

Do Good To Lead Well with Craig Dowden
Craig Dowden
If you're passionate about mastering self-leadership, you're in the right place. I've dedicated my career to understanding the science and practice of positive leadership. I Integrate evidence-based principles from the fields of positive psychology with those in leadership and organizational excellence that will help you develop real-life solutions to solve your greatest challenges. Each week I'll bring world-class content with industry experts to help you use positive leadership to build a peak performance culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 20, 2023 • 56min
Rising Together: Forbes #1 Women’s Leadership Expert on Creating an Inclusive Environment | Sally Helgesen
Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Sally Helgeson, the world's foremost authority on women's leadership and the brilliant mind behind the book "Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace." Discover how an unexpected encounter at a construction conference illuminated the urgent need for practical strategies to foster inclusion, and how Sally's extensive research has crafted actionable methods for building inclusive relationships, teams, and workplaces.
Throughout this episode, we explore the various narratives that shape our professional interactions, particularly when triggered by feelings of invisibility. Using real-world examples, we discuss the importance of identifying and addressing specific triggers to prevent negative emotions from hindering constructive action. We also emphasize the value of peer support and informal coaching in reframing negative perceptions into learning opportunities. By examining the balance of contributions in discussions about inclusion and equity, we highlight the significance of seeking feedback and consulting colleagues to avoid miscommunication and foster positive development.
Sally's expertise further guides us through the challenges of navigating bias and fairness in the workplace. She shares practical advice on learning from those who self-promote effectively and turning potentially toxic situations into collaborative professional relationships. Additionally, we tackle the pitfalls of unconscious bias training and the "authenticity trap," advocating for a focus on observable actions and behaviors that lead to meaningful change. To round off the conversation, we discuss the importance of self-awareness and the nuanced use of humor in professional settings. Don't miss this compelling episode filled with valuable insights and strategies to enhance inclusive leadership.
What You’ll Learn:
• Discover the motivations behind Sally's latest book and her mission to provide practical steps for inclusive leadership.
• Learn how to address your triggers and transform negative emotions into constructive actions.
• The critical role of self-promotion in navigating your career.
• Explore the limitations of unconscious bias training and the pitfalls of the "authenticity trap."
• Understand the role of self-awareness and humor in professional settings.
Podcast Timestamps:
(00:00) – An Introduction to Rising Together
(11:17) - Navigating Triggers and Negative Self-Narratives
(18:28) - Building Inclusive Environments
(29:22) - Navigating Bias in Organizations
(39:01) - Balancing Authenticity and Professionalism
(48:51) – The Do’s and Don’ts of Humor in the Workplace
Key Topics Discussed:
Positive Leadership, Women's Leadership, Inclusive Workplace, Women in Male-Dominated Sectors, Inclusive Relationships, Triggers, Negative Narratives, Informal Coaching, Peer Support, Overcoming Barriers, The Art of Self-Promotion, Discrimination, Toxic Situations, Unconscious Bias Training, Authenticity Trap, Authenticity, Marginalization, Self-Awareness, Humor, Powerlessness.
More of Sally Helgesen?
Sally Helgesen is recognized in Forbes as the world's premier expert on women's leadership. Her distinguished career spans over 30 years as an internationally best-selling author, speaker, and leadership coach. She has been inducted into the Thinkers 50 Hall of Fame and ranked number 3 among the world's thought leaders by Global Gurus.
Sally's latest book, Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace, soared to Amazon’s number one best seller in its first week and offers practical ways to build more inclusive relationships, teams, and workplaces.
Sally's remarkable success with How Women Rise, co-authored with legendary executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, examines the behaviors that most commonly hinder women's success as they advance in their careers.
Sally's other notable works include The Female Advantage: Women's Ways of Leadership, a classic in its field and continuously in print since 1990, and The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations, which has been cited in The Wall Street Journal as one of the best books on leadership of all time. The latter work is also credited with bringing the language of inclusion into business.
Website: https://sallyhelgesen.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyhelgesen/
Mentions:
Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Together-Divides-Inclusive-Workplace/dp/0306828308
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Apr 13, 2023 • 50min
Quiet Your Ego and Become a Better Listener - Ed Hess
As humans we’re constantly seeking confirmation of what we believe and affirmation of our ego. What possibilities would be unlocked if you became the best version of yourself? Is the journey to the best self ever complete? In this episode, Ed Hess answers these questions and more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. The skills to be a highly adaptive learner in the face of the current technological revolution
2. The biggest competition you’ll have going forward is you. How do you overcome the biases you have?
3. How to take ownership of your mind, emotions and behaviors
4. A mindful breath work meditation exercise that’ll quiet your ego, mind, body and emotions so you can better focus on listening and relating to others
5. Hacks to becoming a better listener
Who is Ed?
Ed Hess is a best selling author of 15 books, 160 practitioner articles, and 60 Darden business cases on topics related to business growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship, including Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change and Own Your Work Journey: The Path to Meaningful Work and Happiness in the Age of Smart Technology and Radical Change. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. Ed Hess is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Darden School's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Co-Director of the Darden School's Leading Growth and Change executive education program. Prior to his academic career, Ed was a successful entrepreneur and business executive. He co-founded and served as the CEO of The Martin Agency, one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States. He also served as the CEO of another successful advertising agency, and held senior marketing positions at two Fortune 500 companies.
Mentions:
Own Your Work Journey: The Path to Meaningful Work and Happiness in the Age of Smart Technology and Radical Change: https://www.amazon.com/OWN-YOUR-WORK-JOURNEY-Meaningful/dp/B0BW2SL7Q3
Follow Ed:
Website: https://www.edhess.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-hess-41638b16/?locale=ms_MY
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Apr 6, 2023 • 47min
Resilient Leadership in Times of Uncertainty | Sue Hutchison
Equifax Canada's President and CEO, Sue Hutchison, joins us to unravel the fabric of leadership in the face of adversity. Steering a corporate giant through the pandemic's upheaval and an integration to the cloud, Sue shares her profound insights on virtual onboarding, cultivating connections in a remote landscape, and the invaluable lessons learnt from a peek into the personal lives of her team. Her approach to nurturing a corporate culture underscores the importance of empathy and transparency in a leader's toolkit.
Navigating a company through transformative times demands a unique blend of optimism and emotional intelligence, qualities that Sue embodies and advocates for. In our discussion, she emphasizes the art of celebrating team victories and the necessity of integrating diverse viewpoints for a well-rounded strategy. The intimate interplay between trustworthy leadership and the successful migration to new technological frontiers is a recurring theme—underscoring the power of adaptability and clear communication in the face of change.
Our conversation takes a deeper dive into the impact of leadership on mental health and personal growth. Sue and I reflect on the critical bonds solidified during the global crisis and the revelation of life's fragility, which fuels our zest for authentic engagement and mindful living. This episode is an exploration of the human side of corporate leadership, touching on the influence of vulnerability, the commitment to diversity in hiring, and the ways we can draw strength from our networks during our most challenging times. Sue's journey is not just a testament to resilient leadership but an invitation to embrace the growth that comes with it.
What You’ll Learn:
• The challenges and opportunities of virtual leadership.
• The role of empathy in successfully guiding large-scale transformation.
• The interplay of personal and professional growth.
• Impact of leadership on mental health.
• Diversity and inclusion in hiring.
