Podcast appearances and mentions of Timothy R Clark

What if your instinct to control change is exactly what's breaking trust with your team? In this episode, we uncover the two most common failure patterns in change management: smuggling and muscling. These covert and coercive tactics might deliver short-term results—but at the cost of long-term commitment, culture, and credibility. If you're ready to stop managing change at your team and start leading it with them, this episode is for you.

What if the stability you're working so hard to protect is actually what's holding your team back? In this episode, we explore the Stability-Stress Paradox — the idea that too much comfort can quietly stall innovation, weaken resilience, and prevent growth. If you want your team to not just survive adversity, but bounce forward because of it, this conversation is for you.Download the guide here: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/the-resilient-team-playbook-5-steps-for-managers

How do you create a team culture where people actually speak up — even when it's uncomfortable? In this episode, we explore the power of constructive dissent and how it fuels innovation, better decisions, and stronger teams. Learn the 4-step process for productive disagreement, why leaders often struggle with dissent, and how to turn conflict into your team's secret weapon.Harvard Business Review Article: https://hbr.org/2025/02/how-constructive-dissent-can-unlock-your-teams-innovation

Is leadership really about power, popularity, and success? Many people think they know what makes a great leader, but the truth is more complex. This episode unpacks some of the biggest leadership misconceptions and reveals why the qualities we often associate with leadership may not be what actually matter.

AI is changing the workplace faster than ever, and L&D leaders have a first-mover obligation to introduce AI effectively. In this episode, we explore why waiting for organizational adoption is a mistake, how fear stifles innovation, and three practical steps for navigating AI in leadership.

Emotional regulation is one of the most critical leadership skills—but also one of the hardest to master. In this episode, Tim and Junior break down how leaders can stay composed in the face of dissent and bad news, why emotional responses shape workplace culture, and practical strategies to strengthen self-regulation.Key Takeaways: ✔️ Why dissent and bad news are leadership landmines ✔️ How unregulated emotions lead to toxic cultures ✔️ Strategies to handle tough conversations with confidence ✔️ Creating psychological safety in your team ✔️ The power of pausing before reacting

The majority of CEOs don't know how to create maximum organizational leverage through the transfer of autonomy to their people. Without autonomy, teams feel suffocated. Without accountability, they fall apart. How do you find the right balance?In this episode, hosts Tim and Junior unveil the 4 biggest leadership mistakes that destroy accountability, detail how to gradually transfer autonomy without losing control, and share practical steps to ensure that teams own their work and deliver results.

There is something in your management style that is limiting your team and ultimately your organization. How do you spot the symptoms of coaching derailers, such as communication issues, emotional reactivity, and micromanagement? In this episode, we give you the tools to spot the symptoms and actionable tips to close your coaching gaps and change your coaching style.Episode Chapters1:34 - Introduction to Coaching Derailers3:54 - The Role of Self-Awareness in Coaching6:44 - The Two Levers of Leadership: Modeling and Coaching9:04 - Understanding Coaching Derailers13:49 - Behavioral Symptoms of Coaching Derailers18:24 - The Consequences of Poor Coaching Skills21:44 - Practical Strategies for Communication Issues26:04 - Managing Emotional Reactivity30:14 - Fostering Engagement and Focus34:44 - Encouraging Autonomy Through Inquiry38:04 - Closing Thoughts and Takeaways✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/the-4-coaching-derailers-that-are-ruining-your-career

Are you naturally drawn to leadership or management? While these roles complement and compete with each other, they require careful balance based on need and circumstance. Knowing when to sustain the status quo or catalyze change is essential for success. In this podcast episode, Tim and Junior explore four practical frameworks to help you balance accountability with meaningful relationships. They explain how thoughtful application of both leadership and management can strengthen team dynamics. Why does this matter? Striking the right balance has the power to transform the way you lead and manage each day.✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/what-it-takes-to-turn-managers-into-leaders

Employees stuck in a survival response will never feel safe enough to innovate. This episode reveals how fear-based management impacts creativity, turnover, and organizational success, backed by insights from leading research. Learn why punished vulnerability leads to stagnation and how psychological safety is the key to unlocking bold ideas and collaboration.Explore practical strategies leaders can use to eradicate fear, foster trust, empower teams, and drive meaningful innovation across their organizations.Episode Chapters01:19 - Introduction: Why Fear Is the Enemy of Innovation04:16 - Consistent Innovation Is a Cultural Outcome07:37 - The Cost of Fear in the Workplace15:22 - Understanding the Fear Button: The Role of Psychological Safety22:00 - Autonomic Nervous System Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze25:09 - The Hidden Pain of Toxic Workplaces✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/fear-vs-innovation-how-toxic-cultures-kill-organizations

Legacy cultures stifle innovation, drain talent, and hurt your customer experience. In this video, we'll break down practical steps to identify the root causes of resistance, reframe outdated mindsets, and implement strategies that drive cultural evolution. Learn how to identify the symptoms of a legacy culture, protect against its common causes, and balance respect for the past with the need for growth.✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/how-to-overcome-a-legacy-cultureEpisode Chapters:(01:25) - Episode Start(01:30) - What is a Legacy Culture?(05:29) - The Top Symptoms of a Legacy Culture(08:16) - Why Success Creates Inertia and Complacency(12:34) - The Problem with Leadership Continuity(14:00) - How Risk-Aversion Fossilizes Culture(21:13) - Consequences of a Legacy Culture(28:28) - 3 Steps to Overcoming the Past

