What if leadership wasn’t just about performance, but about how you show up in your hardest moments?

In this inspiring episode of The Kind Leader Podcast, host Gino Degregori speaks with Lani Phillips, founder of Full Circle Leadership Group and former Vice President at Microsoft, where she spent over 25 years leading global teams, partner ecosystems, and cultural transformation initiatives.

Lani shares why courageous leadership is not about perfection, it’s about clarity, compassion, and the willingness to grow. Drawing from her Full Circle Leadership Framework, she reveals six domains every leader must practice: self-awareness, visionary leadership, connection, role modeling, accountability, and cultivating talent.

She also opens up about her personal journey of resilience, navigating both corporate transitions and major life challenges, and how those experiences shaped her passion for coaching the next generation of leaders.

💡 In this conversation, you’ll discover how to:

• Balance driving results with putting people at the center

• Use clarity, connection, and cultivation to strengthen team trust and loyalty

• Lead with resilience during times of uncertainty and change

• Recognize judgment as a hidden “cancer” in organizations and replace it with growth-focused support

• Redefine kind leadership as strength rooted in empathy and accountability

If you’ve ever questioned how to bring more humanity into leadership without sacrificing results, this episode will give you both the inspiration and the framework to start.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to lead with courage, clarity, and compassion, while building cultures where people and performance thrive.

Key Takeaways

✨ Actionable Steps

• Implement the Three C’s daily: Practice clarity in expectations, connection through authentic conversations, and cultivation by pairing team members’ strengths with growth opportunities.

• Replace judgment with curiosity: When team members struggle, ask “What support do they need?” instead of “Why aren’t they performing?”, shifting from blame to empowerment.

💡 Conceptual Insights

• Redefine kind leadership: Leading with empathy and accountability together creates strength, not weakness, it’s about having both heart and backbone.

• Compassion = Empathy + Action: True compassion means understanding emotional states and taking tangible steps to support success.

🚀 Strategic Applications

• Create operating systems, not just processes: Build comprehensive leadership frameworks that weave together all six domains (self-awareness, vision, connection, role modeling, accountability, and talent cultivation) instead of treating them as isolated tactics.

Important Links & Resources

🔗 Connect with Lani Phillips Website: fullcircleleadershipgroup.com LinkedIn: Lani Phillips

📖 Recommended ReadingDare to Lead - Brené Brown. A guide to leading with courage and vulnerability while building trust and resilience in teams.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction & Welcome to Kind Leadership 02:51 Rediscovering Yourself Beyond Success 03:16 Emotional Honesty as a Leadership Strength 03:18 The Journey Toward Courageous Leadership 06:49 What It Really Means to Lead with Kindness 11:34 Why Investing in People Always Pays Off 18:00 Rebuilding Identity After Personal Loss 23:38 Resilience and Growth Through Adversity 28:01 Building Authentic Connections with Your Team 30:59 How Judgment Undermines Leadership 31:27 The Full Circle Leadership Framework Explained 37:24 Developing the Next Generation of Leaders 41:18 Common Misconceptions About Kind Leadership 44:02 Practicing Empathy and Compassion in Action