Leadership Explored

About Leadership Explored

Leadership Explored is a podcast where Edward and Andy dive into what it means to lead. From practical strategies to deep insights, we explore leadership in all its forms—across industries and beyond. Join us for real conversations about how to lead with purpose. www.leadershipexploredpod.com (https://www.leadershipexploredpod.com/s/leadership-explored?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Mar 2025

Latest episode

15 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

42 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Sept 2026

   Season 2 Retrospective

   Season 2 Retrospective: What We’ll Keep, Stop, and Start Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: Season 2 Retrospective Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: September 15, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description Season 2 of Leadership Explored is officially in the books — 15 episodes, zero missed slots, and some genuine breakout moments. Ed and Andy are pulling back the curtain to do what great teams do: reflect honestly, celebrate what worked, and commit to what’s next. In this retrospective, they revisit the numbers, the highs, the rough patches, and the behind-the-scenes process changes that shaped the season — then wrap with one of their favorite team rituals: appreciations. In this episode, Ed and Andy Discuss * How Season 2’s episode lineup evolved from “project truth-telling” topics into a closing arc about who leaders are becoming * The raw download numbers — including two breakout episodes that blew past every benchmark * The AI-powered internal production tool Ed built to reduce friction and improve episode quality * Why recording consistency is easy to maintain on paper but harder to sustain in practice * The shift from scripted episodes to differentiated “run of show” documents for each host * What didn’t land — cold opens that over-promised, energy dips, unsourced statistics, and unexplained frameworks * The Keep, Stop, Start retrospective framework applied to their own show * Why the every-other-week release cadence should stay, even if weekly feels tempting * Andy’s honest admission about his social media engagement (or lack thereof) * Season 3 plans, an upcoming AI and leadership special, and a year-to-date leadership reflection Whether you’re a longtime listener or just found the show, this episode is packed with real-world process thinking, honest self-assessment, and practical team retrospective insights you can apply immediately. Episode Highlights ⏳ [00:00] – Ed opens the season 2 retrospective and frames the three goals: what went well, what didn’t, and what changes for season 3. ⏳ [02:15] – Andy reflects on the importance of consistency and how the original “just do 10 episodes” commitment set the tone — even if the statistic behind it was never verified. ⏳ [05:40] – Both hosts acknowledge that some episodes felt more energized than others, and wrestle with whether to only do topics they’re fired up about. ⏳ [09:10] – Ed recaps all 15 season 2 episodes, tracing the arc from project truth-telling to layoffs to power dynamics to who a leader is becoming. ⏳ [14:30] – Andy flags that intentional grouping of episodes by theme — like the two-part layoff series — could be made more explicit in season 3. ⏳ [18:05] – Ed reveals the numbers: lifetime downloads up from ~500 to over 2,500; season 2 median per-episode downloads roughly doubled from season 1. ⏳ [20:45] – The two breakout episodes: *Stoicism, Not Broicism* (~200 downloads in 30 days) and *Leadership Is Teaching* (~120 downloads in 30 days) — both far outside the normal band. ⏳ [24:00] – Ed introduces Catalyst, the internal AI-powered production tool he built to manage social scheduling, run-of-show generation, and episode prep. ⏳ [29:15] – A review of last season’s retrospective commitments: what was kept, what slipped (Andy’s LinkedIn posting), and what was partially achieved (episode banking). ⏳ [35:20] – What went well: differentiated run-of-show documents, consistency, and the Catalyst tool making prep progressively lighter. ⏳ [40:10] – What didn’t go well: cold opens that over-promised, energy sags, long monologues, unsourced statistics, and unexplained frameworks. ⏳ [44:00] – Andy names the recording consistency of inputs — not outputs — as a perennial challenge, and calls for building a pre-season episode bank. ⏳ [47:30] – Keep, Stop, Start: Ed commits to tightening cold opens; Andy commits to deeper prep to meet Ed further in the middle. ⏳ [51:00] – Appreciations: Andy celebrates the podcast as a genuine relationship catalyst across a thousand miles; Ed appreciates Andy’s willingness to challenge and push back. ⏳ [53:45] – Listener challenge: run your own Keep, Stop, Start retrospective on one process you own — and start by writing one honest Stop before you write a single Start. Visit leadershipexploredpod.com for more episodes and resources. Follow Leadership Explored on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 💡 Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.leadershipexploredpod.com (https://www.leadershipexploredpod.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   25 Aug 2026

