Shows
Leader2Leader with Tom AthenourThe Heart of Leadership with Barry Posner, PhDIn this conversation, Barry Posner dives into the heart of what makes great leadership tick—championing trust, sparking empowerment, and inspiring others through genuine encouragement. He shares the personal journey that led him into the world of leadership and academia, offering powerful lessons shaped by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. With passion and clarity, Posner explores the vital role of curiosity and human connection in today’s ever-changing landscape, especially among rising generations. He also gives us a sneak peek into his upcoming book, The Radical Promise (working title), and the bold ideas it brings to the future of l...2025-07-171h 05Leader2Leader with Tom AthenourUnlocking Creativity: Improv in the Workplace with Michael Flusche and Austin HinesIn this conversation, Tom Athenour discusses the integration of improvisational skills into leadership practices with improv actors Michael Flusche and Austin Hines. They explore how improv can enhance teamwork, creativity, and communication in the workplace. The discussion covers fundamental improv principles, the importance of trust and support in teams, and how to create a safe space for ideas. They also demonstrate improv techniques and share insights on navigating challenges and embracing failure as a learning opportunity.Resources: Website: www.curtisneedsaride.comSponsor: Website: www.starquestgroup.co...2025-07-0254 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourThe Art and Science of Leading Teams with Gordy CurphyIn this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Gordy Curphy about his work and research on how we as leaders can more effectively build high performing teams. During the discussion, Gordy shared the eight interrelated components that need to be addressed to create the conditions for team success. Those eight components include: Context – What’s the situation in which the team must operate?Mission – Why is our team together, and what’s the what and how of our mission?Talent – Do we have the right people with the right skills in the right roles? Norms – What are our agreed upon behavioral...2025-06-0557 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourAgility and Courage: Non-Negotiables for the Modern Leader with Jess KindlerIn this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Jess Kindler about his extensive career in leadership within the mining industry and beyond. They discuss the evolving landscape of global business, the importance of customer-centric leadership, and the need for agility in response to rapid changes in technology and market dynamics. Jess shares insights on how leaders can effectively navigate challenges, meet their teams where they are, and foster a culture of curiosity and accountability. The conversation culminates in practical advice for emerging leaders on embracing change and taking ownership of their roles.2025-05-2146 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourPaul Monahan - The Most Important GamePaul Monahan has spent years working with amateur and professional golfers and athletes to perfect the inner game or what we call the mental side of performance. As the mental game coach for one of the largest golf instruction communities in the country, Paul's focus is on helping his clients overcome the inside-game challenges that show up during practice and play. Paul recently published his first book entitled The Most Important Game: Play Better. Struggle Less. Enjoy More.Regardless of whether you play golf or not, you’ll find this episode most insightful as Paul shares his reflect...2025-04-291h 01Leader2Leader with Tom AthenourAnn Betz - The Neuroscience of LeadershipRecently I had the opportunity to connect with Ann Betz, a neuroscience and leadership expert. During our discussion, we explored strategies to better navigate stress, tension, and uncertainty in our daily work environments. From our conversation, I gathered several neuroscience-based techniques (or "hacks," as she calls them) that can help us manage these challenges—both for ourselves and when supporting others.1) Acknowledge and Express Your EmotionsSuppressing emotions doesn’t make them disappear; instead, they often resurface in unhelpful ways. Simply sharing what you're experiencing can help calm your nervous system.Hack #1: Reach out to y...2025-04-0159 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourMara Swan - Learning to Embrace Change and Drive PerformanceFor this episode, I had the opportunity to connect with Mara Swan who is currently an Operating Partner with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm that invests in companies around the world. During our conversation, I asked Mara what she thought were the most important leadership capabilities needed to be effective in today’s world. She quickly responded with leaning into change and driving performance. And so, that was our launch pad for our discussion on change and performance. A bit about Mara Swan. She is currently an Operating Part...2025-03-1846 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourJon Torpy - Leading through a Transformational Culture ShiftJon is President and General Manager of Epiroc USA, a global company that serves the mining, construction, and infrastructure industries. During this episode, Jon shares how he and his leadership team led their organization through a transformational culture change that has resulted in becoming one of the top performing companies within the Epiroc organization as well as being recognized by USA Today as one of the best places to work in America. Some of what you’ll learn is how Jon and his team em...2025-03-0350 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourJohn O’Leary - On Fire. Seizing the Power to Transform our Lives.Feeling tired, emotionally exhausted, and frustrated with not being able to move things forward? If you can relate, you’re not alone. During this episode, John and Tom discuss how we all can create a more fulfilling and healthy life, while also becoming a more effective leader, partner, parent and human being! A brief introduction to John’s story. In 1987, John was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his...2025-02-241h 00Leader2Leader with Tom AthenourSam Reese - Leading with vision. Inspiring with action.In this episode, Sam and Tom discuss how leadership is changing and what leaders need to know to navigate the uncertainties of our future reality. As CEO of Vistage, Sam leads the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize businesses, with more than 45,000 members in 30+ countries. He has a global view and perspective on what’s changing in the business environment, and what the best leaders are doing differently to be successful. In addition to hearing about what tren...2025-02-2458 minLeader2Leader with Tom AthenourCol Jason “Stinger” Houston | USAF - Accelerating the Creation of a Combat Ready TeamIn this episode, Jason and Tom explore how Jason was given the opportunity back in April of 2019 to lead a team or squadron of 80 people into a combat situation in the Middle East. The original assignment was to take over the squadron and be ready for deployment. The timeframe to prepare was about 12 months; however, conditions changed rather quickly after taking command of the squadron and their timeline to get prepared for deployment changed from 12 months to six weeks. The squadron did deploy successfully but the...2025-02-2451 min