The ability to consistently develop great leaders can become one of the most powerful competitive advantages an organization has. In this episode, Keith and James explore why leadership development shouldn’t exist separately from organizational health, but should instead reinforce the clarity, culture, and behaviors an organization has already established. They discuss how the four disciplines can become a practical framework for developing leaders at every level—from building cohesive teams and translating organizational clarity to setting expectations, giving feedback, running better meetings, and having difficult conversations. Rather than adding another program to leaders’ plates, they explain how development can happen through the work leaders are already doing, including one-on-ones, performance conversations, hiring, coaching, and cascading communication. Whether you’re building a leadership development program from scratch or already have a robust L&D function, the goal is the same: develop leaders in a way that strengthens your culture, scales organizational health, and equips your people to develop the leaders beneath them.

In this episode, we're joined again by former Principal Consultant and bestselling author Jim Brown to discuss the soon to be released 20th Anniversary Edition of The Imperfect Board Member. We explore the unique and distinctive roles of board members and executives; the kind of dynamics that define healthy boards and some common pitfalls and problems that can lead to dysfunction and struggle. This episode is for CEOs, Executives, and Board Members alike who all share a common mandate to do what leads to company success. See S6E11 for our first episode with Jim Brown, on his new book The Imperfect CEO.

Organizational transformation rarely succeeds through speed alone. It requires leaders patient enough to create the conditions for people to move forward together. In this episode, Fernando Cuccioli, President of DeLaval Americas, joins Keith Hadley and James Felton to reflect on his six-year commitment to organizational health and the leadership philosophy that shaped it. From building an executive team around the principles of humble, hungry, smart to using William Bridges' Transition Model to guide a major organizational restructure, Fernando shares how patience, transparency, and trust enabled his team to navigate significant change without sacrificing cohesion. He also reflects on the personal leadership shifts that made that transformation possible—from embracing feedback as a gift to learning the power of delegation, vulnerability, and going last. Along the way, Fernando explains how restructuring became an opportunity to better understand his people's ambitions, cultivate a shared leadership language, and build an organization capable of sustaining change long after the reorganization was complete.

Clear expectations and consistent feedback are foundational to healthy leadership—but they're also some of the most overlooked management practices. In this "Simple Ideas, Big Impact" episode, Keith and James revisit the timeless lessons of Ken Blanchard's The One Minute Manager, exploring why leaders often assume expectations are understood without ever communicating them. They discuss the power of setting clear expectations, affirming success, coaching with clarity, and why even CEOs can miss the mark when it comes to feedback. If you want to build stronger teams and eliminate unnecessary frustration, this simple leadership habit can make all the difference.

In this episode, James is joined by longtime Table Group Principal Consultant Rick Packer and former Principal Consultant and bestselling author Jim Brown to discuss Jim’s new book, The Imperfect CEO. Together, they explore why great CEOs don’t need to have all the answers, but they do need the humility to go first, admit limitations, build trust, and create the conditions for true collaboration.

The conversation centers on Jim’s four peaks of organizational health: collaborative culture, leadership accountability, strategic momentum, and talent magnetism—and how each one depends on a leader’s willingness to embrace imperfection, model vulnerability, and guard the health of the organization.

In this episode, Keith and James explore one of the most important mindset shifts leaders can make: to see yourself as a victim of circumstances or as an agent of change.

The conversation centers on three simple but powerful questions: What is our current reality? What needs to change? And what is my responsibility in making that happen?

What does “Working Genius” look like at the leadership level? In this episode, Keith and James explore which types of work leaders must personally own—and which they can delegate.

They make the case that leaders don’t need to excel at all six Working Genius areas, but they must take responsibility for three critical roles: creating space for wonder, driving discernment to clear decisions, and ensuring teams stay focused through galvanizing.

Along the way, they unpack common leadership pitfalls—like skipping strategic thinking, overvaluing personal ideas, or failing to maintain momentum after decisions are made—and offer practical ways to lead more intentionally based on your strengths.

