ROAR Mindset: Leading Through Chaos

The Power of Positive Intent in Leadership with Mike Uhl

In this episode of ROAR Mindset: Leading through Chaos, I sit down with Mike Uhl, a senior technology executive and advisor with more than 30 years of leadership experience across global engineering, software, and platform organizations. Mike shares stories from across his career, from early failures that required full system redesigns to high-stakes programs that demanded focus, collaboration, and resilience. These moments reveal a consistent theme in his leadership approach: people matter most. We explore how leaders can create environments where mistakes become learning, how to focus when everything feels important, and why leadership is less about control and more about engaging others to move through complexity together. There are practical reflections on assuming positive intent, building strong relationships, and leading with a human-centered mindset. Please check out Mike Uhl Coaching & Insights on LinkedIn to see how he is helping leaders sharpen focus, lead intentionally, and grow with purpose: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeuhl1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeuhl1/] Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and Background 01:41 – What Matters Most 03:00 – Portfolio Career Transition 06:00 – The Power of the Pause 09:50 – Early Career Failure 14:30 – Learning Without Blame 19:10 – High-Stakes Leadership 21:30 – Accountability and Empowerment 24:00 – Focus and Prioritization 27:00 – Experience and Mentorship 28:50 – How Can I Help 30:00 – The Sounding Board 32:00 – Vulnerability in Leadership 35:30 – Leadership Across Contexts 36:30 – Architecting Organizations 40:00 – Decision-Making and Design 45:00 – Inclusion and Human Worth 47:50 – Lessons from Fly Fishing 49:30 – Servant Leadership 52:00 – Staying Curious 53:30 – Leadership and Loneliness 55:25 – Closing Reflections

Navigating Paradox in Leadership with Lynette Winter (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this conversation with Lynette Winter, we move into how leaders apply these ideas in real situations. We explore how leaders can leverage vulnerability, not having all the answers, to unlock the intelligence of their team and create space for better thinking. Lynette shares a powerful reframe on conflict: people are always trying to get their needs met, and when leaders shift to finding shared care, conversations begin to open instead of stall. We also dive into practical tools from the Intel Leadership Fitness Program, including Relationship, Possibility, and Action (RPA), along with LRA and the 3-2-1 perspective shift. These tools help leaders structure conversations, stay grounded, and move from tension to productive outcomes. If you’ve ever felt stuck in conversations or misaligned with your team, this episode offers simple practices you can apply immediately. Enjoy! Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and focus on vulnerability and shared care 01:20 – Leading without having all the answers 03:00 – Beginner’s mindset vs expert mindset 05:00 – Introducing RPA: Relationship, Possibility, Action 07:00 – Leadership is about people, not just systems 08:30 – People are always trying to get their needs met 10:00 – Finding shared care to unlock conversations 11:30 – Structuring conversations with RPA 13:30 – Aligning on the type of conversation (relationship vs action) 15:30 – Naming where you are in the conversation 17:00 – Balancing preference for action vs possibility 18:00 – Divergence and convergence in decision making 19:30 – Practicing RPA as a team habit 22:00 – Reducing unproductive conflict through structure 24:00 – Practice over perfection: building the habit 27:30 – Start in low-stakes situations to build skill 31:00 – Leadership mindset: curiosity 32:00 – Lessons from parenting: humility and letting go of control 36:30 – Final takeaway: people are always trying to meet their needs

Navigating Paradox in Leadership with Lynette Winter (Part 1)

