HeyJaredThe Thoughtful Leader Podcast with Ben Brearley
Short, sharp and practical leadership support for thoughtful, reflective, people-focused leaders who want to lead with confidence, without pretending to be someone they're not.Hosted by leadership coach Ben Brearley, each episode helps you build confidence, set boundaries,…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 10
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- Sep 6, 2026
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- Jul 5, 2026
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#343: 4 mistakes to avoid when starting a new leadership role (opens the original)
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Starting a new leadership role often comes with pressure to make an impact. That pressure can tempt leaders to change things too quickly, rely too heavily on what worked in a previous role, or accept other people's assumptions about the team. In this episode, Ben explores four common mistakes leaders make when entering a new role. He explains why it is important to understand the context behind current ways of working, listen to the experience already in the team, balance the needs of senior lea
#342: When good leadership is actually bad. (opens the original)
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Empowering your team. Delegating effectively. Asking people for their input. Taking time to think. Staying quiet so others can contribute. These can all be signs of good leadership. But what happens when the people around you perceive them differently? Sometimes thoughtful leadership behaviours can be perceived as weakness, indecisiveness, lack of visibility or a failure to take charge. In this episode, I explore why this happens and what thoughtful leaders can do to manage perceptions without a
#341: 4 questions to understand your values better. (opens the original)
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Many leadership courses include a values exercise. Usually, you're given a long list of values and asked to choose the ones that seem most important to you. That can be a useful starting point, but it doesn't always tell you much about what those values mean or how they influence your life and leadership. Your strongest values are often revealed through your experiences, emotional reactions and the people you admire. In this episode, I share four questions that can help you uncover and understan
#340: How self-interested are you? (opens the original)
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Most leaders probably don't think of themselves as particularly self-interested. However, self-interest doesn't only appear through obvious behaviours such as political manoeuvring, blaming others or trying to climb the career ladder at someone else's expense. It can also appear in small, everyday moments. Checking a message while someone is talking. Repeatedly cancelling one-on-one meetings. Being consistently unavailable. Failing to take an interest in someone's career development. These actio
#339: Ideas for leading more experienced people. (opens the original)
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At some point in your leadership career, you may find yourself leading someone who has significantly more experience than you. They may be older than you, have spent decades in your industry or possess technical knowledge that you don't have. This can feel intimidating, especially when you believe that being the leader means you should have all the answers. However, leadership isn't necessarily about being the most experienced person in the room. In this episode, I share practical ideas for lead
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