PODCAST

May 22, 2025

EP#8

Guest | Jess Kindler – Senior Consulting Advisor

In this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Jess Kindler about his extensive career in leadership within the mining industry and beyond. They discuss the evolving landscape of global business, the importance of customer-centric leadership, and the need for agility in response to rapid changes in technology and market dynamics.

Jess shares insights on how leaders can effectively navigate challenges, meet their teams where they are, and foster a culture of curiosity and accountability. The conversation culminates in practical advice for emerging leaders on embracing change and taking ownership of their roles.

Resources:

Website: www.hutanhujan.com

Share the Post:

Subscribe & Listen:

Show Notes:

Leadership Books:

No Excuse Leadership
Extreme Ownership
Leading Outload
The Impact of Love – Building Business for a Better World
Good to Great
The Power of a Positive No

SHOW NOTES:

Leadership requires continuous evaluation of how we show up.
Curiosity drives engagement and innovation in leadership.
Customer-centricity is essential in today’s business environment.
Leaders must adapt to rapid changes in technology and market dynamics.
Agility and courage are non-negotiable competencies for leaders.
Effective storytelling can enhance communication and buy-in for change initiatives.
Understanding team dynamics is crucial for successful leadership.
Travel and exposure to different cultures broaden perspectives.
Embrace hard projects to grow and learn as a leader.
Accountability and ownership are key to high-performing teams.

MORE PODCASTS

episode 22

Leadership Principle #1: Never Stop Learning

In this conversation, Ron Redell, president of DoubleLine, shares insights on leadership, risk management, and building a high-performing successful organization.

episode 21

Creating Enterprise Value Through Leadership

In this insightful conversation, Tom Athenour and Karen Posey discuss expert strategies for creating enterprise value, building effective leadership teams, and developing future leaders in mid-market companies. Discover practical tips on aligning your first team, leveraging stakeholder feedback, and rethinking leadership development to accelerate growth.

episode 20

Stop Rescuing, Start Coaching

In this conversation, Tom Athenour and Donna Zajonc explore the integration of psychology and business through the lens of the Empowerment Dynamic framework. They discuss the Drama Triangle, which includes the roles of Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor, and how these roles manifest in workplace dynamics. Donna emphasizes the importance of shifting from a Rescuer mindset to a Coaching approach, encouraging leaders to empower their teams rather than take over responsibilities.

episode 19

Creating a Deliberately Developmental Organization

Tom Athenour and Lisa Lahey explore the intricacies of organizational development and transformation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the difference between informational and transformational learning. They discuss the role of leadership in fostering a deliberately developmental organization, the challenges leaders face in navigating change, and the significance of self-reflection and feedback in personal and organizational growth.

episode 18

Taking a Step Back: A Leadership Reset for the New Year

Tom Athenour welcomes listeners to season 2 of the Leader-to-Leader podcast, emphasizing the importance of holistic leadership and personal development. He discusses the significance of setting intentions for the new year and introduces the One Big Thing (OBT) framework, which helps individuals focus on one key area for growth.

episode 17

Leading the Digital Transformation at IKEA

In this conversation, Parag Parekh, Chief Digital Officer at IKEA, shares insights into the evolution of retail, the importance of omni-channel strategies, and the challenges faced by leaders in adapting to rapid changes in the market. He discusses IKEA’s journey from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to a digital-first organization, emphasizing the need for agility, collaboration, and a customer-centric approach.

episode 16

Leading through an Organizational Transformation

In this episode, Tom Athenour sits down with Takuya Hirano, the former president and CEO of Microsoft Japan. Takuya was a member of the executive team and had a front-row seat to how Nadella and the executive team reshaped Microsoft’s vision, culture and strategy. Takuya left Microsoft in 2023 after 17 years, and today he is on several boards including Fujitsu, and is also an executive advisor to KKR & Co. and Honda Motor Company.

episode 15

Thriving Leaders: Creating Rhythms that Prevent Burnout

Tom Athenour and Mitch Harrison delve into the pressing issue of burnout, exploring its symptoms, personal experiences, and effective strategies for recovery. Mitch shares his journey through burnout and the development of a framework that emphasizes the importance of balancing stress with replenishment. The discussion highlights the five key areas—Rest, Release, Receive, Recreation, and Relationships—that are essential for maintaining mental health and productivity.

episode 14

People First: The Secret to M&A Success

Tom Athenour sits down with Tony Garver, Chief Administration Officer at First Onsite, to unpack how the company pulled off 25 acquisitions in just 2½ years—and what it really takes to make that kind of growth stick. Tony takes us behind the scenes of their bold M&A strategy, revealing the leadership moves that fueled their success. From aligning cultures and integrating leaders to keeping people front and center, he shares the lessons learned in navigating complexity without losing momentum.

