Forward-Looking Leadership

Liz Landry (fromoperatortoownerbook.com [http://fromoperatortoownerbook.com/]), speaker, strategist, and author of the forthcoming book From Operator to Owner: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Running a Business That Doesn't Run You [https://lizlandry.com/fromoperatortoowner], joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [http://contempusleadership.com/]) to explain why so many entrepreneurs end up trapped by the businesses they built. Liz argues that getting unstuck requires a shift from the "hard work" identity that gets a business off the ground to the identity of a leader (02:31) and lays out her four-stage framework for sustainable growth (10:07). Liz offers a practical test for when a solopreneur is ready to make a first hire (17:21), contrasts the wiring of entrepreneurs with the skillsets that leadership actually demands (27:16), and sheds light on the misconception that you're the only one struggling (33:24). Recommended Reading: "The Road Less Stupid" [https://www.amazon.com/Road-Less-Stupid-Keith-Cunningham/dp/0984659269] by Keith J. Cunningham and "The E-Myth Revisited" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-e-myth-revisited-why-most-small-businesses-don-t-work-and-what-to-do-about-it-michael-e-gerber/e748163cc1e35924] by Michael E. Gerber. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [http://forwardlookingleadership.com/].

Joe Davis (linkedin.com/in/joedavis1313 [https://linkedin.com/in/joedavis1313], joedavis.com) [https://joedavis.com/], former Head of Boston Consulting Group-North America and author of The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone's Gain, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://contempusleadership.com/]) to discuss what separates truly generous leadership from simply being nice. Joe draws the distinction between direct kindness and fearful 'nice' (03:05). He explains why technology, the always-on work-life blur, and the disappearance of lifetime job security have made command-and-control unworkable (06:39). Joe argues that the rise of AI raises the premium on generous leaders who can guide their teams through change (11:02), tells a vulnerable personal story about his father and explains how sharing it with colleagues deepened trust (17:52), and offers hard-won lessons on driving organizational change (26:16). Joe and Dan discuss the role of purpose in private-sector companies (30:20), Joe's lessons on nonprofit board service (35:28), and what he hopes executives will take away from the book (37:25). Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com/].

Kirsten de Greling-Visman (linkedin.com/in/kirstendegrelingvisman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstendegrelingvisman/], claritycompasscareercoach.com [https://www.claritycompasscareercoach.com/]), international career strategist and founder of Clarity Compass Career Coaching, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]) to share how she helps clients use AI smartly in their job search. Kirsten explains why she started building AI systems after watching clients' applications lose all personality (00:48), and walks through her "own your story" foundation, culture matching, and trigger-event research (05:07). She makes the case for using Gemini's live, Google-integrated search rather than frozen data (07:31), and breaks down her weekly strategy across the public and hidden job markets (11:01). Kirsten and Dan discuss why human connection and networking are still critical even with AI (21:21), her own path across nine countries and path to career coaching (26:02), and why most senior transitions happen before a role is ever posted (33:36). Recommended Reading: "Working Identity [https://bookshop.org/p/books/working-identity-unconventional-strategies-for-reinventing-your-career-herminia-ibarra/570a62bc3a115939]" by Herminia Ibarra. Kirsten also returns often to Brené Brown on owning your story, and points to LinkedIn and Brainz Magazine (brainzmagazine.com [https://www.brainzmagazine.com/]) as ongoing resources. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com/].

Stephe McMahon (boardbridge.com [https://www.boardbridge.com/], linkedin.com/in/stephe-mcmahon-3b2750/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephe-mcmahon-3b2750/]), co-founder and Chief BridgeBuilder at BoardBridge, which empowers corporate employees to serve on nonprofit boards, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [https://www.contempusleadership.com/]) to dig into why there are more than a million open seats on nonprofit boards and how to close the gap. Stephe explains why the on-ramp to board service is so unclear and how BoardBridge lowers the barrier for individuals and nonprofits alike (01:18). He shares his advice for aspiring board members (07:55) and gives a crash course on board service (14:20). Stephe and Dan discuss board service as a form of leadership development, including new Taproot Foundation and PwC research showing pro bono service outperforms traditional training on human skills (17:44). Stephe makes the case for using your "new kid card" and what good governance actually looks like (32:25) and walks through the BoardBridge process end to end (38:10). Recommended Reading: BoardSource's resources [https://boardsource.org/] and Taproot Foundation and PwC's "Human Skills at Work [https://taprootfoundation.org/tools/human-skills-at-work-pro-bono-service-driving-development-in-a-changing-world-of-work/]" report. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [https://forwardlookingleadership.com/].

Lauren Goldberg (laurengoldbergcoaching.com [http://laurengoldbergcoaching.com/], linkedin.com/in/lauren-e-goldberg/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-e-goldberg/]), a career self-discovery and leadership coach for changemakers working with their ADHD instead of against it, joins host Dan Freehling (contempusleadership.com [http://contempusleadership.com/]). Lauren explains why the ADHD label is just bad branding and what leaders can actually do to support neurodivergent team members (00:39). She unpacks internalized ableism and what it looks like to turn down the volume on the inner critic and work with your natural wiring rather than against it (03:50). Lauren and Dan explore why overconfidence and under-confidence so often come from the same place, and how to build confidence that is not rooted in self-judgment (08:33). Lauren describes the exhausting cost of masking and the freedom of embracing the unique shape that school never made room for (13:03). She also shares how she is rethinking her own inner bully and inner best friend language through the lens of parts work (20:24). The conversation turns to the new frontiers she's exploring in her practice, from nonviolent communication and decolonizing the framework to moving from canceling toward calling people in (24:03). Lauren lays out the crux of Marshall Rosenberg's nonviolent communication (29:12) and closes with book recommendations through a disability justice lens (31:58). Recommended Reading: "Nonviolent Communication" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/nonviolent-communication-a-language-of-life-life-changing-tools-for-healthy-relationships-marshall-b-rosenberg/10180253?ean=9781892005281] by Marshall B. Rosenberg, "D [https://bookshop.org/p/books/nonviolent-communication-a-language-of-life-life-changing-tools-for-healthy-relationships-marshall-b-rosenberg/10180253?ean=9781892005281]ecolonizing Nonviolent Communication" [https://www.meenadchi.com/] by Meenadchi, "Calling In: How to Start M [https://www.meenadchi.com/]aking Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/calling-in-how-to-start-making-change-with-those-you-d-rather-cancel-loretta-j-ross/3628632975c0d0e8] by Loretta Ross, "The Body Is Not an Apology" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/calling-in-how-to-start-making-change-with-those-you-d-rather-cancel-loretta-j-ross/3628632975c0d0e8] by Sonya Renee Taylor, "Being [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-body-is-not-an-apology-second-edition-the-power-of-radical-self-love-sonya-renee-taylor/fa663e923147ae53]Heumann" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/being-heumann-an-unrepentant-memoir-of-a-disability-rights-activist-judith-heumann/15281048] by Judy Heumann, and "Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice" [https://bookshop.org/p/books/care-work-dreaming-disability-justice-leah-lakshmi-piepzna-samarasinha/16603798] by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Show notes at forwardlookingleadership.com [http://forwardlookingleadership.com/].