Ed and Ron are thrilled to bring back Howard Hansen, coauthor of the groundbreaking book Healing Leadership - A Survival Guide for the Enlightened Leader. Here is a brief summary of what Healing Leadership is all about: "We see leadership as primarily an emotional process, rather than a strategic one. It is about courage and being oneself, rather than strategies and techniques to change someone. It is being the one who says what he or she sees ("The emperor has no clothes.") and letting people make their own choices accordingly. We call “bullshit” on traditional models of leadership and advocate for a rational approach to leadership that will not hinder meaningful change. Quite simply, the “Command and Conquer” style of leadership does not work, long term. What’s more, it ultimately proves to be toxic. Therefore, Healing Leadership is about giving up the irrational hope of trying to change others."

A bit more about Howard Hansen
“My travels through the world of work and leadership include roles in management and consulting. I've watched and participated in the stories I now tell. The stories reflect moments of joy, pain and truth. They offer insights into what works and doesn't work for leaders. Now, approaching my 40th year of practicing management, consulting and coaching, I have been struck by how unhealthy workplaces have become. My journey now focuses on helping these places to heal by helping heal the leaders who lead them.”

Segment One Questions

Leadership as a concept needed to be healed, but also, if leadership is done well, it could be healing in and of itself – it could actually heal some of the harms that people come with and you guys profess that the best place that this could happen was inside businesses. Give us a few minutes overview of the concept of healing leadership.
With the addition to the COVID-19 crisis, but also the situation that has happened with Black Lives Matter and the increase anxiety, have we lost? Should we just wrap this show up and go home?
Howard, and it struck me as you're talking is that this is not a question of the notion of leaders themselves. This is that you're just hearing or we're just not hearing any conversation about the about the concept of leadership and the importance of it.
Which gets back to my first question a moment ago, and your first observation, is this even worth talking about anymore?
In a book called The Extraordinary Popular Delusions and Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackey in 1841, he says, “Men go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, one by one.

Segment Two Questions

We had a conversation about Chronic vs Episodic Anxiety

Here is a graph that represents a person or system with a low level of chronic anxiety

Here is a graph that represents a person or system with a higher level of chronic anxiety

Segment Three Questions

Howard, I wanted to see if we can talk perhaps a little bit about organizational gridlock, and then even move into what potentially people can do about this.
I just think that the notion of anxious versus non anxious is worth exploring. Could you talk a little bit about that?
Why don't we even hear the concept of mature vs immature anymore?

Segment Four Questions

Listener David asks, “I'm interested to know if Howard has a perspective on whether remote working (whether COVID-19 related or not) is material to him as it impairs the ability of a workplace to deliver on meaningfulness? And if so, what can a conscientious employer do to maintain the possibility of workplace contributing to a sense of meaning.
After answering the above question, Ed asked if Howard was comfortable revealing who that boss was in this context (referred to as the best boss Howard ever had)?
- [Howard Hansen] Yes, it is Doug Burgum, the current governor of North Dakota.

Bonus Content is Available As Well

Did you know that each week after our live show, Ron and Ed take to the microphone for a bonus show? Typically, this bonus show is an extension of the live show topic (sometimes even with the same guest) and a few other pieces of news, current events, or things that have caught our attention.

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