Leadership Biz Cafe with Tanveer Naseer

We’ve been talking about burnout for years. But despite more awareness, more resources, and more conversations about workload, the problem isn’t going away. So what are we missing? Organizational psychologist and bestselling author Liane Davey has an answer … and it’s one most leaders have never considered. In this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”, Liane introduces the concept of “thoughtload” - the hidden interplay of attention, emotions, and energy that determines whether we and our teams can do our best work - alongside practical strategies for how leaders can better manage it. Drawing from her new book “Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work”, Liane walks us through both the practices leaders can use to protect their attention and focus, and what they can do as leaders to help their teams do the same. It’s an honest and practical conversation for any leader who wants to understand what’s actually driving the anxiety, disconnection, and exhaustion they see around them … and how to do something about it.

There's a leadership role most of us instinctively gravitate toward - especially during periods of change and uncertainty. But while it may feel like the most natural and correct role for us to play as leaders, the fact is it won’t help us to empower our employees to bring their best and ensure our collective success. In this Leadership Espresso Shot, Tanveer draws on the principles of storytelling to reveal something unexpected about where a leader's true power lies … and where most leaders tend to misplace it. Using three compelling stories, he explores a fundamental dynamic that shapes whether your people grow and thrive, or remain dependent on you to get things done. This episode will help give you a fresh perspective on what leaders should be doing right now to meet today’s challenges and, in the process, bring out the best in those you lead.

Most leaders believe they're doing a better job than they actually are. Global studies show that while managers rate themselves highly in terms of their effectiveness, less than a third of their employees agree with that assessment. So what’s behind this gap and is there anything leaders can do to address it, without adding even more to their full plates? In this episode of "Leadership Biz Cafe", global C-suite executive coach and former Microsoft executive Sabina Nawaz reveals why even the most well-intentioned leaders develop blind spots and self-sabotaging habits that quietly damage their teams - and what you can do to avoid it. Drawing from her bestselling, award-winning book "You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)", Sabina introduces her framework of Power Gaps and Pressure Pitfalls - the hidden forces that grow in proportion to your authority and stress - and shares practical and easy to implement strategies for recognizing and overcoming them. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned executive, this conversation will sharpen your self-awareness, improve how you communicate and give feedback, and help you become the leader your team actually needs.

85% of business leaders suffer from "decision distress" - and it's not because they fail to delegate. It's because they're delegating the wrong thing. In this Leadership Espresso Shot, Tanveer Naseer shares the mindset shift leaders need to make around delegation - and a practical framework to protect your cognitive energy while helping your team grow, find purpose, and thrive.

When it comes to periods of disruption, most of us have learned to treat it like a bad storm - something you do your best to avoid, but if you do encounter it, you just hunker down and wait for clearer skies to return. But is it possible that we’ve misunderstood the true nature of disruption? That disruption is the very force that helps us to do work that matters - or as my guest writes in his book, to “live a good life”? In this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe,” I speak with Dr. Patrick Leddin about his New York Times bestselling book “Disrupt Everything - and Win,” he co-authored with legendary storyteller James Patterson, and how leaders can transform disruption from something to endure into a powerful driver to achieve a sense of purpose, and lead their teams to meaningful and lasting success.

The more complicated things become, the more leaders feel compelled to tighten control. Yet this drive for efficiency often introduces more uncertainty than clarity. In this Leadership Espresso Shot, I share a three-step framework to bridge the gap between organizational goals and what truly drives your employees, so you can align your team’s best efforts for long-term success.