Uncommon Leadership

AI Won't Replace You...But It Will Change You. ft. Ross Smith

What happens when AI starts doing the things we once believed made us valuable? In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter of Uncommon Teams, sit down with Ross Smith from Microsoft to explore a question most conversations about AI miss entirely: What does it mean to stay human in this unpredictable age of AI? Tune in to find out: * How to use AI as a strategic sparring partner to debug your own ideas/arguments? * Why authenticity, emotional intelligence, and human judgment matter more than ever when building an innovative team... * Why your job title should never be your entire identity, and the danger of hiding your full self at work * How to position yourself at work for great job satisfaction and speedier career growth Because the future may belong to people who know how to work with AI—but it will especially belong to people who know how to remain deeply human while doing it. Episode Chapters 0:00 — Introduction 5:53 — How Do You Build a Team That Actually Thrives? 9:36 — Why Should Leaders Give Teams Freedom to Fail? 11:17 — How Do Great Leaders Build Trust With Their Teams? 14:35 — Why Is Having a Life Beyond Work So Important? 20:16 — How Do You Build an Authentic Personal Brand at Work? 28:00 — Is AI Productivity Advice Missing the Bigger Picture? 30:17 — What Does AI Mean for Human Creativity and Leadership? 35:28 — Why Can AI Never Fully Replace Human Leadership? 38:08 — Using AI to Challenge Your Own Thinking 40:19 — How Leaders Can Use AI Before Difficult Meetings 41:08 — Connect with Ross Smith Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165] Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj [https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj] This podcast is brought to you by Uncommon Teams: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] A question for you: What's one hobby or interest you have outside of work that most of your coworkers probably don't know about? Share in the comments! -- Speakers on this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast Ross Smith | Guest Speaker Ross Smith spent over three decades leading innovative teams at Microsoft, giving him a front-row seat to the rapid evolution of workplace technology. Today, his focus has shifted to the intersection of human intuition and artificial intelligence. As a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and co-founder of The Future World Alliance, Ross has become a leading voice on how we can use AI to become more human, not less. He's the author of "AI Revolution in Customer Service and Support" and "AI in the Classroom," and hosts the AI & Creativity Podcast, exploring how humans and AI can partner to unlock new levels of innovation. Connect with Ross Smith: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosss42/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosss42/] * Email: rosss.rosss@gmail.com [rosss.rosss@gmail.com] * AI Prompt of the Day:https://linktr.ee/rosss42 [https://linktr.ee/rosss42] * Bonus: Ross is offering an exclusive discount on his book, AI in the Classroom. To claim it, send a message to rosss.rosss@gmail.com [rosss.rosss@gmail.com] with the subject line: "UnCommon Leadership: AI in the Classroom" Michael Hunter | Host Michael Hunter is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the founder of Uncommon Teams. Drawing on his experience working with leaders at tech giants like Microsoft and Salesforce, Michael helps founders and Heads of People align personal fulfillment with sustainable business success. Work with Michael Hunter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/] Website: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] Newsletter: https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/ [https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/] Read the book: https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/ [https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/] Work with Michael Hunter: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ [https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/] 🎵 Music Credits: Track: A Hope for New Beginning Artist: PremiumBeat Source: Envato Elements License Code: 2JPQCYM3X4

