Skip to main content
The Curious Leader

The Curious Leader

By Aaron Bieber, Executive Coach

Big ideas to catalyze your growth as a leader.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

To improve productivity do nothing

The Curious LeaderMar 01, 2023

00:00
03:46
The Fallacy of Stochastic Innovation

The Fallacy of Stochastic Innovation

If you want to bring your staff back to the office, at least have the decency to be honest about the reasoning, and don't pretend that innovation requires collocation.

Read and subscribe to the text version of this episode here: https://thecuriousleader.work/posts/the-fallacy-of-stochastic-invention/

Find out more about coaching on my website: https://aaronbieber.coach

Jan 29, 202407:51
Challenge expectations

Challenge expectations

Sometimes a new perspective reveals the foolishness in an activity that we carry out with great seriousness and zeal. What can a very funny comic strip poking fun at AI tools teach us about this?

Read and subscribe to the text version of this episode here: https://thecuriousleader.work/posts/on-the-importance-of-writing/


Find out more about coaching on my website: https://aaronbieber.coach

Jun 15, 202306:58
How to agree on something

How to agree on something

The foundation of a healthy working relationship is agreement. Even when people have differences of opinion—and they always will—getting everyone on the same page about broader goals and individual motivations produces better outcomes.


Read and subscribe to the newsletter version of this show here: https://thecuriousleader.work/posts/how-to-agree-on-something/


Learn more about my coaching at https://aaronbieber.coach

May 18, 202308:53
"Do more reorgs" with Brian Guthrie

"Do more reorgs" with Brian Guthrie

Instead of bringing you another analysis of a leadership topic laced through and through with my opinions, I thought it would be fun to share a new perspective. This time, from my old friend and former start-up colleague Brian Guthrie.


Brian recently started a company to help tech leaders visualize and execute smooth re-orgs, so we talked about that. What makes re-orgs hard? What would

make them easier?


Brian's company, OrgSpace, can be found here: https://orgspace.io/

Learn more about Daniel Terhorst-North here: https://dannorth.net/about/

The book "Dynamic Reteaming" by Heidi Helfand can be found here: https://amzn.to/3p8BAd5


Read and subscribe to the newsletter version of this show here: https://thecuriousleader.work/posts/do-more-reorgs-with-brian-guthrie/


Find out more about my coaching work here: https://aaronbieber.coach

May 04, 202329:37
On the importance of writing

On the importance of writing

Can you think of any other skill that is required, crucial, has a wide breadth of mastery with a direct impact on the operations of a business, and which nobody is ever trained to do? Read and subscribe to the text version of this episode here: https://thecuriousleader.work/posts/on-the-importance-of-writing/


Find out more about coaching on my website: https://aaronbieber.coach

Apr 20, 202305:26
Simpler isn't actually better
Mar 30, 202307:22
The live debugger for any situation
Mar 15, 202305:58
Innovation isn't an accident
Mar 02, 202307:29
Great leaders humanize

Great leaders humanize

Your highest calling as a leader is to remember that your company requires employees in order to function, that employees are humans, and that the only thing that differentiates your company from an “immortal paperclip-maximizing artificial intelligence” is how you treat them.

Read online and subscribe to the email version: https://blog.aaronbieber.coach/posts/great-leaders-humanize/

See the above web post for footnotes and links to other resources!

Mar 01, 202306:03
Ensure your happiness with a pre-mortem

Ensure your happiness with a pre-mortem

A post-mortem, when done correctly, is almost magical in its effectiveness, which is why they have become so common. But when it comes to figuring out what you really want, and what will give you lasting happiness in work and life, well… Waiting until it’s over is too late!

Read online or subscribe to the email version: https://blog.aaronbieber.coach/posts/ensure-your-success-with-a-pre-mortem/

Dan Milstein's talk "How to Run a 5 Whys (With Humans, Not Robots)" at Lean Startup Conference 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78qzrXIPn5Q

Mar 01, 202305:39
To improve productivity do nothing

To improve productivity do nothing

Let’s say you want your workers to be more productive. As the leader of a large and complex organization, there are numerous levers that you could pull… But which ones will improve the work output?

Read on the web or subscribe to an email version: https://blog.aaronbieber.coach/posts/to-improve-productivity-do-nothing/

A short clip from James Burke's "Connections 2" miniseries is played; it is from episode 20, "Flexible Response." https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0985792/?ref_=ttep_ep20

Mar 01, 202303:46
What's your cathedral?

What's your cathedral?

Part of your job as a leader is to create the culture by aligning values, incentives, and your own behavior. But when it comes to getting the day-to-day work done, ordinary incentives aren’t always enough.


Read or subscribe to a newsletter format: https://blog.aaronbieber.coach/posts/what-s-your-cathedral/


Simon Sinek, "Start With Why": https://amzn.to/3J360F3

Mar 01, 202304:25