Inspirational Leadership for People Managers, Executives & HR Leaders

What are you doing as a leader to make your organization better in the future? To continuously improve and innovate your organization, you have to explore futures thinking which is about challenging or augmenting your vision.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Nikolas Badminton, a world-renowned futurist speaker and foresight thought leader who mentors leaders to create more connected, curious, and creative teams that embrace futures design to drive more profit and explosive growth. He has spent 30+ years working with leadership at over 300 leading organizations at the frontline of foresight, strategy, and disruption – including NASA, United Nations, Google, Microsoft, Intel, WM, United Way, Bayer, Bank of Canada, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble, IDEO, UK Home Office and many more.

Listen in to learn why you have to shift your mindset from what is to what if by practicing curiosity, courage, and creativity in your organization. You will also learn the importance of letting go of your biases to build trust and empower people to invest in their mental well-being.

Key Takeaways:

• How to shift your mindset from what is to what if by practicing curiosity, courage, and creativity.
• The importance of thinking beyond your lifetime and how you can create a better world for generations to come.
• How to create a people-first organization by making sustainable and ethical decisions.
• How to let go of your biases to build trust and empower your people.

Standout Quotes:

• “We have to think way beyond our lifetime, and beyond the lifetime of our children, how we can create a better world today that’s going to still be here in hundreds of years.”- Nikolas [20:50]
• “Anxiety and pressure are not fuel for creativity and business.”- Nikolas [32:39]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/NikolasBadminton

What does life-work integration look like for you? When it comes to life-work integration, there is no one-size-fits-all. If you want to achieve your version of success and feel fulfillment and well-being, you must create space for introspection to get clear on your vision and make more aligned choices.

In this solo episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I discuss what life-work integration means and where ambitious, high-performing leaders can get stuck. I also explain the importance of getting clear on your values, what matters most to you, and your boundaries to have an aligned life-work integration.

Listen in to learn how to redefine what success looks like for you to make it easier to develop behaviors, habits and actions that will lead to greater meaning, purpose and self-actualization.

Key Takeaways:

• How to create the space for introspection that allows you to make more aligned choices.
• How to recognize what is true for you and honor your “Yes” and “No”.
• How getting clear on your boundaries will help you to make better decisions around life-work integration.
• How to have daring conversations and ask for what you need as a way to have healthier boundaries.

⇢ Let’s connect! I’d love to learn more about your personal and professional goals and see if there may be an opportunity for us to partner together. Learn more about my programs and services at https://kristenharcourt.com/

How do you take action and lead with courage in the middle of fear? When you’re scared of treading tough ground with your team, that’s when you should prepare and take action to set yourself up for success.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Kim Campbell, a retired Air Force Colonel who served in the Air Force for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission in Baghdad. She has experience leading complex organizations and driving cultural change. Kim is passionate about leadership and feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their team.

Listen in to learn the importance of taking a step back in a critical situation and realize that you do have what it takes. You will also learn how to create a high-trust environment where people feel safe to share feedback and connect with you as a leader.

Key Takeaways:

• Get your “step up voice” louder by preparing for failure and practicing some visualization techniques.
• How to be vulnerable and ask for support when needed to be the best leader you can be.
• How to show your team the human side of you to connect and create trust between you.
• The importance of taking a step back in a critical situation and realizing that you do have what it takes.

Standout Quotes:

• “When we’re vulnerable, we create an environment of trust, and people are more willing to give feedback and point out a problem.”- Kim [20:35]
• “In moments when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, it’s best to take that step back, take a deep breath, and realize that you do have what it takes.”- Kim [30:48]
• “It is okay to be afraid, it is okay to be scared, but you have to put yourself in a position to now take action.”- Kim [40:37]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/KImCampbell

How do you define emotional intelligence? We talk a lot about emotional intelligence but are you really clear on what it encompasses? Emotional intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that influence how we perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain social relationships, cope with challenges, and use emotional information effectively and meaningfully.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I define the different components of Emotional Intelligence and why it matters for you as a leader. I expand on why it is valuable for success in leadership but also for who you are in your personal life connecting with those around you.

Listen in to learn more about EQ competencies and how emotional intelligence impacts you and those you interact with.

Key Takeaways:

• How to understand your emotions and have more meaning and purpose personally and professionally as a leader.
• How to build meaningful relationships with those around you by tapping into empathy and social consciousness.
• The tools to help you improve your impulse control and be a better problem-solver.
• How to avoid chronic stress by adopting habits that allow you to work through stress more effectively.

