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with Alec Pearson. What happens when everyone follows the process, does exactly what they are supposed to do, and the problem still isn’t solved? That is where ownership gets interesting. In this episode Alec Pearson explores what happens when responsibility is spread across teams, functions and organisations, but nobody is truly accountable for the outcome. A recent experience with a serious mechanical failure brought the issue into sharp focus. Everyone involved appeared to have a role. Everyone had a process. Everyone could explain what they had done. And yet one question remained: Who actually owned the outcome? It is a pattern that appears inside many organisations more often than we might like to admit. Problems are handed over, escalated, logged and passed on. Everyone can point to their part of the process. But the problem itself can remain unresolved. In this episode, I explore: The difference between responsibility and genuine accountabilityWhy following the process is not the same as owning the outcomeWhen judgement and leadership need to take over from processWhat leaders should ask about ownership across their organisation Because organisations can become very good at processing problems. The real test of leadership is what happens when somebody recognises that the process is no longer enough. And if everybody owns a piece of the process, there is always a risk that nobody owns the problem. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson. What happens when everyone around the leadership table has a perfectly reasonable case and the business still can’t move? Sales wants growth. Finance wants to protect cash. Operations is already stretched. HR is looking at capability. Risk wants stronger controls. Nobody is obviously wrong, but that is precisely the problem. Alec explores one of the harder realities of senior leadership: the decisions where there is no clean answer, no obvious villain and no neat framework to hide behind. As planning season begins, the challenge is not always deciding what matters. Sometimes it is deciding what matters more. In this episode: Why good leadership teams can still get stuck even when everyone around the table has a reasonable caseWhat changes when senior leaders stop defending their function and start thinking about the whole enterpriseWhy some of the hardest leadership decisions are not between right and wrong, but between competing versions of right If your leadership team is busy, capable and working hard, but the organisation still feels harder to move than it should, this episode is worth your time. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Joseph McGuire. Joseph McGuire has spent a career learning to read people — three decades as a therapist before moving into executive communication, behavioural profiling and leadership development. Through his company, Clearsight Communications, he now helps leaders understand human behaviour, build trust, and hear what's really being said. We tend to think communication is about how well we speak. Joseph thinks it's the other way round. The leaders who truly understand a room usually aren't the ones doing the talking — they're the ones who can hear what isn't being said. In this episode, Alec Pearson sits down with Joseph to explore listening as a leadership skill almost nobody is actually taught. Not the "active listening" box-tick — but hearing tone, hesitation, the gaps, and everything a person's body says while their words say something else. As Joseph puts it, communication begins before a word is spoken. For senior leaders, and anyone building toward that seat, it may be the most underrated skill you own. In this conversation: Why the higher you rise, the more your listening can quietly slipThe one simple question that pulled a struggling company back from the brinkWhat an ancient way of reading people reveals about the skill we keep getting wrongWhy the sharpest leaders treat a hire almost like an interrogation — and the failure rate that proves the pointHow to catch the exact moment someone's words and their body stop agreeingThe kind of presence that commands a room without ever raising a voice If you've ever walked out of a conversation certain you missed something, this one's for you. You can connect with Joseph McGuire and Clearsight Communications on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-mcguire-face-facts/ Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes - wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson and Dr Calvin Lightbody. In Part 1, Alec and Calvin took apart the comfortable version of wellbeing - the fruit bowls, the tick-box initiatives - and named the warning signs leaders are so good at driving past. This time it gets personal. Because there's a harder question sitting underneath all of it: what's really happening to the high achiever who keeps pushing long after the tank is empty? When we feel