Bad Days Leadership
Bad Days Leadership is a podcast where bad days make better leaders. Hosted by Dr. Matt Paden, President and Managing Partner at Great Days Leadership, each episode explores the moments we’d rather forget, the cringe-worthy decisions, awkward conversations and leadership missteps that taught us the most.
In a relaxed conversation, guests share stories from their own leadership journey like:
- A decision they still wince at
- A boss behavior they vowed never to repeat
- A “bad leader alert” phrase or action they’ll never forget
These honest, often humorous reflections reveal powerful lessons about growth, humility and resilience. Each guest leaves listeners with one piece of practical advice, something they wish they’d known ten years ago.
The show is conversational and authentic, designed to remind us that even our worst days can make us better leaders.
Episodes
14 episodes
"I Knew It Was a Mistake While I Was Still Saying It" - Coach Matt Doherty on Coaching Scars
Coach Matt Doherty — starter on the 1982 national championship team at North Carolina alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy, former head coach at UNC, Notre Dame, SMU, and FAU, and now an executive coach and author of Rebound: From Pain to ...
"I Honestly Thought I Was Bad at Everything" — Kacy Maxwell on Red Lines and Rebuilding Confidence
Kacy Maxwell — Chief Marketing Officer and general manager of the marketing technology consulting practice at Provisions Group, and creator of Drawn to Lead — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Kacy opens by admitting he h...
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"You've Got to Get Me Out" — Dr. Ken Jones on the Year He Told His Board He Was Breaking
Dr. Ken Jones — president of Oklahoma Christian University, former president of Lubbock Christian University for nineteen years, and co-author of "The Core" with host Dr. Matt Paden — joins the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Ken names the three w...
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"You Fall to the Level of Your Training" w/ Dr. Henry Cloud
Dr. Henry Cloud — New York Times bestselling author of over 45 books including Boundaries, Necessary Endings, and Integrity, and executive coach to CEOs and organizations for decades — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Dr...
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"You're Never Persuasive When You're Abrasive" — Randy Gravitt on 40 Years of Leadership Lessons
Randy Gravitt — CEO of Lead Every Day, executive coach to NFL and MLB organizations, and author of Lead Every Day and Winning Begins at Home — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast, and opens by challenging the show's entire p...
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"You Need to Pour Water on This" w/Leticia Saiid
Leticia Saiid — Chief of Staff and Chief Learning Officer at CoNetrix — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Leticia shares the story of creating an official "permanent record" disciplinary form for a chronically late employ...
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"Build Trust When Risk Is Low. Leverage It When the Stakes Are High." w/Scott Mann
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Scott Mann — former U.S. Army Green Beret, founder of Rooftop Leadership, host of the Scott Mann Podcast, and author of the New York Times bestseller Operation Pineapple Express and the new book The Generosity of Scars — joins D...
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"We Knew in 18 Hours We Had Made a Terrible Decision" w/ Stephanie Henderson
Stephanie Henderson — CEO-turned-executive coach, keynote speaker, culture strategist, and founder of Impact Driven Partners — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Stephanie shares the software rollout that blew up within 18...
"I Doubled Down When I Should Have Shut My Mouth" w/Stuart Deming
Stuart Deming — co-founder of XPLR.NASH, serial entrepreneur, and content creator with sixty jobs since age six — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Stewart shares the story of getting physically abused by a football coach...
"A Boss Banned Talking and Replaced It With Red Solo Cups. It Got Worse." w/Amanda Box
Amanda Box — founder of Box Communications, communication evangelist, and the "Unleasher of the Awesome" — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Amanda shares the jaw-dropping story of a coach who opened the season by handing...
"I Spent Years Repeating The Same Mistake Because I Wouldn't Accept The Data Right In Front Of Me" w/Will Acuff
Will Acuff — social entrepreneur, author of No Elevator to Everest, and co-founder of Corner to Corner — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Will gets honest about moving into a low-income Nashville neighborhood with a mill...
"I Walked In Like A Superhero And Forgot To Honor Who Came Before Me" w/Dr. Darwin Mason, Jr.
Dr. Darwin Mason Jr. — educator, minister, consultant, and community leader — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Darwin opens up about walking into a turnaround school with a superhero complex, only to learn the staff was ...
"I Was Texting Under The Table Because I Didn't Know The Words" w/Dr. John Delony
Dr. John Delony joins Dr. Matt Paden on Bad Days Leadership.In this episode, John shares the story of getting publicly exposed for pretending to understand a $20M financial decision, why he spent 15 years thinking "never say I don't know...
"I Had To Send My Team Flowers Because Of What I Did To Them" w/Dr. Kathy Crockett
Dr. Kathy Crockett — executive coach, keynote speaker, founder of the Kathy Crockett Company, and facilitator of the Lead Well leadership groups — joins Dr. Matt Paden on the first episode of the Bad Days Leadership podcast. Kathy gets honest a...
