31: Leaders With Heart Address Tough Issues Head On

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Today’s podcast is another solo show. In this short episode, I want to take this opportunity to talk about addressing negative feedback or feedback or a negative situation or a heart situation head on and not hide from it.

If you are struggling in this area of leadership, this episode will definitely help you out.

How to Handle Feedback

Feedbacks must always be done in a respectful way, everyone has a right to it, whether they are in a leadership role or not.

Team cohesion and positive team dynamics are extremely crucial and it’s important as managers and leaders to receive feedback in a respectful way. #leadershipwithheart Share on X

To receive it inside of ourselves, to take it in, to hover that concept and to hopefully learn and change from it. It is not okay for people to undermine anybody on the team, I don’t care if you’re a leadership role or not.

Critical Conversations

Leaders need to learn how to head off negative things that might destroy their culture and team dynamics, this relates to receiving and addressing critical conversations.

It’s important as leaders to receive feedback, to hear what people might be saying, to hear criticisms and to take that in. #leadershipwithheart Share on X

But it’s also important to head off negative things that are happening that could destroy your culture, your team dynamics immediately.

This might also be a case when you think about it when maybe an organization is going through a merger or do lay-offs that we make sure that we let our people know why this has to take place, why lay-offs are happening, and understanding that the person had value in the organization but maybe it was a necessary evil to keep the business going.

These kinds of conversations are critical. These people are adults, they’re not children, they do deserve utmost respect, so having that open line of communication with them, letting them know where the business is going, how they can impact business results in a positive way and maybe what might be impacting the business in a negative way and then what that could mean for the business as it relates to potential lay-offs or cuts.

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Becoming Unshakeable Podcast

With Heather R. Younger

Becoming Unshakable is the podcast for leaders, creators, and changemakers who know TRUE LEADERSHIP starts from within.

Each episode explores what it takes to lead with resilience, compassion, and purpose while staying human through it all.

Through candid conversations with executives, frontline leaders, coaches, and everyday heroes, Heather uncovers the real stories behind growth, compassion, setbacks, and transformation.

From navigating change to creating emotionally safe cultures, Becoming Unshakable reveals what it really takes to create leaders—and organizations—that can’t be shaken.

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Hi, I'm Heather

I've been through every type of
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
you can think of.

Layoffs, reorgs, mergers, acquisitions and major technology shifts. More than 20 years leading teams through high-stakes situations where results mattered, people depended on me, and decisions couldn't wait.

Those years taught me how to lead. But they also showed me the hidden cost of always being the one who holds it all together.

During our second reorg in less than a year, I walked out of a meeting with no say in what was happening, just marching orders. When my team asked how the meeting went, I should have said, “Give me 15 minutes to process this.” But I didn't. Instead, I let them absorb every ounce of my frustration.

Then I saw their faces.

The people who looked to me for stability had just watched me unravel. What was that teaching them about their ability to handle the pressure?

That moment changed how I saw my role as a leader. Leading teams isn't only about grit or resilience. It's about how your presence builds the trust your team needs to function when things get hard.

Today, I help organizations build unshakable leaders, teams, and cultures. Because when leaders become the calm teams can count on, organizations don't just survive change, they come out strong enough to handle what’s next.

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Contact Heather Today!
+1 403-398-8488

Contact
Contact

I'm really interested in...

(select all that apply)*

I can be reached at...

Additional Comments