On ScaleX Insider, Dr Benjamin Granger explores the leadership skills that make someone worth following — from self-mastery and emotional intelligence to communication, body language and the ability to influence others.
Benjamin is Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics Experience Management Institute and two-time best-selling author of A Leader Worth Following. His work explores the psychology behind leadership, employee experience and human behaviour.
Benjamin explains the difference between dominance and prestige leadership. Dominance uses authority and pressure to get results and can work in the short term. Prestige is earned through knowledge, skill and contribution to the group — creating leadership people willingly follow.
They also explore why being exceptional at your job does not automatically make you a great manager, why Ben would prioritise EQ over IQ when hiring leaders, and why organisations need better ways to reward brilliant individual contributors.
Ben argues that communication, listening, vulnerability and self-awareness are not really "soft skills" at all. They are human skills — and as AI makes technical knowledge increasingly accessible, they could become even more important.
He also shares practical ways leaders can improve how they show up, from intentional self-reflection and communicating more clearly to using body language more effectively and actively seeking perspectives they disagree with.
The bigger message is simple: if you want to lead and scale others effectively, start by mastering yourself.
In this episode:
00:00 – What scaling with purpose really means
04:00 – The three fundamental human motivators
09:00 – Dominance vs prestige leadership
16:00 – Why soft skills are really the hard skills
21:00 – Why great performers don't always make great managers
29:00 – Hiring for EQ, IQ and trusting your gut
36:00 – Self-mastery and conversations with your future self
43:00 – Why leaders need to rethink communication
49:00 – Shared mental models and team performance
53:00 – The hidden power of body language
1:00:00 – Practical body language tips for leaders
1:06:00 – Why you should seek out people who disagree with you
1:12:00 – Reciprocity, employee experience and customer experience
1:16:00 – How environment shapes behaviour
1:19:00 – Ben's three timeless leadership takeaways
If you are scaling a business and want to become a leader people genuinely trust and want to follow, this episode offers a practical look at the psychology and behaviours that make that possible.
About Dr Benjamin Granger
Dr Benjamin Granger is Chief Workplace Psychologist at Qualtrics Experience Management Institute and two-time best-selling author of A Leader Worth Following. He has more than 15 years of experience building Experience Management programmes globally and leads employee experience thought leadership and research across Qualtrics and the XM Institute.
His research has been featured in Bloomberg, CNBC, Fast Company, Fortune, The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other major publications.
Connect with Benjamin Granger
Website: benjamingranger.com
Book
A Leader Worth Following: How to Master Yourself, Influence Others, and Create Exceptional Experiences
ScaleX
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue
ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue
Website: simplescaling.com
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