A sharp, thought-provoking conversation for leaders looking to better understand their role in driving clarity, focus, and execution.

Rapid growth and acquisitions don’t strengthen organizations on their own—alignment does. In this episode, George Abatjoglou of EMSMC shares how the company transformed from a collection of regional EMS service providers into a unified national organization, and how organizational health became the foundation for navigating change, building trust, and creating lasting alignment across teams. From defining a purpose employees could genuinely connect to—“helping first responders answer the call”—to integrating teams across multiple acquisitions and countries, this conversation explores what it really takes to scale culture intentionally.

George also dives into the practical side of embedding organizational health into daily operations through leadership cascades, recognition systems, storytelling, and values-driven communication that moved beyond posters and mission statements. A must-listen for leaders managing growth, acquisitions, remote teams, or culture transformation while trying to keep people connected to meaningful work.

How do great leaders prepare for and run effective offsites? In this episode, Keith and James break down the principle of “Go first, Go last,” showing how leaders can set the tone with vulnerability and clarity, create space for real discussion, and step in at the end to drive decisions.

They share practical techniques for signaling decision confidence, encouraging honest dialogue, avoiding influencing the room too early, and balancing the dual role of participant and facilitator.

While centered on offsite preparation, these insights apply to any team setting—helping leaders build alignment, foster better conversations, and drive more decisive outcomes.

In this episode of the Org Health Advantage podcast, Keith and James sit down with Ryan Wall, CEO of FHI, to explore his leadership journey in a multi-generational, family-owned business and the role organizational health has played in its evolution. He shares how FHI grew from a labor provider into a broader supply chain solutions company, navigating rapid growth and shifts in its business model while staying grounded in its foundation of "Hard Work Done Right".

Ryan outlines the team norms that reshaped how the leadership team operates, including “Team One” and “Giddy Up,” and explains the company’s strategic anchor of “Lead from the Heart,” which guides decisions through service, care, and measurable impact. The conversation also highlights the influence of his father, the company’s founder—a visionary, high-intensity leader—and how Ryan has developed his own leadership style by bringing greater clarity, structure, and intentional vulnerability.

Along the way, he addresses key leadership challenges while offering practical insights on building aligned teams through clear norms, structured meetings, disciplined decision-making, and well-defined purpose, values, and strategy.

Growth doesn’t break companies—lack of clarity does.

In this episode, Jason McCann, CEO of Vari, shares how the company scaled rapidly and how organizational health became the key to navigating both rapid growth and major disruption. From defining core values to leading through crisis, this conversation reveals how clarity and culture drive long-term success.

He also dives into what it really takes to lead at scale—from maintaining alignment across teams to consistently reinforcing values when pressure is highest.

A must-listen for founders, executives, and anyone building teams in high-growth environments.

What really gets in the way of high-performing teams?

In this episode, Keith and James unpack the Five Behaviors of Cohesive Teams—and more importantly, the common habits, fears, and cultural patterns that prevent teams from actually living them out. From a lack of vulnerability and avoidance of healthy conflict to unclear decision-making and weak accountability, they explore why teams struggle and how to move forward.

If you’re a leader or team member looking to build stronger trust, have better conversations, and drive meaningful results, this episode will challenge you to lean into the discomfort that real teamwork requires.

Clarity is the stabilizing force inside high-performing organizations — but it must reflect what is authentically true about the business and the team leading it.

In this episode, Keith and James explore the six critical questions of organizational clarity and, more importantly, when it’s time to revisit them. While a company’s core purpose and values should represent its enduring DNA, even those foundational elements can drift, feel inauthentic, or lose their practical impact over time. Meanwhile, strategy, priorities, and roles must be revisited more frequently as markets shift and organizations evolve.

We break down:

The 6 essential clarity questions every leadership team must answer

Which elements should rarely change — and which should be reviewed regularly

How to tell when your purpose or values are no longer authentic

Whether you're a CEO, founder, or executive leader, this conversation will help you diagnose clarity erosion before it turns into organizational confusion.

