Transformational Leadership

What if the fastest way to build a workforce isn't importing talent, but earning the trust to develop it locally?
In this episode of Transformational Leadership, Jeff Harnois sits down with Rui Bashir, Global HR Director at a Fortune 500 multinational, leading HR for a portfolio of businesses across the globe.
Rui shares how, in his mid-20s, he took on the challenge of building the people side of a massive coal mining operation in Mozambique for one of the world's largest mining companies, in a region where a mining workforce simply didn't exist.
From sitting with community elders under a tree to building a training academy from scratch, Rui explains how his team ramped up to 2,000 employees while creating a talent pipeline designed to outlast every international assignee on site.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why you can't recruit for skills that don't exist yet
Why building local talent can outlast importing experienced workers
How earning community trust starts with listening, not strategizing
Why respecting local values and governance is both ethical and operationally smart
How to staff with international talent while planning for local handover
Why every international role needs a localization timeline and a mentoring obligation
How to build a training academy from nothing that sustains itself
Why you start where people actually are, not where you wish they were
How partnerships with technical colleges can create a talent pipeline
Why copy-and-paste programs fail in new cultures and communities
What leadership looks like when there's no playbook
Why your legacy is the people you develop
Rui also shares the moments he doubted whether it would work, the advice he ignored about playing it safe, and why the best global HR leaders lead with curiosity instead of templates.
If you're a leader, HR professional, executive, or transformation expert looking to build capability, earn trust, and create impact that lasts for generations, this conversation is packed with practical insights you can put into action.About the PodcastTransformational Leadership, hosted by Jeff Harnois, is the podcast for leaders building high-performance organizations and teams. Jeff sits down with executives, HR leaders, and transformation experts to explore how they drive change, develop talent, and deliver real results. No fluff, just practical lessons from the front lines of leadership.👍 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, transformation, and building high-performance teams.
#TransformationalLeadership #Leadership #TalentDevelopment #GlobalHR #WorkforceDevelopment #HRLeadership #TalentStrategy #CommunityEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #Transformation

What if your transformation isn't failing because of the vision, but because the foundation underneath it was never solid?
In this episode of Transformational Leadership, Jeff Harnois sits down with Kandi Gongora, Chief Experience Officer at The Car Group, founding member of Hacking HR's Expert Council, and a leader behind more than 25 workplace awards.
Kandi shares how she helps organizations reinvent culture, talent, and operations, and why she treats every organization as a living system, where changing one area creates ripple effects everywhere else.
From helping Park Place Dealerships, a 16-dealership, 2,200-employee network, win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to cutting manager turnover from around 60% to under 10%, Kandi explains how to close the gap between where you are and where you want to go.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why you can't transform without a solid foundation
How the seven Baldrige categories create a framework for lasting change
What to look for in a leadership team before a transformation begins
How to assess change readiness in your leaders and your people
Why strengths can become liabilities when leaders are overextended
How to approach an underperforming leader with curiosity instead of assumptions
Why top performers don't always make great managers
How an ideal manager profile, 75% pre-role readiness, and six-month IDPs cut turnover dramatically
Why a solid system helps organizations pivot quickly during downturns
How to lead in a hyper-fluid world by focusing on the minimum viable step
Why AI agents should be onboarded, coached, and developed like employees
How curiosity and business acumen can accelerate your career
Kandi also shares lessons from benchmarking world-class brands like the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Disney. She explains why the best leaders fall in love with their company and their industry, and why being curious beats having all the answers.
If you're a leader, HR professional, executive, or transformation expert looking to build high-performing teams and create change that actually sticks, this conversation is packed with practical insights you can put into action.About the Podcast
Transformational Leadership, hosted by Jeff Harnois, is the podcast for leaders building high-performance organizations and teams. Each episode features executives and transformation experts who have led with vision, executed under pressure, and delivered real, scalable results. No fluff, just practical frameworks, lessons, and stories from the front lines of leadership.
👍 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, transformation, and building high-performance teams.
#TransformationalLeadership #Leadership #OrganizationalTransformation #ChangeManagement #HRLeadership #MalcolmBaldrige #LeadershipDevelopment #TalentManagement #BusinessTransformation #FutureOfWork

