In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher are joined by Erika Jefferson for a direct, unsentimental conversation about workplace dynamics and leadership responsibility.
This is not a discussion about motivation, perks, or surface-level culture change. It’s about the conditions leaders create and tolerate, and how those conditions either enable contribution or quietly shut it down.
Together, Michelle, Mel, and Erika discuss why organisations say they want innovation, accountability, and initiative, yet continue to reward behaviours that undermine all three. They explore how leadership indecision, unclear expectations, and misplaced tolerance drain energy from teams who are ready to do meaningful, creative work.
A key thread throughout the conversation is responsibility. Leaders are responsible for building and maintaining the foundation of the house. Culture does not sit in value statements. It shows up in who gets listened to, who gets developed, who gets protected, and who gets moved on.
This episode also challenges several entrenched leadership habits:
Conflating people leadership with project management
Expecting initiative while withholding authority
Failing to invest in leadership development while demanding better leadership
Tolerating “brilliant jerks” and calling it pragmatism
Erika brings a systems lens to the discussion, calling out where leaders abdicate responsibility and where organisations quietly accept harm in the name of performance.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why innovation requires leaders to actively protect space for contribution
When it’s appropriate to stop trying to bring everyone along
How leaders unintentionally train teams to wait instead of act
Why rewarding the right managerial behaviour matters more than slogans
Why there are no exceptions when it comes to destructive high performers
This episode is for leaders who understand that culture is not abstract. It is designed, reinforced, and maintained through everyday leadership decisions.
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