How do you influence organizational change when you don't have budget authority or decision-making power? In this week's episode of The Leader Factor, hosts Tim and Junior outline the most effective way to introduce a cultural change initiative to an organization. The formula includes four steps: (1) Maximize the dream outcome for L&D leaders, (2) Maximize the perceived likelihood of achievement, (3) Minimize time delay, and (4) Minimize the effort and sacrifice involved in the initiative. Episode Chapters:(01:20) - Episode Start(02:13) - The Enterprise Barriers to Change Management(04:25) - 5 Common Roadblocks to Cultural Change(07:25) - The Dream Outcome for L&D Leaders(11:25) - What's the Perceived Likelihood of Achievement?(14:15) - How to Minimize Time Delay(21:35) - Understanding the Effort and Sacrifice InvolvedDownload the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/influencing-up-how-to-effectively-change-organizational-cultureWatch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ix_f3hvcfbo

In this episode, we break down what non-HR executives need to understand about the critical role of psychological safety in building high-performing, innovative teams. For HR and L&D leaders, this conversation is essential to influencing executive buy-in and driving culture by design.Discover how psychological safety impacts 10 key business outcomes—like customer experience, employee engagement, and innovation—and why it's more than just an HR initiative. Learn actionable strategies to create an environment where vulnerability is rewarded, not punished, and where your teams can consistently execute and innovate.Episode Chapters:01:24 - Episode Start04:50 - 10 Business Outcomes of Psychological Safety14:05 - The Moral Argument18:21 - The Performance Argument31:10 - The Consequences of Low Psychological Safety✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/what-non-hr-execs-need-to-know-about-psychological-safety

70% of change management programs fail to meet their objectives, and cultural change programs have even higher mortality rates. Psychological safety initiatives aren't immune to this phenomenon.  Luckily, the failure patterns aren't mysterious. In this episode, organizational anthropologist and executive leadership coach Timothy R. Clark shares the 6 failure pitfalls of large-scale cultural initiatives, how to spot them, and what to do about them.Episode Chapters:01:19 - Episode Start06:11 - Failure Pattern 1: Lack of Executive Buy-In11:46 - Failure Pattern 2: Grassroots Approach19:23 - Failure Pattern 3: A-La-Carte or Opt-In Programs22:51 - Failure Pattern 4: Build vs. Buy Miscalculation 27:26 - Failure Pattern 5: Poor Content Choice31:11 - Failure Pattern 6: No Follow-ThroughDownload the resources from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/6-pitfalls-of-large-scale-psychological-safety-initiatives

Fear is the biggest inhibitor of organizational success. Join us as we explore 3 practical strategies for dismantling fear-based barriers, fostering a culture of psychological safety, and driving transformative change.Episode Chapters:02:08 - Fear is part of our everyday lives04:10 - The biggest organizational fear statistics and data08:00 - Fear is a natural biological response, what happens when we trigger it?13:24 -  Types of organizational fear and how to spot them22:36 - Fear breaks the feedback loop30:57 - Practical Strategy #1: Monitor your emotional response to dissent and bad news.35:51 - Practical Strategy #2: Give updates when there are no updates.40:42 - Practical Strategy #3: Provide air cover in exchange for candor.✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/overcoming-organizational-fear-in-3-practical-stepsOr watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/amgKr7dvbk0?si=zv92Jh2O1t18gMo4

When Google set out to discover what makes a high-performing team in 2012, researchers expected to uncover a set of individual demographics, characteristics, or personality traits that made each team great. What they realized, however, was that it was the interactions of a team that determined its effectiveness. But while Google's Project Aristotle made the critical link between psychological safety and high performance, their research did little to teach leaders how to foster psychological safety on their teams. In this podcast episode, our hosts give you the practical tools you need to put Project Aristotle's findings into actual practice.Episode Chapters:01:28 - The Research Premise06:56 - The Findings12:40 - Psychological Safety as a Unifying Term15:55 - Project Aristotle's Shortcomings17:12 - Psychological Safety's Behavioral Mechanism23:56 - The L.I.V.E. Model for Teams 28:43 - The 4 Stages of Psychological SafetyFor the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xLsOjAsUbZoOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/what-you-need-to-know-about-project-aristotle

If you want to implement a psychological safety initiative in your organization, you'll need to explain what psychological safety isn't. Why? Because your culture won't change unless it's built on a shared understanding.Psychological safety isn't artificial niceness or a lack of accountability. Unless you clarify, stakeholders might think it's a gimmick or dismiss it because of the baggage of the implied definition of the term. They'll need to know what psychological safety isn't, along with what it is.On this week's episode of The Leader Factor, hosts Tim and Junior share the top 7 misconceptions of psychological safety and what to do about them.Episode Chapters(00:45) Start(03:53) Psychological safety isn't a shield from accountability.(05:06) Psychological safety isn't niceness. (06:30) Psychological safety isn't coddling. (07:55) Psychological safety isn't consensus decision-making. (09:45) Psychological safety isn't unearned autonomy. (13:28) Psychological safety isn't political correctness.(14:30) Psychological safety isn't rhetorical reassurance.  (16:26) Identifying The 4 Stages of Psychological SafetyFor the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2cr1E4neXGIOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/7-things-psychological-safety-is-not

What are the HR best practices when it comes to toxic leadership? Should you coach the leaders? Or should you fire them? When it comes to toxicity, organizations often wait too long to get involved. Learn how to identify the symptoms of poor leadership and intervention strategies to preserve and protect your teams' cultural health.Episode Chapters:00:00 - Start00:40 - How common is toxicity in the workplace?04:07 - Toxicity is a spectrum of influence.11:48 - The definition of a toxic leader.13:55 - Identifying two types of toxic leaders.17:57 - Two organizational failure patterns.23:26 - Intervention strategies for both types of toxic leaders.✅ Download the resources/slides from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/what-to-do-with-a-toxic-leaderOr watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/18zfabFNKBo

