Podcast
No More Leadership BS
Hosted by No BS Productions · EN
Welcome to the No More Leadership BS Podcast
Where we expose the gap between what leaders think they SHOULD do and what actually works...no BS
Join us each week as we irritate some, inform others, and challenge all leaders to discover a better path to leadership excellence with unvarnished insights and dry-eyed suggestions.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Structurally Stuck: When Great Leaders Become Their Own Worst Obstacle with Jeff Geier
Mar 1800:18:29Tap to summarizeIt's Not Burnout. It's a Broken System.You've been calling it burnout. You've been Googling productivity hacks, booking spa weekends, and blaming your calendar. But what if the real problem isn't exhaustion — it's a structural flaw you've accidentally built into your own leadership? This week on No More Leadership BS, the crew takes on a concept that hits a little too close to home for most leaders: Support Deficit Syndrome.Here's the uncomfortable truth the hosts put on the table: when 70% of your week is spent reacting to things instead of leading through them, that's not a motivation problem. It's not a time management problem. It's a system problem — and you built it.The Bottleneck in the MirrorHigh-capacity leaders have a particular gift for looking competent and successful while simultaneously being the single biggest obstacle in their own organization. The P&L looks great. The team looks busy. But every decision, every escalation, every fire drill lands directly on one desk: yours. That's not leadership — that's a bottleneck with a title. The hosts unpack how this pattern creeps up slowly, often disguised as dedication, until leaders find themselves patching holes all day instead of building anything.The Identity Trap (a.k.a. Believing Your Own Press)There's a reason high-performing leaders fall into this trap: early success rewards the "I'll handle it" mindset. Then the adulation kicks in. People tell you you're incredible, indispensable, irreplaceable — and for a moment, you believe it. The hosts get refreshingly real about this one, noting that the best leaders aren't the ones with all the answers; they're the ones smart enough to surround themselves with people who fill the gaps. Your team isn't your support staff. They're your roots. And if you've forgotten that, the structure will eventually crack.SDS: Support Deficit Syndrome — Naming the Real ProblemThe hosts formally introduce the term Support Deficit Syndrome to describe what most leaders mislabel as burnout. SDS is what happens when a leader lacks the systems, structures, and people support needed to sustain growth. You can't read the bottle from inside the jar. You can't fill every gap with willpower. And the warning signs? A short fuse. End-of-day fire fatigue. The creeping sensation that you're perpetually adding to the list without ever completing it. Sound familiar?The Bottom LineGrowth without redesign always concentrates the weight at the top. If you're a leader who looks stable on paper but feels structurally buried, you're not failing — you're misaligned. The fix isn't a vacation or a motivational poster. It's honest structural assessment, the right support around you, and yes — probably a coach who can see what you can't from inside the jar. Many hands make light work, but only if they're the right hands.Tune in for:Why what you've been calling burnout might actually be a solvable structural problemThe subtle identity trap that turns great leaders into decision bottlenecksThe warning signs of Support Deficit Syndrome you should stop ignoringPractical ways to start shifting from reactive to proactive, including tools that actually workWhy coaching isn't a sign of weakness, it's the most structurally sound move you can makeIf you suspect Support Deficit Syndrome is running your calendar, reach out at ask@leadershipbs.co. No pitch. Just a real conversation from people who've been exactly where you are.Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us Today's Featured Coach - Jeffrey Geier - Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Coach - Helping You Win in Work & Life Owner/Founder of Phoenix Coaching LLC Reach Jeffrey at Jeff@PhoenixCoachingLLC.com or 509-553-9248The rest of the gang:The rest of the gang:Jeff Conroy - Organizational and Non-profit Expert, Motivational Speaker, Coach - Executive Leader | Difference Maker for nonprofits in strategic planning, operations, and fundraising and development. Owner/Founder of Conroy Leadership Consulting, LLC. Reach Jeff at jeff@ConroyleadershipConsulting.com or 208-215-6285Geoff McLachlan - Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach, Bringing Fun Back Into the Workplace, Owner/Founder of Professionals At Play Reach Geoff directly at geoff@professionalsatplay.com or 509-869-4506Myra Hall - Individual and Team Coaching, Midlife Mentoring- Helping you get excited about life again as you overcome the things that keep you from living and loving a life that counts. - Owner/Founder Waypoint Coaching Group Reach Myra at Myra@WaypointCoachingGrp.com or 765-623-9711
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The Beatitudes of Being Hireable: 5 Traits Every Leader Is Desperate to Find with Geoff McLachlan
Mar 1100:21:22Tap to summarizeWe talk a lot about what leaders should do. But what about the people they're leading — or trying to hire? This episode flips the script. Inspired by the oddly profound wisdom of a fictional soccer coach, the crew digs into what it actually takes to be the teammate everyone wants on their roster. Spoiler: it has very little to do with your resume.The Beatitudes of Work: Five Things That Make You Undeniably HireableBeing present, coachable, curious, self-aware, and kind — these aren't soft skills, they're survival skills. The crew breaks down why these five traits separate the people leaders fight to keep from the ones they quietly replace. And yes, they apply to everyone — including the leader.Wait, This Applies to the Boss Too?Here's an uncomfortable truth: leaders are employees too. Whether you're managing a team or running a department, you're still accountable to someone. The beatitudes don't have a pay-grade ceiling — and a leader who forgets that is a liability walking.You Can't Read the Label From Inside the BottleSelf-awareness is the one beatitude you almost certainly can't achieve alone. The crew gets real about why interoception — understanding how your mind shapes your body and behavior — requires outside help. A DISC assessment, a coach, a trusted mirror: you need someone who can see what you can't.The Badge of Martyrdom Isn't a Leadership MedalTaking on everything, burning