The Adaptive Journey

Adaptive Leaders
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The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches, exploring how real leaders navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Each episode is a candid conversation between practitioners who are living this work. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  1. 11 Oct

    Can 2 Seconds a Day REALLY Save Your Business? with Norm O'Hara | 013

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe sits down with Norm O'Hara, who leads the Springfree Trampolines factory at Goba Sports Group, to talk about continuous improvement. Norm and his team of 200 have spent eight years fixing one small thing at a time, from raising a desk by eight inches to building a bridge between two buildings that has saved roughly 500 labor days. Norm also shares a candid story about the low point that set him on this path. Along the way, Albert and Norm explore why the real goal is the person making the improvements, not any single improvement, what it takes to make a workplace safe enough for people to speak up, and the promise Norm made on day one about jobs. They also look at how Curiosity, Courage, and Care can help any leader build a habit of small, steady improvement, and which of the three Norm leans on most. Norm O'Hara's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@normohara Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com. Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabay⁠https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/

  2. 28 Sept

    How Microlearning Builds Your Influence, with Beth Eckstein | 012

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe sits down with fellow executive coach and the architect behind the new Adaptive Leader Studio, Beth Eckstein, to talk about what actually happens when a coaching client gets promoted, and why so much of real workplace progress has nothing to do with formal authority. Albert and Beth dig into influential leadership: the skill of getting things done through people you don't manage, by learning what genuinely matters to them and finding the collaboration that benefits you both. Beth also walks us through the thinking behind the Adaptive Leader Studio, the new microlearning platform she built to make Adaptive Leaders' coaching frameworks accessible to anyone, not just the C-suite, in bite-sized sessions that fit into a real workday. Beth opens up about the doubts she wrestled with before Studio ever launched, and shares the reflection exercise she uses to help leaders see how much they've grown, not just what they've accomplished. Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  3. 13 Sept

    Do Great Leaders All Wake Up at 4 A.M.? | 011

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe and Mukta Arya, Chief HR Officer for Asia Pacific at Societe Generale, trace nearly 30 years of leading through people by staying rooted in Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Mukta shares her own accidental path from aspiring doctor to HR leader across Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and why she's come to trust unplanned career turns over a rigid 10-year plan. They also dig into why so many people try to outsource their courage to HR, why a single "wake up at 4 A.M." routine doesn't make a leader, and why genuine, consistent follow-through matters more than charisma. Mukta closes with a candid admission about her relationship with silence. Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabay https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  4. 30 Aug

    One Year Off, Zero Extra Cost, with Laurie McLellan | 010

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe sits down with outgoing Director of Nanjing International School and incoming Executive Director of EARCOS, Laurie McLellan, whose 18-year tenure included a paid, cost-neutral sabbatical year that didn't cost the school anything. Laurie talks about why handing his successor the real title of Director (not "interim") mattered, and a surprising realization about himself that the time away brought into focus. Albert and Laurie connect it back to Curiosity, Courage, and Care, including a candid look at how often self-care gets left out of leadership conversations, why a coach (not a mentor) made the real difference for him, and Laurie's own two-journal "In" and "Out" system for navigating his current transition into his next role. Read the original article: https://www.adaptiveleaders.com/blog/sabbaticals-the-most-underused-executive-wellness-strategy/ Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  5. 16 Aug

    Should Gen Z Be Mentoring You Instead? | 009

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe and Adaptive Leaders' Managing Director for India, Aditi Malik, dig into why leaders and their teams so often drive each other crazy, and what that friction actually reveals about leading through generational change. They trace India's demographic dividend, the irony that everyone believes their boss needs a coach but insists they don't need one themselves, and why the next generation is asking for purpose and "life-life balance" instead of the old rules. Albert and Aditi walk through how Curiosity, Courage, and Care apply directly to leading people who think and work differently than you do, including Albert's own "harness the wind" reframe for a team member who won't stop pushing back, and a connection to the EMMA framework (Expectations, Motivations, Measurements, Accountability) for anyone building out a team's performance system. Aditi Malik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditimalikarohan/ Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com

  6. 9 Aug

    "You Have to Drink to Do Business Here" Is a Myth | 008

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe sits down with Jonathan Cox, founder, CEO, and director of StratForms, who has spent over 25 years building brands in China -- from helping launch Tupperware there in 2002 to founding his own company 11 years ago. Jonathan talks through how Curiosity, Courage, and Care have shaped his journey, including the unscripted, personal story of why he quit drinking a decade ago to become a better leader, and how a 5 a.m. gym habit became one of his most important self-care tools. Learn more about Jonathan Cox: stratforms.com Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  7. 3 Aug

    AI Developmental Debt with Dan Strode | 007

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe sits down with Daniel Strode, author of The Quiet Reckoning: The Transformation Blueprint for HR in the AI Age and keynote speaker, for a wide-ranging conversation on leading HR and people teams through the AI transformation. Dan introduces his concept of developmental debt -- the hidden cost organizations rack up when AI quietly strips away the repetitive, hands-on work that used to build great leaders and recruiters -- and walks through five shifts HR needs to make, from "work delegator" to "work designer" to "trust architect." Albert and Dan also swap stories on curiosity as a daily practice, why AI-driven cost-cutting keeps quietly backfiring (the Klarna and Air Canada stories), and why deliberately building in unstructured time to play might be one of the highest-leverage things a leader can do. They close on which of Adaptive Leaders' three C's of purposeful adaptivity -- Curiosity, Courage, and Care -- Dan is leaning into most right now. Learn more about Dan Strode: danielstrode.com | LinkedIn Get Dan's book, The Quiet Reckoning: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: ⁠https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

  8. 29 Jul

    Stop Playing, Start Conducting Your Team (The Leadership Orchestra Idea) | 006

    In this episode, executive coach and senior writer Albert Wolfe and senior coach J.D. Whitney step back from their deep dives into each piece of the EMMA framework (Expectations, Motivations, Measurements, Accountability) to share an orchestra analogy: performance leadership is like conducting an orchestra. Both trained musicians themselves, they unpack why the conductor is the only person on stage not making a sound — and what that has to teach leaders about knowing when to put an instrument down. Albert and JD swap stories from music education, factory floors, and the C-suite to explore what makes someone stop playing and start conducting: recognizing what you need to stop doing, letting go of being the best at your old craft, and trusting your people to hit notes you can't hear. They close with a favorite quote from conductor Antal Dorati on what it really means to lead: to make an orchestra wish to play well. Try the Adaptive Leader Studio: https://studio.adaptiveleaders.com/ Read the original article: https://www.adaptiveleaders.com/blog/the-leader-as-orchestra-conductor/ Music: "Majestic Sky" by Roman Dudchyk via Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-majestic-sky-medium-2-361091/ The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches helping individuals and organizations navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

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About

The Adaptive Journey is a podcast from Adaptive Leaders, a global team of leadership coaches, exploring how real leaders navigate change with Curiosity, Courage, and Care. Each episode is a candid conversation between practitioners who are living this work. Learn more and explore our resources at www.adaptiveleaders.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Adaptive Leaders
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Adaptive Leaders
  • Show Website
    The Adaptive Journey