The Dr. John Bedker Leadership Podcast

#087: Labor Day 2025

Labor Day should be a day of celebration. To celebrate work and workers.  Celebrate all those that make our goods and deliver our services, but today there is a very different reality. Workers and union representation are under assault. President Trump has issued Executive Orders eliminating workers rights, minimising their safety, their working conditions, and their opportunity to address concerns in their workplace. President Trump has made cleat that workers are not to be celebrated. This is a sad Labor Day.

#086: Leadership failures to our Veterans

Veterans are one of the Unites States most precious resources.  They stood up and answered the call to wear a uniform in the service of our country. Politicians espouse how grateful they are to all that have served, but regularly and routinely vote against Veterans, reducing their benefits. Let me be clear, Republican leaders overwhelmingly are in this camp. They say one thing and do another. This is a failure of leadership.

 

 

 

 

 

#085: Leadership, Texas, and the Voting Rights Act

President Lyndon Baines Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress on March 15, 1965. He said, “In our system the first and most vital of all our rights is the right to vote.” Today is the 60th anniversary of passage of the Voting Rights Act and today the rights of peoples vote to be heard is under attack. President Donald Trump and the Texas Governor, Greg Abbott are seeking to redraw the states congressional lines to silence the voice of Democrats. President Trump says the Texan Republicans are “entitled.”  This is not democracy. This is not “the right thing."

#084: The Case for Unifying Leadership

James Carville makes the case for unifying leadership in a New York Times guest essay. It is a simple argument with a simple message. Repeal President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” This simple messaging from an iconic political strategist is a messaging lesson for all leaders. Keep it clear, keep it simple, have it have meaning and actual impact on voters. And, conclude with hope.

#083: Catastrophic Events

In our turbulent world catastrophe is all around. Do catastrophic events change us, or not? This is the leadership question for today. We all know what is right and what is not, but will we change course after a catastrophe, or will we persist on abdicating our role and our responsibility as leaders. We put our country and or world in peril when we do.

#082: Trump and Leadership on Iran and Israel

Did President Trump succeed in spite of himself or because of himself in the current Iran, and Israel conflict? Time will tell. This episode make the case for leaders to be process driven rather than outcome based. The reliability, sustainability and efficiency of a process driven approach are clear. An outcome based approach may provide short term gains, but is susceptible to long term risks.

#081: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Harvard Speech

I love listening each year to the commencement speakers at universities around our world. Great thoughts, great ideas. Often funny, but routinely from the heart. This year, at Class Day for the Harvard Class of 2025, the speaker was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His thoughts were an exemplar for each of us in our leadership journeys. He drew upon history, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., he gave a call to action, and challenged each in the audience to be doers of “the right thing” for life. An exemplary leader, speaking to tomorrow's leaders.

#080: Understanding Who You are Leading

As Bob Dylan said, “The Times They are a Changing.”  Our world is definitely changing.  It is more turbulent, more chaotic, more unstable, and more uncertain. The clinging to rigid ideologies, and the fealty to leaders that espouse these ideologies are a source of concern for our turbulent world. Dr. Leor Zmigrod and her book, “The Ideological Brain” inform this episode.

#079: Pope Leo XIV

The Catholic Church has a new leader, Pope Leo XIV. An American citizen and Peruvian citizen. He has training, knowledge, and experience that prepares him well for this new position of leadership. Time will tell his capacity to navigate our troubled and turbulent world. Time will also tell his capacity to navigate a divided Catholic Church. Doing the right thing, the ultimate call to leadership, will be ever-present in his papacy.

 

#078: Empathy - A Critical Leadership Core Competency

Empathy is a critical leadership core competency. Empathy enhances trust, improves your communication, and aids in optimising the performance of those you serve. Skills such as active listening and displays of compassion and vulnerability contribute to the effectiveness of the empathetic leader.  Where is President Trump in his first 100 days as an empathetic leader? This podcast addresses his actions and performance.