How to Lead with Clay Scroggins and Adam Tarnow

Hosted by Clay Scroggins and Adam Tarnow

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Episodes

215

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A podcast designed to help you develop yourself and those around you.

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60 recent

June 15, 2026Episode 21739 min

Culture Matters (featuring Jenni Catron)

In this episode, Adam sits down with Jenni Catron, leadership expert, founder of The 4Sight Group, and author of Culture Matters , to talk about one of the most important and most overlooked responsibilities of any leader: building a healthy organizational culture. Jenni brings clarity and practical wisdom to a topic that can feel abstract, and this conversation will leave you with both a better understanding of why culture matters and what you can actually do about it.

June 1, 2026Episode 21625 min

The People-Pleasing Tax

We've all done it: said yes before we even finished thinking, then immediately regretted it. Clay and Adam dig into why people-pleasing feels like the kind thing to do, why it isn't, and what it quietly costs you as a leader: trust, clarity, energy, and the hard conversations that only get harder the longer you wait. Plus, five moves to start breaking the reflex this week.

May 18, 2026Episode 21525 min

Your One-on-Ones are Probably Broken

Most leaders run one-on-ones every week. Almost none of them run one-on-ones their people actually want to show up to. The problem isn't effort — it's a fundamental mismatch: you think you're running a status meeting. Your direct report came hoping for something else entirely.In this episode, Adam and Clay break down why the most powerful recurring meeting on your calendar is also the most wasted one — and what to do about it. You'll learn the difference between a status meeting and a trust meeting, what your direct reports actually need from 30 minutes with you, and a handful of small shifts that turn a hollow check-in into the best meeting of someone's week.This podcast is produced by Sound of a Rose.

May 11, 2026Episode 21415 min

The Most Puzzling Part of Leadership

When 18 out of 23 leaders in a room all gave the same answer — people — to the question "What's the most puzzling part of leadership?", it was hard to ignore. This episode unpacks why.Drawing on a distinction from Arthur Brooks' new book, we explore the difference between complicated problems (ones that can be solved) and complex problems (ones that can only be managed). The cruel irony of leadership? Solve enough complicated problems and you get promoted into a world full of complex ones — and the skills that got you there are almost useless in this new game.If you've ever tried to spreadsheet your way through a relational conflict or a disengaged high performer, this one's for you. We'll talk about what it actually looks like to stop trying to solve the unsolvable — and why leaning into the mystery might be the most important thing you can do as a leader.Podcast produced by ⁠Sound of a Rose

May 4, 2026Episode 21347 min

Whole Leaders, Wild Trust (featuring Dr. Rob McKenna)

What does it really mean to lead from a place of wholeness and why does trust feel so elusive in today's organizations? In this episode, Adam sits down with Dr. Rob McKenna, author of Whole Leaders, Wild Trust, for a conversation that challenges everything you thought you knew about leadership development.Dr. McKenna explores why the most effective leaders aren't the ones who have it all figured out, but the ones who are willing to show up fully; with their strengths, their struggles, and their humanity intact. He unpacks the idea of "wild trust": the kind of deep, unguarded confidence that teams extend to leaders who are genuinely known, not just professionally polished.Whether you're leading a team of five or an organization of thousands, this episode will leave you rethinking how you show up and what it truly means to be trusted.Learn more about Dr. McKenna: https://www.wildleaders.org/Pick up a copy of Dr. McKenna's book: https://a.co/d/046Ru6KbPodcast produced by Sound of a Rose

