Hosts: Ed Schaefer and Andy Siegmund

Episode: Season 1 Retrospective (Season Break Special)

Runtime: ~44 minutes

Release Date: December 23, 2025

Website: leadershipexploredpod.com

Episode Description

Season 1 is in the books—and instead of immediately charging into “what’s next,” we’re doing what effective leaders actually do: we’re pausing.

In this special Season 1 Retrospective episode of Leadership Explored, Ed and Andy model a practical leadership habit: the retrospective. We walk through Keep / Stop / Start—what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re changing to make the podcast (and our leadership practice) more sustainable and more valuable.

We also get candid about the realities behind the scenes: consistency, bandwidth, perfectionism, topic “lag,” marketing lift, and what it looks like to build an off-ramp before you need one. We close with appreciations—because reflection doesn’t have to be negative to be honest.

Coming next: one more 2025 release—a Year-to-Date Leadership Reflection episode—before Season 2 begins in early 2026.

Episode Highlights (Timestamps)

⏳ [00:00] – Why we’re doing a retrospective (and why leaders should)⏳ [01:53] – What a retrospective is (and how it’s useful beyond “Agile”)⏳ [03:20] – The Season 1 numbers: 13 episodes, ~500 downloads, and what that means⏳ [04:24] – Is it worth continuing? The “forcing function” that made this podcast happen⏳ [09:41] – KEEP: discipline, consistency, relevant topics, and banking episodes⏳ [15:04] – STOP: calendar drift, uneven load, over-prep/perfectionism, topic lag, too many marketing channels⏳ [26:09] – START: outline-first (“jazz chart”), shorter seasons + built-in breaks, more shared marketing, guests + listener Q&A⏳ [39:05] – Appreciations: closing a retro with trust, gratitude, and relationship-building⏳ [43:33] – What’s next: Year-to-Date Reflection, Season 2 timing, and release cadence

Key Takeaways

* Retrospectives are a leadership skill, not a software ritual. They build learning, trust, and forward motion.

* Sustainability beats intensity. Consistency is easier when you build buffers and breaks before you’re underwater.

* Perfectionism is a hidden tax. High quality matters—but not at the cost of momentum, authenticity, or burnout.

* Reduce friction to increase output. Narrow the marketing channels, shorten the prep loop, and simplify the workflow.

* Design the next season like a system. Shorter “runs,” intentional off-ramps, and a repeatable production cadence.

Your Move This Week

Run a 15-minute Keep / Stop / Start with your team—or with yourself:

* Keep: What’s working that we should protect?

* Stop: What’s draining energy without real return?

* Start: What small experiment would improve next month?

Listener Question

What would you keep, stop, or start—either for the podcast, or in your own leadership?

Connect With Us

* leadershipexplored@gmail.com

* LinkedIn: Connect with Ed and Andy (search “Leadership Explored” + our names)

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