Danielle Harlan: Killing the Alpha Leader

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that leadership has changed. Not just because of our recent pandemic, but because of what research is telling us works, and what employees are demanding from their workplace cultures. But when we say we have to “redefine leadership”, what does that actually mean? It means killing the notion of the command and control “Alpha Leader” and understanding that today’s complex business challenges demand a more collaborative approach driven by empathy. My guest today is leadership expert Danielle Harlan. She shares what this new vision of leadership means to you, how you can increase your empathy and effectiveness, and also what your organization can do to foster a more empathetic and inclusive environment that translates into success.

Key Takeaways:

Technology has been a key piece in making things more transparent. It also gives us the ability to ask more interesting questions and better understand what people are wanting from the businesses they buy from.
Apologize when you hurt someone or a group. Acknowledge it and move forward, but apologize, even when it wasn’t the intent to cause harm.
You can increase your empathy by engaging in media – read fiction, watch shows, listen to music – and try to understand those perspectives that differ from your own.

“Our concept of leadership is really expanding. It’s more relational, more collective, and there’s a strong ethical and justice-oriented component.” – Danielle Harlan

About Danielle Harlan, Founder & CEO, Center for Advancing Leadership and Human Potential:

As the Founder and CEO of the Center for Advancing Leadership and Human Potential, Danielle Harlan, Ph.D., is on a mission to transform leadership for the modern world. Through a combination of consulting, teaching, coaching, and keynote offerings, she empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to develop the competencies necessary for succeeding, thriving, and generating a lasting positive impact in their local and global communities.

As an experienced speaker and facilitator (both in-person and virtual first), Danielle delivers compelling, energetic, and evidence-based presentations and programs—with measurable results. She has been the featured speaker for conferences, summits, and corporate events—and has facilitated workshops, programs, and retreats for commercial, nonprofit, government, health care, and educational organizations around the world.

As a former special education teacher, Danielle’s work is rooted in equity, emotional intelligence, and the science of human motivation—and her bestselling book, The New Alpha: Join the Rising Movement of Influencers and Changemakers Who Are Redefining Leadership, offers a new paradigm for leadership that’s focused on facilitating collective ownership of a shared mission and enabling the structures and systems necessary to bring it to life in an ethical, sustainable, and just way.

Named one of Silicon Valley’s “40 Under 40,” Danielle has been a speaker for TEDx and worked as an instructor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and U.C. Berkeley Extension’s Corporate and Professional Development Program. In addition, she has been featured in leading publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and Women’s Health.

Danielle earned her doctorate in political science and M.A. in education from Stanford University, where she was a Javits National Fellow and was awarded the Centennial Teaching Prize for excellence in instruction. Prior to launching the Center for Advancing Leadership and Human Potential, she was the Chief of Operations for the Carnegie Foundation, where she worked to harness the power of networks and quality improvement strategies to solve important educational problems. She is a member of the International Leadership Association and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.

Connect with Danielle Harlan:

Our Coach – Organizational Wellness and Human Thriving Assessment Tool: https://ourcoach.io/

Twitter; https://twitter.com/danielleharlan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleharlan/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.harlan.1/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipandhumanpotential/

Website: https://www.leadershipandhumanpotential.com/

Book: The New Alpha https://www.amazon.com/New-Alpha-Influencers-Changemakers-Redefining/dp/1259641910/

Resources Mentioned:

Our Coach: Organizational Wellness and Human Thriving Assessment Tool

Terri Givens on The Empathy Edge, talking about Radical Empathy

Brent Lowe and Susan Basterfield on The Empathy Edge, talking about No Manager Required