Standout Quotes:

• “Assertiveness is being direct but also being compassionate with the way you’re being direct.”– Kristen [4:55]
• “As you develop and grow in emotional intelligence, it impacts all of you.”– Kristen [11:41]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/EQpodcast

What does it mean to lead like a girl? To invest in wellness and humanize the workplace? Creating a workplace with more purpose and joy is about leading from a positive place and giving your people the space to achieve a high level of energy and productivity.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Dalia Feldheim, a marketing executive, the author of Dare to Lead Like a Girl, and an adjunct professor at the Singapore Management University, where she teaches The Science of Happiness. She has led some of the world’s most iconic advertising campaigns for Procter & Gamble including: Always #LikeAGirl (2014 winner of 14 Cannes awards and Forbes 2020 10 Most Influential Campaigns of the Century). She is also an organizational psychologist running heart- centered leadership development programs for some of the world’s largest tech companies. She is a co-founder, in partnership with Dr. Tal Ben Shahar, of Uppiness.

Listen in to learn about Dalia’s five Ps of building holistic elements of leadership; purpose, perseverance, power up, people/relationships, and positivity. You will also learn about the importance of taking time from work to reflect on your ideas and find a balance.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of constantly building people resources in holistic elements.
• How to find your purpose, bring it into your work, and link it to team and company purpose.
• How to properly invest in wellness at work to achieve a high level of energy and productivity.
• The importance of resting and taking time off to be more focused and reflect on ideas.
• How to turn your pain into purpose by growing from where you were to where you want to go.

Standout Quotes:

• “A good leader needs to be rotating between positive feminine and positive masculine traits.”- Dalia [6:11]
• “It’s magic when we manage to connect personal purpose to team purpose to company purpose.”- Dalia [16:15]
• “Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s about connecting to our superpowers and going ahead anyway.”- Dalia [47:44]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/DaliaFeldheim

Do you want to positively impact your people as a manager? It’s hard to be a good manager, and it takes work, but it also makes the job more meaningful and fun. To change how you show up and treat your people, you must be committed to setting your mindset correctly.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Jason Lauritsen, who is transforming management as a keynote speaker, trainer, and author. He liberates managers from outdated and inhumane practices, so they can cultivate human potential at work and improve people’s lives. His experience ranges from startup CEO to Fortune 1000 executive. He also spent several years leading the Best Places to Work program for an HR technology company, where he gained deep insight into some of the best workplaces in the world. He has authored two books; Unlocking High Performance and Social Gravity.

Listen in to learn how to shift from the production mindset construct to the relationship, conversation, and cultivation mindset as a manager. You will also learn the power of embracing your privilege and choosing to use it for the benefit of the underprivileged.

Key Takeaways:

• How to improve our leadership by enhancing our ability to have conversations that matter.
• How to shift from a production mindset to relationship, conversation, and cultivation mindsets as managers.
• The importance of utilizing your privilege and voice to benefit the less privileged and marginalized people.
• The power of owning your faults and being accountable for how you show up as a person and a leader.

Standout Quotes:

• “At the heart of all of the issues that we have around leadership and management is the fundamental lack of relationship skills and specifically our inability to have the conversations that matter.”- Jason [9:22]
• “Privilege in of itself isn’t a bad thing; it’s what you do with it.”-Jason [32:44]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/JasonLauritsen

Have you ever thought about the brand principles of your favorite brand and how you can apply them in your own life? Brands focus on doing a lot of deep work to find a brand purpose and connect with people. Borrowing brand principles from brands you love and applying them to your life will help you tap into your emotions and connect with who you are and other people.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Keka DasGupta, a Professional Speaker, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trainer, Marketer, and Founder of the Art of Life-ing. Keka believes in moving people from helpless to helpful through a powerful, free currency called: Gratitude. As a 20-year award-winning PR/marketing veteran, Keka has dedicated her entire working life to studying the emotional undercurrents that connect people to people, and people to brands. She runs Gratitude workshops across North America for both students (with an anti-bullying focus) and corporate audiences (with a focus on building happy corporate cultures).

Listen in to learn the power of quiet leadership in transforming individual employees, workplaces, cultures, and brands holistically. You will also learn how to help your people believe in themselves unconditionally so they can bring out the best in themselves.

