Leadership Is Changing

As leaders, we need to remember that people can not run on empty, including ourselves. It’s essential that we protect our mental health and that of our teams.

Kevin Dedner serves as founder and CEO of the Washington D.C. based company - Hurdle, which provides culturally intentional teletherapy to eliminate barriers that make it harder for people of color to get mental health care.

Kevin is deeply connected to Hurdle’s mission, having suffered a period of depression where he found the biggest challenge to effective care was finding the right therapist who could truly understand and connect with his struggles as an African American man. 

Kevin recently penned his first book, The Joy of the Disinherited: Essays on Oppression, Trauma and Black Mental Health. 

An award-winning public speaker, Kevin has over 20 years of experience in the public health space. 

Jump into this important episode, and learn how to create space to protect mental health

On this episode:

• Kevin’s incredible story and journey of deciding to use his skills for the good of leadership and his navigation of mental health 
• Learn the value and importance of utilizing the skill of gathering and building consensus among people 
• The pandemic really impacted people’s mental health; did we handle it right? What could we have done better, and what can we do better?
• What we can do as leaders to protect the mental health of our teams and ourselves and create a mentally healthy environment 
• Leaders model behavior for their teams. Vulnerability is a superpower. Ask, ‘how are you feeling in this moment?’ 
• How to be a reflective leader by sitting quiet and truly listening

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership, just like life, is a conscious decision 
• Learn all you can from the wisdom of your elders 
• Allow everyone to be heard
• Leaders need to be conscious of protecting mental health 
• Give yourself space to be tired and take a break - “It’s Okay”
• Sit quiet, listen, reflect 

Tweetable Quotes:

“I just think that’s what leadership is about right now: how do we build consensus? How do we make sure that everyone’s heard and feels heard?” - Kevin Dedner

“I’m really diligent in protecting my mental health… It’s not fair to your brain to go from one thing to the next thing.” - Kevin Dedner

“Any time you move too fast, you’re more prone to making mistakes.” - Kevin Dedner

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn and Twitter. Be sure to visit https://www.hurdle.health/ for more on the leading provider on culturally intentional healthcare.

Resources:

• The Joy of the Disinherited: Essays on Oppression, Trauma and Black Mental Health

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Leaders need to be flexible, nimble, and adopt change as their mindset. But even the most exemplary leaders are in danger of getting held back by one thing: their past experiences. 

Dennis Mark serves as Advisor to the CEO of Lantern.AI, providing “x-as-a-service” business model for SaaS/AI startups. He is also a Member of the Academic and Examination Board in Boston Business School. 

Prior to these appointments, Dennis has more than 30 years of experience in the IT/technology industry and has held various Vice President and General Manager positions in strategic business planning, sales, marketing, brand management and customer experience across Asia Pacific markets. 

He is the co-author of a book called Thriving at Work - What School Couldn't Teach You! “Technical” skills + “Soft” skills = Work and Career Success.

Let’s dive in, team, and learn from Dennis how you can stay open to change by not letting the past define your future.

On this episode:

• Learn more about the transition from startup to corporate to board and how to always stay ahead of the curve no matter the new environment
• The importance of building long term relationships that impact your future by being strategic in your networking 
• How Dennis learned that the past should not stop you from exploring new areas of interest that you may just excel in
• The importance of being an adaptive leader - for your environment, organization and people, and yourself - change can happen at any time (Ex. COVID)
• As a leader, you need to have a high overview of every situation, but be ready to it your mark with pinpoint accuracy at any moment 
• External factors are impacting internal aspects of organizations faster than they can change - stay curious so you can be ready for change

Key Takeaways:

• Change needs to be your mindset
• Networking is about the value you can give others
• Don’t let the past stop you from getting ready for your next boundary
• Discipline, focus and consistency will define your future
• HALO - High Altitude, Low Opening
• Keep your curiosity signals up and ready for change

Tweetable Quotes:

“You need to have a change in your mindset… In a company I have to be as flexible, as nimble, as adaptable to the environment as I needed to be.” - Dennis Mark

“You need to continue to explore new boundaries… don’t let the past define your future.” - Dennis Mark

“If you want to reach your goal and dreams, you can not do it without discipline.” - Dennis Mark

Connect with Dennis on LinkedIn. Take a look at https://www.thelantern.ai/ and learn more about the growing use of AI in leadership.

Resources:

• Thriving at Work - What School Couldn’t Teach You

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Is it time to leave? So many people are questioning their current circumstances and positions and saying, ‘you know what, it’s time for something better.’ Many are calling it the Great Resignation. So where do you fit into all this? It’s important to be clear about what you want and where you’re going.

