Business Acumen vs Leadership: Which One Drives Performance?

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1. 

   4 Oct 2026 · 5 min

   Be Clear With Your People... For THEIR Sake | Moment 193

   When was the last time you told one of your people exactly where they stood? If you can't remember, this Moment's for you. Your people deserve the truth, even when it's the last thing they want to hear… and the last thing you want to tell them. If you want to take a deeper dive into why you should tell your people what they need to hear, have a listen to Ep.329: Don't Feed Your People's Delusion . Links mentioned: - Episode 329, Don't Feed Your People's Delusion: https://www.yourceomentor.com/episode329 - Related episode 348, How to Overcome Your Fear of Feedback:…

2. 

   S1 · E427 · 29 Sep 2026 · 17 min

   Why Transformations Fail: 5 Reasons, and 3 Ways to Cope When It's Done to You

   Most transformations don't transform all that much. They cost a lot of money, they suck a huge amount of the organisation's time and energy, and no one really checks to see if the benefits were ever delivered. If you're not on the executive team, the whole thing just happens to you. But in reality, you're not as powerless as you might think. In this episode, I dig into what transformation really is, why so few programs actually earn that label and, most importantly, why so many transformations fail. I unpack a recent cover story from Harvard Business Review on the false alignment trap ,…

3. 

   27 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   How to Fix a Team Performance Slump: 3 Cracks to Check First | Moment 192

   You may think that rolling up your sleeves and doing your team’s work is leading from the front. But it’s actually a bad habit that’s diluting your people’s capability. Every time you get involved in the nitty gritty of your people’s work, you’re trading away the opportunity to build capability for achieving a fast, high-quality result. The job at every level is different. You need to be clear on what your job is, and you need to stay in your lane and do it! If you want to take a deeper dive into how to support your team without robbing them of the opportunity to build their skill and…

4. 

   S1 · E425 · 22 Sep 2026 · 20 min

   5 Reasons Why One-on-Ones Are Your Secret Weapon

   Airbnb CEO, Brian Chesky says he doesn't believe in one-on-ones. I couldn’t disagree more, so in this episode I show you why sometimes, even the best CEOs get this one wrong. Chesky says the 1:1 model is flawed. Not only does he not do them, but he asserted that almost no great CEO does either . To support his point, he quoted Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, backing a similar view. Here's the problem: I think it's wrong. Not a little bit wrong, but fundamentally wrong for the vast majority of leaders who aren't running a flat, product-driven tech company. I spent thirty years perfecting the…

5. 

   20 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   Leaders, Should You Roll Your Sleeves Up? | Moment 191

   You may think that rolling up your sleeves and doing your team’s work is leading from the front. But it’s actually a bad habit that’s diluting your people’s capability. Every time you get involved in the nitty gritty of your people’s work, you’re trading away the opportunity to build capability for achieving a fast, high-quality result. The job at every level is different. You need to be clear on what your job is, and you need to stay in your lane and do it! If you want to take a deeper dive into how to support your team without robbing them of the opportunity to build their skill and…

6. 

   13 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   Power Doesn't Corrupt: It Reveals | Moment 190

   Some leaders remain uncorrupted, despite the fact that they move into increasingly powerful positions. But there are others who, at every turn, leverage whatever power they have to further their own self-interest. A leader who abuses their power wasn’t corrupted by it: they’re just using the power they have, in a way that’s entirely consistent with the person they’ve always been. If you want to take a deeper dive into the dynamics of leadership power, have a listen to Ep.5: Using Power Wisely . ———————— You can connect with me at: Website: https://www.yourceomentor.com Facebook:…

7. 

   8 Sep 2026 · 4 min

   How To Give Great Feedback | Moment 189

   Your ability to give quality feedback is one of the biggest predictors of leadership success. But many leaders never master the art of difficult conversations. Like many things in leadership, business, and life, nothing beats taking consistent, focused action. In this Moment, I give you 6 tips to get you off the starting line, and build your confidence quickly. If you want to take a deeper dive into the art of giving feedback, have a listen to Ep.22: Feedback Made Easy . ———————— The 7 Leadership Blind Spots, one a day: 1. Drive Accountability. Do people deliver for you, or do they make…

8. 

   S1 · E424 · 7 Sep 2026 · 15 min

   How to Stay Calm Under Pressure: 6 Signs Your Team Knows

   You may think that you’re highly resilient, an expert at staying calm under pressure… but your team could be experiencing something completely different. They're the ones who see your lack of composure. If you panic, that leaks onto your team. And every minute they spend managing your mood is a minute they don't spend delivering results. This is the final instalment in our 7-part series, recut from a live workshop I ran called Stop Rescuing Your Underperformers . I've been looking at one leadership blind spot each day. There's a person on your team who isn't delivering, and the premise I'm…

9. 

   S1 · E423 · 6 Sep 2026 · 9 min

   How to Make Decisions Faster: 6 Signs They're Waiting on You

   When you hesitate on an important decision, it’s rarely due to missing data or insufficient consultation. It's more likely because you're afraid of getting it wrong. And as long as you delay, your people have to wait. There may be a whole string of decisions below you that can’t be made until you make yours… and if your people have to wait too long, they may just stop chasing you. This is Day 6 of a 7-part series, recut from a live workshop I ran called Stop Rescuing Your Underperformers . I'm looking at one leadership blind spot each day. There's a person on your team who isn't delivering,…

10. 

    S1 · E422 · 5 Sep 2026 · 11 min

    How to Lead in Uncertainty: 6 Signs Your Team Is Frozen

    One of your critical jobs as a leader is to absorb the ambiguity that you’re facing, and turn that into certainty for your people. If you can’t do that, your team will freeze; and a frozen team just looks like an underperforming team. This is Day 5 of a 7-part series, recut from a live workshop I ran called Stop Rescuing Your Underperformers . I'm looking at one leadership blind spot each day. There's a person on your team who isn't delivering, and the premise I'm exploring this week is that they're more likely to be a symptom of the problem, rather than the root cause of it. Underperformers…