5 September 2023

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interview Kirstin Ferguson. She is Australia’s most prominent leadership expert and a highly experienced business leader in her own right. Beginning her career as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Kirstin has held roles that have included CEO of an international consulting firm and was appointed acting chair and deputy chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation by the Australian Prime Minister.

Her upcoming best-seller book: HEAD & HEART: The Art of Modern Leadership is a practical guide for every modern leader. Kirstin explains how leadership is simply a series of moments and therefore, every moment offers us the opportunity to leave a positive impact on those we lead.

Key Takeaway:

Modern leadership involves a shift towards combining head and heart attributes. Traditional leadership models of having all the answers and being distant are outdated. Kirstin explains the 8 key attributes of a head and heart leader and provides the tools to measure your own approach. Successful modern leaders lead with curiosity, wisdom, empathy, humility, self-awareness, and more. A key attribute is perspective, which involves understanding the environment, and the people, and making decisions while incorporating others’ input.

Questions I ask Kirstin Ferguson:

• [01:38] What has changed in modern leadership? Let’s say in the last five years when it comes to leadership.
• [02:50] What is sort of the practical reason why people need to be looking at a new approach?
• [04:07] Would you say that this is a generational shift or is this really just culturally every generation demanding?
• [06:38] What you’re suggesting is that we can actually empower people to make leadership-type decisions, right?
• [06:25] Besides the cost component, what are some other things that you might suggest that the Fractional CMO model is a good idea for businesses?
• [07:35] How do you know the core moments?
• [08:49] Explain a little bit what you mean by head and heart.
• [13:32] How do you go to work on building these core attributes?
• [14:26] How do you suggest that people adapt to these ideas in remote environments?
• [17:15] One of the responsibilities of a modern leader is to see their role as building a family tree of leaders. Talk a little bit about how you address that idea.
• [19:21] How can entrepreneurs acquire modern leadership practices?

More About Kirstin Ferguson:

• Get your copy of HEAD & HEART: The Art of Modern Leadership
• Head & Heart Leader Scale
• Kirstin’s website.