Podcast
POSITIONED For Success
Hosted by Dr. Kelvin Thomas · EN
Positioned for Success is a weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Kelvin Thomas, delivering research-backed leadership insights, practical coaching tools, and real-world stories to help leaders thrive in today’s changing world.
9episodes
Episodes
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Episode 8: The Legacy of Leadership - What You Leave Behind
Dec 1600:14:59Tap to summarizeSend a textIf you left your current role tomorrow, what would people say you achieved? How would they describe what it was like to work with you? What values would they say you embodied?In this season finale, Dr. Kelvin Thomas explores leadership legacy - the lasting impact that extends far beyond quarterly results and annual reviews. This isn't about building monuments; it's about influencing people who influence others.You'll discover:The three dimensions of lasting leadership impact: Results, Relationships, and ReputationWhy do some leaders' achievements disappear after they leave, while others' influence ripples forwardHow to build legacy intentionally while still delivering today's resultsA practical framework for reflection and action as you close out the yearKey Topics Covered: ✅ Results that endure - Creating sustainable systems and capabilities, not just hitting numbers ✅ Relationships that matter - Developing people who develop others ✅ Reputation that lasts - Building credibility through consistent values-driven leadership ✅ The legacy audit - Assessing your current impact across all three dimensions ✅ Intentional legacy building - Practical steps to create lasting influenceThis Episode is Perfect For:Leaders reflecting on their impact and what they want to be remembered forManagers wondering if their achievements will outlast their tenureAnyone seeking to shift from short-term wins to long-term influenceProfessionals planning their 2026 leadership developmentFeatured Framework: The Three R's of Leadership Legacy - Results, Relationships, ReputationEpisode Highlights:Why achievement and legacy are not the same thingThe story of two leaders: one with spectacular results that disappeared, one with modest results that multipliedHow to balance delivering today while building for tomorrowThe legacy mindset shift: asking better questions in your daily leadershipThis is the final episode of Season 1. We've covered change leadership, mental barriers, resilience, authenticity, difficult conversations, decision fatigue, business acumen, and now - legacy. Each episode provides practical frameworks you can implement immediately.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas is the founder of POSITION Consultants, a leadership development and organizational consulting firm. With an EdD in Leadership, MBA, and Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification, he brings 15+ years of C-suite experience to practical, no-fluff leadership development. He's the author of "Positioned for Success" and "52 Weeks to Leadership Mastery."Resources:Connect with Dr. KT on LinkedInLearn more about: POSITION ConsultantsGet the "52 Weeks to Leadership Mastery" journalSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 7: Decision Fatigue - Why Your Brain Gets Tired
Nov 2500:20:54Tap to summarizeSend a textFREE WORKBOOK: Download your Decision Fatigue Protection System 📄You start the day sharp—making great calls, solving problems, feeling decisive. Then 3 PM hits, and suddenly choosing where to go for dinner feels impossible.What changed? Your brain hit its decision limit.Research tracked experienced parole judges and found they granted parole 65% of the time at the start of sessions. By the end? Nearly 0%. After a break? Back to 65%. Same judges, similar cases, completely different outcomes based on when the decision was made.Here’s the problem: Every decision depletes the same mental resource. By the time you reach your most important decisions, you’re operating on empty. And you have no idea it’s happening.What You’ll Learn:✅ The science behind why your decision quality degrades throughout the day✅ The three patterns that reveal you’re depleted (Shortcut Trap, Impulse Problem, Avoidance Spiral)✅ Why small decisions drain you as much as big ones✅ How to protect your peak cognitive hours for decisions that matter✅ The elimination strategy (why Obama only wore blue or gray suits)✅ Daily and weekly recovery practices that actually workYour Weekly Challenge:Track every significant decision for three days. Notice when you’re making them and your mental state. Then identify three unnecessary decisions you can eliminate through systems or protocols. Finally, schedule your most important decision of next week for peak capacity. Notice how decision quality changes when you’re strategic about timing.Perfect for: Leaders who feel sharp in the morning but ineffective by afternoon, anyone making important decisions at the end of long days, executives overwhelmed by decision volume.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas has led organizations through intense decision-making demands across retail, higher education, and startups. He brings both neuroscience research and practical systems that protect cognitive capacity for decisions that genuinely matter.This is Positioned for Success—leadership development grounded in how your brain actually works.🎧 Subscribe now so you don’t miss Episode 8: Executive PresenceConnect: Website | LinkedIn#Leadership #DecisionMaking #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveDevelopment #Productivity #LeadershipPodcastSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 6: Difficult Conversations - Building Trust Through Conflict
