OwlCast: The Leadership & Coaching Podcast

David Morelli with Co-Host William Oakley
  • 4.8 (24)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

OwlCast is a podcast on leadership and coaching. You can expect to get insights to help you solve the thorny problems of life and leadership – all with a dollop of laughter thrown in. Your dynamic hosts, David and William, will help you become a more kickass leader. Together, they won’t only motivate you, they’ll give you scientifically proven tools to become better – full stop!

  1. 5d ago

    You’re NOT Listening: (Oops, neither am I!)

    Most of us think we’re good listeners… but we’re really just waiting for our turn to talk. In this episode, David and William call out the hidden habits—reloading, multitasking, and conversational narcissism—that quietly break trust, kill engagement, and cost more than we realize. Key Topics: •    Listening ≠ hearing — true listening is about understanding, not responding. •    Silence is a leadership skill—it allows people to process, open up, and feel heard. •    Deep listening reduces stress, lowers defensiveness, and increases trust •    There are 3 levels of listening:  o    Level 1: Me-focused o    Level 2: You-focused o    Level 3: Context & what’s not said •    Leaders who don’t listen create disengagement, poor performance, and turnover. •    Practical moves:  o    Pause (count to 3) o    Paraphrase before responding o    Don’t interrupt o    Listen with your eyes

    52 min

  2. May 26

    Start with People: The Rest Follows with Fortune 100 CHRO Mike Theilmann

    What if career success has less to do with titles and compensation—and more to do with who you choose to work for? In this powerful conversation, Fortune 100 CHRO Mike Theilmann shares his unconventional career path and a radically human philosophy: start with people, and everything else follows. This episode is packed with real stories about development, courage, coaching, and what it actually means to put people first at scale. Reach Mike here: mtheilmann@icloud.com Key Topics: •    Pick the person, not the position Careers accelerate when you work for leaders who genuinely develop people.  •    Ask better interview questions “Who have you developed?” may be more important than any job description.  •    Development doesn’t come from comfort Growth comes from being stretched into situations you don’t fully understand—yet.  •    Coaching and feedback are different tools Feedback helps people learn from moments; coaching helps people think and grow over time.  •    People-first leadership scales When organizations prioritize human capability, business results follow.  •    You don’t wait for the ladder—you pull it down Ownership, curiosity, and initiative matter more than permission.

    55 min

  3. May 19

    Engagement: The Most Important Thing We Can’t Explain

    Everyone wants “engaged employees”… but almost no one can clearly define what engagement actually is. In this episode, David and William unpack why engagement has become one of the most measured—and most misunderstood—concepts in modern organizations. From burnout and belonging to relationships and coaching, this conversation challenges leaders to stop chasing survey scores and start creating the conditions where people can actually bring their whole selves to work. Key Topics: •    Engagement is not enthusiasm or compliance It’s about how much of yourself you feel safe bringing to work—emotionally, mentally, and physically.  •    Burnout and engagement are two sides of the same coin You can’t fix burnout without understanding engagement, and you can’t boost engagement by ignoring burnout.  •    Relationships drive engagement Both the number of workplace relationships and the depth of those relationships matter.  •    Engagement is environmental, not motivational. When people disengage, it’s rarely because they don’t care—it’s because the conditions make caring hard.  •    Coaching multiplies engagement Leaders who coach well (across different styles) create belonging, meaning, and momentum.  •    Leaders don’t create engagement directly They create (or destroy) the conditions where engagement can exist.

    45 min

  4. May 12

    Lower the Bar to Raise It: Why Transformation Requires a Temporary Dip in Performance

    What if struggling during change doesn’t mean something is wrong—but means it’s working? In this episode of OWLCAST, David Morelli and William Oakley explore why real transformation almost always comes with a temporary dip in performance. From AI adoption to leadership behavior change, they explain the neuroscience of learning, the danger of abandoning change too early, and how leaders can normalize the dip to unlock higher performance on the other side. Key Topics: •    Meaningful change requires unlearning—and that creates a temporary performance dip.  •    Leaders must normalize the dip to prevent premature abandonment of change.  •    Learning goals outperform performance goals during transformation.  •    Motivation often drops when people realize how much they don’t know—and that’s normal.  •    Immersion and repetition shorten the “awkward phase” of learning.  •    Coaching conversations dramatically reduce the pain and length of the dip.  •    Transformation fails when leaders expect performance without allowing learning.