So let’s dive in and take a look at this trend; why it’s happening, its effects, and what we can do as leaders to be the ones people come TO rather than walk away FROM. 

On this episode:

• Have you heard of the Great Resignation? Something is driving people, especially employees, to make the decision to leave their current situations. Let’s look at what’s behind this driving force. The grass may not always be greener on the other side.
• Learn what we need to do as leaders to attract and maintain talented people in our organizations.

Key Takeaways:

• People are thinking more about what they want to do
• The grass may not be greener on the other side
• If you leave, you need to be clear about what you want 
• How you take care of people will keep them with you 
• Make work an exciting place to be
• Remember to look at all aspects of a new role to your life 

Tweetable Quotes:

“People are starting to think about what it is they want to go and do… but what I want to ask is: is the grass really greener on the other side?” - Denis Gianoutsos

“People are very important to you and your business, and without people your business won’t move… The way we treat people and look after people is really important.” - Denis Gianoutsos

Reach out to Denis:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Being a ‘nice’ leader isn’t good enough anymore. People want to be led by passionate individuals who fuel their fire with purpose to overcome challenging situations!

Denice Torres, as a gay, Hispanic female, had to overcome quite a challenging background herself. Through it all she was able to grow her career to the C-suite of one of the largest corporations in the world. 

Today, Denice is on a board of directors and former Fortune 50 executive turned entrepreneur. 

For over 25 years her passion was running large businesses in pharma/consumer health/medtech that truly made a difference in people’s lives. 

She was president of several multi-billion-dollar companies and chief strategy/transformation officer for a +$20B business. After a series of recalls and challenges, she became the president of the company that makes Tylenol and other over-the-counter consumer products. 

I encourage you to really lean into this episode and learn from Denice what it means to lead on fire.

On this episode:

• Learn Denice’s incredible background and journey into leadership with the power of encouraging mentorship
• How leaders have such an opportunity to give confidence when they put ego to the side
• Developing the superpower of just being a real person for others
• Leadership needed to change. Just making money isn’t good enough anymore, as leaders we need to balance the need for purpose with the needs of the business
• How to get off of autopilot and really work from a place of purpose - practice gratitude no matter the circumstances - set yourself on fire!
• How to help your team feel heard and seen to give them the energy to carry on

Key Takeaways:

• Leaders have the power to impact confidence
• Connect with others by just being yourself
• People want purpose and leaders need to fulfill that
• Start with the end in mind - what is it that you want to say with your life? 
• Passion doesn’t happen on its own, you need to set yourself on fire
• Making your team feel heard will lead to better results
• You take the risk, I take the blame 

Tweetable Quotes:

“Leading others is such a privilege… it gives meaning to our life.” - Denice Torres

“We want to know that what we’re doing matters, we want to be seen, we want someone to believe in us. An effective leader needs to be able to connect and needs to be able to fulfill those needs.” - Denice Torres

“Success is not a matter of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire” - Denice Torres

Connect with Denice on LinkedIn. Be sure to check out https://www.thementoringplace.com/ and learn more about real-world career mentoring for women by leading executives.

Resources:

• How to Build (and Rebuild) Trust
• Flip the Tortilla Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

There’s a key factor that sets leaders apart - values. People don’t always respect and follow bosses, but they do respect people of value. 

Dave Ferguson, the Leaders Coach, is an internationally respected executive coach, speaker, facilitator, and author, in the areas of leadership and personal development.

In his signature direct, yet highly connective style, Dave helps business owners, executives, top management leaders, and political leaders transform how they communicate, connect, and grow in their leadership roles and more.  

Prior to launching his coaching and speaking business in 2008, Dave served 20 years in corporate leadership roles in Fortune 500 banking, real estate, and investment companies. 

Jump right in and learn from Dave’s experience about the importance and impact of leadership values and legacy.

On this episode:

• Learn more about how Dave was thrusted into the world of leadership from an early age and how he had to grow in his leadership values later on.
• Are you a boss or a leader? Find out how values determine which one you are and the level of respect and transformation you generate.
• How mentorship brought Dave out of the boss mentality and left a legacy in Dave’s own leadership. 
• Find out what you should be looking for in a great leader: Do they walk the talk? Have they mastered humility? 
• How to set up and build your legacy for the future - when should you start building it and how to do it.
• Dave talks about how advancing the vision of your organization creates a successful leader. 

