The Leader's Kitbag
The Leader’s Kitbag is a practical podcast for busy and aspiring leaders, hosted by leadership expert Ben Morton. Each episode is packed with tools, tips and tactics you can use immediately. In 5–10 minutes, you’ll get a clear insight, a simple framework or prompt, and a nudge to put it into practice. If you want actionable tools and a clearer path to leadership success, this is your kitbag for the journey.
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Leadership and Management – Why You Must Master Both
<p>In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I’m busting one of the biggest leadership myths out there: the idea that we must choose between being a leader or a manager. </p><p>Here’s the truth - real leadership isn’t an ‘either/or’ game. It’s about mastering both disciplines and knowing when to step into each mode. </p><p>Whether you're leading a small team or steering the ship at the top of an organisation, this episode is packed with insights that will help you lead with more clarity, confidence, and impact. </p><p>In this episode, you’ll discover: <...
Building Followership
<p>You may have the title, but do you have followers? </p><p> </p><p>In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I explore the often-overlooked side of leadership: followership. </p><p> </p><p>We focus on three powerful behaviours that effective followers demonstrate, and how we, as leaders, can enable and encourage them. </p><p> </p><p>From creating clarity to fostering intelligent disobedience, this episode is about empowering your people to challenge, contribute and take responsibility. </p><p> </p><p>In this episode, you’ll learn: </p>Why clarity around roles and goals starts with us How to encourage real...
Team Development – Don’t Half-Arse It
<p>Team development is not something you can half-arse. </p><p> </p><p>In this episode, I share my own lessons from both sides of the fence; leading teams and facilitating team-development sessions. </p><p> </p><p>I reflect on why I no longer deliver one-off off-sites, and how those well-intended but poorly followed-up sessions often do more harm than good. </p><p> </p><p>Through a full English breakfast analogy (you’ll see), I unpack why leaders need to be all in for team development to work. </p><p> </p><p>In this episode, you’ll learn: </p>Why team development...
Stop Treating Every Group Like a Team
<p>Not every group of people reporting to the same person should be treated as a single team. </p><p> </p><p>In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I share a personal story that highlights what happens when we force people into team structures that don’t reflect how they actually work together. </p><p> </p><p>It’s a real-world example of what I talked about in the previous episode: if your people don’t share goals, aren’t interdependent, and don’t hold each other accountable, they’re not a team - and you need to lead them differentl...
Are You Really Leading a Team?
<p>In this episode of The Leader’s Kitbag, I challenge the common assumption that every group of direct reports is automatically a ‘team’. </p><p> </p><p>Spoiler alert: they’re often not. </p><p> </p><p>Drawing on three key characteristics, shared goals, interdependence, and mutual accountability, I offer a simple framework to help you identify whether you’re truly leading a team or just a group of individuals working in proximity. </p><p> </p><p>Recognising the distinction is more than semantics; it has a real impact on how we lead, motivate, and structure our people. Get this right, and you’ll...
Why Productivity Tools Don’t Work for Everyone
<p>If you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by a planning or productivity system — or wondered “why can’t I just stick to this?”- this episode of The Leaders Kitbag is for you. </p><p>It may not be a discipline problem at all. Instead, it could be a mismatch between the tool you’re trying to use and how you actually perceive time. </p><p>In this episode, I explore why so many productivity and planning tools are built with through-time people in mind, and why those with an in-time perspective often find them restrictive or draining. </p><p>You’ll discover: </p>The di...
Time Orientation and Leadership Under Pressure
<p>In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I explore why leaders respond so differently when the pressure is on. </p><p>Some double down on structure and cling tightly to the plan, while others seem to thrive when things go off-script, almost as if they’re winging it. </p><p>The difference often comes down to our time orientation preferences: </p>‘Through-time’ leaders feel safest with structure and planning, but may struggle to flex when circumstances change. ‘In-time’ leaders thrive in fluid, fast-moving situations, improvising and adapting as things unfold. <br/><p>Neither approach is better or worse; it’s about recognising our n...
What Pointing to the Past Reveals
<p>In this episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I share a fascinating moment from a recent leadership programme I ran with 22 managers from across Europe. </p><p>When I asked them to answer a simple question, “point to the past”, every single one of them pointed behind them. </p><p>That might not surprise you… but it completely threw me. </p><p>Why? Because I would instantly point to the left. </p><p>This seemingly small exercise reveals something much bigger: our different orientations to time, in time vs through time, and how these shape the way we plan, structure our days, and lead...
The “Cognitive Hunger” That Shapes Successful CEOs with Peter Cohan
<p>In these ‘SHORTS’ episodes of my podcast, I select my favourite moments from previous episodes. This one comes from episode 183, with Peter Cohan, author of Scaling Your Startup, lecturer at Babson College and advisor to hundreds of early-stage and high-growth companies. </p><p> </p><p>Only 0.4% of all founders continue running their companies three years post-IPO – in this clip, Peter unpacks how “cognitive hunger” sets them apart from the other 99.6%. </p><p> </p><p>Once you’ve listened to the ‘SHORT’, why not click the link below and tune in to the full episode? </p><p> </p><p>Enjoyed The Short? </p><p> </p><p>Li...
How Your Relationship with Time Shapes Your Leadership
<p>In this short but powerful episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I’m sharing a concept that’s brand new to me – one that’s genuinely shifted how I think about time, productivity, and leadership. </p><p>It originates from the world of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and explores the idea that people relate to time in fundamentally different ways – as either “in time” or “through time” thinkers. </p><p>You’ll discover: </p>What these two styles look like in everyday life. Why some people thrive on planning, and others feel suffocated by it. How understanding this can radically shift how you lead your team. <br/><p>Thi...