   Myth of the Natural Leader

   Myth of the Natural Leader: Why Leadership Is Built, Not Born Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 29 (Season 2, Episode 15) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: August 25, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description “You’re a natural.” It sounds like a compliment — and in the moment, it might even feel accurate. But what if being called a natural is one of the most quietly damaging things a leader can believe about themselves? In this episode, Ed and Andy dismantle one of leadership’s most persistent myths: that great leaders are born, not made. Ed and Andy dig into where this belief comes from, who it actually harms, and what the research says about how leadership competency is really developed — closing with four concrete, practice-ready behaviors leaders can take into the week ahead. In this episode, Ed and Andy Discuss * The three specific ways the “natural leader” myth damages individuals and organizations * How premature promotion without support sets confident leaders up to silently unravel * Why self-selection out of leadership is the most invisible — and most damaging — organizational loss * The 19th-century “Great Man Theory” and how its cultural residue still shapes who gets promoted today * What twin studies reveal: 25–35% of leadership effectiveness traces to innate traits, the rest is built * The difference between a trait-based advantage and a practiced skill — and why one has a ceiling * Carol Dweck’s fixed vs. growth mindset applied directly to leadership identity * Why reluctance and humility are better starting conditions for great leadership than confidence or ease * The reinforcing loop that keeps organizations selecting leaders for the wrong signals * Four behavioral practices leaders can start this week to close the gap between coasting and growing This episode is packed with research-grounded insights and direct, practical takeaways — especially for the leader who has never felt like a natural and has been quietly building the skill all along. Episode Highlights ⏳ [00:00] – Ed opens with the “you’re a natural” compliment and why effortlessness may be leadership’s most dangerous blind spot. ⏳ [03:15] – Andy reflects on the wide range of leaders he’s worked with — reluctant to aspiring — and what drove them into leadership roles. ⏳ [06:00] – Ed introduces the three specific costs of the natural leader myth: premature promotion, self-selection out, and failure misread as identity threat. ⏳ [08:30] – The “mid-level team lead” archetype: promoted for being a great individual contributor, then left without scaffolding or support. ⏳ [12:45] – Andy on the self-selection out problem: why narrowing the leadership talent funnel often costs organizations their best potential leaders. ⏳ [15:20] – Andy’s observation that reluctant leaders frequently become the strongest leaders — and how ease can become a ceiling. ⏳ [19:00] – Ed on the self-reinforcing loop: organizations select for the same traits the myth promotes, making the myth harder to break. ⏳ [22:30] – The roots of the myth traced to 19th-century Great Man Theory and its modern cultural residue in how we talk about CEOs, coaches, and film characters. ⏳ [27:00] – What twin studies and the 2013 Leadership Quarterly study actually show: 25–35% innate, 65–75% built through experience and practice. ⏳ [31:00] – Ed draws the distinction between advantages (getting you in the room) and skills (keeping you effective once you’re there). ⏳ [35:30] – Andy on the tells of a leader coasting on advantages: holes in execution, inability to delegate, or the opposite — inability to do anything themselves. ⏳ [40:00] – Ed applies Carol Dweck’s fixed vs. growth mindset framework directly to leadership identity and coachability. ⏳ [45:00] – Ed speaks directly to the listener who has never felt like a natural: deliberate practice, feedback-seeking, and working through discomfort are the reps. ⏳ [49:00] – Andy on what a leader must believe about themselves for deliberate practice to stick: belief in the ability to grow, and leaning on proof of past reps. ⏳ [52:00] – Ed closes with four practice-ready behaviors: taking a deliberate rep, finding your coasting zone, seeking feedback on something you feel confident about, and tracking one trainable skill for a week. Visit leadershipexploredpod.com for more episodes and resources. Follow Leadership Explored on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 💡 Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.leadershipexploredpod.com (https://www.leadershipexploredpod.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   11 Aug 2026

