The Good Leadership Podcast

Hosted by Paul Batz

Business Management EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

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Episodes

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Good Leadership Podcast explores what leadership looks like today, and shares insights and success habits from host Paul Batz, Founder and CEO of Good Leadership. You will learn how to lead teams effectively and what it means to coach teams.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 18, 202628 min

Empower HR: A conversation with Patience Ferguson, winner of the HR THRIVE Empower HR Award

In this episode of the Good Leadership Podcast, Paul Batz sits down with Patience Ferguson, Chief Human Resources Officer of Ramsey County and recipient of the inaugural Empower HR Award. Patience shares her remarkable leadership journey and reflects on how mentors, community, and a commitment to service shaped her career in human resources. Listeners will gain insight into the evolving role of HR leaders as strategic business partners who help organizations navigate uncertainty, strengthen culture, and drive meaningful results. The conversation also explores why recognizing and celebrating HR professionals is more important than ever, especially as organizations face complex workforce challenges. You'll walk away with valuable lessons on leadership, mentorship, employee empowerment, and the power of using your influence to help others thrive.

August 4, 202621 min

HR Innovation: A conversation with Krystal Holmes, winner of the HR THRIVE Innovator Award

What does innovation in HR really look like—and how can it transform both employee experiences and business performance? In this episode, HR THRIVE Innovator Award winner Krystal Holmes, VP of Talent at All In One Accounting, join Good Leadership CEO Paul Batz to share how creative thinking, technology, and a people-first mindset are helping her organization scale. From reinventing the candidate journey to streamlining systems and driving strategic growth, Krystal offers practical insights on turning opportunities into meaningful results. If you're looking for fresh ideas on talent strategy, leadership, and building a high-growth culture, this conversation is full of inspiration and actionable takeaways.

July 21, 202628 min

HR Business Strategy: A conversation with Kelly Hansen, winner of the HR THRIVE Good Leadership Award

What does it take for HR to move from a support function to a strategic force that drives business success? In this inspiring conversation, HR THRIVE Good Leadership Award winner Kelly Hansen shares how she helps shape strategy, lead change, and put people at the center of business decisions at Veit, a nearly 100-year-old construction company. Kelly offers practical insights on building trust with executive teams, developing future leaders, and using innovation and technology to strengthen workforce engagement. If you're passionate about leadership, culture, and the evolving role of HR, this episode is packed with ideas that prove one thing: goodness pays.

July 14, 202631 min

Coaching AI Leaders: Episode 2 of 7 with Mark Rehborg, Thong Nguyen, and Corey Ruff

AI is transforming how organizations work—but the real challenge isn’t the technology, it’s the leadership. In this episode of the Good Leadership Podcast, Paul Batz sits down with Mark Rehborg, Thong Nguyen, and Corey Ruff to explore how leaders can navigate AI-driven change, build trust, reduce fear, and strengthen cultures of healthy accountability. Discover why curiosity, discernment, and human judgment may become the most valuable leadership skills in the age of AI—and why goodness still pays.

July 2, 202632 min

Healthy Accountability as a Business Founder featuring Heide Olson, CEO, All In One Accounting

Why do so many people fear accountability when it has the power to strengthen teams, improve performance, and drive business results? In this episode, Good Leadership CEO Paul Batz sits down with All In One Accounting Founder and CEO Heide Olson to explore how healthy accountability starts with clarity, trust, and shared ownership. Drawing on lessons from entrepreneurship, leadership, and years of building a thriving organization, Heidi shares practical strategies for creating a culture where feedback fuels growth instead of fear. If you're a founder, executive, or team leader looking to build stronger relationships and better outcomes, this conversation offers a powerful roadmap for making accountability a force for good.

June 23, 202632 min

Why a Good Start is Critical to IT Transformation: a Conversation with Monte Nuckols

Discover why most large technology projects fail—and what it really takes to beat the odds. In this episode, Paul Batz welcomes Monte Nuckols, former Chief Information Officer at Johnson Controls, to unpack the critical mistakes leaders make before a project even begins and how a “Good Start” can change everything. From redefining accountability to building the right team and focusing on what truly matters, they share practical insights from decades of experience leading complex initiatives. If you’re responsible for driving results through people, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership, culture, and success.

June 8, 202631 min

Healthy Accountability Team Learning: Improving Together with Danielle Kirkwood

Paul Batz welcomes Danielle Kirkwood, Senior Process Engineering Director – Community Services at Sevita Health. In the fall of 2025, Danielle purchased one of the Healthy Accountability Team Learning Bundles from the Good Leadership Shop to use with her team. They read the book and used the provided guide to have spark meaningful conversations about what they read, deepen their understanding of the topic, and accelerate building a culture of healthy accountability among her team - where taking personal ownership is celebrated and rewarded. Buy your Healthy Accountability bundle here: https://goodleadership.com/product/healthy-accountability-team-learning-bundle/

May 18, 202633 min

Strengthening Trust: Debriefing the May 2026 Good Leadership Breakfast featuring Andrea Walsh

In today’s episode, Paul Batz is joined by Luke Witt, Managing Director of Professional Recruiting with Versique. Paul and Luke discuss the learnings and key take-aways from the May 2026 Good Leadership Breakfast featuring Andrea Walsh, CEO of HealthPartners – an integrated health care and health plan system headquartered in Minnesota. Andrea is at the helm of an organization with over 27,000 employees that care deeply about the vision - health as it could be, affordability as it must be, through relationships built on trust. Enjoy hearing excerpts from the breakfast event, and what Paul and Luke took away from the conversation with Andrea. Thank you to Java House (javahouse.com) for sponsoring this podcast episode.

April 13, 202630 min

Courage, Kindness, and Goodness: Debriefing the Good Leadership Breakfast featuring Anne Hed

In this episode, Paul Batz is joined by Whitney-Lehr Koening, Publisher at Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in the Good Leadership podcast studio. Together they reflect on spectacular Good Leadership Breakfast on April 10, 2026, which featured Anne Hed, CEO of HED Cycling Products. Together, they discuss Anne’s leadership journey – lessons learned early not making the swim team, having the courage to support Lance Armstrong long before he was famous, unexpectedly losing her husband and instantly becoming the CEO of a company that was depending on her, and how she and her team are visioning for the future of HED by bringing their technology into other industries. Enjoy. Thank you to Java House (javahouse.com) for sponsoring this podcast episode.

April 8, 202648 min

Coaching AI Leaders with Steve Gordon, Dan Mallin, and Monte Nuckols

Paul Batz welcomes three current AI Leaders to the Good Leadership Podcast for this episode discussing how best to coach leaders who are stepping into, or have been in, an AI Leadership role. Guests include: Steve Gordon - Global Business Services at Merck Dan Mallin - Co-Founder of Equals 3, IBM Watson’s Lucy Monte Nuckols - retired CIO, pursuing PhD in AI and Theology Together they explore the role of AI Leaders, the impact that AI is having on corporate, and what their coaching advice would be to fellow AI Leaders across industries.