What does it take to navigate constant transformation, help people take ownership, and lead without taking over someone else's journey?
In this episode of the Transformational Leadership Podcast, Jeff Harnois sits down with Dr. Andrea Vaughan, HR Leader, Author, Adjunct Instructor, and Transition/Leadership Coach, to explore personal transformation, agency, leadership development, organizational culture, and how leaders can help people move from where they are to where they can be.
Andrea shares lessons from her own transformation. After barely making it through high school, she went straight into the workforce and later returned to education with a very different mindset. She eventually completed her Doctorate of Strategic Leadership at Regent University in August 2024. She explains how these experiences taught her that transformation is always happening and that people have the power to choose how they respond to it.
The conversation explores Andrea's approach to patience, presence, and pausing. She explains how slowing down, creating space, and allowing people to think can help them work through problems and find their own answers. Andrea also shares why leaders, HR professionals, and coaches should guide people through transformation without imposing their own solutions or taking away the person's agency.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Why transformation is a constant part of life and leadership
How personal choice can shape the way we respond to change
Why patience, presence, and pausing are valuable leadership practices
How silence can give people space to find their own answers
Why leaders should look for root causes instead of reacting to symptoms
How emotions, assumptions, and personal narratives can affect decisions
Why giving people agency can create stronger ownership of solutions
How leaders can support transformation without taking over the journey
Why HR should focus on ongoing coaching, development, and employee experience
How small changes can help build stronger people, teams, and cultures
Andrea also shares how she went from being skeptical about leadership development and reading to becoming a strong believer in both. After seeing how leadership book clubs helped managers build trust, learn together, and bring new ideas to their teams, she began reading and leading the groups herself. She credits that experience as an important part of the path that eventually led her to doctoral study, coaching, and writing her book, Generative HR: Reimagining People, Culture, and the Role of HR.
This episode is packed with practical insights for executives, HR professionals, coaches, emerging leaders, and anyone focused on helping people grow, creating stronger cultures, and leading effectively through transformation.
🎙️ Guest: Dr. Andrea Vaughan🎙️ Host: Jeff Harnois📌 Podcast: Transformational Leadership
If you found this conversation valuable, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and share this episode with another leader who could benefit from these insights.
#TransformationalLeadership #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #HRLeadership #Transformation #OrganizationalCulture #ExecutiveLeadership #HumanResources #Coaching #PeopleDevelopment

What does it take to build resilience, strengthen culture, and lead people effectively in a high-pressure healthcare environment?
In this episode of the Transformational Leadership Podcast, Jeff Harnois sits down with Dr. Molly Hamilton, SVP & CHRO for Southern Illinois Healthcare, after rising through roles in HR Business Partner, Talent Management, and Interim CHRO, to explore resilience, employee engagement, executive development, organizational culture, and continuous learning.
Molly shares lessons from her journey across HR, manufacturing, academia, and healthcare. She discusses completing her PhD while raising three children, teaching as adjunct faculty for around 12 years, and eventually moving back into the practitioner world. She also explains how routines, faith, exercise, coaching, and intentional structure have helped her stay focused through demanding seasons of leadership.
The conversation explores Molly's approach to taking care of the people who take care of people. At Southern Illinois Healthcare, which has around 4,000 employees, she focuses on supporting employees so they can provide the best possible care to patients. She also shares how the organization improved employee engagement from the 2nd percentile to the 44th percentile in three years while reducing turnover.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
How leaders can build resilience through structure and consistent routines
Why taking care of yourself helps you lead and support others
How leaders can model the behaviors they expect from their teams
Why employee engagement is about more than a survey score
How healthcare leaders can connect employee and patient experience
Why getting uncomfortable is an important part of leadership growth
How junior executives can prepare themselves for senior leadership
Why executive presence, preparation, and system-level thinking matter
How curiosity and withholding judgment can make HR leaders more effective
Why kindness, grace, and continuous learning matter at every leadership level
Molly also shares a simple message for leaders who want to grow: sometimes you have to get uncomfortable to grow.
This episode is packed with practical insights for executives, HR professionals, healthcare leaders, emerging executives, and anyone focused on building stronger cultures, developing people, and becoming a more effective leader.
🎙️ Guest: Dr. Molly Hamilton🎙️ Host: Jeff Harnois📌 Podcast: Transformational Leadership
If you found this conversation valuable, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and share this episode with another leader who could benefit from these insights.
#TransformationalLeadership #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #HRLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #EmployeeEngagement #OrganizationalCulture #ExecutiveLeadership #HumanResources #HighPerformanceTeams

What does it take to lead effectively when the stakes are high? This conversation explores leadership lessons shaped by experiences ranging from SWAT team training and war-zone leadership in Iraq to organizational culture, communication, and change management.
The discussion examines how leaders build high-performing teams, communicate across cultural and language barriers, align people around a shared mission, and create clarity during complex situations.
A central leadership lesson emerges: if you don't explain the why, people will create their own why.
Discover practical insights on building trust, strengthening team culture, empowering employees, improving communication, and giving teams the ownership they need to execute effectively.

