Moment 149. Leading Confidently When You’re Buried in Uncertainty

Leadership vs management: why great leaders must also manage to make better decisions. While the debates about leadership and management continue to rage, the truth is that they’re intrinsically linked: they live on a continuum, in a spectrum of subtle gradients.You can’t be a great leader unless you’re a good manager. And the converse is also true: you can’t be a great manager unless you’re a good leader.It’s complete nonsense to portray leadership and management as inherently good or bad.If you want to take a deeper dive into how you can integrate your management and leadership skills, have a listen to Ep.267: Management v Leadership.————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You worked hard in 2025. The real question is whether any of it actually mattered.Most leaders roll straight into a new year without ever stopping to review the last one properly. They plan harder, set bigger goals, and hope things improve. That’s how you end up repeating the same mistakes with a fresh calendar.In this episode, I walk you through a clear, no BS review of your leadership in 2025. Not the highlight reel, the real story. Where you actually delivered value, where you stayed busy instead of effective, and where you quietly avoided the tough stuff you knew you should have dealt with.You’ll be challenged to look at how you really performed under pressure, not how calm you looked on the outside, but what was happening internally when things got hard. I also dig into accountability, because standards don’t collapse overnight…they erode one missed conversation at a time.From there, the focus shifts forward. You’ll learn how to set a single leadership theme for 2026 and define the one achievement that would genuinely change your career trajectory if you could put it on your CV at the end of the year.This isn’t about motivation or feeling good heading into January. It’s about clarity, focus, and doing the work that actually counts! If you want 2026 to be meaningfully different from 2025, lock in on this one. ————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalized podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If leadership feels heavier than it should, this might explain why. To be a successful leader in the longer term, and at the most senior levels, you first have to learn how to manage yourself. Strong leaders are strong people…strong enough to maintain their energy and positivity through years of stress and pressure…strong enough to shoulder the duty of care that comes with any impactful leadership career… If you want to take a deeper dive into how to build the core resilience to help you go the distance, have a listen to Ep.131: The Emotional Toll of Leadership.————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You already have a leadership brand…the question is, does it serve you?Every leader shows up with a reputation. It might be clear and consistent…or vague, confusing, and accidental. Either way, your people have formed an opinion about who you are, what you value, and how you lead.This bumper episode covers the three practical building blocks of a strong leadership identity: clarity on your personal style and philosophy, a leadership brand built from the inside out, and a user manual that removes guesswork so people know how to thrive under you.We’ll look at why congruence matters, that tight alignment between what you say, what you tolerate, and how you behave when the pressure is on. Because that’s when your true identity is revealed.Foundational tools can be taught, but identity must be designed. When you deliberately shape how you show up, you accelerate trust, influence, and results.How intentional are you about the identity your team experiences every day?Is it deliberate… or just a by-product of habit, pressure, and circumstance?Lock in for this one so you can shape your identity on purpose!Download ALL the free resources we mention here.————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalized podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover the 10-Second Rule that turns pressure into decisive action for real leaders. In situations that feel overwhelming, many people freeze, consumed by their fear.Their ability to make decisions, which might be OK in non-stressful situations, becomes virtually inoperative. The only thing they can do is wait for someone else to step in and take control.This is where you see real leaders emerge, and this is what sorts out the strongest leaders from the weakestIf you want to take a deeper dive into stepping up in high stakes situations, have a listen to Ep.204: The Big Leadership Moments.