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LevelUp Leadership | Executive Coaching, AI and Management

LevelUp Leadership | Executive Coaching, AI and Management

Written by: LevelUp Leadership
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 Navigating the complexities of modern leadership in large organisations. An award winning podcast (2026 AVA Digital Media Awards). Join Author and Leadership Coach Lee Whitmore for actionable strategies on leading change, implementing AI, and managing team dynamics. ​Whether you are rewiring workflows or managing burnout, LevelUp provides the toolkit for senior leaders to drive performance without losing their balance.LevelUp Leadership Economics
Episodes
  • The Busy Trap: Moving from meeting culture to real impact

    The Busy Trap: Moving from meeting culture to real impact
    Jan 24 2026
    Learn how to break the cycle of back-to-back virtual meetings and shift your team’s focus from visible activity to genuine impact. In this episode, Lee Whitmore explores the rise of 'productivity paranoia' and the scientific evidence that proves constant collaboration is actually draining our focus. We discuss how to identify 'theatre of busy work', the danger of decision-by-committee, and practical ways to reclaim your calendar while empowering your team to act autonomously.CHAPTERS00:00:00: Introduction: Why a full calendar does not equal a productive day.00:01:10: Productivity Paranoia: Bridging the confidence gap between leaders and teams.00:02:15: The Brain Science: Why back-to-back meetings cause cognitive stress.00:02:55: Unintended Consequences: How hyper-collaboration stifles accountability.00:04:10: Setting the Standard: Challenging the culture of 'socialising' decisions.00:04:50: Coaching Tip 1: Ruthless prioritisation and the power to decline.00:05:40: Coaching Tip 2: Auditing team calendars to clear out the 'rubbish'.00:06:20: Coaching Tip 3: Empowering decisive action through delegation.00:06:50: Coaching Tip 4: Redefining collaboration beyond the 60-minute block.RESOURCES MENTIONEDMicrosoft Work Trend Index: Research on 'Productivity Paranoia'.Microsoft WorkLab: Brain scanning study on virtual meeting fatigue.LevelUp Leadership Hub: levelupleadership.ukKEY TAKEAWAYS FOR LEADERSAudit, Don't Shuffle: Look at your direct reports' calendars. Instead of finding gaps to fit more in, do the hard work of leadership by identifying what is non-essential and helping them clear it out.Stop the Ripple Effect: Every time you accept a meeting with no agenda or reply-all unnecessarily, you are endorsing a standard of busy work. Lead by example and protect your team's focus.Delegate the Decisive: Find one decision this week you would normally make and give a trusted team member full autonomy to handle it. Tell them: 'I trust your judgment, just get it done.'KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR COACHESIdentify Committee Drift: Help leaders recognise when they are using meetings to dilute responsibility. Focus them on identifying the single person accountable for any given outcome.Combat the Theatre of Busy: Work with coachees to separate performance from progress. Use the brain science data to help them understand that short breaks between tasks are a requirement for high-level focus, not a luxury.Refining Communication: Coach teams to break the link between 'collaboration' and the '60-minute meeting'. Encourage alternative tools like shared documents or five-minute direct calls to maintain momentum.Thank you for watching/ listening.Follow LevelUp!https://www.levelupleadership.uk/Music, jingles, and images - attribution.Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/Background: https://pixabay.com/users/tommyvideo-3092371/© 2026 LevelUp.This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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    8 mins
  • Capsule Decisions: One choice that makes a thousand easier

    Capsule Decisions: One choice that makes a thousand easier
    Jan 17 2026

    Learn how to reclaim your mental bandwidth and transform your team's culture by mastering 'Capsule Decisions'. In this solo episode, Lee Whitmore introduces a powerful framework for identifying the small, high-leverage choices that pack your leadership philosophy into a single action. We explore how automating the trivial—inspired by leaders like Barack Obama—can save your willpower for the monumental, and how specific 'capsule' moves like outcome-based reporting or radical transparency can replace complex policies with clear, lived values.


    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00: Introduction: Why leading shouldn't always feel complex.
    • 00:00:54: What is a Capsule Decision? Value, precedent, and consequences.
    • 00:02:15: Capsule thinking in everyday life: From banking to sleep habits.
    • 00:04:10: Lessons from the White House: Why Obama wore the same suit.
    • 00:05:15: Why these decisions empower your people and blast through bureaucracy.
    • 00:06:25: Real-world examples: Four-day work weeks, radical transparency, and rejecting toxic clients.
    • 00:09:15: Timing and strategy: When to pull the lever.
    • 00:09:40: Challenge: Finding your one small lever this week.


