{"podcast":{"title":"40% Better - Engineering Leadership","slug":"40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823","podcast_index_feed_id":6759823,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/5955335/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://40pb.com","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/fcdcaf0188c759a22b022e56f2dfaca4.jpg","author":"40 Percent Better","episode_count":108,"summary":"Every week, we invite 1 expert on employee engagement and deep-dive into unlocking previously unheard of performance levels in teams and leaders. 40 Percent Better https://40pb.com","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823"},"episode":{"title":"Leadership, Risk, And Soft Power in Technology | Rob Johnson","slug":"leadership-risk-and-soft-power-in-technology-rob-johnson","published_at":"2025-12-30T16:00:09+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823/leadership-risk-and-soft-power-in-technology-rob-johnson","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/leadership-risk-and-soft-power-in-technology-rob-johnson--69166208","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69166208/audio_file_podcast_rob_johnson.mp3","summary":"In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, host Bill Lennan sits down with Rob Johnson to explore what leadership really means in technology—and why leading people is fundamentally different from managing projects. Rob shares his unconventional journey from a shy, risk-averse engineer to a confident technology leader and entrepreneur. Drawing from experiences in engineering, product management, startups, and executive leadership, Rob explains why soft power, servant leadership, and self-awareness matter more than titles, authority, or being “the smartest person in the room.” This wide-ranging conversation covers risk tolerance, entrepreneurship, military-influenced leadership lessons, listening over talking, and the mindset shift required to succeed at higher levels of leadership. Rob also discusses why control is an illusion, why being wrong is essential to learning, and how leaders can remove roadblocks so teams can thrive. If you’re an engineer, product leader, founder, or aspiring executive navigating the transition into leadership, this episode is packed with practical insights, memorable stories, and counterintuitive advice to help you become 40% better. 🎯 Key Takeaways Leadership often starts with ego—and matures through self-awareness You can manage projects, but you must lead people Soft power is more effective than authority Giving before you get builds trust and influence Listening is more powerful than talking Being wrong is essential for growth and learning Risk tolerance develops through experience, not theory Entrepreneurship reshapes how leaders see systems and change Titles matter less than removing obstacles for teams Great leaders make others excited—not anxious—to work with them 🎙️ Memorable Sound Bites “You can manage projects. You can’t manage peo…","meta_description":"In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, host Bill Lennan sits down with Rob Johnson to explore what leadership really means in technology—and why leadi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3468,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823/episodes/leadership-risk-and-soft-power-in-technology-rob-johnson/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/40-better-engineering-leadership-6759823/leadership-risk-and-soft-power-in-technology-rob-johnson.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}