Debugging the Leader: A Framework for Internal Alignment ft. Jon Bach

You've spent your career mastering the technical. You know how to debug a system, optimize a workflow, and drive efficiency with data. But as you move higher into leadership, you realize your most reliable tools, logic and evidence, often fail when applied to the most complex system of all: the human one. In this milestone 100th episode of Uncommon Leadership, Michael Hunter and Jon Bach step away from standard people management advice to investigate the person behind the leader. Together they explore: * What happens when you start paying attention—not just to systems, but to your own patterns, reactions, and internal signals. * Why change feels disorienting. * Why teams struggle even when the work looks right. * Why what we call performance issues are often something else entirely. * What it means to lead in a way that includes your mind, your body, your instincts—not just your logic/data. Episode Breakdown 0:00 — Introduction 03:36 — How do you become an uncommon leader? 07:27 — How to decode your body's signals 11:10 — A go-to question for all tech leaders 15:33 — Why work-life balance is just a myth 19:13 — How to handle layoffs? 26:30 — How to stop carrying regret as a leader 28:34 — How to navigate career transitions? [ Satir Change Model] 40:15 — A mindset shift for dealing with uncertainty 45:37 — The cumulative power of tiny steps 51:26 — Signs you're leading out of alignment 57:46 — How to live in alignment with your base beliefs 01:06:52 — Common vs. Uncommon Leaders 01:17:26 — The question you need to ask to get to know someone 01:21:16 — Closing Thoughts If you're navigating change, leading a team, or trying to make sense of what feels unclear right now—this episode offers a grounded, human way to approach it. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw] Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165] Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj [https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj] This podcast is brought to you by Uncommon Teams: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] -- Speakers on this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast Jon Bach | Guest Speaker With 30+ years at tech giants like Microsoft and eBay, Jon Bach treats software testing as a treasure hunt for the truth. Combining his background in journalism with deep technical expertise, he approaches code with an investigative lens—viewing every bug as a hidden story waiting to be told. Jon's mission is deeply human as he helps tech professionals uncover the hidden assumptions and expectations buried in their daily workflows, guiding them to find the absolute truth about their work (and themselves). Outside of the software world, Jon embraces his roots as a freelance writer for Whidbey Weekly [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whidbeyweekly/] and Whidbey Life Magazine [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whidbey-life-magazine/]. Connect with Jon Bach: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bachjon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bachjon] Email: jbestpilot@gmail.com [jbestpilot@gmail.com] Blog: jonbox.wordpress.com [https://jonbox.wordpress.com] Free Resources: satisfice.com [https://satisfice.com] Michael Hunter | Host Michael Hunter is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the founder of Uncommon Teams. Drawing on his experience working with leaders at tech giants like Microsoft and Salesforce, Michael helps founders and Heads of People align personal fulfillment with sustainable business success. Using empathetic, human-centric frameworks, Michael guides leaders to build authentic teams, cultivate resilience, and embody certainty. Work with Michael Hunter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/] Website: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] Newsletter: https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/ [https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/] Read the book: https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/ [https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/] Work with Michael Hunter: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ [https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/]

Why Team Problems Aren't What They Seem ft. Todd Hanson

Are you constantly putting out fires but feeling like your team still isn't moving forward? This might be happening because you might be solving the wrong problem. In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter sits down with Todd Hanson, founder & inventor of Compass Carts. In this episode, Todd shares his incredible journey from corporate banking to building a hardware company and the counterintuitive leadership lessons he learned along the way. Whether you are managing a massive corporate department or a small team of external contractors, Todd explains why standard management advice often fails (and what actually works) when you need to get people on the same page. In this episode, we cover: 00:00 - Introduction to the Uncommon Leadership Podcast 03:20 - The Distraction Rule: Why forcing your team to pay attention actually backfires, and how scheduling breaks cures their anxiety. 23:24 - The Prompt Error: Why your team's failure to deliver is usually a communication gap on your end (and how to fix it). 31:48 - The Pivot Method: What great leaders do before they decide to fire a struggling team member. 35:15 - The Promotion Cheat Code: Why the real secret to moving up the corporate ladder happens after 5 PM. 45:41 - The NASCAR Secret: How General Mills saved millions by studying pit crews, and how you can steal ideas from outside your industry. If you want to stop micromanaging and start building a team that actually thrives, this episode is for you. If this episode helped you see a way out, hit the subscribe button so we can keep bringing you the frameworks you need to understand what's true, what matters now, and what's next: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw] Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165] Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj [https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj] This podcast is brought to you by Uncommon Teams: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] Speakers on this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast Todd Hanson | Guest Speaker Todd Hanson is the founder and inventor of Compass Carts, the innovative hitch hauler company taking social media by storm. Todd spent over two decades in corporate leadership at Wells Fargo, including an eight-year tenure as an AVP. He specializes in bridging the gap between big-business strategy and small-business agility. Whether he is facilitating large corporate trainings or managing a team of startup contractors, Todd's leadership philosophy is built on streamlining complex processes, asking the right questions, and empowering people to bring their unique expertise to the table. Connect with Todd Hanson: Website: compasscarts.com [https://compasscarts.com/] Email: ToddH@CompassCarts.com [ToddH@CompassCarts.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddhanson1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddhanson1/] Michael Hunter | Host Michael Hunter is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the founder of Uncommon Teams. Drawing on his experience working with leaders at tech giants like Microsoft and Salesforce, Michael helps founders and Heads of People align personal fulfillment with sustainable business success. Using empathetic, human-centric frameworks, Michael guides leaders to build authentic teams, cultivate resilience, and embody certainty. Work with Michael if you want to stop simply surviving their daily challenges and start leading with ease: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/] Website: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] Newsletter: https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/ [https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/] Read the book: https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/ [https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/] Work with Michael Hunter: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ [https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/]