Psychological safety is a cultural initiative that was made to be measured. It's the best indicator of cultural health in your organization. Let's talk about how to measure it effectively. Every effective psychological safety assessment has these 5 things:(1) A valid, quantitative instrument.(2) Space for qualitative feedback.(3) Org-wide reports, team-level data.(4) Demographic data capability.(5) Built-in forward momentum. Learn more about PSindex™: https://www.leaderfactor.com/psychological-safety-surveyWatch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1ZM5ymESJ9gOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/measuring-ps-what-most-l-d-leaders-dont-realize

Your career, business, and closest relationships are only as good as your emotional intelligence. And your ability to improve your EQ is only as good as your ability to measure it.Every effective EQ assessment has 5 things: (1) a valid, qualitative instrument, (2) multi-rater feedback, (3) real accountability mechanisms, (4) consideration of internal/external motivation, and (5) built-in forward momentum.In this episode of The Leader Factor, hosts Tim and Junior dive into an EQindex™ self-assessment sample report to discuss what to look for when evaluating emotional intelligence instruments and how to use an EQ assessment in a coaching scenario. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ns1l3aQ37FILearn more about EQindex™: https://www.leaderfactor.com/eqindexDownload the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/measuring-eq-what-most-l-d-leaders-dont-realize 

Psychological safety is the collective emotional intelligence of a team. This relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological safety is the anatomy of culture in an organization, and both should be at the foundation of all development efforts. In this episode, hosts Tim and Junior share what they've learned after years of programming and sequencing both psychological safety and emotional intelligence training in major organizations worldwide, and how you can improve both at the individual, manager, and organization levels.For the full learning experience, watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pS-G4iF4BGEOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/psychological-safety-the-collective-eq-of-a-team

As leaders, we need to develop the type of intent necessary to have healthy influence. We need to ask ourselves the question: Do I actually care about my team? And if so, is that evident in my behavior, values, and interactions? If we don't account for the fundamental beliefs a person has about themselves and others, we can easily promote, support, and encourage leaders with manipulative tendencies. Emotional intelligence frameworks that can't account for the motivation and intent side of influence are broken from the get-go.In this episode of The Leader Factor, Tim and Junior share The Spectrum of Influence framework, discuss influence's two failure patterns, and share 5 tactical behaviors to improve your social regard as a leader.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uu6FLZtc4gEOr download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/do-you-actually-care-about-your-team

Humans in the workplace engage in millions of daily interactions. Some are effective, and some, well, aren't. Your emotional intelligence (EQ) determines your ability to interact effectively with other humans. It's your delivery system through which you share your knowledge, experience, and skills with others. If your delivery system is broken or inefficient, your influence won't translate or make the right impact.This means that to achieve high performance, you don't just need great technical skills (IQ), you need a great delivery system (EQ). Some organizations promote leaders and managers based on their technical skills alone. These leaders lack the interpersonal skills (EQ) they need to contribute effectively while contributing indirectly.In this episode, hosts Tim and Junior discuss why leaders and managers are obligated to improve their interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, and how to get started. If you're a manager and you're moving from direct to indirect contribution, if your primary job, purpose, and stewardship is to contribute indirectly through other people, then you have to improve your delivery system. There's no other option.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/l77Og1MR_v8Or download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/eq-your-delivery-system

Are you paying attention to the rate at which your skills as a leader are being commoditized? In this episode of The Leader Factor, hosts Tim and Junior put a new spin on Joseph Pine's 1998 article, The Experience Economy. They draw parallels between an economy's differentiation and commoditization cycle and how a leader's skills can become commoditized over time.As commoditization eats away at old forms of differentiation, organizations are being forced to find new ways to provide differentiated value in the marketplace. This shift has reshaped consumer expectations and holds profound implications for leadership in today's experience-driven world.The problem? Many 21st-century leaders still use agrarian, industrial, and service leadership methods in this experience economy. As a result, organizations are bleeding talent, stifling innovation, and galloping toward commoditization and extinction.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe9YbYl3C-4Or download the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/the-experience-leader

Can you be candid about change at work? Challenger safety satisfies the basic human need to make things better. It allows us to feel safe to challenge the status quo without retaliation or the risk of damaging our personal standing or reputation. As the highest level of psychological safety, it matches the increased vulnerability and personal risk associated with challenging the status quo. Listen in as hosts Tim and Junior discuss how to build Stage 4: Challenger Safety individually, within a team, and throughout an organization.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIx3wcvG-sDownload the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/how-to-build-the-4-stages-of-psychological-safety

Can you create value for your team? Contributor safety satisfies the basic human need to make a difference and offer meaningful contributions. When we create contributor safety for others, we empower them with autonomy, guidance, and encouragement in exchange for effort and results. Listen in as hosts Tim and Junior discuss how to build Stage 3: Contributor Safety individually, within a team, and throughout an organization.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCijFFN7t5wDownload the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/how-to-build-the-4-stages-of-psychological-safety

We can either cultivate or crush, nurture or neglect, stimulate or stifle learner safety, the second stage of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. When we have learner safety we feel safe as we ask questions, give and receive feedback, experiment, and admit when we don't know.As the highest form of enterprise risk management, learner safety opens the door to innovation. Leaders committed to safeguarding learner safety know that learning is the source of competitive advantage.An emotionally bruised learner is a cognitively impaired learner. An emotionally empowered learner is a cognitively enabled learner. The choice is yours: What kind of risk will you entertain in your culture? The risk of learning, or the risk of not learning? Listen in as hosts Tim and Junior discuss how to build Stage 2: Learner Safety individually, on a team, and in an organization.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bND6XuFrEVQDownload the episode resources: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/how-to-build-the-4-stages-of-psychological-safety

