What if leadership wasn’t just about authority, decisions, or overseeing tasks done, but about developing powerful interpersonal relationships to inspire and influence?
In this episode, we will explore how Relational Leadership focuses on cultivating trust and connection. We’ll share practical tips on how to build meaningful relationships and navigate complexity, thus transforming our effectiveness as leaders. Learn how to cultivate leadership that is both empathetic while maintaining a standard of high performance and accountability in your team.

Moira's biography:
Moira Mallon is an expert in seeing beneath the surface and getting to the heart of the problem, which often in organisations is all about people and the dynamics they have with each other. Moira is a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation and for over 20 years has coached hundreds of leaders, including those leading the Christchurch’s post-earthquake rebuild. Her coaching is informed by systemic thinking, emotional development, and transformative tools like The Leadership Circle and a practice in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Whether she’s coaching CEOs, senior executives or rising leaders, Moira brings a fierce belief in the power of human potential.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:


00:00 - Intro
02:25 - How Moira became a leadership coach focused on leadership development
04:00 - What the emotional experience of leadership means
05:35 - Defining relational leadership
07:55 - How leaders can prioritise connection over control to create psychological safety
10:15 - The physiology behind helpful and unhelpful coping strategies during times of change
13:50 - How leaders can develop presence within an organisation
16:35 - The two key questions to ask when building connections with your team
18:25 - The importance of emotional control and consistency
20:35 - Managing the tension between employee performance and connection
23:10 - What separates leaders who build trust from those who don’t
26:10 - Modelling authentic leadership and resilience in high-pressure environments
29:10 - Influencing up - creating positive change when a leader lacks self-awareness
32:50 - How to intentionally build connection and trust in hybrid or remote teams
36:15 - How leaders can explore the emotional needs behind employee performance issues
39:00 - What defines a great workplace culture
42:00 - Is it bad culture if you’re clear about high workloads and long hours?
45:30 - How often leaders should communicate during periods of change
48:45 - The influence of indigenous practices on relational leadership
51:00 - How to respect boundaries when building deeper connections
52:45 - Why empathetic conversation is the first step toward relational leadership
55:10 - Moira’s one wellbeing practice