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Your Biggest Mistake Is Your Best Data Point ft. Phil Hornby

Uncommon Leadership

Release Date: 07/30/2025

How Self-Prioritization Drives Better Teams, Systems, & Outcomes ft. Lynn Juang show art How Self-Prioritization Drives Better Teams, Systems, & Outcomes ft. Lynn Juang

Uncommon Leadership

A lot of leaders believe that they need to sacrifice themselves to stand out.   But what if prioritizing yourself—your clarity, your energy, and your pace—is the most strategic thing you can do for your team as well as your organization?   What if you had to be a little selfish? Putting on your oxygen mask before you rushed to help everyone else around you?   Welcome to another inspiring episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Hunter, and today I'm honored to explore what it means to pause, reset, and focus on self with Lynn Juang, the founder of...

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Resilience Starts with Self-Care ft. Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith show art Resilience Starts with Self-Care ft. Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith

Uncommon Leadership

For the first 15 years of her career, Dr. Amanda Lynne Smith was always the first to arrive and last to leave. And she expected the same relentless pace from everyone around.   Then COVID arrived, and with it, an unexpected gift: the permission to breathe.   But this isn't just a story about work-life balance. It's the story that led to a groundbreaking realization—you cannot keep pouring if your cup is empty. It's about the time when Smith realized that personal resilience is an important business strategy, something a lot of organizations overlook.   Welcome to another...

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Is Your Greatest Leadership Asset Hidden in Plain Sight? ft. Alfredo Borodowski show art Is Your Greatest Leadership Asset Hidden in Plain Sight? ft. Alfredo Borodowski

Uncommon Leadership

Have you ever hit a personal rock bottom that threatened your entire career?   Our guest today, Dr. Alfredo Borodowski, knows that feeling intimately. Alfredo’s story is one of total collapse and remarkable redemption. He didn't find his way back with better systems; he found it by discovering his own forgotten character strengths.   Hello! This is Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and I'd love to welcome you to another episode of Uncommon Leadership, where we explore what it truly takes to thrive, not just survive, in today's chaotic world.   Today, I sit down with Dr....

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The One Thing Uncommon Leaders Get Right ft. Romie Montpeirous show art The One Thing Uncommon Leaders Get Right ft. Romie Montpeirous

Uncommon Leadership

Hello there!   I'm Michael Hunter, founder of Uncommon Teams, and I'm so glad you found this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast.   I started this series because I constantly meet leaders battling burnout and searching for deeper impact. While I may not have all the answers you're looking for, I truly believe that professional and personal success hinges on aligning personal fulfillment with business objectives.   And today, my extraordinary guest, Romie Montpeirous from Leadership from the Heart, talks about the role of adaptability and empathy in leadership.  ...

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The Making Of A Leader ft. Nick Goodin show art The Making Of A Leader ft. Nick Goodin

Uncommon Leadership

What if the things you’ve been hiding are the very things that make you an extraordinary leader?   In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership podcast, Michael Hunter sits down with Nick Goodin, a former chief product officer, to unpack a truth most leaders never discover: your personal story is your greatest asset.   Nick shares his own incredible journey—from a traumatic childhood to the sudden, unexpected loss of his job—revealing how he learned to deconstruct life's challenges and rebuild with purpose.   Through his unique philosophy of first principles thinking, Nick...

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The Secret To Navigating Uncertainty ft. Keith Hopper show art The Secret To Navigating Uncertainty ft. Keith Hopper

Uncommon Leadership

This story is going to resonate with so many leaders out there:   Once upon a time, you built your career/business on a foundation of expertise and experience. You followed the rules and made sure every plan was perfectly laid out.   But lately, you’ve started to feel stuck. You're slowly realizing the old playbook no longer works in a world of constant change.   In this episode, I, Michael Hunter, the host of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, sit down with innovation expert Keith Hopper to expose a rather uncomfortable truth behind this feeling.   The problem isn’t a...

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It's Not a People Problem, It's a System Problem ft. Melissa Appel show art It's Not a People Problem, It's a System Problem ft. Melissa Appel

Uncommon Leadership

Do you ever feel like your team is stuck? Like you’re hitting a wall and just can’t seem to move forward?   In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I, Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, am talking to Melissa Appel, an executive product management coach, advisor, and author.   We get into an uncomfortable but essential truth about leadership: a leader's behavior might be the very thing holding their team back.   Melissa shares a story about a leader whose fear-based culture brought an entire company to a halt, and we dive into the psychology of why punishing...

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From Rock Bottom To Resilience ft. Ken Miller show art From Rock Bottom To Resilience ft. Ken Miller

Uncommon Leadership

What does it truly take to embrace your most authentic self?    Join us for another episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast where I, Michael Hunter, sit down with Ken Miller, a resilience coach and national speaker—who has an extraordinary story to share.   Ken shares his journey from being an Ivy League graduate to a life of addiction that led to homelessness and multiple prison sentences. He takes us through his pivotal moment of surrender that became the turning point for his entire life.   This conversation goes beyond personal triumph. It's a battle-tested lesson...

