Talking Leaders

You are in the middle of working on something for a tight deadline, and one of your direct reports pops in with a question. How tempted are you to put them off? Or maybe quickly problem solve and send them on their way? Understandable reactions, but it can be too easy to prioritize day-to-day leadership. Paul and Kurt share their experience of dealing with this kind of challenge. 4 mins 55 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

There has never been more material available on the topic of leadership development. In particular, there is now a lot of advice on leadership hacks. Spoiler alert - we don't believe that there are shortcuts to significantly boosting your leadership skills. Kurt shares his realisation about what it takes to grow as a leader and how that affected his career choice. And Paul shares an example of how improvements in the specifics of managing a poor performer, helped in his long-term development. 16 mins 35 secs. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Even if you know that change is a part of working life and you think you are prepared for its arrival, it can still leave wounds. And sometimes it can be tough to find the route to recovery. 28 mins 06 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Paul tells the story of his most difficult interviewee ever and how just walking out might have helped. 4 mins 58 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Although our name these days is Talking Leaders, we used to be called Voquinexus. This is why. How did the company Voquinexus get its name? It's actually a combination of three Latin words. Some aren't sure about it, but it's what we're called and we love it. 4 mins 08 secs. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Some leadership conversations can have such an impact that they can influence someone for their entire career. In this episode, we break our five-minute length rule to bring you a story of such a conversation. Two minutes was all it took, but the result has stayed with Kurt to this day. 17 mins 42 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Introverts are people who don't like talking, right? They're shy, aren't they? Think again. How do you interview an introvert? Let's ask one. Turns out it's an energy thing. 4 mins 38 secs. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Podcast fans often talk about how they love the "intimacy" of listening to a podcast. There certainly is a special pleasure to be had from the way a podcast can draw you into a story or give you a sense of connection with a celebrity revealing inner feelings. But is this kind of intimacy a useful quality in a business setting? Come closer and we'll tell you what we think. 4 mins 51 secs. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Sometimes you can get the impression that your interviewee would rather be having root canal surgery than be in a podcast. They know their stuff, they can become animated and passionate when talking about it, but once you turn up with your microphone reluctance even dread can take over. When this happens then it's time to chill out. Relax. Chat about anything. Ease your way into a gentle conversation about the subject of the podcast, but make sure you leave the recorder running... https://www.talkingleaders.com  

It's never been easier to make a podcast. It's like baking a cake; get the ingredients, follow the standard recipe and voila! So if you fancy doing it yourself, then our message is "go for it!" Will your podcast be great? Maybe. Is every cake baked Cordon Bleu standard? Some yes, others... Nonetheless, we are keen to promote the use of podcasting as a leadership tool in any way we can. So if your preference is to D-I-Y, then do have a go. Let us know how you get on. Want some (free!) advice on getting going, get in touch. 3 mins 39 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

The secret to a great leadership podcast? It's actually no different to communicating via any medium - start with a clear communication strategy. Sounds obvious, but it's commonly missed. 3 mins 32 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Regular podcast listeners love long ones. Some will not listen if there's less than 30 minutes content. But in business it can be a very different story - time is precious and listeners need to be sure that listening is going to be worth it. 4 mins 35 secs. https://www.talkingleaders.com  

People want to get to know their leaders. They want to understand where leaders are coming from and hear how they arrived at ideas and decisions. They want to know the person behind the message. Podcasting is the perfect way to do this. 04 mins 16 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

A key advantage of modern open-plan office design is cross-team, cross-functional interaction and idea-sharing. But what about extending these conversations globally? Maybe podcasting can help. 03 mins 20 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

When leaders ponder how to globally replicate direct conversation as a way to communicate ideas, that is when someone will suggest - "how about a podcast?" 4 mins 02 secs https://www.talkingleaders.com  

Paul and Kurt on why they want to share their thoughts on how podcasting can help leaders connect, engage and achieve true dialogue. https://www.talkingleaders.com