356: Love As the Ultimate Leadership Action

356: Love As the Ultimate Leadership Action

356: Love As the Ultimate Leadership Action

What if love—not control—was the driving force behind your leadership? In this thought-provoking conversation, Trevor Timbeck invites you to explore leadership through the lens of “loving as a verb.” Co-author of The Power of Love with Steve Chandler, Trevor explains how viewing love as an action, rather than a static feeling, can transform the way you lead, parent, and connect with others. He shares how a simple question—“What would love do?”—can shift your mindset in moments of frustration, helping you respond with awareness and compassion instead of reaction or control.

You’ll hear Trevor and Meredith discuss what he calls “emotioning,” a way of understanding emotion as a domain of action rather than a feeling to be managed. Through personal stories of parenting and coaching leaders, Trevor reveals how genuine leadership emerges from acceptance and presence, not authority or demand. His insights challenge conventional thinking about power, control, and influence, offering a refreshing and deeply human perspective on what it means to lead with love.

You’ll discover:

  • Why love is a powerful verb—not just a feeling
  • How to shift from controlling to allowing in leadership
  • What “emotioning” means and how it shapes your actions
  • How asking “What would love do?” can change any situation
  • Why true leadership begins with awareness and acceptance

Watch the episode:

Connect with Trevor

      

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
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Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
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Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

355: How to Master Executive Transitions

355: How to Master Executive Transitions

355: How to Master Executive Transitions

Did you know that 40% of executives fail in their new roles within the first 18 months…and it’s rarely due to lack of technical skills? In this insightful conversation, you’ll hear from Navid Nazemian, an executive transition coach and author of Mastering Executive Transitions. He shares the real reasons leaders derail during role changes and what can be done to dramatically improve their odds of success.

Navid describes the cultural, political, and interpersonal challenges that make or break new leaders. You’ll learn why transitions take far longer than the often-cited 90 days, and how his “Double Diamond Framework” helps executives cut derailment risk and accelerate productivity by more than half. Whether you’re moving into a new role or coaching others who are, this episode gives you a practical roadmap to make your next transition a true success.

Navid has been ranked as the #1 Executive Coach for 3 years by CEO Today. He’s a leading authority on executive transitions and leadership impact. Navid is the author of the international bestseller Mastering Executive Transitions: The Definitive Guide. His focus is on supporting senior leaders as they transition into new roles, and he’s a trusted advisor to C-level leaders worldwide. He brings to his work 20 years of HR leadership across five countries and six industries.

You’ll discover:

  • Why 40% of executives fail in new roles—and how to avoid it
  • The critical difference between executive coaching and transition coaching
  • How the Double Diamond Framework shortens time to impact
  • The five C’s every executive should master before day one
  • Why pre-boarding is the secret weapon of successful leaders

Watch the episode:

Connect with Navid

      

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

354: Tilting Futures: Empowering Young Adults to Lead

What if young people learned to lead by tackling real-world problems instead of waiting for “someday”? In this inspiring conversation, you’ll meet Erin Lewellen, CEO of Tilting Futures, an organization that empowers youth around the globe to step into leadership through immersive, purpose-driven experiences. Erin shares how her own background—as a coach, educator, and social entrepreneur—shaped her belief that true learning happens through action, reflection, and collaboration.

You’ll hear how Tilting Futures’ Take Action Lab program helps students engage with human rights or environmental issues through apprenticeships, academic learning, and community impact. Meredith and Erin explore how these hands-on opportunities give participants clarity about their purpose, confidence in their abilities, and the courage to take on global challenges. Erin also reveals how her team fosters healthy disagreement, emotional awareness, and curiosity—skills essential for every leader who wants to create positive change.

Erin has been with an exceptional organization called Tilting Futures for 11 years, and she has served as CEO for the past 3 years. Before joining Tilting Futures, Erin was Vice President of School Partnerships for Revolution Foods and served as Bay Area Director for Playworks. For 20 years, she coached the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team at Emery High, and she’s an avid supporter of girls in sports.

You’ll discover:

  • How global immersion helps young people build resilience, empathy, and leadership skills
  • Why “tilt moments” transform self-doubt into personal growth and confidence
  • How to make education more relevant through experiential learning
  • The power of emotional intelligence and healthy disagreement in team dynamics
  • How curiosity fuels innovation and learning from mistakes

Watch the episode:

Connect with Erin

      

Erin’s Website

Tilting Futures

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

353: How Great Leaders Execute Strategy with Clarity First

Have you ever wondered why so many well-designed strategies fail in execution? Tim Ohai reveals that the real problem isn’t poor planning, it’s poor decision-making. Drawing on decades of global experience, he shares how strategy is best understood as a series of decisions rather than as a static plan. You’ll learn how clarity at every handoff—from leadership to teams—determines whether people can actually deliver on what’s expected.

You’ll also discover the human side of strategy. We explore how ego, fear, and unclear accountability derail even the best intentions—and what leaders can do to reverse it. Through engaging stories and practical insights, Tim explains how to replace confusion with empowerment, align decisions with outcomes, and approach leadership as stewardship rather than control. If you’re ready to transform how your organization thinks and acts, this episode will show you how to make clarity your greatest competitive advantage.

Tim has spent decades helping leaders around the world uncover what’s getting in the way of their teams—and their own success—and then guiding them to take meaningful action. As a consultant, coach, author, and speaker, Tim combines business best practices with psychological insights to drive performance that’s both healthy and sustainable. He’s also the host of the How to NOT Execute Your Strategy Podcast, and we explored some key ideas from his upcoming book, The Zen of Strategic Execution.

You’ll discover:

  • Why strategic execution fails even when plans look solid.
  • How defining strategy as a series of decisions changes everything.
  • The three universal drives that shape team behavior.
  • Practical ways to reduce fear and ego in your culture.
  • How stewardship leads to stronger alignment and engagement.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Tim

    

Tim’s Website

Tim Ohai

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

352: Inside Principal Financial Group’s Culture of Ethics

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how real leaders make ethics practical on a day-to-day basis? In this conversation with Noreen Fierro at Principal Financial Group®, you’ll hear how, as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, she builds trust by asking questions, owning mistakes, and keeping teams aligned to values, not just outcomes. You’ll also get an insider’s view of the rigorous Ethisphere “World’s Most Ethical Companies” application—what it takes, why cross-functional collaboration matters, and how to sustain momentum over months.

You’ll come away with fresh, usable ideas: pausing unsustainable busywork, watching for stress signals, and turning misses into shared learning instead of blame. Plus, you’ll discover a mentoring approach grounded in humility, self-awareness, and long-term relationships that helps people grow with confidence.

Noreen is Senior Vice President and Enterprise Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Principal Financial Group®. She joined Principal® in 2022. Her career spans 30 years in the financial services industry, both in-house in legal and compliance roles and as outside counsel. Prior to joining Principal in 2022, she was Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Guardian Life and before that held various senior-level positions at Prudential Financial. You’ll hear Noreen’s passion for strong leadership in our conversation, and she speaks often about it at industry events.

You’ll discover:

  • How vulnerability (and “I don’t know yet”) elevates leadership.
  • A practical playbook for complex, months-long ethics initiatives.
  • What to do after a miss: learn, don’t blame.
  • Ways to protect your team’s capacity and values in real time.
  • A mentoring style that blends humility, curiosity, and care.

Watch the episode:

Connect with Noreen

  

Website

Learn more about Noreen Fierro’s employer, Principal Financial Group, here:  

PrincipalFinancial Group

 

 

Related Podcast Episodes

317: Ethics As a Business Superpower

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell