In this first part of The Shape of Distance, host Elaine Herdman-Barker, chats to Steadman Harrison, president and founder of Lead Beyond about how distance - geographical, cultural and historical - can shape how we approach leadership. We all know that difference can lead to misunderstandings. We ask, what does it take for us to approach unfamiliarity with greater curiosity? And allow it to actually broaden our worldviews?

Steadman Harrison is president and founder of Lead Beyond. He was born and raised in America, and has made Africa his home for the last 20 years. He's a passionate advocate for the democratization of leader development and in the conversation, reflects on what he's learned from working in Africa and what Africa can teach us all.

Read our accompanying article here and Steadman's bio here.

For more information on Lead Beyond, please visit the Lead Beyond website here and their Linkedin page here.

Leaning into Hope for Ourselves and Society

Is there more to life than money? Have we built ourselves provisional personalities? What does it mean to be a whole person in society and what are the obligations we face? Elaine Herdman Barker, Co-founder of Global Leadership Associates, speaks with Valerie Brown, Co-Director of Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership, to address these questions. Together, they discuss her book, Hope Leans Forward, and how we might build upon our innate sense of belonging and connection, think for future generations, and leverage the strength of BIPOC people.

Read our accompanying article here and Valerie's bio here.

What is it to be a convener of people? Where do leaders find meaning in it all? Is there still room to talk about the place of character? Mark Leishman worked in the private office of the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles. His grandfather was Lord Reith, founder of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Today, Mark is executive director of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. He speaks with Elaine Herdman-Barker, Co-Founder of Global Leadership Associates, to talk about his proximity to power and what he’s learnt on the way.

Read our accompanying article to the episode HERE.

And read Mark's bio HERE.

Claire D’Abreu-Hayling, Chief Scientific Officer at Sandoz and a member of the Sandoz Executive Committee talks to Elaine Herdman-Barker, Chair & Partner for Mutual Growth…and the search for the common good at Global Leadership Associates about what bringing our whole person to work looks like.

Together, Claire and Elaine explore what sits above and beyond our professional and technical capabilities. They ask, ‘How can we wholly embrace our authentic selves at work and collaborate effectively despite our personal differences?’ ‘Can we stay true to our identity, be acknowledged for the value we contribute, and still advance in the world?’

In her role, Claire leads an organisation of over 1,800 associates across 5 major countries globally. She is a strong advocate of women in leadership in STEM, a champion for Inclusion and Diversity in her current and previous organisations and a member of the Women Leaders Association in the UK.

Access the full episode below. Our accompanying article can be found HERE >> .

Living with risk. Ripples of fear & the power of connection – A view from Psychiatry.

Dr Jan Birtle, Fellow and Specialist Adviser in Coaching and Mentoring to the Royal College of Psychiatrists talks to Elaine Herdman-Barker, Chair & Partner for Mutual Growth…and the search for the common good at Global Leadership Associates to discuss what it means to get alongside people who are experiencing trauma and distress. They look at facing into one’s own dilemmas and anxieties while stepping forward to make tough calls.

Read our accompanying article here.

Kate Isler, Co-Founder and CEO of TheWMarketplace - an e-commerce platform supporting women-owned businesses - talks to Elaine Herdman-Barker, Chair of Global Leadership Associates and Partner for Mutual Growth....and the search for the common good, about celebrating women’s contribution to society.

She also speaks to the imbalance in their access to senior decision - making roles. Setting this disparity in a global context, she discusses whether gender equality is a vital part of a healthy society. Are we, she questions, seeing, in regard to women’s participation, the giddying pace of change so evident across many other parts of life?

Read our accompanying article here.

James Cameron CBE, Vice President of Global Leadership and Learning in Walmart talks to Elaine Herdman-Barker, Chair of Global Leadership Associates and Partner for Mutual Growth and the search for the Common Good to reflect on what ‘leading into your best’ really means. In an immense organisation, like Walmart, leaders have the opportunity to better the environment and shift global thinking, on sustainable ways of living. At the same time, they need to deliver as retailers. How do they find themselves in such a large system? Is it possible to harmonise a no-nonsense business approach with a more holistic regenerative vision?

Read our accompanying article to the episode here.

“Breaking up baked-in systems”; Andrew Wallis, Founder and CEO of Unseen, an organisation working towards the eradication of modern slavery, talks to Elaine Herdman-Barker, Chair of Global Leadership Associates and Partner for Mutual Growth and the search for the Common Good about how to disrupt a system of human exploitation, the scale of which the world has not seen before. With minimum estimates of 50 million held in slavery, it took a long time for things to get this far. How can it be brought to a stop? What can leaders, from all walks of life do, to alter the progress of any system, well fixed in commercial gain?

Read our accompanying article to the episode here.