    RESOURCES MENTIONED

    • LevelUp Leadership Hub: levelupleadership.uk

    • Solo Episode: 'Act Like You Own It'. Available in the archives.

    • Upcoming Book: 'Enhanced Leadership' by Lee Whitmore. Releasing February 2026.


    KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR LEADERS

    • The Small Hinge: Focus on the 'hinges that swing big doors'. A capsule decision is a single move—like banning after-hours emails—that sets a new normal and avoids the need for a hundred future admin tasks.

    • Protect Your Bandwidth: Recognise that willpower is a battery. Automate trivial routines to save your energy for the monumental strategic challenges that truly move the needle.

    • Show, Don't Tell: If company values are just words on a wall, a capsule decision makes them real. A gutsy, visible action tells your team what matters far more effectively than any PowerPoint slide.


    KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR COACHES

    • Identify Keystone Habits: Help coachees find the one choice that triggers a cascade of positive shifts. If they want a recognition culture, encourage the 'capsule' habit of starting every meeting with 'what went right?'.

    • Reduce Decision Fatigue: Work with clients to identify which 'trivial' parts of their day can be standardised or automated to free up space for creative and responsive leadership.

    • Navigate Complexity: When an organisation is stuck in bureaucracy, use the 'capsule' principle to help leaders find a simple, powerful rule that replaces the need for a convoluted policy

    Thank you for watching/ listening.

    Follow LevelUp!

    https://www.levelupleadership.uk/


    Music, jingles, and images - attribution.

    Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/

    Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/

    Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/

    Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/


    © 2025 LevelUp.

    This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.

    To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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    10 mins
  • Leadership Growth: Why early corrections prevent future crises

    Leadership Growth: Why early corrections prevent future crises
    Jan 10 2026

    Learn how to shape the long term trajectory of your team by mastering the art of early, gentle corrections. In this episode, Lee explores the classic wisdom of Alexander Pope and the modern maritime analogies of David Marquet to explain why leadership is a daily practice of 'bending the twig' rather than a series of rescue missions. We discuss how to move away from reactive firefighting and towards a gardening mindset that focuses on onboarding, culture building, and psychological safety.


    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00: Introduction to the 'Bending the Twig' philosophy.
    • 00:01:20: Why subtle formative influences matter in management.
    • 00:02:45: The submarine analogy: A little rudder far from the rocks.
    • 00:04:10: Onboarding: The critical sapling stage for new hires.
    • 00:05:40: Lessons from David Marquet: Autonomy and micro-corrections.
    • 00:07:05: Rituals and process design: Shaping team culture.
    • 00:08:45: The autopilot mindset: Establishing daily feedback loops.
    • 00:10:00: Gardener vs Firefighter: Which leader are you?


    RESOURCES MENTIONED

    • Alexander Pope: 'Moral Essays' (The inspiration for the episode title).

    • David Marquet: 'Turn the Ship Around!' (The source of the submarine and rudder analogies).

    • LevelUp Leadership Hub: levelupleadership.uk


    KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR LEADERS

    • Act early: Small, mindful actions today avoid expensive and traumatic corrections tomorrow. A redirect during onboarding is far more efficient than trying to shift an ingrained habit three years later.

    • The Rudder Principle: Use 'a little rudder far from the rocks' by making micro-adjustments in meeting cadences, project expectations, and communication styles before problems become entrenched.

    • Gardener vs Firefighter: Transition from a leader who only appears during a crisis to one who provides patient, observant, and invested daily care.


    KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR COACHES

    • Address the roots: When working with dysfunctional teams, help the leader identify the 'old bends' and haphazard formative influences that created current bottlenecks.

    • Autopilot feedback: Guide coachees to embed feedback into the daily rhythm of their teams. This creates an environment where small veers are corrected invisibly and continuously.

    • Psychological safety for growth: Support leaders in building a culture where team members feel safe enough to voice concerns when they are minor, ensuring the 'sapling' grows straight.


    Thank you for watching/ listening.

    Follow LevelUp!

    https://www.levelupleadership.uk/


    Music, jingles, and images - attribution.

    Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/

    Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/

    Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/

    Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/


    © 2025 LevelUp.

    This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.

    To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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    12 mins
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