Episode 18

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Published on:

4th Jun 2026

Ep 18 - Team Leadership: It All Starts With Trust

with Nick Sellers, Tiffany Barnard and Ellen Putz.

In this episode of Beyond Leading, Nick Sellers takes the host's chair and is joined by Tiffany Barnard and Ellen Putz.

The topic: team leadership.

And the conversation goes a lot further than the textbook version.

Because the way teams are led has changed. The old hierarchical, fear-based, command-and-control playbook is being replaced by something very different, and not every leader is keeping up.

We explore:

what really sits at the heart of every effective team, and what most leaders still get wrong
the line between leading and managing, and why it matters more than people think
the trap most people fall into when they go from doer to leader
why people don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad leaders

If you lead a team, or you want to, this is a conversation worth sitting with.

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About the Podcast

Beyond Leading

Beyond Leading is the leadership podcast for senior leaders and those building towards it — honest conversations about the real psychological and human experience of leading at the top. Hosted by executive coach and Non Executive Director Alec Pearson.

Most leadership content gives you frameworks and five-step plans. Beyond Leading goes somewhere different.

This is the podcast for senior leaders and those building toward that level, people who already know that leadership is harder and more human than any framework prepares you for.

Hosted by executive coach and Non Executive Director Alec Pearson, with regular contributions from fellow coaches Tiffany Barnard and Nick Sellers, Beyond Leading goes inside the real human experience of senior leadership. The pressure. The identity questions. The decisions that don't have clean answers. What's really going on beneath the surface when things get hard.

The conversations draw on SME business owners, corporate leaders and coaches who've been in the seat, people who'll talk honestly about what senior leadership cost them, what they got wrong, and what they'd do differently. No frameworks sold. No glossy success stories. Just the conversation senior leaders actually need.

We don't claim to have all the answers. What we do is ask the questions worth reflecting on, and give you the space to work out what they mean in your world.

If you're a senior leader, or someone building toward that level, this is your podcast.

Subscribe and join the conversation.

🎙 Let's go beyond leading — and everything in between.

About your hosts

Alec Pearson

I'm Alec Pearson, Non-Executive Director, Board Advisor and Executive Coach, with over 30 years' experience across professional services, law, technology, manufacturing, transport and founder-led SME's.

I work with boards and senior leaders when decisions feel heavier than they used to, complexity is rising, and clarity really matters. My approach combines independent board-level thinking with a coaching lens: pragmatic, people-aware, and straight-talking.

Beyond Leading is the podcast I wish had existed earlier in my career. It's the honest conversation about what senior leadership actually demands, the pressure, the identity questions, and everything in between.

Tiffany Barnard

I spent over 25 years leading teams and running a business in Tanzania, and those experiences shaped how I see leadership today. Now, I coach leaders around the world to communicate with impact, build trust, and lead in a way that feels true to them. The best part of my work is watching that moment when they realise what’s possible — and step into it. You can find me on LinkedIn if you’d like to connect.

Nick Sellers

Even leaders need a helping hand to achieve their potential. I bring decades of corporate experience and a keen interest in people to my coaching and mentoring activities. And I really like to help those who want to grow and develop.
For more information, you can find me on LinkedIn and schedule a quick call.