Company culture is one of the most talked-about topics in leadership. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.

In this episode, I challenge the idea that the CEO owns the culture. Too often, culture becomes something that’s dictated from the top or shaped around a single personality. When that happens, it creates fragility, dependency, and long-term problems for the business.

This episode is a candid rant about the relationship between culture, leadership, and strategy. We explore why culture shouldn’t bend to the CEO, why changing leaders doesn’t automatically fix cultural issues, and how top-down thinking quietly undermines performance.

We also unpack a powerful perspective from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and what it really means to be a curator of culture rather than a controller of it.

If you’re a CEO, founder, or senior leader wrestling with culture, engagement, or alignment, this conversation will help you rethink where culture truly comes from and how it should evolve alongside strategy.

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#Culture #CompanyCulture #Leader #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

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Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website at https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Your website is one of the most powerful growth tools in your business. Yet for many leaders, it becomes a digital brochure rather than a commercial engine.

In this episode, I’m joined by Jess Williams, co-founder of Design in the Shires, an award-winning website design and digital marketing agency based in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Together, we unpack what actually makes a website work for a business. Not just how it looks, but how it connects, converts and supports long-term growth.

We explore the role of personal experience in web design, why SEO still matters more than most business owners realise, and how website performance, graphic design and digital marketing all need to work together rather than in silos.

You’ll also hear practical insight into the differences between marketing for local businesses versus national brands, plus clear takeaways business leaders can apply straight away.

If you’re a founder, business owner or leader wondering whether your website is helping or quietly holding you back, this conversation will help you see it differently.

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#Leader #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

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You can find out more about Jess and Design in the Shires here: https://www.designintheshires.co.uk/

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

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Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website at https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/. Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most business leaders don’t fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they focus on the wrong things.

This episode breaks down five core principles that consistently show up in successful businesses. Not trends. Not theory. Practical leadership advice that helps you build long-term value for your clients, your team and the business itself.

We explore what it really means to define a clear vision, why value creation should sit at the heart of every decision, and how strong networks, continuous learning and financial discipline shape resilient leadership. These are the foundations that help businesses scale without losing direction.

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or senior leader looking to grow sustainably, make better decisions and lead with more clarity, this episode will give you plenty to reflect on.

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#Leader #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website at https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most businesses and professionals are active on LinkedIn. But very few are making money from it.

In this episode of the Leaders in Strategy podcast, we get practical about what LinkedIn is really for and how to turn activity into revenue. Brand awareness alone doesn’t pay the bills, and posting consistently isn’t the same as building a pipeline.

I’m joined by Gus Bhandal, Founder of The M Guru and one of the UK’s leading LinkedIn trainers. With nearly 30 years of marketing experience, Gus has helped business owners use LinkedIn as a genuine commercial tool rather than a vanity platform.

We unpack what actually works on LinkedIn today, where most businesses go wrong, and how to think about the platform through a revenue lens rather than a content one. This is a grounded conversation about positioning, behaviour, and intent, not hacks or gimmicks.

If LinkedIn feels busy but unprofitable, this episode will help you rethink how you’re using it and what needs to change to see real return.

In this episode, we cover:

- The biggest mistakes businesses make on LinkedIn

- The do’s and don’ts that still matter in 2026

- How to shift from visibility to commercial outcomes

- A clearer way to think about strategy, content and conversion

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#LinkedIn #LinkedInMarketing #LinkedInTips #ThoughtLeadership #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

To find out more about today’s guest, Gus Bhandal, give him a follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mguruuk/.

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website at https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

What will really challenge business leaders in 2026? We asked AI to analyse the landscape ahead and identify the biggest pressures facing entrepreneurs and leadership teams over the next year. In this episode, we break down the six challenges that consistently rise to the top and, more importantly, how you should respond to them.

We cover:

- Economic uncertainty and its impact on decision-making

- Skilled employee shortages and talent retention

- Resistance to AI and digital transformation

- Cybersecurity and data privacy risks

- Leadership burnout and wellbeing pressures

- Sustainability and net zero expectations

This isn’t theory. It’s a practical conversation about where businesses are most vulnerable, where opportunities are being overlooked, and how leaders can make more informed decisions heading into 2026.

