Leadership Gym with Xiao Zhang (Episode 115)
Tue Jan 27 2026
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When you become a people leader there is no manual. How can we not only learn leadership skills but practice them and build leadership muscle?
This week I'm joined by Orion Group Limited co-founder Xiao Zhang to discuss...
👑 The challenge of transitioning into people leadership
💪 How we don't get fit by watching other people work out
⌚ Pausing as an act of active leadership
🌌 The power of slack time for creativity and systems thinking
🌊 Going below the waterline
...and much more.
You can find Xiao on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiao-zhang-nz/
You can find Orion Group Limited here: https://www.oriongrouplimited.com/
Xiao mentioned Brené Brown's new book Strong Ground https://brenebrown.com/book/strong-ground/
I mentioned The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/
I couldn't find the article on slack time but this is pretty good: https://buildrightside.com/problem-upgrade-chart
You can buy Slight Reliability merch here (Note: you cannot order the mugs outside of New Zealand):
https://slightreliability.digitees.co.nz/
You can find Stephen on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephentownshend/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slightreliability.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SlightReliability
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slight_reliability/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_kiwi_sre
More
Send us a text When you become a people leader there is no manual. How can we not only learn leadership skills but practice them and build leadership muscle? This week I'm joined by Orion Group Limited co-founder Xiao Zhang to discuss... 👑 The challenge of transitioning into people leadership 💪 How we don't get fit by watching other people work out ⌚ Pausing as an act of active leadership 🌌 The power of slack time for creativity and systems thinking 🌊 Going below the waterline ...and much more. You can find Xiao on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiao-zhang-nz/ You can find Orion Group Limited here: https://www.oriongrouplimited.com/ Xiao mentioned Brené Brown's new book Strong Ground https://brenebrown.com/book/strong-ground/ I mentioned The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ I couldn't find the article on slack time but this is pretty good: https://buildrightside.com/problem-upgrade-chart You can buy Slight Reliability merch here (Note: you cannot order the mugs outside of New Zealand): https://slightreliability.digitees.co.nz/ You can find Stephen on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephentownshend/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/slightreliability.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SlightReliability Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slight_reliability/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_kiwi_sre