In a world where AI reigns and fame is currency, we’re left to wonder—what happens when you have it all, but it still feels like nothing?

Welcome to The Dov Baron Show, where today we tackle The Super Achievers Paradox: when success, power, and recognition don’t bring the fulfillment we expect. Our guest is someone who has seen behind the curtain of high achievement—Keren Eldad, executive coach and author of "Guilded."

Keren has worked with the world’s top brands—Estée Lauder, LVMH, Deutsche Bank, Nike, and more. She’s coached leaders, hedge fund managers, and high-performing professionals, all seemingly at the pinnacle of success, but who feel lost and disconnected inside.

Today, Keren shares her story of navigating that inner struggle and how she now helps superstars redefine success from the inside out. This episode is about reclaiming joy, purpose, and true impact, even when the world says you’ve already made it.

If you’ve ever wondered why success doesn’t feel like enough—or how to find meaning beyond the accolades—this is the conversation you can’t afford to miss.

Keren, an executive coach for the exceptionally successful, knows firsthand the sacrifices made for external success at the expense of inner fulfillment.

With a wealth of experience in prestigious organizations including Estée Lauder, LVMH, Deutsche Bank, Nike, leading global hedge funds and start-ups, and over a thousand professionals within these organizations, Keren understands the frustration of feeling lost while appearing like a superstar. Having emerged from this struggle, Keren now dedicates herself to guiding struggling superstars toward clarity, joy, purpose, and impact. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey with Keren Eldad as she unveils the path to true success from the inside out.

Website

www.kereneldad.com

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/LiveWithEnthusiasm/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-eldad

https://www.instagram.com/coachkeren/?hl=en

 

Part 1: Screaming At The Storm

• The Wild West of Coaching

• Real Coaching - First, You Must Carry Your Own Weight

• Recognizing You Are Living Inside the Superstar Paradox

• The Right Man, the Right House, and Thin Enough for Instagram

• When Your Whole World Falls Down and it's Not Enough for a Superstar

• Life on the Bathroom Floor

• Owning Toxic Tolerance

• Why "I Can Handle This" is The Death Rattle of a Super-Achiever

• Cats, Death, Grief, and the Beginning of Finding Peace

• Overachievers' Susceptibility to Depression and Anxiety

• The Biases that Keep the Super Achiever Stuck

• Doubling Down on Dysfunction

• When the Ego Raises from the Ashes Like the Terminator

• Beware of the Wise One Peddling False Wisdom... It Maybe You

• Identity Addiction

• You Can't Win or Negotiate Your Way Out

• Sometimes, it Takes a Disease

• Are You Committed to Happy Purgatory?

Dov Baron's brand new course has just been released on coursifyx.com/belonging

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Titled: "CREATING A CULTURE OF BELONGING."

The course is separated into eight sections that will take you by the hand and walk you through exactly how to create a culture of belonging.

Because: CREATING A CULTURE OF BELONGING MAXIMIZES PERSONAL AND CORPORATE SUCCESS.

 

Get Ready to strap on the tanks and Dive Deep into, What it Takes to Create a Culture of Belonging in your organization!

Curious to know more, coursifyx.com/belonging

 

 "Those Who Control Meaning for The Tribe, Also Control The Movement of That Tribe"

#videopodcast

#leadership

#leadershipdevelopment

#emotionsourcecode

#neuroscience

#emotional

#meaning

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#culture

#curiosity

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🎙️ The Skills You Need for “Impossible” Conversations

. 👉 What if the very people you’ve written off as “the other side” are the key to healing the deepest divides in your life, and your country?

Episode Summary: When was the last time you really listened to someone who fundamentally disagrees with you? Not to debate. Not to win. But to actually understand.

In Part 2 of my powerful and enlightening conversation with Simon Greer, founder of Bridging the Gap and one of the most courageous voices in conflict transformation, we move beyond theory into practice. 

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This isn’t about “being nice.” It’s about reclaiming our humanity, one conversation at a time.

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Simon shares the five core skills that can turn the conversations you dread into the conversations that change everything:

• 🥊 Strong Back, Soft Front: How to stand in your truth without being rigid or reactive.

