Solving the Paradox of Modern Leadership with Sally Netherwood

Leadership often feels like a series of competing demands: be confident, but humble. Be decisive, but compassionate. Kevin Eikenberry is joined by leadership coach and author Sally Netherwood to explore the paradox of modern leadership through the lens of her new book, Graceful Power. Together, they discuss the three pillars of graceful power—Congruence, Courage, and Compassion—and why becoming a more effective leader isn't about choosing one over the other, but learning to hold both with intention. If you're looking to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and impact, this conversation is full of practical insights you can apply right away. Sally's Story: Sally Netherwood is the author of Graceful Power: Solving the Paradox of Modern Leadership, and a world-class leadership coach with over 25 years' experience helping business leaders, entrepreneurs and change-makers feel clearer, braver and more effective. Drawing on tens of thousands of coaching hours, she offers leaders tangible strategies that create immediate improvements in performance, workplace culture and daily working life. After a decade in the fast-paced world of advertising at three of the world's top agencies, she now works with leaders from organizations including Expedia and DoorDash, helping them discover and embrace their Graceful Power, so they achieve far more with significantly less personal cost. Connect with Sally Netherwood Website: https://www.sallynetherwood.com/graceful-power  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-netherwood-85599419/  Book Recommendations Graceful Power: Solving the Paradox of Modern Leadership by Sally Netherwood Brilliant Doubt: Harnessing Uncertainty to Lead with Impact by Jenny Williams Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence by Kevin Eikenberry  Like this? Understanding Power with Deborah Gruenfeld Creating Human-Powered Leadership with Dr. Christie Smith TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 00:38 The paradox of modern leadership 01:31 Meet Sally Netherwood 02:49 Why Sally wrote Graceful Power 05:05 What is graceful power? 06:14 Different kinds of leadership power 08:31 The Three Cs of Graceful Power 08:49 Congruence: leading as your authentic self 11:44 Creating your leadership signature 13:30 Courage is doing what you find difficult 16:14 Understanding fear as a leadership signal 18:30 Leadership is a constant act of becoming 19:36 Compassion as a leadership strategy 21:12 Why self-compassion comes first 23:20 Believing in others' potential 26:00 Reflection as a leadership responsibility 28:12