Strategy and Leadership Podcast

As organizations grow, management quality often becomes the biggest constraint on performance. Yet most managers are promoted without training, leaving them to navigate people leadership through trial and error.
In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor speaks with Ashley Herd, former McKinsey HR leader, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and founder of Manager Method, about how organizations can build confident, capable managers at scale. Drawing on her experience across law, HR, and global consulting, Ashley shares a practical perspective on why management capability is frequently overlooked and how that gap impacts culture, performance, and risk.
Ashley explains how HR is often viewed as a compliance function rather than a strategic partner, and why that mindset limits organizational effectiveness. She explores how compliance and culture can work together, not in opposition, when leaders focus on transparency, clarity, and human-centered decision-making. The conversation highlights common breakdowns in feedback, performance reviews, and engagement surveys, and why ongoing manager development matters more than annual processes.
The episode also looks ahead to the future of people leadership, including how AI is changing expectations for managers and why organizations must clearly define what is expected, allowed, and possible. Rather than replacing human leadership, Ashley argues that technology makes confident, well-trained managers more important than ever.
Enroll in our strategic thinking training today for $0!
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Strategic-Leadership-Toolkit
If you want your team’s execution to be smoother, faster, and easier, your team needs the right tools and coaching. Enroll in the Strategy Leadership Accelerator and level up your leadership team.
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution
In this episode, you will learn:
Why most managers struggle due to a lack of training, not a lack of effort

How HR and leadership can work together to scale management capability

The balance between compliance, culture, and performance

Why feedback and recognition cannot be once-a-year conversations

How leaders should prepare managers for the future of work and AI

Connect with Ashley Herd
Website: https://www.managermethod.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyherd/
About the Host
Anthony Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SME Strategy and a trusted expert in organizational alignment and strategy execution. With over 15 years of experience facilitating strategic planning and leadership development, he helps organizations align their people, accelerate execution, and achieve their biggest goals.
Connect with Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/
About SME Strategy
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results.
Learn more: https://www.smestrategy.net
Podcast produced by: https://www.rednyne.com

In mature industries, innovation is often misunderstood as novelty, experimentation, or disruption for its own sake. But for organizations facing margin pressure, increased competition, and slowing growth, innovation is not a buzzword. It is a mechanism for strategic renewal.
In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor speaks with Bruce Vojak, Managing Director of Breakthrough Innovation Advisors, about how established organizations can renew themselves without destabilizing the core business. Drawing on more than four decades of experience across executive leadership, board service, academic research, and advisory work, Bruce shares a pragmatic and disciplined view of innovation that moves beyond hype.
Bruce explains why many mature companies default to cost-cutting and optimization when under pressure, and why that approach often accelerates long-term decline. He outlines his framework, built on alignment, simple processes, and innovation exemplars, and shows how leaders can assess whether their organization is truly capable of innovation or merely incremental improvement.
The conversation also explores innovation as a deeply human act of discovery, the role of pattern recognition in leadership, and how executives should think about emerging technologies like AI without overcommitting too early. Rather than chasing novelty, Bruce emphasizes renewal rooted in reality, customer needs, and organizational truth.
Enroll in our strategic thinking training today for $0!
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Strategic-Leadership-Toolkit
If you want your team's execution to be smoother, faster, and easier, your team needs the right tools and coaching. Enroll in the Strategy Leadership Accelerator and level up your leadership team.
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why innovation should be viewed as strategic renewal, not novelty- How mature organizations lose their ability to renew over time- Why cost-cutting is not a sustainable long-term strategy- How alignment determines whether innovation efforts succeed or stall- What role do innovation exemplars play inside established companies- How leaders should approach AI amid uncertainty and rapid change
Connect with Bruce Vojak
Website: https://www.breakthrough-innovation-advisors.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bvojak/
About the Host
Anthony Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SME Strategy and a trusted expert in organizational alignment and strategy execution. With over 15 years of experience facilitating strategic planning and leadership development, he helps organizations align their people, accelerate execution, and achieve their biggest goals.
Connect with Anthony: linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604
About SME Strategy
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results.
Learn more: www.smestrategy.net
Podcast produced by: www.rednyne.com

In a workplace shaped by rapid change, remote work debates, and shifting expectations, many organizations are struggling to define what employee experience should actually look like. In this episode, we explore the future of employee experience and why leaders must return to first principles to build organizations that are truly future-ready.
In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor speaks with Jacob Morgan, founder of Future of Work Leaders, a professionally trained futurist, and a six-time best-selling author. Jacob shares insights drawn from years of research and conversations with hundreds of CHROs and senior leaders around the world. Together, they unpack how the pandemic reshaped the employee-employer relationship and where many organizations lost their way.
Jacob explains why employee experience must be rooted in a mutually beneficial value exchange and why leadership accountability, clarity, and standards matter more than ever. He offers a clear perspective on the power balance between employers and employees, the role of in-person work in long term career growth, and how leaders can better communicate expectations while still supporting flexibility.
You will also hear Jacob’s perspective on the impact of AI on the future of work. He breaks down why AI is both a risk and an opportunity, how it changes career development, and why the ability to show value rather than just describe it will become a defining advantage for leaders and professionals alike.
Enroll in our strategic thinking training today for $0!
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Strategic-Leadership-Toolkit
If you want your team's execution to be smoother, faster, and easier, your team needs the right tools and coaching. Enroll in the Strategy Leadership Accelerator and level up your leadership team.
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution
In this episode, you will learn:
Why employee experience needs a reset after the pandemic

