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Few workplace slogans sound as appealing as "bring your full self to work", and few are so rarely true. In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, leadership expert Niels Brabandt examines the emotional journey at work: the distance between who people are in private and who they are expected to be in their professional role. Niels Brabandt explains why most professionals bring only part of themselves to work, why this gap is not automatically a problem, and how the trade-off between pay, purpose, autonomy and personal values shapes every career decision. He shares examples from banking, sales and his own self-employed life, the story of a German board member who became a bus driver, and his view on visibility for LGBTQIA+ professionals. For leaders, the message is practical: acknowledge the emotional journey honestly, assess the trade-off with your people, and act early when the journey has become too long. Sustainable performance depends on it. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Introducing EZRA FRECH: "I Was Put on This Earth to Change the Way We See Disability" from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Ezra Frech shares the mindset, discipline, and determination that have shaped his career and led him to win two Paralympic gold medals. From turning heartbreak in Tokyo into motivation to using visualization and meditation to perform under pressure, Ezra reveals how he prepares for the biggest moments of his career. He also opens up about competing on Dancing With the Stars, breaking down misconceptions about disability, and founding Angel City Sports to make adaptive sports more accessible to the next generation. Instagram Teen Accounts: Built-in protections for teens. Learn More. At https://chase.com/sapphirereserve JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 01:20 "Pressure Doesn't Exist" 02:51 The Day Ezra Was Born 06:24 The 15-Hour Surgery At Age 3 11:15 The Kindergarten Letter 13:29 Learning To Handle The Stares 16:21 Overcoming Stigma And Bullying 23:18 Falling In Love With Sports 27:00 Changing Culture & Looking Ahead to LA 2028 31:09 Mentorship From Pau Gasol 33:56 A Message From Novak Djokovic 36:53 How Do You Define Confidence? 40:43 The Moment That Inspired His Paralympic Dream 44:35 Making Team USA At 14 48:41 How Running Blades Actually Work 52:09 Tokyo Heartbreak & "The Man In The Arena" 58:53 Visualizing Paris Gold Every Morning 01:04:50 Protecting His Good Leg 01:11:33 Winning Double Gold & The 20-Minute Rule 01:17:00 Meditation Under Pressure 01:20:34 A Lifelong Dream to Compete on Dancing With the Stars 01:24:14 Inside the Dancing With the Stars Family 01:27:19 Learning To Dance On A Blade 01:30:12 Pressure Is A Privilege 01:32:10 Making Adaptive Sports Mainstream 01:37:10 Ezra On Final 5 Episode Resources Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/ezrafrech/ TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@ezrafrech Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/teamezra05/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

"Silence is golden." But is it true for leaders? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc, expert in Sustainable Leadership, explains when leaders must speak and when strategic silence is the smarter choice. Using the current coalition talks after the Berlin election, the 2021 federal election and the debate about the rainbow flag on the Bundestag, Niels Brabandt shows how silence can strengthen a leader's position, why every statement has consequences, and why silence fails the moment someone asks you a direct question. You will learn three situations in which leaders should stay silent, why unanswered questions lead to damaging sense-making, and a three-step method for leadership communication: analysis, professional communications support and the benefit test. For executives, managers and decision-makers who want to communicate with impact and avoid statements they will regret. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Everyone has an opinion on AI, but how do leaders actually think better with it? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc speaks with Professor Nathan Mauck, Professor of Finance at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management, UMKC, and co-author of "AI Co-Thinking: A Framework for Working with AI". Nathan Mauck explains why prompt engineering is the wrong place to start, the difference between using AI and thinking with AI, and why the bigger risk of AI is not cheating but trusting output you cannot judge. He introduces a simple matrix of decision stakes and personal expertise, and shares practical first steps for leaders who feel they are already behind. For executives, managers and decision-makers who want to use AI to improve their judgement rather than replace it. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Should you scale revenue by hiring more salespeople? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc speaks with Bart Fanelli, CEO and co-founder of Skillibrium and former Chief Revenue Officer of OutSystems, about sustainable success in go-to-market strategies. Bart Fanelli explains why adding sales capacity before fixing the operating model fails, how his team reduced field capacity by almost 20 per cent and still met its board commitment, why emotional decisions slow founder-led companies down, and why mass AI outreach erodes customer trust in the enterprise. You will also learn how to win over reluctant founders by selling internally, and why skip-level, forward-ready communication makes executives successful. For executives, founders, sales leaders and revenue leaders who want growth that lasts. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

