Building Trust Through Leadership I Dave Bair

Building Trust Through Leadership I Dave Bair

Author: Bill June 12, 2026 Duration: 33:16
In this episode of 40 Percent Better, Bill Lennan sits down with Dave Bair, Operations Executive: Certified Change Management Professional; Collaborative Design & NLP Practitioner, to explore the leadership principles that help teams thrive in complex and fast-changing environments. Dave shares his leadership journey, the transferable skills that shaped his career, and why creating clarity, trust, and psychological safety is essential for high-performing teams. The conversation covers learning organizations, effective communication, cultural learning, team dynamics, and the evolving role of leaders in modern organizations. Whether you're a manager, executive, team leader, or aspiring leader, this episode offers practical insights on building trust, fostering continuous learning, and leading with self-awareness. Topics Covered: • Leadership in technology • Leadership journey and transferable skills • Building trust within teams • Psychological safety at work • Learning organizations and continuous improvement • Communication strategies for leaders • Team dynamics and organizational culture • Change management and leadership development • Technical leadership vs people leadership • Self-awareness and vulnerability in leadership Key Takeaways: • Leadership is about creating clarity and trust. • Psychological safety encourages innovation and learning. • Effective communication requires understanding your audience. • Cultural learning is just as important as technical learning. • Trust is built through consistent actions over time. • Great leaders enable their teams to succeed. About the Guest: Dave Bair is an Operations Executive, Certified Change Management Professional, Collaborative Design & NLP Practitioner with extensive experience leading teams, driving organizational change, and building learning-focused cultures. Connect with Dave Bair on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bairdave/ Connect with 40 Percent Better for more conversations on leadership, learning, personal growth, and professional development. #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #DaveBair #Leadership #TechnologyLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #TeamDynamics #LearningOrganization #LeadershipDevelopment #CommunicationSkills #TrustInLeadership #ChangeManagement #OrganizationalCulture #Management #ProfessionalGrowth I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast team Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/ Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams, improve team productivity, and achieve sustainable success in business through a focus on human-centered systems. #technologyleadership #productmanagement #engineeringleadership #leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #podcast

Hosted by Bill, 40% Better-Engineering Leadership is a conversation for those who build and guide technical teams. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a practical dialogue focused on the tangible mechanics of morale, motivation, and output. Each episode features a single expert in employee engagement, and together we dissect the specific strategies that lead to measurable leaps in performance. You'll hear detailed explorations into what actually moves the needle for engineers and their managers, translating research and experience into actionable leadership techniques. The goal is straightforward: to provide the insights that can help your team operate at a significantly higher level of effectiveness and satisfaction. Tune in for a focused, deep-dive podcast that cuts through the noise of generic management advice, offering concrete ideas you can apply directly to the unique challenges of engineering leadership.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

40% Better - Engineering Leadership
Podcast Episodes
Leading with Love | Jacob Crockett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:38
In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, host Bill Lennan sits down with Jacob Crockett for a thoughtful conversation on leadership in the modern tech world—and beyond. Together, they explore what truly makes an effect…
Leadership, Risk, And Soft Power in Technology | Rob Johnson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:48
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 s…
Leading with Ownership and Passion | Wolfgang Schram [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:48
In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, Wolfgang Schram shares his extraordinary journey from Germany to the global concert touring industry, and ultimately to leading engineering teams in the corporate world. He disc…
The Art of Building Trust and Embracing Failure | Jill Willard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:36
In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, host Bill Lennan speaks with Jill Willard, Chief Technology Officer at IXOPAY, about her leadership journey and how she empowers software and payments teams to build trust, embr…
Lessons in Leadership and Adaptation | with Darshan Bildikar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
In this conversation, Darshan Bildikar shares his journey from being an introverted builder to a successful engineering manager. He discusses his early experiences in programming, his transition into management, and his…
The Cupid of Computer Science | with Rodrigo D. A. Senra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:44
In this powerful episode of the 40% Better podcast, host Bill Lennan talks with educator and professor Rodrigo Senra about his groundbreaking philosophy on teaching and education.Rodrigo argues that a teacher's job is no…