The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast

Episoder

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  Episode 189: Your Good Leaders Are the Hidden Problem 23.07.2026 13min
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  Episode 188: Remembering Jack Zenger—The Leader Behind the Research 15.07.2026 18min
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  Episode 187: The Future of Employee Development 17.06.2026 18min

  The Future of Employee Development For decades, employee development has largely been reserved for leaders and high-potential talent. But as organizations face growing succession challenges, talent shortages, and a rapidly changing workforce, many are beginning to ask an important question: What about everyone else? In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren sits down … Continued
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  Episode 186: Filling the Missing Gap in Early Career Development: Extraordinary You 03.06.2026 15min

  Episode Description Why do so many capable professionals overestimate their effectiveness at work? And what are the hidden behaviors quietly limiting trust, credibility, communication, and career growth? In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren sits down with Zenger Folkman co-founder Jack Zenger to explore new research on one of the most important drivers … Continued
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  Episode 185: Are You Overestimating Your Effectiveness? (And Why It Matters More Than You Think) 27.05.2026 14min

  Episode Description Why do so many capable people overestimate their effectiveness at work? And what are the hidden behaviors quietly damaging trust, credibility, communication, and career growth? In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren sits down with Joe Folkman to explore new research from Zenger Folkman on the surprising gap between how individual … Continued
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  Episode 184: Coaching is Connection First— Why Presence Outperforms Advice 24.03.2026 16min

  Episode Description In this episode of The 90th Percentile Podcast, BreAnne Okoren and Jack Zenger sit down with leadership expert Michelle Fabian to explore one of the most overlooked—but critical—elements of effective coaching: presence. While many leadership coaching models focus on goal setting, performance gaps, and action plans, this conversation takes a different approach. Michelle shares … Continued
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  Episode 183: The Gossip Trap— One Leadership Habit That Quietly Destroys Trust 10.03.2026 15min

  Episode Description Gossip may seem like a minor workplace habit, but the research tells a very different story. In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne and Joe Folkman explore new data from Zenger Folkman’s 360-degree leadership assessments revealing how destructive comments about others can quietly undermine a leader’s effectiveness. Based on feedback from hundreds of … Continued
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  Episode 182: Does Leadership Development Actually Pay Off? The ROI Leaders Can’t Ignore 25.02.2026 12min

  Episode Description In a time of tighter budgets and higher scrutiny, leadership development is often one of the first investments leaders feel pressure to justify—or cut. But what if that decision is quietly costing organizations far more than they realize? In this episode, BreAnne Okoren sits down with Orin Salas, Vice President of Sales at Zenger … Continued
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  Episode 181: Highlights from The Leadership Skills Report 2026 04.02.2026 14min

  Details In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren and Joe Folkman unpack Zenger Folkman’s new Leadership Skills 2026 Report?and explore what truly differentiates leaders in an AI-accelerated world. As AI makes information faster and cheaper, one capability is becoming increasingly scarce: human leadership. Drawing on fresh data from tens of thousands of leaders and direct … Continued
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  Episode 180: The Generational Trust Myth—Why Behavior Beats Age Every Time 21.01.2026 12min

  Details Trust in leadership is often framed as a generational issue—older leaders are assumed to be more credible because of experience, while younger leaders are expected to “prove themselves” before earning trust. But Zenger Folkman research challenges these assumptions. In this episode of The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast, BreAnne Okoren sits down with renowned … Continued
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  Episode 179: Strategic Expertise vs. Emotional Intelligence—Which Drives Leadership Success? 07.01.2026 10min

  Details Emotional intelligence has dominated leadership conversations for years—and for good reason. Leaders who listen, empathize, and build strong relationships create healthier, more engaged teams. But what if EQ isn’t the primary capability driving leadership effectiveness? Drawing on a global dataset of 128,000 leaders and 360-degree feedback from over a million raters, they explore what … Continued
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  Episode 178: The Hidden Truth About Gender and Leadership Ratings 19.11.2025 13min

  Details Are workplace evaluations truly objective—or do subtle perceptions still shape how we see male and female leaders differently? In this episode, host Bre Okoren sits down with leadership researcher Joe Folkman to unpack one of the largest real-world analyses ever conducted on gender and leadership effectiveness. Drawing from 12,000+ 360-degree evaluations, Joe reveals a surprising paradox: women … Continued
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  Episode 177: Why Strengths-Based Development Outperforms Traditional Methods 29.10.2025 18min

  Details Consider this episode your Strengths-Based Leadership 101. BreAnne and Joe revisit the foundation of Zenger Folkman’s entire leadership philosophy — the data-driven insight that extraordinary leaders are not well-rounded; they’re exceptional in a few distinctive areas that matter most. Drawing from over 100,000 leadership assessments, Joe explains why traditional development programs focused on fixing weaknesses … Continued
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  Episode 176: Jotun Case Study in Extraordinary Leadership 14.10.2025 24min

  Details In this special episode of The 90th Percentile, we unpack how Jotun—the Norway-based, family-owned paints and coatings company operating in 100+ countries—elevated leadership effectiveness using Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leader program. Partnering with Arcadia Consulting, Jotun moved from a baseline well below industry average to outperforming peers, all by doubling down on a strengths-based approach to leadership. We’re joined by Alistair … Continued
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  Episode 175: 7 Key Leadership Behaviors of the Most Effective Decision Makers 08.10.2025 18min

  Details What separates the best decision-makers from the rest? In this episode, Joe Folkman shares research on nearly 16,000 leaders to reveal seven key qualities that enable effective decision-making. Discover why information overload slows decisions down, how to balance speed with quality, and the surprising link between decision-making effectiveness and employee engagement. If you’re struggling … Continued
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  Episode 174: Making Development Popular with Desert Financial Credit Union 24.09.2025 19min

  Details In this episode of The 90th Percentile, we sit down with Kathleen Crenshaw and Christopher Bisgrove from Desert Financial Credit Union to explore how they are rethinking leadership development and investing in people. From building programs that reach leaders earlier in their careers to making learning opportunities more accessible, Desert Financial shares the principles … Continued
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  Episode 173: The Surprising Way Leadership Behaviors Go Viral at Work 17.09.2025 17min

  Details What if great leadership could go viral? In this episode of The 90th Percentile Podcast, Dr. Jack Zenger joins BreAnne Okoren to explore how positive leadership behaviors—like openness, respect, and accountability—spread through organizations and transform cultures. Drawing on decades of research, Jack reveals why developing leaders at scale creates psychological safety, sparks innovation, and … Continued
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  Episode 172: Why Psychological Safety Matters More Than Ever 10.09.2025

  Details Psychological safety is not a new term anymore, but it has matured into a foundational leadership capability, much like communication or trust no longer a “nice to have,” but a critical driver of collaboration, retention, and innovation. Drawing on Amy Edmondson’s groundbreaking research and Zenger Folkman’s data from 18,000 employees, they unpack the eight leadership behaviors that … Continued
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  Bonus Episode– Susan David, Emotional Agility 03.09.2025 19min

  Details Dr. Susan David is a founder and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital of Harvard Medical School and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard University. In this episode, Susan discusses her research on emotional agility and how to master challenges without getting derailed. Download the eBook of her full interview here. Guest … Continued
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  Episode 171: Memorable Leadership—10 Behaviors That Make Leaders Unforgettable 20.08.2025 17min

  Details In today’s episode, we’re unpacking the results of a massive leadership study — over 63,000 assessments — to answer one key question: What makes certain leaders truly unforgettable? We’ll explore the 10 specific behaviors that set the most exceptional leaders apart, backed by real-world examples from sports, business, and history. Whether you work in … Continued