• Resilience and adaptability in leadership
Podcast Timestamps:
(00:00) - Leading Through Change
(08:58) - Leadership Qualities for Successful Transformations
(21:06) - Leadership, Mental Health, and Connection
(35:38) - Leadership Impact and Personal Growth
Key Topics Discussed:
Positive Leadership, Equifax Canada, Adversity, Virtual Onboarding, Remote Work, Corporate Culture, Empathy, Transparency, Optimism, Emotional Intelligence, Celebrating Team Victories, Diverse Viewpoints, Adaptability, Clear Communication, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Vulnerability, Diversity in Hiring, Authentic Engagement, Mindful Living, Resilient Leadership, Transformation, Building Trust, Stress Management, Personal Well-being, Workplace Dynamics, Vulnerability, Personal and Professional Networks, CEO Success
More of Sue:
In 2020, Sue Hutchison joined Equifax Canada as President and General Manager. With 30 years of experience in the financial services, credit and lending industries, Sue has held several senior leadership roles including those with MasterCard, Payments Canada, HSBC Bank, and Bank of America. She's also an active board member of Home Capital Group, has served as an advisory board member for Women in Payments, a board member for BC Women in Hospital Foundation, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. She now leads Equifax’s transformation from its tremendous legacy into a 100% cloud-based data insights and technology company.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suehutchison/?originalSubdomain=ca
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Mar 30, 2023 • 13min
Humility and Authenticity: A Dynamic Duo for Leadership Excellence
Both humility and authenticity involve a willingness to be vulnerable. A humble leader is willing to admit their mistakes and weaknesses, while an authentic leader is willing to be genuine and transparent with their team. Together, these traits are the key to building trust and fostering a culture of positivity and openness.
What You’ll Learn:
1. The dichotomy behind enoughness when practicing humility
2. How to ask for and receive feedback
3. Alan Mulally’s definition of authentic leadership
4. How to provide a sense of calm in these ambiguous times
5. Encouraging vulnerability by creating psychological safety
6. The power behind the statement “I don’t know”
Mentions:
Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World: https://www.darylvantongeren.com/books
Daryl Van Tongeren - E31: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/leading-with-humility-from-ego-to-empathy-daryl-van/id1634491338?i=1000602431520
Duane Green - E34: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/learn-to-leverage-a-leaders-most-valuable-currency/id1634491338?i=1000605499896
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Mar 23, 2023 • 55min
Learn to Leverage a Leaders Most Valuable Currency, Authenticity - Duane Green
What’s the most valuable currency leaders can leverage? Does practicing authenticity make you a weak leader? In this episode, Duane Green answers these questions and more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. How to align your values, beliefs and behaviors
2. Empathy and humility are the core characteristics of establishing yourself as an authentic leader
3. Trust is the most valuable currency leaders can leverage
4. How to create an environment in which your team feels safe voicing what they think, expressing how they feel and bringing their full selves to work
5. You’re faults and weaknesses can be used to create vulnerability
6. A framework for taking risks in your business
7. The little things we could do better as a society coming out of a global pandemic
8. Removing the stigma behind mental health
Who is Duane?
Now serving as President & CEO at Franklin Templeton Canada and Chair, Fiduciary Trust Canada, Duane was nominated for Wealth Professional’s CEO of the Year award in 2017 and received the CEO of the Year Award in 2020. In 2019, Duane received the University of Ottawa’s Recognition Award. He received the Women in Capital Markets Male Leadership Award in 2017, which recognized his efforts to support diversity and inclusion in Canada's financial services industry. Today, Duane focuses on overseeing the delivery of exceptional asset management capabilities to further help Canadians achieve their future financial success.
Follow Duane:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duanewgreen/?originalSubdomain=ca
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Mar 16, 2023 • 52min
The Burden of Bureaucracy - Michele Zanini
How can we create bold, transformative organizations unburdened by bureaucracy and its rule choked power structures? In this episode, Michele Zanini answers this question and more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. Why does corporate culture reflect a bureaucratic landscape and how do you navigate it to the top?
2. A company case study demonstrating the limiting notions of hierarchy within your organization.
3. How to distribute power and thought innovation to coordinate real change in your company.
4. The risk to brainstorming grandiose ideas in a vacuum vs experimenting with concepts at a small scale. Change happens incrementally.
Who is Michele Zanini?
Michele Zanini is the co-founder of Management Lab, a consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop new approaches to innovation, organizational agility and strategic renewal, all in the face of constant change and disruption. He co-authored the book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them, which uses data-driven arguments to showcase how your organization can excise bureaucracy and out-run change.