• 👂 The Listening Shift: Why the art of an open-ended question can melt decades of division.

• 📝 Storytelling for Connection: How sharing your own truth (not just “facts”) can pierce walls facts never will.

• 🔄 Feedback That Opens Doors: How to disagree without burning the bridge you need to cross.

• ⚖️ Power Reimagined: Why real power in dialogue isn’t about who’s louder—it’s about who’s willing.

. Along the way, you’ll hear Simon recount: .✅ Sitting down with Glenn Beck after a very public conflict, and what happened when he decided to show up with “a strong back and a soft front.” ✅ What mass shooter drills, deer hunting, and gun rights reveal about America’s most profound cultural fissures. ✅ Why “platforming” those we disagree with isn’t a weakness, it’s the only way forward.

This episode is a masterclass for any leader, parent, partner, or citizen who’s tired of screaming matches and silent withdrawals, and is ready to step into courageous conversations that could literally change the future.

Why Listen: Because staying in your bubble feels safe, but it’s costing us everything.

Simon Greer’s Work: Founder of Bridging the Gap | Senior Advisor to One Voice United | Social Healing Pioneer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-greer-5b8549b2/

✅ If you’re serious about transforming conflict into connection—start by listening all the way to the end.

If this episode hits you where you live (and it will), share it with one person you’ve been avoiding having “the conversation” with. And leave us a review—because that’s how this show sparks the kind of dialogue the world is desperate for.

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📌 Hashtags 

#CourageousConversations #BridgingTheGap #Leadership #SimonGreer #DovBaron #FutureOfLeadership #Tribalism #IdentityCrisis #Polarization #HumanConnection

🔥 When was the last time you had a conversation with someone who saw the world completely differently from you… and walked away with more respect, not more rage?

SHOW DESCRIPTION:

Polarization has become the oxygen we breathe, but what if there’s another way?

In this raw, edge-of-your-seat conversation, Dov Baron sits down with Simon Greer, founder of Bridging the Gap, to tackle the question we’re all secretly asking: Can we still talk across divides without losing our minds… or our humanity?

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Raised in a left-wing Jewish family on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Simon grew up in an environment where dinner conversations weren’t just political, they were ideological battlegrounds. His early life, from Jewish Communist summer camps to a career in progressive politics, shaped him into a fighter for “change.”

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But here’s the twist: Simon realized he wasn’t just fighting for change, he was fighting to be right.

Then came his personal identity crisis. The loss of his job and his carefully crafted “progressive warrior” persona shattered everything. Out of that rubble, he made a radical pivot: seeking out the very people he once demonized, white working-class conservatives, business leaders, evangelical Christians, even prison guards and formerly incarcerated people, to ask a new question:

“How can we build bridges without asking anyone to give up their tribe?”

👉 This isn’t about polite bipartisanship. It’s about impossible conversations, sitting down with people who fundamentally disagree with you (even about your eternal soul) and still finding a way to honor each other’s humanity.

Simon shares:

• 🏕️ What Jewish Communist summer camp taught him about identity & tribe (and why those early ideologies still matter).

• 🥊 How losing everything freed him from a rigid identity — and how that same breaking point might be the catalyst for healing America.

• 🌉 Why bridging divides isn’t about erasing differences — but honoring them.

• 📜 The powerful story of a Muslim friend whose family fought Israel — and how they became allies.

• 🛑 The truth about polarization: It’s not that we have tribes; it’s that we’re being played into them.

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This isn’t just another podcast episode. It’s a field guide for leaders who are ready to do the uncomfortable work of listening, learning, and leading differently.

About Simon Greer

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Simon Greer is the founder of Bridging the Gap, a national initiative training the next generation of civic leaders to engage across divides with honesty and courage. He has advised movements, mentored changemakers, and spent decades at the intersection of faith, politics, and social change. Contact Simon Greer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-greer-5b8549b2/

 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✅ Why “normal” isn’t healthy, it’s just what you grew up with. ✅ How to push past the billboard version of someone to find the real human underneath. ✅ Why identity-shattering moments (even job loss) can be the greatest gift you never wanted. ✅ The difference between bipartisanship and true bridging — and why the latter is harder, deeper, and absolutely necessary. ✅ How to hold your tribe with pride, without turning someone else’s tribe into the enemy.

