Renee Giarrusso's Blog, page 2

What an Italian Nonna Can Teach Us About Leadership: 5 Sayings with Timeless Power

Being Italian on one side I’ve always been drawn to anything that is Italian. From the food, the beliefs, the fashion, passion for family and the sayings that are magically kept alive by the Nonna’s.

Growing up, I was living with my Mum who is Australian and my stepdad who is from Adelaide. I was still very close to my dad who was Italian and his side of the family. My Mum also lives Italian values to this day as her and my dad married young and she was bought into a big Italian family, something quite rare back in the late 60’s in Australia. An Italian marrying an Australian just wasn't a thing looked upon fondly.

My Mum is an amazing cook, as was my Nonna and this is where my passion for cooking was ignited at seven years old.

If you’ve ever sat at the table with an Italian Nonna, you know she’s more than just a cook or caretaker, she’s a life coach in an apron. They are the hardest workers, the strongest force in a family and they are known for their fierce love, no-nonsense wisdom, and deep-rooted values passed down through generations. Creating Limitless Leaders and teams for almost 2 decades, it was only of late that I realised that their sayings could really relate to leadership, of self and others.

Their sayings are rich in cultural meaning, but I believe they also hold surprising relevance for how we lead in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world.

Below, I’ve chosen my favourite five and how they can shape the way we show up in life and leadership.

1. “Pazienza!”

Meaning: Patience!

True leadership isn’t reactive, it’s responsive. “Pazienza!” reminds us that great leaders give space for ideas to grow, people to evolve, and situations to unfold. In today’s fast-paced world, leaders often want quick fixes, but patience allows for long-term solutions and sustainable growth.

In leadership:

When coaching or mentoring a team member who's still learningDuring times of organisational or team change or uncertaintyWhen implementing new strategies or systems that require adjustment time

Nonna’s Lesson: Leadership is a long game. Cultivating patience shows maturity, emotional intelligence, and trust in the process.

2. “Meglio soli che male accompagnati.”

Meaning: Better alone than in bad company.

In leadership, surrounding yourself with the right people is everything. A strong culture, productive team dynamics, and aligned values can lift a leader while the wrong fit can drain energy, morale, and momentum. Great leaders know when to stand alone and when to walk away from what no longer serves the mission.

In leadership:

Choose your team and inner circle wisely — energy is contagious.It’s okay to walk away from toxic dynamics or misaligned partnerships.Quality over quantity applies to both relationships and clients.

Nonna’s Lesson: Protect your space. Who you surround yourself with shapes who you become.

3. “Piano piano.”

Meaning: Little by little / Slowly, slowly 

In any role, progress doesn’t have to be fast to be real. This phrase is often whispered during moments of frustration or effort and is a gentle reminder to be patient and keep going.

In leadership:

Embrace incremental progress.Encourage your team to take steady, manageable steps.Build momentum through small, consistent wins.

Nonna’s Lesson: Good things can take time, take small progress steps and know your outcome.

4. “Dove c’è amore, c’è casa.”

Meaning: Where there is love, there is home.

In leadership, creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and supported builds more than just performance, it builds loyalty, connection and trust. When your team feels like they belong, they bring their full selves to work, and that’s where true innovation and collaboration flourish. In today’s world of AI and hybrid work this concept needs to be lived.

In leadership:

Create a sense of belonging in your team, we know that people thrive where they feel valued.Lead with heart. Authenticity isn’t weakness; it’s a strength that inspires loyalty.Culture is built through care, not control.

Nonna’s Lesson: A connected team is a resilient team.

5. “Avanti!”

Meaning: Forward! / Let’s go!

This fiery little word from Nonna is a powerful leadership mantra. It reminds us that momentum matters and waiting for perfection can stall progress. Leaders who know when to act (even without all the answers) inspire movement, resilience, and results.

Application:

Don’t get bogged down in analysis paralysis.Use it as a rallying cry when your team needs energy or momentum.Progress requires movement — even imperfect action is better than none.

Nonna’s Lesson: Motion creates momentum, just trust yourself and take the first step.

The Heart of Heritage in the Modern World

These Nonna sayings were born in kitchens, courtyards, and vineyards. These are places where resilience, resourcefulness, and community mattered. They remind us that leadership isn’t just about strategy or spreadsheets. It’s about values, grounded wisdom, and the ability to guide others with a steady hand and a full heart.

As we navigate challenges, lead teams, and grow ourselves, may we carry this simple truth, sometimes the best leadership lessons come not from textbooks but from tradition.