Because clarity isn’t permanent — but disciplined clarity builds enduring organizations.

Being a leader is about responsibility.

Being a leader of leaders is about restraint.

In this episode, we explore why the most effective CEOs stop executing — and start designing the conditions for others to lead.

Leadership expert Alan Millard breaks down what it truly means to become a leader of leaders, from why micromanagement limits growth to how great CEOs shift their focus toward the future and intentionally “do themselves out of a job.” You’ll learn how to delegate at the mission level, balance execution with strategy and organization-building, and build resilient teams that thrive without constant oversight. If you’re a founder, CEO, or senior leader ready to step out of the weeds and into real leadership, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Org Health Advantage, Keith Hadley and James Felton sit down with Andrew Keyt for a candid conversation on what really makes family businesses thrive—or unravel. From founder-to-sibling-to-cousin dynamics to the hidden “hats” people wear, Andrew reveals why most family enterprises don’t fail from strategy—they fail from unresolved relationships. You’ll hear how healthy governance creates clarity, how leaders earn credibility in the “successor’s curse,” why dividends can mask deeper emotional stories, and how to balance “business first” decisions with “family always” commitment.

What does it look like when a leader truly owns the health of the organization he or she leads?

In this episode of The Org Health Advantage, hosts James Felton and Keith Hadley sit down with Bobby Herrera, CEO of Populus Group and author of The Gift of Struggle. Bobby shares his unforgettable “bus story”—a simple act of kindness that shaped his life and company’s mission—and reveals how purpose and story can transform an organization. Joined by Cody Thompson, COO of Table Group the conversation dives into why trust is the most important business metric, how storytelling fuels growth and clarity, the power of rituals like the carabiner tradition and the Sherpa Award, why onboarding should feel like being welcomed into a community, & lessons on consistency, humility, and building cultures that last generations.

Whether you’re a CEO, team leader, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with wisdom on leading with heart and creating workplaces where people can truly ascend the mountain.

Most exec teams obsess over the rally cry—what’s most important right now—and then breeze past the everyday measures that keep the business healthy. In this no-guest deep dive, Keith Hadley and James unpack Standard Operating Objectives (SOOs): the vital signs of your organization. Learn how to pick the right 6–10 SOOs, balance leading vs. lagging indicators, tie them to your strategic anchors, and run a fast red/yellow/green weekly rundown that surfaces what matters without drowning in slides. If you want meetings that drive focus—not reports—this one’s for you.

In this episode of The Organizational Health Advantage, hosts James Felton, Keith Hadley, and guest host Nate Nielson sit down with Scott Howe, CEO of LiveRamp, for a candid conversation on leadership, team health, and navigating growth in a fast-moving industry. From his early days at Microsoft to leading one of the world’s top data collaboration companies, Scott shares hard-earned insights on building trust, embracing accountability, and fostering simplicity in complex environments. You’ll hear stories about shrinking a leadership team to make decisions faster, the power of repeating a clear strategy until it sticks, and why confronting tough truths unlocks progress. Whether you’re a CEO, team leader, or aspiring changemaker, this episode offers practical wisdom on building stronger, healthier organizations where trust and clarity fuel results.

Being a "smart" team isn't enough. In this episode of The Organizational Health Advantage, Keith Hadley and Gordon Blocker dig into the healthy side of a business. Do leaders truly buy in to the problems associated with politics and confusion? If not, they won’t find the motivation needed to embrace the hard work of organizational health. Keith and Gordon share real-world stories and offer practical insights for unlocking lasting competitive edge.

If you want to bore, confuse or overwhelm someone, just talk about Strategic Planning! In this episode we are joined by fellow PC Joyce Schaefer to attempt to “decomplexify” the notion of Strategic Planning into its most basic parts – what questions we need to answer, how to document it and keep it on the forefront of our minds as leaders so that we put ourselves in the best position to realize our goals!