————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avoid costly hiring mistakes! Use these 5 interview questions to expose bullsh!t and find real talent. We spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract and retain the best people.But we all know how fickle the hiring process can be… recruiting talent is an imprecise science, which is why you have to get really good at interviewing.This is where you get the opportunity to meet your potential employees face to face. The interview is your best opportunity to separate the most talented candidates from the ones who just talk a good game.In this episode, I give you an interview technique that’s guaranteed to identify the people who have actually done what they say they’ve done, and expose those who are just full of sh!t.Links mentioned in this episode:The Economist article:What Questions Would You Ask a Candidate in a Job Interview?No Bullsh!t Leadership episode:Ep.343: 6 Proven Tactics for Hiring Top TalentLBT link:Leadership Beyond the TheoryWikipedia links:Brian KellyLSU FootballCompetency-Based Recruitment————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourCEOMentor————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When nothing feels black and white, these principles keep your leadership unshakable! A lot of the principles I espouse in No Bullsh!t Leadership are quite categorical… in order to convey the principles clearly and concisely, I explain them in a rather singular manner: “Do this! Don’t do that!” But nothing is that black and white, and the complexity and uncertainty of the environment can erode your confidence and weaken your resolve.If you want to have a deeper dive into how to be confident in the face of extreme uncertainty, have a listen to Ep.273: It's Never Black and White.————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to spot (and stop) the koalas sabotaging your culture: nepotists, jerks, and ass-kissers. In Australia, koalas are a protected species. When one of the leaders in our No Bullsh!t Leaders Club started talking about the “koalas” in his company, I knew exactly what he meant.Working with koalas can be infuriating. They don’t play by the same rules, or observe the same cultural standards as everyone else. It’s almost as if they’re trying to see how far they can go before someone brings them into line.And the more they get away with, the more emboldened they become.In this episode, I explore three different breeds of koala:The founder’s nephewThe talented jerkThe ass-kisserI give you some vital tips to deal with each breed, whether they work in your team, or they’re just an annoying peer you have to live with.Links mentioned in this episode:No Bullsh!t Leadership episodes:Ep.240: The Talented JerkEp.314: Surviving Office PoliticsHigh-Performance Leadership Program link:Leadership Beyond the Theory————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leaders who earn trust fast get freedom to execute! Whether you’re trying to build trust with the people in your team or the leaders above you, there are certain behaviours you have to demonstrate in every single interaction.Using the CEO / Board relationship as a model, in this Moment I reveal the 6 things you can do to build trust with the leaders above you.If you want to have a deeper dive into how to quickly build high-trust relationships, have a listen to Ep.54: Managing the Board.————————FREE 5 DAY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: Want to boost your leadership capability? This challenge will start you down the path of improving your leadership confidence and skills—if you're willing to put in the work!Start the free 5 Day Leadership Challenge today: https://yourceomentor.com/challenge————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is coming for your job…or is it?Right now, boards and CEOs are being sold the dream that AI will replace thousands of people, slash costs, and magically boost profit. Meanwhile, leaders like you are stuck in the middle, trying to keep customers happy and deliver real results with tools that are still hallucinating and half-baked.So how do you cut through the hype and work out what is actually useful for your team, your customers, and your career?In this episode, I’m joined by AI strategist and product expert James Killick. James has been working with AI long before it was cool, helping businesses weave it into real products and real workflows, not just shiny demos.We get into questions that are front of mind for every modern leader:How reliable is AI really, and when should you absolutely keep a human in the loop?Why 80 to 90 percent of corporate AI initiatives are failing, and how to avoid being one of themWhat AI will automate first, and what will remain uniquely human for much longer than people thinkHow to become an AI orchestrator who manages both people and AI agents to get better results; andThe single biggest mindset shift you need if you want to stay relevant in the AI eraWe also talk about very practical stuff: Which parts of your business to tackle first…how to train your people without turning them into rogue prompt cowboys...and how to use AI to dramatically increase your speed and impact, without handing your brain over to the machine.If you are a leader who wants to use AI to amplify your edge rather than erase it, this episode is for you.****** James has put together an INSANELY valuable free resource for our listeners, which you can check out here! ******————————FREE QUIZ: I’ve developed a 3-question quiz that’ll give you a free personalised podcast playlist tailored to where you are right now in your leadership career!Click here to take the 30-second quiz now to get your on-the-go playlist————————You can connect with me at:Website: https://www.yourceomentor.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourceomentorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourceomentorLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-moore-075b001/————————Our mission here at Your CEO Mentor is to improve the quality of leaders, globally. 👉 Doors are open for Leadership Beyond the Theory. Be the boss you wish you had.🔗 Enroll now at leadershipbeyondthetheory.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.