As always, I’d love your thoughts.

Lead to be limitless.

How are you developing leaders and teams in 2025?

As we enter the second half of 2025, it’s a timely opportunity to pause and reflect. What are you implementing to grow your leaders and teams?

It’s been an impactful and energising year at RG Dynamics.

Working with many new clients, we have been in flow running our 12-month signature Limitless Leaders Programs globally, along with our Gift Mindset Culture and Communicating with Impact programs and our Cook & Connect Team Retreats.

We have also been rolling out our Emotional Intelligence Program to leaders and teams, which helps boost EQ skills in the new world of work. Our 1:1 Executive Coaching programs are among a few of the initiatives.

Being an eternal optimist running my business and contributing to others has been a strategy that has helped me on my healing journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer in April last year. I am clear of cancer now and still have many more treatments to go, but this has reinforced that when you have a strong mindset and do what lights you up, it can help you face adversity and any challenge.

My book Gift Mindset has also received another award last year and has been translated and published in India, Vietnam and the Middle East, which is exciting.

We are currently partnering with many of our clients to assist in mapping out development strategies for their leaders and teams in 2025.

For nearly two decades, RG Dynamics has trained and coached thousands of leaders and executives in over 24 industries through our tailored transformational programs.

Our tailored programs target cohorts of leaders (emerging to senior) and teams within organisations that are seeking growth and an immersive, transformational experience where learnings stick and are brought to life back on the job.

Working across so many industries, we see common challenges and opportunities and can bring this depth of diverse experience to what we teach and share in your organisation.

We are known for our passion for learning, our thought-provoking content and the energy and commitment we bring to every program we deliver.

Our sole purpose in starting RG Dynamics in 2006 was to make workplaces exceptional places to work where people can thrive, be on purpose and contribute by doing the things that light them up. That mission hasn't changed and has only become stronger.

The world is experiencing a skills shortage and development needs to be an ongoing journey. Not a one-off “sugar hit” where everyone feels motivated and ready to take on the world, and then nothing happens on the other side.

Learning is an active process and teams and leaders need to focus on development now, more than ever.

We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind. – Dale Carnegie

To date, we have designed and delivered over 4,000 programs. It all starts by mapping out your needs and organisational objectives in line with your capability. We then provide ideas and program options validated by a pre-program diagnostic to solidify focus areas, content, and delivery mode.

Being a connector, I love being a room where possible, so we do everything to make that happen! On agreement, we design the program and usually run it as a series of workshops, group coaching and Mastermind sessions. These can be face-to-face or a mixture of face-to-face and virtual, which many of our clients prefer.

 

As we continue through 2025, we invite you to explore a selection of our signature programs below.

For leaders:

These programs take cohorts of leaders on a journey with topics and themes tailored to their objectives

Limitless Leaders Acceleration ProgramEmotional Intelligence ProgramPresenting with Impact ProgramCoaching for Performance ProgramFor Teams

These programs include 1-2 workshops and group coaching follow-up to embed learnings.

Cook & Connect 1-Day Team Building RetreatLimitless TeamsMapping Motivation for Team SuccessCommunicating with Impact

 

Organisation & Culture

These programs can be run to teams or town hall style and include the 12 soft Skills of a Gift Mindset and other topics relevant to organisational success.

The Gift Mindset Culture ProgramSkill Pills

1:1 Leadership, Executive & Career Transition Coaching & Mentoring

Coaching services.

Coaching and mentoring is a relationship built on trust and is a very unique one. All sessions are non-judgmental and confidential. We will collaborate with you on your success to assist you in achieving the objectives you set out before commencing the mentoring and coaching program.

Please remember that all our programs are tailored to individual needs, and we ensure our programs complement and align with existing internal frameworks.

How are you growing your leaders and teams for 2025?

If you’re curious about exploring these, please reach out for a chat directly with me.

Book a FREE discovery call here.

Here’s to embracing the rest of the year, filled with learning, growth and transformation!

Lead to be limitless.

 

The 12 Key Behaviours of a Limitless Leader

Limitless leaders don’t just manage: they inspire, adapt, and evolve. They lead with intention, energy, and a deep awareness of themselves and those around them.

For almost two decades, we have been accelerating thousands of Limitless Leaders and teams across a myriad of industries globally.

Last week, I was reflecting on the key behaviours of effective, high-performing, and happy leaders and created a list of the key behaviours and traits these leaders demonstrate consistently. There are many more, and the ones I have listed are easy to implement and create impact and change, much needed in today’s ever-changing workplace.