This episode is the first in a four-part series on How to Build The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. Listen in as hosts Junior and Timothy R. Clark, author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety book, share in-depth insights into the thinking behind the 4 Stages framework. The episode covers the history behind psychological safety as a concept, what psychological safety is not, where vulnerability fits into the equation, and how to activate the power of diversity through inclusion. As always, they also share 3 practical ways to create inclusion safety on your teams. To see the slides and host annotations for the episode, watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zDDBkfA0BFk Or download the resources from the episode here: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/how-to-build-the-4-stages-of-psychological-safety

In this final episode of the Micro-coaching and Accountability series, Tim and Junior take the previous two frameworks, The Coaching Continuum and The Three Levels of Accountability, and put them together into the ultimate diagnostic tool for leaders. Think of this matrix as a model to operationalize coaching on a dynamic team.Your objective? To move the individuals you work with up and to the right. To transfer critical thinking and ownership and increase their capacity through coaching. Leaders who coach their people all the way to box nine end up with a team of full thinking partners who are highly skilled, think critically, and take ownership of their roles. They're encouraging outcome-oriented, future-focused employees who thrive in autonomy and accountability.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Uwf4uMvsavs Download the resources from the episode: www.leaderfactor.com/resources/micro-coaching-and-accountability

Accountability means being answerable for performance. The scope and levels to which we are held accountable vary based on role, willingness, skill, and need. But we can all agree that organizations function based on shared accountability. This means that as teams increase their capacity for accountability, organizational function will also increase. So how do we become accountable to the unenforceable, ourselves? Here's another diagnostic tool that you can use to determine where your people work currently, and where they want to be. The 3 Levels of Accountability illustrate the relationship between autonomy and accountability and help us set our sights on the ultimate goal: Outcome-level accountability.For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jMBu1jgo8vE Download the resources from the episode: https://www.leaderfactor.com/resources/micro-coaching-and-accountability

In this first episode of a 3-part series on Micro-coaching and Accountability, Tim and Junior introduce us to The Coaching Continuum, a framework that can be used to identify coaching patterns in leaders. It runs from “Tell” on one side to “Ask” on the other.  A leader has one primary objective: To expand the capabilities of the people they lead by increasing their ownership and critical thinking skills. There are two levers that a leader can pull to do this. They can model, or they can coach. Those who rely on directive, one-sided interactions to manage their people will breed dependency and learned helplessness. Those who use inquiry-based conversation in their management will create facilitated self-discovery. Effective leaders use both ends of the spectrum. Where on the continuum do you fall?For the full learning experience, watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4jOPXTMT8MDownload the resources from the episode: www.leaderfactor.com/resources/micro-coaching-and-accountability

This week, we're talking about intelligence. Most people have a view of intelligence that's not just wrong, but damaging. Our conception of intelligence affects our goal choice and the intensity of our efforts. It affects how we perceive ourselves and our potential. In the episode, Tim and Junior discuss how intelligence is more like athleticism. They emphasize the importance of adopting a growth mindset and choose Carol Dweck's definition of intelligence, the intersection of motivation, ability, and effort, as the most helpful definition a leader can adopt on their leadership journey.TakeawaysIntelligence is not fixed and can be improved through effort and learning.Our conception of intelligence affects our goal choice and the intensity of our efforts.Adopting a growth mindset and seeing intelligence as malleable can lead to greater achievement.Rejecting limiting beliefs and embracing a more expansive view of intelligence is crucial for personal and professional growth.Intelligence is the intersection of motivation, ability, and effort.Chapters(00:00) Introduction and Objectives(03:01) Redefining Intelligence(14:47) Intelligence as a Multi-Dimensional Concept(36:14) Increasing Intelligence Through Effort(46:55) Rejecting Limiting Beliefs and Embracing a Useful Definition of Intelligence(49:28) Conclusion and Call to Action

This week, Tim and Junior outline the resilience cycle, which, similar to patterns we see in ecology, consists of disturbance, adaptation, and recovery. They share 5 practical ways to become more resilient as a leader, including spreading out, leaning on positive emotions, developing effective coping mechanisms, adopting a growth mindset, and seeking strong social support.TakeawaysResilience is a learnable process that involves responding to and adapting to challenges.Spreading out and diversifying one's identity can help build resilience.Harnessing the power of positive emotions, such as hope and optimism, can aid in resilience.Developing effective and varied coping mechanisms, including sleep, food, and exercise, is crucial for resilience.Adopting a growth mindset and seeking strong social support are important strategies for building resilience.Chapters(00:00) Introduction(01:02) Understanding Resilience(06:32) Resilience in Ecosystems(10:16) Types of Disturbance(13:01) Disturbance and Adaptation(18:51) Path 2: Positive Response to Disturbance(19:20) Resilience as a Learnable Process(20:17) Strategy 1: Spread Out(25:27) Strategy 2: Harness the Power of Positive Emotions(35:39) Strategy 3: Develop Effective and Varied Coping Mechanisms(42:34) Strategy 4: Adopt a Growth Mindset(44:59) Strategy 5: Seek Strong Social Support(48:11) Conclusion