stuck, the instinct is to work harder. Calvin has watched where that leads - in senior clinicians, in managers, in himself. There's a concept from healthcare that explains it better than any wellbeing survey ever could: the slow, repeated wear that cracks even the strongest people, one small pressure at a time, until something gives. It has a name most leaders have never heard, and once you understand it, you start seeing it everywhere. Including in yourself. We explore: When you feel stuck, why is working harder so often the wrong move, and what's really hiding underneath it?What quietly gets worse the higher you climb, not better, and why does no one at the top talk about it?There's a kind of damage that builds up one small knock at a time. What is it, and why isn't it just a healthcare problem?If you've recognised yourself in any of this, what's the one thing to do tomorrow morning? If you've been holding it together for longer than you'd care to admit, this one is worth your time. To submit an anonymous question for discussion in part 3, visit: Beyond Leading: Ask Calvin & Alec – Fill in form Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes - wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson and Dr Calvin Lightbody. Every organisation says it takes wellbeing seriously. The fruit bowl, the yoga session, the mindfulness app someone signed everyone up to. And yet the people carrying the most keep quietly running on empty. Not because the perks aren't pleasant, but because almost none of it touches the thing that's actually wearing them down. What if most of what your organisation calls wellbeing isn't wellbeing at all? There's a difference between wellness and wellbeing that most leaders have never stopped to notice, and once you see it, you can't unsee how much of the well-meaning stuff misses the point. Calvin has watched it play out on the front line of an emergency department, and what he's learned there lands in every high-stakes workplace. Including yours. We explore: What's the difference between wellness and wellbeing, and why does mixing them up cost you more than you think?Could your wellbeing initiatives actually be making things worse rather than better?Why do the strongest, most capable people so often drive straight past their own warning signs?What's the one question Calvin believes every leader should ask themselves on Monday morning, that almost none of them do? If you lead people, and you care whether they thrive or just survive, this one is worth your time. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes - wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson. After 19 honest conversations with leaders, founders and coaches working in very different worlds, the same themes kept appearing. Questions about identity, energy, trust, change and what really happens when leadership becomes personal. Why do some leaders know exactly what needs to change, yet still do nothing about it? And what are the questions that leadership keeps asking, regardless of role, sector or experience? In this 20th episode, Alec Pearson looks back across the first six months of Beyond Leading to explore the recurring themes that have shaped the podcast so far, what those conversations have reinforced for him personally, and why knowing what to do is rarely the same as being ready to do it. We explore: Why does leadership become more personal the further up you go?What happens when reflection is constantly squeezed out by the diary?Why can knowing the right thing still fail to change our behaviour?How do energy, trust and self-awareness affect the way we lead?What have 19 very different conversations revealed about the reality of leadership? If you lead people, carry responsibility or find yourself knowing what needs to change but still not acting on it, this episode is worth your time. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Tiffany David and Graham Da Costa Change is no longer a one-off event, it's the constant backdrop of working life. New technology, shifting client expectations, the rise of AI. And yet most change programmes still fail. Not because the strategy was wrong, but because of something far more human. What if the real problem is that your people don't think there's a problem at all? You can't sell a solution to someone who doesn't believe anything is broken, and that one insight, borrowed from the world of addiction psychology, might explain more failed change programmes than any strategy document ever will. We explore: Why do so many change programmes fail before they've even started?What's the one question Graham put to leaders that stopped most of them in their tracks?When your team asks "what's in it for me?" - do you actually have an answer?Could your people already be ready for more change than you think? If you lead a team through change, and every leader does, this one is worth your time. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes - wherever you listen.

