Leadership is hard!..., but leadership matters! AP Leadership Podcast is all about conversations with leaders on leading! My hope is that you will you will find fresh ideas and inspiration to propel you forward in your challenging leadership journey. AP Leadership Podcast is hosted by Al Pilong, CEO of AP Leadership Partners, an executive coaching practice that supports leaders in finding solutions for the myriad of challenges they face everyday. We are sponsored by CxO Coaching, where I also serve as a coach and advisor. CxO Coaching is focused on empowering leaders and driving results.
What Is It Like to Be Led by You | Al Pilong with Si Elliott
The people you lead experience your leadership in everyday moments: how you listen, how you respond, and whether you follow through.
In this episode, Al Pilong talks with Si Elliott, author of Customer Experience Thinking and Managing Director of Diversity, about what customer experience and behavioral science can teach us about leadership.
They explore why people don’t make decisions on logic alone, how leaders can interrupt autopilot, and how trust grows through consistent experiences. Si also shares a practical perspective on AI: use it to help people do better work while preserving the human connection that makes them feel valued.
The conversation closes with advice for first-time leaders and a Leadership Lens practice to try this week: pause before one interaction and ask, “What does this person need from me to do their best work?”
1 Oct 2026
The Courage to Change Course | Al Pilong with Sean Connaughton on Leadership and Risk
What does a leader do after making the wrong call?
Sean Connaughton has led in local, state, and federal government and now serves as president and CEO of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. Across those very different roles, he has learned the value of a shared mission, earned trust, and a willingness to take thoughtful risks.
In this conversation, Sean speaks candidly about decisions he got wrong—and how admitting a mistake and changing course made him a more effective leader. We also discuss working with people who disagree with you, leading through rapid change, and why new CEOs should take time to learn before making major changes.
In the Leadership Lens, I reflect on a question Sean’s story raises: Are we willing to risk being wrong in order to move forward, and humble enough to change course when we are?
16 Sept 2026
How Trusted Leaders Listen, Decide, and Build Trust | Al Pilong with Jim Daniel
What separates leaders who sustain trust from those who eventually lose it?
Jim Daniel has spent decades advising healthcare CEOs and senior executives through complex, high-stakes decisions. As a named partner at Hancock Daniel Johnson, he has had a front-row seat to leadership when the pressure is on.
In this conversation, Jim and I explore what he has learned about listening, building trust, making difficult decisions, staying close to the work, and knowing when a trusted advisor needs to speak up.
Jim also shares why he believes leaders should consider decisions through three lenses—legal, ethical, and moral—and why one lesson he would give his younger self is simple: “Good and on time is better than perfect and late.”
In this episode’s Leadership Lens, I explore another challenge: leaders need to listen—but eventually, listening has to give way to deciding.
When do you listen? When do you speak? And when is it time to decide?
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