The Marcel Podcast

Episode recap:

Many leaders believe trust must be earned. But if you’re the leader, waiting for your people to go first may be exactly what’s weakening your culture. 

In this solo episode, Marcel Schwantes explains why trust begins when leaders take the first step. Drawing from his book, Humane Leadership, and the research, he explores three foundations of leadership trust—credibility, empathy, and consistency—and shares practical ways to strengthen each one.  

 

To take these ideas further, join Marcel for his live Leadership Trust Workshop on August 26 at 12:00 noon Eastern. Register here: https://www.frombosstoleader.co/trusted-leader-workshop

 

Bio:

 

Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. Marcel’s work includes: 

Leadership coaching 

Leadership development courses 

Keynote speaking and workshops 

Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions 

 

Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders become the kind of people others want to follow

 

Timeline:

 

00:00 – Welcome & why trust is the foundation of effective leadership  

00:40 – Blunt truth: If your people don’t trust you, nothing else will stick  

01:25 – Compliance vs. commitment: why “doing what they’re told” isn’t real trust  

02:05 – Do your people feel safe telling you the truth and making honest mistakes?  

02:55 – Disrupting the belief that “trust must be earned”: why leaders go first  

03:40 – How mistrust acts as a hidden tax on speed, innovation, and collaboration  

04:35 – Making trust operational: how it changes ownership, decision-making, and purpose  

05:26 – Pillar 1: Credibility – telling the truth about reality, not pretending to know it all  

06:05 – Why small, broken commitments (not big betrayals) quietly erode trust  

07:00 – Humility as a credibility builder: “I got that wrong” as a strength  

07:40 – A weekly question: What commitment have I made that someone is still waiting for me to keep?  

08:25 – Pillar 2: Empathy – assuming positive intent and leading with curiosity, not suspicion  

09:10 – Shifting from judgment to curiosity: “Help me understand what happened from your point of view”  

10:00 – Listening beneath the words: pressures, needs, and the human impact of decisions  

10:35 – Story: A VP takes responsibility for lack of support and transforms the room  

10:58 – Pillar 3: Consistency – being “predictably human” so people feel safe around you  

11:30 – How mood‑driven leadership makes teams manage your emotions instead of their work  

12:05 – Values under pressure: respect, honesty, and accountability when things get hard  

12:45 – How patterns of kept promises and honest conversations compound into culture  

13:30 – The 3‑part self‑check for any 1:1, team meeting, or tough conversation  

13:50 – Question 1: What would credibility require from me here?  

14:20 – Question 2: What would empathy require from me here?  

14:45 – Question 3: What would consistency require from me here?  

15:15 – You don’t need a new personality—just a repeatable practice around trust  

16:00 – Invitation: Live Leadership Trust Workshop – August 26, 12:00 p.m. Eastern  

16:40 – What you’ll get: deeper dive into the three pillars + 30‑day action plan  

17:10 – Closing: When better humans lead, teams, organizations, and communities flourish

 

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Free tool:  

 

Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  

  

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  

 

If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

 

Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/    

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/

Episode recap:

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02

 

Bio:

 

Mark Abbott is the Founder and CEO of Ninety, which helps leadership teams build extraordinarily productive, humane, and resilient companies. He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, coach, and author who is widely regarded as a pioneering voice in modern company-building.

 

Timeline:

 

00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Mark Abbott and Ninety  

02:00 – Mark’s personal story and competitive drive  

03:20 – “I help founders build great leaders”  

05:00 – From banking and private equity to building Ninety  

07:10 – Why culture really matters (beyond perks)  

08:35 – Three types of culture: relationship, agreements, principles  

12:30 – Matching culture to pace and ambiguity of your market  

14:10 – What it means to build a “humane” culture  

15:35 – Ideal employee profile vs. ideal customer profile  

17:00 – The five elements at the soul of a company  

18:00 – The global leadership deficit and self‑serving leaders  

21:00 – How Ninety and AI support culture and leadership habits  

23:00 – Quarterly conversations, feedback, and agreements  

25:20 – When high‑growth companies “lose their way” culturally  

27:00 – High care vs. high performance: getting the balance wrong  

30:30 – The real job of every leader: helping the company win  

31:50 – Complexity of leadership: leading, managing, coaching, mentoring  

35:00 – Thinking in stages of development as you scale  

38:00 – Advice for first‑ and second‑time founders  

40:00 – Ego development and the inner journey of a leader  

42:00 – One thing leaders must do to truly flourish today  

42:56 – Where to find Mark and learn more about Ninety  

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Free tool:  

 

Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  

  

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  

 

If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

Episode recap:

 

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02

 

Bio:

 

Mark Abbott is the Founder and CEO of Ninety, which helps leadership teams build extraordinarily productive, humane, and resilient companies. He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, coach, and author who is widely regarded as a pioneering voice in modern company-building.