Key Takeaways:

• Values are the difference between bosses and leaders
• People need to agree you are a person of value
• Open and expand your lens on leadership all over the world
• There’s always something new to learn about leadership
• Accountability and humility determine a person’s level of leadership
• Legacy starts the minute you’re placed in leadership

Tweetable Quotes:

“People don’t have to agree with what you value… but they really need to agree you’re a person OF value.” - Dave Ferguson

“The minute you’re placed into a leadership position… that’s when you have to start working on the legacy piece.” - Dave Ferguson

“The leader that can hold the most perspectives but make none of them solid will be your legacy leader.” - Dave Ferguson

Connect with Dave on Facebook and LinkedIn. Be sure to jump over to https://livingtolead.com/ to learn more about transformational leadership coaching for you and your team.

Resources:

• Ask Coach Dave
• Playbook for Setting and Achieving Your Goals
• Boss or Leader

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

Many leaders feel that they have to be everything to everybody, having all the solutions to all problems. It’s amazing how many of those people out there are telling people what to do rather than asking the questions that could create better results and building up others. In this episode, I want to dive into this topic a bit more and help us uncover the approach of asking rather than telling.

On this episode:

• Learn how while many leaders feel they need to take everything on for themselves, which doesn’t really help anyone long term, they should really be asking questions and bringing people on the journey with them.
• “The best thing since sliced bread” - when you let the team come up with a solution, they take ownership over it and it becomes the best thing, rather than a band aid solution. Let’s look at an effective way we can ask questions.

Key Takeaways:

• Asking questions brings solutions 
• You can help people grow by asking questions
• Let your team take ownership of a solution
• Bring a coaching approach 
• Give your team the space to answer questions
• The power of the ‘Aha!’ moment 

Tweetable Quotes:

“In most day by day operations of an organization, the leadership, the culture; comes down to one thing… Asking, not telling.” - Denis Gianoutsos

“I’ve seen a lot of leaders whereby they actually try to tell the person a solution… but then, what are people learning from that? It’s not really a long term solution.” - Denis Gianoutsos

“If we ask people questions and they come up with the idea, then it’s the ‘best thing since sliced bread!’ They’re going to own it, they’re probably going to take the accountability for it, because it’s their idea.” - Denis Gianoutsos

Reach out to Denis:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

A business owner, author, speaker, and influencer, Donna Serdula thrives on empowering people to transform their lives and realize their most sought-after goals.

Donna, the pioneer of LinkedIn profile optimization, built the successful website, LinkedIn-Makeover.com more than a decade ago. 

In that time, she has worked with more than 6,000 executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals, utilizing a talented team of over 30 writers, coaches, and branding specialists to bring dynamic brand storytelling to the masses. 

She is also the author of the book “LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies,” published by Wiley. 

Let’s jump right into the episode and learn how LinkedIn is a gateway to success.

On this episode:

• Learn more about how Donna built a successful company around helping executives optimize their LinkedIn profiles and why it’s important to get savvy around technology
• The different ways LinkedIn can be used around your specific business, voice, and strategy 
• The kind of content that pushes you to the top of the LinkedIn feed 
• How to attract executives to your account by telling your story, who you are and why you do it
• How LinkedIn can help you show vulnerability in your brand, your story, and your leadership 
• It doesn’t stop at LinkedIn, how you lead your team and position yourself will determine the quality of your acquisition 

Key Takeaways:

• You have the power over people’s perception of you 
• Curating content and adding your own context
• LinkedIn rewards quality over quantity - consistency and quality
• Research the right hashtags to use and use up to 3 per post
• The best time to start is NOW - Dig your well before you’re thirsty
• Don’t hold your team so tightly 

Tweetable Quotes:

“You do have the power to control, to shape, how others perceive you.” - Donna Serdula

“LinkedIn is a platform to educate, to add value, to help others, to give advice, to inspire. That’s what you should be aiming for.” - Donna Serdula 

Connect with Donna on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Be sure to check out https://www.linkedin-makeover.com/ and start transforming your business through LinkedIn optimization.

Resources:

• Dream Big with Big Dreamers Podcast
• LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

People are looking for change. They are looking for leaders and organizations they can trust, and today’s guest believes that if we shift our voice and thinking, we can be those leaders.

Paul Diver is the Founder and Director of Employment Relations consulting firm,Three60 Consult Ltd and also a director of various other organizations.

Paul is highly experienced in collective bargaining, strategic employment relations, and organisational change. 

He has worked with employers across a wide range of business and organisation sectors as the “go-to” advocate and adviser and is a successful facilitator across various areas.

Dive in and let’s learn how to build our trust banks, since leadership is about building trusted relationships.

