Leading People
Gerry Murray talks to leading people about leading people. Get insights and tips from thought leaders about how to bring out the best in yourself and others.Â
You Said It. But Did You Communicate It?
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How often have you walked away from a meeting thinking, “I explained that perfectly,” only to discover later that somebody heard something completely different?
We often judge communication by what we said, sent or presented.
But is that really where communication happens?
In this reflection episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray revisits conversations with Ray Walsh, Dee Clayton, Michael Reddington and Liam FitzPatrick to explore what happens between sending a message and having it truly land.
What does your audience actually hear?
What mean...
Do You Really Need a Coach?
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Why would a capable, experienced person need a coach?
If you’re good at your job, know yourself reasonably well and can solve problems, shouldn’t you be able to work things out for yourself?
Perhaps.Â
But some of the most important things may be the hardest to see from inside your own thinking.
In this reflection episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray revisits conversations with Joseph O’Connor, Marcia Reynolds, Jonathan Reitz and Paula King to explore what coaching can make possibl...
How the Soft Determines the Hard
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What really makes the difference when leadership gets difficult?
Not when the plan is working. Not when the numbers look good. But when the pressure rises, the situation is unclear, and other people are looking to you for direction.
Peter Davies has spent decades in senior leadership roles across DHL, SN Brussels Airlines, Air Malta and other complex organisations. Looking back, he has come to a conclusion that challenges the way many leaders think about performance:
The soft...
Are We Still Confusing Training With Learning?
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What if the problem with workplace learning isn’t a lack of content, courses or technology?
What if we’re still confusing access to information with actual learning?
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray welcomes Stella Collins back to explore how people really learn at work and what organisations need to do differently if they want learning to translate into better performance.
Stella’s new book, The Learning Organization, challenges some familiar assumptions about training, self-directed learning and the role of L&D.
Togeth...
Can AI Solve the Problems That Really Matter?
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AI is getting faster, smarter and more capable.
But are we asking it to solve the right problems?
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray welcomes Chris Soderquist back to explore what he calls Systemic Intelligence and why it may matter more than ever in an AI-driven world.
Chris argues that many of the challenges leaders face are not really standalone problems at all. They sit inside wider systems, shaped by relationships, feedback loops, assumptions and mental models that are...
Why Presence Matters Before Words
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Why do some people seem to command attention before they’ve really said anything, while others struggle to make an impact even when they know their material?
They may have attended all the usual communication and presentation courses, but somehow something is still not quite working.
In this summer reflection episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray revisits the wisdom and advice of two former guests, Kate Walker Miles and Caroline Goyder, both of whom originally trained in the theatre.
Together, they explore why pr...
What Happens When You Walk into a Room?
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What happens inside us doesn’t just stay inside us.
Our beliefs, emotions, assumptions and internal state all influence how other people experience us — often before we have said very much at all.
In this short reflection episode, Gerry Murray revisits two earlier Leading People conversations with Julia Carden, Alan Briskin and Mary Gelinas.
Together, they explore why self-awareness is never just an individual matter, how our presence shapes the atmosphere around us, and why leading others begins with paying closer attention to what we ours...
Why Better Tools Still Need Better Thinking
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What happens when organisations move faster, adopt smarter tools, and still keep running into the same problems?
In this short reflection episode, Gerry Murray revisits two earlier Leading People conversations — with Chris Soderquist and Angela Montgomery — to explore why better tools do not remove the need for better thinking.
From repeated problems and firefighting, to silos, outdated management habits, and the danger of automating what isn’t working, this episode is a timely reminder that leadership in a complex world still depends on judgment, perspective, and systemic awaren...
Could AI Be Screening Out the Talent You Need?
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What if the biggest risk in AI-driven hiring is not what it helps you find — but what it filters out before a human ever gets involved?
In this episode, Gerry Murray talks to investigative journalist and author Hilke Schellmann about what happens when black-box AI tools start shaping high-stakes workplace decisions.
Hilke’s book, The Algorithm, exposed how AI was already being used to assess, rank, and filter people in hiring and employment. In this conversation, she shares some of the strange, troubling, and very human stories behi...
Why Most Training Fails Before It Even Begins
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Why does so much training still fail to change behaviour — even when the content is good, the facilitator is strong, and the intentions are right?Â
In this episode, Gerry Murray talks to learning expert, Fergal Connolly, about one of the most persistent and costly problems in workplace learning:Â
The gap between training delivered and behaviour changed.Â
Fergal argues that the issue often starts long before the session itself. If the environment around the learner is working against application, even well...
