The Science of Leading

The Science of Leading

Powered by the experts at OAD, The Science of Leading is your behind-the-scenes guide to smarter hiring, stronger teams, and workplace strategies that actually work. Whether you’re a busy HR leader, a founder scaling fast, or a manager navigating team dynamics, this podcast helps you cut through the noise with real, research-backed insights.

Episodes

From Data Sprinkling to Data-Driven Decision-Making

October 1, 2026 • 4 mins
Almost every executive says they want a data-driven culture. Barely a third of organizations actually pull it off. Edwin and Claire on the real difference between using data consistently and just bolting one dashboard onto an intuition-based process.
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Measuring Team Blind Spots: Four Tools for Better Performance

September 29, 2026 • 5 mins
Every team has a gap between how it thinks it operates and how it actually functions. Edwin and Claire compare four of the most rigorous team assessment tools, from Gallup's engagement research to the 360-degree format, and what each one is actually built to catch.
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From Individual Profiles to Team Patterns

September 24, 2026 • 4 mins
A single OAD profile tells you about one person. Stack profiles across a whole team, and Edwin and Claire show what surfaces instead, friction patterns, leadership blind spots, and turnover risk that no single review would ever catch, plus the ethical guardrails that keep this from turning into a black box.
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Why OAD Uses Word Selection Instead of Ratings

September 22, 2026 • 5 mins
Rating scales invite people to answer the way they think an employer wants. Edwin and Claire dig into why OAD has people pick words instead, the decades of factor analysis behind those words, and why continuous scores beat sorting people into four-letter types.
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The Gap Is the Signal

September 17, 2026 • 3 mins
Most personality tests tell you who someone is. Edwin and Claire dig into why OAD asks the same question twice, once about who you naturally are and once about who your job forces you to be, and why the gap between those two answers matters more than either one alone.
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The Reorg Broke in HR Systems

September 15, 2026 • 4 mins
The chart gets redrawn, the announcement goes out, and then compensation, job descriptions, and compliance quietly don't move with it. Edwin and Claire on the unglamorous mechanics that make or break a reorg after the kickoff, plus the four templates worth stealing instead of improvising.
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Operating Model vs. Org Chart: Why Reorgs Fail

September 10, 2026 • 4 mins
Redrawing the org chart and keeping the same old way of making decisions is the most common reorg mistake there is. Edwin and Claire on the difference between structure and operating model, and a real case study of what changes when a company gets that distinction right.
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Choosing the Right Change Management Model

September 8, 2026 • 5 mins
ADKAR, Kotter, Lewin, PDCA, none of them is universally right. Edwin and Claire on matching the model to the actual shape of the change, and the simple decision rule for which of the five elements a mid-sized HR team should fix first.
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The Question Nobody's Answering

September 3, 2026 • 5 mins
Leadership explains the what and the why. Employees are quietly asking something else entirely. Edwin and Claire on stakeholder mapping, building a real champion network, and why governance is what turns "successful change" into just normal work instead of something that quietly reverts after launch.
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Defining Change: Goals, Metrics, and Pilot Structure

September 1, 2026 • 4 mins
"Improve collaboration" and "drive transformation" sound fine in a kickoff deck and mean nothing by week six. Edwin and Claire on turning vague change goals into metrics people can actually be held to, and why a structured model beats good intentions every time.
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Why Transformations Fail: Sponsorship Isn't a Kickoff Email

August 27, 2026 • 4 mins
Seventy percent of transformations fail, and it's rarely the strategy. Edwin and Claire dig into why weak sponsorship quietly kills change initiatives before they start, and why middle managers, not executives, decide whether anyone actually adopts the new way of working.
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Beyond Training: Building a Real Team Growth Plan

August 25, 2026 • 4 mins
Most employee development plans fail the same way: everyone gets the same template, the same "improve communication" note, and nothing changes. Edwin and Claire dig into why personalization, not more training, is what actually turns a growth plan into a retention and leadership pipeline.
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Culture Is a Symptom, Not a Strategy

August 20, 2026 • 5 mins
Companies try to fix culture directly and wonder why it doesn't stick. Edwin makes the case that culture is what a structure produces, not something you install on top of it, then walks through the operating cadence and the four failure modes that quietly kill most redesigns.
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Assess First: A Practical Guide to Org Design

August 18, 2026 • 5 mins
Most leaders jump straight to redrawing the org chart. Edwin walks Claire through the six-step process that starts with facts instead of guesses, and the three-layer KPI framework that tells you whether the new structure actually worked.
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Coordination Isn't Heroics

August 13, 2026 • 3 mins
A structure that only works because a few people run themselves ragged isn't a structure, it's a countdown. Edwin and Claire break down how to build coordination and growth into the design itself, and the four warning signs that tell you your current structure is already failing.
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Talent Isn't the Bottleneck

August 11, 2026 • 4 mins
Most companies blame a bad quarter on the people. Edwin and Claire make the case that it's almost always the structure around them, unclear accountability, slow decisions, and metrics that reward the wrong thing, and why "fit for purpose" beats "best practice" every time.
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Why External Benchmarking Fails HR Teams

August 6, 2026 • 4 mins
Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington unpack why comparing your people metrics to industry averages can lead to mediocrity, missed signals, and costly transformation failures. They also outline a simple 30-to-90-day internal benchmarking approach to identify what actually drives performance inside your organization.
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Why Startups Fail at Scaling Too Soon

August 4, 2026 • 4 mins
Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington break down why high-growth startups often fail by scaling inputs before proving outputs, from premature hiring and overspending to the hidden danger of weak retention. They also explore how a one-page strategic plan and behavioral data can help leaders build the right team and scale sustainably.
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Beyond Trust Falls: Building High-Performance Teams with Data

July 30, 2026 • 5 mins
Claire Monroe and Edwin Carrington unpack why trust falls and offsite games rarely create lasting change, arguing that the team itself—not just individuals—is the real unit of change. They explore how behavioral data, decision logs, and coaching in the flow of work can turn conflict into chemistry and boost performance.
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Stop the Side Quest Hiring Trap

July 28, 2026 • 5 mins
Learn how small businesses can escape chaotic, gut-feel recruiting by choosing the right hiring tool for their volume and stage of growth. The episode also breaks down why structured assessments and behavioral data can improve candidate fit, reduce bad hires, and streamline the process in under 30 days.
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