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Is Your 'Work Self' Holding You Back? ft. Jason Dea show art Is Your 'Work Self' Holding You Back? ft. Jason Dea

Uncommon Leadership

What if the key to being a great leader isn't about working harder, but about being more you?   Hi, I am Michael Hunter, founder of Uncommon Teams, and I'm so glad you found this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast. Because today, I sit down with Jason Dea, who is a CPO, a startup advisor, and a leadership coach, and explore a new way to lead.   Discover why trying to be a different person in different contexts is exhausting and how being your authentic self can be your greatest strength.   Join us as we also talk about the art of turning big, overwhelming problems into...

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The Price of Having It All ft. Chad Brown show art The Price of Having It All ft. Chad Brown

Uncommon Leadership

What makes a leader finally decide it's time to change?    Hey there! This is Michael Hunter from Uncommon Teams, and welcome to another episode of The Uncommon Leadership Podcast, where I have real, unfiltered conversations with successful leaders about their journeys—the highs, the lows, and the moments that forced a change.   Here, we go beyond the business talks and dive into the human side of leadership, exploring the crossroads and points that redefine success.   In this episode, I'm in conversation with Chad Brown, a business owner and leadership coach, who opens...

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More Episodes
With 56% of leaders hitting burnout in 2024 and a staggering 43% of companies losing half their leadership teams, it's clear modern leadership is heading into a burnout phase.
 
But the question remains: Why?
 
On this episode of the Uncommon Leadership podcast, I dive into the core issues with highly experienced product leader and coach — Phil Hornby. Phil's unique blend of technical acumen, business insight, and human-centric skills makes his perspective invaluable.
 
Together, we unpack some crucial reasons behind this alarming trend:
 
↪ The immense pressure to hide our true selves fosters stressful and inauthentic work environments.
↪ A default to rigid command-and-control methods strips away team safety and empowerment.
↪The crippling fear of failure that paralyzes action and prevents vital growth.
↪ An overemphasis on tasks that overshadow human connection leads to disengaged teams and stifled collaboration.
 
We explore the profound problem of how conventional leadership often inhibits team potential, which leads to worse outcomes precisely when superior performance is most needed.
 
Phil and I reveal how well-intentioned instincts to "take control" can actually sabotage creativity, innovation, and overall business success—leaving an organization vulnerable.
 
If you're tired of seeing your team's immense talent go untapped and your efforts leading to more exhaustion than impact—then this conversation is for you.
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 Your Key Learnings From This Episode of Uncommon Leadership:
  • The power and the true meaning of bringing your whole self to a leadership role.
  • Learn why small, intentional steps remove the fear of failure by turning every outcome into valuable data for growth.
  • A deep understanding of the control paradox: loosening control often leads to better results!
  • Find out how a deliberate approach to building relationships creates effortless trust and deep collaboration.
  • Understand why micromanagement and rigid leadership can stifle a team's potential.
  • How to design intentional structures that encourage collaboration and mutual support.
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About the Speakers:
 
Phil Hornby
 
Phil Hornby is a highly experienced product leader, coach, technologist, and facilitator with a career spanning over 20 years across diverse sectors including SaaS, IoT, InsuranceTech, MarineTech, Advertising, Manufacturing, BioTech, and Automotive.
 
Phil has directly helped thousands of individuals across hundreds of companies to think clearly, make strong decisions, and take powerful action that drives high-impact outcomes.
 
His approach centers on collaboration, context-driven leadership, and continuous learning. As a coach, Phil serves as a trusted sparring partner for senior leaders, helping them gain clarity and perspective on challenges related to change, uncertainty, and team effectiveness.
 
Get in touch with Phil Hornby↓
 
 
Michael Hunter
 
Michael Hunter is the founder of Uncommon Teams and the compelling voice behind the Uncommon Leadership podcast.
 
For over 35 years, he's guided leaders across six continents, helping them navigate the demanding realities of burnout, overwhelm, and the multifaceted challenges of today's global business landscape.
 
He champions the creation of truly authentic and resilient teams, guiding leaders to align their personal fulfillment with profound business success. His unique approach enables individuals and teams to move beyond merely surviving daily pressures, into a state where they can truly thrive and innovate with ease.
 
Michael's mission is to help leaders, CEOs, and founding teams create and inhabit their legacy, elevating themselves in a way that is safe and sustainable.
 
Want to build an uncommon, unstoppable team? Get in touch with Michael Hunter:
 
LinkedIn
 
Website:
 
Newsletter:
 
Podcast:
 
Presented By: Uncommon Change