Why Don’t More Leaders Build Learning Communities?
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What if one of the most powerful ways people learn at work is also one of the most overlooked?
In this conversation, Gerry Murray talks to Andy Lancaster about why learning communities deserve far more attention from leaders than they usually get — not as a nice extra, but as a serious way to build confidence, capability, and innovation at work.
Andy’s new book, Organisational Learning Communities, explores why people often learn best with and through other people — and why that may matter even more in a w...
What's the Constraint You Don't Know You Have?
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What if the thing holding you and your organisation back isn't a market problem, a resource problem, or even a people problem — but a thinking problem you can't yet see?
This week's guest, Angela Montgomery, has spent three decades helping leaders discover exactly that. As author of The Human Constraint and co-founder of Intelligent Management, she brings together the work of W. Edwards Deming and Eliyahu Goldratt into a practical framework for leading in complexity.
In this conversation, Angela and Gerry explore what it means to run an...
How to Read the Room and the Hidden Forces at Play
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Have you ever walked into a room and felt something you couldn't quite name? A tension, an energy, a sense that something invisible was shaping everything happening around you — and inside you?
What if that feeling wasn't imagination? What if there were hidden forces actively at play in every meeting, every team, every relationship — and most leaders have no idea they're there?
In this episode, Alan Briskin and Mary Gelinas — authors of Space is Not Empty — reveal what those forces are, why they matter more than ever right no...
How to Handle “That’s Not Fair” at Work
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You may already be expecting this conversation.
In fact, you may be dreading it.
Someone on your team wants to talk about pay, fairness, and why they feel something doesn’t add up.
And once that conversation starts, you need to handle it in a way that feels clear, constructive, and consistent — not just for one person, but across the team.
In this short One Simple Thing episode, Gerry Murray explores a practical way to handle these conversations without getting pulled into unhelpful comparisons.
...
How to Coach the Person, Not the Problem
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What if the real issue isn’t the problem someone brings you — but the way they are thinking about it?
Or, perhaps it's how they're behaving...
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray is joined by coaching pioneer Dr Marcia Reynolds to explore a more powerful approach to coaching, leadership, and human development.
Their conversation goes well beyond formal coaching. It looks at how leaders, HR professionals, and people managers can create better conversations by listening more deeply, reflecting more skillfully, and helping others find their own...
How to Deal with Team Members Who Don’t Get Along
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Few things drain a team faster than two people who just can’t seem to work well together.
And for a team leader, it can be surprisingly easy to get pulled into the wrong conversation.
In this short episode of One Simple Thing, Gerry Murray looks at a familiar workplace challenge and shares one practical shift that can help you respond with more clarity, confidence, and impact.
If you’ve ever had to deal with friction between team members, this episode is for you. Â
...
Why We’re Not As Self-Aware As We Think We Are
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Most leaders believe they’re self-aware.
Research suggests otherwise.
Studies indicate that while the majority of us think we understand how we show up, only a small percentage are accurately perceived that way by others. And under pressure — in uncertainty — those blind spots don’t stay hidden.
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray speaks with researcher and author Dr Julia Carden about why self-awareness is far rarer than we assume — and why it matters most in uncerta...
How to Lead When You Didn’t Make the Rules
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What do you say when your team pushes back on a policy you didn’t create?
This episode explores a common moment where many team leaders lose credibility — and how you can handle it differently.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between your team and “head office,” this one’s for you.
Want to go further?
Our Team Leader Essentials and Performance Accelerator programmes are designed to help you navigate tough leadership moments like this — and bring out the best in yourself and your team.Â
How Employee Ownership Can Reset Leadership And Culture
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What if engagement wasn’t the finish line — but the starting point?
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray is joined by Alli Gibbons, author of The Power of Ownership Culture, to explore how employee ownership can fundamentally reset leadership and culture — when it’s treated as more than just a new structure.
Rather than focusing on legal models or financial mechanisms, the conversation centres on what really shifts when people are invited to take genuine responsibility — and why leadership matters even more, not...
Leadership 101 - The Basics Too Many People Skip
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If you had to explain leadership in one simple sentence, what would you say?
After 100 episodes of talking to extraordinary people about what it means to lead, one answer keeps rising to the top. And it’s not what you might expect.
This short episode marks the beginning of a new chapter — and a return to something essential.