This week, our hosts navigate through an extensive amount of research literature to come to some conclusions on self-esteem and how to approach it. When we rely on external factors to determine our self-esteem, we open ourselves up to dangerous perspectives. This kind of contingent self-esteem can lead to chronic insecurity in leaders, which gets in the way of their ability to lead effectively and can have detrimental effects on individuals and organizations. In the episode, Tim and Junior suggest three ways to develop a healthier sense of self-worth and tell us which definition of self-esteem they think works best.TakeawaysSelf-esteem is a complex concept that encompasses self-competence and self-liking.Contingent self-esteem is dependent on external factors and can be detrimental to well-being.The measurement of self-esteem can be assessed using scales such as the Rosenberg self-esteem scale.Contingent self-esteem can impact decision-making, relationships, and emotional health.The influence of social media has led to the emergence of image-based contingent self-esteem.Contingent self-esteem is linked to vulnerability to negative emotions such as depression and anxiety. Beware the dangers of contingent self-esteem and the negative impact it can have on personal well-being and leadership effectiveness.Personal experiences can shape one's self-esteem, and it is important to recognize and challenge negative influences.Contingent self-esteem can lead to chronic insecurity in leaders, hindering their ability to lead effectively.Pathological self-esteem, characterized by narcissism and hubris, can have detrimental effects on individuals and organizations.Develop a healthier sense of self-worth by finding your intrinsic motivation, celebrating effort rather than outcomes, and promoting self-compassion.Chapters(00:00) Introduction and Overview(00:50) The Complexity of Self-Esteem(06:04) Measurement of Self-Esteem(09:19) The Impact of Self-Esteem on Decision-Making and Well-Being(12:07) Introduction to Contingent Self-Esteem(16:37) The Destructive Nature of Contingent Self-Esteem(21:23) The Influence of Social Media on Contingent Self-Esteem(22:26) Assessment of Contingent Self-Esteem(25:13) The Link Between Contingent Self-Esteem and Negative Emotions(25:58) Beware the dangers of contingent self-esteem(33:38) Contingent self-esteem and its negative effects on leadership(43:39)Tactics for developing a healthier sense of self-worth(47:35) Find your why(49:00) Celebrate effort, not outcomes(50:53) Promote a healthy dose of self-compassion

Have you ever thought about leadership as an invitation? If your goal is to improve and make a positive impact, then leadership will be an inevitable part of your journey. The job to be done, then, is to recognize and accept the invitations that come your way. These could be invitations to grow, help others, or even sometimes, to fail. Tim and Junior make one thing clear, choosing leadership over comfort and contentment is the ultimate call to adventure.TakeawaysLeadership is about healthy influence and is not dependent on positional power.Leadership is an invitation that is inevitable if one's aim is to become better and make a positive impact.Declining leadership invitations can lead to missed opportunities for growth and influence.Subject matter expertise and leadership are not mutually exclusive; both can be developed and leveraged together.Imposter syndrome should not prevent one from accepting leadership invitations.Accepting leadership invitations helps avoid stagnation and apathy. Rejecting leadership invitations can lead to long-term consequences and a cycle of apathy and helplessness.Literature teaches us about the human condition and the importance of striving for something greater than food, drink, and contentment.The law of least effort and human biases can influence our decision-making and lead to inertia and mediocrity.Accepting leadership invitations requires a balance between self-interest and altruism.Successful failures, where we learn and grow from failed outcomes, are an important part of accepting leadership invitations.Choosing leadership over comfort and contentment is the ultimate call to adventure.Chapters(00:00) Introduction(00:44) Defining Leadership(04:11 )Leadership as an Invitation(05:11) Leadership as the Inevitable End(06:26) Personal Examples of Leadership Invitations(11:42) Consequences of Declining Leadership Invitations(14:22) The Temptation to Decline Leadership Invitations(20:15) Imposter Syndrome and Leadership(22:42) Avoiding Stagnation and Apathy(24:18) The Consequences of Rejecting Leadership Invitations(28:03) The Law of Least Effort and Human Biases(30:46) The Negative Implications of Contentment(36:06) Accepting Leadership Invitations: Recognize, Say Yes, and Try(41:01) Successful Failures: Learning and Growing from Failed Outcomes(47:31) Choosing Leadership Over Comfort and Contentment

This week, Tim and Junior are talking about the importance of doing the little things for a long time. Why? Because leaders sweat the small stuff. They know that over time, focusing on the little things plays a key part in sustaining goals, maintaining a sense of control, building momentum, and recognizing improvement. TakeawaysThe compound effect of doing little things for a long time can have a significant impact on personal and professional success.Small actions and habits are controllable and sustainable, leading to gradual improvement and building momentum.Focusing on the little things allows for progress over perfection and generates more evidence of success.Taking responsibility for one's current position and evaluating performance daily are key ways  to achieving meaningful results. Focus on daily performance and the power of a 24-hour cycle.Evaluate pursuit and achievement over different timeframes, such as 24 hours and 24 months.Embrace suspense and milestones as part of the journey towards achieving goals.Prioritize renewal and recharging to maintain motivation and energy.Don't seek external recognition; find satisfaction in the quality of your inputs.Embrace anonymity and silence as opportunities for growth and development.Find magic in the mundane by appreciating the small, daily actions that contribute to long-term success.Chapters(00:00) Introduction and Surprise(01:37) The Importance of Little Things(05:01) Control and the Little Things(06:09) The Compound Effect in Personal and Professional Life(09:56) Examples of Doing Little Things for a Long Time(13:46) The Benefits of Small Actions(16:13) Progress Over Perfection(24:15) Perception of Behavior and Motivation(29:26) Taking Responsibility for Your Position(32:29) Evaluating Performance on a Daily Basis(34:48) The Power of a 24-Hour Cycle(37:08) Evaluating Pursuit and Achievement(39:37) Dealing with Suspense and Milestones(43:22) Renewal and Recharging(45:12) Don't Look for Recognition(49:25) Finding Satisfaction in the Quality of Inputs(50:02) The Value of Anonymity and Silence(53:42) Looking for Magic in the Mundane

