Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast
Relationships at Work - the leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots.
A relatable and honest show on leadership, organizational culture and soft skills, focusing on improving employee engagement and company culture to inspire people to apply, stay and thrive.
Because no one wants leadership that fosters toxic environments at work, nor should they.
Host, speaker and communications leader Russel Lolacher shares his experience and insights, discussing the leadership and corporate culture topics that matter with global experts help us with the success of our organizations (regardless of industry). This show will give you the information, education, strategies and tips you need to avoid leadership blind spots, better connect with all levels of our organization, and develop the necessary soft skills that are essential to every organization.
From leadership development and training to employee satisfaction to diversity, inclusivity, equity and belonging to personalization and engagement... there are so many aspects and opportunities to build great relationships at work
This is THE place to start and nurture our leadership journey and create an amazing workplace.
Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast
The Most Dangerous Leaders Don’t Look Dangerous
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Some of the most damaging leaders aren’t the obvious tyrants. They’re the ones celebrated on stages, praised in boardrooms, and admired on LinkedIn.
In this solo episode, Russel Lolacher explores how performative leadership can hide behind recognition, results, and a polished public image. He challenges leaders to look beyond awards and social media presence to examine the real impact leaders have on their teams.
Because leadership isn’t defined by the story a leader tells — it’s defined by the experience of the people they lead.
And connect with me for more great content!
Welcome back to Relationships At Work – A leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots. I’m your host Russel Lolacher
I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can make the workplace better.
This mini-episode is a quick and valuable bit of information to help your mindset for the week ahead.
Inspired by our R@W Note Newsletter, I’m passing on to you…
Spotting Bad Leaders Hiding in Plain Sight
We don’t often think of leadership as camouflage. Yet, some of the most damaging leaders are the ones we least expect—the ones praised on stage, applauded in boardrooms, and celebrated on LinkedIn feeds.
They hide in plain sight.
These aren’t the obvious tyrants or micromanagers whose reputations precede them. No, these are the leaders who win internal “leader of the year” awards, who keynote conferences, who post a carousel of leadership tips and platitudes online. They appear thoughtful, generous, inspiring. And in public, they might be. But behind closed doors? The story can be very different. Their leadership is performative.
Awards and recognition often celebrate outcomes, not the human cost of achieving them. A leader who drives results at the expense of their people—burnout, silenced voices, toxic culture—may still be rewarded because the numbers look good. Delivery gets the spotlight, but leadership is about so much more than delivery. The journey is as important as the destination.
On social media, the performance continues. Scroll LinkedIn and you’ll find countless leaders sharing insight after insight, curated and polished to look just right. But just because someone can articulate a lesson doesn’t mean they live it. Storytelling is not the same thing as leadership. It’s easy to post about empathy, respect, and inclusion; it’s much harder to consistently demonstrate those values when no one’s watching.
The real problem is when we as leaders only accept the surface story and don't dig deeper. When we reward the visible face of leadership without asking what’s underneath, we not only allow bad leaders to thrive, we give them more power.
Good leaders need to be wary of equating recognition with integrity. They need to recognize that a compelling keynote, a quarterly award, or a popular LinkedIn post may be part of the story—but not the whole story.
Because here’s the truth: bad leaders who hide in plain sight are often the most dangerous. They shape culture while sidestepping accountability. Their reputations protect them from scrutiny. And they create ripple effects that damage trust, engagement, and well-being across organizations.
This isn’t about cynicism or assuming every recognized leader is secretly toxic. It’s about discernment. Leadership isn’t proven in award write-ups or social posts—it’s proven in the lived experiences of those being led.
Which brings us to a critical question...
The Question: How can we as leaders better understand who good and bad leaders are, especially when their public face is masking deeper issues?
The Action(s):
- Look Beyond the Performance - Don’t take recognition or social presence at face value. If you want to know how effective a leader is, talk to the people they lead. What’s the retention rate on their teams? Do employees feel safe, supported, and valued? Leadership is best measured in the day-to-day, not in highlight reels.
- Watch for Alignment Between Words and Actions - A great leader is consistent. They don’t just post about trust—they build it. They don’t just talk about listening—they practice it. Pay attention to how a leader shows up in meetings, in decisions, in crises. Do their behaviors match their stories? Or is there a gap? That gap is where integrity either lives or dies.
- Challenge the Narrative- When someone is consistently rewarded for results without recognition of their people impact, ask the harder questions: How were these results achieved? At what cost? As leaders, we must resist the temptation to accept simple stories of “success” and instead push for a fuller picture. We need to normalize evaluating leadership not just on what was delivered, but on HOW it was delivered.
At the end of the day, the best leaders don’t need the stage or the social post to validate them. Their impact is written in the trust they build, the growth they encourage, and the cultures they shape.
Because leadership isn’t about the story you tell—it’s about the story others live when you lead them.