Remember, leadership is a choice, not a title. We are all leaders of self, others, and decisions.

Start the 12-week Limitless Leaders Challenge and adopt one key behaviour each week!

If you want to lead with impact and longevity, here are 12 key behaviours to adopt:

Create and adhere to boundaries: Protect your energy and priorities by setting clear, respectful limits that enable focus and balance.Make time for personal growth: Commit to learning one new thing every day to expand your thinking and stay agile.Challenge the status quo: Be willing to learn, unlearn, and relearn to remain relevant and forward-focused.Approach people and situations with curiosity: Replace assumptions with open-minded questions and a learner’s mindset. Turn statements into questions and be open.Adopt a Gift Mindset: See every challenge or success as a gift and an opportunity for growth and contribution. Share your lessons.Show empathy by being present and open: Leadership is human, make sure you create space for others to feel heard and seen.Practice daily gratitude: Pause each day to reflect on who and what you’re grateful for to fuel optimism and presence. Start team catch-ups asking, “Who and what are you grateful for?”Be an optimist: Lead with hope and confidence, even in uncertainty, to inspire belief in a better now and next.Coach others through powerful questions: Empower those around you by unlocking their thinking instead of giving answers.Know what lights you and others up: Identify your personal drivers and intentionally bring that energy into each day. Find out what lights others up and tap into this.Communicate with clarity and intention: Speak with purpose, listen with depth, and lead conversations that create momentum. Lead yourself first: Self-leadership is the foundation, when you show up for yourself, you can fully show up for others and inspire.Limitless leadership is a daily practice, not a destination.

Which of these 12 behaviours will you lean into more starting today?

Love to hear your thoughts.

Lead to be limitless.

From Silence to Sharing – Shifting Your Culture Around Mistakes

I’d love to ask you a question.

“Do you and those within your organisation feel confident in being open to sharing mistakes and challenges at work?”

Over the last few years, I have asked this question to leaders, executives, business owners and my peers, and eight times out of ten people responded with no.

How your organisation views failure will ingrain the behaviour of whether sharing lessons, mistakes, and challenges is part of the culture. This has a direct impact on productivity and connection within the organisation. People waste time and resources by reinventing the wheel, reliving the mistakes of others, and wasting time researching solutions and information to create future success.

Many organisational cultures do not encourage or condone the sharing of challenges or failures. This means that sharing might never enter your mind, especially if your current organisation is all you have ever known.

Research by IDC shows that Fortune 500 companies lose a combined $31.5 billion annually due to employees failing to share knowledge and lessons effectively.A study by Harvard Business Review found that only 24% of employees say their company openly discusses failure, and even fewer say they feel safe doing so themselves.According to Deloitte, organisations with strong knowledge-sharing cultures are 92% more likely to innovate and 52% more productive.

The Gift Mindset is the portal to creating a culture of openness, sharing, connection and collaboration.

A Gift Mindset is a mindset where we are open to unwrapping the lessons (gifts) in challenging experiences and even challenging people.

Sharing these lessons can progress us and others forward in an open forum.

 

Why share challenges and mistakes?

When people can share challenges, mistakes, and failures in a safe space, they are encouraged and supported to move beyond these.

Promotes innovation and creativity as people feel open to creating and taking risks.
Helps build trust and psychological safety.
Encourages a learning organisation that promotes learning and sharing.
Enhances problem-solving skills and helps get to the root cause.
Helps avoid costly mistakes and when discussed, this can prevent serious errors.
Improves team collaboration as openly discussing mistakes encourages teamwork and cooperation.
Reduces repetitive errors if these are shared out in the open.
Sharing our lessons could be a survival guide for someone else.
Identifying how we got through something helps us deepen and develop key soft skills such as resilience, optimism, curiosity and growth.
Failing to share what we have learnt is selfish.
Sharing drives connection, innovation, communication and collaboration.

Ways to Build a Gift Mindset Culture

There are many strategies we can implement, including:

Win Wednesday: Encourage individuals or teams to share a win and how they achieved it, including the challenges and mistakes faced along the way.

Failure Fridays: Share a mistake, challenge, or failure, what helped them through it, and the key learnings. Discuss learnings openly — you’ll often see others contribute similar stories and lessons.

1:1 Sessions: Use individual catchups to encourage people to share challenges, setbacks, and opportunities. Deep dive into what went wrong and how that lesson can feed into future development plans.