🎧 This Episode Will Hook You to the End

This conversation is uncomfortably honest, deeply human, and wildly hopeful. It doesn’t offer kumbaya clichés. Instead, it asks you to step into the messy, sacred middle, where the future of leadership, and perhaps the country lies.

💥 Listener Challenge

After listening, ask yourself: What’s one “impossible” conversation I’ve been avoiding… and what might happen if I had it?

 

📌 Hashtags for Apple & LinkedIn Discovery

#CourageousConversations #BridgingTheGap #Leadership #SimonGreer #DovBaron #FutureOfLeadership #Tribalism #IdentityCrisis #Polarization #HumanConnection

 

Part 2 of 2: 🎙️ Why the "Job" is Dead, and What’s Coming Next | Gary Bolles 

What if the very concept of a “job” is the most significant barrier to your purpose, potential, and prosperity?

🧠 Episode Summary:

In this explosive Part 2 of The Dov Baron Show, futurist and work re-architect Gary Bolles dismantles the outdated job-centric mindset that’s been hardwired into our schools, companies, and even our identities.

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If you’re still trying to “fix” work without rethinking its entire foundation, this is the confrontation you didn’t know you needed.

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Gary reveals why our inherited scripts about jobs, education, and talent development are failing fast—and how a new Menu of Work model offers not just productivity, but personal sovereignty.

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Dov and Gary go deep into the emotional cost of systems designed to extract rather than empower. Together, they offer a bold, human-centered alternative to navigate the coming disruption—one where work isn’t something you fit into, but something you design.

🚨 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why the old concept of a “job” is overdue for extinction

• How to build a “menu of meaningful work” that evolves with you

• The lie of linear careers—and why younger generations reject them

• What companies get wrong about internal talent mobility

• How to lead in an era where skills change faster than org charts

• The real cost of outdated education models on global opportunity

• Why we must unlearn the old narratives before we design what’s next

• How work becomes a platform for dignity, equity, and creativity

• The core shift from extractive systems to regenerative leadership

• Why your organization must become a “learning lab” or risk irrelevance

 

💣 Truth Bomb:

“If your systems require people to unlearn who they are, you don’t have a work problem, you have a humanity problem.” ~Dov Baron

🧭 About Gary Bolles:

Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University, author of The Next Rules of Work, and global voice on work reinvention. Gary has helped millions of learners on LinkedIn and advises leading organizations on redesigning work for a fast, fluid, and purpose-driven future.

🌐 https://garybolles.com 📕 The Next Rules of Work 

 

🔥 Dov Baron’s Take:

“This episode isn’t a conversation—it’s a wake-up call. Most leaders are still designing work as if it were the Industrial Age. Gary hands you the blueprint to stop being a prisoner of the past and start being an architect of the future.”

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🗣️ Listener Challenge:

What part of the “job” narrative do YOU need to unlearn? Drop your truth in the comments—no more legacy lies.

🎧 Subscribe now and never let the past lead you again.

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Hashtags:

#GaryBolles #FutureOfWork #NextRulesOfWork #SkillStacking #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipInFlux #HumanPotential #ReinventYourself #TheDovBaronShow #AIandHumanity #IdentityShift #GenZLeadership #PurposeDrivenWork

🎙️ The Future of Work Is Human: Why Skill Stacking and Identity Fluidity Will Determine Your Destiny | Gary Bolles

What if everything you believe about your job, your identity, and your leadership role is just a legacy illusion?

📌 EPISODE SUMMARY:

What does it mean to be ready for the future of work?

In this episode of The Dov Baron Show, Dov is joined by Gary A. Bolles, renowned futurist, co-founder of eParachute, and author of The Next Rules of Work.

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Gary has taught over 1.7 million learners on LinkedIn and served as Global Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University.