with Nick Sellers, Tiffany Barnard and Ellen Putz. In this episode of Beyond Leading, Nick Sellers takes the host's chair and is joined by Tiffany Barnard and Ellen Putz. The topic: team leadership. And the conversation goes a lot further than the textbook version. Because the way teams are led has changed. The old hierarchical, fear-based, command-and-control playbook is being replaced by something very different, and not every leader is keeping up. We explore: what really sits at the heart of every effective team, and what most leaders still get wrongthe line between leading and managing, and why it matters more than people thinkthe trap most people fall into when they go from doer to leaderwhy people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders If you lead a team, or you want to, this is a conversation worth sitting with. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson and Lucy Nicholson, Registered Somatic Movement Educator and Movement Analyst. In this episode of Beyond Leading, we explore an approach to leadership that most people have never come across, and once you hear it, you will not be able to unsee it. Somatic leadership. Most leadership development focuses on what we think, what we say and how we behave. Very little focuses on what our body is doing, and what it is telling us, in the moments that matter most. Lucy Nicholson brings a fascinating and genuinely different perspective to this conversation, rooted in years of working with leaders, communities and organisations on the power of bodily awareness. We explore: what somatic leadership actually is, and why most leaders have never considered itwhat the connection between mind and body has to do with how you leadwhy the pressure leaders carry shows up in the body, and what to do about itwhat happens when you give yourself permission to pause, ground and resethow something as simple as the way you carry yourself can change how others respond to youthe role of stillness and silence as leadership tools, not indulgencesand what one leader discovered when she stopped trying to be heard and started leading differently If you have ever felt the weight of leadership in your body without knowing what to do with it, this episode will give you a completely new way of thinking about it. To find out more about Lucy's work visit www.in-movement.co.uk or find her on LinkedIn. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Nick Sellers and Tiffany Barnard. In this episode of Beyond Leading, we tackle something every leader, manager and professional quietly struggles with, but rarely talks about honestly - Procrastination. This conversation challenges some of the most common assumptions people make about why they put things off. It is not about laziness. It is not about poor time management. And it is not always a bad thing. We explore: what procrastination really is, and what it is notwhere the line is between putting something off and genuinely thinking it throughthe role perfectionism and self-doubt play and why most people never make the connectionwhy some leaders actually need stress to get things done, and whether that is a good thingthe practical approaches that help, and why some popular advice misses the markwhat procrastination reveals about how leaders ask for help If you have ever found yourself doing everything except the one thing you actually need to do - this episode is for you. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson and Rich Carter, Chief Growth Officer and President of Advanced Programs at Albers Aerospace. In this episode of Beyond Leading, we sit down with a leader who operates at the sharp end of one of the most fast-moving, high-stakes industries in the world: aerospace and defence. The world leaders are operating in right now is faster, more complex and more unpredictable than anything most leadership textbooks prepared us for. So what does it actually take to lead well in that environment? We explore: why speed has become the defining leadership challenge of our timehow to lead from the front when the plan changes before the day has even startedwhy banning the word "I" might be one of the most powerful cultural shifts a leader can makethe frozen middle and how to thaw itwhether the old leadership playbook needs throwing out or simply evolvinghow to think about AI as a tool, not a threat, and what that means for your peoplegenerational differences, reverse mentoring and why diverse teams move fasterand what to say to the leader who is tired, overwhelmed and wondering where to start This is a practical, honest conversation from someone who has done it, and is still doing it. About Rich Carter Rich Carter is Chief Growth Officer and President of Advanced Programs at Albers Aerospace. With over 20 years of executive leadership experience, he drives revenue generation, business development, and customer relationships serving the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Pentagon, international partners, and commercial entities. Previously, Rich held executive roles at MAG Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master of Science from Stony Brook University. About Albers Aerospace Albers Aerospace is a proud company built by Warfighters and committed teammates who share a deep passion for serving the Nation. For the past decade, the company has delivered exceptional value across its Industrials, Defense, and Advanced Programs sectors — operating with a People First, Mission Always mindset. Through its Industrials division, Albers provides vertically integrated, full-spectrum manufacturing capabilities that strengthen the aerospace and defense industrial base. In Defense, the company delivers products and services within complex, multi-security environments — ensuring readiness, reliability, and mission success. Through Advanced Programs, Albers solves emerging challenges with agility, innovation, and technical precision. Albers Aerospace exists to make a difference — for the country, for the men and women who serve it, and for the future of aerospace and defense. The team brings operational insight, engineering excellence, and an unwavering commitment to quality in everything they do. