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The Well-led Podcast

The Well-led Podcast

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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Where professionalism meets imperfection. The Well-led Podcast invites leaders to explore the space where the need to get results meets the reality of managing people. Discover how to demonstrate care, support, and grace for your team–because the workplace needs human leaders. https://www.one23ltd.com Formerly the comfy chairs podcast.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Leading well means creating safety

    Leading well means creating safety
    Sep 1 2026
    What does workplace safety mean beyond preventing physical harm? In this episode of The Well-Led Podcast, Kate Johnson examines safety as a leadership skill—and as the condition that allows authenticity and creativity to flourish at work. We explore three forms of safety that human leaders must consider: physical safety, financial safety, and psychological safety. Kate connects each one to a practical leadership responsibility, from recognizing hazards and understanding compensation practices to responding constructively when mistakes happen. You’ll learn: Why safety involves both avoiding harm and protecting people from harm How physical safety acknowledges human frailty Why financial safety begins with understanding compensation and employee hardship resources How leaders create psychological safety through their responses to ideas, concerns, and mistakes Why authenticity and creativity depend on safety already being present Practical actions leaders can take to better protect their teams If you would like practical tools that accompany conversations like this one, you can request the current free leadership toolkit at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers to the onetwentythree ltd newsletter receive these resources automatically each month. Key Takeaways Safety is not limited to policies that prevent physical injury. Leadership safety also includes employees’ financial security and their freedom to speak, question, experiment, and make mistakes. Physical safety requires leaders to recognize risk, understand human frailty, and take action to prevent or mitigate harm. Financial safety begins with acknowledging that employees’ basic material needs depend largely on the money they earn at work. Psychological safety is shaped by how leaders respond when employees offer ideas, raise concerns, or make mistakes. Authenticity and creativity cannot flourish without protection. Safety is the pre-existing condition that makes both possible. Human leaders address the consequences of mistakes without diminishing another person’s intrinsic worth. Leaders become champions of authenticity and creativity when they welcome employees’ attempts and failures with the same enthusiasm as their successes. Timestamps 00:03 Choosing grace through safety 00:54 Defining workplace safety 02:33 Safety as protection from harm 04:31 Physical safety and human frailty 04:53 Financial safety and basic needs 05:32 Psychological safety and human error 06:49 Why authenticity and creativity require safety 08:15 Practical actions for physical safety 09:06 Learning about financial protections 09:53 Responding constructively to mistakes Keywords workplace safety, leadership safety, human leadership, physical safety, financial safety, psychological safety, choosing grace, authenticity at work, creativity at work, employee protection, psychological safety at work, leadership skills, workplace hazards, compensation practices, employee hardship, responding to mistakes, human error, team trust, Amy Edmondson, leading well
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    11 mins
  • Replay! Clarity, the mother skill.

    Replay! Clarity, the mother skill.
    Aug 25 2026
    The Well-led Podcast is on a break! Enjoy this replay as a means of refreshing and staying grounded in the work of human leadership. Clarity is one of the most practical leadership skills because it turns ideas into action. In this episode, Kate Johnson explores why clarity is the starting point for supporting employees and enabling performance. She explains how leaders create clarity in three key areas—purpose, communication, and relationships—and how doing so helps teams understand priorities, connect to their work, and move forward with confidence. The latest companion toolkit is available to request at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits and subscribers receive new resources automatically each month via the one23ltd newsletter. Key takeaways Clarity is the “mother skill” that allows other leadership skills to function effectively. Leadership development begins with care, but supporting performance requires practical clarity. Leaders must make purpose visible and actionable—not just talk about it conceptually. A simple question can unlock clarity of purpose: What is the purpose of what? Leaders need clarity about their own role, their organization’s mission, and their team’s contribution. Clear communication requires internal consistency between words, values, and actions. Employees experience communication as trustworthy when it is straightforward and reliable. Many workplace engagement issues trace back to a lack of clarity from leadership. Relationship clarity includes boundaries, connections, and organizational channels. When leaders illuminate purpose, communication, and relationships, they create the conditions for team success. Timestamps [0:00:02] – Introduction of clarity as the “mother skill” in leadership. [0:00:46] – Link between vulnerability (care) and clarity (support); preview of accountability and feedback. [0:01:53] – Identification of the podcast: “This is the Well Led Podcast, and I’m your host, Kate Johnson.” [0:02:21] – Etymology: clarity / claritas = brightness, metaphor of a leader “turning on a light.” [0:03:29] – Introduction of clarity of purpose and the question: “the purpose of what?” [0:05:15] – Practical exercise: three questions to clarify leader, company, and team purpose. [0:06:14] – Shift to clarity of communication and the two kinds of consistency (internal and experienced). [0:10:09] – Introduction of clarity of relationships (boundaries, connections, channels). Keywords leadership clarity, clarity in leadership, leadership communication, leadership purpose, employee engagement, leadership transparency, organizational communication, leadership effectiveness, workplace relationships, leadership development
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    14 mins
  • Change your hat to change your mind

    Change your hat to change your mind
    Aug 18 2026
    Leadership creativity is more than generating novel ideas. It is the thought work behind effective choice-making. In this Lesson for Effectiveness, Kate Johnson shares three practical activities leaders can use to strengthen creativity, examine problems from different perspectives, anticipate challenges, and make better-informed decisions. If you would like practical tools that accompany conversations like this one, you can request the current free leadership toolkit at https://www.one23ltd.com/toolkits Subscribers to the onetwentythree ltd newsletter receive these resources automatically each month. Key takeaways Creativity grows when leaders make room for imagination without requiring an immediate practical outcome. Putting yourself inside an unfamiliar image can help you disconnect from everyday constraints and exercise creativity for its own sake. A pre-mortem uses prospective hindsight to identify the problems that could cause a project or event to fail. Imagining future success can help teams define meaningful achievements and translate them into action plans. Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats provides a structured way to consider facts, emotions, risks, benefits, alternatives, and the thinking process itself. A personal decision audit can help you examine choices, consequences, and lessons without creating a record of regrets. Timestamps 00:03 Leadership Creativity and Critical Thinking 01:18 Put Yourself in the Picture 02:55 Conduct a Pre-Mortem 04:25 Try Corporate Time Travel 05:01 Change Your Hat to Change Your Mind 06:29 Evaluate the Quality of Your Choices 07:18 Conduct a Personal Choice Audit 07:55 Use Journaling and Regular Reflection 08:38 Seek Guidance From a Mentor 09:31 Rational, Reasonable, and Empathetic Creativity Keywords leadership creativity, creative thinking, critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, pre-mortem exercise, Six Thinking Hats, perspective-taking, leadership development, reflective practice
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    11 mins
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