But this conversation goes beyond “the future of work.”

It’s a gut-punch to outdated ideas of career identity, hierarchical leadership, and linear success.

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Dov and Gary dive into why work is no longer a place you go—it's an evolving ecosystem of identities, skills, and meaning. Together, they challenge leaders to abandon static job titles, embrace skill-stacking, and prepare for a world where the pace of change will never be this slow again.

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If you're a leader, parent, policymaker—or just a human being wondering what your role is in this accelerating world, this episode is not just a wake-up call. It's your tactical playbook for relevance, reinvention, and regenerative leadership.

💥 What You’ll Learn:

• Why the most dangerous word in your company might be “job”

• The three curves of transformation shaping the new world of work—and where you’re stuck

• How skill-stacking and "identity fluidity" will determine your adaptability and impact

• Why careers must shift from “career ladders” to career swarms

• How to lead when your title is irrelevant, your team is global, and your edge is emotional intelligence

• The reason Gen Z is not disengaged, they’re disillusioned

• What AI can’t replace: your ability to navigate ambiguity, creativity, and human connection

• How to future-proof your children and grandchildren for a world that’s being rewritten in real time

• The difference between human capital and human potential—and why most organizations get it wrong

• Why the question of identity must evolve: "I am not my job—I am the work I choose to do now."

🔥 Truth Bomb:

“When you define yourself by a single job, you limit your ability to adapt, evolve, and contribute.” ~ Gary Bolles

 

👤 About Gary A. Bolles:

Gary Bolles is the author of The Next Rules of Work, co-founder of eParachute, and has ties to the legendary What Color Is Your Parachute, as well as being Global Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University. His work bridges the worlds of exponential technology, education, and human potential.

🔗 https://www.garybolles.com 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbolles/

 

🗣️ What story about your job title or identity are you ready to unlearn? Drop it in the comments, and hit follow so you don’t get left behind in the next wave of work.

 

 Hashtags:

#GaryBolles #FutureOfWork #NextRulesOfWork #SkillStacking #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadershipInFlux #HumanPotential #ReinventYourself #TheDovBaronShow #AIandHumanity #IdentityShift #GenZLeadership #PurposeDrivenWork

 

Breaking Billionaire Barriers: The Raw Power of Nonconformity with Steve Sims

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What if the fastest way to gain access to the world’s most powerful people is to stop trying to impress them?

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In this rare and raw encore episode of The Dov Baron Show, we honor the late Steve Sims, a legend known as the “Real-Life Wizard of Oz.” Founder of Bluefish and Blue Cause, Steve redefined what it means to move in elite circles by doing what few dared: being fully himself.

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From having Andrea Bocelli serenade dinner guests under Michelangelo’s David, to helping clients rub shoulders with Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and even the Pope, Steve didn’t just open doors—he exploded the myth that success demands conformity.

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Steve shares his unfiltered approach to influence, why authenticity beats polish every time, and how anyone can create deep loyalty by connecting on a human level, not a hierarchical one.

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Steve also exposes the shady underbelly of modern charity and unveils his revolutionary model, Blue Cause, which sends 100% of every dollar directly to those in need.

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Whether you're a high performer looking for the edge, or a leader tired of transactional relationships, this episode is a blueprint for influence rooted in truth, courage, and connection. .

📌 Key Takeaways

• The Harvard story: Why Steve rejected the dress code—and got invited back.

• How to break elite barriers: Stop seeing the title, start seeing the soul.

• The Mike Tyson method for dismantling power dynamics instantly.

• The two traits every true leader shares (and why most never show them).

• Blue Cause: A zero-admin, no-middleman charitable model that changes lives—and exposes the nonprofit industry's dark side.

• How Steve used nonconformity as a business strategy to work with Branson, Musk, and other icons.

