Lancefield on the Line

What does it take to lead at the board level when the ground beneath you keeps shifting?
My guest, Shefaly Yogendra, is a board director, advisor and author who has served on boards across sectors and geographies. She brings a forensic ability to ask the right questions, a deep understanding of governance under pressure, and the kind of clarity that only comes from years of experience in the room.
We get into what separates boards that add genuine value from those that go through the motions, why cognitive flexibility and moral inflexibility must coexist, and how boards should approach AI as a source of risk, not just a useful tool.
If you sit on a board, work with one, or are aiming to, this conversation will change how you think about what great governance looks like in practice.
“A good board is where nobody is affronted by questions” – Shefaly Yogendra
You’ll hear about:
The real dual role of boards.
Leading when the ground keeps shifting.
Mindsets to add and subtract now.
Cognitive flexibility vs moral inflexibility.
The board’s creation and mentoring role.
How boards shape and sharpen strategy.
Most damaging boardroom behaviour to address.
Agenda design and board preparation.
How effective board decisions get made.
AI in the boardroom and its risks.
Superpower: reading widely, connecting dots faster.
About Shefaly:
Shefaly Yogendra, PhD is an internationally experienced strategist. She has worked closely with Owner-led as well as Professional Manager-led organisations in their journey towards enhanced resilience with a focus on technology innovation, risk and foresight, and governance. Shefaly is an independent non-executive board director and experienced committee chair in regulated sectors including financial services, energy, higher education and legal services. She is a trusted boardroom adviser and a popular speaker and podcast guest on themes such as AI, GRC, investment, and future skills. 
Resources:
·      Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shefaly/
·      Book ‘Uncharted spaces’: https://www.unchartedspaces.info/
·      Spoken thought leadership: https://shefaly-yogendra.com/speaking-writing-media/ 
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) 
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
For more details about me:
·      Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
·      About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
·      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
·      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
·      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

I'm writing a book. There, I said it out loud.
And in this episode, I invited someone who knows exactly what that means to put me in the hot seat.
Scott Miller is a literary agent, 8 x best-selling author, and former podcast host of one of the world's most popular weekly leadership shows. He's represented hundreds of authors and been part of teams that have sold over 100 million copies of books. In this special episode, we swap chairs. Scott interviews me about my forthcoming book, Daily Strategies, and I interview him about what it takes to write, launch and land a great book.
We get into the architecture of Daily Strategies, the seven moments and seven days that form the spine of the book, and why I believe strategy needs to move from the boardroom into the everyday decisions of mid-career professionals. Scott shares his own writing process, why he writes for readers who are like him, and why platform building matters far more than most authors realise.
If you've ever thought about writing a book, are in the middle of one, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at what a book really takes, this one is for you.
“Writing a book is 10% of the process.” – Scott Miller
You’ll hear about:
Why I decided to write a book now.
The ideal reader for Daily Strategies.
The personal story behind the book.
The architecture of the seven moments.
How to reset after a difficult or shocking moment.
How readers will use the book day to day.
Scott's writing process and style.
Balancing storytelling with practical toolkits.
The one thing authors must nail.
Why platform matters more than content.
Scott's biggest superpower as an author.
Scott's best day habit and what fuels it.
About Scott:
Scott Jeffrey Miller is an eight-time Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestselling author and for seven years hosted the world's largest weekly leadership podcast, On Leadership with Scott Miller. Scott is the cofounder of The Gray + Miller Agency, a literary, speaking, and talent agency representing hundreds of internationally recognised thought leaders and also cofounded Maison Vero, a professional publishing house bringing authors' books of all genres to the world's marketplace.
Resources:
Profile: https://shorturl.at/7lSa1 
Website: https://shorturl.at/ZnApj 
Gray + Miller Agency: https://shorturl.at/4VX1h 
Instagram: https://shorturl.at/iZgV2 
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter http://bit.ly/36WRpri for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k where you can watch the conversation.
For more details about me:
·      Services https://rb.gy/ahlcuy to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
·      About me https://rb.gy/dvmg9n - my background, experience and philosophy.
·      Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds
·      Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP
·      Follow me and engage with me on Twitter https://bit.ly/36XavNI

