Name: Sean McPheat

Title: Founder & CEO

Organisation: MTD Training

Sean is a best-selling author and thought leader within the learning and development industry. He's the CEO of MTD Training, a leadership development provider that has helped leaders from over 9,000 different organisations.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Sean's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

In my experience, trust isn’t built with grand gestures—it’s built in the small, consistent actions that prove your word means something.

With employees, it’s about honesty, transparency, and delivering on promises. If you say you’ll back them up, back them up. If you say you’ll listen, actually listen. And if you make a mistake? Own it. The fastest way to lose trust is to pretend you’re infallible.

With customers, it’s about doing what you say you will—no overpromising, no fluff. People don’t buy from brands; they buy from people they trust. That means clear communication, consistency, and delivering real value, not just hype.

With stakeholders, it’s about alignment. They need to see that your actions match your vision. Empty mission statements mean nothing—results and integrity mean everything. Bottom line? Trust isn’t given; it’s earned, over time, by proving—again and again—that you mean what you say.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

For me, VISION is the ultimate destination—the big picture of where you're heading. It’s the ‘why’ behind everything you do. If your business were a ship, vision is the North Star. It’s not just a statement you slap on a wall; it’s the driving force behind every decision, hire, and strategy.

MISSION, on the other hand, is the engine that gets you there. It’s the practical, day-to-day execution of the vision. It’s about how you operate, how you serve customers, and what actions you take to turn the vision into reality.

What does this look like in a real-world business? A vision without a mission is just a dream. I’ve seen companies with big, inspiring visions but no practical steps to get there. They talk about “changing the world,” but their daily actions don’t align with that.

A mission without a vision is just busy work. Some businesses are constantly ‘doing,’ but they lack direction. They react instead of leading. They focus on short-term gains but have no long-term purpose.

Real-world example? Take my own businesses. My vision for MTD Training is to transform managers into leaders and sales teams into high performers. That’s the big goal. But the mission is how we do it—through commercial training, digital learning, and coaching programs that actually move the needle.

The key? Your vision and mission need to be lived, not just written. If they don’t drive decisions, hiring, and culture, they’re meaningless.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

For me, true leadership isn’t about holding power—it’s about passing it on. But empowerment isn’t about handing over responsibility and hoping for the best. It’s about creating an environment where people have the confidence, skills, and support to take ownership and make decisions that drive real results.

Here’s what that looks like in practice: Trust them to make decisions. If every decision has to go through you, you’re not leading—you’re bottlenecking. Set clear expectations, then give people the autonomy to figure things out. If they get it right, great. If they get it wrong, guide them, don’t punish them.

Give them the tools, not just the tasks. Telling someone to ‘step up’ without giving them the right training, support, or knowledge is just setting them up to fail. If you want people to own their roles, invest in their development. That’s why in my businesses, we focus on learning that actually improves performance, not just ticking a box.

Make failure safe. If people are terrified of making mistakes, they’ll play it safe, and safe doesn’t lead to growth. When something goes wrong, don’t ask, “Who’s to blame?” Ask, “What can we learn?” That shift in mindset builds confidence and encourages innovation. Hold them accountable—but let them own it. Empowerment isn’t about a free-for-all. It’s about clear ownership. Set the expectations, define success, and then let them figure out how to get there. People take more pride in their work when they feel like they genuinely own it.

Listen—then act. People feel empowered when they know their voice matters. If your team comes to you with ideas, feedback, or concerns, listen. And more importantly, act on it. Nothing kills empowerment faster than leaders who ask for input but never do anything with it.

Bottom line? Empowerment isn’t about saying, “You’ve got this.” It’s about proving to your team that they do.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

For me, the best mentors haven’t been the ones who handed me all the answers—they’ve been the ones who asked the right questions and forced me to think differently.

One mentor who had a huge impact on my leadership was a senior executive I worked with early in my career. At the time, I was leading a struggling team in a major financial institution. Morale was low, results were worse, and I was trying to fix everything myself, stepping in, solving problems, micromanaging without realizing it.

One day, after a particularly frustrating meeting, he pulled me aside and asked, “Are you leading this team, or just running around putting out fires?” I gave him the usual excuses—market challenges, underperforming staff, the usual leadership headaches. He nodded, then said, “What if the problem isn’t them? What if it’s how you’re leading them?”

That hit hard. I was so focused on doing that, I wasn’t actually leading. Instead of coaching, I was correcting. Instead of setting a clear vision, I was micromanaging. He challenged me to step back, set clear expectations, and trust my team to deliver. He taught me that leadership isn’t about solving every problem—it’s about building a team that can solve problems without you.

