The Connected Leadership Podcast

Why do our best intentions so often backfire in communication? You enter a meeting with a positive goal, yet leave colleagues feeling micromanaged, disempowered, or completely misunderstood. In this episode from the archive, Andy Lopata has a conversation with leadership coach and author Catherine Stothart (How to Get On with Anyone). Catherine breaks down why personality models shouldn't be used for clumsy conversational tricks, but to bridge the "influence gap" between our intentions and our actual impact. From the everyday friction between "Directing" and "Informing" communication habits to the four core interaction styles—Mobiliser, Energiser, Navigator, and Synthesiser—Catherine reveals how teams at companies like Airbus and Google navigate interpersonal differences. Discover how understanding your instinctive behavioural drivers can immediately reduce workplace tension, prevent unnecessary conflict, and build deeper, more authentic professional relationships. What You Will Learn In This Episode: The Influence Gap: Why positive intentions often lead to negative reactions, and how to consciously align your impact with your intent. Directing vs. Informing: The subtle phrasing difference in how you ask questions that makes others feel either clear or manipulated. The 4 Interaction Archetypes: How Mobilisers, Energisers, Navigators, and Synthesisers operate—and why putting them in a room together without self-awareness causes instant friction.  Actionable Insights: Identify and Flex Your Communication Style (Directing vs. Informing): Recognise whether you instinctively give instructions directly ("Please have this done by 2:00") or provide context hoping others take the hint ("How long will that task take you?"). When speaking to direct communicators, be clear and explicit; when speaking to informing communicators, provide information and allow them the autonomy to determine their action. Set Clear Check-In Agreements When Delegating: If you have an action-oriented "Mobiliser" drive, resist the urge to chase people down 30 minutes after assigning a task. Agree on a specific completion time or update milestones upfront, and do not follow up until that agreed-upon moment arrives. Design Meetings for Multiple Processing Styles: Recognise that extroverted styles (Mobilisers/Energisers) want to talk through ideas immediately, while introverted styles (Navigators/Synthesisers) need space to analyse data and consult. Send agendas in advance to give reflective thinkers time to process, ensuring you get the best contributions from the whole team. SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube Connect with Catherine Stothart: Website |LinkedIn | Episode 187 Featuring Catherine Storthart

We all know networking is important, but how often do you use "I don't have time" as an excuse for failing to build your professional relationships? In this archive episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata sits down with global entrepreneur and networking expert Gil Petersil. Gil challenges the traditional, polite rules of networking, offering a blunt and radical approach to managing your time, your energy, and your connections. If you are serious about growth, Gil argues, you must be willing to do the uncomfortable work: conducting a brutal audit of your current relationships and making the difficult decision to cut ties with people who no longer serve your life's destiny—even if you've been friends for 30 years. Discover the concept of "co-elevation," the "Networking Angel," and why the most successful people treat their networks like a carefully cultivated garden. What you will learn from this episode: The "No Time" Myth: Why telling yourself you don't have time to network is an excuse, and how to instantly reclaim hours in your week by auditing your solo activities. The Networking Angel: How busy executives use their assistants not just for scheduling, but as trained "Networking Angels" who manage and nurture crucial relationships on their behalf. The Necessity of Cutting Ties: The uncomfortable truth about why holding onto old friends who do not inspire or "co-elevate" you is holding back your career and depleting your energy. The Mastermind Meeting Protocol: How to transform wasteful 90-minute meetings into 45-minute masterclasses by enforcing strict presentation rules and cutting out aimless discussion. The Permaculture of People: What a bamboo plant can teach you about the absolute necessity of building a diverse network outside of your own industry bubble. Actionable Insights: Conduct a 7-Day Networking Audit: Look back at your calendar for the last seven days. Who did you give your time to? How much time did you spend alone (driving, scrolling)? Identify areas where you are wasting energy on low-priority relationships or solo tasks, and redirect that time toward high-value connections. Evaluate for "Co-Elevation": Write down the 5 to 10 people you spend the most time with. Are you helping them grow, and are they helping you grow? If the relationship lacks harmony and mutual inspiration, you need to create space and distance yourself to make room for new, more aligned connections. Train Your "Networking Angel": If you have an assistant or a team, stop using them just for admin. Train them to take over the initial stages of relationship building: managing your inbox, handling basic follow-ups, and organising themed dinners or group meetings so you can connect with multiple key people at once without burning through your calendar. SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube Connect with Gil Petersil: Website |LinkedIn | The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring Episode Featuring Gil Petersil