Monthly Learning Forums or Story Circles: Create a consistent, safe space where teams can bring a “lesson” to the table. This can be done virtually or face-to-face. The key is consistency and modelling openness from leadership.

Leader-led Vulnerability: Leaders going first in sharing their lessons, missteps, or moments of doubt sets the tone. When leaders are real, others follow. This builds trust and allows authentic connection to flourish.

Create a “Lesson Library”: Capture lessons learnt. Whether it’s post-project reviews or informal recaps and make them accessible across the organisation. This turns one mistake into a learning moment for many.

It’s important to note that while sharing mistakes is beneficial, it should always be accompanied by a supportive environment. Employees need to feel encouraged to learn, rather than being shamed for getting something wrong. This will foster a positive and constructive learning culture within the workplace — what we call a Gift Mindset Culture.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.

Lead to be limitless.

68. From Burnout To Brilliance – It Starts With You, The Leader

Over the last 12 months, I’ve been navigating one of the biggest personal challenge of my life—cancer treatment. While it’s tested me physically and emotionally, it’s also reinforced the importance of purpose, energy, and connection. I’ve continued working throughout, not because I had to, but because I deeply believe in what I do and the impact it has. That experience inspired this solo episode of the Limitless Leaders Podcast, where I explore how we can move from burnout to brilliance—especially in a fast-changing, high-pressure world.

Burnout is more than just feeling tired. It’s a depletion of energy—physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. And it’s more common than ever. In this episode, I unpack five practical strategies that I’ve used (and shared with clients) to restore energy, build self-awareness, and lead with greater intention.

Whether you’re leading a team, running your own business, or simply trying to keep up with life, these insights will help you reconnect to what matters and recharge in a sustainable way.

You can watch the podcast here, click the image below, or listen on your favourite platforms.

Key Takeaways:

Here are the 5 key strategies I shared:

1. Normalise Mental Health Conversations
As leaders, it’s up to us to notice when someone isn’t quite themselves. High emotional intelligence means checking in with curiosity—asking “What do you need?” instead of “Are you okay?” These moments of genuine connection create trust and psychological safety.

2. Practice Sustainable Habits
It took me 19 years in business to realise—we never finish everything in one day. I’ve learned to design boundaries, build in recovery time, and encourage deep work. It’s not about doing more, but doing what matters with energy and clarity.

3. Adopt a Gift Mindset
Challenges come with lessons—if we’re willing to see them. I live by this philosophy and encourage teams to do the same. Sharing the gifts from our challenges not only helps us grow, but also creates a survival guide for others.

4. Reconnect with Your Energy Score
Rate your energy—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially—from 1 to 5. Where are you at? When was it last a 5? What were you doing then, and how can you bring more of that back? Self-awareness is the foundation of sustainable success.

5. Redefine What Support and Success Look Like
Saying no is sometimes the most supportive thing we can do for ourselves. I now limit my weeknight events to two, so I can show up where I’m needed with full presence. This boundary protects my energy and helps me lead with clarity and purpose.

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skills you need.

Please post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

To listen to the podcast, select your favourite link below.

Apple: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnApple

Spotify: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnSpotify

Android: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnAndroid

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReneeGiarrusso-RGDynamics

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

To leading the future,

The AI Advantage: How Smart Leaders Are Reinvesting Time in Human Connection

There’s no denying it; AI is transforming the workplace.

From automating administrative tasks to streamlining data analysis and handling basic customer queries, it’s giving leaders something far more valuable than information: time.

AI has its place, and as a thought leader, IP creator and writer I will never use to generate my content, but I am seeing the value it adds doing the mundane tasks that enables me to do the great things opposed to the good things.

Working with leaders and teams for over 2 decades the challenge of being time poor is one of the constant pressures’ leaders face and a challenge that involves self-management to rectify.

Only last week I was working with a CEO around increasing his productivity and connection with his team. During the session I asked him “What AI are you using and how much time is it saving you? He agreed that he was saving time, up to 5 hours per week and when I asked him what he was doing in that time, he replied “Catching up on emails, focusing on sales and the usual, putting out fires.”

It natural to fill time in a reactive way but what are the best leaders doing with that time?

They’re not simply ticking more off their to-do lists. They’re choosing to reinvest it where it matters most, is the human touch. Because while AI can increase efficiency, it can’t replace empathy, presence, or the deep connection that inspires and engages teams.

We need to bring back the human touch and direct our energy, heart, connection and frequency to people not computers.

Many workplaces are experiencing a disconnection crisis that AI is contributing to.

