About Craig Dowden, PhD:
Craig Dowden (Ph.D.) is an inspiring and thought-provoking executive coach, Forbes author and keynote speaker who partners with leaders and executives to tackle their most important personal and organizational challenges. Craig holds a Doctorate in psychology, with a concentration in business and is a Certified Positive Psychology Coach. In his role as a trusted advisor, he integrates the latest findings in the science of leadership, team, and organizational excellence into his coaching and consulting work.
A dynamic and award-winning speaker, participants have described Craig’s presentations as motivating, energizing, and empowering, as they come away with strategies they can implement immediately within their workplaces. Audience members also highly respect the scientific foundation of his ideas.
Craig is passionate about sharing world-class content and insights with his clients. To date, he has interviewed over 50 CEOs of North American companies, including Molson Coors, McDonald’s, IKEA, and VIA Rail. Craig has been asked to share his thought leadership in leading HR and business publications, including Forbes, the Huffington Post (U.S.), the Financial Post, the Financial Times, as well as Psychology Today.
Episode Notes:
Dr. Laura welcomes executive coach, keynote speaker, and author, Craig Dowden, to the show to talk about his book, A Time To Lead. Craig’s passion for learning what makes people tick drove his career toward understanding positive leadership qualities, and those insights shaped his book. He and Dr. Laura explore the idea of bettering yourself to better lead others.
Craig Dowden describes how leadership today must be focused on a human-centric or empathetic approach. People desire authentic connection. The genuine leadership Craig illuminates through seven key qualities, is a vital part of reaching people in what Craig describes as our current VUCA world. VUCA stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, and Craig identifies authenticity and core belief alignment as vital for cutting through the VUCA world.
“And I think that’s what’s incredibly powerful, is that when you really are looking at promoting positive and impactful change, it’s about the simplicity. It’s our ability to connect with others and for them to be able to see the movie that’s playing and to follow along. And so that’s at the heart of engagement.” – Craig Dowden
Resources:
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“Difficult Conversations” by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
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Anxiety At Work with Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton podcast
Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.live
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
Season 3 Episodes:
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About Randi Seiff: Randi Seiff is a Creative and Strategist in one, with 30+ years of expertise in fashion & lifestyle, specializing in design, branding, & product development, building purpose-driven brands from concept to completion. Randi brings a unique...
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About Dr. Laura: Bringing nearly 25 years of expertise as an Industrial/Organizational and Career Psychologist and pioneer on the future of work, Dr. Laura helps organizations evolve their cultures, and leaders and employees to thrive in their work and lives. She...
Episode 61 | Vitamin N: The Power of Nature in Work/Life Wellness
About Laura Cohen: Originally from Montreal, Laura is now based in Halifax with a 10 minute walk to the ocean. For the last 6 years, Laura has worked as a counsellor in universities, Employee Assistance Programs, and in private practice, including her own nature...
Episode 60 | Exploring the Human Side of Unconscious Bias at Work
About Tina Varughese: An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humor into the changing workplace. Her highly...
Episode 59 | Closing the Confidence Gap to Thrive in Your Career
About Kelli Thompson: Kelli Thompson is a women’s leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She has coached and trained hundreds of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love....
More Thriving Human Episodes:
Episode 96 | Trauma, Leadership and Consciousness: Why We Must Heal to Lead
About Kelly Campbell: Kelly L. Campbell (they/she) speaks and writes about trauma, leadership, and consciousness— ”The New TLC.” The author of Heal to Lead (Wiley, April 2024), Kelly is a Trauma-Informed Leadership Coach to emerging and established leaders who know...
Episode 95 | Listening to the Call to Live Your Most Authentic Life
About Tresa Gibson: Recognized for her unique impressionist style that balances colour and depth, Tresa’s work has been described as a simultaneous sense of order and chaos. She has been a thriving self-taught artist for over 14 years specializing in oil on canvas. ...
Episode 93 | Building Awareness of Child Sex Trafficking: How We Can All Make a Difference
About Alan Smyth: Alan Smyth is married and a father of two children and one grandchild. He is the Executive Director for Saving Innocence, an anti-human trafficking agency based in Los Angeles California. Alan has responsibility for Direct Services and Business...
Episode 92 | Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life
About Brigid Schulte: Brigid Schulte is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She was a staff writer at the Washington Post and Washington Post magazine for nearly 17 years, and part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize. In addition to the Post, her...
Episode 89 | The Great Disconnect: Inability to Listen and Its Impacts on Workplaces
About Oscar Trimboli: Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace....
Episode 88 | The Resilience Plan: Optimizing your Work Performance and Mental Health
About Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier: Throughout her career in business management and psychology, Dr. Pelletier has spearheaded the dialogue on the crucial issues of leadership resilience and work performance. Drawing on her extensive background in corporate, insurance,...