Nov 1200:22:16Tap to summarizeSend a textFREE WORKBOOK: Download your Difficult Conversations Toolkit 📄Research shows that 70% of managers avoid tough conversations. Not because they don't care. Not because they're bad leaders. Because nobody ever taught them how.So they avoid performance issues. They work around interpersonal conflicts. They drop hints instead of being direct. And the problems multiply.Here's what they don't realize: The conversation you're avoiding isn't going away. It's just getting harder. And the relationship you're trying to protect by avoiding it? It's being damaged by the avoidance itself.In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas introduces the Clear, Curious, Caring framework—a practical approach to having difficult conversations that actually build trust instead of destroying it.What You'll Learn:✅ Why we avoid difficult conversations and the hidden psychological and organizational costs of avoidance✅ What's happening in your brain during conflict and how to manage your nervous system so you can stay present and effective✅ The Clear, Curious, Caring Framework that makes tough conversations productive instead of punitive:CLEAR: How to be direct without being brutalCURIOUS: How to seek understanding instead of building your caseCARING: How to hold people accountable with compassion✅ Real conversation examples you can adapt for performance issues, interpersonal conflicts, and attitude/behavior challenges✅ The neuroscience of difficult conversations and why your best intentions often go sideways when emotions activateWhy This Matters:When that team member was consistently late, Rachel kept working around it—adjusting schedules, having others cover, dropping hints. She thought she was being kind and avoiding conflict.But her avoidance created three bigger problems: constant stress for her, loss of respect from reliable team members, and the late employee never getting a chance to improve.That unaddressed conversation was costing more than having it ever would.Dr. Kelvin shares his own experience transitioning from avoidance to direct communication, including the moment a colleague thanked him for "caring enough to be direct" after he finally had the conversation he'd been dreading.Your Weekly Challenge:Pick one conversation you've been avoiding. Use the Clear, Curious, Caring framework to:Get CLEAR on the specific behavior and impactPrepare CURIOUS questions that seek understandingConnect to CARING by remembering why this person and situation mattersThen have the conversation this week. Notice what happens when you approach conflict with both honesty and compassion.This Episode is Perfect For:Leaders who avoid difficult conversations, managers dealing with performance or attitude issues, anyone who wants to address problems without destroying relationships, leaders who've had tough conversations go badly and don't know why, teams experiencing unresolved conflicts.What You'll Walk Away With:A proven framework for difficult conversations (Clear, Curious, Caring)Scripts you can adapt for common scenariosUnderstanding of why conversations go sideways and how to prevent itConfidence to address issues directly instead of hoping they'll improveThe ability to build trust through honest conversationsAbout the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas has had difficult conversations across retail, higher education, and corporate environments. He knows what it's like to avoid them, to have them go badly, and to finally learn how toSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 5: Authentic Leadership - Leading Without Losing Yourself
Nov 400:28:04Tap to summarizeSend a textCheck out this Episode's FREE Authentic Leadership Workbook 📄Episode DescriptionEveryone says "be authentic," but what does that actually mean when you're in charge? And how do you stay true to yourself while still being what your organization needs?Here's the challenge: Leadership requires you to be many things to many people. You need to be confident in front of investors, empathetic with struggling employees, decisive during crises, and collaborative in team settings. So which one is the "real" you?In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas tackles one of the most overused and misunderstood terms in leadership: authenticity. Because "just be yourself" is terrible advice when you don't understand what authentic leadership actually means.What You'll Learn:✅ The Authenticity Trap - Why "radical authenticity" (saying everything you think with no filter) exhausts teams. The difference between being genuine (internal consistency), being transparent (external expression), and being unfiltered (poor emotional regulation)✅ When Authenticity Goes Wrong - Performative authenticity (using "being honest" as excuse for harsh behavior), oversharing authenticity (making your team your therapist), and inflexible authenticity (refusing to adapt because "this is just who I am")✅ Three Practices of Genuinely Authentic Leaders - Values-based decision making (knowing what you actually stand for when pressure is on), situational adaptability (being yourself differently based on what the moment needs), and boundaried vulnerability (being human without being unprofessional)✅ The Authenticity Audit - Practical questions to assess alignment: Are your actions consistent with your stated values? Do you lead the same way in every situation? Do you share struggles or breakdowns with your team?