What I am seeing across the multiple industries we work in is the following:

Soft skills are fading: With AI doing the “talking,” empathy, influence, and conflict resolution are taking a back seat.Shallow communication: Zoom calls, Slack messages, and emails have replaced deeper, in-person dialogue. Efficiency is up, but trust and collaboration are down.Information overload: With data coming at us from all angles, it’s harder to focus, stay engaged, and think critically.Fewer human interactions: Automated workflows and chatbots are replacing conversation, making people feel like cogs in a machine.Emotional disconnect: AI lacks emotional intelligence and without intentional efforts, so can our teams.Creativity and critical thinking on the decline: AI’s instant solutions may reduce innovation, as teams defer to machines instead of exploring their own ideas.Burnout and fatigue: Constant digital noise leads to stress, mental fatigue, and a sense of overwhelm.Loss of presence: Leaders struggle to truly listen amid distractions, impacting psychological safety.Culture erosion: Remote and AI-driven communication weakens the sense of belonging and team identity.Over-reliance on AI for decisions: Critical thinking suffers when people stop questioning and start deferring.

But here’s the good news: forward-thinking leaders are recognising these risks and using the time AI saves to bring back the human touch.

I believe AI has created the space to bring back what fast-paced business and digital overload have pushed to the side and that is genuine human connection.

We are doing a lot of work with our clients on this, so I’ll share some ways Limitless Leaders are making this shift and maximising the time AI gives us back.

7 Ways to Bring Back the Human Touch

Be Present, Not Just Available

Being available on Slack or email isn’t the same as being truly present. Take time for face-to-face or voice-to-voice conversations and minimise distractions. Set boundaries with your technology to create intentional, human moments. Whether it’s a five-minute phone call or a longer check-in, being fully there makes people feel seen and heard.

Master Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is where connection lives, in tone, energy, and responsiveness but written communication is often prioritised in modern workplaces. Leaders who invest in sharpening their verbal skills are better able to influence, inspire, and connect.

Ask Better Questions

AI can provide answers, but I believe leaders need to ask the questions that matter. Practice curiosity. Ask questions that go beyond performance metrics, like: What’s feeling heavy for you right now? What’s one thing you wish we talked about more as a team? What do you need help with? What lights you up? These can open space for honesty and connection.

Create Human-Centred Rituals

We all know that AI can streamline processes, but it can’t create belonging. Leaders can establish rituals that build team culture: eating together, weekly gratitude rounds, open mic sessions for new ideas, or monthly ‘Win Wednesday check-ins. Sharing our lesson we can adopt a Gift Mindset and share best practice as well as challenges. These don’t just foster connection they create psychological safety and a culture of care.

Lead with Emotional Intelligence

Efficiency doesn’t equal empathy. Leaders are choosing to re-centre their attention on people not just performance. That means recognising when a teammate is struggling, validating emotions, and cultivating environments where people feel safe to speak up.

Building your EQ takes time, but it starts with one key habit: be curious, not just responsive. Ask, “What else is going on here? “and then listen. Ramping up EQ in a world of AI is non-negotiable.

Be Present and Focused

Notifications, multitasking, and AI tools can make leaders feel like they’re always on but rarely present. But the best leaders are learning to pause. Give yourself permission to pause and just be. Reclaiming space to think, reflect, and engage fully.

Try blocking 15–20 minutes each day to be offline but available. Implement time for walking meetings, impromptu chats, or simply thinking deeply about challenges without screens.

Rebuild Culture Through Connection Rituals

Workplace culture can’t be outsourced to AI. Culture is about the people and is built through shared moments, rituals, values in action, and human storytelling. Limitless leaders are reintroducing simple, high-impact rituals such as weekly gratitude rounds, storytelling sessions, team wins celebrations.

These are only micro-moments, but they build impact resulting in stronger relationships, shared meaning, and a more connected workplace.

AI has the power to streamline, support, and scale but I believe it can’t replace what makes teams thrive: empathy, presence, trust, and connection.

Limitless leaders aren’t choosing between AI and humanity.

They’re using AI to make space for more humanity.

They’re asking: “What do I want to do with the time I’ve reclaimed?” And the answer, increasingly, is connect more deeply, lead more meaningfully, and communicate more powerfully.

Let’s bring the human touch back, one conversation, one moment, one decision at a time.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Lead to be limitless,

Looking For a Speaker Who Brings Energy, Authenticity, and Real-world Experience To The Stage?

If you're planning your next conference, leadership offsite, or team event—and you want someone who truly walks their talk—I'd love to support you.

