Leader2Leader with Tom Athenour

About Leader2Leader with Tom Athenour

Join Tom Athenour, CEO/Co-Founder of the StarQuest Group, as he engages with business leaders and leadership experts from all walks of life to explore how we can lead with greater authenticity, courage and humility. At StarQuest, we believe that great leaders grow other great leaders so let's come together as leaders and challenge each other to be better at this leadership game.

Publisher

Tom Athenour

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Feb 2025

Latest episode

26 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Aug 2026

   Building High Performing Teams (Part II) with Gordy Curphy, PhD

   This conversation is about why so many teams stall at "good enough" and what leaders can do to move from vague teamwork goals to measurable improvement. Gordy shares how his work with about 5,000 teams led to a revamped assessment, a new practical book for line and staff managers, and a clearer model for when a team should function as a true team versus a group or hybrid. The big idea is simple: feedback alone does not improve performance. Leaders need a roadmap, a diagnostic, and then tools plus an action plan to keep the team moving. Key topics We discuss why the team assessment survey was revamped after analyzing data from about 5,000 teams around the world. Gordy explains that the survey is designed to help teams have better conversations about purpose, strengths, gaps, stakeholder expectations, and avoided issues. He makes the case that not every team needs to be high performing, but most teams can still become more effective and efficient. He uses the "scale" analogy to show that diagnostics tell you what is wrong, but not how to fix it. Gordy shares research showing that some teams improved by 50 to 60 points on a 100-point scale after they took action between time one and time two assessments. He introduces the distinction between the earlier book entitled "Ignition," aimed at facilitators and consultants, and the new book being written for line and staff managers who need practical guidance. The leadership gap, as he sees it, is that most development focuses on self-awareness and one-on-one management skills, while the team level gets neglected. Gordy says organizations often take teamwork for granted even though teams are the vehicle by which work gets done. He argues that leaders need a shared mental model for teamwork so everyone knows what "good" looks like and how to build it. He describes Red Bull's adoption of a common framework and training for about 3,000 people managers as an example of making teamwork language and expectations consistent. For senior leadership teams, he stresses the need to decide when to operate as a group and when to operate as a team, especially to avoid "analysis paralysis" and FOMO-driven over-inclusion. He highlights the importance of stakeholder feedback, not just internal self-ratings, because many teams overestimate how effective they really are. He notes that leaders and team members often live inside a reality distortion field, especially higher up the org chart, where information gets spun to protect reputations. The conversation closes with a practical three-step sequence: choose a teamwork framework, assess the team, and then use tools and an implementation plan to address the gaps. Action items Pick a clear teamwork framework or mental model before trying to improve the team. Use an assessment to identify the team's real strengths and gaps. Gather stakeholder feedback, not just internal self-ratings. Decide whether a specific issue is a group issue or a team issue. Build an action plan with follow-up so the team does not lose momentum. Resources & Links: Curphy Leadership Consulting (https://www.curphyleadershipsolutions.com/) IGNITION: A Guide to Building High Performing Teams Book The Rocket Model Connect with Gordy Curphy: Gordy Curphy: LinkedIn Podcast Sponsor: StarQuest Group (http://www.starquestgroup.com) LinkedIn

2. 

   25 Jun 2026

   Learning to Fail Forward with Rhett Keisler

   In this episode, Rhett Keisler shares his entrepreneurial journey from corporate finance to brewing and beverage ventures, highlighting the importance of a resilient mindset toward failure. Discover how structured frameworks, honest self-assessment, and fostering a supportive culture can fuel innovation and growth even in competitive markets. Main Topics: The role of failure in entrepreneurial success Building a culture that encourages risk-taking and innovation Practical frameworks for managing risk and uncertainty Lessons learned from launching and pivoting beverage products Strategies for leaders to foster psychological safety and experimentation Resources & Links: Beverage Ranch (https://beverageranch.com/) The Harvard Business Review: Mental Models (https://hbr.org/) Charlie Munger's Mental Models (https://fs.blog/mental-models) Connect with Rhett Keisler: LinkedIn Twitter (https://twitter.com/rhettkeisler) Podcast Sponsor: StarQuest Group (http://www.starquestgroup.com) LinkedIn

3. 

   14 Apr 2026

   Leadership Principle #1: Never Stop Learning with Ron Redell

   In this conversation, Ron Redell, president of DoubleLine, shares insights on leadership, risk management, and building a high-performing successful organization. Drawing from his sports background and decades of experience in money management, he discusses the nine attributes of effective leadership, including ownership, adaptability, and communication, and how these principles can be applied to foster a resilient and high-performing culture. My Key Takeaways The nine attributes of effective leadership ("Commander" model). The importance of ownership and personal responsibility. Adapting to market changes and risk management. Building a strong organizational culture. Measuring success and fostering trust. The 9 Attributes of the COMMANDER framework: Communication Ownership Motivate Move/Action Adaptability Never Stop Learning Delegate Empathy Reliability Contact Information: LinkedIn: Ron Redell, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-redell-1126a9/ Doubline: https://doubleline.com/ Podcast Sponsor: www.starquestgroup.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/starquest-group/?viewAsMember=true Tom Athenour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomathenour/

Who has been a guest on Leader2Leader with Tom Athenour

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Parag Parekh
• Takuya Hirano
• Mitch Harrison
• Tony Garver
• Bob Anderson

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Leader2Leader with Tom Athenour

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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