an RE teacher and is a former local authority adviser and inspector. Drawing on her work with pupils, teachers and leaders she writes and speaks about learning, leadership and the curriculum.&nbs
Episode 24 - Creating a team
One of the most important things that we do as a leader is pull our team together. A good team working with you can be incredibly powerful, but how do you establish a team? How do you choose the right people and grow them to be a high performing team? One of the teams that we have had the privilege of working with at Everyday Leader is the team at Dale Hall. It’s a team with a shared purpose and s
Episode 23 - Empowerment
With 33 years of experience empowering pupils and staff, Lizzie Girling is the perfect guest to join our discussion on 'Empowerment'.
Join us as Lizzie and Colin discuss how to empower yourself & your team, and all that this effort entails
Episode 22 - Supportive Systems
Our guest is none other than Kate Kelly! With years of experience supporting businesses, Kate is the perfect guest to explore Supportive Systems. Join us on the Leadership Lounge.
Episode 21 - Starting From Scratch
Whether it’s a new project or a new organisation, starting from scratch can feel quite ominous. But there are some simple steps you can take to make the new venture a success. Join Colin as he interviews Richard Dedicoat the headteacher who is starting a new school from scratch. We will explore how the Purpose, Partners, People and Place can be pulled together to make it work.
Episode 20 - Thinking Correctly Under Pressure
Every leader has pressurised moments. In these moment our thinking can abandon us and so learning how to think clearly and correctly under pressure can help us manage the outcome. Vicki Gascogne Cecil joins us in the Leadership Lounge to explain how she managed her thinking in a highly pressurised moment. Colin and Vicki unpick the key things that can help each of us do the same.
Episode 19 - Building Business
Leading is all about taking people on a journey of improvement. When you build a business or establish any project of idea, it needs some core components to do that successfully. So, what are the core components of building a successful business? Colin meets Sarah Manning of Secure Stores Nationwide, who in the midst of a pandemic has established and built a successful container business. In this
Episode 18 - Vision Into Reality
How do you turn your vision for something into reality? How do you keep on course with your vision when challenge comes? How do you decide whether to take a project on? Meet Heidi Franklin from Wild Play as Colin interviews her in an outside Leadership Lounge about how she turned her vision into reality and top tips we can gain from her experience.
Episode 17 - A Box Called Learning
A lot has happened over the last 18 months. Some of it feels challenging, maybe even a little bad. Some of it has created opportunities. If we just see things as a binary good or bad we can miss some important learning. This podcast, Colin gathers with two good friends to explore the last 18 months and see whether instead of seeing things through a good or bad lens whether we just explored it as a
Episode 16 - Coaching That Empowers
Join us for this month's leadership lounge, where we will be discussing 'Coaching that empowers' with two guests.
Episode 15 - Handling Conflict
Join Steve, Joanne and Colin, this Friday, as we delve into the topic of Handling Conflict. We'll be discussing why leaders often find this a challenging task and how there may be a premise for healthy conflict.
Episode 14 - Leading Change
Leading change can be a challenge but listen to our guests Chloe, Trevor and Kirstie to hear of wise ways to plan change and manage the transition for people. https://6da8f603-44e3-45b3-b156-5aa42093ca08.filesusr.com/ugd/9bc840_cdaccb02ef2c4131a80687016f359c6b.pdf
Episode 13 - Identity
You can have a vision for the future but the starting point for any person and any organisation is what is my identity? As a leader, who am I and what do I stand for? As and organisation, who are we and what do we offer? In this podcast Colin Tapscott explores identity with brand expert, Andy Stewart, the principle of identity and how discover it and evolve it. Join us in the Leadership Lounge.
Episode 13 - Personal & Interpersonal Courage
Your character is who walks through the door when no one is looking. So having personal courage to do the right thing is a key component of a good moral character. Having interpersonal courage is all about having the tough conversations with the right attitude. Both of these areas of courage are explored with Colin and his guests in the Leadership Lounge.
Episode 12 - Holding To Account
Join Tracy, Richard and Dave as we discuss 'Holding to Account'.
Episode 11 - Innovation and Creativity
Leadership is about telling the story of the future and then taking people there. One way that we can facilitate this is through working with other leaders on innovation and creativity. Join our guests Adam, Jane and Iain, as we explore how we can lead creatively.
Episode 10 - The Power Of Partnering
Working with others can have immense power to help strengthen, grow and develop what you’re doing. Getting the right partner is key to that. Join colin and his guests Rae, Rachel and Owen as we explore their top tips for developing the power of partnering.
Episode 9 - The Power Of Praise
The power of praise is that recognition can engage a person in the right things, make them more productive, help them to focus on greatness and help the organisation retain staff. Vik, Tracey and Matt explore their experience of the power of praise with our host Colin Tapscott.
Episode 8 - The Power Of Purpose
Join Colin, Jo & Chloe, as we explore the Power of Purpose. 4 key things that knowing your purpose can help you develop as a person and as an organisation.
Episode 7 - The Power Of Pause
Leadership is about painting the picture of the future and taking people with you. But that doesn’t mean that you have to constantly on the go. Wise leaders know the Power of Pause. Colin & his guests unpack 6 elements of pause that empower you to REGAIN energy, focus & direction. And you get to discover the connection between a Sweaty T-Rex and Wonder Woman. You can’t afford to miss
Episode 6 - Bold Steps
Leaders sometimes need to be able to take bold steps. But this needs courage and vulnerability. So, what helps us to make bold steps?
Episode 5 - Balance vs Burnout
What an amazing line-up for 16th October's Leadership Lounge Podcast, 'Balance vs Burnout'. Whether it's in the car, whilst on a run or in the gym, or in the comfort of your own sofa with a cuppa; join us in the Leadership Lounge. The conversation could be a life changer.
Episode 4 - Ikagai Leaders - Knowing your Passion & Niche
Leadership Lounge is open for a cuppa with Rob Morris, Liz Green and Jordan Dutt as we explore the concept of ‘Ikagai’ and finding meaning in everyday life and discovering this in our leadership.
Episode 3 - How We Develop Resilience In Ourselves And Those We Lead
Leadership Lounge is open for a cuppa with the wonderful Dave Cornthwaite , Jacqui Frost & Sam Petersen as we discuss 'How we develop resilience in ourselves & others'.
Episode 2 - What People Need From Their Leaders
Colin invites Paul Wilcox, Simon Scott and Lilly Higson into the Leadership Lounge to discuss ‘what people need from their leaders’. Join them to see what they explore.
Episode 1 - Inspiring Yourself as a Leader
Join Colin and his three guests Steve Miles, Jane Booth and Daniel Brooks in the Leadership Lounge as they discuss the first of our topics. How to inspire yourself as a leader...
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