episode 13

Scaling Your Leadership: Building Organizational Capabilities with Bob Anderson

Tom Athenour and Bob Anderson discuss the evolving landscape of leadership amidst unprecedented uncertainty. They explore the developmental challenges leaders face, the importance of mindset shifts, and the necessity of integrating intuition and creativity into leadership practices. Bob emphasizes the need for courageous conversations, the management of polarities, and the significance of shadow work in unlocking potential.

episode 12

Personal Side of Leadership: Powering Up Your #1 Relationship with Shawn McBride

Tom Athenour sits down with Shawn McBride, a seasoned couples therapist and counselor, to explore the importance of investing in your personal relationships (couples, marriage, dating) as part of being an effective leader. Discover practical strategies for leaders to foster healthier relationships at home, ensuring that personal life and leadership roles complement rather than conflict with each other.

episode 11

The Heart of Leadership: Encouraging the heart, building trust, and empowering others

Barry Posner shares his insights on leadership, emphasizing the importance of encouraging the heart, building trust, and empowering others. He reflects on his journey into academia and leadership, discusses the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights the significance of curiosity and connection in effective leadership. Posner also addresses the evolving nature of leadership in today’s world, particularly among younger generations, and introduces his upcoming book, ‘The Radical Promise’ (working title).

episode 10

Unlocking Creativity: Improv in the Workplace

Tom Athenour discusses the integration of improvisational skills into leadership practices with improv actors Michael Flusche and Austin Hines. They explore how improv can enhance teamwork, creativity, and communication in the workplace. The discussion covers fundamental improv principles, the importance of trust and support in teams, and how to create a safe space for ideas.

episode 9

The Art and Science of Leading Teams

In this episode, Tom Athenour speaks with Gordy Curphy about his work and research on how we as leaders can more effectively build high performing teams. During the discussion, Gordy shared the eight interrelated components that need to be addressed to create the conditions for team success.

episode 8

Agility and Courage: Non-Negotiables for the Modern Leader

episode 7

Mastering the Mental Game in Golf, Leadership and Life

Paul Monahan has spent years working with amateur and professional golfers and athletes to perfect the inner game or what we call the mental side of performance. As the mental game coach for one of the largest golf instruction communities in the country, Paul’s focus is on helping his clients overcome the inside-game challenges that show up during practice and play. Paul recently published his first book entitled The Most Important Game: Play Better. Struggle Less. Enjoy More.

episode 6

Integrating Neuroscience Into The Practice of Leadership

Recently I had the opportunity to connect with Ann Betz, a neuroscience and leadership expert. I met Ann a number of years ago while going through my executive coaching program. Not only was she a great coaching facilitator in the program, but I was most fascinated by her research and graduate studies around integrating neuroscience into the practice of leadership. Today she is considered one of the top neuroscience and coaching experts in the field which is why I wanted to talk with her about this topic.

episode 5

Learning to Embrace Change and Drive Performance

For this episode, I had the opportunity to connect with Mara Swan who is currently an Operating Partner with Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm that invests in companies around the world. During our conversation, I asked Mara what she thought were the most important leadership capabilities needed to be effective in today’s world. She quickly responded with leaning into change and driving performance. And so, that was our launch pad for our discussion on change and performance.

episode 4

Leading through a Transformational Culture Shift

Jon is President and General Manager of Epiroc USA, a global company that serves the mining, construction, and infrastructure industries. During this episode, Jon shares how he and his leadership team led their organization through a transformational culture change that has resulted in becoming one of the top performing companies within the Epiroc organization as well as being recognized by USA Today as one of the best places to work in America.

episode 3

Creating a More Fulfilling and Healthy Life

When John was a nine-year-old boy, he was burned on 100% of his body. He was in his garage playing with matches and gasoline—just like he had seen the older boys on his block do. A fire exploded, consuming my garage, sending John flying back against the wall and turning his whole world upside down.

episode 2

Leading With Vision and Inspiring With Action

In this episode, Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage Worldwide and Tom discuss how leadership is changing and what leaders need to know to navigate the uncertainties of our future reality. Sam Reese is CEO of Vistage Worldwide. Vistage is the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsized business leaders. Vistage has membership of 45,000 business owners and CEOs in 30 different countries around the globe

episode 1

Accelerating the Creation of a Combat Ready Team

In this episode, Jason and Tom explore how Jason was given the opportunity back in April of 2019 to lead a team or squadron of 80 people into a combat situation in the Middle East. Col Jason Houston will be sharing his story of how in the spring of 2019 he pulled together a new squadron to be combat ready and deployed within a few weeks.