The traditional corporate ladder—with its promise of a "job for life" and a gold watch at retirement—is fundamentally broken. Andy Lopata is joined by JR Lowry, founder of PathWise, to discuss how professionals can successfully navigate a career landscape defined by restructuring, layoffs, and rapid change. Drawing from his own multi-faceted career journey (now on "Version 4.0"), JR shares practical strategies for taking active ownership of your professional path. Andy and JR unpack the limits of passive career planning, the rise of AI and why it must be balanced with Human Interaction (HI). They also examine the sociology of job hunting and the growing phenomenon of side gigs and polyworking among Gen Z and seasoned professionals alike. About Our Guest:JR Lowry is the founder of PathWise and a seasoned C-level executive in the financial services industry. Most recently, he served as the Global COO of Janus Henderson Investors, following leadership roles at State Street and Fidelity Investments. Prior to his financial services career, JR was a partner at McKinsey & Company and an officer in the US Air Force. JR holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Duke University. Now living in London with his wife, Suzanne, JR is a father of three and grandfather of one. In his free time, he is an avid traveler (visiting nearly 60 countries across 6 continents), runner (having completed all original 6 Abbott World Major Marathons and triathlons), and hiker. What we discussed in this episode:  Are you being too passive about your own career survival? Learn the critical indicators that suggest you may be ill-prepared for corporate restructuring, and discover the immediate steps you can take to build professional resilience. What is Andy’s "BBC Outplacement Test"? Discover a simple, three-step exercise that strips away your current job title to unlock unexpected career paths and opportunities through your network. Could the secret to your next job offer lie in someone you barely know? Explore the sociology behind Mark Granovetter's "Theory of Weak Ties" and learn why loose acquaintances are statistically superior to close friends when searching for a new role. How can AI actually make us more human at work? Discover how to leverage artificial intelligence to buy back time for "HI" (Human Interaction), critical thinking, and strategic relationship building. Is "polyworking" the future of work, or is it too difficult for most people to manage? Uncover the stark realities and practical challenges of leaving the traditional full-time structure to build a multi-income portfolio career. Download the full episode to learn how to adapt, rebuild, and successfully lead your own career journey! Resources Mentioned in this Episode: The Thinkers50 Community (Where Andy and JR originally met) Mark Granovetter's Study: The Theory of Weak Ties Dorie Clark’s Work (On multiple income streams) Andy's Psychology Today Blog (Research on conversations with strangers on public transport) Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring

Is admitting a mistake a sign of weakness or a leadership superpower? In this episode of Connected Leadership Bytes, Andy Lopata reaches into the archive to share a fascinating conversation with James Cleverly MP. Cleverly explores the "artificiality" of politics—a world where a simple "I’ll check those figures and get back to you" can be framed as a lack of credibility, and any change of course is branded a " U-turn." Drawing from his background in the military and business, he contrasts these rigid expectations with other industries where making mistakes is seen as a vital part of the evolutionary process. James discusses the anatomy of a political car crash, to reveal how "clever people in closed rooms" accidentally create echo chambers. Discover why leaders often fail to press the "stop button" even when they see a disaster coming, and learn how to balance the need for speed with the vital necessity of a "periodic sanity check." What you will learn in this episode 1. The Pivot vs. The Scandal: Why is a "course correction" celebrated in startups but punished in leadership—and how is this mindset stifling your team’s growth? 2. The "Clever People" Trap: How small, high-performing teams accidentally "plug themselves into the matrix" and ignore the elephant in the room. 3. The Anatomy of a Car Crash: Discover the five or six specific points in every decision where a simple intervention could have prevented total failure. 4. The Aeronautical Safety Lesson: Why adding too many "safety valves" to your leadership process might actually make your organisation too heavy to fly. 5. The Art of "Rolling the Pitch": Why you should never present a solution until you have achieved a collective agreement on the parameters of the problem. Actionable Insights 1. Schedule a "Sanity Check": To avoid echo chambers, ensure that your decision-making process includes an explicit phase where the team must "unplug from the matrix" and seek a blunt, external perspective. Ask: "Am I the only one who thinks this is bonkers?" 2. Reward the "Stop Button": Build a culture where team members feel empowered to pause a process if a fact or figure "doesn't feel right." In high-stakes environments, the confidence to intervene is more valuable than the speed of implementation. 3. Frame Mistakes with the 80/10/10 Rule: When correcting a policy or project, frame it logically: "80% is working brilliantly, 10% is adequate, and 10% needs adjustment." This shifts the narrative from a "failure" to a pragmatic optimisation. Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube Connect with James Cleverly: Website |LinkedIn | The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring Episode 164 Featuring James Cleverly

Welcome back to The Connected Leadership Bytes. In today’s archive episode, Andy is joined by Ben Brabyn, a former Captain in the Royal Marines, former CEO of the renowned London tech company Level39, and a pioneer who helped build one of the world's first crowdfunding platforms. Drawing from his unique career journey—spanning military service, investment banking at JP Morgan, and tech entrepreneurship—Ben shares invaluable insights into how network structures actually work. Andy and Ben explore the surprising similarities between military and corporate networks, how to navigate deep uncertainty through contingency planning, and why radical simplicity is the secret to getting your network to advocate for you. Ben also introduces the concept of the "Conveyors of Confidence"—the unsung heroes who serve as the cultural glue in any successful organisation. Key Takeaways from This Episode: 1. Listening is the Ultimate Unifying Skill: Whether you are leading Royal Marines, navigating an investment bank, or building a tech startup, the most critical networking skill is the ability to listen. Using your network to gather information, analyse it, and extract wisdom—not just data—is what drives success across all sectors. 2. Veterans Bring a "Comfort with Uncertainty": The military isn't just about shouting orders; it's a highly collaborative environment that trains leaders to be comfortable with ambiguity. Veterans bring a learned habit of "contingency planning"—constantly analysing the "what ifs" and fallback positions—which is an invaluable asset for civilian companies facing rapid change. 3. Identify Your "Conveyors of Confidence": Every organisation has people who act as the cultural backbone (similar to Non-Commissioned Officers in the military). These individuals might not bring in the big sales, but they are the "collective memory" of the company. They listen to everyone—from top executives to the cleaning staff—and build the horizontal and vertical trust that holds teams together. 4. Complex Messages Do Not Travel: If your 30-second elevator pitch is packed with intense, complex information, third parties will never pass it on. The best listeners are often the best simplifiers. To truly leverage your network, you must create a simple message that anyone can understand and enthusiastically share. SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube Connect with Ben Brabyn: Website |LinkedIn | The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring Episode 162 Featuring Ben Brabyn