The Rethink Leadership Podcast

Hosted by WRKdefined Podcast Network

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Episodes

149

Latest episode

May 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Conversations to inspire new thinking, transformation, and excellence for leaders everywhere, in the unpredictable, uncertain, fast-moving modern workplace we are all operating in. Our guests from around the world include founders, entrepreneurs, leaders at all levels, and experts with a story to tell who come with proven track records, share interesting new thinking, and represent the leadership diversity we are seeing across industries today, from start-ups to multinationals.

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60 recent

May 18, 202627 min

S11E18: The Leader-Innovator: Why innovation is no longer a nice-to-have but a fundamental requirement for modern leadership

Guest: Tom Pullen CEO of Innovinco® and award-winning author of INNOVATOR: 10 simple steps to innovate with speed, scale, and confidence Tom Pullen is the award-winning author of INNOVATOR and CEO of Innovinco®, a company that helps large corporations to maximise business growth by accelerating innovation. Tom spent the first 18 years of his career driving business growth inside major companies, including Boots, Mars, and Danone, where he became Global Innovation Director. Since founding Innovinco® in 2017, he has had the privilege of helping over 30 of the world’s leading companies to accelerate innovation performance. These include Danone, Essilor, Estée Lauder, The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, Unilever, and many more. Tom holds an Executive MBA with an Innovation major from HEC Paris, frequently ranked Europe’s number one business school, where he now regularly teaches innovation to executives. Charity: We have made a donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity – in London, UK as a thank you to Tom for joining me. Specifically to an initiative established by a friend of Tom's, who has raised £355k for Great Ormond Street Hospital in memory of her daughter, who received treatment there. For further information and to participate, please get involved here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anna-lewis-bff Connect with Tom and find out more: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomjpullen/ Get hold of Tom’s book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/INNOVATOR-simple-steps-innovation-success/dp/1788607708/ Website: https://innovinco.com

April 10, 202624 min

S11E17: Leadership Insights from the Front Lines of Entrepreneurship and Transformation

Guest: Paweł Zakielarz Founder at GLOBAL24 & SHOPRETURNS Paweł Zakielarz is a European entrepreneur operating at the intersection of cross-border commerce, regulatory complexity and platform-driven business models. As founder of Global24 and Shopreturns, he designs and builds cross-border operational systems that enable companies to scale internationally in environments shaped by evolving regulations, marketplace governance and geopolitical volatility. His work centres on a critical leadership challenge: how to build resilient organisations when key elements of your operating model are controlled externally - by digital platforms, regulators and shifting international trade realities. Rather than focusing on optimisation, Paweł focuses on redesign, helping businesses rethink how they structure processes, manage risk and protect margin while expanding across markets. Charity: This episode is in aid of Save the Children International to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Pawel for joining us. Find out more and get involved in the support of children especially in the current war zones around the world: https://www.savethechildren.net/ Connect with Paweł and find out more: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelzakielarz/ Global24: https://global24.com/en/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/global24pl/ Shopreturns: https://shopreturns.com / https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopreturns/ Recent case study introducing Shopreturns: https://youtu.be/4Cj1nXfcvYo?si=SR_ViG7wwh6joHBp

April 10, 202632 min

S11E16: Leading Under Pressure: How the Best Leaders Navigate Pressure for Themselves and Show Up for Others

Guest: Amar Dhall Psychotherapist and Leadership Researcher (Nervous System Regulation Under Pressure) Amar Dhall is a psychotherapist and leadership researcher focused on what happens inside people when pressure is on. He works at the intersection of leadership, psychology, trauma-informed practice, and nervous system science, helping executives and leadership teams stay coherent in high-stakes moments. Amar is the founder of Neuro-Somatic Leadership, a framework that treats leadership development as training state under load — so clarity, judgment, and relational capacity remain available when it matters most. We discuss what pressure is, how it affects us as leaders and the consequences of both being able to handle the pressure, and those who cannot. How that impacts themselves and others. With examples and tips for leaders to better handle stress and lead with confidence through tough times, with others. Charity: This episode is in aid of Save the Children International to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Amar for joining us. Find out more and get involved here: https://www.savethechildren.net/ Connect with Amar and find out more: Media profile: https://www.guestsonair.com/profile/amar-dhall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramardhall/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amar_dhall/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amar.dhall.75 Website: https://www.amardhall.com/