What happens when you transform access to opportunity into a strategy for scalable impact?
Jeff Harnois speaks with Jodi Brockington, founder and CEO of Nyara Consulting, founder of the FOJ Network, and co-founder of Venture Philanthropy Blueprint.
Jodi shares how she transformed a traditional career fair into a digital career success series, giving professionals access to career development, mentorship, and corporate leaders without being limited by geography.
She also discusses how a pitch contest evolved into a broader entrepreneurship ecosystem and helped create additional opportunities and resources for small businesses.
The conversation explores the difference between networking and strategic access, why curated relationships can create faster opportunities, and how leaders can build resource networks around what people actually need. Jodi also shares lessons on resilience, entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, staying ahead of technology, giving value freely, and why you should never burn bridges in your professional career.
Topics include: transformational leadership, access to opportunity, strategic networking, entrepreneurship, career development, scalable impact, professional relationships, leadership, resilience, lifelong learning, technology, and building a lasting legacy.

What does it take to transform your leadership identity, perform under pressure, and build a truly aligned team?
Jeff Harnois speaks with Gerry Watkins, founder and owner of The Leader’s Edge, about identity, pressure-proofing, leadership, culture, and team alignment.
 
Gerry explains how leaders can identify the qualities they need to develop for their next level, use their existing strengths to reshape their identity, and build behaviors that support the leader they want to become. He also shares his concept of being “pressure-proofed” and why developing your ability to handle chaos, uncertainty, and overwhelm can help you make better decisions under pressure.The conversation also explores how leaders can create stronger team alignment by understanding what motivates their people, building a culture of care and accountability, and shifting from a “me” mindset to a “we” mindset. Jerry shares practical leadership lessons from his entrepreneurial journey and explains why leaders must work on themselves first if they want their organizations to grow.
Topics include: leadership identity, personal transformation, pressure management, resilience, team alignment, leadership culture, employee motivation, entrepreneurship, business growth, and developing stronger leaders.

How can leaders build trust, simplify compensation, navigate HR transformation, and prepare their organizations for AI?
Jeff Harnois speaks with Eric Rodriguez, Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at Dallas College, about the changing world of leadership, compensation, technology, and the employee experience. Eric shares practical insights on building trust through simple and transparent compensation programs, leading through organizational change, embracing AI as an enabler rather than a replacement, and creating a culture of curiosity, flexibility, and continuous transformation.
The conversation also explores why leaders need to understand the human side of transformation, how AI can improve productivity and reduce costs, and why curiosity, listening, and the willingness to raise your hand for new opportunities can accelerate a career in HR and leadership.
Topics include: transformational leadership, HR transformation, compensation and trust, employee experience, AI in the workplace, change management, organizational culture, leadership development, and the future of work.

What does it really take to transition from technical expert to executive leader?
Christopher Pogue shares the lessons he learned serving in the U.S. Army, leading cybersecurity organizations, teaching future business leaders, and advising executives.
This episode explores:
• Military leadership principles in business
• Becoming an effective people leader
• Executive communication
• Creating organizational value
• Coaching high-performing teams
• Leadership versus management
• Why resilience matters more than perfect grades
 
If you're leading people, building teams, or preparing for executive leadership, this conversation offers practical frameworks you can apply immediately.
Topics Covered
Executive Leadership
Cybersecurity Leadership
Military Leadership
Business Transformation
Organizational Change
Team Performance
Leadership Development
Executive Communication
Career Growth
High-Performance Organizations

Ray Makela, Managing Director of Talent Development at SBI Growth and author of High Impact Sales Manager, joins Jeff Harnois to discuss leadership transformation, sales coaching, scaling high-performance teams, and the future impact of AI on management.
 
Discover practical frameworks for coaching, delegation, sales leadership, performance management, and leveraging AI to create more strategic and effective organizations.