Tune in to discover the one thing that most great leaders have in common.
(And if you’re serious about growing as a leader, check out our Team L...
100 Episodes In: The Biggest Leadership Lessons So Far
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Episode 100 felt like a moment worth marking.
Not with a summary.
Not with highlights.
And not with a look back.
Just a conversation — allowed to unfold.
This episode exists thanks to the generosity, creativity, and support of Kate Walker Miles and Valeriia Diakiv, whose contributions helped bring it into being.
As always, thank you for listening — and for being part of the Leading People journey since January 2021.
Here's to the next 100 episodes...
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How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance
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What does it really mean to create a culture where people perform at their best?
In this episode of Leading People, I’m joined by Zach Mercurio, researcher, speaker, and author of The Power of Mattering, to explore how leaders can create a culture of significance — one where people feel seen, valued, and needed.
Drawing on decades of research into motivation and human performance, Zach explains why performance, resilience, and engagement suffer when people feel invisible or replaceable — and why leaders play a pivota...
Who Really Pays Your Salary?
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Most people think they know where their paycheck comes from — but the real answer might surprise you.
In this short episode, Gerry Murray shares a surprising pattern he’s seen in leadership workshops across sectors and industries. It’s a simple mindset shift that separates teams who truly add value… from those who don’t.
This episode just might change the way you think about your work — and the people who depend on it.
Curious?
🎧 Listen now and discover One Simple Thing every leader...
How to turn Learning into Performance
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What really drives performance at work?
It’s a question many leaders and learning professionals wrestle with — and one that my guest, Paul Matthews, has spent decades exploring.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Paul challenges some of the most common assumptions about training and learning. Drawing on insights from his three books — on informal learning, capability building, and learning transfer — he explains why so many well-intentioned programmes fail to create real behaviour change, and what organisations must do differently.
We cover a wide ran...
Are You The Sunshine Or The Storm?
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Every team has a weather system — and often, as a Leader, you’re the one creating it.
In this short Leading People episode of One Simple Thing, we explore how your presence as a leader can lift people up… or wear them down.
If your team’s energy and well-being aren’t where they should be, the solution might not be more perks, more processes, or more pressure.
It might be you.
Curious?
🎧 Listen in to discover one simple leadership mo...
How AI Can Help You Resolve Your Conflicts
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Could AI help us end conflict — at work, at home, or even at a global level?
In this episode, Gerry Murray talks with negotiation expert and author Simon Horton about his provocative new book, The End of Conflict.
We explore how AI is already influencing negotiation and collaboration, what it gets right (and wrong), and how a more symbiotic Human–AI relationship could change the way we resolve disagreements of every kind.
If you’re curious about the future of negotiation, the role of AI in reducing confli...
How to turn your boss into a Genuine Career Ally
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Most people have a manager. Some even have great ones. But what if you could take more ownership of the relationship — and turn your boss into a genuine career ally?
This short One Simple Thing episode explores one powerful mindset shift that could change everything.Â
Part of a series on how to be brilliant at the basics of leadership.
Curious?
🎧 Hit play and find out.
Check out the Team Leader Essentials programme
Enjoyed this episod...
How to Train Your Brain for the AI Era
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What if the key to thriving in the age of AI isn’t smarter technology — but a smarter relationship with your own brain?
In this episode of Leading People, Gerry Murray talks with Dr Jon Finn, founder of Tougher Minds and author of Train Your Brain for the AI Revolution.
Jon has spent more than two decades studying how the brain drives performance and wellbeing — and how we can train it to stay focused, energised, and adaptable in an AI-saturated world.
Together, Gerry and Jon explor...
Why What Got You Here Probably Won’t Get You There
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You just got promoted. Now what?
In this short, punchy episode, Gerry poses one essential question that every new (and not-so-new) leader needs to answer.
Because leadership isn’t just a new job…
…it’s a whole new identity.
Curious?Â
Tap play to find out more.
Check out Team Leader Essentials and The Performance Accelerator here
Enjoyed this episode? The Leading People Community is where these conversations continue to flourish.Â
Fr...
How Strong Leaders Adapt to Any Situation
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What happens when your entire world changes overnight?
In this profound and moving episode, Julie Brown shares how she found the strength to rebuild her life and leadership practice after the tragic loss of her husband and business partner, polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer.
Drawing on her new book, Discover Your Pivot: How Strong Leaders Can Adapt to Any Situation, Julie reveals how leaders can find stability in uncertainty — not by resisting change, but by learning how to pivot with purpose.