April 9, 202634 min

S11E15: How Leaders Can Accelerate Growth of Themselves and Others Through Adopting A Powerful Learning Mindset

Guest: Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore Executive coach, CEO of Global Connections for Women Foundation, and co-author of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore an Executive coach, founder and CEO of Global Connections for Women Foundation, and co-author of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ with Dr Marshall GoldsmithLilian is an award-winning Chief Learning Officer, research scholar, and part of the Lead Faculty at Columbia University, Lilian has over 17 years of experience working with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies. A member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Executive Coaches, she mentors top professionals in uncovering their career paths. Lilian’s new book is out now :‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ co-authored with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith We dive into the book and focus on why leaning into a learning mindset for today’s leaders is a must do, not a nice to do, with plenty of examples and tips to accelerate your learning journey Charity: We are delighted to support Lilian’s charity, the Global Connections for Women Foundation, as a thank you to Lilian for joining us. Find out more about this fabulous organization and get involved here: www.GC4Women.org Connect with Lilian and find out more: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilianore Find out more how Lilian can help you and your organization: https://www.lilianore.com/, Grab your copy of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ through all good bookstores and right here on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0eE10oH2

April 2, 202635 min

S11E14: From Performative to Proven: How The Flavor Room is Rewriting the Playbook for Leaders of Color

Guests: Sutton C. McCraney, MA, MBA, Founder, The Flavor Room™️ & USAF Veteran Lace Flowers Co-Founder, The Flavor Room™️ The Flavor Room was founded by Sutton C. McCraney and Lace Flowers as an invite-only, curated leadership ecosystem for founders and CEOs of color operating at a higher standard. Drawing on Sutton's decade of military leadership and systems expertise and Lace's 18 years at the intersection of food, mental health and human performance, they built a space that redefines access, authority, and long-term influence in business. The Flavor Room centers leadership density, structural integrity, and institutional credibility — prioritizing standards over optics and sustainable power over performative success. Their work focuses on building lasting infrastructure that expands access and ensures it endures. Charity: This episode is in aid of the MATW'S Palestinian Fund as a thank you to Lace and Sutton for joining me. Find out more how this organisation is helping with the Gaza crisis here: https://matwproject.org/crisis-and-emergencies/palestine Connect with Rochelle and find out more: Website: https://www.theflavor.biz/ Connect with Sutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sutton-mccraney/ Connect with Lace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceflowers/

March 31, 202631 min

S11E13: Inside Out Leadership – Those leaders hitting pause to work on themselves

Guest: Rochelle Trow Author | Coach | Founder of The Change Canvas Rochelle Trow is an HR executive, author and coach with more than twenty-five years of international experience leading people strategy and transformation across organisations including Unilever, GSK, Astellas, Takeda and Onsemi. After experiencing burnout herself, she founded The Change Canvas to help leaders thrive in high-pressure environments without losing themselves. She has just released her second book ‘Anchored’ which brings clarity to complexity and humanity to change for leaders everywhere. We discuss the pressures on leaders today and how many are needing to focus on themselves first and then deeply support people following., When they are ready and able. This also links to a shift from traditional, unsustainable corporate people strategies to human-centric strategies that support everyone – including those at the very top. Rochelle’s own experience of burnout has led her on a mission to help other at senior levels in business with frameworks like the "Change Canvas” to address resilience blind spots in high-pressure environments, while providing actionable, measurable strategies for integrating humanity into ongoing business evolution. All this is also covered as an extensive ‘how to’ in Rochelle’s new book Anchored. Charity: This episode is in aid of Breast Cancer Now to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Rochelle for joining us. Find out more and get involved with this fabulous organisation here: https://breastcancernow.org/ Connect with Rochelle and find out more: Website: https://rochelletrow.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/executivecoachhr

March 29, 202628 min

S11E12: Conscious Leadership in a Multicultural World — East–West insights on leading global, distributed, and diverse teams.

