Leadership Horizons
This podcast aims to help leaders understand current and future leadership trends and encourage leaders to explore their horizons and understand the skills that will help them become even more successful moving forward.
Welcome to Leadership Horizons, where we explore leadership at its most transformative through two unique perspectives. I am Lois Burton, an executive coach and leadership development specialist and I've witnessed first hand how great leadership can transform organizations across sectors - from global corporations to public services, from manufacturing to the arts.
"Each week, I'll bring you either an in-depth conversation with a visionary leader who's redefining what's possible..."
"...or be inviting you to join me for focused explorations of critical leadership themes, where I'll share proven strategies and insights from my years of leadership development experience and research."
"Leadership Horizons, helping you to lead beyond boundaries -- Because the future of leadership knows no bounds. I'm looking forward to you joining me there"
Episodes
41 episodes
Your Leadership Questions Answered
Real leadership lives in the grey areas—where you don’t have perfect information, emotions run high, and the playbook doesn’t fit. We take audience questions head-on, from how to own mistakes without losing authority to navigating toxic culture...
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Episode 40
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24:02
Hybrid Working - The Leadership Challenge
Building Connection Across DistanceFeeling like you’re “leading ghosts” on Zoom while trying to keep culture alive across office days, home desks, and time zones? We dig into the real reason hybrid feels hard: it’s not a scheduling probl...
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Episode 39
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15:49
The Power of Remembrance
Most leaders can recite every misstep but struggle to name what they did right. That imbalance isn’t a personal flaw; it’s the brain’s negativity bias. We dig into how that bias distorts self-perception and culture, and we offer a practical, re...
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Episode 38
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11:19
Action Beats Perfection
Perfection promises safety, but it quietly drains momentum, frustrates teams, and lets faster competitors win. We pull back the curtain on the perfection trap and show how courageous action, not flawless planning, drives real results. ...
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Episode 37
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8:23
Regulating Your Nervous System
Strategy doesn’t fail because the ideas are weak; it fails because our nervous systems spin up at the worst moment and pull us into reflex over reason. We pull back the curtain on the leadership advantage most people overlook: the ability to re...
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Episode 36
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16:14
Reconnecting With Your Sense of Purpose
When the calendar is full and the title looks impressive, why can the work still feel empty? Lois digs into that uneasy gap between outward success and inner drive, sharing a candid story of a senior leader who looked unstoppable on paper but f...
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Episode 35
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7:52
Self Awareness Can Be Your Superpower
What if the smartest move a leader can make is to stop solving first? We share a candid story from a senior executive who could out-think any business problem, yet couldn’t keep great people. His blind spot wasn’t strategy—it was im...
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Episode 34
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7:45
The Importance of Pausing to Reflect
Speed feels productive—until it doesn’t. We open up a counterintuitive path to better leadership by making space for short, structured reflection that turns noise into insight and motion into meaningful progress. With a candid story...
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Episode 33
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9:00
The Power of Making Mistakes
Perfection is a convincing mask—and a costly one. We explore how the fear of getting it wrong quietly caps performance, stalls innovation, and isolates leaders from the very insight they need most. Starting with a raw early‑career m...
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Episode 32
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8:40
Turning Fear into Fuel
Fear lurks in the shadows of every leadership journey, yet it's rarely discussed in corner offices or leadership programs. What if the very fears holding you back actually contain the intelligence needed for your next breakthrough?Drawin...
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Episode 31
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10:21
Managing Stress-Pressure Dynamic
Finding the sweet spot between challenge and burnout is perhaps the most critical skill for today's leaders. In this deeply insightful exploration of what I call the "stress-pressure performance dynamic," I unpack a transformative leadership co...
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Episode 30
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12:20
The Joy Factor
Ever wondered why some leaders thrive through crisis while others burn out? The secret might surprise you. Leadership resilience doesn't come from gritting your teeth and pushing through hardship—it flourishes when you embrace joy, play, and cu...
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Episode 29
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8:40
The Power of Strong Relationships
What carries us through our most challenging moments? It's not our strategies or systems, but our people and the quality of our relationships with them. Welcome to the fifth episode in our resilience series where we dive deep into how strong wo...
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Episode 28
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9:41
Who Do I Need to Become? Navigating Leadership Challenges with Lynn Scott
What does it take to lead effectively in a world of constant uncertainty and rapid change? Lynn Scott, executive coach and international bestselling author of "Leader Unlocked," joins Lois Burton to tackle this pressing question through a deepl...
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Episode 27
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28:21
The Fourth Pillar of Resilience: Why Leaders Must Master Flexible Thinking
Navigating uncertainty demands more than resilience—it requires cognitive flexibility that transforms challenges into opportunities. After six months of podcasting, I'm diving deep into the fourth pillar of resilience: flexible thinking, the le...
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Episode 26
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18:10
The Third Pillar: How Inner Drive Transforms Good Leaders Into Great Ones
What propels exceptional leaders forward when everything around them says "stop"? After two decades coaching senior executives across sectors, I've discovered that thriving leadership doesn't stem from intelligence or experience alo...
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Episode 25
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10:21
Future Focus: The Second Pillar of Resilience
Have you ever noticed how some leaders maintain clarity and direction even during the most chaotic circumstances? What separates those who get consumed by daily firefighting from those who transform challenges into stepping stones toward a comp...
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Episode 24
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9:21
Energy Management: The Hidden Pillar of Effective Leadership
Ever feel like you're running on empty while everyone expects you to be the energizer? You're not alone. After 24 years and 30,000+ hours coaching senior executives, I've discovered that even the most brilliant strategists and natural inspirers...
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Episode 23
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10:47
The Leadership Paradox: How Ambiguity Forges Exceptional Leaders
Feeling like you're leading through fog so thick you can't see your hand in front of your face? You're far from alone. The most pressing leadership challenge today isn't the absence of clarity—it's learning how to navigate effectively when the ...
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Episode 22
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10:30
Why Today's Leaders Must Prioritize Continuous Learning
Are you leading with yesterday's playbook in today's rapidly changing world? This question sits at the heart of our exploration into why continuous leadership learning isn't just advantageous—it's absolutely critical for survival and success.
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Episode 21
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9:44
Leading Through Fear and Anxiety
Fear isn't just an inevitable part of organizational change—it's a powerful indicator of what matters most to your team. Drawing from over two decades of executive coaching experience, I take you through the psychology of workplace anxiety and ...
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Episode 20
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8:31
Asking For Help Is A Crucial Leadership Skill
Ever noticed how the higher leaders climb, the more they feel they should have all the answers? This dangerous paradox creates isolation exactly when leaders need support most. Drawing from 24 years and over 30,000 hours coaching senior executi...
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Episode 19
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11:57
Building Trust Through Action, Beyond The Fundamentals
Trust forms the bedrock of exceptional leadership, but building deep, enduring trust requires more than basic reliability. In this revealing exploration of advanced trust-building practices, we dive into the sophisticated behaviors that truly s...
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Episode 18
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16:05
The Courage to Change Course - When Should Good Leaders Change Course
Every leader faces moments when the path forward becomes unclear. Should you stay committed to your current course or pivot to a new direction? This question lies at the heart of what I call "the consistency paradox" – a leadership challenge th...
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Episode 17
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9:35
How Leaders Gain and Maintain Trust
Trust might be a small word, but it carries enormous implications for leaders at every level. When trust flourishes, teams achieve remarkable outcomes and navigate challenges with remarkable resilience. When it falters, even the most brilliant ...
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Episode 16
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12:27