I’ve spent over two decades helping thousands of leaders and teams unlock their potential through the power of communication, mindset, and leadership. I bring this to life through thought-provoking interactive keynotes that are high-energy, deeply relatable, and most importantly, actionable. Every keynote is crafted with your audience in mind. No fluff, just powerful insights and real-world tools your people can use straight away.

I’m an international award-winning author, leadership coach, professional trainer and speaker—and I’m also someone who knows what it means to lead through challenge.

In April 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This week, I complete my 12-month journey of over 70 treatments—chemo, surgery, radiation, and ongoing targeted therapy. Through it all, I chose to keep showing up. I continued running RG Dynamics, stayed in service to my clients, and found strength I didn’t know I had.

Now, I’m sharing that story with audiences through my keynote “Working Through Adversity”—a raw, real, and inspiring session on mindset, resilience, and what it takes to keep moving forward when life throws you a curveball. The strategies I share aren’t just about surviving—they’re about thriving, no matter what you're facing at work or in life.

My most requested keynote & conference workshop topics:Working Through AdversityCommunicating with ImpactWho’s Looking After the Leader?Limitless Leadership in the New WorldCreating a Gift Mindset® CultureLeading through the 5 Senses

Here’s what people say:

“Renée Giarrusso is an exceptional leader, communicator, and speaker who brings passion, empathy, and optimism to everything she does. Recently recognised as a WorldCC Inspiring Woman for 2025, she uplifts everyone around her. Whether through her inspirational keynotes, leadership coaching, or the genuine care she brings to every conversation, she creates lasting impact and meaningful connections.” — Sharon Morris, Group APAC Head, WorldCC

We’re now taking speaker bookings for June – let’s bring energy and impact to your next event.

If you’re ready to make your next event unforgettable, you can:
Download my Speaker Kit and Showreel here.
Book a discovery call via Mira at: admin@reneegiarrusso.com
Or watch me in action here.

Let’s create something meaningful together.

Lead to be limitless,

67. Success Curiosity – What Is It For You? with Andy Reid

Join me in this Limitless Leaders Podcast episode featuring a conversation with Andy Reid, a renowned auctioneer, high-performance coach, author, and speaker. As the Director of Apollo Auctions Victoria, he manages a full-service auctioneering company serving more than 130 real estate agencies in Victoria.

Andy's purpose is to make success more accessible by making knowledge and information more relatable and real. His first book ‘Success Curious' is written in a way that takes success off the pedestal and into reality for those that feel like success isn't for them.

You can watch the podcast here, click the image below, or listen on your favourite platforms.

Key Takeaways:

For Andy, success isn't for the few. It appears to be constantly seen as something that the few possess because of how ‘hard' it is to achieve success. But for him, if we have enough good reasons, then success isn't difficult at all for anyone.

In order to be taken seriously, you need to take yourself seriously.Own who you are, and be content with who you are not.Believing in your own credibility can be a reoccurring challenge. Your concern can be of your own making.Listening to too many opinions when you're on the rise can be detrimental.Instead of constantly chasing the next big idea, recognize your unique role. Translate big ideas into something the world can understand and embrace.Challenges, especially in mental health, can be a catalyst for self-reflection, growth, and a deeper understanding of life.Following your gut and saying yes to the right opportunities can shape your journey and personal growth.Taking full accountability for your actions is empowering and brings a sense of freedom.

Contact Andy Reid:

Andy Reid Website

Andy Reid on LinkedIn

Andy Reid on Instagram

Enjoy This Podcast?

Leadership in changing times can be difficult, but you can adopt certain traits to get your team through it. You can also join mentorship programs to gain the skills you need.

Please post a review and share it! If you learned something by tuning into this podcast, do not hesitate to write a review and share it with your friends! The world needs more people with the drive and leadership qualities to make the world a better place. We need strong leadership skills and a learner’s attitude today more than ever.

To listen to the podcast, select your favourite link below.

Apple: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnApple

Spotify: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnSpotify

Android: https://www.reneegiarrusso.com/PodcastOnAndroid

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReneeGiarrusso-RGDynamics

Have any questions? You can contact me through these platforms:

Company website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

To leading the future,

Limitless Leadership: Do You Have Empathetic Boundaries Set Up?

Empathy is a vital emotional skill to build on but at the same time, as with any behaviour, we can do this in overdrive.

In any workplace, empathy is a non-negotiable leadership skill.

Leaders and executives who demonstrate empathy create stronger teams, foster trust, and drive engagement.