Guest: Yining Wang Global Business Strategist and Executive Partner at Sincere Alignment Group Yining Wang personifies Eastern and Western leadership and life, spanning Sweden, Hong Kong and China Yining has a background leading billion-dollar ventures across Asia and Europe, helping leaders cultivate their inner clarity, emotional neutrality, and conscious presence that create truly healthy, high-performing teams and cultures. In his own words, “The future of leadership isn’t bigger empires — it’s deeper self-awareness.” His framework integrates Eastern stillness and inner mastery with Western leadership strategy — turning wellbeing into a leadership must have rather than an HR initiative. Charity: This episode is in aid of Save the Children International, to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Yining for joining us. Find out more here and join us in making a donation to this much needed cause. https://www.savethechildren.net/ Connect with Yining and find out more: Website: https://www.sincerealignmentgroup.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yining-wang-23040017/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yining_sincerealignment/

March 15, 202623 min

S11E11: What Most leaders Get Wrong About AI (and How to Fix It)

Guest: Len Ward Founder and Managing Partner of Commexis LEN WARD, a former Wall Street VP on the institutional equity trading desk, transitioned from the high-stakes world of finance to become a digital marketing expert—and now leads the AI revolution as Managing Partner of Commexis. With a rare blend of financial insight, entrepreneurial experience, and AI expertise, Len brings practical, forward-thinking guidance to today’s business leaders. He’s a sought-after voice for business leaders ready to understand how AI is changing marketing, operations, and growth—and what it takes to stay ahead. We discuss the pace of change and AI evolution leaders everywhere are faced with. Charity: This episode is in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as a thank you to Len for joining us. Find out more and get involved with this excellent organization here: www.CFF.org Connect with Len and find out more: Website: Commexis.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenward/ Twitter: https://x.com/lenwardnj @lenwardNJ

March 8, 202628 min

S11E10: The Case for Leaderless Leadership - The why, what and must-dos to make it a reality

Guest: Danny Wareham Culture & Engagement Director + Founder - Firgun Ltd Danny believes that happy bees make tasty honey. If we have the right culture, leadership, support and strategy, then high performance becomes a side effect. He is an author and organisational psychologist who specialises in leadership, culture and personality – with a particular focus on narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Danny’s Book ‘Constellation: Leadership reimagined for a connected age’ offers a ground-breaking study drawing on psychology, organisational science, and fresh empirical evidence, for a world too complex for hierarchies to keep pace. This is not a reworking of old theories. It is a new map. Charity: This episode is aid of the The Hubb Foundation, an independent and socially-inclusive charity dedicated to supporting families and communities in creating happy, healthy school holidays. Find out more and get involved here: https://www.thehubbfoundation.com/ Connect with Danny and find out more: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-wareham/ Consultancy Website: https://firgun.co.uk/ Danny's website: https://dannywareham.co.uk/ Book Website: http://constellationleadership.co.uk/ Book Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1836887973/

February 19, 202631 min

S11E09: The Leadership Velocity Crisis - When Your Outer Game Outruns Your Inner Game

Guest: RAJESH NAGJEE CEO Mentor | Business Physicist | Author | Creator of CEO Freedom OS | YPO Forum Facilitator ‘There are two great days in a person’s life - the day we are born, and the day we discover why.” - William Barclay Rajesh Nagjee is a CEO mentor and business physicist who helps scale- stage founders solve what he calls the Velocity Crisis, the widening gap between a company’s systems and a CEO’s capacity to run them at scale. His signature framework, CEO Freedom OS, includes four interlocking components: Command Center OS, Delegation OS, Client Magnet OS, and Personal Brand OS. Clients such as Amex KSA, Nielsen MEA, and BNI Middle East have used it to reduce overwhelm, build decision maturity, and scale sustainably with returns exceeding 500%. Charity: This episode is in aid of The World Federation for Mental Health which promotes the advancement of mental health awareness, prevention of mental disorders, advocacy, and best- practice recovery-focused-interventions worldwide. Find out more and get involved here: https://wfmh.global/ Connect with Rajesh and find out more: Website: https://www.RajeshNagjee.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeshnagjee/ X: https://x.com/rajeshnagjee Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rajeshthenextlevelguy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajeshnagjee YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rajeshnagjee