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How to Lead with Kate Waterfall Hill

How to Lead with Kate Waterfall Hill

By: Kate Waterfall Hill
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How to Lead is the go-to podcast for CEOs, founders, business owners, and leaders who want to strike the perfect balance between authority and empathy. I’m Kate Waterfall Hill - leadership coach, author, and creator of Linda, the bad manager, my alter ego who shows us how not to lead. With over 30 years’ experience working with and coaching CEOs and founders (and being one myself), I’ve helped hundreds of leaders elevate their skills and confidence. In each episode, I’ll share simple, actionable tips and habits to take the stress out of people management. Every episode starts with Linda’s “what not to do” moment, followed by practical insights on how to handle leadership challenges with finesse. You’ll find How to Lead on all major podcast platforms, plus video episodes on YouTube. My best-selling book, How to Lead, is also a great companion to the show. Subscribe or follow so you don’t miss an episode, and if you enjoy it, please rate, review, and share with fellow leaders. For coaching programmes or my self-paced Digital Academy, visit www.waterfallhill.co.uk. Got a topic suggestion? Email me at hello@waterfallhill.co.uk. Follow me on all major social platforms - just search Kate Waterfall Hill or Linda, the bad manager, and join a community of over 300,000 leaders.Copyright 2026 Kate Waterfall Hill Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Why You’re Still Doing Everything Yourself

    Why You’re Still Doing Everything Yourself
    May 21 2026

    Why leaders with capable teams still end up doing everything themselves, the first episode in a three-part How to Lead mini-series. This episode, Kate explores a common pattern: leaders delegate but keep stepping back in to tweak work that’s “not quite right”. Each time you quietly redo work, you stay busy, your team improves more slowly, and ownership never leaves you, which teaches the team to hesitate and check in more.

    Episode Highlights:

    00:00 Why It All Comes Back

    00:19 Meet Your Host

    01:26 The Linda Scenario

    01:52 The Control Trap

    02:53 Standards In Your Head

    04:04 Identity And Tradeoffs

    04:43 Different Versus Worse

    05:54 Four Shifts This Week

    06:33 What Happens If You Dont

    07:02 Wrap Up And Next Steps

    Useful links:

    The Digital Academy Online Course

    Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes

    Buy the "How to Lead" book

    Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

    Follow Kate on TikTok

    Contact Kate

    https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/links
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • How to Disagree Without Damaging the Relationship

    How to Disagree Without Damaging the Relationship
    May 7 2026

    How leaders can disagree without harming relationships. In today's episode, Kate discusses how disagreement doesn’t damage trust by itself; trust erodes when leaders defend their identity and authority instead of examining the idea. Strong leaders separate the person, position, and problem, use steady phrases to keep focus on thinking, and avoid both dominance and conflict avoidance that leads to silence.

    Episode Highlights:

    00:00 Disagree Without Damage

    00:51 Linda Gets It Wrong

    01:37 Why Disagreement Turns Personal

    02:28 Separate Ego From Ideas

    03:40 Steady Phrases That Work

    04:13 The Hidden Cost of Avoidance

    05:36 Tone Drives the Room

    06:54 Language That Holds Authority

    07:36 Five Practices to Try

    08:58 Get Support and Practice

    09:47 Final Takeaways and Outro

    Useful links:

    The Digital Academy Online Course

    Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes

    Buy the "How to Lead" book

    Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

    Follow Kate on TikTok

    Contact Kate

    https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/links
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • How to Handle Attitude Issues

    How to Handle Attitude Issues
    Apr 23 2026

    How leaders should handle a team member’s “bad attitude,” is the subject of this episode of 'How to Lead' with Kate Waterfall Hill. Kate discusses how attitude is usually a sign, not the root issue, and recommends separating capability from behaviour, addressing issues early, asking what’s going on and listening. Leaders should also examine their own clarity, the space they create for honesty, and the broader culture.

    Episode Highlights:

    00:00 Handling Bad Attitudes

    00:46 Linda’s Team Dilemma

    01:42 Stop Avoiding the Talk

    02:32 Lead With Curiosity

    03:19 Behavior vs Capability

    04:25 Say It Early Cleanly

    05:12 Ask Listen Understand

    06:01 Look in the Mirror

    06:44 Set Clear Expectations

    07:32 From Curiosity to Accountability

    08:11 Weekly Practice Checklist

    09:00 Wrap Up and Next Steps

    Useful links:

    The Digital Academy Online Course

    Free Resources and more information on Kate's coaching programmes

    Buy the "How to Lead" book

    Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

    Follow Kate on TikTok

    Contact Kate

    https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/links
    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
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if you perhaps need seen, to guage your own biases, and even improve others around you, then Kate delivers. In many instances she'll have you laughing, dropping everything to focus on her insight, and often revisiting very considerate strategy. A must have podcast for that daily commute or volunteer role.

Relatable, Empathetic and Hugely Reassuring

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