Together, we...
How to Be the Kind of Leader People Want to Follow
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It’s one thing to have a leadership title. It’s another thing to have people truly want to follow you.Â
In this Leading People episode of One Simple Thing, Gerry Murray explores the difference and what you can do to close the gap.Â
If you’re new to leadership or simply want to reconnect with the fundamentals, this 5-minute listen could be your reset moment.
Check out the Team Leader Essentials and Performance Accelerator programmes here
Enjoyed this episode? The Leading People C...
Is Your Presence Helping or Hurting You?
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What does your body say about you when you walk into a room?
And how much of your leadership impact depends on something you can’t see — but everyone else can feel?
In this episode, Kate Walker Miles of RADA Business — a trusted advisor to senior executives and leadership teams — reveals how posture, breath, and voice shape credibility, confidence, and influence.
Drawing on her background in experimental psychology, acting, and behavioural coaching, Kate explains how to use y...
Are you Brilliant at the Basics?
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What does good leadership really look like in the day-to-day?
This short Leading People episode kicks off a brand-new One Simple Thing series on how to be brilliant at the basics of leadership. Because let’s face it — it’s the basics that often go missing.
Click play to hear the one question that every leader should be asking themselves.
Check out Team Leader Essentials here
Enjoyed this episode? The Leading People Community is where these conversations contin...
How Breadwinners Don’t Always Win
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What if bringing in the dough doesn’t always mean having the power?
In this episode, BBC journalist Melissa Hogenboom explores how breadwinning roles — in families and at work — are shaped by power dynamics, gender norms, and invisible expectations.
Whether you’re a leader, a parent, or both, this conversation will challenge how you think about success, status, and sharing the load.
Together, we discuss:
Why power at home and power at work are more connected than we thinkHow...How Understanding Context Makes Magic Happen
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Ever typed a question into ChatGPT and gotten a weird or underwhelming response?
You’re not alone.
In this One Simple Thing episode, we explore why so many AI queries fall flat — and what leaders can do differently. There’s one small shift that makes all the difference… and no, it’s not about being a tech expert.
This is the final part of our short series on how to use AI to enhance your leadership — without losing your human touch.
🎧 Curious?Â
Hit play and f...
How to Lead Change by Getting Brains Onboard
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What if the biggest barrier to change isn’t strategy or communication — but biology?
In this episode, organisational change expert Hilary Scarlett shares powerful insights from the 3rd edition of her book, Neuroscience for Organizational Change. She explains how understanding the brain can help leaders navigate resistance, foster trust, and lead transformation that sticks.
Drawing on neuroscience and real-world examples, Hilary shows why getting brains onboard — not just people — is the secret to lasting change.
Together, Hilary and Gerry discuss a wide range of topics, including...
How One Leadership Habit Can Save You Hours Every Week
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What would you do with an extra 30–60 minutes in your day?
In this One Simple Thing episode, Leading People host, Gerry Murray, explores how AI can give leaders back precious time - not by taking over, but by taking the heavy lifting out of your writing tasks.Â
You'll be able to free up time for more important leadership tasks.Â
Whether it’s an email, a proposal, or a tricky LinkedIn post, learn how to use AI to create...
What the Best Bosses Do That Others Miss
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What separates exceptional leaders from mediocre managers?Â
This week's guest, Andrew Palmer, Senior Editor at The Economist and host of the Boss Class podcast, has spent years interviewing some of the world's most influential executives to answer this question.
Drawing from his extensive experience writing the witty and insightful Bartleby column and developing the Boss Class podcast series, Andrew reveals that great leadership isn't only about charisma or authority - it's about mastering the art of balance.
D...
How to Brief AI So It Actually Helps You
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Ever asked ChatGPT a question, looked at its response and thought… “This isn’t what I wanted”?
In this episode of One Simple Thing…
Gerry Murray reveals why so many AI prompts fail - and what to do instead. Discover how to brief AI tools like ChatGPT as you would a colleague, so they become your assistant, not your replacement.
You’ll learn:
How you can prove Your Work Makes a Difference
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In this episode…
How do you prove the value of your people programs when budgets are tight and leaders demand evidence?Â
This week's guest is Dr. Alaina Szlachta, author of the book Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring.
In this illuminating conversation, Alaina shares practical approaches to measurement and evaluation that don't require a PhD in statistics or massive resources.
Drawing from her experience across corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, Alaina reveals why data literacy is the fou...
