Human-Centered Leadership Podcast

How powerful would it be if we all did a better job of granting grace to others as they progress on their journey? In this week's episode, we are blessed to hear from Robert H. Johnson Jr. as he shares how  leaders can increase their impact by extending grace and creating an environment where people feel safe, seen, heard, and valued.  Robert is the founder of the RHJ Consulting Group. He is a transformational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and leadership consultant, coach and speaker. Learn more about how to engage Robert at https://www.rhjconsultinggroup.com/  

What if we could learn how reduce the polarization in our politics, our families, and our workplace? In this episode, we learn practical tips to do just that as we sit down with Monica Guzman--bridge builder, journalist and author of the book,  I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.  A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents.We hope you enjoy this illuminating discussion as much as we did. Watch Mónica's fantastic Ted Talk, How Curiosity Will Save Us. https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_guzman_how_curiosity_will_save_us_jan_2022 Check out Monica's:  I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. https://a.co/d/b34aHOm Learn more about the Braver Angels organization - https://braverangels.org/.  Learn more about Mónica on her website - https://www.moniguzman.com/.

In this episode we get to hear from Dr. Lorinna Eastman, currently a Partner at HR consulting firm "HR Catalyst", and a former SVP of Leadership Development and Talent Management for Bank of America.   Drawing from her deep experience in helping organizations of all sizes thrive , Lorinna shares some practical insights with us, including how a leader can create a sense of purpose for their organization, how a leader can intentionally build mechanisms to connect with their team on a human-level, and some indicators of when it might be the right time for a person to make the leap to a new job. Learn more about HR Catalyst: https://hr-catalyst.com/

In this episode  we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Jacob Hess, Director of Research at Impact Suite, an organization that helps businesses reduce costs by encouraging employees to get at the roots of depression, anxiety and addiction - and move towards deeper and more lasting healing.   Jacob holds a PhD in Clinical-Community psychology from the University of Illinois and is the author of numerous articles and books (see links below).  In today's episode, Jacob gives practical tips on how to be a more effective leader through both mindfulness and through engaging in healthy dialogue with others with whom we don't agree. Check out Jacob's work that we mention in the podcast: https://www.deseret.com/2022/3/9/22949616/perspective-the-braver-angels-miracle-polarization-democrats-republicans-dialogue-politics-electionhttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Stillness-Mindful-Living-Latter-day-ebook/dp/B083LFZBD7https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Crazy-Thought-Still-Wrong/dp/1612344615If you're interested in learning more about Impact Suite, schedule a demo here:  https://www.impactsuite.com/

Perhaps you've read about the Manager-as-coach trend and you're wondering what exactly that looks like, and how you might add the coaching skill set to your manager tool box.  In today's episode, we have the privilege of learning about coaching from Graham Segroves, an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach and a mentor coach , who has been coaching executives of Fortune 500 companies for over 10 years.  In this episode, Graham will cover, among other topics: What coaching is, how it differs from telling, and when to use each as a manager.How to avoid common pitfalls that managers run into when attempting to bring coaching into their management practice. Learn more about Graham on his website: https://grahamsegroves.com/

To kick off the second season of the Human-Centered Leadership podcast, we're honored to have Charles "Chip" Huth join us for a discussion on the power of seeing people as people rather than as objects, numbers, or in his case, as criminals.   Chip brings a fascinating perspective on the topic, having recently retired as an executive commander with the Kansas City Police Department where he served for 30 years, including time leading SWAT teams.  Is it possible to see people as people when breaking down their doors and arresting them? You might be surprised.   Chip currently serves as senior consultant for the Arbinger Institute. He also consults for international law enforcement, military, and corporate clients. Check out Chip's podcast Changing Discourse - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/changing-discourse/id1534621561 And his TED talk - The Importance of Mindset in Policing 

The late Fred Rogers, of Mr. Roger's neighborhood, has seen a resurgence of popularity, including the release of two major films on his life in the past 3 years (Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018); A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)) .  Something about his message of empathy and kindness seems to resonate with us now more than ever.  We asked ourselves, What might Mr. Rogers say about leadership in today's world? In this episode we have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Dana Winters, executive director of the Fred Rogers Center, and an expert in her own right on human connection. Dana draws from Fred's teachings to share insights on relevant topics for today's leaders, including: - How to build an inclusive work environment through the art of listening first- How to give correction to an employee in a way that brings growth without shame.  

