Amy Ruppert Donovan, co-founder of The Integreship Group (integreship.com) and a pioneer of executive coaching, joins host Dan Freehling to discuss major changes in the business world, including increased volatility, disruptions to traditional business models, and an escalation of the war for talent. Amy describes the qualities of visionary leaders, such as putting people before results, building diverse teams, and facilitating solutions rather than imposing them. Amy emphasizes the importance of self-mastery and personal integrity in leadership, as well as the need for leaders to be humble and unassuming. She also discusses the future of coaching, highlighting the importance of maintaining a focus on disruptive transformation and resisting the temptation to prioritize short-term results. Amy and Dan conclude with Amy’s vision for leadership as a standalone profession and the role of coaching in reshaping paradigms.

Recommend reading: “Rethink X” by Tony Seba and James Arbib, “Leadership BS” by Jeffrey Pfeffer, and “Thinking Body, Dancing Mind” by Chungliang Al Huang.

Organizational culture and leadership consultant Dan Bredeson joins host Dan Freehling to discuss his new book "Seeds of Culture" and the importance of cultivating, rather than attempting to construct, a culture of commitment in organizations.

Bredeson shares his observations from his career as a leader in the insurance industry, where he noticed the discrepancy between the desired culture of executives and the actual culture on the ground in client firms.

He emphasizes the need for leaders to think like farmers, nurturing and growing culture over time, rather than thinking like carpenters in trying to artificially build culture. Bredeson identifies six traits of successful culture farmers, including affinity for people, making culture a priority, bringing the right energy, being authentic, growing credibility, and demonstrating integrity.

Bredeson also discusses the importance of effective communication, ethics, psychological safety, diversity and inclusion, generosity, autonomy, and mutual accountability in building a strong culture.

Recommended reading: "Leading Change" by John Kotter, "The Four Disciplines of Execution" by Chris McChesney, and "Developing the Leader Within You" by John Maxwell.