In this episode of Leadership Bites, I sit down with Gary Clark, Group Head of Learning and Development at Qatar Airways, based in Doha.

Gary leads group wide learning across a 65,000 person organisation, with a team of around 80, covering everything from operational training that keeps aircraft flying, to leadership and capability, learning tech, digital content, and vendor partnerships. Along the way, we get into what it really takes to run an internal learning function like a business, build credibility fast, and become the supplier of choice inside a complex, high pace, multi subsidiary organisation.

We talk about leading in a multicultural reality, the tension between standards and psychological safety, why bland harmony is a risk, and how to create a community of practice that pulls people together without forcing compliance. We also touch on AI and learning, not as a shiny distraction, but as a tool, while the real edge remains human connection, trust, and leadership craft.

If you care about culture in the real world, not the poster on the wall, this one will land.

Connect with me at livingbrave.com

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Chapters
00:00 Intro and welcome
00:29 Gary Clark and Qatar Airways context
02:51 Scale, growth, and operational pace
05:03 What learning covers in an airline
08:57 Supplier of choice mindset for internal L and D
10:43 Quality, credibility, and Brandon Hall Awards
12:14 Centralised vs federated learning models
14:19 Building community through internal conferences
21:17 Multicultural leadership, standards, and integration
33:04 Clear standards, clear intention
34:03 Human centred leadership and psychological safety
49:13 AI, generational gaps, and learning strategy
57:12 The next few years and what matters most

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom sits down with Dr Steven Farmer DBA MPhil MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Alconex Infrastructure and Solutions Ltd, author of Soft Skills, Hard Numbers. Steve leads a multi utilities business delivering gas, water and electric connections to homes, while expanding into energy transition work across data centres, battery energy storage and solar.

Steve shares a straight talking leadership philosophy that blends soft skills with hard numbers. He talks about rising from an apprenticeship and life on the tools, to senior leadership and board level accountability, then pushing himself through an MBA and a doctorate while working full time. The conversation moves into what servant leadership really means when performance dips, why poor behaviour is a fast route to the exit, and how leaders can build psychological safety without lowering standards.

They explore the human reality leaders are dealing with right now, a workforce arriving already anxious, the importance of being excellent at receiving bad news, and the practical power of one simple principle: do not make life worse for people at work. Steve also unpacks his doctorate research into values based recruitment in construction, and why the industry needs a new story if it wants young talent to choose trade and craft over debt and drift.

Expect clear thinking, grounded experience, and leadership that respects people while still hitting the numbers.

Key moments and ideas
• The route to CEO, and why effort beats talent when talent coasts
• Doctorate level work while leading a business, what it really takes
• Values based recruitment and making construction a cause people want to join
• Servant leadership without softness, command without control
• Psychological safety and performance, do not shoot the messenger
• Bad news is like fresh bread, better when it is new
• High performance, low tolerance, high nurture, the leadership balance
• Creating workplaces where people do not get the Sunday scaries
• One leadership book Steve would still recommend: Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

Guest
Dr Steven Farmer DBA MPhil MBA
Chief Executive Officer, Alconex Infrastructure and Solutions Ltd
Author, Soft Skills Delivering Hard Numbers

Host
Guy Bloom
Leadership Development, Executive Coaching and Team Effectiveness
Living Brave Leadership
Leadership Bites podcast

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this extended studio conversation on Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom sits down with Danny Nelson, MD WINVIC, Industrial & Logistics who has grown with a construction business from its early days into a billion pound organisation. This is not a polished leadership story. It is a real one.

Danny talks openly about starting out as an apprentice, learning the craft from tough early experiences, and what changes when you move from being good at the job to being responsible for people, culture and long term performance. Together they explore what trust actually looks like when you stop micromanaging, why accountability is not about blame, and how letting go becomes one of the hardest disciplines of senior leadership.

The conversation goes deep into lived culture. Not values on the wall, but how standards are set, how people are treated, how suppliers are paid, and how consistency builds credibility over time. They discuss succession, stepping into ownership, recalibrating peer relationships, and why leadership maturity often comes through discomfort, feedback and reflection rather than confidence or charisma.

This episode is for leaders who have grown inside an organisation, who feel the weight of responsibility, and who know that leadership is less about being right and more about learning, trust and sustained behaviour over time.

