Are we in a modern renaissance? Kevin welcomes Dr. Christie Smith to discuss the major shifts impacting leadership today, including distributed teams, AI, workforce expectations, and global uncertainties. Dr. Smith introduces the concept of gray-collar workers, a growing segment of the workforce that combines blue- and white-collar roles and explains why traditional leadership models are no longer adequate. She also breaks down the Essential Leadership Flywheel, which advances beyond emotional intelligence to emotional maturity. This focuses on suspending self-interest, fostering curiosity, and genuinely understanding the context in which employees operate.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
01:01 Kevin’s Book Flexible Leadership
01:56 Meet Dr. Christie Smith
03:06 The Journey Behind the Book
04:24 Early Influences and Advocacy
05:24 Why Now The Timing of the Book
07:19 Framing Leadership in a Complex World
08:20 Leadership is Hard
10:23 The Challenge of Polarization
12:33 A Modern Renaissance Hope and Opportunity
14:27 Leadership and the Human Centered Workplace
15:31 Centering Humans in the Digital Age
16:55 Defining Gray Collar Workers
19:05 Empowerment and Gray Collar Jobs
20:28 Four Human Needs in the Workplace
21:00 The Power of Agency in Leadership
22:15 From Emotional Intelligence to Emotional Maturity
24:24 Essential Leadership Flywheel
25:21 Suspending Self Interest as a Leader
26:22 Why Leadership Trust is Declining
28:02 Investing in People Drives Results
29:09 Contextual Competence A Modern Imperative
30:53 Flexibility Empathy and Humanity at Work
32:18 Rapid Fire Fun and Reading
34:30 Learn More About Christie and the Book
35:57 The Final Question Now What

Christie's Story: Dr. Christie Smith is the co-author of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership with Kelly Monahan. She has over 35 years of experience advising the C-Suite of Fortune 500 companies. She is the founder of The Humanity Studio™, a research and advisory institute dedicated to improving the way we live by revolutionizing the way we work. She has held global leadership positions at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture as a highly respected expert in leadership, talent management, organizational design, workforce management, change management, and executive team performance. She is a highly sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership and culture, DEI, people analytics, and the impact of workforce technologies and AI. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, to name a few. Christie received her doctorate in Clinical Social Work with a focus on leadership and culture from New York University.

https://www.humanity.studio/

https://www.smith-monahan.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiesmithphd/

https://www.instagram.com/christiesmith.phd

This Episode is brought to you by...

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.

Book Recommendations

Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership by Christie Smith and Kelly Monahan
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
Winston Churchill Biography: Lessons from a Visionary Leader by Douglas Glenn Rohde
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

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