Tim and Junior talk about the two primary failure patterns in leadership, incompetence and corruption. Effective leaders are leaders with high competence and high moral character. A deficiency in one or the other leaves us susceptible to poor choices, values, and influence on our leadership journey. As part of the episode, our host outlined four different types of leaders. Are you the apprentice, the accomplice, the villain, or the hero?TakeawaysLeadership failures often fall into two categories: incompetence and corruption.Character and competence are both essential for effective leadership.Influence can be positive or negative, depending on the combination of character and competence.The relationship between incompetence and corruption can lead to a downward spiral in leadership and life. Leadership can be categorized into four quadrants: the apprentice, the accomplice, the villain, and the hero.Developing both character and competence is essential to becoming a hero leader.Plotting your current and future positions on the leadership field helps identify the gap and create tension for growth.Closing the gap requires a fearless examination of personal leadership pathology and a commitment to change.TimestampsIntroduction (00:00)The Two Failure Patterns: Incompetence and Corruption (00:35)The Two Axes: Character and Competence (03:01)Character and Competence: The Intersection (04:17)Building Influence through Competence and Character (06:18)Influence Can Be Positive or Negative (08:00)The Relationship Between Incompetence and Corruption (16:11)The Four Character Types: Apprentice (25:42)The Accomplice (29:13)The Villain (31:19)The Hero (34:27)Plotting Your Position (40:18)Closing the Gap (46:53)Final Thoughts (58:13)

We're talking about interview questions this week. Why? Because poor interview protocols are dangerous and inefficient. They decrease your chances of finding the right person to join your team. During the episode, Tim and Junior highlight the limitations of traditional interviews and give you 10 unique interview questions to help you improve your 3D interviewing skills. Some of these questions are kind of unconventional. But the concepts should help you create a more engaging and effective interview experience that will land you hires that you love.TakeawaysTraditional interview questions are often cliché and fail to elicit meaningful responses.Asking real and thought-provoking questions can lead to more authentic and insightful conversations.The interview process should focus on critical thinking, self-awareness, and the ability to reflect on past experiences.It is important to continually refine the interview process to create a more engaging and effective experience.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Importance of Interview Questions01:23 Improving the Interview Process06:24 The Limitations of Traditional Interviews08:11 The Concept of 2D vs 3D Interviewing09:08 The Impact of Personal Life on Work Life10:31 The Importance of References11:30 The Challenge of Resume Accuracy14:03 The Problem with Rote Interview Questions15:01 Question 1: What are you better at than anyone else within a mile of this room?18:39 Question 3: What don't you know that you wish you knew?21:07 Question 4: How would your enemies describe you?21:36 Question 5: How far away is the future?23:03 Question 6: You're the president of the country and you get impeached. Why?23:31 Question 7: What's something that you know for sure?24:00 Question 8: Tell me about the last time you spent your own money to learn something new36:24 Question 9: What's the first thing a team member would complain about when working with you?41:13 Question 10: What character in a popular film or book are you most like?51:40 Continually Refining the Interview Process

In this episode of Culture by Design, Tim and Junior sit down to talk about leading through uncertainty. The content from this episode comes from Dr. Clark's most recent Harvard Business Review publication, an article entitled What Employees Need from Leaders in Uncertain Times. In the episode, they explore the impact of uncertainty on individuals and organizations and share four practical strategies for effectively leading teams through uncertain times.TakeawaysUncertainty is a constant in life and can have both negative and positive impacts.Creating thick trust is essential for effective leadership during uncertain times.Inoculating with vision helps motivate and guide individuals and teams through uncertainty.Increasing honesty and transparency builds trust and fosters a positive work environment.Seeing uncertainty as an opportunity allows leaders to explore new possibilities and stay competitive.Chapters00:00 Introduction03:10 The Impact of Uncertainty11:06 Perception of Uncertainty19:57 Creating Thick Trust27:11 Inoculating with Vision35:17 Increasing Honesty and Transparency39:46 Seeing Uncertainty as Opportunity50:25 ConclusionImportant LinksHBR Article

We can all agree that identifying potential leaders is a crucial part of organizational success. But too often, leaders are promoted purely for their technical ability. What would happen if organizations put equal weight on cultural competence in their promotion criteria? In this episode, we're talking about just that. Listen in as our hosts, Tim and Junior, discuss the question, what are the subtle signs that someone will make it in leadership?Key Takeaways:Identifying potential leaders is crucial for the success of organizations.Five subtle signs that someone will make it in leadership include: washing the dishes, acknowledging silent contributors, spending their own money to learn, taking initiative, and admitting when they don't know something.These signs reflect qualities such as humility, initiative, and a commitment to personal and professional development.Leaders should prioritize learning, take ownership of their own development, and be willing to take action and make decisions.Chapters00:39 Identifying Potential Leaders12:19 Subtle Sign #1: They Wash the Dishes, Take Out the Trash, and Refill the Paper Towels21:17 Subtle Sign #2: They Acknowledge the Efforts of Silent Contributors28:36 Subtle Sign #3: They Spend Their Own Money to Learn33:37 Subtle Sign #4: They Kill the Snake When They See the Snake39:27 Subtle Sign #5: They Say 'I Don't Know' When They Don't Know47:11 Conclusion

This week, our hosts Tim and Junior are talking about the limitations of a traditional, four-competency emotional intelligence model. Why? Because LeaderFactor's private emotional intelligence assessment, EQindex™, is now publicly available! This assessment, and its Leadership 360 version, is based on a 6 domain, 30 skill model that measures what we believe, what we know, and what we do as we interact with others. If you're wanting to know what the future of emotional intelligence looks like in 2024, this would be the episode to listen to. As always, you can find important links from the episode, as well as transcripts and show notes, on our website at leaderfactor.com/podcast.Key Takeaways:Emotional intelligence is the ability to interact effectively with others and is crucial in personal and professional settings.The traditional four competency model of EQ is limited and does not consider motivation and intent.The EQ Index model introduces the regard competencies to address this limitation.Beliefs influence awareness and perception, which in turn influence behavior.The dominant linear causal pathway in EQ is beliefs, awareness, and behavior.Chapters:01:35 Introduction to EQindex™02:47 The Importance of the EQ Index Model03:42 Defining Emotional Intelligence04:13 Emotional Intelligence as a Delivery System05:24 The Relationship Between EQ and Performance07:06 The Limitations of the Traditional EQ Model09:20 The Four Competency Model of EQ12:11 The Need for the Regard Competencies13:42 The Order of the EQ Domains15:44 The Relationship Between Beliefs and Awareness16:48 The Influence of Beliefs on Perception18:12 The Dominant Linear Causal Pathway34:13 Summary and TakeawaysImportant Links:EQindex™

