The Rethink Leadership Podcast

S11E18: The Leader-Innovator: Why innovation is no longer a nice-to-have but a fundamental requirement for modern leadership

Guest: Tom Pullen CEO of Innovinco® and award-winning author of INNOVATOR: 10 simple steps to innovate with speed, scale, and confidence Tom Pullen is the award-winning author of INNOVATOR and CEO of Innovinco®, a company that helps large corporations to maximise business growth by accelerating innovation. Tom spent the first 18 years of his career driving business growth inside major companies, including Boots, Mars, and Danone, where he became Global Innovation Director. Since founding Innovinco® in 2017, he has had the privilege of helping over 30 of the world’s leading companies to accelerate innovation performance. These include Danone, Essilor, Estée Lauder, The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, Unilever, and many more. Tom holds an Executive MBA with an Innovation major from HEC Paris, frequently ranked Europe’s number one business school, where he now regularly teaches innovation to executives. Charity: We have made a donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity – in London, UK as a thank you to Tom for joining me.  Specifically to an initiative established by a friend of Tom's, who has raised £355k for Great Ormond Street Hospital in memory of her daughter, who received treatment there. For further information and to participate, please get involved here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anna-lewis-bff [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anna-lewis-bff]   Connect with Tom and find out more: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomjpullen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomjpullen/] * Get hold of Tom’s book here:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/INNOVATOR-simple-steps-innovation-success/dp/1788607708/ [https://www.amazon.co.uk/INNOVATOR-simple-steps-innovation-success/dp/1788607708/] * Website: https://innovinco.com [https://innovinco.com]

S11E17: Leadership Insights from the Front Lines of Entrepreneurship and Transformation

Guest: Paweł Zakielarz  Founder at GLOBAL24 & SHOPRETURNS Paweł Zakielarz is a European entrepreneur operating at the intersection of cross-border commerce, regulatory complexity and platform-driven business models. As founder of Global24 and Shopreturns, he designs and builds cross-border operational systems that enable companies to scale internationally in environments shaped by evolving regulations, marketplace governance and geopolitical volatility. His work centres on a critical leadership challenge: how to build resilient organisations when key elements of your operating model are controlled externally - by digital platforms, regulators and shifting international trade realities. Rather than focusing on optimisation, Paweł focuses on redesign, helping businesses rethink how they structure processes, manage risk and protect margin while expanding across markets. Charity: This episode is in aid of Save the Children International to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Pawel for joining us. Find out more and get involved in the support of children especially in the current war zones around the world: https://www.savethechildren.net/ [https://www.savethechildren.net/]   Connect with Paweł and find out more: * Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelzakielarz/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawelzakielarz/] * Global24: https://global24.com/en/ [https://global24.com/en/] / https://www.linkedin.com/company/global24pl/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/global24pl/] * Shopreturns: https://shopreturns.com [https://shopreturns.com] / https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopreturns/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopreturns/posts/?feedView=all] * Recent case study introducing Shopreturns: https://youtu.be/4Cj1nXfcvYo?si=SR_ViG7wwh6joHBp [https://youtu.be/4Cj1nXfcvYo?si=SR_ViG7wwh6joHBp]

S11E16: Leading Under Pressure: How the Best Leaders Navigate Pressure for Themselves and Show Up for Others

Guest: Amar Dhall Psychotherapist and Leadership Researcher (Nervous System Regulation Under Pressure) Amar Dhall is a psychotherapist and leadership researcher focused on what happens inside people when pressure is on. He works at the intersection of leadership, psychology, trauma-informed practice, and nervous system science, helping executives and leadership teams stay coherent in high-stakes moments. Amar is the founder of Neuro-Somatic Leadership, a framework that treats leadership development as training state under load — so clarity, judgment, and relational capacity remain available when it matters most. We discuss what pressure is, how it affects us as leaders and the consequences of both being able to handle the pressure, and those who cannot. How that impacts themselves and others. With examples and tips for leaders to better handle stress and lead with confidence through tough times, with others. Charity: This episode is in aid of Save the Children International to which we have made a donation as a thank you to Amar for joining us. Find out more and get involved here: https://www.savethechildren.net/ [https://www.savethechildren.net/]    Connect with Amar and find out more: * Media profile: https://www.guestsonair.com/profile/amar-dhall [https://www.guestsonair.com/profile/amar-dhall] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramardhall/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramardhall/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.amar_dhall/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/dr.amar_dhall/?hl=en] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amar.dhall.75 [https://www.facebook.com/amar.dhall.75] * Website: https://www.amardhall.com/ [https://www.amardhall.com/]

S11E15: How Leaders Can Accelerate Growth of Themselves and Others Through Adopting A Powerful Learning Mindset

Guest: Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore Executive coach, CEO of Global Connections for Women Foundation, and co-author of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ Dr. Lilian Ajayi Ore an Executive coach, founder and CEO of Global Connections for Women Foundation, and co-author of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ with Dr Marshall Goldsmith Lilian is an award-winning Chief Learning Officer, research scholar, and part of the Lead Faculty at Columbia University, Lilian has over 17 years of experience working with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies. A member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Executive Coaches, she mentors top professionals in uncovering their career paths. Lilian’s new book is out now :‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ co-authored with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith We dive into the book and focus on why leaning into a learning mindset for today’s leaders is a must do, not a nice to do, with plenty of examples and tips to accelerate your learning journey Charity: We are delighted to support Lilian’s charity, the Global Connections for Women Foundation, as a thank you to Lilian for joining us. Find out more about this fabulous organization and get involved here: www.GC4Women.org [http://www.GC4Women.org]    Connect with Lilian and find out more: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilianore [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilianore] * Find out more how Lilian can help you and your organization:  https://www.lilianore.com/ [https://www.lilianore.com/], * Grab your copy of ‘The Power of the Learning Mindset’ through all good bookstores and right here on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0eE10oH2 [https://amzn.eu/d/0eE10oH2]

S11E14: From Performative to Proven: How The Flavor Room is Rewriting the Playbook for Leaders of Color

Guests: Sutton C. McCraney, MA, MBA, Founder, The Flavor Room™️ & USAF Veteran Lace Flowers Co-Founder, The Flavor Room™️ The Flavor Room was founded by Sutton C. McCraney and Lace Flowers as an invite-only, curated leadership ecosystem for founders and CEOs of color operating at a higher standard. Drawing on Sutton's decade of military leadership and systems expertise and Lace's 18 years at the intersection of food, mental health and human performance, they built a space that redefines access, authority, and long-term influence in business. The Flavor Room centers leadership density, structural integrity, and institutional credibility — prioritizing standards over optics and sustainable power over performative success. Their work focuses on building lasting infrastructure that expands access and ensures it endures. Charity: This episode is in aid of the MATW'S Palestinian Fund as a thank you to Lace and Sutton for joining me. Find out more how this organisation is helping with the Gaza crisis here: https://matwproject.org/crisis-and-emergencies/palestine [https://matwproject.org/crisis-and-emergencies/palestine]   Connect with Rochelle and find out more: * Website: https://www.theflavor.biz/ [https://www.theflavor.biz/] * Connect with Sutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sutton-mccraney/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sutton-mccraney/]  * Connect with Lace: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceflowers/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceflowers/]