The Real Truth About Leadership: Debunking the Myths. Teaching What Works.

Hosted by Thomas R. Harris

Business Management

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Episodes

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Leadership is one of the most talked-about topics in the world — and one of the most misunderstood. With so much content, so many "styles," and so many competing ideas, it can be hard to know what to actually focus on. The Real Truth About Leadership simplifies it. We cut through the confusion, clear up the common misconceptions, and teach leadership the way it actually works — built on influence, grounded in principles, and practical enough for anyone to apply. No fluff, no fads. Just what works.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 8219 min

What Gets You Promoted Doesn't Make You A Good Leader

Most of the people at the top of organizationa aren't there because they're great leaders. They're there because they're great at looking like one. And there's a a lot of research and studies that show it. In this episode, we dig into this distinction — the difference between the leaders who rise and the leaders who actually work. How narcissism predicts who gets promoted but has little relationship to who performs. Why the people doing the real, unglamorous work of leadership are often the ones getting passed over. And why trusting a CEO's take on leadership might be one of the biggest mistakes you can make.If you've ever had a bad boss and wondered how they got there — this episode is your answer.

June 4, 2026Episode 817 min

The Hidden Problem With "Great Leaders Dont Tell You What To Do..."

Every week, leadership quotes flood your feed — and most of them sound great. But sounding right and being right aren't the same thing. This episode, we're putting a popular ones under the microscope: "Great leaders don't tell you what to do, they show you how it's done." We'll look at what it gets wrong, what it gets right, and what great leadership actually looks like in practice.

May 8, 2026Episode 8019 min

One of the Biggest Communication Mistakes Leaders Make

There's one mistake in communication that hurts leaders and people in general when it comes to the communication a lot, and that's making things complex. Research has shown that this hurts organizations in powerful ways, so it's important we get it right.

April 30, 2026Episode 7929 min

The Leadership Trap You Don't Know You're In

Your brain is wired to trap you. It naturally collapses complex situations into two choices — this or that, good or bad, relationships or results — and then convinces you those are the only options. In this episode, we breaks down the binary thinking patterns that quietly undermine leaders, why the "decisive leader" myth is actually hurting your decisions, and the one false dichotomy that might be doing the most damage on your team right now.

April 24, 2026Episode 7818 min

Why the First Words Matter

How you open a conversation can make or break how it ends — and the research backs it up. In this episode, we break down why leaders who start harshly almost always end poorly, what to do before you walk into a tough conversation, how to separate facts from the stories you're telling yourself, and what to do when you're the one on the receiving end of a bad start. Practical tools from Crucial Conversations, Never Split the Difference, and more.

April 17, 2026Episode 7711 min

Is leadership universal or situational?

Is leadership about fixed traits, or does it depend entirely on the situation? In this episode, we argue it’s both: leadership is grounded in universal principles but always applied situationally.Using examples from communication, medicine, soccer, jazz, and Deming’s critique of “copying without knowledge,” we show why best practices often fail—and what leaders should focus on instead.

April 10, 2026Episode 7625 min

The Leadership Trap You May Be Falling Into Every Day (And Don't Realize It)

Water flows downhill. Electricity takes the easiest route. And according to science, your brain does the same thing. But what happens when that natural pull quietly shapes how you lead — who you confront, what you tolerate, and what you never say? This episode might make you uncomfortable in the best way.

March 31, 2026Episode 7510 min

How to Fix the Leadership Buzzword Problem

Defining leadership well is step one, but it doesn't stop there. We talk about what it looks like to push back on the buzzword in real, everyday situations — in job descriptions, in interviews, in the stuff you share online, and in how organizations train and develop their people. Small shifts in how we talk about and treat leadership can make a bigger difference than you'd think.

March 25, 2026Episode 7414 min

How Leadership Became It's Own Worst Buzzword

So how did leadership become such a vague, overused, feel-good word? Turns out there's a lot working against us — relativism, title inflation, billions of dollars spent on training that isn't working, and an algorithm that rewards likes over truth. We break down the conditions that got us here and why.

March 17, 2026Episode 7325 min

Why "Leadership" Has Become Meaningless

We throw the word "leadership" around constantly — on apps, in schools, in job titles, on social media — but what does it actually mean anymore? Spoiler: not much. When a Shark Tank-style pitch gets called a "leadership talk" and organizing your backpack makes you a leader, we've got a problem. We dig into how leadership became the ultimate catch-all buzzword, why that's doing real damage, and what a clear definition of leadership actually looks like.