The Leadership Foundry Podcast

Time is our most finite resource, and in today’s fast-paced world, everything feels urgent. As leaders, the real challenge isn’t just managing our schedules—it’s protecting and preserving our time so we can focus on what truly drives impact, both in the office and at home. To help us achieve this goal, Brandon and Randy share their top five best practices to reclaim your time. 

“The best leaders have incredible self-belief without self-absorption.” The key to this balance is self-awareness. Les Csorba, author of the newly released book, 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, joins Brandon Smith on today’s Leadership Foundry Podcast to share his findings in detail, highlighting how self-awareness has become a crisis with many leaders believing they are more self-aware than they actually are.

There’s a lot to gain from being in the office—especially when it comes to finding and nurturing career advocates. But what makes someone a great advocate, and why does it matter so much? Brandon and Randy return to the mics to unpack these insights and more. 

We're excited to have returning guest, Jennifer Kahnweiler, back on the show today to share about the updated Third Edition of her book, The Introverted Leader. She and Brandon discuss how introverts can stand out and harness their unique strengths as leaders—along with tips for non-introverts to recognize and support those same qualities, maximizing impact across the organization.

Are you bringing enough positivity to work? Consider giving feedback at a ratio of five positive to every one negative (5 to 1).

Co-host, Brandon Smith, is joined by returning guest Shane Jackson—a seasoned executive, trusted voice in leadership, and author of the brand-new book, This is The Thing. In this episode, Shane breaks down what so many leaders tend to overcomplicate: purpose. He challenges us to stop chasing vague ideals and instead focus on uncovering our unique gifts, talents, and strengths—so we can show up with clarity and serve our teams with intention. Shane details how aligning with your purpose isn’t just a personal win—it’s essential for building a strong, healthy culture, inspiring those around you, and leading in a way that multiplies impact.  

If you are not spending time to intentionally connect with your colleagues to strengthen trust and alignment, this is a must! Here’s your Leadership Intention for the week: Challenge yourself to reach out to one of your peers and schedule some one-on-one time to learn more about them, their team and how you can better collaborate. Pro Tip: Consider inviting them to coffee or lunch "off campus" to enhance the richness of the conversation.

When everything is urgent, nothing is urgent. For this week’s “Leadership Intention” - what are the three priorities you need to communicate to your team on Monday?

In a fluid environment, how do we remain flexible leaders? Kevin Eikenberry returns to share insights from his new book, Flexible Leadership. Listen in as he and co-host Brandon Smith discuss critical thinking, engaging in better one-on-one conversations, regular examination of our leadership style, and more.

Who can you intentionally recognize and celebrate? Here’s your “Leadership Intention for the Week” (with a bonus tip on how to make sure this actually gets done)!