. 📚 Guest Bio

Steve Sims was the iconic founder of Bluefish, a luxury concierge service for the ultra-wealthy and high-profile clients. Known for creating mind-blowing experiences like dinner under the Sistine Chapel or a submarine trip to the Titanic, Steve also built Blue Cause, a charitable platform ensuring 100% of proceeds go directly to vetted causes—without a cent touching his hands. He authored Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen and Seven Ugly Truths. He was invited to speak at Harvard (twice) and was featured by Forbes, Entrepreneur, and the Wall Street Journal. Steve Sims passed away unexpectedly, but his legacy of radical authenticity and impact lives on.

💬 Listener Engagement CTA

💭 What’s one moment where you stopped playing the part, and everything changed? . Drop your answer in the reviews or share the episode with someone who needs to hear this unvarnished truth about connection, leadership, and legacy. → Tag @DovBaron and use #BeRealNotRich so we can find and feature your reflections.

 

#SteveSims #Bluefish #LeadershipWithoutLabels #EmotionalSourceCode #BeRealNotRich #DovBaronShow #BlueCause #NonconformityWins #HighPerformanceLeadership #LegacyUnfiltered #UltraWealthNetworking #RealInfluence

 

You say you give feedback. But is it honest, or is it emotionally filtered so you won’t feel the sting of someone else’s discomfort?

In Part 2 of this unfiltered conversation, Jeff Hancher, author of Firm Feedback in a Fragile World, returns to The Dov Baron Show to unpack the most critical skill a leader must master… and almost none do:

How to deliver feedback that transforms performance, without fear, fluff, or ego.

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Jeff doesn’t speak from theory. He speaks from experience, having been in the military, as well as the corporate, and personal sectors. He has seen firsthand how conflict-avoidant cultures, people-pleasing leadership, and performative vulnerability can sabotage organizations from within.

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This is not another “lead with kindness” episode. This is about telling the fcuking truth, with profound compassion, clarity, and consistency.

 

🎯 In This Episode:

• Why most leaders confuse “niceness” with effectiveness—and what it’s costing your culture

• The psychological trap of “being the peacekeeper” instead of the leader

• How growing up in a home affected by addiction gave Jeff a dangerous superpower

• Why clarity is not cruelty, but the absence of it often is

• What leaders get wrong about emotional safety in feedback conversations

• Why withholding feedback is a form of self-protection, not service

• How to lead with consistency so people stop guessing who’s showing up today

• The real reason HR and exec teams avoid tough conversations

• How feedback, when delivered with integrity, becomes a culture builder

💣 Power Quote 

“Leadership is not about being liked. It’s about being trusted. And that trust is earned.” ~Jeff Hancher

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👤 About Jeff Hancher:

Jeff Hancher is the founder of The Champion Forum, host of The Champion Forum Podcast, and author of Firm Feedback in a Fragile World: How to Build a Winning Culture with Critical Conversations. A U.S. Army veteran and former Fortune 500 executive, Jeff now coaches leaders to face the conversations they’ve been avoiding—and build cultures strong enough to hold the truth.

🔗 Learn more: 🔗https://www.jeffhancher.com/ https://thechampionforum.com

 

🔚 Final Impact:

As the conversation closes, Dov asks:

“If you could visit yourself at 8 years old… what would he say about who you’ve become?”

Jeff doesn’t flinch. His answer is raw, and it reveals what lies beneath every leader who gives too much… and says too little.

Because great feedback isn’t about power. It’s about presence.

 

🔊 Subscribe | Listen | Review:

If this episode hit home, share it with a leader who’s still holding back the truth. Then rate the show ★★★★★ and tag @DovBaron to tell us your biggest breakthrough.

🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere bold leaders sharpen their edge.

 

📌 Hashtags (Optimized for Apple + LinkedIn):

#FirmFeedback #JeffHancher #TheDovBaronShow #CourageousConversations #LeadershipDevelopment #FeedbackCulture #LeadershipWithClarity #ChampionForum #TransformationalLeadership #TruthInLeadership #VulnerabilityIsStrength #LeadershipWithoutEgo

 

When everything feels politically, emotionally, and culturally flammable… Is it even possible to speak the truth as a leader and not get burned?

In Part 1 of this hard-hitting and profoundly personal conversation, Jeff Hancher, author of Firm Feedback in a Fragile World, joins Dov Baron to dissect the modern leadership paradox: How do you build a high-performance culture that welcomes critical conversations… without triggering fear, fragility, or fake harmony? .

