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OwlCast: The Leadership & Coaching Podcast

OwlCast: The Leadership & Coaching Podcast

By: David Morelli with Co-Host William Oakley
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About this listen

 OwlCast is a podcast on leadership and coaching. You can expect to get insights to help you solve the thorny problems of life and leadership – all with a dollop of laughter thrown in. Your dynamic hosts, David and William, will help you become a more kickass leader. Together, they won’t only motivate you, they’ll give you scientifically proven tools to become better – full stop!David Morelli 2020-2025 Career Success Economics Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Execution Insights: Jim Huling on Leadership, Purpose, and Driving Results

    Execution Insights: Jim Huling on Leadership, Purpose, and Driving Results
    Jan 6 2026
    Jim Huling, best-selling co-author of The Four Disciplines of Execution, joins Owlcast to distill 25 years of execution wisdom. He reveals the biggest mistakes leaders make—from undervaluing execution's difficulty to spreading focus too thin—and shares profound insights on leadership, the inner life of an executive, and the critical need to instill a sense of meaning and purpose in team members. Drawing on his experience as a CIO, CEO, and global consultant, Huling emphasizes that true accountability is a non-punitive system of mutual reliance and support, best exemplified by the rock climbing ritual of being "on belay."

    Key Topics:

    · Execution is Harder than Strategy: Every strategy requires people to consistently apply a different action, meaning they must change their behavior. This behavioral change is the hardest part of execution and is often underestimated.

    · The Whirlwind vs. Focus: Most capacity (estimated at 80%) is already allocated to the "whirlwind"—day-to-day operations. Leaders only have a small percentage left for new initiatives. Dividing this small capacity among multiple goals makes failure nearly inevitable.

    · Identify Leverage (The "How"): Instead of increasing raw activity, focus on the "fewest actions that, if done really well, would have the biggest impact." (e.g., improving a hotel guest's arrival experience boosts all subsequent satisfaction scores).

    · No Involvement, No Commitment: Leaders must help team members understand why a goal matters. Giving people a voice in the process, even if they don't have the final vote, drives commitment over mere compliance.

    · Update the Playbook: Many senior executives fail today because they are still using leadership playbooks that are a "relic" of previous decades. Leaders must show humility and introspection to recalibrate their style for the current workforce.

    · Personal Growth is Required: "Every next level of leadership that you desire requires a next version of you." Leaders must continuously evolve their skills and approach to meet new challenges.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Don’t Fix It: The Power of Letting Your People Struggle

    Don’t Fix It: The Power of Letting Your People Struggle
    Dec 23 2025
    Are you a 'fixer?' If your immediate response to a problem is to deliver a solution, you might be robbing your team of their greatest growth opportunity. On this episode of Owlcast, Dr. David Morelli and William Oakley discuss why your value isn't wrapped up in being the problem-solver. They explore the connection between struggle and growth, the hidden dopamine hit managers receive when fixing problems, and the single question that can revolutionize your team's capability. Learn the power of letting your people struggle—it leads to greater ownership, better metrics, and a lot less on your desk.

    Key Topics:

    • Your Value Isn't in Fixing: The impulse to solve a problem instantly comes from a desire to feel valuable (a personal dopamine hit) but often disengages the employee, who receives only "more work" crafted by the manager.

    • The High Cost of Fixing: Continually solving problems for your team creates learned helplessness and turns the manager into a bottleneck, forcing them to address the same issue multiple times, which is inefficient.

    • Struggle = Growth: Struggle is the professional equivalent of "time under tension" in muscle building. By letting people wrestle with problems and come up with their own solutions, you foster mindset growth, capability, and ownership.

    • Become an Enabler, Not a Fixer: Stop telling people what to do. Use coaching and the Strategist style to help employees solve problems for themselves or in partnership. Managers should ask the questions they would ask themselves (their "question hierarchy") to train their team's problem-solving ability.

    • Adjust the Tension: The appropriate amount of struggle must be adjusted for the individual. Leaders need awareness (of their own biases) and empathy (to understand the employee's current emotional/situational capacity) to prevent overstraining and ensure the struggle remains productive.

    • Recovery is Key to Growth: If you allow struggle, you must also provide a safe place for recovery. Validation, encouragement, and support act as the "recovery drink" after the "workout," helping the employee integrate the struggle into a positive, lasting growth experience.
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    53 mins
  • Own Your Brand, Own Your Career with Andy Storch

    Own Your Brand, Own Your Career with Andy Storch
    Dec 16 2025
    Are you just 'doing your job' or are you charting your own course? In today's busy world, simply working hard isn't enough—your reputation matters. Join Dr. David Morelli, William Oakley, and special guest, author and speaker Andy Storch, as they dive into his new book, Own Your Brand, Own Your Career. Learn why building an authentic personal brand is a crucial act of taking ownership of your life. Discover the three things you should always be doing to set yourself up for future success, and find out how to define your legacy starting today. This is essential listening for anyone who feels stuck, powerless, or simply wants more from their professional life.

    Key Topics:• Own Your Brand and Career: Careers often "just happen" without intention, leading to unfulfillment. Taking ownership is an active choice that provides hope and a path to a better life.

    • The Myth of "Just Work Hard": Doing great work is table stakes. You must also ensure key people know about your accomplishments, skills, and value. A manager cannot promote someone they don't know.
    • Self-Awareness is the Foundation: To build an authentic brand, start with self-reflection (on strengths, values, and energizers) and seek feedback to correct blind spots (like assuming your strengths are universal).

    • Your Brand is Your Reputation: Everyone has a brand; it's what people think of you. You must be intentional about shaping it through alignment—your inward identity must align with your outward actions and presentation.

    • The Trade-Off Mindset: There are "no right or wrong decisions, only trade-offs." This growth mindset encourages experimentation and following curiosity, as every outcome provides an opportunity to learn.

    • Focus on Legacy and Human Skills: Think about your legacy (what you want to be remembered for, like empowering others) and invest in human skills (communication, empathy, critical thinking), which will become the most valuable skills as technology advances.
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    51 mins
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