What Friction Is Really Trying to Tell You

How To Succeed As A VP

What separates the VPs who progress into executive leadership from those who plateau? The answer is rarely intelligence, experience, or technical expertise. The VPs who thrive understand that their job is no longer to be the best functional expert in the room. Their job is to create outcomes through other people, influence decisions beyond their authority, and help the business succeed as a whole.   In this episode, I break down the 10 principles for professional success at the VP level: 1. Get important things done 2. Seek out truth and reality 3. Only take on what you can successfully complete 4. Understand how the company makes money 5. Understand how your function contributes to that success 6. Increase your capacity to contribute 7. Maintain a positive value account 8. Always do what you say you will do 9. Build strong working relationships across the business 10. Create a portfolio of successes Whether you are a CEO looking to scale your leadership layer, or an ambitious VP wanting to know how to break through the ceiling, these operating principles are the blueprint. JOIN THE NEWSLETTER: If you want deep-dive insights from the CEOs I work with and want to learn exactly how a senior executive ticks, sign up for my newsletter. ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach]. If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me at: My LinkedIn Page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/] Or you can drop me an email. [Joe@mrJoe.uk]

CEO, Are You Getting Enough From Your VPs?

Why do so many brilliant strategies fail during execution? Because the layer responsible for pulling the levers (the VPs) are playing the wrong game. They are operating with functional expertise, but zero systemic view. They wait for direction on the how and the when, leaving the CEO to act as the ultimate air traffic controller for every cross-functional dependency. It’s exhausting, and it’s unsustainable. But there’s a flip side to this. This middle-executive layer is also where the most talented people become incredibly vulnerable. They are expected to influence peers and drive massive alignment without a C-suite title. When a company needs to restructure or lean out, the VPs who only protect their own silo are always the first to be put under the microscope. If you're a CEO looking at your team today, ask yourself: Who is actually helping you carry the weight of the whole system, and who is just managing a department? If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/joeleech or via email at joe@mrjoe.uk I'm mr Joe Leech and I coach CEOs so they and their businesses thrive. I bring 20 years in tech and $20bn in additional revenue. ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach]. If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me at: My LinkedIn Page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/] Or you can drop me an email. [Joe@mrJoe.uk]

The Real Reason Strategy Fails

Most strategies don't fail because they're wrong. They fail because nobody remembers them. Leadership teams spend months building strategies. The thinking is solid. The analysis is rigorous. The slides are beautiful. Then six months later, nobody can explain what the strategy actually is. Why? Because strategy doesn't spread through an organisation because it's intellectually correct. It spreads when people can understand it, repeat it, believe it, and use it to make decisions every day.  Why complex strategies struggle to survive. * The psychology behind ideas that spread * Why clarity beats sophistication * The role of emotion and identity in execution * Why CEOs dramatically under-communicate strategy * The real job of leadership when it comes to strategy A strategy that can't spread through the organisation isn't really a strategy at all. Listen to this and let me know: Could someone halfway down your organisation explain your strategy in their own words? ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach]. If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me at: My LinkedIn Page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/] Or you can drop me an email. [Joe@mrJoe.uk]

What Friction Is Really Trying to Tell You

A CEO I spoke to recently was frustrated with the “friction” they were experiencing with a leader on their team. But the more we talked, the clearer it became: The friction wasn’t the problem. It was the signal. Most leaders try to remove friction quickly. Push through it. Make faster decisions. Stay decisive. But often, friction is pointing to something unresolved underneath: * unclear expectations * lack of trust * avoided truths * misaligned incentives * a role that no longer fits Here I break down why good leaders learn to read friction properly instead of bulldozing past it. Because if you ignore the signal for too long, the real problem usually gets bigger. If this resonates, let me know in the comments: Where are you currently feeling friction in your business or team? ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach]. If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me at: My LinkedIn Page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/] Or you can drop me an email. [Joe@mrJoe.uk]

10 CEO Leadership Styles (and When They Break)

Most leaders don’t realise they’re the bottleneck… until it’s too late. You built your career on a style that worked. Fast decisions. Clear direction. Strong vision. And it did work. Until it didn’t. Now: Meetings go quiet  Your team waits for you Execution slows down And everything still runs through you That’s not a talent problem. It’s a range problem. Listen as we break down the 10 leadership styles most CEOs rely on and why each one eventually becomes a liability when overused. You’ll see: Why your decisiveness might be creating dependency Why “supporting your team” can quietly kill performance Why your vision isn’t translating into execution And how to stop becoming the bottleneck without losing control Because leadership isn’t about having one style that works. It’s about knowing when it stops working. IDENTIFY YOUR BLIND SPOTS Are you overusing a strength that once served you well? Take the 2-minute diagnostic to find your dominant style and unlock your range: https://mrjoe.uk/unlock-your-leadership-style/ ___ Videos for all these episodes are on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach]. If you enjoy my content and you want to get in touch to find out how I could work with you, or someone you know, you can reach me at: My LinkedIn Page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/] Or you can drop me an email. [Joe@mrJoe.uk]