The Leadership Shift

Dr. Joe Pennino
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The Leadership Shift delivers practical insights on promotions, performance management, setting clear expectations, and driving organizational change. Real conversations explore growth mindset, accountability, managing up, and leading with impact. Get frameworks, tools, and strategies to build high-performing teams and organizations.

Episodes

  1. Sep 13

    Why Data Leadership Starts with Trust (Not Technology)

    Most cities buy the dashboard first and think about people later. Savannah went the other way. Dr. Jennifer Blalock describes her city's performance work as a covenant with residents: here is what you've invested, and here is what you get back. In this conversation we get into why Savannah decided to put numbers in front of the public, what actually happens inside a government when a metric comes back disappointing, and why she treats data capacity like a muscle that hurts the first few times you use it. Jennifer is candid that no city gets it right every time, and that the real obligation is to say so out loud. We also trace how two Georgia cities ended up learning from each other, starting with a chance conversation at a conference. Dr. Jennifer Blalock is a change leadership and organizational development practitioner who has served in the public sector for over three decades. She is the Organizational Excellence Officer for the City of Savannah, where she develops the City's leadership capacity, organizational effectiveness and performance, and data and strategic competencies. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Development and Higher Education Leadership and is a Certified Public Manager. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE What Works Cities: https://whatworkscities.bloomberg.orgResults for America: https://results4america.orgBloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellowship: https://www.cityleadership.harvard.edu/bloomberg-harvard-city-hall-fellowships/UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government: https://cviog.uga.eduICMA Data-Driven Decision Making certificate, with Polco: https://icma.org/events/data-driven-decision-making-certificate-programPolco: https://polco.usGeorgia Municipal Association: https://www.gacities.com FIND JENNIFER City of Savannah: https://savannahga.gov LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferb13/ Host: Dr. Joe Pennino Website: https://www.drpennino.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoePennino LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoepennino/ Chapters 00:09 Introduction 05:36 The Data Covenant 09:21 What Works Cities Origin Story 13:43 How We Connected 22:07 Building a Data Culture 33:54 Technology vs. Process 39:00 Advice for Cities and Closing

  2. Jul 19

    The Conversation You Keep Avoiding

    Most leaders treat relationships as the soft stuff, the part you get to after the real work is done. Annie Simpson makes the opposite case: the quality of your relationships is the quality of your results. In this conversation we get into why trust is what makes healthy conflict possible, how the conversations you avoid quietly stall a team, and why the hardest leadership work is inner work. Annie shares her trust bank-account exercise, the case for treating feedback as a gift, and a line worth sitting with: your inner state as a leader has more impact on your team than you realize. Annie Simpson specializes in emotionally intelligent leadership and high-trust teams. She is a facilitator, trainer, and executive coach with twenty years in leadership development, and the founder of Annie Simpson Consulting. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg The team-trust and healthy-conflict work of Patrick Lencioni FIND ANNIE Website: https://anniesimpsonconsulting.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-simpson-m-ed-7371119/ THE LEADERSHIP SHIFT Host: Dr. Joe Pennino Website: https://www.drpennino.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoePennino LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoepennino/

  3. Jul 4

    Why Leaders Fail in Crisis (and What to Do Instead)

    Lucy Ellis, founder of The Calyx, joins Dr. Joe Pennino to talk about why leaders fail when facing volatility, the trap of over-planning vs. learned helplessness, and what it actually looks like to build adaptive organizations. Drawing from her time at the CDC during COVID and years advising public sector leaders, Lucy shares why "culture is read-only," why technical solutions are seductive but insufficient, and how tinkering with your organization's operating system is the real work of leadership. Lucy’s profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyoraellis/ Website: https://www.thecalyx.org/ Joe's profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoepennino/ Website: https://www.drpennino.com/ Chapters: 00:26 - What The Calyx Does01:46 - Operating System Explained04:03 - Beyond the Reorg05:10 - Embracing Volatility08:21 - Discipline and Rhythms13:36 - Control vs Letting Go17:20 - Modulating Risk24:03 - Balcony and Sensemaking27:23 - CDC COVID Lessons33:28 - Cruise Ship Scaling39:16 - Recovery and Resilience46:27 - Essentialism and Strategy48:33 - Closing and Where to Find Lucy

