Life and Leadership Through Collaboration

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Dr. Heidi K. Gardner, an old friend and Harvard colleague, joins Access Your Leadership to share her incredible journey around the world, leading her to being an expert in the area of collaboration. Dr. Gardner is a Distinguished Fellow and Lecturer at Harvard Law School, a Co-founder of Smarter Collaboration International and CEO of Gardner & Co., a research and consulting firm that provides collaboration focused solutions with boards and senior leadership teams to transform their organizations. From her early years of growing up in/near Amish Country Pennsylvania, Heidi later ventured out to make her mark on the world. In this episode, Heidi shares a bit about the ways in which she chose to expand her horizons, perspectives, education and experience. She talks about her experience working for several elite organizations and institutions, where in the world those opportunities took her and how she managed herself and her decision-making through those various twists and turns. How important is it to work with purpose-driven organizations and how does that align with how you lead your own organization and team? In what ways do passion, diversity and authenticity impact what we choose to do in our role as leaders? Is positivity and surrounding ourselves with positive people necessary to be successful or simply a “nice-to-have?” How is managing oneself through challenging situations as a leader also so beneficial to those you lead? What did having supportive parents and family allow for you to see for yourself as you started your academic and professional career? Why was it so important to not only visit but live and work in other parts of the world and what did that reveal about you? Did you ever feel pressure to take a certain path and what was your process for managing that? How have you learned to relate to your inner critic and what role has your support network played in that? Why has gratitude and never forgetting where you came from been so important in your journey? What perspective of the world, the people around you and yourself in the world have you maintained that has served you best? From Japan, to Germany, South Africa, the U.K. and then back to the U.S., Heidi has engaged with and impacted so many throughout her years as a professional and continues to do so as she builds her businesses. This conversation is a reminder of what is possible for a leader when they follow their heart, their passion and their purpose. Enjoy the episode! 

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You can connect directly with Dr. Heidi K. Gardner on LinkedIn

Click here to learn more about Smarter Collaboration International

Click here to learn more about Gardner & Co. 

Click here to purchase Smart Collaboration or Smarter Collaboration

Did this podcast spark something in you or get you to take action in some way? I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on our conversation. You can hit me up on Instagram @lakhdar_coaching, LinkedIn: /hakimlakhdar, Twitter @LakhdarCoaching, and Facebook/LakhdarCoaching

I’m always looking to connect with people who are passionate about leadership as well as companies who value and support strong leaders in their own organization. If that’s you or you know someone then drop me a line at [email protected] 

Check out previous episodes of Access Your Leadership