The Dr. John Bedker Leadership Podcast

World leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. President Donald Trump of the United States and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada both spoke. President Trump’s speech was full of misinformation, disinformation, and inaccuracy. Attacks were made on allied world leaders and praise and support was given to autocrats and dictators. The other was made by Prime Minister Carney. Prime Minister Carney...

This episode, our Year in Review episode, touches on several of the exemplary leaders of 2025. Leaders from walks of life as diverse as politics and religion; as message driven as that from one of the greatest basketball players of all time, to a neuroscientist seeking to make sense of our troubled and turbulent world. The role and need for leaders has never been more critical. Happy Holidays everyone. Thank you all for tuning in.

Leadership is about doing the right thing. Leaders must be deaf to expediency where principle is involved. What 8 Democratic Senators did in voting with the Republicans may have led to an ending of the U.S. government shutdown, but was not the right thing. It was capitulation. It was a cave in. They achieved little, if anything. They agreed to a future vote on ACA tax credits without the votes to prevail. A failure of leadership. T...

The United States government has shut down. The reasons are myriad, but boil down to leadership. The Democrats have tried to represent those they serve and vote to protect them. The Republicans have their own agenda to advance tax cuts for the rich. This involves cutting costs, cutting programs, and cutting services for many Americans. Particularly, those in need. Leadership is about “doing the right thing.”  On display by the Rep...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here. And its development and engagement in our work and workplaces is growing. Do workers see threat or opportunity?  That is a key leadership question going forward. How do leaders, workers, companies, industries and institutions envision the role of workers in a rapidly evolving AI environment. This episode sends a message of hope. That increased efficiencies, reductions in mundane work, and incre...

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 Tru...

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 t...

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 i...

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.

Decoupling is the elimination, alteration, or removal of a long-standing practice or arrangement. Trade and tariffs are sparking this debate about whether to decouple from China and/or other countries that have been trading partners for the United States. But decoupling is pervasive. It impacts not only business but also politics, personal relations, academia, and even institutions as deeply rooted as religion. The courses chosen w...