That shift changed everything. I stopped being the ‘fixer’ and started developing my team instead. Within months, performance improved, engagement skyrocketed, and I learned one of the most important lessons in leadership: If your team isn’t performing, look in the mirror first.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

For me, leadership isn’t just about what you do—it’s about what you stop doing so you can focus on what actually matters. Most leaders don’t fail because they’re not doing enough; they fail because they’re doing too much of the wrong things.

Here’s how I maintain focus: I don’t micromanage. The moment you try to control everything, you lose sight of the big picture. I set clear expectations, give people ownership, and trust them to deliver. If I have to step in all the time, I’ve either hired the wrong people or haven’t trained them properly.

I don’t attend every meeting. Meetings are a time trap. I ask myself: Do I actually need to be there, or can my team handle it? If it’s just an update, send me a summary. I only show up where my presence adds real value.

I don’t chase every opportunity. Not every opportunity is worth pursuing. I focus on what moves the needle—for my business, my team, and my long-term vision. If it’s a distraction, it’s a ‘no.’

I don’t let busyness replace progress. It’s easy to feel productive when your calendar is full and your inbox is exploding, but busy doesn’t mean effective. I make time for strategic thinking because reacting all day means you’re not leading—you're just surviving.

I don’t ignore my own development. Too many leaders stop learning once they reach the top. I make it a habit to step back, reflect, and sharpen my skills—because the moment I stop growing, my businesses stop growing.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

For me, planning isn’t about creating rigid to-do lists—it’s about setting clear priorities and making sure everything I do moves me closer to my goals. The way I plan isn’t overly complicated, but it’s effective because it keeps me focused on what actually matters.

Weekly Planning: Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing. Every Sunday, I take 20–30 minutes to map out my week. I ask myself:

✅ What are the 3–5 most important things I need to accomplish this week?

✅ What meetings or tasks can I eliminate, delegate, or push back?

✅ Where do I need to be proactive rather than reactive?

I block time for deep work, avoid unnecessary meetings, and focus on impact, not just activity. If something doesn’t align with my priorities, it’s a distraction.

Monthly Planning: Reviewing & Adjusting At the start of each month, I step back and look at the bigger picture:

📌 Are we on track with our business goals?

📌 What’s working, and what needs to change?

📌 What opportunities or risks do I need to prepare for?

I review performance, refine strategies, and make adjustments. This keeps me from getting stuck in short-term firefighting and ensures I’m still aligned with long-term goals.

Yearly Planning: Setting the Vision. At the start of the year, I set high-level objectives:

🔹 Where do I want my businesses to be in 12 months?

What’s the ONE big goal that, if achieved, would make the biggest impact?

🔹 What skills, people, or systems do I need to get there?

I keep it simple—too many leaders overcomplicate their yearly plans and end up doing nothing. Instead, I break big goals into quarterly milestones so I can track progress and stay flexible.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

For me, delegation isn’t about offloading tasks—it’s about multiplying impact. A lot of young leaders struggle with it because they think:

1️⃣ . “I can do it faster myself.”

2️⃣ . “What if they mess it up?”

3️⃣ “I don’t want to look like I’m not doing enough.”

I’ve been there. Early in my career, I thought being a great leader meant handling everything myself. But the truth is, if you’re doing it all, you’re not leading—you’re just working really hard.

Here’s my advice to fix that mindset:

✅ Delegate outcomes, not just tasks. Don’t just tell people what to do—explain why it matters and what success looks like. Instead of saying, “Create this report,” say, “We need this report to highlight our top-performing products so we can adjust our strategy.” That way, they understand the bigger picture and take ownership.

✅ Start small and build confidence. If you’re struggling to let go, start with low-risk tasks. See how your team handles them. As they prove themselves, increase the level of responsibility. Delegation is a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

✅ Let them figure it out (within reason). If you step in at the first sign of struggle, you’re not delegating—you’re micromanaging. Instead of fixing everything, ask, “How would you approach this?” Guide them, don’t rescue them.

✅ Don’t just delegate what you hate. A lot of leaders only delegate the boring stuff. Big mistake. If you only pass on admin work, your team won’t develop. Challenge them with real responsibility.

✅ Give feedback and adjust. Delegation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Give feedback, course-correct when needed, and recognize great work. If someone handles something well, tell them—it builds confidence and trust.