What will 2026 demand from leaders? On today's podcast, Brandon and Randy break down their biggest predictions for the year ahead—and the shifts every leader should be preparing for now. They cover: AI, managing budgets and cutting costs, acquisitions, self-care, personal branding and leading with integrity. If you want a clear view of what's coming, with practical guidance for navigating disruption, this conversation is your roadmap for 2026.

As we enter the holiday season full swing, we're bringing back this listener favorite featuring Frank Blake, former chairman and CEO of The Home Depot. In this episode, Frank breaks down the servant-leadership principle that still shapes some of the most respected cultures in the world.

Watch the full podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xGlt6svZ6M&t

With four in five managers reporting difficulty leading Gen Z employees, the question isn't why—it's how. How can leaders close the gap and foster authentic engagement and communication across generations? We're excited to welcome back friend of the show and best-selling author, Tim Elmore, as he shares practical guidance from his new book, The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies to Lead Generation Z as they Disrupt the Workplace.

With any equation, remove a key element, and the outcome changes — often not in the way you want. On today's Leadership Foundry Podcast, Brandon Smith and Randy Hain dive into the pitfalls teams face when the balance between compassion, empathy, and accountability is off — and why leaders must be actively involved, engaging and conversing with their teams, so everyone feels connected, supported, and able to do their best work.

The world feels tense right now — from politics to rapid changes in technology. But what about your workplace? Without a strong, intentional culture, external chaos can spill inside, turning your organization into yet another source of stress. When you invest in a healthy workplace culture, you create stability, trust, and countless benefits that help your team stay grounded, connected, and ready to rise above the noise. To guide us on this journey, Brandon Smith is joined by special guest host, David Papa, on this week's edition of The Leadership Foundry Podcast.

Many workplace challenges stem from unspoken assumptions. Through our coaching conversations, we often see questions like: What really makes someone a high performer? What's the right way to operate as a team? Categories of assumptions include those around the way we work, our communication style, people and their roles. On today's Leadership Foundry Podcast, Brandon and Randy are back on the mics to address some of these assumptions head-on.

Time is our most finite resource, and in today's fast-paced world, everything feels urgent. As leaders, the real challenge isn't just managing our schedules—it's protecting and preserving our time so we can focus on what truly drives impact, both in the office and at home. To help us achieve this goal, Brandon and Randy share their top five best practices to reclaim your time.

"The best leaders have incredible self-belief without self-absorption." The key to this balance is self-awareness. Les Csorba, author of the newly released book, 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, joins Brandon Smith on today's Leadership Foundry Podcast to share his findings in detail, highlighting how self-awareness has become a crisis with many leaders believing they are more self-aware than they actually are.