On this episode:

• How studying law became the gateway for Paul to learn key strategies in engaging and bargaining with other organizations as well as leadership development
• How trust in an organization plays a huge role in business negotiations 
• Why people are looking for change and how we as leaders can bring it to them
• A look at how Air New Zealand leads from a place of trust and relationship with their employees
• What it means to be in a place of discovery and and controlling the controllables
• How Paul drives the story and core value of trust in his own organization 

Key Takeaways:

• Relationship building is a key to leadership development
• Find the right voice to build trust between organizations
• People are ready for a different way of leading 
• Be transparent and real - don’t hide things from your people 
• Leaders who want to champion change need: vision, service, and self leadership 
• We are human BEINGS not human ‘doings’ 

Tweetable Quotes:

“People are looking for the change. They’re looking for a different way to be leaders and to be, therefore, more effective.” - Paul Diver 

“Leaders need to be authentic, they need to be absolutely real, and they need to be sharing the news as it arrives.” - Paul Diver

“It’s not about being the top dog, it’s about serving… Let’s tip the organization structure on its head just to demonstrate that leadership is there to serve the front line.” - Paul Diver

Connect with Paul Diver on LinkedIn. Be sure to check out https://www.three60consult.co.nz/ and start finding real solutions through building trusted relationships.        

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

When the year is coming close to wrapping up, how do you respond? Do you wind down, worried that you won’t be able to get things done, or do you speed things up? I believe this time of year is a great opportunity to reflect, adjust, and accelerate. In this episode, we’re going to look at some of the resources that will keep you sharp, and break down the specific areas that will help you finish the year out strong. Dive into the episode and let’s take a look at the last quarter of the year.

On this episode:

• During the last quarter of the year, people tend to lift their foot off the accelerator. Now is a time to reflect and adjust. For example, I’ll give you my reflection on the year so far and what is important for me going forward. 
• I will give you some resources that definitely kept me ahead of the curve so far, as well as what we should all be focusing on for the last quarter to finish strong.

Key Takeaways:

• Take time to reflect on the past year
• Some materials to dive into to stay ahead of the curve
• Make sure you implement the knowledge you gain 
• Clarity on your goals 
• Discipline - focus - consistency 
• Energy - showing up as a leader with energy

Tweetable Quotes:

“It’s not what you read, it’s not who you listen to, it’s what you DO with it that really counts.” - Denis Gianoutsos

“Right now, team, it’s really important to set the remaining part of the year up to finish strong.” - Denis Gianoutsos

“If you have a positive attitude with huge energy that’s contagious; people want to be around that… I’m finding that a lot of leaders need to lift their energy.” - Denis Gianoutsos

Resources Mentioned: 

• Who not How
• The Four Agreements
• How I Built This

Reach out to Denis:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/

We need to be building resilient businesses and organizations that can withstand disruption. These kinds of workplaces are built from resilient people, and resilient people are built up by strong, caring leadership who treat employees as ‘real people’.

Dr. Scott Behson, Ph.D., is professor of management and Silberman Global Faculty Fellow at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is the author of several books with his latest called The Whole Person Workplace. 

His mission is to give insight into whole-person workplaces, employer support; especially for working parents, work and fatherhood, and related topics for some of the world’s leading companies. 

Dr. Behson has written for names like Harvard Business Review, TIME, Fast Company, Success, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He frequently appears in media, including MSNBC, NPR, Fox News and Bloomberg Radio.

Truly a passionate individual, let’s really dive into the episode and learn more about building resilient workplaces. 

On this episode:

• Learn what inspired Dr. Behson to exit academia and focus on work-place leadership
• To expand as a leader you need you need to expand your level of care towards employees
• How to express ‘whole-person’ workplace values
• How employers have needed to pivot during the pandemic to provide a balanced workplace - what ‘coming back to the office’ is going to be like
• Learn the value and importance of an emerging servant-leadership model employed in workplaces
• The only thing we can expect is the unexpected - the most resilient workplaces are the ones that will last

Key Takeaways:

• Business success is tied to treating employees as whole-people 
• Growing the discipline to be able to shut down the computer
• Leaders that are best at listening and employing empathy are the most successful
• Create a culture of mutual care
• Adopt a mindset of servant leadership
• Build an organization that is resilient enough to withstand disruption

Tweetable Quotes:

“So I started asking myself, ‘what do I really want to do here,?’ And it's to get good information about how people can rise to their work life challenges.” - Dr. Scott Behson

“To have business success is to value employees as whole people, not just as part of the machine… but as a person with life's and with a life and priorities and responsibilities and stressors and challenges outside of work.” - Dr. Scott Behson

“We need to build resilient workplaces because COVID is not the last disruption that's going to happen… Whole-person workplaces would be more resilient than those that don't really include or really value employees.” - Dr. Scott Behson

Connect with Dr. Behson on Facebook and YouTube. Be sure to check out https://www.scottbehson.com/ and learn more about the whole-person workplace!             

Resources:

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/ 

Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/

Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast/