Notes on Resilience
123: Walking the Ridgeline: Balancing Ego and Humility in Leadership with Gary Cohen
Have you ever considered that your leadership style might be trapped in patterns established when you were five years old?
That's just one of the eye-opening perspectives shared by Gary Cohen, managing partner and co-founder of CO2 Partners, in this thought-provoking exploration of compassionate leadership.
Gary introduces us to the powerful metaphor of walking the ridgeline – the delicate balance leaders must maintain between excessive ego on one side and debilitating humility on the other. This balance, he argues, is essential for authentic leadership that inspires rather than demands compliance. Through compelling stories and practical insights, Gary illuminates how our earliest experiences with authority shape our leadership approach, creating what he calls a cascade of fear that ripples through organizations.
Perhaps most provocatively, Gary challenges conventional leadership wisdom by exposing how permission-seeking and permission-giving dynamics undermine trust and accountability. He shares how true leadership requires breaking these patterns – illustrated perfectly by the story of Mike Harper, who transformed ConAgra from near bankruptcy to a $20 billion company by refusing to give answers when his executives sought permission. Instead, he returned responsibility to them, building a culture of ownership and decision-making confidence.
The conversation travels through unexpected territory – from Gary's accidental car theft to the profound impact of authenticity in leadership and how our current social climate influences leadership styles. Throughout, Gary offers practical approaches to measuring psychological safety and building genuine trust within teams.
Whether you're leading a large organization, a small team, or simply interested in the psychology of leadership, this episode offers fresh perspectives on creating workplaces built on trust rather than fear. Connect with us on LinkedIn or visit manyachalinski.com to continue the conversation about compassionate leadership.
Gary Cohen is an executive coach and leadership management consultant and the Managing Partner and Co-founder of CO2 Partners, LLC. He probes his clients with the only kind of questions that can produce change: unexpected ones. From the client’s answers, he offers not just insights but alternative courses of action. He has yet to meet a client who wants to be ordinary, and he helps them enjoy unusual success by employing unusual approaches. He is also the author of Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions.
You can connect with Gary on LinkedIn.
Go to https://betterhelp.com/resilience or click Notes on Resilience during sign up for 10% off your first month of therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp.
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Producer / Editor: Neel Panji
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