What does courage really look like in leadership?
Often, we associate courage with bold gestures, fearless leaders, or decisive moments where doubt disappears.
My guest in this conversation is Professor Ranjay Gulati of Harvard Business School, who challenges that assumption through his research into what he calls the surprising science of everyday courage, and shows why fear is not a flaw in leadership but a starting point.
We explore why courage is a decision rather than a personality trait, how leaders can resource themselves when uncertainty rises, and the difference between thoughtful courage and reckless action. Ranjay shares stories from his research and personal experience that reveal how narrative, support squads, rituals and process help individuals and organisations act boldly with purpose.
If you’re facing decisions that feel uncomfortable this episode will help you build courage deliberately and use it as a practical leadership skill.
“Fear is a reaction; courage is a decision” – Ranjay Gulati
You’ll hear about
Why courage is a decision, not a trait
How fear shows up in leadership decisions
Courage versus recklessness
Individual courage versus collective courage
The power of personal narrative
How leaders resource themselves
Support squads and courageous leadership
Why courage is a team sport
Rituals that help manage fear
Building courage as a muscle
Common leadership blind spots around courage 
About Ranjay Gulati:
Ranjay Gulati is a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.  His pioneering work focuses on unlocking organizational and individual potential—embracing courage, nurturing purpose-driven leaders, driving growth, and transforming businesses. The Economist, Financial Times and the Economist Intelligence Unit have listed him as among the top handful of business school scholars whose work is most relevant to management practice.  He is a Thinkers50 top management scholar, and serves on the board of several entrepreneurial ventures. He is the author of Deep Purpose (2022) and How to be Bold (2025), both published by HarperCollins. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjay-gulati/
Book - How to be Bold: the Surprising Science of Everyday Courage: https://ranjaygulati.com/how-to-be-bold/
Research - https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=77265
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
For more details about me:
Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

What if loneliness at work isn’t a personal weakness but a strategic signal?
That’s the case my guest, Dr Connie Noonan Hadley, makes in this conversation. She’s an Organisational Psychologist, the founder of the Institute for Life at Work, and one of the world’s leading experts on workplace loneliness and social connection.
We explore why loneliness is on the rise even in busy offices and hybrid teams, and why it’s not about being alone, but about the emotional distress that comes from missing the positive connections we need. Connie explains why return to office mandates rarely solve the problem, and how loneliness can quietly drain motivation, creativity and trust, the lifeblood of performance.
Connie gives practical guidance for leaders to understand, normalise and address loneliness through small but powerful shifts in conversation, time and reward systems.
If you’re leading a team or organisation this episode will help you see loneliness as a core signal of how well your culture enables people to thrive, perform and feel human.
“Connection is a performance driver, not a luxury.” - Connie Noonan Hadley
You’ll hear about
· What loneliness at work really means
· Common myths about hybrid work and connection
· Signs leaders should look for in their teams
· The UNITE framework for reducing loneliness
· Why connection drives productivity and creativity
· How AI is reshaping human connection at work
· Practical steps for leaders and individuals
About Connie:
Dr Connie Noonan Hadley is a leading organisational psychologist. She is the founder of the Institute for Life at Work and a research associate professor at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. Her focal areas include the impact of Al on interpersonal dynamics at work, loneliness, psychological safety, trust, burnout, mental health, team effectiveness, and the management of human capital. She has been published widely and was named to the Thinkers50Radar List for her rising global influence as a management scholar.
Resources:
Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connie-noonan-hadley-7303066/
Institute for Life at Work: https://www.institutelifework.org/
‘We’re still lonely at work’ HBR article (including loneliness tool): https://tinyurl.com/yc29dr7e
Work Loneliness Scale (free tool to measure your loneliness): https://ck5tzycazgv.typeform.com/to/F39lnzno#source_id=LotL
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.
For more details about me:
· Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
· About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.
· Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
· Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
· Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

What separates a good team from a world-class one.
My guest today has lived that question at the highest levels. Ollie Phillips captained England in rugby sevens, rowed across oceans, and now runs Optimist Performance, helping teams move from great to world class.
We explore why most organisations spend 95% of their time playing the game and only 5% practising the hard skills of leadership and teamship. Ollie reveals how elite teams build unshakeable trust, why practising discomfort before big moments matters, and how momentum can be the most contagious force in any environment.
You'll hear about Ollie’s transition from being the best in the world to starting again as a beginner, and how infectious energy combined with clarity of purpose creates unstoppable teams.
If you're leading a team right now, this conversation will give you fresh tools to unlock world-class performance.
“We spent 95% of our time practising for 5% of the delivery” — Ollie Phillips
You’ll hear about
Why practising discomfort builds world-class performance capability
Creating communities through shared experiences
Trust as the foundation of high-performing teams
Communication that considers how messages need to be heard
Red flags in team environments and cultures 
The difference between never losing and loving winning
Why 95% of time goes to playing versus practising
Recognising progress without comparing yourself to others
How momentum multiplies in both directions
About Ollie:
Ollie's journey has taken him from international rugby pitches to the boardrooms of global businesses, across oceans, over mountain peaks, and into some of the toughest environments on Earth. What unites it all? A lifelong obsession with unlocking performance — in himself, and in others.
He captained England Rugby 7s, was named World 7s Player of the Year, and coached Wales Women and China’s Olympic programme. He's swum the English Channel, circumnavigated the globe, stood at the North Pole, and holds four world records for feats of endurance and teamwork in some of the planet’s most extreme locations.
Alongside that, he's held senior leadership roles at PwC, advising global businesses on culture, strategy, and transformation. He now sits on boards across private equity, sport, and exploration, and holds an Executive MBA from Cambridge.
Resources:
Profile: https://shorturl.at/aY7Ie
Optimist Performance: https://shorturl.at/9upbU
Insights: https://shorturl.at/k7P4d
My resources:
Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ) 
Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)
Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead
Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation
For more details about me:
● Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals
● About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy
● Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)
● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)