In this extended studio conversation on Leadership Bites, Guy Bloom sits down with Danny Nelson, MD WINVIC, Industrial & Logistics who has grown with a construction business from its early days into a billion pound organisation. This is not a polished leadership story. It is a real one.

Danny talks openly about starting out as an apprentice, learning the craft from tough early experiences, and what changes when you move from being good at the job to being responsible for people, culture and long term performance. Together they explore what trust actually looks like when you stop micromanaging, why accountability is not about blame, and how letting go becomes one of the hardest disciplines of senior leadership.

The conversation goes deep into lived culture. Not values on the wall, but how standards are set, how people are treated, how suppliers are paid, and how consistency builds credibility over time. They discuss succession, stepping into ownership, recalibrating peer relationships, and why leadership maturity often comes through discomfort, feedback and reflection rather than confidence or charisma.

This episode is for leaders who have grown inside an organisation, who feel the weight of responsibility, and who know that leadership is less about being right and more about learning, trust and sustained behaviour over time.

00:08:56 From apprentice to boardroom learning leadership through craft
00:15:40 Growing inside one organisation what you learn that outsiders do not
00:17:38 Where culture really comes from standards not slogans
00:20:02 Doing it right why credibility is built through behaviour
00:23:56 What culture feels like when it is working
00:26:23 What got you here will not get you there
00:28:50 Leadership maturity learning through reflection
00:30:28 Trust versus control why micromanagement kills leadership
00:32:10 Letting go without letting things fall apart
00:33:37 Accountability without blame owning performance properly
00:35:14 The John Terry effect leadership without needing the spotlight
00:36:53 Succession without ego stepping into ownership
00:39:09 Recalibrating peer relationships at senior level
00:42:05 Getting honest feedback when you are at the top
00:44:21 Why senior leaders hear less truth over time
00:46:03 Trusting each other enough to challenge properly
00:48:11 Why perfection is not the goal in leadership
00:49:21 Advice to younger leaders what really matters
00:51:18 Growth comes from facing into discomfort
00:52:39 Learning from leaders you do not want to become
00:54:10 Leadership is not meant to be easy

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this first ever Leadership Bites conversation between Guy Bloom and Jamie MacPherson, two long time colleagues finally press record and get into what sits underneath the glossy talk of culture.

They explore a blunt question: can the promise of a great culture ever meet expectations, or does it always fall short once real people, real pressure, and real leaders show up.

They unpack the gap between the marketing story and the lived experience, the hidden corridor culture that never makes the posters, and the reality that most organisations do not have one culture at all but many, shaped by local leaders and daily interactions.

Jamie frames culture as the aggregation of every interaction and offers three simple tests that cut through the noise: do interactions leave people clearer, more interested, and learning.

Guy adds a hard edge to that with survival versus contribution, where people are either performing to stay safe or showing up with enough trust to offer half formed ideas, challenge, and honesty.

They also tackle the uncomfortable truth of culture programmes: if you raise awareness and set a standard, you create a new lens people will judge the organisation by.

If leadership cannot live it, the disappointment gets louder.

Great culture is not Nirvana. It is averages, peaks and troughs, small behaviours done consistently, and the craft of leadership at senior level, where the work is granular, deliberate, and owned from the top.

A candid, funny, reality based conversation about what culture really is, what it is for, and why the promise only becomes real when leaders have the courage to be specific, accountable, and human.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Bites
03:22 Exploring Culture and Performance
06:25 The Promise of a Great Culture
09:10 Defining Culture and Its Purpose
12:27 Interactions Shape Culture
15:15 Survival vs. Contribution in Culture
18:26 Navigating Fear and Anxiety in the Workplace
21:05 Setting Realistic Expectations for Culture
24:36 The Pursuit of Realistic Standards
25:54 Understanding Happiness in High-Performance Cultures
29:46 The Difference Between Enjoyment and Satisfaction
31:06 Reevaluating Expectations in Organizational Culture
33:29 The Importance of Listening in Leadership
36:39 Managing Expectations and Reality in Culture Change
40:02 Crafting a Culture of Continuous Improvement
43:03 Defining Specific Behavioral Expectations
48:51 Embedding Change for Sustainable Culture

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com

In this episode of Leadership Bites, I interview Guido Palazzo, Professor of Business Ethics, University of Lausanne, who explores the dark side of corporate behaviour and the systemic issues that lead to ethical failures. We discuss Guido's background, the concept of his brilliant book 'The Dark Pattern: The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals' in corporate scandals, and the importance of understanding the systems and cultures that allow unethical behaviour to thrive.

The conversation delves into the psychological aspects of corporate culture, the slippery slope of ethical compromise, and the need for organisations to create environments that promote ethical decision-making. Ultimately, we highlight the importance of awareness and proactive measures to prevent ethical failures in business.

Takeaways

• Guido focuses on the absence of ethics in business.
• Corporate scandals often involve good people making bad decisions.
• Systems, not just individuals, drive unethical behaviour.
• Leadership plays a crucial role in shaping organisational culture.
• Group dynamics can lead to conformity and ethical blindness.
• The slippery slope of compromise can lead to significant ethical failures.
• Survival instincts can overshadow ethical considerations in the workplace.
• Creating a 'bright pattern' can help organisations avoid ethical pitfalls.
• Awareness and proactive measures are essential for ethical business practices.
• The importance of having a court jester to provide honest feedback in organisations.

Key Moments & Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
03:03 Guido's Background and Academic Journey
05:37 Understanding Ethics in Business
08:49 The Role of Systems in Ethical Failures
11:45 Exploring Corporate Scandals and Dark Patterns
14:35 The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Culture
17:41 Group Dynamics and Ethical Decision Making
20:30 The Combination of Dark Patterns in Corporations
23:28 Survival and Ethical Compromise in Business
26:12 Conclusion: The Human Element in Corporate Ethics
26:42 The Dark Patterns of Corporate Culture
29:39 The Slippery Slope of Compromise
33:16 The Illusion of the Messiah in Leadership
40:13 The Disconnect Between Leadership and Reality
44:11 Finding the Bright Pattern in Dark Times

To find out more about Guy Bloom and his award winning work in Team Coaching, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching click below.

The link to everything CLICK HERE
UK: 07827 953814
Email: guybloom@livingbrave.com
Web: www.livingbrave.com