Jeff Hancher is a former senior executive in a $30B Fortune 500 company. However, what you won’t see on his résumé is that he grew up in a household of abject poverty with two parents who were medically unable to work. He learned early how to read emotional volatility and became an elite leader by mastering empathy and precision under pressure.

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This episode is for leaders navigating:

• Entitled teams and unspoken resentment

• Cancel culture minefields and performance fragility

• The tension between psychological safety and actual accountability

It’s not a soft talk. It’s not a shaming session.

. This is a fcuking masterclass in courageous feedback and real leadership in the era of emotional volatility.

 

 

💥 What We Confront in This Episode:

• What most leaders get dangerously wrong about feedback culture

• Why conflict avoidance is the silent killer of performance

• How to deliver feedback that lands firm but not harsh

• The invisible cost of leaders who want to be liked more than they want to be respected

• Why your top performers may be suffering in silence, while low performers drain your culture

• What Jeff learned about truth-telling from… and his alcoholic father and a Firm Feedback mentor.

• How to confront without collapsing trust

• Why psychological safety doesn’t mean protecting egos

• The #1 question to ask before giving any piece of feedback

• Why the future of leadership requires both steel and soul

💬 Power Quote:

“Leadership isn’t about being liked. It’s about being trusted. And trust is earned in truth, never in avoidance.” ~ Jeff Hancher

👤 About the Guest:

Jeff Hancher is a U.S. Army veteran, the founder of The Champion Forum, and the author of Firm Feedback in a Fragile World. With decades of leadership experience at the highest levels of the corporate world, Jeff now coaches elite business leaders on building feedback-rich cultures without losing their humanity or their edge.

He’s trusted by Fortune 500 leaders and military veterans alike to turn emotionally fragile teams into resilient, high-accountability cultures.

🔗https://www.jeffhancher.com/ https://thechampionforum.com

 

🎧 Subscribe & Review:

This episode will challenge you, but if you’re brave enough to listen through to the end, it will transform your feedback and sharpen your leadership forever.

📝 Drop us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and tell us: What’s the hard truth you’ve been avoiding giving your team?

👉 Tag @DovBaron and use #TheDovBaronShow to be part of the conversation.

🎙 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & wherever leaders come to get real.

📌 Hashtags 

#JeffHancher #FirmFeedback #TheDovBaronShow #LeadershipInFragileTimes #RadicalCandor #AccountabilityWithEmpathy #CourageousLeadership #PerformanceCulture #PsychologicalSafety #TransformationalLeadership #TruthTellingInBusiness #EmotionalSourceCode #ChampionForum

 

What if everything you thought was “safe”… is just a well-disguised risk? .

In the second half of our explosive conversation, K. Scott Griffith,  the man who helped architect the aviation safety system that reduced fatal crashes by over 95% returns to dismantle the illusion of safety hiding in plain sight.

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This is not about fixing processes. It’s about the deeply uncomfortable truth: Most leaders incentivize the very behaviors that lead to catastrophic failure, then call it “accountability.”

 

In This Episode:

• The dangerous difference between outcome accountability and behavioral accountability

• Why success is the #1 cause of blind spots in high-performing teams

• How most “safety” systems are designed to punish honesty and reward silence

• What we’re getting dangerously wrong about autonomous vehicles and AI

• Why leaders must stop asking “Who’s to blame?” and start asking “What made that seem like a good idea at the time?”

• The silent epidemic of risk-blindness in elite organizations

• How Griffith’s Collaborative Just Culture™ framework multiplied reporting and prevented disasters in healthcare, aviation, and nuclear power

• Why your emotional reactivity as a leader is often the root of fear in your culture

• How system failures often look like people problems — until it’s too late

• The moment Griffith realized America’s legal system was doing more harm than good… and how we can fix it

🔥 Power Quote:

“If your people are afraid to tell you the truth… you’re not running a safe organization. You’re just running it blind.” — K. Scott Griffith

 

🎙 Guest Bio:

K. Scott Griffith is a former American Airlines pilot and physicist turned safety pioneer. He is the architect behind High-Reliability Organizing and the founder of SG Collaborative Solutions, where he’s helped transform risk and accountability systems for the FAA, NASA, Fortune 100 companies, and global healthcare institutions. His proprietary Collaborative JustCulture™ methodology is utilized in high-stakes environments around the world.

