Leadership Is Broken: Charlotte Otter's 3 Steps to Fixing It with Reputation

What does it take to be the kind of leader the world actually needs right now? Charlotte Otter, executive coach and author of We Need New Leaders, joins Brian Tomlinson to unpack the leadership crisis we’re living through—and why outsiders often make the most impactful leaders. Drawing from her decades of experience in global tech and her Reputation 360 coaching program, Charlotte reveals why storytelling, self-awareness, and empathy are essential tools for modern leadership.

In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Charlotte shares how underrepresented leaders turn obstacles into strengths, how behavior and values must align to build trust, and why visibility isn’t vanity—it’s legacy. From reshaping personal narratives to building reputation moats before a crisis hits, this episode offers a refreshing and necessary take on how leadership, communication, and authenticity must evolve in today’s world.

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Selected People, Places & Things Mentioned: We Need New Leaders; Charlotte’s Reputation 360 coaching program; SAP; Otter Advisory; Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic; Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?; Frank Wolf; Frank Wolf’s The Narrative Age; The Reputation Game; Rupert Younger; Oxford University; Charlotte Otter Speech Bubbles Substack; Charlotte Otter Speech Bubbles Podcast; Charlotte Otter LinkedIn

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Follow the host and guest: Brian Tomlinson on LinkedIn & Charlotte Otter on LinkedIn

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About Staffbase:

Staffbase is the fastest-growing, most experienced employee communications platform provider for enterprise companies seeking to inspire diverse, disconnected, and distributed workforces. Staffbase is on a mission to empower communicators worldwide with a platform that equips companies aspiring to reach every employee with communication that inspires them to work together to achieve business outcomes.

Headquartered in Chemnitz, Germany, Staffbase has offices worldwide, including Berlin, London, New York City, Sydney, and Vancouver.

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