✅ Building Your Authentic Leadership Style - Daily practices for alignment, feedback loops for awareness, and growth mindset for development. Plus real stories from Dr. Kelvin's own journey navigating authenticity across different industries and culturesThe Insight: Authentic leadership isn't about being the same person in every situation. It's about being genuinely yourself - values-aligned, appropriately adapted, and boundaried in your vulnerability - in every situation.Why This Matters: When there's a gap between who you are and how you lead, it creates cognitive dissonance that exhausts you and confuses your team. Authentic leadership isn't just about feeling good - it's about being effective while staying true to yourself.Perfect for: Leaders struggling to balance authenticity with professionalism, anyone feeling like they're wearing a "work mask," managers navigating multiple role demands, leaders developing their executive presence.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas has navigated authenticity across retail, higher education, startups, and consulting. He knows what it's like to adapt to different cultures while staying true to core values. These frameworks come from figuring out how to be effective AND genuine across vastly different environments.This is Positioned for Success - leadership development that honors who you are while helping you grow.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 6: Difficult Conversations - Building Trust Through ConflictConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-Thomas#Leadership #AuthenticLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutivePresence #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadeSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 4: Mastering Resilience - More Than Just Bouncing Back
Oct 2800:32:06Tap to summarizeSend a textCheck out this Episode's FREE Resilience Mastery Workbook 📄Episode DescriptionWhen most people hear "resilience," they picture someone who never cracks, never complains, never shows weakness. But that's not resilience - that's suppression with good marketing.Real resilience isn't about being unbreakable. It's about being bendable. Think bamboo in a storm - it bends dramatically but doesn't snap, and when the storm passes, it springs back stronger.In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas destroys the myths around resilience and gives you the actual skills that help leaders bounce back stronger from setbacks and challenges. Because leadership isn't about avoiding stress - it's about how you recover from it.What You'll Learn:✅ Resilience Reality Check - The three myths about resilience that are holding you back: "resilient people don't get stressed" (wrong), "resilience is about toughing it out" (also wrong), and "you're either resilient or you're not" (completely false)✅ The Three Pillars of Resilient Leadership - Grounding (practices that keep you steady when everything shakes), flexibility (mental yoga that helps you adapt), and connection (your leadership lifeline - because the most resilient leaders aren't lone wolves)✅ The Resilience Reset - Your emergency toolkit, including the 4-3-2-1 grounding technique, perspective ladder, and energy audit. Use these when you feel overwhelmed, knocked off balance, or like you're losing your center✅ Building Anti-Fragile Leadership - Going beyond bouncing back to actually getting stronger from stress. How to use setbacks as data, build redundancy into your systems, and practice controlled stress to prepare for bigger challenges✅ Real Stories from the Field - From watching parents nearly lose their fabric store to leading turnarounds at startups, Dr. Kelvin shares how resilience looks in practice, not theoryThe Research: Harvard research on executive resilience found that leaders with strong social networks are 60% more resilient under pressure. That's not a small difference - that's the difference between thriving and just surviving.Why This Matters: You can't pour from an empty cup. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish - it's strategic. Your team, your family, and your organization need you at your best. This episode gives you the tools to stay grounded, flexible, and connected even when everything feels chaotic.Your Challenge: Pick one resilience pillar to focus on this week. Grounding: establish one consistent daily practice that centers you. Flexibility: when something doesn't go as planned, ask "What else could this mean?" Connection: reach out to one person in your support network.Perfect for: Leaders experiencing burnout or overwhelm, anyone navigating high-stress situations, managers supporting teams through difficulty, leaders wanting to build sustainable practices instead of just grinding through.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas learned about resilience the hard way - watching his parents struggle, navigating his own career transitions, leading through crises where one wrong move could cost the company. He brings frameworks tested in real pressure situations, not academic theory.This is Positioned for Success - building leadership capabilities that last.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 5: Authentic Leadership - Leading Without Losing YourselfConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-Thomas#Leadership #Resilience #LeadershipDevelopmSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 1: Business Acumen - Beyond Your Department's Walls
