Talk It Out Without Falling Out: Leading Culture with Kinder Conversations, featuring Tim Keogh

The Kind Leader

🎙️ What if kindness wasn’t just a “nice-to-have” but the most powerful leadership strategy for transforming culture?

In this eye-opening episode of The Kind Leader Podcast, host Gino Degregori chats with Tim Keogh, founder of A Kind Life and host of the Kinder Conversation podcast, about how kindness, far from being soft, is a strategic imperative for creating positive, productive workplaces.

At the heart of their conversation is Tim’s BUILD model for giving feedback, a breakthrough approach that goes beyond traditional methods by creating a safe space for honest dialogue. BUILD (Behavior, Understand, Impact, Listen, Do Differently) offers leaders a clear, compassionate framework to address performance, inclusion, and behavioral challenges effectively. Tim makes a bold point: silence changes nothing and often allows negative patterns to grow, while kind, direct feedback is the most courageous and impactful leadership tool.

Tim also shares why self-kindness is critical, leaders must first be kind to themselves to genuinely lead with compassion and hold others accountable. He challenges the notion that conflict is inevitable, highlighting the importance of learning to disagree agreeably. Finally, Tim stresses that culture change needs to happen quickly and broadly, and intentional kindness is the engine driving that transformation.

🔑 Key takeaways include:

• Kindness is strategic, not soft: It means having direct, honest conversations that drive growth and accountability.

• The power of self-kindness: Leaders must be kind to themselves first to lead others with compassion and strength.

• The BUILD model: A practical framework (Behavior, Understand, Impact, Listen, Do Differently) for kind and effective feedback conversations.

• Intentional kindness: Leadership kindness is deliberate and consistent, not random or superficial.

• Culture change at pace and scale: Transforming culture requires speed and broad adoption, using tools like BUILD to shift communication and behavior rapidly.

🎧 Listen now to discover how kinder conversations can lead to stronger teams and thriving cultures.

Links Mentioned:

🌟 A Kind Life Website: akind.life

🎧 The Kinder Conversation Podcast: Listen on all major platforms — akind.life/podcasts

📚 Tim Keogh’s Book — "Kinder Conversations": Get it on Amazon — amazon.com/Tim-Keogh/dp/1913728846

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Kind Leadership: Setting the Stage 02:55 Why Self-Kindness is the Foundation of Great Leadership 05:46 What Does It Really Mean to Lead with Kindness? 09:02 Introducing the BUILD Model: A New Way to Give Feedback 11:57 Handling Tough Conversations with Courage and Compassion 14:52 Leading with Empathy: The Heart of Connection 17:58 Bringing the BUILD Model to Life in Your Organization 25:57 The Power of Self-Awareness and Deep Listening 35:16 Making Kindness a Core Organizational Value 43:23 Kindness in the Fast-Paced Tech Industry 48:51 Rapid Fire Q&A and Final Wisdom from Tim Keogh