00:08:56 From apprentice to boardroom learning leadership through craft
00:15:40 Growing inside one organisation what you learn that outsiders do not
00:17:38 Where culture really comes from standards not slogans
00:20:02 Doing it right why credibility is built through behaviour
00:23:56 What culture feels like when it is working
00:26:23 What got you here will not get you there
00:28:50 Leadership maturity learning through reflection
00:30:28 Trust versus control why micromanagement kills leadership
00:32:10 Letting go without letting things fall apart
00:33:37 Accountability without blame owning performance properly
00:35:14 The John Terry effect leadership without needing the spotlight
00:36:53 Succession without ego stepping into ownership
00:39:09 Recalibrating peer relationships at senior level
00:42:05 Getting honest feedback when you are at the top
00:44:21 Why senior leaders hear less truth over time
00:46:03 Trusting each other enough to challenge properly
00:48:11 Why perfection is not the goal in leadership
00:49:21 Advice to younger leaders what really matters
00:51:18 Growth comes from facing into discomfort
00:52:39 Learning from leaders you do not want to become
00:54:10 Leadership is not meant to be easy

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this first ever Leadership Bites conversation between Guy Bloom and Jamie MacPherson, two long time colleagues finally press record and get into what sits underneath the glossy talk of culture.

They explore a blunt question: can the promise of a great culture ever meet expectations, or does it always fall short once real people, real pressure, and real leaders show up.

They unpack the gap between the marketing story and the lived experience, the hidden corridor culture that never makes the posters, and the reality that most organisations do not have one culture at all but many, shaped by local leaders and daily interactions.

Jamie frames culture as the aggregation of every interaction and offers three simple tests that cut through the noise: do interactions leave people clearer, more interested, and learning.

Guy adds a hard edge to that with survival versus contribution, where people are either performing to stay safe or showing up with enough trust to offer half formed ideas, challenge, and honesty.

They also tackle the uncomfortable truth of culture programmes: if you raise awareness and set a standard, you create a new lens people will judge the organisation by.

If leadership cannot live it, the disappointment gets louder.

Great culture is not Nirvana. It is averages, peaks and troughs, small behaviours done consistently, and the craft of leadership at senior level, where the work is granular, deliberate, and owned from the top.

A candid, funny, reality based conversation about what culture really is, what it is for, and why the promise only becomes real when leaders have the courage to be specific, accountable, and human.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Bites
03:22 Exploring Culture and Performance
06:25 The Promise of a Great Culture
09:10 Defining Culture and Its Purpose
12:27 Interactions Shape Culture
15:15 Survival vs. Contribution in Culture
18:26 Navigating Fear and Anxiety in the Workplace
21:05 Setting Realistic Expectations for Culture
24:36 The Pursuit of Realistic Standards
25:54 Understanding Happiness in High-Performance Cultures
29:46 The Difference Between Enjoyment and Satisfaction
31:06 Reevaluating Expectations in Organizational Culture
33:29 The Importance of Listening in Leadership
36:39 Managing Expectations and Reality in Culture Change
40:02 Crafting a Culture of Continuous Improvement
43:03 Defining Specific Behavioral Expectations
48:51 Embedding Change for Sustainable Culture

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, I interview Guido Palazzo, Professor of Business Ethics, University of Lausanne, who explores the dark side of corporate behaviour and the systemic issues that lead to ethical failures. We discuss Guido's background, the concept of his brilliant book 'The Dark Pattern: The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals' in corporate scandals, and the importance of understanding the systems and cultures that allow unethical behaviour to thrive.

The conversation delves into the psychological aspects of corporate culture, the slippery slope of ethical compromise, and the need for organisations to create environments that promote ethical decision-making. Ultimately, we highlight the importance of awareness and proactive measures to prevent ethical failures in business.

Takeaways

• Guido focuses on the absence of ethics in business.
• Corporate scandals often involve good people making bad decisions.
• Systems, not just individuals, drive unethical behaviour.
• Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping organisational culture.
• Group dynamics can lead to conformity and ethical blindness.
• The slippery slope of compromise can lead to significant ethical failures.
• Survival instincts can overshadow ethical considerations in the workplace.
• Creating a 'bright pattern' can help organisations avoid ethical pitfalls.
• Awareness and proactive measures are essential for ethical business practices.
• The importance of having a court jester to provide honest feedback in organisations.

Key Moments & Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
03:03 Guido's Background and Academic Journey
05:37 Understanding Ethics in Business
08:49 The Role of Systems in Ethical Failures
11:45 Exploring Corporate Scandals and Dark Patterns
14:35 The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Culture
17:41 Group Dynamics and Ethical Decision Making
20:30 The Combination of Dark Patterns in Corporations
23:28 Survival and Ethical Compromise in Business
26:12 Conclusion: The Human Element in Corporate Ethics
26:42 The Dark Patterns of Corporate Culture
29:39 The Slippery Slope of Compromise
33:16 The Illusion of the Messiah in Leadership
40:13 The Disconnect Between Leadership and Reality
44:11 Finding the Bright Pattern in Dark Times

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, host Guy Bloom engages with Peter Cappilla & Ranya Nehmeh, authors of 'In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work.'