 

📘 Book Feature:

Grab Scott’s critically acclaimed book: The Leader’s Guide to Managing Risk: A Guide for Creating Just Culture Accountability Available now wherever books are sold.

 

🎧 Listen now if you’re ready to challenge the way your organization defines “safe.”

👥 Subscribe, Share, Review:

If this episode punched through your assumptions, share it with a leader who still thinks “control” is leadership. Tag @DovBaron and use #TheDovBaronShow to join the conversation.

 

🔖 Hashtags (Apple & LinkedIn Optimized):

#KScottGriffith #JustCulture #TheDovBaronShow #TransformationalLeadership #LeadershipWithoutBlame #CollaborativeLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #RiskManagement #HighReliabilityOrganizing #SystemsThinking #EmotionalSourceCode #FutureOfLeadership #AccountabilityWithEmpathy

🎙️ The Leader’s Guide to Managing Risk: Why Accountability Without Empathy Will Destroy Your Culture. | K. Scott Griffith

What if the very thing destroying trust in your organization… is how you handle risk?

In a world obsessed with performance, perfection, and accountability, have we lost the courage to ask: What if it's not the people, but the system?

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In this episode of The Dov Baron Show, we sit down with K. Scott Griffith, a pilot, physicist, and the former safety lead at American Airlines, as well as the architect of High-Reliability Organizing, a breakthrough method that helped the FAA and NASA redefine safety and human performance.

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But this is not about airlines. It’s about the critical failure happening inside your company, your culture, and your leadership right now.

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Scott shares how traditional management systems often blame individuals for systemic failures, which in turn sabotages innovation, trust, and long-term performance.

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If you’re a leader navigating high stakes, complex systems, or emotionally charged environments… This conversation will permanently shift the way you think about failure, feedback, and the real definition of leadership.

In This Episode:

• Why your most significant leadership blind spot might be how you respond to failure

• The difference between a “Just Culture” and a “Blame Culture,” and why most companies get it fatally wrong

• The real reason why innovation dies in most organizations (hint: it’s not a lack of talent)

• How Griffith helped NASA, the FAA, and healthcare leaders apply High-Reliability Organizing to prevent disasters

• How your emotional response as a leader shapes psychological safety across your organization

• What American Airlines taught Scott about systems failure, human behavior, and the illusion of control

• Why most organizations weaponize accountability—and how to reverse the damage

• The invisible cost of fear-based leadership: disengagement, turnover, and hidden sabotage

• How to build a culture where people tell you the truth—especially when it’s inconvenient

• The courageous conversation every leader must have with their team

 

Power Quote:  “Accountability without empathy isn’t leadership. It’s control dressed up in a suit.” ~K. Scott Griffith

 

Guest Bio: K. Scott Griffith is the founder of SG Collaborative Solutions and the pioneer of High-Reliability Organizing (HRO), a framework adopted by aviation, healthcare, nuclear energy, and other high-stakes industries. He’s advised the FAA, NASA, and Fortune 100 companies on risk management, system design, and building cultures of trust without blame. Author of: The Leader’s Guide to Managing Risk.

Subscribe, Listen, and Review: This episode will shift your thinking… don’t keep it to yourself. Please share it with a leader who’s ready to lead with courage. Tag @DovBaron and use #TheDovBaronShow.

🔔 Subscribe & turn on notifications. 🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you go to sharpen your edge.

Suggested Hashtags: #KScottGriffith #TheDovBaronShow #RiskManagement #LeadershipWithoutBlame #HighReliabilityOrganizing #PsychologicalSafety #TransformationalLeadership #JustCulture #EmpathyInLeadership #SystemicChange #DovBaron