In this conversation with Lynette Winter, we explore how leaders show up in moments that matter. Lynette shares her perspective on reducing unnecessary suffering in teams by creating environments where people can both perform and feel a sense of belonging. We dive into how leadership starts within, and how a leader’s ability to regulate themselves directly impacts the team around them. We also explore how to navigate disruption and uncertainty, not by controlling outcomes, but by asking better questions and staying open to what is emerging. This episode introduces foundational tools from the Intel Leadership Fitness Program, including Listen, Reflect, Ask (LRA), and practices for engaging in difficult conversations and gaining perspective. If you’re navigating tension, uncertainty, or change, this episode offers practical ways to stay grounded and lead effectively. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and Lynette’s focus on reducing suffering in organizations 01:30 – What matters: performance, belonging, and meaningful work 05:45 – Leadership starts within: self-awareness and regulation 09:00 – Leading through uncertainty and disruption 10:00 – “Things fall apart and come back together” mindset 14:00 – Innovation through disruption (COVID example) 18:00 – The role of community and support in uncertainty 20:00 – Navigating paradox and finding a third path 24:30 – From “right answer” to experimentation and learning 28:00 – Asking better questions: “What needs to be true?” 30:00 – Getting out of the room: talk to real people, not assumptions 33:00 – Curiosity question: “How might I be wrong?” 37:30 – Introduction to LRA: Listen, Reflect, Ask 42:00 – Listening beyond words: values, emotion, and intent 48:30 – Difficult conversations and regulating in the moment 55:00 – Perspective shift with 3-2-1 58:30 – Reflection: dysregulation and curiosity in leadership

Architecting for Impact with Anil Kumar

Summary In this episode of ROAR Mindset: Leading through Chaos, Peter Brandenburger sits down with Anil Kumar, Principal Engineer and System Architect at Intel, to explore what technical leadership means and why its lessons apply to every leader navigating complexity. Anil explains that technical leaders are not just expert problem solvers. They are accelerators for others. Their role is to elevate capability, remove friction, clarify direction, and create conditions where teams move faster and with greater coherence. The conversation covers collaboration across ecosystems, aligning innovation with business needs, and ensuring coherence across hardware, software, and go-to-market realities. Anil reflects on career lessons that shaped him, including the importance of zooming out, adapting plans with humility, and continuing to learn even when success feels comfortable. Key Takeaways • Technical leaders act as accelerators for others, increasing the performance of the whole system. • Collaboration across disciplines creates coherence and impact. • Innovation succeeds when it aligns with business and ecosystem realities. • Understanding go-to-market constraints strengthens technical credibility. • Coaching fosters ownership and sustainable growth. • Adaptability requires humility and the willingness to pivot. • Trust with customers and partners is a long-term advantage. • Communication improves when you focus on what matters to the other person. • Leaders must continuously assess the value they are adding. • Zooming out prevents misalignment and wasted effort. Links to Anil’s Books Connecting the Internet of Things https://www.amazon.com/Connecting-Internet-Things-Connectivity-Standards/dp/1484288963 Demystifying Internet of Things Security https://www.amazon.com/Demystifying-Internet-Things-Security-Successful/dp/1484228952 Subscribe for more conversations on leading through chaos. Chapters 00:00 – Why Technical Leadership Matters 02:05 – What Matters Most: Multiplying Capability 04:10 – Defining Technical Leadership 06:41 – The Three Criteria of Technical Leadership 09:39 – Communicating Across Disciplines 13:07 – Technical Leadership vs. Management 15:09 – The Wave Analogy: Coherence Across the Stack 19:38 – A Career Lesson: Another Technological Mistake 22:41 – Go to Market Reality 25:22 – Google TV and Scaling Under Pressure 28:37 – Leaving Comfort: What Am I Learning? 33:06 – The Three Criteria for a Role Shift 34:01 – Why a Technical Leader Became a Coach 36:39 – Calm Adaptability 38:44 – Synthetic Deadlines and Context Switching 41:04 – AI, Long Cycles, and Future Thinking 42:23 – Trust as a Competitive Advantage 44:37 – The Leadership Question That Guides It All 45:46 – Final Reflection

Leading with Radical Honesty and Authenticity with Chris Kelly (Part 2)

In Part 2 of the conversation with Chris Kelly, he shares his experiences and insights from his time at Intel, with a particular focus on his leadership role in Malaysia. He discusses the importance of building trust, the challenges of managing projects, and the significance of honesty in leadership. Kelly emphasizes the need for authentic relationships, and you might be intrigued by his leadership lessons from soccer. Book: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:52 Building Trust for an Uncertain Organization 10:04 Know Your Capability Set 14:40 Headcount is NOT Success 18:10 Answering Challenging Questions in an Open Forum 19:58 Access to Leaders 22:09 Greatness Remains 25:16 The Power of Honesty in Leadership 28:27 Leadership Lessons from Soccer (Real Football)