The Strategic Leader Podcast

26 minutes listen time 🕒

Delve into the fundamental concept of what it means to be strategic. This episode breaks down strategy into three key components: Future Focus, Breadth, and Purpose.

26 minutes listen time 🕒

We discuss the fear of sounding stupid, the discomfort of uncertainty, the magnetic pull of our comfort zone, and strategies to overcome these barriers and operate more confidently.

32 minutes listen time 🕒

Join us as we explore Harvard Business Review’s strategic thinking model from 3 helpful perspectives – how you think, how you plan, and what you do

33 minutes listen time 🕒

In this episode, we discuss a model that can be applied to various scenarios, from larger strategic initiatives to everyday tasks like planning a Christmas party.

32 minutes listen time 🕒

Explore how to align strategy with business goals. Gemma and Fiona discuss understanding the business, prioritising focus, and achieving quick wins for successful strategic planning.

29 minutes listen time 🕒

Delve into the art of strategic time management using the Eisenhower matrix.

30 minutes listen time 🕒

Gemma and Fi discuss how ineffective systems and processes can hinder strategic leadership, offering practical advice on aligning them with strategic goals to enhance productivity.

30 minutes listen time 🕒

Gemma and Fi explore different types of team gatherings, from routine meetings to strategy days, training, team building and team coaching, highlighting the best approaches for strategic effectiveness.

33 minutes listen time 🕒

What does being strategic in HR actually look like? Indy Lachhar, CPO at Robert Walters, shares how clarity, reflection and great questions help HR create real business value.

30 minutes listen time 🕒

If you’re leading a team or shaping culture, this episode will help you understand why niceness can get in the way of effective leadership, and what to do instead.

31 minutes listen time 🕒

We explore six Christmas wishes for the year ahead and each one gives you something to think about as you step into 2026 with intention.

28 minutes listen time 🕒

We introduce the idea of three distinct hats every senior leader needs to consciously switch between, the common traps leaders fall into, and how we often underestimate the impact of our behaviour.

33 minutes listen time 🕒

Being strategic at the top table means understanding your behavioural impact, valuing different thinking styles and intentionally using team roles to improve decision making and execution.

32 minutes listen time 🕒

We explore why many operational leaders struggle to become strategic, and why carving out deliberate thinking time is often the turning point from constant doing to real leadership impact.

32 minutes listen time 🕒

Why strategic leadership is not just about the big picture, but about moving constantly between detail and perspective while keeping the organisation aligned to its direction.

32 minutes listen time 🕒

Feeling stuck in back-to-back meetings yet still not moving the business forward? This explores why senior leadership teams struggle to think strategically and how to reset that balance.

30 minutes listen time 🕒

Stepping into senior leadership demands an identity shift from functional expert to enterprise thinker, balancing breadth, accountability and emotional impact to lead strategically and confidently.

37 minutes listen time 🕒

Leadership leaves traces. We talk to Paul Kinkaid about how senior leaders can shape culture, trust and performance through everyday behaviours, communication and executive presence.

28 minutes listen time 🕒

Balancing departmental priorities with organisational needs is a core leadership challenge. Explore practical ways to navigate conflicting goals, trade offs and strategic decision making.

24 minutes listen time 🕒

Building a strategic leadership toolkit starts with choosing the right tools. Explore self awareness, strategic clarity, decision making and the leadership essentials worth keeping.

29 minutes listen time 🕒

We explore practical ways to structure your thinking so your communication is concise, purposeful and audience focused.

33 minutes listen time 🕒

Effective prioritisation is a strategic leadership skill that creates space for better thinking, stronger decisions and greater impact by focusing on what matters most.

38 minutes listen time 🕒

Conflict does not have to be destructive or avoided. Handled well, it can strengthen thinking, relationships and leadership.

35 minutes listen time 🕒

Self-awareness helps strategic leaders understand their impact, use feedback effectively, adapt their behaviour and make intentional choices that improve leadership effectiveness.