Mentions:
Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them: https://www.humanocracy.com/
Follow Michele:
Website: https://www.michelezanini.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelezanini/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MicheleZanini?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Mar 9, 2023 • 55min
Leading with Trust, Vulnerability & Benevolence - Darryl Stickel
What is trust? Why is it essential to leadership? How can you become more trusted? In this episode, Darryl Stickel answers these questions and more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. How to identify if trust is missing from your organization
2. What are the two components of trust: vulnerability and uncertainty
3. Examples of transparent communication that’ll allow you to connect with anyone
4. Using benevolence, integrity, ability and context to reduce uncertainty that others feel about us
5. What to expect from someone when practicing vulnerability
6. Teeing up conversations to approach them without judgment and create clarity
7. Can you be benevolent and hold people accountable at the same time?
Who is Darryl Stickel?
Darryl is a highly experienced executive coach and expert in trust-building. He has a PhD in "Building Trust in Hostile Environments" from Duke University. He Founded, Trust Unlimited, whose mission is to help individuals and organizations create an environment of higher trust levels that fosters collaboration, encourages risk-taking, and leads to significant advancements. He also authored the book, Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World, to further expand on the principles of trust within leadership.
Mentions:
Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Building-Trust/Darryl-Stickel/9781637630792
Follow Darryl:
Website: https://www.trustunlimited.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darryl-stickel-phd-b544b?originalSubdomain=ca
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Mar 2, 2023 • 55min
Leading with Humility: From Ego to Empathy - Daryl Van Tongeren
In leadership, how does the concept of humility relate to establishing strong relationships, asserting boundaries, and empathizing with your team to drive success within your organization? In this conversation, Daryl Van Tongeren answers these questions and more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. Why humility is a key feature in helping relationships and innovation thrive
2. How to identify and avoid falling into the traps of narcissism
3. How to communicate your boundaries
4. Gender differences within humility
5. A 360 approach to seeking out feedback and avoiding cognitive bias
6. How to use empathy to think about the needs of others and establish a humble foundation
7. Modeling humility to establish non-contingent love as a parent
Who is Daryl Van Tongeren?
Daryl Van Tongeren is an associate professor of psychology at Hope College. He’s published over 200 scholarly articles. His research focuses on the social motivation for meaning and its relation to virtues and morality including topics regarding humility, forgiveness, and wellbeing.
Mentions:
Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World: https://www.darylvantongeren.com/books
Follow Daryl:
Website: https://www.darylvantongeren.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drvantongeren?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Feb 23, 2023 • 35min
The 7 Essential Leadership Qualities: A Time to Lead
During these challenging times, what are the qualities a leader needs to not only get through, but thrive? Groundbreaking research alongside the wisdom of some of the world’s most prominent CEOs has led Craig Dowden, PhD, to understand that great leadership starts with great self-leadership. Craig walks listeners through the history of conceptualizing his latest Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, A Time to Lead: Mastering Your Self . . . So You Can Master Your World, which depicts a personal framework for maximizing our leadership potential.
What You’ll Learn:
The seven essential leadership qualities:
(09:10) - Mastering your mindset
(12:40) - Mastering your emotions
(15:00) - Mastering your resiliency
(17:40) - Mastering your strengths
(19:50) - Mastering the art of receiving feedback
(23:10) - Mastering difficult conversations
(28:00) - Mastering authentic leadership
Mentions:
A Time to Lead: Mastering Your Self . . . So You Can Master Your World: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Lead-Mastering-Master-World/dp/1637630751
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/

Feb 16, 2023 • 49min
Leading with Your Values - Alim Somani
How can business leaders ensure that the culture they build within their organization is not only strong and cohesive, but reflects the values they originally set out to encapsulate? Join us, as Alim Somani answers this question and many more.
What You’ll Learn:
1. The importance of asking the best questions rather than having the right answers.
2. Propagating value sets throughout your organization that align with not only your company’s mission, but all stakeholders involved.
3. The three most important attributes of a leader: curiosity, empathy and resilience, and how they can evolve your business.
Who is Alim Somani?
Alim is a business leader with a focus on digital transformation. Alim is the founder of Infusion, which later sold to Avanade. Alim’s a recipient of Canada's top 40 under 40 award. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alim was recruited by Hatch Digital, a company that helps organizations digitally transform their businesses.
Follow Alim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimsomani/?originalSubdomain=ca
More of Do Good to Lead Well:
Website: https://craigdowden.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/