Oct 2300:25:07Tap to summarizeSend a textEpisode 1: Business Acumen - Beyond Your Department's WallsCheck out this Episode's FREE Business Acumen Resources📄Episode DescriptionWhen's the last time you made a big business decision and felt genuinely confident - not hopeful, not optimistic, but truly confident - that it was the right call?If you're scratching your head right now, you're in good company. And that's exactly why we're starting Season 1 of Positioned for Success with business acumen.Here's the uncomfortable truth: Smart, passionate leaders are making decisions every day without fully understanding the business they're leading. They've got the drive, the vision, the credentials - but when it comes to business fundamentals? They're making educated guesses. And leadership can't be built on guesswork.In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas shares lessons from 15+ years of leadership across retail, higher education, and startups - including watching his own parents nearly lose their fabric store because passion and hard work alone weren't enough.What You'll Learn:✅ The Business Blind Spot - Why organizations promote people and expect them to figure out business acumen through trial and error (and why this approach is costing you)✅ The Three Dimensions of Business Thinking - Financial fluency (the language of business), strategic perspective (looking beyond today's fire drill), and organizational intelligence (reading the room and the building)✅ Real-World Examples - From the retail manager who celebrated a 20% sales increase while margins dropped 15%, to the operations leader optimizing the wrong processes✅ Practical Development Tools - How to develop business instincts without an MBA, including the business case framework, stakeholder impact analysis, and resource optimization review✅ From Expert to Leader - Making the critical shift from functional thinking to business thinkingThe Research: Harvard Business Review shows that executives with strong business acumen deliver 30% higher returns. McKinsey research reveals that companies with financially literate leaders outperform their peers by 40%. That's not luck - that's clarity.Why This Matters: You didn't get promoted to figure this out through trial and error. You got promoted because someone believed in your potential. This episode gives you the tools to fulfill it.Your Challenge: Pick one aspect of your business you don't fully understand and have a conversation this week with someone who can help you understand it better. Business acumen starts with curiosity and one conversation at a time.Perfect for: Mid-level managers stepping into senior leadership, functional experts taking on broader business responsibility, anyone who feels confident in their area but uncertain about the bigger business picture.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas is a leadership coach and strategist who has led transformations across multiple industries. He brings real-world frameworks that actually work in practice, not just theory - no fluff, no corporate jargon, just practical insights you can use immediately.This is Positioned for Success - leadership development that meets you where you are and takes you where you need to go.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 2: Leading Through Change Without Losing Your MindConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-Thomas #Leadership #BusinessAcumen #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalGrowSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 3: Breaking Mental Barriers - The Hidden Traps That Sabotage Leaders
Oct 2300:34:46Tap to summarizeSend a textCheck out this Episode's FREE Mental Clarity Workbook 📄Episode DescriptionHere's a truth that might make you squirm a little: The biggest obstacle to your leadership success probably isn't your competition, your budget, or even your boss. It's what's happening between your ears.We're talking about mental barriers - those invisible thought patterns that quietly sabotage our effectiveness. In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas reveals how your brain is constantly creating stories and presenting them to you as facts. Not maliciously - it's actually trying to help. But the shortcuts it takes to make sense of the world can seriously mess with your leadership.What You'll Learn:✅ Your Brain: The Ultimate Double Agent - Why your brain is both your best asset and your worst enemy. How it fills in gaps, makes assumptions, jumps to conclusions, and presents interpretations as facts✅ The Four Mental Traps That Catch Leaders - Cognitive biases (when your brain takes shortcuts that lead you astray), attribution errors (the blame game your brain plays), interpretation gaps (the stories you create about events), and negative self-talk (when your inner critic takes over)✅ Real Leadership Stories - From the manager who almost derailed a career based on a false assumption about silence in meetings, to the leader convinced he was being pushed out when he was actually being protected✅ The Reframe Toolkit - Five practical techniques you can use immediately: the evidence detective, opposite day exercise, friend test, time travel test, and "name it to tame it"✅ The Mental Barrier Detector - How to spot these patterns through physical signals (tension, racing heart), emotional signals (disproportionate reactions), behavioral signals (avoidance, procrastination), and thought signals (always/never thinking, mind reading)The Psychology: Your brain generates thousands of thoughts daily, and most are just mental noise, not accurate reflections of reality. Learning to distinguish between thoughts that are helpful and thoughts that are just automatic patterns is one of the most important leadership skills you can develop.Why This Matters: You can't change what you can't see. Once you learn to recognize these patterns, you can catch them before they cause problems. You can question your automatic interpretations, hold your stories more lightly, and stay curious about what's actually true.Your Challenge: This week, choose one mental barrier you recognize in yourself. When you catch it happening, just notice it without judgment. Then try one reframe technique. The goal isn't to fix it immediately - the goal is to build awareness.Perfect for: Leaders making high-stakes decisions, anyone who overthinks or second-guesses themselves, teams experiencing communication breakdowns from misinterpretation, and anyone who's ever thought "I'm not qualified for this role."About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas knows these mental barriers intimately - not from textbooks, but from his own leadership journey. From retail management to higher education to startups, he's experienced impostor syndrome, confirmation bias, and every mental trap in between. Now he teaches you to recognize and overcome them.This is Positioned for Success - leadership development that gets real about what's actually holding you back.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 4: Mastering Resilience - More Than Just Bouncing BackConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-ThomSupport the show
