On this Episode of Unbound Conversations
George shares how his experiences on the front lines of crisis negotiation have given him a perspective into the power of communication and strong connections in effective leadership.
You’ll hear how he's navigated life-or-death scenarios and even been held hostage himself. George parallels the techniques used in hostage situations and the skills required to build trust and connection with teams. He also encourages us to avoid holding ourselves hostage to limiting beliefs or external pressures.
George believes that organisational success is 80% psychology and 20% strategy. True leadership means directly facing challenges, forging genuine bonds, and welcoming discomfort. Like athletes who endure pain and loss to excel, leaders must confront personal and professional hardships.
Listen to the Episode
About the Guest
George Kohlrieser is a clinical and organisational psychologist. He is Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and consultant to global organisations around the world. He specialises in high performance leadership, high performance teamwork, conflict management, change management, post-traumatic stress, work-life balance and personal and professional development. He is also a police psychologist focusing on violence and aggression management, and hostage negotiations. Professor Kohlrieser is creator and director at IMD of the highly acclaimed High Performance Leadership Program (HPL) and the Advanced High Performance Leadership Program (AHPL).
Among his multiple functions, he is also past president of the International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA). He has won numerous personal and program awards. The Learning Leadership program he leads as part of IMD’s Global Leadership in the Cloud curriculum was awarded a Gold Medal for being the best advance in unique learning technology by Brandon Hall consulting, a leading learning and development research firm (2015). He received the CEEMAN Global Champion Award for Excellence in Teaching (2013), the prestigious BrandLaureate International Brand Personality Award for his contribution in the field of high performance communication from the Asia Pacific Brand Foundation (2010), and the global ECCH Renewable and sustainable energy, technology and development Hot Topic Case Award (2011).
In addition, he is author of international best-seller and twice award-winning Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others, and Raise Performance (Jossey-Bass, Warren Bennis Series, 2006) and Care to Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership (Jossey- Bass, Warren Bennis Series, 2012). George Kohlrieser has also delivered two notable TEDx talks : A hostage negotiator teaches leadership through bonding. Furthermore, he is the co-creator of Inside Risk, an interactive leadership training on high-stakes decision-making.
Show Notes
- Avoid holding yourself hostage to fears & limiting beliefs
- Psychological safety in effective leadership
- Pain as a pathway to high performance
- Addressing loss & grief
- Applying the principles of hostage negotiation
Resources
George’s TedX Talk - A hostage negotiator teaches leadership through bonding
George’s TedX Talk - How to turn loss into inspiration
Articles:
The Hidden Perils of Unresolved Grief
Care to Dare to Unleash Astonishing Employee Potential
How to Manage Conflict: Six Essentials from Hostage Negotiations to the Boardroom
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