HR Insights - The Podcast. Series 7 - The Transformative Power of Leadership Conversations

Welcome back to the sixth episode of HR Insights: The Podcast Series 7! This week, Stuart Elliott is joined by global business leader and Co-founder of Leadrly, Paul Stewart. Paul has spent decades transforming organisational culture and leadership through a multitude of roles and shares his insights on the fast-paced changes shaping our world today. He offers a unique perspective on the intersection of logic and emotion in business, and how important conversation is in making real change within an organisation.

In this episode Paul and Stewart discuss Paul’s evolving career from economist to strategist, ultimately leading to the founding of Leadrly, a cutting-edge leadership and AI-driven platform. He discusses the challenges of creating versus changing culture and why he believes that "the problem’s not in the thinking, it’s in the doing." They also explore the role of AI in today's leadership landscape, particularly how Leadrly integrates with tools like Microsoft Teams to provide on-demand coaching and guidance for leaders. Paul also delves into the nuances of leadership as a conversation, the challenges faced by mid-level managers, the generational divide in communication and the misconceptions around AI in the workplace. 

Paul Stewart has a background in social sciences and spent 10 years as a bank economist, including serving as Chief Economist for New Zealand’s largest bank. He moved into corporate strategy, focusing on strategy implementation, organisational culture, and leadership development. In 2004 he co-authored the international bestseller Branded Customer Service and went on to co-found On-Brand Partners two years later in 2006. In 2022/23, he launched Leadrly with his life partner, an AI-powered system that supports leaders by digitizing On-Brand’s methodologies. 

If you’d like to check out some of Leadrly’s blogs, click on the links below: 

 History of leadership communication

Leading beyond downsizing – conversations matter  

Embracing change: How to lead your team through transformation 

Key Timestamps: 

02:50 – Intro to Paul

06:55 – The journey into entrepreneurship

13:20 – Setting up Leadrly 

17:42 – The philosophy behind Leadrly 

22:45 – How Leadrly helps mid-level managers 

28:10 – The generational divide in technology

33:08 – Leadrly’s reception amongst clients 

39:20 – Measuring success

44:28 – AI’s implications for organisational culture 

46:44 – Advice for HR leaders implementing AI