April 27, 2026Episode 21226 min

Your Middle Managers Don't Need to Suck it Up

The data is hard to ignore: mid-level leaders are the most stressed and burned out professional demographic — more burned out than individual contributors, more than senior executives. And yet most organizations treat manager development as an afterthought. Meanwhile, the generation coming up behind them is looking at middle management and quietly deciding it's not worth it.This episode is for the senior leader. The executive. The person who's climbed out of the valley and is now looking down at it.Adam shares a personal story from May 2009 — a breaking point in the valley, and what the senior leaders around him did and didn't do in response. What that moment revealed wasn't that they didn't care. It's that they'd navigated the valley themselves, but had no idea how to explain what they'd learned. They couldn't transfer what they couldn't articulate.We walk through three signs your middle managers are struggling — and why what looks like a character problem is almost always a systems problem. Then we make the case for what senior leaders actually owe the people in their valley. Spoiler: it's not a pep talk, a mandate to push through, or a sink-or-swim moment. It's a repeatable framework and a leader willing to hand it down.If your team's vision lives or dies through your middle managers — and it does — this one is worth your full attention.Purchase The Fog of Work:Amazon: https://a.co/d/08JMiDajBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fog-of-work-adam-tarnow/1148527628?ean=9781394368136https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fog-of-work-adam-tarnow/1148527628?ean=9781394368136

April 20, 2026Episode 21129 min

Judged on Things You Don't Fully Control

Every middle manager knows the feeling: things show up on your annual review that never appeared on your to-do list. You're expected to boil the ocean every day. You're held responsible for outcomes that depend on people, circumstances, and decisions that are never fully yours. It's not a personal failing — it's the defining tension of life in the middle.In this episode, we share what might be the single most useful idea in The Fog of Work — a simple, three-step framework for finding clarity and action in exactly those moments. We call it the fog-clearing sentence, and it's the punchline the whole book builds toward. Not a pep talk. Not a call to push harder. A repeatable system for extracting what you can do from situations that feel completely out of your control.If you've ever walked out of a meeting with your boss wondering how you were supposed to deliver something that was never really in your hands — this episode is for you.Download a free Control Your Controllables Worksheet here: https://adamtarnow.com/fogresourcesPurchase a copy of The Fog of WorkAmazon: https://a.co/d/0e3k3WagBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fog-of-work-adam-tarnow/1148527628?ean=9781394368136

April 13, 2026Episode 21024 min

It's Here and It's For You

Middle managers are some of the most important — and most overlooked — leaders in any organization. In this episode, Clay and Adam unpack Adam's new book, The Fog of Work: what it is, why it hits hardest in the middle of an org chart, and how to find your footing when you can barely see what's in front of you.They talk through the valley that most leaders never see coming, the three ways people respond when the fog rolls in, and the practical tools Adam built to help leaders reclaim clarity and agency — no matter what's happening above or below them.If you're a leader who's ever felt stuck in the middle and wondered if something was wrong with you, this one's for you. The Fog of Work is available now — grab your copy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

April 6, 2026Episode 20922 min

Why You Need to Throw More Parties

Every leader knows they should celebrate their team more. Almost none of them actually do it. In this episode, Clay Scroggins and Adam dig into why leaders chronically under-celebrate — and why that's costing them more than they realize. They unpack the research on what recognition actually does to a team's motivation, pull a surprising insight from the parable of the prodigal son, and give you four practical ways to build a culture of celebration that doesn't depend on you remembering to do it. If you've ever thought "I need to do a better job honoring my people" and then watched the moment pass, this one's for you.One thing to do before Monday: Think of someone on your team who did something worth celebrating in the last two weeks. Tell them tonight — specifically, with actual words. Start there.

March 30, 2026Episode 20826 min

Good People Make Good Leaders

Most leadership content focuses on skills—strategy, communication, vision, execution. And those things matter. But there's a question that doesn't get asked nearly enough: What kind of person are you while you lead?In this episode, Clay and Adam explore the idea that great leadership isn't just about mastering the steering wheel—where you're going, how fast you're moving, whether you're hitting goals. It's also about looking in the mirror. Because you can be highly skilled, consistently effective, and still be someone people don't actually want to follow.They break down what it really means to be a "good person" in leadership—not passive, not conflict-avoidant, but someone with genuine integrity, humility, and self-awareness—and why those qualities are the invisible engine behind trust, influence, and team health.Plus, three practical "mirrors" every leader should be looking into regularly, and a simple challenge to take into your week.