If you’re a founder, business owner, or senior leader planning for the year ahead, this episode will help you think more clearly about priorities, risk, and where to focus your time and energy.

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#AI #ArtificialIntellience #BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most businesses believe growth comes from more leads, more sales activity, and more pipeline. In reality, many are leaking value long before any new customer ever needs to be found.

In this episode of the Leaders in Strategy podcast, we explore why customer management is one of the most overlooked drivers of sustainable business growth and why focusing purely on sales often creates more problems than it solves.

I’m joined by Yemi Oluseun, business leader, LinkedIn strategist and client retention expert, currently Integration and Transformation Programme Director at The Change Hive.

Yemi brings experience from organisations including Barclays and J.P. Morgan, alongside years of working with businesses on customer experience, strategy and long-term value creation.

Together, we unpack what it really means to manage customers through their eyes, not just from inside the business. We talk about why many companies do not need more leads at all, but instead need to fix the gaps in how they retain, serve and grow their existing customers.

The conversation covers the foundations of effective customer management, including the role of values, clarity, and consistency, how to think properly about the customer journey, and why strategy only works when it connects to real customer experience.

We also explore practical examples of customer management approaches that have delivered tangible results, and how leaders can build frameworks that support loyalty rather than churn.

If you are a business owner, founder, or leader trying to scale, this episode is a reminder of a simple truth that is easy to forget. Without customers, there is no business. And without the right customer management strategy, growth will always be harder than it needs to be.

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#CustomerRetention #ClientRetention #CustomerService #CustomerManagement #BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GoalSetting #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #GrowYourBusiness #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To find out more, visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most business plans are written once, filed away, and quietly forgotten. That’s usually where the problems begin.

Markets change. Competitors adapt. Technology moves faster than expected. And before long, the plan you’re working on no longer reflects the business you’re actually running.

In this episode of the Leaders in Strategy podcast, we explore why reviewing your business plan is not a tick-box exercise but a strategic necessity for business leaders. January is the ideal time to take stock, reflect on the past year, and assess whether your decisions are still aligned with where the business is meant to be heading.

We break down what a business plan is really for, how often it should be reviewed, and what leaders should be looking for when they do. From understanding what worked and what didn’t, to positioning performance against your numbers and testing whether you’re genuinely moving closer to your goals, this episode focuses on turning reflection into action.

If you’re a business owner, founder, or leader who wants clarity, focus, and momentum in the year ahead, this episode will help you approach your business plan in a far more practical and useful way.

👉 Subscribe to the Leaders in Strategy YouTube channel for more insightful discussions and expert advice for business leaders!

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#BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #NewYearGoals #entrepreneurs #ConfidenceBuilding #BusinessStrategy #GoalSetting #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #GrowYourBusiness #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To find out more, visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Join us for a special New Year episode of the Leaders and Strategy podcast, where we dive into hopes, aspirations, and bold visions for 2026! 🎉

In this episode, host Mike Harris is joined by award-winning business leaders Sian Brennan and Jeevan Punj as they discuss their New Year's resolutions, leadership lessons from the past year, and the importance of confidence and collaboration in business.

🎆 Discover how to turn your hopes into tangible results and what success looks like for business leaders in the coming year. Whether you're a small business owner or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.

🎇 Don't miss out on valuable tips for setting goals, building confidence, and fostering collaboration in your business journey. Tune in now and start the year off right!

📅 Episode Highlights:

- Personal reflections on New Year's resolutions and goal setting

- The significance of confidence in leadership

- Strategies for collaboration over competition

- Messages of hope for entrepreneurs stepping into the new year 👉

Subscribe to the Leaders in Strategy Podcast for more insightful discussions and expert advice for business leaders!

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#Leadership #BusinessGrowth #NewYearGoals #entrepreneurs #ConfidenceBuilding #BusinessStrategy #GoalSetting #WomenInBusiness #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #GrowYourBusiness #Leaders #CEO

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Want More? Watch more episodes on scaling and business strategy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4j23J_5BCTMWQtXPEDDMCbOEHpQbjld1.

To find out more about Sian and her work, you can follow her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sian-brennan-todd/

You can also connect with Jeevan and learn more about her journey by following her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeevanpunj/.

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To find out more, visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.