3 Questions Leaders Should Ask Before Shipping Code ft. Radhika Dutt

Why are so many tech startups struggling even after hitting their quarterly goals? In this episode, I, Michael Hunter, invite Radhika Dutt, an MIT alum and the author of Radical Product Thinking, to the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. Together, we debunk the classic Silicon Valley mantra: Build→Test → Learn →Scale The problem with the traditional goal-setting approach is that it often pulls teams away from the vision and legacy for which the business was originally built. To help lean startups make the difficult trade-offs between the things that keep the lights on versus the things that drive long-term growth, we offer: * An actionable framework to map Long-Term Vision vs. Short-Term Survival decisions. * 3 questions that first-time founders must ask to make win-win decisions with certainty [ especially when data is overwhelming or incomplete] * The mindset that will help tech leaders sidestep the Silicon Valley trap. * The "3 O's" to help you navigate the uncomfortable problem space. Key Moments 00:00 - Introduction to the Uncommon Leadership Podcast 01:32 - Getting to know Radhika Dutt [MIT Engineer, Author, Keynote Speaker ] 05:20 - The Myth of the "Poker-Faced" Leader 08:40 - Processed vs. Raw Emotion at Work 14:04 - How to Build Psychologically Safe Teams 17:32 - Why OKRs Can Be Misleading? 22:09- How to Write Vision Statements for Yourself and Your team 29:03 - The Vision vs. Survival Map: Making Hard Trade-Offs 36:36 - The 3-Question Framework for Win-Win Decisions 42:16 - How to Sidestep the Silicon Valley Trap? 50:57 - The Three O's for Leaders to Navigate the "Problem Space" 53:33 - Advice for Goal-Centric Leaders 57:50 - How to access Radhika Dutt's Puzzle Setting & Puzzle Solving Toolkit If this episode helped you see a way out, hit the subscribe button so we can keep bringing you the frameworks you need to understand what's true, what matters now, and what's next: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw] And before you click away—send this episode to one founder or product leader you know who is burning out trying to hit the wrong targets. Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165] Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj [https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj] This podcast is brought to you by Uncommon Teams: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] Speakers on this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast: Radhika Dutt | Guest Speaker Radhika Dutt, an MIT graduate, is an entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker who helps organizations move away from traditional metric-obsessed cultures to innovate smarter. Radhika brings profound technical and strategic expertise to the leadership space, having participated in five successful acquisitions—two of which were companies she founded. She is the author of the book Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter, which has been translated into Chinese and Japanese. She is currently working on her second book, which explores why traditional corporate goals and targets consistently backfire, and the actionable frameworks leaders should use instead. Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/] Free toolkit to apply the puzzle setting & solving methodology for leaders: https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/#OHLToolkit [https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/#OHLToolkit] Michael Hunter | Host Michael Hunter is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and the founder of Uncommon Teams. Drawing on his experience working with leaders at tech giants like Microsoft and Salesforce, Michael helps founders and Heads of People align personal fulfillment with sustainable business success. Using empathetic, human-centric frameworks, Michael guides leaders to build authentic teams, cultivate resilience, and embody certainty. Work with Michael if you want to stop simply surviving their daily challenges and start leading with ease: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/] * Website: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] * Newsletter: https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/ [https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/] * Read the book: https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/ [https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/] * Work with Michael Hunter: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ [https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/]