In this week's episode of Culture by Design, Junior and Dr. Tim Clark discuss a daunting but important question: What do you do with a toxic leader? Too often, organizations will either do nothing or wait too long to react to evidence of harmful leadership. But toxic cultures can't and won't heal themselves. And the remedy largely depends on the kind of leader you're dealing with. Listen in as Tim and Junior explore the characteristics of toxic leaders, the consequences of toxic behavior, and the role of culture in creating, maintaining or preventing toxicity. You'll learn how to distinguish between an actively toxic and passively complicit leader, and discover how to hold your leaders culturally accountable for their behavior.‍TakeawaysToxic leaders exist and can have a significant impact on organizations.Toxic leadership is often a result of insecurity and unmet human needs.Actively toxic leaders should be removed from the organization, while passively complicit leaders can be coached and held accountable.Tolerance for toxic behavior leads to the normalization of toxicity and can have long-term consequences for the organization.It is important to prioritize long-term thinking and hold leaders accountable for their behavior.‍Chapters00:00 Introduction04:11 Pathological Behavior and Consequences of Toxicity10:26 Culture and Toxicity17:02 Toxic Leadership and Unmet Human Needs22:18 Identifying Actively Toxic and Passively Complicit Leaders26:21 Passively Complicit Leaders35:15 Actively Toxic Leaders43:11 Long-Term Thinking and Tolerance for Toxicity

In the final installment of our Leadership Journey series, we delve into the intricacies of Leading the Business with Dr. Tim Clark and Junior. This episode uncovers the transition leaders must undergo from tactical to strategic thinking, focusing on optimizing the whole while preparing for the future. Key Points & Timestamps:Transitioning to Strategic Thinking (03:03)Moving from a tactical mindset to a strategic mindset requires leaders to see the big picture and think systemically, ensuring the organization's long-term viability and competitive edge.Understanding Enterprise-Level Responsibility (07:05)Leaders must embrace a broader scope of responsibility, constantly assessing and innovating how the organization creates and delivers value today and in the future.The Role of Decisions in Strategic Leadership (10:53)Highlighting the importance of decision-making, leaders must cultivate the judgment to navigate complexity and uncertainty, driving the organization's strategic direction.Balancing Preservation and Innovation (23:55)Strategic leaders must run parallel paths: preserving the value of today's business while disturbing the status quo to innovate for the future.Principles for Effective Strategic Leadership (26:11)Emphasizing the need for clear goals, prioritization, adaptive capacity, and setting the right tone at the top, this section offers actionable strategies for leaders at the helm of business strategy.Important Links Mentioned in the Episode:Leadership Journey Series: leaderfactor.com/podcastLive Webinar on Emotional Intelligence: Registration Link

Tim and Junior continue their Leadership Journey series by diving into part two on leading teams. They discuss the challenges leaders face when transitioning from individual contributor to managing others.0:02:15 - Transitioning from independent contributor to leading a team requires a fundamental shift in mindset and skills. It's often under supported by organizations.0:08:50 - The team is the basic unit of performance for solving complex problems, not the individual. Adopting a team mindset is critical.0:13:06 - Promoted leaders can struggle with the loss of their technical identity and skills which defined them previously.0:19:52 - Building trust enables teams to accomplish more together. The components of trust are integrity, mutual respect, competence, communication and initiative.0:36:35 - Effective coaching is not telling. It's collaborative, leverages strengths and transfers ownership and critical thinking.LinksPart 1 of the Leadership Journey SeriesEQindex™ Live Event

Today, Tim and Junior kickoff a three-part series on the leadership journey: Leading yourself, leading the team, and leading the business. Today's episode is focused on leading yourself. Tim and Junior emphasize taking personal accountability and ownership of your own development. You'll hear insights on cultivating wellness, self-awareness, and a growth mindset. Tim and Junior also share their personal learning habits from consuming quality information across multiple mediums to embracing curiosity.Why LeaderFactor? (03:11) Tim shares the meaning behind LeaderFactor's name and founding. Leadership is the ultimate applied discipline, it's the factor that affects every aspect of your business.Leadership and personal accountability (06:45) Without personal accountability, nothing happens. As an inside-out discipline, the demands you make of yourself will reflect the demands you make on your business. The nature of contribution (14:21) Tim and Junior share Paul Thompson and Gene Dalton's four levels of contribution. They explain how to move through these levels as you work to better lead yourself. To do so, you must own your own development.How's your coachability? (29:14) Tim and Junior share the two things that everyone needs to improve to become better at leading themselves. The first is willingness, and the second is self-awareness.Personal learning patterns (43:34) Listen to our hosts share their learning patterns, some of the things they do personally to learn and develop their skills. Episode LinksThe Future of EQ Webinar

