Are we overcomplicating leadership?

Because after this conversation with Kara Kirby… I think we are.

In this episode of Building Thinkers, I sit down with Kara to unpack what actually builds strong leadership and people-first cultures, and spoiler alert: it’s often simpler (and more human) than we think. Kara brings real-world insight from her time inside some of the top-rated organizational cultures in the country, and now she’s using that experience to help companies around the globe lead with clarity, care, and courage.

We talk about the common traps leaders fall into, the small things that make a big difference, and what it looks like to run a business where people are truly the priority. And if you’re a Ted Lasso fan? You’ll love this even more.

If you care about building a team, a culture, or even just your own leadership style that actually works, you’ll want to hear this one.

Resources Mentioned:

Heart of Business | By Hubert Joly

Don’t Overthink it | By Anne Bogel

Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves | By The Arbinger Institute

Culture Renovation | By Kevin Oakes

Actualized Leadership | By William L. Sparks

Quiet Leadership | By David Rock

If You Want To Write | By Brenda Ueland

Don’t Overthink It | By Anne Bogel

Coach Beard's Booklist:

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper

Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics by Jonathan Wilson

Coaching Soccer for Dummies by Greg Bach

The Greatest: The Quest for Sporting Perfection by Matthew Syed

Connect with Kara:

Kara Kirby on LinkedIn

Kara Kirby on Instagram

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More About Building Thinkers: 

I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.

And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.

If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.