Episode Notes
Organizations today are facing unprecedented levels of burnout, disengagement, mistrust, and complexity.
So leaders do what they've always been taught to do.
They work harder.
Create new strategies.
Implement new systems.
Increase oversight.
Tighten controls.
Yet the problems persist.
Which raises an uncomfortable question.
What if YOU are the problem?
Not because you're a bad leader.
Not because you're failing.
But because the very leadership habits, assumptions, and behaviors that helped you succeed may now be limiting your organization's ability to thrive.
In this thought-provoking episode of Mainline Executive Coaching ACT, hosts Rich Baron and Maikel Bailey sit down with internationally recognized leadership consultant, executive coach, and author Thom Dennis to discuss his groundbreaking book, Rewilding the Corporate Mind: Rediscovering Nature's Blueprint for Leadership in an Age of Disruption and Division.
As organizations struggle with increasing complexity, uncertainty, burnout, disengagement, and cultural fragmentation, Thom challenges conventional leadership wisdom and invites us to view organizations through a fundamentally different lens—not as machines to be controlled, but as living systems designed to adapt, evolve, and flourish.
Drawing from nature, systems thinking, neuroscience, and decades of leadership development experience, Thom argues that many of today's leadership challenges stem from outdated assumptions rooted in fear, hierarchy, and control. In their place, he proposes a more regenerative approach built on trust, adaptability, connection, and human flourishing.
During this engaging conversation, Rich, Maikel, and Thom explore:
- Why traditional command-and-control leadership models are losing effectiveness
- The hidden costs of over-management and excessive control
- What natural ecosystems can teach us about resilience and adaptability
- How trust, belonging, and psychological safety fuel high performance
- The difference between sustainable leadership and regenerative leadership
- Why leaders must embrace complexity rather than attempt to control it
- Practical ways to "rewild" leadership, culture, and organizational thinking
This episode is not about blaming leaders.
It's about challenging leaders to examine whether the answers they're seeking require a fundamentally different question.
Because before we ask what's wrong with our people, our teams, or our organizations, perhaps we need to ask:
What if YOUR leadership IS the problem?
Thom Dennis joins Rich and Maikel for a fascinating exploration of leadership, culture, resilience, and the future of work—and discover why the future may belong not to the leaders who can control the most, but to those who can create the conditions where people and organizations can naturally thrive.
Contact Thom at:
thom@serenityinleadership.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomdennis/
https://www.serenityinleadership.com/
