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Your title cannot bend reality. Your confidence cannot change the facts. Great leadership starts when we stop protecting our image and start pursuing the truth.

In this episode of The Leadership Buzz, we explore Richard Feynman’s book What Do You Care What Other People Think? and the leadership lessons behind the Nobel Prize-winning physicist’s lifelong commitment to curiosity, humility, and scientific integrity.

Feynman reminds us that knowing the name of something is not the same as understanding it. That lesson applies directly to modern leadership. We use words like trust, accountability, culture, transparency, and empowerment — but do our actions prove we truly understand them?

We explore questions every leader should consider:

• Does your open door actually get used?
• What happens when someone challenges your thinking?
• Do people tell you the truth before problems become crises?

We also examine Feynman’s role in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster investigation and his famous O-ring demonstration, a powerful reminder that reality cannot be ignored. Challenger provides lasting lessons about organizational culture, communication breakdowns, decision-making pressure, and the importance of listening to the people closest to the work.

Whether you lead a company, a military unit, a small team, or yourself, this conversation challenges you to build a culture where honesty wins over appearances and curiosity beats certainty.

Because the best leaders are not focused on proving they are right — they are committed to discovering what is right.

Topics include:
• Richard Feynman’s leadership lessons
• What Do You Care What Other People Think?
• Challenger disaster and organizational learning
• Psychological safety and speaking up
• Leadership humility and curiosity
• Why truth matters in high-performing teams
• Moving from certainty to discovery

If this conversation challenges you, subscribe to The Leadership Buzz, share it with a leader who values truth, and leave a review to help others discover the show.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

The Leadership Buzz is hosted by Lloyd “Buzz” Buzzell, an ICF-ACC executive coach, DISC practitioner, and retired U.S. Air Force officer with 37 years of leadership experience. Each episode focuses on one book, one idea, and one practical leadership concept to help you align your behavior with your values and lead with greater clarity, trust, and impact.

If you’re a leader who wants to build stronger teams, improve communication, and create real ownership, subscribe and share this episode with someone on your team.

Connect with Buzz on LinkedIn or visit workhardtellthetruth.com for coaching and leadership development resources.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

Send us Fan Mail

o Mess, No Magic: Why Fearless Teams Tell the Truth

Every leader says they want honesty. But the real question is — have we created a culture where people feel safe enough to give it?

In this episode of The Leadership Buzz, we explore Amy Edmondson’s The Fearless Organization and the power of psychological safety. Fearless teams are not teams without mistakes, conflict, or hard conversations. They are teams that trust each other enough to step into the mess — because that is where learning happens.

No mess. No magic.

We discuss:
• why psychological safety is not about comfort or lowering standards
• the difference between silence and true agreement
• how small leadership reactions can create either curiosity or fear
• why the words “my door is always open” may not be enough
• aviation, Crew Resource Management, and the importance of speaking up
• the Miracle on the Hudson and how trust is built before the crisis
• practical questions leaders can ask to invite honesty and uncover hidden risks

The best teams do not avoid the truth. They build enough trust to face it.

If this conversation challenged your thinking, subscribe to The Leadership Buzz and share it with a leader who is working to build a stronger team.

And if these leadership questions resonate with you and you want to explore them more deeply, I’d love to connect.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

The Leadership Buzz is hosted by Lloyd “Buzz” Buzzell, an ICF-ACC executive coach, DISC practitioner, and retired U.S. Air Force officer with 37 years of leadership experience. Each episode focuses on one book, one idea, and one practical leadership concept to help you align your behavior with your values and lead with greater clarity, trust, and impact.

If you’re a leader who wants to build stronger teams, improve communication, and create real ownership, subscribe and share this episode with someone on your team.

Connect with Buzz on LinkedIn or visit workhardtellthetruth.com for coaching and leadership development resources.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

Send us Fan Mail

What if the biggest leadership breakthrough is not working harder — but seeing differently?

This week on The Leadership Buzz, we explore William Thorndike’s The Outsiders and the remarkable leadership journey of Bill Anders — Apollo 8 astronaut, creator of the iconic Earthrise photograph, and former CEO of General Dynamics.

On Christmas Eve 1968, Anders helped humanity see Earth from a completely different perspective. Years later, he brought that same ability to challenge assumptions into business leadership.

When Anders took over General Dynamics during a period of major change in the defense industry, he rejected the idea that bigger always meant better. Instead of chasing growth for growth’s sake, he focused the company, reduced complexity, sold businesses that no longer fit the future mission, and created lasting value.

His story challenges every leader to ask:

Are we measuring what truly matters?

We also explore one of the most difficult leadership transitions — moving from individual contributor to leading through others. The skills that create early success are not always the same skills required for the next level.

Leadership requires perspective, humility, and the courage to redefine success.

In this episode:

• Bill Anders, Apollo 8, and the leadership lesson of Earthrise
• How General Dynamics transformed by becoming smaller and stronger
• Why great leaders practice stewardship, not ownership
• The shift from individual contributor to developing others
• How coaching helps leaders create space for new perspectives

One book. One idea. One story. Three coaching questions.

Book referenced in this episode:
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success — William N. Thorndike Jr.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

The Leadership Buzz is hosted by Lloyd “Buzz” Buzzell, an ICF-ACC executive coach, DISC practitioner, and retired U.S. Air Force officer with 37 years of leadership experience. Each episode focuses on one book, one idea, and one practical leadership concept to help you align your behavior with your values and lead with greater clarity, trust, and impact.

If you’re a leader who wants to build stronger teams, improve communication, and create real ownership, subscribe and share this episode with someone on your team.

Connect with Buzz on LinkedIn or visit workhardtellthetruth.com for coaching and leadership development resources.

Work hard. Tell the truth.