   Soft Skills Are Hard

   Soft Skills Are Hard (And Hard Skills Are Easy) Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund Episode: 28 (Season 2, Episode 14) Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes Release Date: August 11, 2026 Website: leadershipexploredpod.com Episode Description The words “hard skills” and “soft skills” have been part of the professional vocabulary for decades — but what if that vocabulary has been misleading leaders the whole time? In this episode, Ed and Andy make a compelling case that the naming convention is not just imprecise, it’s backwards, and that the misalignment has real consequences for how leaders invest in themselves and their teams. They trace the surprising military origins of the term “soft skills,” propose a more honest replacement framework — durable vs. perishable skills — and get tactical about what it looks like to actually build the skills that matter most in the age of AI. In this episode, Ed and Andy Discuss * The military origin of “soft skills” — what the term actually meant in 1968 and why it was never a judgment about difficulty or importance * How the words “hard” and “soft” absorbed a false hierarchy in corporate culture and what that hierarchy has cost leaders * The pattern of technically excellent contributors who plateau — and why that ceiling is almost always a durable skills problem * Why the genius jerk archetype requires top 0.1% talent to survive, and what that means for everyone else * The durable vs. perishable framework as a replacement for hard vs. soft — and why those words tell the truth in a way the old ones never did * How AI is dramatically accelerating the perishability of technical skills and what that means for your career strategy right now * Why durable skills — empathy, active listening, navigating ambiguity, conflict resolution — cannot be automated and don’t have a half-life * The role of culture and cultural fluency in what gets labeled “soft skills” in organizations * Four practical tactics: the 90-day audit, naming your one durable skill, finding real reps, and asking someone who sees you * Low-stakes ways to practice durable skills in everyday life — from addressing your server by name to shortening the timeline on hard conversations This episode is packed with real-world insights and practical takeaways for anyone serious about building a career that compounds over time, not just one that performs well right now. Episode Highlights ⏳ [00:00] – Ed opens with the central provocation: what if “hard” and “soft” have had it completely backwards the whole time? ⏳ [02:45] – Andy on how “soft skills” shows up in performance reviews — rarely with any real action plan behind it. ⏳ [05:10] – Ed traces the origin story: 1968, the US Army, and why “soft” just meant “not a piece of hardware.” ⏳ [08:20] – Andy on why it’s no surprise the term came from the military — and how much of modern management culture is derivative of military structure. ⏳ [12:00] – The drift: how “soft” went from military shorthand to corporate shorthand for “secondary” and “optional.” ⏳ [14:30] – Andy on the genius jerk myth — and the important flip: they don’t get to be a jerk because they’re great; they have to be that great because they’re a jerk. ⏳ [19:00] – Ed on the two-track failure: the brilliant technician pushed into management with no support, and the B+ contributor who rises further because of exceptional durable skills. ⏳ [22:10] – Andy on the sports coaching analogy — why Wayne Gretzky was a terrible coach and what that tells us about leadership. ⏳ [26:00] – Ed introduces the durable vs. perishable framework and explains why perishable skills, by definition, expire — and are the most exposed to AI automation. ⏳ [30:45] – The counterargument: if culture changes, aren’t “durable” skills perishable too? Ed and Andy work through why the answer is no. ⏳ [36:00] – Andy on practical techniques for coaching someone toward durable skill development — SBI framework, modeling admired leaders, and being directive when necessary. ⏳ [40:00] – Andy’s low-stakes practice tip: use your server’s name at dinner, strike up conversations at the grocery store — reps are everywhere. ⏳ [44:30] – Ed on AI and the urgency of the reframe: the leaders most worried about automation are the ones most invested in perishable skills. ⏳ [48:00] – Ed’s four tactical takeaways: the 90-day audit, naming one durable skill, finding real reps this week, and asking someone who sees you. ⏳ [53:00] – Closing challenge: ask yourself honestly — are you treating durable skills as something you develop, or something you already have? Visit leadershipexploredpod.com for more episodes and resources. Follow Leadership Explored on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 💡 Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Email us at leadershipexplored@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.leadershipexploredpod.com (https://www.leadershipexploredpod.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Reach and audience

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

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100

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

Quality

59

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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