Fresh Perspectives on the Leadership Topics That Matter: Season 2 of Leading Up With Udemy Podcast

It’s a common refrain over the last several years, and something leaders continue to struggle with: the modern workplace has changed. The strength of leaders and their abilities to manage hybrid teams, keep employees engaged, and build a company culture that retains top talent are more critical than ever to an organization’s success. 

While understanding disruptive technologies and balancing fast-moving macroeconomic influences is essential in 2023, a company’s long-term performance hinges on the capability of its leadership team — from the C-suite to heads of business units to new managers — for developing a productive workplace that recognizes its workforce is essential to organizational success. In fact, decades of Gallup research stress the impact of a positive workplace:

Organizations dedicated to building a strong workplace culture that prioritizes employee engagement and well-being reap the rewards of better productivity, profitability and customer growth. They outperform their less engaged competitors — especially during economic recessions.

Leaders face a stream of evolving priorities when it comes to developing their own leadership capabilities. We examine these priorities and the daily challenges leaders face in our podcast, Leading Up With Udemy. We’re currently halfway through season 2, which has seen host Alan Todd, Udemy Vice President of Leadership Development, discuss what leadership traits matter most and how to develop those traits with forward-thinking leaders. Here’s a recap of Todd’s valuable conversations so far this season with leaders working to build authentic and positive workplaces. 

• Episode 1, Leading Authentically to Build High Trust Environments: Lisa Dahms, the Global Head of Tech People Development at TUI Group, shares insights on leading authentically, accelerating her career, and navigating burnout.

• Episode 2, How Total Leadership Transforms Your Life Beyond Work: Stew Friedman, bestselling author and founder of the Wharton Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses how to be a better leader and live a better life.

• Episode 3, How a Strong Career Vision Keeps You Steady: Siya Raj Purohit, the Global EdTech & Workforce Development Category Lead at Amazon Web Services, talks about how she coaches others to create a strong career vision.

• Episode 4, Leading From Your Strengths: Learn to capitalize on your strengths with former Girl Scout and current Vice President of Employee Engagement and Development at UNICEF USA, Kristi Burnham.

• Episode 5, Why Communication is the Most Important Skill: Molly Nagler, the Chief Learning Officer at PepsiCo, shares how to have courageous conversations, build authentic relationships, and set a positive example as a leader. 

• Episode 6, Finding the Courage to Bring Our Best Selves to Work: As leaders, we have the momentous task of maximizing our human potential and teammates. Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, breaks down how to get started on this meaningful work. 

The season isn’t over, though. Throughout the next few weeks, our episodes will focus on how to manage through mass employee burnout, the skills required to lead hybrid teams, and empowering leaders to be a force for good in the world. Catch up on the first half of Leading Up season 2 hosted by Alan Todd, Udemy Vice President of Leadership Development wherever you stream podcasts, and follow us to find new episodes every Wednesday.