The Leadership Tales Podcast with Colin Hunter Colin Hunter

Here’s a muscle you might not know you have in your body: the EMPATHY muscle. According to Rob Volpe, empathy expert and bestselling author, we’re born with the neurobiological capacity for empathy, but we must practice empathy and flex that “empathy muscle” to keep it strong. 
Rob Volpe is an astute observer of life and a master storyteller who brings empathy and compassion to the human experience. As CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team of insights, strategy, and creative professionals serving the world’s leading brands across a range of industries. 

As a thought leader in the role of empathy in marketing and the workplace, Rob frequently speaks on the topic at conferences, corporations, and college classes. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in San Francisco with his husband and three cats.

In today’s episode, Rob shares what originally drew him to empathy, the five steps to achieving empathy, and why people often struggle with finding it. 

Links Mentioned:

‘Tell Me More About That’ by Rob Volpe
Ignite 360 Website

“To build those social relationships, you have to have a healthy relationship with yourself. You have to be able to have those internal reflections that will help you move forward.” 
Emma Weber is helping people build those reflection muscles in our fast-paced world. She is the founder of Lever – Transfer of Learning and developer of the Turning Learning into Action™ methodology. In 2002, Emma left a successful corporate career in London to start her own business in Australia, following her passion for coaching and learning. 

She established Lever – Transfer of Learning to help organizations and their employees convert learning to effective action back on the job. A recognized authority on the transfer of learning, Emma has been a guest speaker on learning effectiveness at conferences in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and the US.

Tune in today as we discuss how individual growth and learning impacts organizations, developing a relationship with oneself, and Emma’s personal journey to founding her company.

Links Mentioned: 

Lever - Transfer Of Learning Website
Coach M Process

Paul and I had a great chat about the balance between productive pressure and work-life balance (or as I like to say, just plain “life balance”), and the disclaimer he put in his email footer to make people’s lives better. 
Paul Day is the Group Head of Internal Audit at Standard Chartered Bank, a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Paul has specialized in internal and external audit roles across financial services for three decades. Prior to joining Standard Chartered, Paul's internal audit experience included five years as Chief Internal Auditor at Lloyds Banking Group, and ten years in various senior leadership roles across Barclays Internal Audit. 

Paul also has professional services experience as the partner leading the Deloitte UK Financial Services Internal Audit practice, and ten years of external audit experience early in his career.

Check out this lovely episode for a conversation on the threads that run through different parts of a career, working towards a purpose, and standing up for what you believe in.

Links Mentioned:

Standard Chartered Bank

Imagine you’re on stage giving a talk, and right in the front row you see one person scowling at you the entire way through. What do you do? 
With a sense of humor and curiosity, Chris Tuff approached the enemy in the front row after the event—and the two are now best friends. Connecting with even the most unlikely of folks is a skill of Chris’s. 
Through his energy, humor, and captivating storytelling abilities, speaker Chris Tuff empowers audience members to tap into their full potential—professionally and personally. His engaging style and practical lessons on authenticity can be implemented immediately and have a lasting impact long after attendees leave the room.

In this episode, we discuss networking and connection, paying it forward to others, and what it means to “save your asks.”


Links mentioned:

‘Save Your Asks’ by Chris Tuff
‘The Millennial Whisperer’ by Chris Tuff
Chris Tuff’s Website

“Most of the people who come to me have an abundance of creativity, an abundance of ideas. That’s not the problem. But what they don’t have, is ways of converting that creative energy into projects that get done.” 
What an inspiring conversation with Charlie Gilkey! Charlie is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a website that helps changemakers (creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs) start finishing the stuff that matters. Productive Flourishing is routinely placed in the Top 50 websites for planning, productivity, creativity, and team development for creative folks.

Tune into this episode, as we discuss his work around team productivity, habits teams can apply for success, and actionable tips for working in a hybrid work environment.

Links Mentioned:

Productive Flourishing
‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear
Twitter 
LinkedIn 
Facebook 
Instagram 
www.hellomomentum.app

Today on the Leadership Tales Podcast, we look at a leader in a very different field and interview US Air Force F-16 fighter pilot and squadron leader Michelle “MACE” Curran. Michelle is a fascinating leader and author who is inspiring the next generation of pilots and leaders.
What lessons can we learn from someone whose leadership experience stems from a military background, where proper communication and execution can be the difference between life and death? We discuss purposeful practice, psychological safety, admitting failure, and risk, all things that make us better leaders in a business environment.

Michelle also shares about the subduing of leadership authority in the context of the squadron, where more senior-ranking officers still answer to junior wing commanders when they are flying together. I found this fascinating, and think we can all learn a lot from it.

I feel as though I am living out one of my social fantasies interviewing a combat-tested fighter pilot like Michelle, but in another sense, our conversation broke some of the mystique that pop culture has created around fighter pilots (any Top Gun fans out there?) and gave me a look at who these brave and highly skilled individuals are, how they act, and what they actually do on a daily basis.

Links mentioned:

Michelle MACE Curran on Instagram
“Upside Down Dreams” Children’s Book