What if disagreement is exactly what your team needs?

In this Box of Keys episode, I explore why pushing too hard for total agreement can actually hold your team back. When everyone feels pressured to nod along with the strategy, what you often get is hidden tension, quiet resentment, and a lack of true engagement.

But disagreement isn’t a problem to eliminate ... it’s an opportunity to explore. When we create space for dissent and ask questions like “tell me more about why you disagree,” we uncover blind spots, surface fresh ideas, and build strategies that people truly believe in.

This episode is a reflection on how leaders can turn moments of tension into moments of clarity. By leaning into disagreement with curiosity, we transform conflict into creativity, invite real collaboration, and ultimately move the team forward together with greater energy and commitment.

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

In August 2025, I travelled to Kyiv, Ukraine, during a week that marked both the country’s Independence Day and one of the largest aerial attacks on the capital since the war began.

I wanted to understand, firsthand, what life is really like in a city at war. To walk its streets. To listen to its people. To witness what the headlines can’t capture.

What I found was a city of striking contrasts. Playgrounds beside burned-out tanks. Gold-domed cathedrals standing silent under the threat of missile strikes. A grand hotel ballroom turned emergency bunker. Every conversation just one step away from someone who has lost someone. And always, an inescapable tension beneath the resilience.

This is not analysis from afar. It is a personal reflection on resilience, survival, and the quiet courage of people living through extraordinary circumstances. From Kyiv, Ukraine … this is a special edition of my Box of Keys.

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

You can’t fix what no one feels safe to say out loud.

In this episode, I sit down with astronaut Dr Charles Camarda to explore the cultural roots of catastrophic failure ... and how even the most advanced organisations can lose their way. We talk about the moments that led to the Columbia tragedy, the silence that surrounded it, and what Charlie learned when he was removed from his role after speaking out.

This is a conversation about what real leadership looks like in high-pressure environments. Not just launching missions - but creating space for truth, dissent, and critical thinking at every level of a team.

Charlie Camarda is a former NASA astronaut, research engineer, and Director of Engineering. He’s spent nearly five decades working at the intersection of innovation and risk ... and he’s on a mission to help leaders learn from the failures we don’t talk about enough.

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

How do you tell the difference between someone who’s a solid performer and someone who’s driven by something deeper ... by purpose, mission, and impact? In this Box of Keys episode, I reflect on a conversation with a senior leader who believed everyone in his organisation was motivated by money and promotion. But when you look more closely, the exceptional ones often signal something else entirely.

This is a conversation about learning to read those signals. Because when someone asks for more money, they’re telling you something. And when someone asks how they can help create more impact, they’re telling you something too. The question is ... are you listening?

If you want to understand how to identify and support your purpose-driven people, this one’s for you.

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

This is a conversation about what happens when the data you’ve trusted your whole career turns out to be pointing you in the wrong direction. It’s about the moment when logic starts to unravel, and real clarity begins ... not in more numbers, but in understanding what the customer truly sees. Michael Ross brings a deep humility to his insight: that the story behind the numbers can be more powerful than the numbers themselves.

Michael is one of the most respected thinkers in retail and customer data today. A Cambridge mathematician and entrepreneur, he co-founded one of the UK’s earliest online retailers, now advises global brands, and teaches at London Business School. But in this episode, it’s not what he knows - it’s what he rethought - that will stay with you.

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

Leadership isn’t about being liked, though most great leaders are likeable. The difference is that their likeability comes from credibility and respect, not from chasing approval. In this Box of Keys episode, I explore why trying to lead by being liked almost always backfires, and why boundaries are essential for both children and teams.

Leaders need to separate tough decisions from personal feelings, resisting the pull to be manipulated by emotions or the desire to be popular. Because when you build authority first, genuine likeability tends to follow.

So where are the moments you’re most tempted to prioritise being liked over doing the right thing ... and how do you handle them?

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

One of the world’s leading executive coaches and an accredited business psychologist, Alex Lazarus has worked with CEOs and leaders around the world to navigate change and build high-performance cultures. And as the founder of Lazarus & Maverick, she and her team help leaders navigate complexity and deal with that unique sense of isolation that you get when you’re sitting in the big chair at the head of the boardroom table. Her own background in leadership roles in global businesses like Virgin, Fox and Disney means she has that vital lived experience to connect with the leader that she’s working with.

I’m curious to understand more about the journey Alex has been on to build this perspective on leadership and life, and of course to explore the Unlock Moments that defined the choices she’s made. This is going to be a masterclass in leadership – let’s dive in!

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com

You tell your team your door is always open, but still … nobody walks through. I’ve been thinking about why that is. Why people don’t always feel comfortable stepping forward, even when you genuinely want to hear from them.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with the brilliant leadership coach Dr Francoise Orlov. She talked about what it means to really create psychological safety. Not just saying the right words, but stepping out to meet your people where they are. Listening, asking thoughtful questions, showing you care.

It made me reflect on how we show up as leaders - not just inviting people in, but creating the kind of environment where they want to speak up.

Sometimes the most powerful step is not waiting … it’s reaching out first.

Have a good week!

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The Unlock Moment podcast is brought to you by Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD. Downloaded in over 120 countries. Sign up to The Unlock Moment newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/ywhdaazp Find out more at https://garycrotaz.com and https://theunlockmoment.com