    51 min

  5. May 5

    Nice Leaders, Weak Results: Why Kindness (Not Niceness) Drives Real Performance

    Many leaders believe they have only two choices: be nice or be a jerk. In this episode, David Morelli and William Oakley dismantle that false binary and introduce a far better option—kindness. Through candid stories, research, and real workplace examples, they explain how “niceness” often avoids discomfort, feeds mediocrity, and erodes trust, while true kindness requires courage, clarity, and honest conversations. This episode reframes feedback, trust, and leadership communication in a way that challenges comfort—and delivers better results. Key Topics: •    Niceness is often about self-protection; kindness is about growth.  •    Avoiding hard conversations increases conflict rather than reducing it.  •    Overly nice feedback creates confusion, mistrust, and stagnation.  •    Clear, specific, and timely feedback is an act of kindness.  •    Kind communication reduces long-term conflict and builds trust.  •    Great leaders are willing to create short-term discomfort for long-term growth.  •    Trust is built through honesty, not comfort.

    46 min

  6. Apr 28

    Let It Die: The Hard Leadership Skill of Letting Go

    We’re taught that great leaders persevere—but what if the real leadership skill is knowing when to stop? In this episode of OWLCAST, David Morelli and William Oakley tackle the uncomfortable truth that holding on too long—to projects, programs, habits, or decisions—can quietly drain performance and morale. Through research, real-world stories, and the concept of “zombie projects,” they show why letting go feels so hard, how ego and sunk costs keep us stuck, and how strategic pruning creates space for focus, growth, and better results. Key Topics: •    Letting go is not quitting—it’s a leadership skill.  •    “Zombie projects” drain time, energy, and morale long after they stop adding value.  •    High performers are often the worst at stopping bad work because of conscientiousness and loyalty.  •    Only ~8% of organizations actively stop projects—yet those that do see significantly higher growth.  •    Fear of being perceived as unreliable keeps leaders stuck in outdated commitments.  •    Pruning (even good things) allows resources to flow to what matters most.  •    Ending on a high note can be more powerful than dragging something out.

    47 min

  7. Apr 21

    The Likeable Underperformer: Keep Them, Coach Them, or Let Them Go?

    Good Ole’ Jimmy. He’s such a likeable guy. Everyone loves Jimmy! But what do you do when someone is beloved by the team—and consistently underperforms? In this episode of OWLCAST, David Morelli and William Oakley explore one of leadership’s most uncomfortable dilemmas: the likable underperformer. Through real-world stories and the RESPECT coaching framework, they unpack why leaders avoid these conversations, how likability can unintentionally enable poor performance, and why expanding your coaching options leads to better outcomes. Rather than rushing to a binary decision, this episode reframes the issue as a leadership challenge that requires curiosity, nuance, and courage. Key Topics: • Likability often masks underperformance Strong relationships can delay or soften performance conversations—sometimes at the cost of fairness and clarity. • Avoiding the issue hurts high performers When underperformance goes unaddressed, resentment builds and top contributors begin to disengage or leave. • Being “nice” isn’t the same as being effective Leaders often default to affability, hoping likability will inspire change—when it rarely does. • Culture contribution still counts—but it isn’t everything The episode explores how to think holistically about value without ignoring role expectations. • Performance problems are often identity problems Fear of failure, fear of standing out, or past success strategies can keep people stuck. • The real work happens before “keep or let go” Thorough coaching creates clarity—making the eventual decision fair, grounded, and defensible. • Ignoring underperformance is what leaders get dinged for most Speed and skill in addressing underperformance matter more than avoiding discomfort.

    54 min

  8. Apr 14

    Burned Out or Bored? How to Tell – and Why It Matters

    Burnout is a commonly heard phrase in the corporate space, but low energy doesn’t always mean burnout—and mislabeling boredom might be the fastest way to make things worse. In this episode of OWLCAST, David Morelli and William Oakley dismantle one of the most common leadership misdiagnoses at work. They challenge why “burnout” has become the default explanation for disengagement, how leaders keep prescribing the wrong fixes, and what actually restores energy, motivation, and momentum. If you’ve ever tried to solve a motivation problem by piling on more work—or more time off—this episode may change how you see disengagement entirely. Key Topics: • Leaders often prescribe the wrong fix Adding more work to bored employees or more rest to bored employees can deepen disengagement. • Boredom is not laziness A lack of challenge or variety is often misread as a motivation or work ethic issue. • Task variety fuels engagement Doing different kinds of work—not more work—can dramatically increase energy and focus. • Burnout is about depletion, not dislike People can burn out doing work they love if they don’t recover effectively. • Recovery requires intention, not just time off The concept of a “recovery menu” helps people replenish energy when they’re already depleted. • Zone of Genius vs. Zone of Excellence Being good at something doesn’t mean it energizes you—and living in the wrong zone accelerates burnout. • Better questions beat better guesses Leaders don’t need to fix people—they need to ask better questions and let insight emerge.

    58 min
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4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

OwlCast is a podcast on leadership and coaching. You can expect to get insights to help you solve the thorny problems of life and leadership – all with a dollop of laughter thrown in. Your dynamic hosts, David and William, will help you become a more kickass leader. Together, they won’t only motivate you, they’ll give you scientifically proven tools to become better – full stop!

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