What is your decision based on? Many leaders answer that question with seniority: "I have twenty years of experience." In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt explains why experience and anecdotes are a starting point, not a foundation, and how leaders can move from what someone heard to what the data actually shows. Drawing on the 2026 film Pressure, Niels Brabandt revisits June 1944, when meteorologist James Stagg persuaded General Eisenhower to postpone D-Day by one day. Stagg's forecast was backed by data; the competing forecast relied on historical precedent. The storm arrived exactly as predicted, and the landings succeeded in a narrow window between two weather systems. Business decision-makers will learn: Why anecdotes matter, and why stopping at them is dangerous How to test the "our competitor does everything with AI" claim before investing Why the time available determines the standard of evidence you should demand What Eisenhower's "in case of failure" note teaches about accountability How to build decisions that are sustainable, not merely convenient A practical, evidence-based episode for executives, managers and anyone responsible for decisions that matter. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Why do employees remember one bad moment with their leader for years, even when everything else went well? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, leadership expert Niels Brabandt breaks down the concept of emotional markers, the lasting impressions that determine how much trust, effort and loyalty people offer their leadership going forward. Using a real-world case involving a retroactively deducted expense claim, Niels Brabandt shows how quickly recognition can turn into resentment, why externalisation, shifting blame onto policy or other departments, deepens every negative emotional marker, and where exactly the line runs between management and genuine leadership. He also distinguishes emotional markers from somatic markers, the physical decision-making theory developed by Antonio Damasio, and references Professor Dr. Volker Nürnberg's research on the connection between leadership quality and workforce sickness rates. Essential listening for any leader who wants to understand why commitment can never be a one-way street. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Why do so many executives say values matter, only to abandon them the moment things get economically uncomfortable? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc draws a sharp line between management and leadership, explains why real leadership only reveals itself under pressure using the cautionary example of Deutsche Bahn's Black Zero, and argues why staying silent on free, equal and human rights for commercial reasons is not neutrality but cowardice. Drawing on a personal experience at Zukunft Personal in Cologne, this episode makes the business case for why organisations that hold their values under pressure consistently outperform those that abandon them. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Why do organisations need a travel policy at all, and why do so many of them fail? In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc explains why categories based on travel frequency and role are necessary, why the assumption that any bed guarantees rest is an expensive myth, and why the concept of relatability determines whether employees trust a travel policy or quietly resist it. Drawing on real examples from trade fair season around Zukunft Personal in Cologne, Niels Brabandt shows business decision-makers how to control travel costs without destroying the motivation and loyalty of the people who do the travelling. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

For the first time in thirty five years, children in the United States have died of measles, a direct consequence of misinformation about vaccines taking hold. In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, host Niels Brabandt explains why misinformation is not simply a social media problem but a genuine operational risk for every organisation. He unpacks why an opinion is never a substitute for evidence, why freedom of opinion does not mean freedom from consequence, and why the ongoing qualification of employees has become a non-negotiable leadership duty. Using real world cases, including a senior doctor dismissed for spreading racist misinformation, Niels Brabandt sets out a practical, evidence-based approach for business decision-makers to protect their organisations from the damage misinformation can cause. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

In episode 2 of this 12-part series, host Niels Brabandt continues his conversation with Dr. Adrian Wolfberg, author of Who Leads When AI Thinks, on who actually leads when humans and AI work together. Dr. Adrian Wolfberg argues that leadership is determined not by which is more capable, but by the nature of the problem itself, assessed across familiarity, complexity, and ethical weight, plus a hidden fourth dimension: time. A practical, framework-driven episode for business decision-makers rethinking how leadership works inside AI-enabled organisations. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

Great leaders are supposed to be great communicators, yet Germany's recent sugar tax debacle around Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil shows how quickly an unclear message spirals into a public relations crisis. In this episode of The Leadership Podcast, host Niels Brabandt breaks down why the outcome of any communication is decided by the audience receiving it, not the leader sending it, and why leaving gaps in a message invites sense-making that leaders cannot control. Using real world examples, including Volkswagen's far clearer handling of a difficult announcement, Niels Brabandt explains the concept of communicating in closed circles, a practical discipline every business decision-maker can apply immediately to protect their organisation's reputation and trust. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

In the finale of this 12-part series, Niels Brabandt and Dr. Adrian Wolfberg, author of Who Leads When AI Thinks, distil eleven episodes into a practical implementation checklist for business leaders. Dr. Adrian Wolfberg explains why the right first question is not how do we implement AI, but how should leadership change because AI exists, and sets out five concrete actions every leader can take now. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

In episode 11 of this 12-part series, Niels Brabandt and Dr. Adrian Wolfberg, author of Who Leads When AI Thinks, move from concept to implementation. Dr. Adrian Wolfberg explains why most AI initiatives fail for behavioural, not technical, reasons, and names three recurring organisational errors, framing errors, alignment errors, and suppression errors, that leaders need to watch for. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/

In episode 10 of this 12-part series, Niels Brabandt and Dr. Adrian Wolfberg, author of Who Leads When AI Thinks, introduce boundary crossing, the competency for connecting experts across silos. Dr. Adrian Wolfberg explains the counterintuitive risk that AI can widen organisational silos rather than closing them, unless leaders deliberately reconnect the people inside them. Host: Niels Brabandt / [email protected] Contact Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandt's Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandt's Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/