As we work on new episodes for 2021, I wanted to take a look back and review what were the Top 10 episodes from our podcast in 2020. Although last year was a very challenging year for so many of us, it was also a pivotal year for this leadership podcast. In addition to getting a brand new theme for my leadership podcast in 2020, we also continued to grow and expand the reach of this show as it was added to Deezer, Pandora, and just this past December, Audible.
As for this year, we already have some great guests already lined up to appear in upcoming episodes of “Leadership Biz Cafe” and I can’t wait to share their insights and our conversations on how to improve the way you lead. And if that wasn’t enough, I’m especially excited about the big milestone we’ll be reaching this year as we celebrate 10 years of the “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast this summer. Hard to believe I’ve been doing this show for that long.
In the meantime, here’s a look back at the Top 10 Leadership Biz Cafe episodes of 2020!
10. “All leaders need to figure out how they add value, how they get the right work done, and how they interact with people.”
– Wanda Wallace, former executive Vice President, Duke Corporate Education
In today’s increasingly complex workplaces, leaders need to be experts who can make the best decisions for their team. But how do you succeed at leadership over areas where your expertise is limited? That’s what I ask my guest, Wanda Wallace, in this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe“.
9. “Our ability to think critically is like a lighthouse shining a light through the fog of uncertainty COVID-19 has created, helping us find our way to safety and better times”
– Tanveer Naseer
I think it comes as little surprise that one of my episodes where I discuss COVID-19 and leadership made it onto this Top 10 list. In this episode, I tackle something many of us are still dealing with, namely what’s popularly known as “pandemic fatigue” and how it can impact our critical thinking skills. To shine a little bit of light in these challenging times, I share 3 simple steps you can take right now that will help you boost your critical thinking skills as we slowly work our way out of this global pandemic.
8. “The truth to succeeding at leadership is recognizing that it’s a never-ending journey of learning and discovery.”
– Tanveer Naseer
If someone were to ask you what 3 personal lessons do you attribute as being key to your success, what would you say? It’s a question I’ve been asked and I thought it would be fun to share what my answer was to this question in this 10th edition of Leadership Espresso Shot series.
7. “Think of storytelling like you would just about any other business skill, in that it’s something that you probably can and should learn.”
– Paul Smith, former executive, Proctor & Gamble
Many of us recognize the importance of storytelling in leadership to improve the way we communicate. But the truth is there’s more than one story that a leader should be able to tell at a moment’s notice in order to inspire, inform and provide direction to those they lead. So what are those different story types? That’s what I explore with my guest, Paul Smith, in this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe.
6. “Expressing gratitude through your leadership is a simple, but powerful way to remind your employees that they matter and how you value their contributions.”
– Tanveer Naseer
During challenging times, it’s critical that leaders boost their communication time to provide clarity and assurance to their employees. In this edition of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I make the case that it’s equally important for leaders to express more gratitude through their leadership when faced with uncertainty about the future.
5. “To cure a toxic workplace, you need the support of employees who can rally others to overcome their doubt and fears because they model that sense of optimism and hope that these changes will improve things.”
– Tanveer Naseer
One of the key responsibilities of leadership is to provide a workplace environment that encourages people to do their best work. In this edition of the Leadership Espresso Shot series for my leadership podcast, I share 4 steps that can help leaders cure a toxic workplace.
4. “Ultimately, your job as a manager – whether new or veteran – is to get things done through others. You do this by hiring great people, setting goals with them, and them getting out of their way.”
– Peter Economy, “The Leadership Guy’ columnist at Inc.
In many organizations, it can take up to 10 years before new leaders get leadership development training, leaving most to figure things out on their own. So what should new managers be paying more attention to? And what mistakes are they more likely to make? That’s what I discuss with my guest, Inc columnist Peter Economy, in this episode.
3. “One of your key purposes as a leader – to help elevate and build your teams so you can all go out and really do some great work.”
– Victoria Roos Olsson, senior leadership consultant, FranklinCovey
Most people who choose to become leaders do so with the best of intentions because they naturally want to succeed. So why is it still common to hear people saying they left not because of their organization, but because of their boss? That’s the question I get to the heart of with leadership expert Victoria Roos Olsson in this episode.
2. “People are an essential part of any strategy, and regenerating the talent pool is the single most important thing any leader can do to survive and prosper.”
– Sydney Finkelstein, Steven Roth Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
For most of us, the best leader we ever worked for not only led our team to succeed, but also helped us fulfill our career aspirations. So what is that ‘secret sauce’ that allowed these leaders to not only achieve their organization’s goals, but attract and grow employees under their care? That’s a question I’ll be putting to my guest, Professor Sydney Finkelstein, in this episode.
1. “The first job of a leader, our very first job, is to inspire trust. And our second job is to extend trust.”
– Stephen M.R. Covey
When it comes to leadership success, a key foundational stone is your ability to gain and foster trust within the organization. So why are we continuing to see low trust levels for those in leadership positions? What’s missing in our understanding about fostering trust? That’s one of the questions I ask my special guest, Stephen M.R. Covey in this episode of my leadership podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe“.