In today's episode of Culture by Design, Tim and Junior discuss a question brought up in a recent Harvard Business Review article, which is, can you have too much psychological safety? The article suggested that excessive amounts of psychological safety could undermine accountability and performance. Tim and Junior share their perspective, pushing back on some of the misconceptions about what psychological safety really is and what it really means. Defining psychological safety (01:35) Most of the debate around the question of whether you can have too much psychological safety stems around your definition of the term. Tim and Junior share theirs: Psychological safety is an environment of rewarded vulnerability that considers four stages and categories of behavior, we have inclusion, learning, contribution, and challenging.The leader's role in creating psychological safety (14:03) Most environments create accountability by necessity. For industries in highly regulated environments, it's the leader's job to define culturally and operationally the upper control limit, the lower control limit, and the center line. Everybody needs to understand the tolerances, constraints, regulations, and limitations and work within that. Psychological safety does not imply rogue behavior (34:10) Even though psychological safety gives employees permission to innovate and challenge the status quo, this doesn't mean that people are free to ignore policy and procedure to do what they want when they want. Oftentimes, we're talking about incremental and derivative innovation, looking for a 1% improvement, and making marginal gains.Important LinksHBR: Can Workplaces Have Too Much Psychological Safety?The Complete Guide to Psychological Safety

In this two-part series, Tim and Junior discuss practical steps for effectively challenging the status quo. Innovation requires some dissent and deviation from the norm, but challenging the status quo can be difficult since it often feels personal. Today they cover the final 5 tips including bringing credibility, knowing your boss, framing dissent as exploration, and using data to support your case.Key Points:Be transparent about potential unintended consequences (6:32) - When proposing a new course of action, be candid about the risks and unintended consequences. This builds credibility and shows you are managing risk prudently.Bring credibility (17:57) - Develop competence and a track record of good decision making to increase your believability when challenging the status quo. Understanding your expertise and track record informs how you position arguments.Know your boss (28:16) - Understand your boss's personality, biases, preferences and goals. You can be right in your comments but wrong in your approach. Consider timing and use tact.Frame dissent as exploration (33:30) - Use curiosity rather than contradiction. This lowers social friction while maintaining intellectual friction for effective challenging.Use data (39:42) - Look for quantitative then qualitative data to support your case. But also be transparent and call the data what it is, even if you only have a hunch. Make asks proportionate to the evidence.Links:Challenging the Status Quo Pt.1 How to Challenge Your Organization's Status Quo — Productively

In this week's episode of Culture by Design, Tim and Junior tackle a common organizational-wide dilemma, how do you effectively challenge the status quo? Questioning the prevailing mindset is tricky business. While innovation requires deviation from the norm, pushing for change often feels like a personal confrontation rather than an objective debate. So in this episode, Tim and Junior will provide concrete actual advice for skillfully and safely challenging the status quo, whether you lack formal authority or you find yourself at odds with the entrenched stakeholders.Key PointsAnticipate the opportunity (20:45) Very few organizations have open-mic, challenge-the-status quo forums, so expect to do so in the context of your natural workflow. It may be an informal opportunity that allows you to introduce your idea.Ask for permission (25:26) You may use a question like: Do you mind if I offer a different perspective? Or, may I suggest an alternative way to look at this? This allows you to position your interaction as a contribution rather than a confrontation.Begin with inquiry, not advocacy (30:05) Challenging the status quo often evokes defensiveness. Rather than advocating a position that might divide, exclude, or marginalize, disarm with questions that recruit others into dialogue.Model emotional intelligence (35:54) Paradoxically, the challenger must often create psychological safety for the challenged, giving them space to acknowledge and come to terms with needed change. Let your emotional intelligence be your guide.Demonstrate a grasp of the past (40:41) Demonstrate contextual understanding by acquiring a thorough knowledge of previous decisions and how the status quo came to be. Become a master of the current state.Read Dr. Clark's HBR ArticleHow to Challenge the Status Quo Productively

Original Air Date: November 21, 2022The culture dilemma (00:45). Many organizations tell us that they want to improve their culture, but often don't know where to start. What does an unhealthy culture look like? What symptoms need to be identified and treated?The definition of culture (02:30). Culture is the way we interact. It exists anywhere where there are humans. Parts of it are visible, while other parts of culture, not so much.  How does culture work? (16:00) You don't fix a culture at the top of an organization, but you can influence it at the team level. Teams need to improve their interactions by modeling and rewarding the vulnerabilities of their colleagues. What's the solution? (31:00) If you want good culture, you need high levels of psychological safety. Psychological safety solves for culture at the level of interaction. Building great culture is a process (50:00). Just like fostering trust takes a certain level of consistency over time, psychological safety is delicate and dynamic. It requires consistent effort and deliberate action in order to build and maintain.The Complete Guide to Psychological SafetyThe Ladder of VulnerabilityThe 4 Stages Behavior Guide

In this episode, Tim and Junior discuss how high-performing teams are formed and maintained. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams, and high-performing teams have patterns. Although there are many patterns, Tim and Junior will focus on a core four in this episode, including how high-performing teams (1) connect, how they (2) improve their skills, how they (3) view transparency and autonomy and how they (4) continuously seek innovation.The benefits of improving your teams' performance (01:43) Remember, individuals rarely accomplish extraordinary feats alone. The quality of an organization is a reflection of the quality of its teams. As you improve your teams, you'll get two things: Leverage and scale. You'll be able to multiply the force, scope, and magnitude of your organizational efforts.How do high-performing teams connect? (13:55) High performing teams know each other. If your team doesn't know each other, it's not a high performing team, or at least it won't be for very long, or when things get hard. Tim and Junior share the story of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and why a 3-day offsite was one of the most important things he has done as a CEO.How do high-performing teams improve their skills? (26:33) High performing teams are constantly growing. When teams acknowledge that the knowledge they have today is not enough, they open themselves up to development. How do high-performing teams view transparency and autonomy? (38:10) High performing teams are focused on achievement based on transparent, meaningful metrics. Tim and Junior talk about Google's Project Aristotle and how they discovered that psychological safety is the #1 indicator of high-performance. How do high-performing teams chase innovation? (50:44) High performing teams believe in continuous improvement. They're proud but never satisfied. At the end of the day, challenger safety not just as challenging the organization, but challenging ourselves to do better and be better. Important LinksShow NotesPsychological Safety Behavioral Guide