Key Takeaways:

• How giving ourselves permission to be our own advocate changes everything in our lives.
• The importance of allowing yourself to feel all the emotions and show up authentically.
• The power of quiet leadership in transforming workplaces, cultures, and brands holistically.
• How as a leader you can help your people believe in themselves unconditionally.

Standout Quotes:

• ‘If we start with ourselves and give ourselves permission to be our own advocate, it changes everything.”- Keka [7:40]
• “Quiet leadership is not just for introverts and not just for extroverts; it is a way of being.”- Keka [29:07]
• “The most successful CEOs are the ones who see potential in their people before those people even see it for themselves, and then they help them rise to that occasion.”- Keka [33:45]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/KekaDasGupta

What are you doing as a leader to create a safe space for your people? It is crucial in these times for leaders to create safe spaces where their people can bring forth their feedback and concerns without fear. This helps them unload and feel heard and understood, which is, in turn, rewarding to the organization.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Farnoosh Brock, a passionate keynote speaker, high-energy trainer, published author, and the founder of the Serving Mindset. Her mission is to bring the Serving Mindset to professionals and leaders, shifting from driving our interest agendas to serving powerfully in our ecosystem. She believes this shift is key to building our future workplaces and cultures and taking care of our highest asset – our people.

Listen in to learn the importance of centering the human element in the workplace for organizations to do right by their people. You will also learn the importance of working through your impostor syndrome to step into your power and own your expertise.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of the human element in the workplace for organizations to do right by their people.
• How to bring empathy and compassion into difficult conversations to create safe spaces in the workplace.
• How to build a feedback culture where people air their concerns and feel heard and understood.
• How to work through your impostor syndrome to step into your power and own your expertise.

Standout Quotes:

• “The more successful I became in my career, the less fulfilled I was becoming on the inside.”– Farnoosh [2:06]
• “You can give some difficult feedback and still be compassionate; you separate the feedback from attacking the person.”– Farnoosh [19:00]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/FarnooshBrock

What type of leader are you when faced with a crisis? Are you an optimist, or pessimist, or do you personalize the crisis? How you show up in a time of crisis is a strong predictor of the quality of the leadership that you have.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Dr. Daniel Monehin, a leadership keynote speaker and adjunct professor. He uniquely combines real-world global leadership experience and rigorous empirical research. Dr. Daniel has had a 30-year career where he has held various leadership roles in diverse businesses, from start-ups to global businesses across wide-ranging industries.

Listen in to learn why you can never sidestep crisis response as a leader, plus how to develop the skill of pragmatic optimism. You will also learn the importance of taking a pause and asking questions to understand a crisis in your organization instead of being dismissive.

Key Takeaways:

• The power of being compelling in your message as a leader to influence people.
• How to take a pause and make your emotional side conscious to be able to lead with it.
• Learn to ask questions and be informed before you dismiss a crisis as a leader.
• How to harness goodwill from your people during a crisis by learning to externalize your feelings about it in a believable way.

Standout Quotes:

• “In leadership development, if people don’t believe you, they’re not going to take your message.”- Dr. Daniel
• “You cannot delegate crisis response as a leader, actually, crisis is nothing other than a test of leadership.”- Dr. Daniel [28:14]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/DrDanielMonehin

How are you working towards connecting people in your organization as a leader? Do you have a working strategy in place on diversity, equity, and inclusion? For DEI to work in any organization, leaders must commit to a strategy aimed at connecting people and having them work together.

In this episode of the Inspirational Leadership podcast, I speak with Tara Robertson, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and leadership coach. She analyzes qualitative and quantitative HR data to diagnose what companies’ biggest diversity and inclusion issues are and works with internal stakeholders to co-design interventions based on research best practices and experience about what actually moves the needle.

Listen in to learn the importance of having an organizational strategy on diversity, equity, and inclusion. You will also learn how to be mindful and fully present in the way you show up as a leader to yourself and others.

Key Takeaways:

• The uncomfortable conversations we need to have to establish a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy.
• How to engage your body, heart, and spirit to help you notice when things are not working out.
• How to achieve mindfulness and be fully present for yourself and others around you.
• Learn and take action to disrupt discriminatory behavior in yourself and others.

Standout Quotes:

• “We need to collectively dream the future that we want.”- Tara [19:28]
• “We need to engage our hearts, spirits, and bodies; our bodies give us messages when things are not okay.”- Tara [23:22]

⇢ Get full show notes and more information here: https://bit.ly/PodcastTaraRobertson