How leaders should think about the power balance between employers and employees

Why in-person work still matters for long-term career growth

How leaders can set clearer expectations without sacrificing flexibility

What the rise of AI means for careers, leadership, and the future of work

Connect with Jacob Morgan
Website: https://thefutureorganization.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8/
About the Host
Anthony Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SME Strategy and a trusted expert in organizational alignment and strategy execution. With over 15 years of experience facilitating strategic planning and leadership development, he helps organizations align their people, accelerate execution, and achieve their biggest goals.
Connect with Anthony: linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604
About SME Strategy
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results.
Learn more: www.smestrategy.net
Podcast produced by: www.rednyne.com

In a marketing landscape increasingly obsessed with dashboards, efficiency, and short term ROI, many organizations are unknowingly measuring themselves into slower growth. In this episode, we explore what it really means to measure what matters in marketing and why focusing too narrowly on efficiency can quietly undermine long term results.
In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor speaks with Brook Shepard, founder of Mason Interactive and long time digital agency leader. With over a decade of experience helping businesses scale through data driven marketing, Brook shares a clear and practical perspective on how leaders should think about metrics, customer acquisition, and growth in an increasingly complex digital environment.
Brook breaks down the tension between efficiency and growth, explaining why metrics like ROAS and cost per lead can be misleading when viewed in isolation. He shares real world examples of how bottom of funnel optimization, when overemphasized, can starve future demand and slow momentum. Together, Brook and Anthony discuss how marketing works as a system, why different channels play different roles, and how leaders can make better strategic decisions by aligning metrics with intent rather than convenience.
You will also hear a candid discussion on attribution, zero click search, and the evolving role of AI in customer acquisition. Brook explains why attribution models must evolve alongside buyer behavior and how leaders can build confidence in their marketing investments by testing assumptions, involving third party expertise, and reframing how success is defined.
Enroll in our strategic thinking training today for $0!
https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Strategic-Leadership-Toolkit
If you want your team execution to be smoother, faster, and easier your team needs the right tools and coaching. Enroll in the Strategy Leadership Accelerator and level up your leadership team. https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution 
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why efficiency focused metrics can limit long term growth
- How to think about customer acquisition as a system, not a single channel
- Why new customers are more valuable than they often appear on paper
- How to align marketing metrics with strategic intent and business goals
- What leaders need to understand about attribution, zero click search, and AI driven behavior
Connect with Brook Shepard
Website: https://masoninteractive.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brshepard/
About the Host
Anthony Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SME Strategy and a trusted expert in organizational alignment and strategy execution. With 15 plus years of experience facilitating strategic planning and leadership development, he helps organizations align their people, accelerate execution, and achieve their biggest goals.
Connect with Anthony: linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604
About SME Strategy
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results.
Learn more: www.smestrategy.net
Podcast produced by: www.rednyne.com

As organizations scale, complexity increases. Systems break, communication slows, and leaders often lose sight of how the business actually works. In this episode, we explore why structure, sales discipline, and clear strategy are essential for sustainable growth in global organizations.
In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, host Anthony Taylor sits down with Pete Harris, President of Pipedrive. Pete previously led global business development and global partnerships at Intuit and spent over a decade at Deloitte, where he worked closely with hundreds of organizations across industries. Today, he leads value creation strategy at Pipedrive, supporting more than 100,000 customers across 180 countries.
Anthony and Pete discuss how an auditor’s mindset helps leaders truly understand their business, why strong systems create predictability without limiting adaptability, and how sales processes mirror leadership execution. Pete shares lessons from scaling a global SaaS platform, navigating private equity ownership, and balancing short-term performance with long-term strategic bets.
You will also hear how Pete approaches partnerships differently from traditional sales, why assumptions often derail negotiations, and how experimentation has become a core part of modern strategy. Pete introduces Pipedrive’s Artist and Scientist framework, which encourages leaders to combine data-driven discipline with creative problem-solving to adapt in uncertain environments.
Enroll in our strategic thinking training today for $0!
⁠https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Strategic-Leadership-Toolkit⁠
If you want your team execution to be smoother, faster, and easier your team needs the right tools and coaching. Enroll in the Strategy Leadership Accelerator and level up your leadership team. ⁠https://courses.smestrategy.net/courses/Leading-Strategy-Execution⁠ 

In this episode, you will learn:
Why understanding structure and process is critical before scaling
How sales systems and leadership execution are closely connected
What differentiates partnerships from transactional sales relationships
How to balance short-term results with long-term strategic priorities
Why adaptability and experimentation are essential to modern strategy
Connect with Pete Harris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-harris-a166665/
Website: https://www.pipedrive.com/
About the Host

Anthony Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SME Strategy and a trusted expert in organizational alignment and strategy execution. With 15+ years of experience facilitating strategic planning and leadership development, he helps organizations align their people, accelerate execution, and achieve their biggest goals.
Connect with Anthony: linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604
About SME Strategy
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and implementation. We help organizations align their teams around a shared vision so they can focus on what truly drives results.
Learn more: www.smestrategy.net
Podcast produced by: www.rednyne.com