 

Timeline:

 

00:00 – Welcome and introduction to Mark Abbott and 90  

02:00 – Mark’s personal story and competitive drive  

03:20 – “I help founders build great leaders”  

05:00 – From banking and private equity to building 90  

07:10 – Why culture really matters (beyond perks)  

08:35 – Three types of culture: relationship, agreements, principles  

12:30 – Matching culture to pace and ambiguity of your market  

14:10 – What it means to build a “humane” culture  

15:35 – Ideal employee profile vs. ideal customer profile  

17:00 – The five elements at the soul of a company  

18:00 – The global leadership deficit and self‑serving leaders  

21:00 – How 90 and AI support culture and leadership habits  

23:00 – Quarterly conversations, feedback, and agreements  

25:20 – When high‑growth companies “lose their way” culturally  

27:00 – High care vs. high performance: getting the balance wrong  

30:30 – The real job of every leader: helping the company win 

31:50 – Complexity of leadership: leading, managing, coaching, mentoring 

35:00 – Thinking in stages of development as you scale 

38:00 – Advice for first‑ and second‑time founders 

40:00 – Ego development and the inner journey of a leader 

42:00 – One thing leaders must do to truly flourish today 

42:56 – Where to find Mark and learn more about 90 

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Free tool:  

 

Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  

  

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  

 

If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

If you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  

 

Today’s guest is award-winning social psychologist Dr. Ron Friedman, author of Superteams. After surveying thousands of teams, Friedman found that the most successful teams aren’t the ones that collaborate most, get along best, or put in the longest hours. What really sets them apart is the way they manage their energy and attention, bring out the best in one another, and keep improving over time. 

 

Bio:

 

Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist who helps leaders build high-performing teams. He is the bestselling author of The Best Place to Work and Decoding Greatness. His new book, Superteams, reveals what the best teams do differently. Ron delivers keynotes, workshops, and executive advisory to senior leaders around the world.

 

Timestamps:

 

[00:00] High Performing Teams And Introducing Dr Ron Friedman [02:45] Ron’s Background From Professor To Corporate Pollster [04:00] What Sparked The Research Behind Super Teams [05:15] How The Study Worked And Three Strengths Of Super Teams [08:26] Do We Work Best In The Office Remote Or Hybrid [10:21] The One Workplace Perk That Predicts High Performance [13:03] Why Leaders Overlook Quiet Focus And Single Tasking [14:49] How Personal Productivity Hacks Hurt Team Performance [16:09] Useless Meetings And How Super Teams Avoid Them [18:33] Look Forward Look Backward Stay Present For Better Days [21:41] How Super Teams Structure Their Time Proactively [22:03] The Three Ingredients Of Trust At Work [24:52] Beating Burnout By Cutting Meaningless Work And Using Off Hours Well [26:55] Why Most Feedback Fails And How To Focus On The Future [29:56] Conflict Disagreement And Using Pre Mortems To Improve Decisions [32:47] Turning A Struggling Leadership Group Into A True Team [35:53] The Biggest Misconception About High Performance And Long Hours [39:03] How Super Teams Use AI Without Fear And Share Prompts [40:55] Where To Find Ron And How To Bring Super Teams Practices To Your Organization 

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Free tool:  

 

Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  

  

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  

 

If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/

f you are a champion of human-centered leadership and want to see your people flourish, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnership opportunities. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02  

 

Today’s guest is award-winning social psychologist Dr. Ron Friedman, author of Superteams. After surveying thousands of teams, Friedman found 

that the most successful teams aren’t the ones that collaborate most, get along best, or put in the longest hours. What really sets them apart is the way they manage their energy and attention, bring out the best in one another, and keep improving over time. 

 

Bio:

 

Ron Friedman, PhD, is an award-winning psychologist who helps leaders build high-performing teams. He is the bestselling author of The Best Place to Work and Decoding Greatness. His new book, Superteams, reveals what the best teams do differently. Ron delivers keynotes, workshops, and executive advisory to senior leaders around the world.

 

Timestamps:

 

[00:00] High Performing Teams And Introducing Dr Ron Friedman [02:45] Ron’s Background From Professor To Corporate Pollster [04:00] What Sparked The Research Behind Super Teams [05:15] How The Study Worked And Three Strengths Of Super Teams [08:26] Do We Work Best In The Office Remote Or Hybrid [10:21] The One Workplace Perk That Predicts High Performance [13:03] Why Leaders Overlook Quiet Focus And Single Tasking [14:49] How Personal Productivity Hacks Hurt Team Performance [16:09] Useless Meetings And How Super Teams Avoid Them [18:33] Look Forward Look Backward Stay Present For Better Days [21:41] How Super Teams Structure Their Time Proactively [22:03] The Three Ingredients Of Trust At Work [24:52] Beating Burnout By Cutting Meaningless Work And Using Off Hours Well [26:55] Why Most Feedback Fails And How To Focus On The Future [29:56] Conflict Disagreement And Using Pre Mortems To Improve Decisions [32:47] Turning A Struggling Leadership Group Into A True Team [35:53] The Biggest Misconception About High Performance And Long Hours [39:03] How Super Teams Use AI Without Fear And Share Prompts [40:55] Where To Find Ron And How To Bring Super Teams Practices To Your Organization 

 

About the Show: 

 

The Marcel Podcast (previously the Love in Action podcast) is ranked in the top 2% of all podcasts globally and is distributed to 160 countries. The show features deep conversations with the world's top leadership experts, authors, scientists, and thought leaders about what it means to flourish as leaders and human beings. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 

 

Free tool:  

 

Discover how much employee turnover may be truly costing your organization. Get your free employee turnover cost calculator here: https://marcel-schwantes-zvbpnt.subscribepage.io/  

  

Now Accepting Podcast Sponsors:  

 

If interested in sponsoring an episode, contact Marcel here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/contact/