This year, I am noticing people already feeling like they are running the fatigue marathon with many being challenged by what I call compassion or empathy fatigue.

There is a fine line between being empathetic and becoming emotionally drained.

Empathy fatigue—a state of emotional exhaustion from constantly absorbing others’ stress—can leave leaders feeling overwhelmed, depleted, and ineffective.

To lead sustainably, executives must practice empathetic boundaries—the art of balancing care for others with self-preservation. By setting these boundaries, leaders can remain compassionate without sacrificing their own well-being.

Why Empathy Matters in Leadership

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It builds psychological safety, strengthens relationships, and enhances workplace culture. Research shows that empathetic leadership increases employee satisfaction, retention, and overall performance.

However, when we overextend ourselves emotionally, we risk burnout. We may feel personally responsible for solving every team issue or constantly absorb others’ stress. Over time, this leads to decision fatigue, reduced effectiveness, and even disengagement from work.

The key is to lead with empathy while maintaining boundaries—ensuring that you support your team without depleting your own energy.

Here are a few ideas we’ve been sharing with clients to create boundaries of what is okay and not okay when it comes to empathy.

Learn when to say “No”

Being an empathetic leader doesn’t mean saying “yes” to every request. Setting boundaries requires knowing when to decline the things and people that drain your time or emotional energy. A key insight here is to separate the person from the event or situation, you are saying no to the conversation not the person.

When declining, ensure you use empathetic language to maintain trust. Instead of a blunt “no,” try: “I’d love to help, but I don’t have the bandwidth right now and cannot give you my full attention. Let’s look at other options together.” This approach respects both your limits and the other person’s needs.

Know what is and isn’t yours to carry

Empathy doesn’t mean taking on everyone’s problems. As a leader, your role is to provide support and guidance, not to fix every challenge your team faces. When someone shares a struggle, listen actively but remind yourself: “I can support them, but I don’t have to carry their emotional load.”

When employees bring personal or work-related concerns, acknowledge their feelings and ask, “How can I support you?” rather than assuming responsibility for finding a solution.

Master your emotional awareness

Empathetic leaders tune into their team’s emotions, but that doesn’t mean they must take them on. It is important to be able to differentiate between empathy and emotional entanglement.

A good example is when someone shares stress or frustration, practice what I call detached empathy—acknowledge their experience, but remain emotionally separate. A simple mental reminder is a reframe where you say to yourself “Their emotions are not mine to carry”.

Set expectations around communication

How you value your time and set boundaries around your availability will determine how others value your time. Those who don’t set communication boundaries risk being available 24/7, leading to exhaustion. While openness is essential, so is protecting your time and energy. Remember you cannot pour from an empty cup.

Take some time to define communication norms. For example, let your team know you’re available for urgent matters but encourage them to problem-solve first before escalating issues or to seek out someone else who may help (peer coaching). Use tools like scheduled office hours or structured 1:1s to ensure meaningful conversations without constant interruptions.

Make self-care a priority and show others the way

If you’re constantly giving without recharging, you’ll have little energy left for yourself or your team. Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s essential for sustained leadership.

Set up non-negotiable self-care routines, whether it’s a walk each morning, blocking out lunch breaks away from your desk or unplugging after work. When we lead by example and show we are embracing self-care behaviours this encourages our team to do the same, fostering a culture of balance and wellbeing.

Use empathy to foster strong leadership

Empathy is a superpower, and I believe, one of the most powerful emotional skills a leader can demonstrate. On the flip side, as I’ve expanded on above, we need to use empathy, with boundaries, or it can result in a source of burnout. By practicing empathetic boundaries, executives can lead with compassion while maintaining their own energy and effectiveness.

True leadership isn’t about absorbing all problems—it’s about empowering others while taking care of yourself.

When leaders strike this balance, we can be Limitless in what we do and who we are. We can create workplaces where people feel valued, supported, motivated, and resilient—without anyone, including the leader, burning out.

What is the cost to you, other and your leadership not setting up empathetic boundaries?

Take some time now to set up your boundaries to remain the best you can be!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Lead limitlessly,

 

Emotional Intelligence – The Key to Leadership and Culture in the AI Era

Soft skills, or human skills, define how we engage with others and include leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving, to name a few.

Many other cognitive and socio-emotional skills come into play, and these skills often provide the foundation for high emotional intelligence (EQ).

EQ is defined as someone’s ability to recognise, understand, and manage their own emotions while also recognising, understanding, and influencing the emotions of others.

“Emotional-social intelligence is a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills, and facilitators that determine how effectively we understand and express ourselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands.”