yourself out, refusing to delegate — it feels like dedication. It's actually destruction. When a leader operates at 40% capacity because they've hoarded all the hard stuff, the whole organization pays the price. Stop wearing your stress like a trophy.THE BOTTOM LINEThe best person in the room isn't always the most credentialed. They're the one who shows up, stays curious, takes feedback, knows themselves, and treats people with basic human decency. Whether you're gunning for a promotion, trying to lead better, or just trying not to get fired — these five things will change the trajectory. It's simple. It's not easy. Start anyway.TUNE IN FOR• The five "beatitudes" that make any employee — at any level — genuinely hireable• Why self-awareness is the hardest beatitude, and why you can't get there alone• The real cost of the martyrdom badge — on your team, your family, and your health• What a DISC assessment can tell you that years of self-reflection can't• Why interoception might be the most important word you've never used at workBecause the world doesn't need more people who look great on paper. It needs more people who are great in the room.Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us Today's Featured Coach - Geoff McLachlan - Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach, Bringing Fun Back Into the Workplace, Owner/Founder of Professionals At Play Reach Geoff directly at geoff@professionalsatplay.com or 509-869-4506The rest of the gang:Jeff Conroy - Organizational and Non-profit Expert, Motivational Speaker, Coach - Executive Leader | Difference Maker for nonprofits in strategic planning, operations, and fundraising and development. Owner/Founder of Conroy Leadership Consulting, LLC. Reach Jeff at jeff@ConroyleadershipConsulting.com or 208-215-6285Myra Hall - Individual and Team Coaching, Midlife Mentoring- Helping you get excited about life again as you overcome the things that keep you from living and loving a life that counts. - Owner/Founder Waypoint Coaching Group Reach Myra at Myra@WaypointCoachingGrp.com or 765-623-9711Jeffrey Geier - Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Coach - Helping You Win in Work & Life Owner/Founder of Phoenix Coaching LLC Reach Jeffrey at Jeff@PhoenixCoachingLLC.com or 509-553-9248
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Wing It or Win It? Why Operational Systems Separate Good Leaders from Great Ones with Jeff Conroy and Guest Tony Zizak
Mar 400:28:33Tap to summarizeStop Winging It: Why Great Leaders Run on Systems, Not SuperpowersThink you can lead your way through chaos on gut instinct alone? Think again. This week's episode of No More Leadership BS busts the myth that great leaders can just "wing it" — and brings in a seasoned systems architect and leadership veteran to prove it.Tribal Knowledge: The Silent Killer Every organization has systems — even when they claim they don't. The difference is whether those systems are intentional or accidental. Undocumented processes live in the heads of long-timers as "tribal knowledge," and when those people leave (or when new leaders walk in), the whole thing can unravel fast. The fix? Document it, define it, and stop pretending winging it is a strategy.Communication IS the System Whether it's a multi-day global deployment or a local volunteer troop, undefined communication terms create chaos. How long is "reasonable" when your team is waiting on a handoff? Spoiler: 45 minutes is not it. Establishing a shared communication strategy — including what escalation actually means — is the single most important system any leader can build.Know Thyself (Then Build Your Team) The first lesson in great leadership? Know what you're good at — and more importantly, what you're not. Stop trying to fill every gap yourself. Find people who are passionate about the things you struggle with. Leadership isn't about crossing the finish line alone; it's about getting your whole team across it.You Can't Afford NOT to Have a Process Small organizations often use budget as an excuse to skip team-building and systems work. That logic is backwards. The cost of chaos, burnout, and missed escalations far outweighs the investment of getting the right people in the right seats — even if that means borrowing expertise from another team for a few hours a week.The Bottom Line Systems aren't about control — they're about clarity. Checklists aren't a sign of weakness; they're the foundation that frees your intuition to actually work. The leaders who think they're winging it aren't flying free — they're just falling without realizing it yet.Tune In For:Why every organization already has a system (whether they know it or not)Why a communication strategy document saved hours of wasted time in a global deployment project with an absolute deadline. The "wrong seat on the bus" approach to resource allocation that doesn't require a big budgetWhy system failure and people failure are more connected than you thinkThe one operational system every leader should build this yearStop confusing busyness with strategy. Build the system, lead the team, get everyone across the finish line.Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us Today's Featured Coach - Jeff Conroy - Organizational and Non-profit Expert, Motivational Speaker, Coach - Executive Leader | Difference Maker for nonprofits in strategic planning, operations, and fundraising and development. Owner/Founder of Conroy Leadership Consulting, LLC. Reach Jeff at jeff@ConroyleadershipConsulting.com or 208-215-6285Guest Bio: Tony Zizak, our guest is a seasoned systems architect and technology leader with decades of experience managing multinational projects and volunteer organizations. A passionate advocate for intentional leadership development, he brings real-world systems thinking from the corporate world to the community level; proving that great structure isn't just for big companies. The rest of the gang:Geoff McLachlan - Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach, Bringing Fun Back Into the Workplace, Owner/Founder of Professionals At Play Reach Geoff directly at geoff@professionalsatplay.com or 509-869-4506Myra Hall - Individual and Team Coaching, Midlife Mentoring- Helping you get excited about life again as you overcome the things that keep you from living and loving a life that counts. - Owner/Founder Waypoint Coaching Group Reach Myra at Myra@WaypointCoachingGrp.com or 765-623-9711Jeffrey Geier - Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Coach - Helping You Win in Work & Life Owner/Founder of Phoenix Coaching LLC Reach Jeffrey at Jeff@PhoenixCoachingLLC.com or 509-553-9248
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