Discovery to Innovation: A Physicist's Leadership Manual ft. Garrick Villaume

Are you expecting predictable outcomes in a non-deterministic world? When you are a tech leader, your instinct is to rely on systems and logic to drive results. But when an organizational change stalls, your team resists a new direction, or you find yourself exhausted by constant pivots—logic alone won't bridge the gap. In fact, ignoring the fundamental physics of human systems is one of the most expensive operational mistakes a company can make. In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter, sit down with Dr. Garrick Villaume. With a Ph.D. in High-Energy Physics and three decades of experience scaling tech operations from clean-tech startups to Fortune 100 enterprises, Garrick knows exactly what it takes to orchestrate complex systemic transformations. In this conversation, we explore concepts like: * The P3 Framework * How to stop fighting the essential process of change * Why letting change happen to you is a recipe for failure * How to identify what you can actually control to reduce burnout and navigate uncertainty Episode Chapters 0:00 Welcome to the Uncommon Leadership Podcast 2:22 The Power of Bringing Your Authentic Self to Work 6:13 The Cost of Hiding Your True Identity at Work 14:06 Why Every Business Problem is a People Problem 16:41 The P3 Framework 21:34 The True Essence of Tech Innovation 26:05 Limiting Case Analysis & Navigating Command-and-Control 35:30 Why Teams Resist Change 36:44 How to bring about the Change you want to see 38:13 Computable vs. Uncomputable Variables in Leadership 41:42 Business Value of the P3 Framework 52:00 Process of managing complex systems 57:11 Final Advice for Tech Leaders If you are a leader who excels at systems but struggles with the messy reality of managing uncertainty, this episode is exactly what you need to lead with certainty and ease. Subscribe to the Uncommon Leadership Podcast for weekly conversations on navigating the complexity of human systems at work. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw] Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165] Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj [https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj] Brought to you by Uncommon Teams About the Speakers Dr. Garrick Villaume | Guest Speaker With a Ph.D. in High-Energy Physics and three decades of experience scaling technical operations from clean-tech startups to Fortune 100 enterprises, Dr. Villaume bridges the gap between complex science and human enterprise. He applies complexity science to technology management, innovating processes and building systemic intelligence for teams navigating the unknown. Connect with * Work with Dr. Garrick:https://www.linkedin.com/company/psi-593946412/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/psi-593946412/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrickvillaume/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrickvillaume/] Michael Hunter | Podcast Host Michael Hunter is an Executive Coach, Consultant, and Author of The Resilient Tech Leader. With over three decades of experience at companies like Microsoft and Salesforce, his career has followed a simple progression: he started by debugging code, spent years debugging teams, and now helps leaders learn how to debug themselves. He helps analytical tech leaders navigate the quiet complexity of their organizations, proving that the most important systems in tech aren't written in code—they're written in people. Connect with Michael Hunter: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/] * Website: https://uncommonteams.com/ [https://uncommonteams.com/] * Newsletter: https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/ [https://uncommonteams.com/newsletter-archive/] * Read the book: https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/ [https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-workbook/] * Work with Michael Hunter: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ [https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/] #TechLeadership #SystemicIntelligence #ComplexSystems #UncommonLeadershipPodcast #MichaelHunter