S6 E6: How To Practice Impactful Leadership with Mosongo Moukwa

The Inspire Podcast

In this episode, Bart welcomes Mosongo Moukwa, PhD, executive, author and leadership & business coach. Mosongo shares his journey from academia to the corporate world, and explains how he came to leadership accidentally. During this career, he developed a philosophy he calls “leadership of significance” which is transformational and audience-focused. He explains that you must begin with purpose, engage your people to build trust, energize your team and the organization, and then build off of the stories and experiences that bring people to life. Mosongo draws on his own stories, and his newly-published book to show listeners how to practice impactful leadership in their careers and life. 0:59 Welcoming Mosongo 2:31 What is the book about and why did he write it 2:44 The work is never about specific business objectives 3:33 Bart gives kudos for writing the book while running a company 4:09 Mosongo's career journey 5:07 Getting picked for management 6:23 Never regretted the leadership role 6:55 Growth comes through discomfort 7:31 Biggest discomfort that he faced 7:44 Story about picking someone the senior management didn't like 11:31 True to himself in decision making 13:23 Defining what a "leader of significance" is 14:05 Sharing experiences 16:16 Who is the book for? 17:53 Defining authentic purpose 18:37 A process of discovery 19:35 Stephen Hawking's story 20:51 How would you coach a 25 year old 22:03 Until you know yourself, you will be held back 22:54 The Little Prince book 23:38 Rhinoceros - play 25:06 Advice to a VP 25:39 How do senior execs find purpose? 25:54 Explore their past 26:25 Define your values 27:19 How can leaders reignite purpose? 28:01 Think about what you'd like your eulogy to say 29:01 How to engage and energize people? 29:26 Set the tone for conversation 29:43 Ask questions like "what would you like to do more of"? 30:22 Help people find a sense of belonging 31:16 How does trust fit into it? 31:42 Be genuinely curious about other people 32:39 It takes time to build trust with people 33:46 Leadership of significance -- beyond direct reports 34:28 Leadership is not a solo venture 36:29 Bart on how purpose is becoming more important in leadership discussions 36:56 Where can people find out more? 37:44 Thank yous