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Season 4 Episode 15:
Leadership with Langley Sharp

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This week we've got an action-packed conversation that might just spark a little inspiration when it comes to leadership and decision-making. We're chatting with Langley Sharp, a former British Army officer and now leadership consultant who's here to share some incredible insights into the world of decision-making and leading.

We talk about everything from the power of leadership as a "force multiplier" for high performance, to the core values and purpose that underpin effective leadership. Langley has spent years studying leadership and decision-making in the military, so you're going to want to hear what he has to say.

We do a deep dive into the social connections that are so important for building strong teams and exploring the delicate balance between focusing on tasks, individuals, and the team as a whole. Plus, we look at some of the decision-making frameworks used by the army that are transferable to corporate settings.

Langley's insights are relevant, relatable, and downright inspiring. 

Links mentioned:

Frontier Leadership 

Langley’s book

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World

We discuss:

  • Why study leadership?
    • Why leadership matters: it’s all about the people, the social relationships
    • What are some things that might surprise folks about the military’s approach to leadership: it’s not all about the big top-down orders. Anyone can lead by example. The values-based requirement for leadership
    • And how has the army’s approach to leadership changed over the years
      • The impact of the industrial revolution on society and leadership
      • The more collaborative relationship these days between a leader and led
      • The contextual component of leadership
  • Leadership tools and strategies
    • What are some of the key tools the army uses:
      • Leadership: Character, knowledge and actions
      • Maintaining a balance between task, team, individuals and thinking about the “debt” created in one over the other
    • How can these port over to other sorts of organisation
    • The intangible nature of a lot of leadership fundamentals
    • Instilling culture: reward in every day, holding to account, storytelling, leading by example. Everyone has a piece of the jigsaw on culture
  • Leadership and decision making – some practicalities
    • The skill of bringing multiple teams together (“team of teams”)
    • What are some of the fundamentals of how decisions get made by leaders in the army:
      • System 1 vs system 2 thinking: under pressure vs time to reflect
      • Train the system 2, make the thought process habitual so it comes easier in the moment
      • Have a standard operational process
      • The problem of action bias and the key question of when to make a decision
      • Evaluating and reflecting on decisions
  • Notable leadership situations/examples playing out right now in global business or geopolitics

What’s one thing you would like listeners to take away from this?

It's important we all appreciate how central leadership is to delivering high performance.

What is the most underappreciated thing?

Leadership is underappreciated because it is intangible.

Any recommendations for good books or podcasts:

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