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Tiffany David and Graham Da Costa. Emotional intelligence. Two words that have been talked about, trained, workshopped and plastered on LinkedIn until they mean almost nothing. So why are we talking about it? Because most of what you've heard about EQ only scratches the surface. It isn't a personality type. And it definitely isn't something you either have or you don't. In this episode of Beyond Leading, we get underneath it, the real, unfiltered version of emotional intelligence that shows up in how you lead, how you connect, and how you read the room when it actually matters. We explore: why 85% of us are less self-aware than we think we are — and what that's costing ushow your triggers, your energy and your values are shaping every relationship you have, whether you know it or notwhy face-to-face connection does something Zoom never willthe assumptions quietly destroying your team relationshipsand whether the next generation of leaders are arriving in the workplace with an EQ gap nobody is talking about This isn't another definition of emotional intelligence. It's a challenge to how you think about it. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Tiffany Barnard and Nick Sellers. In this episode of Beyond Leading, we explore a question that sits at the heart of leadership, growth and change: Can we gain from pain? When does discomfort lead to progress, and when does it simply wear us down? How much of what we call “pain” is really fear, stretch, uncertainty or anticipation? And what happens when the very thing we are avoiding may be the thing that helps us grow? We explore: the difference between positive stretch and toxic pressurewhy growth so often feels uncomfortablehow leaders, coaches and individuals can think more carefully about what challenge is useful - and what challenge is too much.fear, self-labelling, resilience, public speaking, personal growth, team developmentthe role of coaching in helping people move beyond the beliefs and experiences that keep them stuck. If you are navigating change, supporting others through growth, or trying to understand the difference between discomfort that develops you and pressure that drains you, this episode will give you plenty to reflect on. Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson, Nick Sellers and Gemma Dawe. When you hear “starting a business during Covid”, it’s easy to assume it was a brave leap. But sometimes it isn’t a leap at all, it’s being kicked off a cliff and choosing to build on the way down. In this episode Alec and Nick speak to Gemma, a business owner who launched a specialist relocation and buying-agent service in September 2020, right in the middle of uncertainty, restrictions, and a property market behaving in ways nobody could predict. What follows is a conversation about how credibility is really built. Not through polish, shortcuts, or having the perfect plan, but through consistency, trust, and staying in your lane when distractions start shouting. We discuss: • Redundancy as a trigger and what it takes to act before you feel “ready” • The buyer’s perspective, and the psychology behind major decisions • Building credibility through consistency, opinion, and trust • Staying in your lane: opportunity vs distraction • Time, boundaries, and networking as a long game Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.

with Alec Pearson. In this solo episode, Alec reflects on something many leaders are quietly feeling but struggling to name - why leadership feels heavier, even when nothing is technically “wrong”. Drawing on his recent Aftershock Era series on The Strategic Leader on Substack, Alec explores how accumulated pressure, rather than dramatic crisis, is shaping decision-making, energy and strategic clarity across organisations. In this conversation Alec explores: Why leadership can feel heavier even in the absence of visible crisisThe difference between tired teams and thinning teams - and why it mattersHow soft burnout quietly affects judgement, not just wellbeingWhy organisations can be busy yet feel like nothing is really movingThe subtle shift from strategic growth to cultural cautionHow external fragmentation and AI acceleration are thinning the signal leaders rely onThe difference between decisions made from clarity and decisions driven by pressureA simple discipline to restore focus, capacity and momentum when drift sets in If you’re a CEO, founder, partner or senior leader sensing that something feels slightly off - not broken, just heavier - this episode offers language, structure and reflection to help you regain orientation. For the deeper thinking behind this episode, explore the full Aftershock series on The Strategic Leader on Substack: https://thestrategicleader.substack.com Follow Beyond Leading on LinkedIn for episode clips and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-leading-podcast Follow/subscribe to Beyond Leading for new episodes — wherever you listen.