So far In this podcast, our episodes have featured experienced leaders reflecting on how they leave their employees better than they found them.  Today we shift gears a bit, and learn from a leading academic in the field of management, Dr. Ryan Quinn, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Louisville.  Ryan is the co-author of the book Lift: The fundamental State of Leadership and numerous journal articles including his Harvard Business Review article, "Why You Shouldn't Label People Low Performers".  In our conversation, Ryan draws on current research to provide tips for managers on topics such as:  The importance of a growth mindset for leaders and how to foster it.Why it's important to not label our employees, and some advice for those whose company's performance management systems ask them to label employees as part of their talent review process.How leaders can work backwards from virtues, such as courage, love, and forgiveness, to transform their leadership effectiveness. 

John Russett, former VP of NA Manufacturing at General Mills, is known for his ability to inspire large organizations through a personal, high-touch style of leadership.  In this episode John discusses his mindset that every employee wants to be successful, and how that understanding transformed his leadership. He speaks to the common challenges facing leaders, including: how to hold people accountable in a way that motivates instead of threatens, how to find time to build personal connections with direct reports, and how to help employees who are underperforming. 

You know that leader in your organization that everyone wants to work for? I’m thankful that I had the chance to work for such a leader, and now I’m happy that we got to have her as a guest on our podcast. Claudia King recently retired as a director of leadership development of a large technology company, where she left a remarkable legacy.  Join us as she shares some of her secret sauce of how to be the type of boss people want to work for, including: creating a fun work environment where your employees are happy, and the how she uses the “What will I remember in 20 years?” rule to keep things in perspective. Claudia's favorite book, referenced multiple times in the episode: The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalia Lama - https://a.co/d/f38mk1r

Have you ever had one of those remarkable leaders who, although they led a large organization, still managed to make you feel like you mattered to them as an individual?  Today we get to hear from just such a leader--Wesley Thompson.  Wes is a former Vice President of Community Health for Intermountain Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West.  He is also a lay ecclesiastical leader who has held numerous leadership roles in his community.  In this episode Wes shares important and practical leadership principles that he has learned, including: the lost art of picking up the phone and calling someone;  the importance of acknowledging when you're wrong and saying sorry; and delivering hard messages by speaking the truth in love.     

Whether you're into mindfulness and yoga or not, we think you'll learn important principles of leadership in this episode featuring Denise Druce--TED Talk speaker, yoga instructor, and leader of Yoga Forward, a non-profit outreach program that brings the healing benefits of yoga to those who need it most, including prison inmates.  Denise shares practical ways we can be a better leaders, including:How to see the potential in those you work with, or, as she puts it, how to see your people as "giants." How to use the "Grow and Glow" model to give constructive feedback in a way that leaves people better.And she even gets a real-time breathing exercise in.Watch Denise's amazing TED Talk video here, and find over 100 yoga sessions for all levels at her YouTube channel here. 

Have you ever had someone believe in you? What kind of a difference did it make in your life? In this episode, we learn from Daniel Bartlett, founder of Team Body Project https://teambodyproject.com/, a home workout system with over 100 million home workouts completed, who has transformed lives through the power of encouragement.   You may be surprised at how relevant his tips are for your leadership, including:- How to be authentic as a leader and the fun work environment that brings- How to bring out the best effort in people by helping them feel like winners- The most important element in driving change management? Love.

Perhaps you, like many our current work climate, find yourself leading a remote team. You may wonder how you can connect with and engage your team members even when you can't see them and be with them in person.  In today's episode we have the pleasure of talking with Mary Lowrance, who over the course of her career has held senior leadership roles, including CFO, across a variety of companies and industries. Most recently, Mary was an Operations Manager of a team of over 1000 work-from-home customer service agents.  Mary shares tips on how to connect with virtual employees in a personal way, including hosting a virtual "coffee clatch," or chiming in with bad jokes on a team chat room.  She also shares how to create a culture in which employees feel safe enough to give their boss feedback and to view failure as an opportunity to learn. 

Terry Lim, former COO of premier pet retailer Pet Food Express,  spent over 25 years building a work culture where employees are happy and engaged, which translated into a differentiated customer experience.  The culture he built resulted in the company winning the "Bay Area Top Workplace" award for 10 years straight and led to Business Insider naming the company in 2015 as one of the "25 Companies That Are Revolutionizing Retail."Join us as Terry describes his journey to build that culture, and learn some practical tips along the way including:  using positive reinforcement to change employees' behavior even when the leader is not present; how to create a culture in which employees feel empowered to break with policy when it's the right thing to do.