  4. May 31

    Vision: The One Thing Most Leaders Skip

    This is Part 4 of my five-part series on the five tenets of leadership. In this episode of The Leadership Shift, I talk about one of the most overlooked leadership skills: vision. Not a slogan. Not a mission statement. Not a strategic plan that sits on a shelf. Real vision is a clear and compelling picture of a preferred future that helps people make decisions and take action. I break down why leaders often skip vision, what it costs when they do, and four elements that make vision effective: clarity, relevance, consistency, and courage. I also share a simple challenge for leaders: take ten minutes this week to answer three questions about the future of your team, the legacy of your leadership, and the decision you may be avoiding. If you want to learn more about my coaching, consulting, and leadership development work, visit drpennino.com.

  5. Feb 1

    The Importance of Relationships in Leadership (with Chief David Mixson)

    Strong leadership is built on strong relationships. In this episode, I speak with Fire Chief David Mixson about why relationships, communication, and trust sit at the center of effective leadership in public safety and beyond. Chief Mixson draws from decades of experience in the fire service and emergency management to explain how credible leadership grows from consistency, clarity, and genuine connection with the people you serve. We discuss how leaders build trust, why communication gaps create preventable problems, and how strong relationships support accountability, resilience, and organizational performance. Whether you lead a city department, a public-safety team, or any high-pressure environment, these principles apply to every sector. This conversation offers practical guidance on developing the relational foundation required for long-term leadership success Dave Mixson on LinkedInDr. Joe Pennino on LinkedInDrPennino.com(This episode is part of our five-part leadership fundamentals series.)

    The Importance of Relationships in Leadership (with Chief David Mixson)

  6. Jan 18

    Setting Clear Expectations

    In this first episode of our five-part leadership series, Dr. Joe Pennino and Dr. Lindsay Judah explore why clear expectations are the foundation of effective leadership. Expectations reduce uncertainty, create alignment, and give teams the clarity they need to perform with confidence. Joe and Lindsay discuss written expectations, policies and procedures, onboarding practices, and performance evaluations, along with the role accountability plays in building trust. They examine why leaders sometimes avoid direct conversations, how that avoidance undermines team culture, and why clarity is ultimately an act of respect. This conversation offers practical guidance for leaders who want to strengthen their teams, reduce friction, and ensure people understand what is expected of them. Dr. Lindsay Judah LinkedInDr. Joe Pennino LinkedInDrPennino.comNext episode: how to build a high-performing team with a #OneTeam mindset.

    Setting Clear Expectations

  7. Jan 18

    Why Capable Managers Struggle After Promotion

    Why do capable managers suddenly struggle after promotion? In this episode of The Leadership Shift, Dr. Joe Pennino speaks with Dr. Lindsay Judah—fire rescue division chief, consultant, and leadership professor—about the hidden challenges of executive roles. Key discussion points: • Why promotion isn't just more responsibility—it's a complete role redesign • The "muscles you didn't know existed": tactical to strategic thinking • Organizations' biggest mistake: assuming competence = readiness • Managing up: how to get clarity when expectations aren't explicit • Leaders' role: explicit communication, one-on-ones, crawl-walk-run onboarding • Why silence after promotion feels like ambiguity to your team Practical takeaways: • Use one-on-ones to define success metrics and decision boundaries • Treat promotion like onboarding a new hire—explicit expectations required • Shift from activity reporting to judgment and relationship investment "If you've been promoted, don't wait for clarity—manage up." Dr. Lindsay Judah LinkedInDr. Joe Pennino LinkedInDrPennino.com#leadership #management #promotion #expectations #accountability Subscribe for more frameworks on performance, expectations, and organizational change.

  • 7 Episodes

About

The Leadership Shift delivers practical insights on promotions, performance management, setting clear expectations, and driving organizational change. Real conversations explore growth mindset, accountability, managing up, and leading with impact. Get frameworks, tools, and strategies to build high-performing teams and organizations.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Joe Pennino
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Joe Pennino
  • Show Website
    The Leadership Shift