Transcribe →Episode 2: Leading Through Change - Without Losing Your Mind
Oct 2300:19:12Tap to summarizeSend a textCheck out this Episode's FREE Change Leadership Playbook 📄 Episode DescriptionHow many of you feel like change is happening faster than you can keep up with?If you're nodding your head right now, you're definitely not alone. And if you're not feeling overwhelmed by change, congratulations - you might be the only person on the planet who isn't.Here's what nobody tells you about leadership: it's not the strategy that kills you, it's the constant change. McKinsey research indicates that 70% of change initiatives fail—not because the strategy was flawed, but due to human resistance and leader burnout. In this episode, Dr. Kelvin Thomas gives you a framework that actually works in the real world.What You'll Learn:✅ The Three Forces That Make Change Feel Impossible - Fear of the unknown (why your brain treats uncertainty as danger), change fatigue (what happens when you pile change on top of change), and confusion from lack of clarity (how people's brains fill gaps with worst-case stories)✅ The Reframe, Reset, Reinforce Framework - A simple but powerful approach that works WITH human psychology instead of against it. Learn how to change the story people tell themselves, slow down to speed up, and make change stick✅ Real-World Turnaround Story - How Dr. Kelvin led a failing department from resistance to results using this exact framework, including what worked, what didn't, and why understanding neuroscience made all the difference✅ The Neuroscience of Change - What's actually happening in people's brains during change, why logic alone doesn't work, and how to help nervous systems regulate so people can actually engage✅ Spotting Your Change Leadership Gaps - Practical questions to assess where you need to focus: Are you trying to change too much too fast? What story are people telling themselves? How are you reinforcing beyond the initial announcement?The Science: Your brain treats uncertainty as a danger - that's not a character flaw, it's a matter of neuroscience. When you understand how human minds actually process change, you can design initiatives that work with those tendencies instead of fighting them.Why This Matters: Most change initiatives don't fail because people are resistant. They fail because leaders don't understand how to work with human psychology. This framework provides a roadmap that respects how people's brains and nervous systems actually function.Your Challenge: Pick one change you're currently dealing with and apply one element of the framework this week. Reframe the story, create some breathing room, or start reinforcing new behaviors. Small shifts create big results over time.Perfect for: Leaders navigating organizational change, managers feeling overwhelmed by constant shifts, anyone who's ever thought "not another change initiative," teams experiencing change fatigue.About the Host: Dr. Kelvin Thomas has led transformations across retail, higher education, and startups. He's seen what works when the pressure is on and people are exhausted. These aren't theories - they're battle-tested frameworks from real-world leadership.This is Positioned for Success - practical leadership development for real-world challenges.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss Episode 3: Breaking Mental Barriers - The Hidden Traps That Sabotage LeadersConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-Thomas#ChangeManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalChange #ChangeLeadership #PrSupport the show
Transcribe →Welcome to Positioned for Success - Start Here
Oct 2300:11:51Tap to summarizeSend a textNew to Positioned for Success? Start here.Dr. Kelvin Thomas explains why this podcast exists, what makes it unique, and how to maximize its value.Learn what's covered in Season 1, how to use the free resources, and which episode you should start with based on your current leadership challenges.This isn't just another leadership podcast. This is practical frameworks for real-world challenges - no fluff, no theory that doesn't work in practice, just tools you can use immediately.Perfect for: New listeners wondering where to start, leaders assessing which episodes are most relevant, and anyone wanting to understand the podcast's approach before diving in.Your Next Step: After listening to this intro, jump to the episode that addresses your biggest current challenge. Don't feel like you have to go in order - start where you need the most help.🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss any episodesConnect with Dr. Kelvin Thomas: Website: Positionconsultants.com LinkedIn: Dr-Kelvin-Thomas #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #LeadershipPodcast #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerDevelopmentSupport the show
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