This is Leadership

In this further conversation with London Stock Exchange CEO Dame Julia Hoggett DBE, hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd focus on one essential leadership behaviour: putting deep collaboration and great teamwork at the centre of an organisation. Julia shares concrete, highly actionable frameworks for building high-performing, psychologically safe teams capable of solving complex problems together.

Key takeaways include:

The Power of "Straw Man" Decision-Making & Psychological Safety: How offering a starting hypothesis and encouraging your team to "shoot it down" speeds up progress, breaks down hierarchy, and builds a culture where admitting mistakes is normalised.

Addressing "The Elephant in the Room": Why every team needs "pokey, proddy" people who are explicitly empowered to speak up about hard truths and point out blind spots before they become problems.

The 9:00 AM Monday "Open Outcry" Village: Why bringing every business function-from risk and legal to HR and marketing-into the same room weekly breaks down silos and ensures total alignment.

Reframing Personal Brand for Others: Overcoming discomfort around personal branding by realising that your visibility isn't for your ego, but to give your team confidence, purpose, and direction.

Mastering Time Management with "Purple Patches": Julia's two 1/3-based pie charts for time allocation and how colour-coding her diary allows her to intentionally block out non-negotiable time for strategic internal focus.

Listen and watch the full interview with Dame Julia Hoggett DBE on the This is Leadership feed.

This is Leadership. This is for Everyone.

New episodes every Tuesday.

Bonus conversations every Thursday.

Credits:

Guest: Dame Julia Hoggett DBE

Hosts and Executive Producers: Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd

Production: Hera

Sponsor: British Airways

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Dame Julia Hoggett DBE, CEO of the London Stock Exchange joins hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd to discuss what it truly takes to transform a 300-year-old institution.

Julia unpacks her non-linear journey, from navigating high-stakes decisions during the 2008 financial crisis to becoming the first openly gay woman to lead the exchange. In this conversation, she shares practical leadership philosophies that apply everywhere, whether in the boardroom or in daily life.

Key takeaways include:

Leading from Any Seat & "Dancing on the Edge of Authority": Why leadership isn't tied to a fancy title, but rather to taking complete ownership of your space, stepping up to solve problems, and pushing boundaries to achieve clear goals.

Navigating High-Stakes Crisis Leadership: Learnings from leading a major bank during the 2008 financial crisis and the vital importance of making long-term, ethical decisions you can be proud of years later.

Authenticity vs. "Covering": Julia’s experience coming out early in her finance career, why she chooses to be the exact same person at home as in the office, and the operational value of building environments where everyone can thrive.

The "Life’s Little Victories" Habit: A daily habit for building confidence, embracing continuous learning, and staying grounded through honest self-reflection.

Credits:

Guest: Dame Julia Hoggett DBE

Hosts and Executive Producers: Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd

Production: Hera

Sponsor: British Airways

This is Leadership. This is for Everyone.

New episodes every Tuesday.

Bonus conversations every Thursday.

-----------------------

Follow the conversation

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thisisleadership.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thisisleadership.substack.com⁠

Ashley John-Baptiste joins hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd to discuss the critical role of courage in effective leadership. Ashley reflects on the initial risks of sharing his personal, traumatic past in his memoir Looked After and how taking those risks created a lasting impact for the care-experienced community. He shares practical lessons on stepping up to authority, balancing vulnerability with self-protection, and building a foundation for courageous leadership.

Key takeaways include:

Vulnerability as a Leadership Superpower: How opening up about personal struggles and trauma can spark change and resonate deeply with audiences.

Setting Boundaries with Authenticity: The importance of knowing when to be vulnerable on your own terms and learning to say "no" to protect your personal well-being.

Challenging the Status Quo: Ashley’s experience advocating for himself with his local MP to keep his housing when entering university, illustrating the need to push back against arbitrary barriers.

The Sum Total of Support: Recognising that courageous individual leadership is often built on the collective support of local mentors, care workers, and advocates.

Listen and watch the full interview with Ashley John-Baptiste on the This is Leadership feed.

This is Leadership. This is for Everyone.

New episodes every Tuesday.

Bonus conversations every Thursday.

Credits:

Hosts and Executive Producers: Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd

Guest: Ashley John-Baptiste

Production: Hera

Sponsor: British Airways

-----------------------

Follow the conversation

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thisisleadership.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thisisleadership.substack.com⁠

Award-winning journalist, author, and social entrepreneur Ashley John-Baptiste joins hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd. Reflecting on his journey from the UK care system to Cambridge University and national broadcasting, Ashley redefines traditional concepts of leadership by sharing the profound impact of everyday mentors. He discusses how staying true to his authentic self enabled him to connect deeply with communities and drive real-world change through his journalism and advocacy.

Key takeaways include:

Redefining Everyday Leadership: How simple, unglamorous acts of consistency-such as a residential care worker ensuring Ashley got to school every morning-demonstrate true leadership.

Navigating Elite Environments: The mental battles, self-advocacy, and determination required to overcome systemic barriers when transitioning from care to Cambridge University.

The Power of Authentic Storytelling: How bringing his lived experience to major news assignments, like the Grenfell Tower fire coverage, built trust and reshaped his approach to broadcasting.

Driving Policy and Systemic Change: How Ashley's memoir Looked After and his documentaries directly influenced government policy, parliamentary motions, and social support for care leavers.

Empowerment and Advice for Aspiring Leaders: Why titles aren't necessary to make an impact, using your voice against injustice, and Ashley’s essential recipe for effective leadership.

Credits:

Hosts and Executive Producers: Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd

Guest: Ashley John-Baptiste

Production: Hera

Sponsor: British Airways

This is Leadership. This is for Everyone.

New episodes every Tuesday.

Bonus conversations every Thursday.

-----------------------

Follow the conversation

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thisisleadership.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thisisleadership.substack.com⁠

Baroness Martha Lane-Fox and hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd further the conversation with a focus on leading through uncertainty and leading with courage.

Martha discusses how to reframe discomfort into growth, demystifies resilience as a trainable muscle broken down into micro-moments and shares actionable tips for staying engaged and grounded in an ambiguous world.

Key takeaways include:

Courage as an Enabling Tool: How standing up for core values and having direct, uncomfortable conversations is the real key to achieving meaningful goals.

Storytelling and Delivery in Complex Environments: Lessons from founding the UK Government Digital Service (GDS)—balancing a compelling narrative with relentless execution.

Resilience as a Muscle: Rebuilding through micro-milestones and breaking down overwhelming challenges into tiny, achievable steps (illustrated by her time on the Twitter board while hospitalised).

Navigating Ambiguity and Setbacks: Giving yourself permission to process grief during setbacks while actively seeking knowledge, data, and human connections to regain agency in an uncertain world.

Listen and watch the full interview with Martha Lane-Fox on the This is Leadership feed.

This is Leadership. This is for Everyone.

New episodes every Tuesday.

Bonus conversations every Thursday.

Credits:

Hosts and Executive Producers: Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd

Guest: Baroness Martha Lane-Fox

Production: Hera

Sponsor: British Airways

-----------------------

Follow the conversation

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/thisisleadership.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@thisisleadership⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠thisisleadership.substack.com⁠