They discuss the evolving dynamics of work in the post-pandemic world, exploring the challenges and benefits of remote and hybrid work models.

The conversation delves into the importance of social interactions, the generational divide in workplace culture, and the critical role of leadership in navigating these changes.

The episode emphasises the need for organisations to adapt and find a balance between remote flexibility and the inherent value of in-person collaboration.

Takeaways

• The pandemic forced a massive experiment in remote work.
• Social interactions are crucial for innovation and collaboration.
• There is a generational divide in workplace culture.
• Employees value flexibility but also miss in-person connections.
• Leadership must model the behaviors they want to see.
• The media often exaggerates the tension between employees and employers.
• Organizations need to create intentional connections in the office.
• Remote work can lead to social isolation and stress.
• Measuring productivity in remote work is complex and nuanced.
• The future of work requires a balance between remote and office environments.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Bytes
02:55 Meet the Guests: Peter and Ranya
05:54 The Concept of Office Work
08:54 The Impact of the Pandemic on Work Dynamics
11:41 Challenges of Remote Work
14:29 The Generational Divide in Workplace Culture
17:48 The Tug of War: Employees vs Employers
20:40 The Role of Leadership in Hybrid Work
23:34 The Importance of Social Interactions
26:39 Measuring Innovation and Collaboration
29:41 The Future of Work: Balancing Remote and Office
32:28 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

This with Jeanne Hardacre conversation explores Jeanne's book The Culture Trap the profound impact of emotions on behavior change, emphasizing that while knowledge and beliefs are important, it is ultimately our feelings that drive transformation. The discussion delves into how understanding behavior and the role of emotions can lead to more effective change strategies.

Takeaways

• What we think and know is important, but actually the change comes from what we feel.
• Emotion is the energy that leads to behavior change.
• Feelings are crucial for transformation.
• Understanding behavior is key to change.
• Knowledge alone isn't enough for change.
• Belief shapes our actions and reactions.
• Energy from emotions fuels our decisions.
• Transformation requires emotional engagement.
• Our emotion drives our actions.
• The interplay of emotion and knowledge is vital for effective change.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership and Power Dynamics
02:52 Jeanne's Journey: From Baby Manager to Independent Consultant
06:12 Challenging Authority: The Cost of Speaking Truth to Power
09:08 The Shift to Independence: Embracing Freedom in Consultancy
11:59 Patterns of Power: Perpetuation vs. Interruption
14:54 The Courage to Change: Self-Reflection and Accountability
17:56 The Role of Culture in Leadership
20:54 Learning from Experience: The Importance of Humility
23:54 Martial Arts and Leadership: The Art of Letting Go
33:49 The Humility of Martial Arts and Leadership
37:45 The Culture Trap: Understanding Workplace Dynamics
46:28 The HUMAN Approach: Transforming Organizational Culture
55:54 Invitational Change: Empowering Teams to Evolve
01:02:55 Emotional Connection: The Key to Behavioral Change

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode I sit down with author, entrepreneur and thought-leader Margaret Heffernan to explore two of her seminal ideas: the hidden dangers of conforming to systems that blind us to obvious truths (from her book Willful Blindness) and the vital importance of embracing uncertainty, especially through the lens of writers, artists and creatives (from her latest work Embracing Uncertainty).

We talk about how organisations and individuals get stuck in the comfort of predictability, why innovation is not merely incremental improvement, what creative people can teach business leaders about sensing the future and navigating chaos, and the critical role of agency, curiosity and courage even when outcomes are uncertain.

It’s a conversation designed for senior leaders, coaches, team-effectiveness practitioners and anyone who wants to see beyond the status quo.

00:00 Introduction & technical note
02:15 Who is Margaret Heffernan: career, context and influences
08:45 Exploring Willful Blindness: what it means, in business and culture
17:20 Why systems and institutions encourage willful blindness
23:30 The trigger for the next book: from Uncharted to Embracing Uncertainty
29:08 Join to second recording – framing the shift to artists, music, creativity
31:00 What does “embracing uncertainty” really mean in today’s world
38:40 COVID, anticipation and why the future unsettled so many organisations
45:50 Creatives, artists and the ability to sense the future ahead of others
52:12 Divergent thinking vs incremental improvement: defining “innovation”
56:22 Leadership and agency when certainty is not possible
01:03:15 How context, character and culture interact in enabling creative agency
01:10:00 Practical take-aways for senior leaders and coaches
01:15:30 Closing thoughts: system change, individual mindsets, human skills

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com