I see many organisations that are good at optimising technical and practical skills but leave out a focus on Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ is a key “soft skill” that needs to be deepened and developed and is the new psychology of leadership.

Technical know-how is no longer enough!

Pre-pandemic, 87% of employees lacked cognitive, interpersonal, and leadership soft skills required for the future. The post-pandemic workplace and the new world of hybrid work and AI require us to accelerate our EQ and soft skills as we engage both digitally and face-to-face.

Late last year, I was coaching an executive client; let’s call him Adam.

Adam was struggling with the disconnection between individuals in his team. His nine direct reports were working from home three days a week, which seemed to work well until it wasn’t.

He noticed that many of his team members were not interacting with each other. When he brought the team together, all conversations and input were topical. Everyone seemed demotivated and a bit flat.

He told me that the right systems were in place, they had good procedures to follow, regular meetings were locked in, and everyone had clear KPIs and accountability. However, I noticed that Adam’s insights were solely focused on technical elements and not so much on people skills, connections, and relationships.

Adam is technically brilliant at what he does but often lacks awareness of what makes others tick and how to access that for good. This results in him failing to manage and address what’s happening with those around him. We worked through some key aspects of EQ, including how he could engage 1:1 with each person, understand where they are at and why, and then look at ways to manage this as a team.

Like anyone leading in the workplace, we need to review and renew our ways of working on an ongoing basis. Adam agreed that he needed to understand others' motivations and strengths and build rapport by learning more about them as people.

He also felt he could bring in more empathy, optimism, and relationship-building.

EQ comprises many competencies that we all need to deepen and develop ongoing.

For over 18 years, RG Dynamics has educated thousands of leaders and teams in EQ and has now brought in the world-class RocheMartin EQ tool, which we use in our 1:1 coaching programs and EQ workshops.

The below includes an overview of the 10 competencies of the tool:Inner Focus: Self-knowing, Self-control, Self-confidence, and Self-relianceOuter Focus: Adaptability, Optimism, Self-actualisationOther Focus: Empathy, Relationship skills, and Straightforwardness

 

When I see emotionally fit organisations, I witness them nurturing strong, inspiring leaders and building connected rock-solid teams. They understand their and others' strengths and weaknesses and leverage this to impact group dynamics. Highly emotionally fit teams help every team member reach their full potential, empower others to recognise their strengths and become more self-aware, and instill a passion for learning that drives continual improvement.

When organisations are emotionally fit, it is easier to define and embed company beliefs. A vibrant company culture will nurture strong employee relationships, increase staff retention rates, and attract and retain top talent.

Emotional Intelligence is the thread that needs to be woven through the tapestry of every organisation.

Key Benefits of EQ:Leadership Development

Research consistently shows that leaders with high EQ build stronger relationships, understand colleagues’ motivations, and handle difficult conversations with positive outcomes.

Cultural Transformation

Leaders shape culture, but many organisations face the challenge of embedding values into actionable behaviours that define their company’s way of doing business.

Diversity & Inclusion

For a team to function well, psychological safety is essential. Creating an environment where individuals feel valued and committed to understanding each other fosters collaboration and trust.

Wellness & Wellbeing

Well-being is now crucial in leadership. Emotional intelligence supports emotional regulation and helps build a workplace culture that prioritises employee care and protection.

Recruitment & Selection

Studies show that selecting candidates based on EQ rather than just technical skills leads to superior performance and stronger team dynamics.

Empowering Sales Teams

In today’s market, the emotional experience of a customer is more important than the product or price. High EQ in sales teams fosters authentic connections and long-term client relationships.

EQ plays a large role in the new world of AI.

As artificial intelligence continues to shape industries, the need for emotional intelligence has never been more critical.

While AI can process vast amounts of data and automate tasks, it cannot replicate the nuances of human interaction.

Emotional intelligence equips leaders and teams to navigate the complexities of a hybrid workplace and interact effectively with AI systems. Understanding and managing emotions in digital environments, particularly when remote communication replaces face-to-face interactions, is essential.

Leaders must be able to foster connections, read emotional cues through digital platforms, and offer empathy in ways that machines cannot. EQ becomes the key differentiator in humanising interactions, making it an invaluable asset in the world of AI.

Creating an emotionally fit organisation is non-negotiable. We need to deepen human connection with hybrid work in play, markets changing, new products and services, AI, and so much more.

How are you developing Emotional Intelligence in your leaders, teams, and overall business culture?

Lead to be limitless