Leadership Biz Cafe with Tanveer Naseer

Most leaders believe they're doing a better job than they actually are. Global studies show that while managers rate themselves highly in terms of their effectiveness, less than a third of their employees agree with that assessment. So what’s behind this gap and is there anything leaders can do to address it, without adding even more to their full plates? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe", global C-suite executive coach and former Microsoft executive Sabina Nawaz reveals why even the most well-intentioned leaders develop blind spots and self-sabotaging habits that quietly damage their teams - and what you can do to avoid it. Drawing from her bestselling, award-winning book "You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)", Sabina introduces her framework of Power Gaps and Pressure Pitfalls - the hidden forces that grow in proportion to your authority and stress - and shares practical and easy to implement strategies for recognizing and overcoming them. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned executive, this conversation will sharpen your self-awareness, improve how you communicate and give feedback, and help you become the leader your team actually needs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to periods of disruption, most of us have learned to treat it like a bad storm - something you do your best to avoid, but if you do encounter it, you just hunker down and wait for clearer skies to return. But is it possible that we’ve misunderstood the true nature of disruption? That disruption is the very force that helps us to do work that matters - or as my guest writes in his book, to “live a good life”? In this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe,” I speak with Dr. Patrick Leddin about his New York Times bestselling book “Disrupt Everything - and Win,” he co-authored with legendary storyteller James Patterson, and how leaders can transform disruption from something to endure into a powerful driver to achieve a sense of purpose, and lead their teams to meaningful and lasting success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most leaders come to leadership development hoping to find tools that will fix their employees. What Margaret Andrews reveals in this episode of Leadership Biz Cafe is that the real work of leadership starts somewhere else entirely - with understanding and managing yourself first. In this episode, Harvard instructor and author Margaret Andrews introduces her MYLO (Manage Yourself to Lead Others) approach, a four-stage framework built on the insight that we can only lead others effectively once we understand who we are, who we want to become, and what stands between the leader we are today and the one we're capable of being. You'll learn how to develop genuine self-understanding, apply it through practical self-management, and use both to lead others with greater clarity, empathy, and resilience, including how to navigate upward through challenging relationships with your own leaders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a perceptual pendulum swing from leaders opening speaking out on a number of social and political issues, to many of those same leaders now being conspicuously quiet.While this might seem reasonable in the face of increasing social divisiveness and economic uncertainty, my guest Matthew Kohut makes the case that this retreat into silence may carry a far higher cost than leaders realize. Matthew is a communication strategist who joins me on this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe” to talk about his book, ”Speaking Out: The New Rules of Business Leadership Communication” and what those new rules for speaking out are, along with a practical communication framework that can help leaders know when they should speak out, how to do it, and why it’s critical to their organization and its stakeholders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most organizations treat inclusion as a checkbox exercise - build diverse teams, implement training programs, and assume employees will automatically feel like they belong.But as Priya Nalkur reveals in this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”, this fundamental misunderstanding is exactly why so many workplace initiatives fail to create genuine connection.Priya is the President of The RoundTable Institute and has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She’s also the author of the book, “Stumbling Towards Inclusion: Finding Grace in Imperfect Leadership”.Whether you’re leading inclusion initiatives or simply want to understand how to create a workplace where every employee feels empowered to deliver their best, this conversation will give you the insights and practical strategies you need to make meaningful progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a commonly held belief that leadership courage is a trait that you either have or you don’t. That only the most rarefied few have what it takes to rally people around them to press ahead and meet the uncertainty - or adversity - that stands before them. But what if courage is not a rare trait, but instead something every leader can exemplify in everyday moments? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," I speak with Alex Budak, award-winning UC Berkeley faculty member and author of "Becoming a Changemaker", about his Harvard Business Review article where he describes the six forms of everyday courage leaders can develop to successfully drive change and lead their organization through periods of adversity. And a quick note here that this will be the last episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe” for 2025 as I’m taking a break for the month of December. But I’ll be back in January 2026 with more guests, more Leadership Espresso Shots, and more insights on how you can succeed and grow in your leadership role.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Workplace conflict has doubled since 2008, with over a third of employees dealing with it constantly. But what if the solution isn't eliminating conflict, but transforming it into opportunities for connection and understanding, if not also increasing our own self-awareness? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," Karin Hurt and David Dye, founders of Let's Grow Leaders and authors of "Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict," share their proven framework for turning destructive conflict into constructive conversations. You'll discover the four dimensions of constructive conflict, learn the 12 GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) powerful phrases that actually work to transforming conflict into connection, and gain practical strategies for handling everything from workplace bullies to passive-aggressive colleagues to overwhelming workloads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most leaders approach AI integration by focusing on the mechanics - which tools to buy, how to write better prompts, or which tasks to automate. But what if this tactical focus is exactly why so many AI initiatives fail to create meaningful transformation? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," Faisal Hoque, thought leader and best-selling author of “Transcend: Unlock Humanity in the Age of AI,” challenges us to view AI not as a technology problem to solve, but as a mirror reflecting our collective humanity - and why this understanding changes everything about how we should lead with AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most leaders think inclusive teams automatically create belonging. Dr. Beth Kaplan reveals why this assumption is exactly why so many workplace initiatives fail to create genuine connection and leads to the rising levels of anxiety and disconnect we see today. In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," Dr. Beth Kaplan, who’s been hailed as the world’s leading expert on belonging, shares the critical difference between inclusion (what leaders provide) and belonging (what employees feel), plus practical strategies from her book "Braving The Workplace" on how leaders can create environments where people feel connected to something bigger than themselves without sacrificing who they are. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most leaders, uncertainty is like a storm you weather by cutting costs, delaying decisions, and basically waiting for calmer waters to return. But is it possible that this protective mindset is the very reason why organizations struggle to grow and evolve during periods of uncertainty? In other words, are the difficulties we have with uncertainty less to do with uncertainty itself, and more to do with how we choose to view and respond to it? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," my guest Dr. Rebecca Homkes presents her findings and a model that challenges us to rethink uncertainty as the fuel for breakthrough growth rather than an obstacle organizations need to overcome. Through our discussion of her book, "Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times", Rebecca shares her proven SRT Loop framework - a cyclical three-stage process that will help leaders develop strategies to ensure their organization can withstand and grow whatever setbacks and market shocks that cross their path. What You'll Learn:Why treating uncertainty as temporary is the biggest strategic mistake leaders can makeHow to use the Uncertainty Matrix to categorize and respond to different types of volatilityThe five hard truths about survival that most leaders get wrongRebecca's power moves for creating stable foundations during turbulent timesHow to define your beliefs and test assumptions when you don't have all the dataThe difference between Right to Play and Right to Win (and why confusion kills growth)How to identify your Ideal Customer Profile and why narrowing focus drives expansionWhat "must-win battles" are and how to maintain focus as conditions changeHow to use the Black Box of Execution to transition from Reset to ThriveCommon SRT Leadership Traps and how to avoid them Whether you're navigating economic uncertainty, industry disruption, or organizational transformation, this conversation will fundamentally shift how you think about leading growth in volatile times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to AI, the present concern is over the potential job losses and fundamental disruptions to the way we work. But what about AI’s inevitable impact on leadership? Will AI lead to a more impersonal, authoritative form of leadership? Or will it actually be the catalyst for a more human-centric form of leadership? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe," Rasmus Hougaard reveals how AI can save leaders time, enable personalized leadership approaches, and help them to bring more humanity to their role, not less. Drawing from extensive research shared in his new book, “More Human - How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead”, Rasmus explains why successful leaders must learn to manage their minds first, then develop three core human qualities that become even more essential in an AI-driven world. What You'll Learn:The three powerful benefits AI brings to leadership (and why most leaders miss them)How to toggle effectively between human skills and AI capabilitiesWhy developing awareness, wisdom, and compassion is critical for AI-augmented leadersThe specific mindsets leaders need to increase their awareness using AIHow to use AI to develop wisdom without becoming cognitively lazyWhy compassion is the secret to building trust around AI adoption in your organization It’s a thought-provoking and revealing conversation that will inspire you to realize the future has yet to be written, and how the potential is there for us to create a more human-centric workplace environment where employees and organizations succeed and thrive together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most leaders approach organizational change by trying to manage individual behaviours and mindsets. But what if this fundamental approach is exactly why so many transformation efforts fail? In this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”, Siobhan McHale, author of "The Hive Mind At Work," reveals why successful change happens when leaders tap into group intelligence rather than controlling individual responses. Drawing insights from how bee hives operate, she introduces her revolutionary Hive LENS framework, a four-step process that helps leaders work with natural group dynamics instead of against them. What You'll Learn:Why conventional change management approaches lead to failed outcomesHow to identify hidden patterns that actually drive organizational behaviourThe three critical mistakes leaders make that bees never doWhy "nudging" beats creating urgency when driving changeHow to prevent teams from reverting to old ways of working Whether you're leading a major transformation or struggling with resistance to change, this conversation will completely shift how you think about facilitating organizational change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many leaders view disruption as something they have to manage or preferably avoid altogether so they can focus on what they believe is the “real work” of leadership.But in today’s increasingly complex and uncertain world, perhaps the real work leaders should be focusing on is rethinking how and why their organizations operate the way they do. That’s the argument my guest Terence Mauri makes in this episode of my “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast.Terence is a world-leading expert on the future of leadership, AI, and disruption, and the founder of the future trends think tank, Hack Future Lab. Terence’s writings and insights have appeared in The Economist, Forbes, Inc, BBC, Reuters, and Business Insider.In his latest book, “The Upside of Disruption”, Terence presents his DARE model – a framework that challenges leaders to build adaptive, resilient, and human-centric organizations that due away with the current approach towards a more command-and-control style of leading.Just like his book, my conversation with Terence will disrupt how you think about AI, agility, and failure, and why the most successful organizations in the years ahead will not be those who learn to survive disruption, but who understand how to thrive because of it.Noteworthy links:Buy Terence’s book “The Upside of Disruption” on AmazonLearn more about Terence’s work: terencemauri.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.