What Tesla Taught One HR Leader About Courage, Power, and Agency

JAN 20, 202644 MIN
Digital HR Leaders with David Green

What Tesla Taught One HR Leader About Courage, Power, and Agency

JAN 20, 202644 MIN

Description

<p><strong>Why are so many HR leaders experiencing “what just happened?” moments at work - and what does it really take to respond to authoritarian leadership with courage instead of fear?</strong>&nbsp;</p><br><p>That’s&nbsp;the question&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenkavanaugh/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kristen Kavanaugh</a>, Leadership Strategist, former Head of DEI and Talent Management at Tesla, explores in this episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this episode, host David Green sits down with Kristen to unpack what happens when fear quietly becomes the operating system inside organisations, why authoritarian leadership styles are becoming increasingly normalised, and how HR leaders can reclaim their agency in environments shaped by power, pressure, and public leadership behaviour.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Tune in and learn:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>Why fear-based leadership creates short-term gains but long-term damage&nbsp;</li><li>Why HR leaders often underestimate the agency they&nbsp;actually have&nbsp;</li><li>How Kristen’s Agency Loop framework helps leaders navigate tension, misalignment, and difficult decisions&nbsp;</li><li>What courageous leadership looks like as AI reshapes roles, skills, and power at work&nbsp;</li><li>Why HR has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape a more humane future of work&nbsp;<strong>This episode is sponsored by&nbsp;Worklytics.</strong>&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Worklytics&nbsp;helps leaders understand how work&nbsp;actually happens&nbsp;with data-driven insights into collaboration,&nbsp;productivity&nbsp;and AI adoption.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>By analysing real work patterns - from meetings to tool usage - they empower teams to work =&nbsp;</p><p>Learn more at<a href="https://worklytics.co/ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;worklytics.co/ai</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Link to resources:</strong>&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.kristenkavanaugh.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Courage over Fear: Harness the Power of Agency to Lead in Uncertain Times</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>