Courage to Advance with Kim Bohr

Beyond KPIs: The CEO Competencies Boards Often Miss

Here's a boardroom paradox: The person who can make or break your organization—your CEO—receives the least comprehensive performance evaluation. Most boards focus narrowly on KPIs and operating objectives, missing the nuanced competencies that truly predict success.
In this conversation, Kim Bohr and SparkEffect Board Chair Mike Humphries reveal why well-intentioned boards still get CEO evaluations wrong. You'll discover the critical competencies beyond financial performance—adaptability, stakeholder leadership, and critical thinking—that separate sustainable success from short-term wins. Mike shares why co-creating evaluations with your CEO changes everything, what warning signs boards consistently miss when "numbers look good," and how independent assessments unlock honest feedback in the loneliest executive role.
If you're a board member, CHRO, or senior leader responsible for CEO evaluation, this episode will transform how you approach executive assessment.
 
 

Google vs. Barcelona: Two Paths for AI and Trust

The traditional change management playbook doesn't work for AI—and most organizations are about to learn this the hard way. 
David Eliot, PhD candidate and author of Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of AI, reveals a critical insight: those building AI systems actively benefit from keeping people confused. When confusion reigns, democratic participation gets deferred to tech executives who have vested interests—not the leaders and employees who'll live with the consequences. 
The proof? Google's failed Toronto smart city versus Barcelona's thriving democratic smart city. Same technology. Opposite outcomes. 
In this conversation, David and Kim Bohr (President of SparkEffect) explore: 
Why AI Advisory boards filled with tech executives create dangerous knowledge gaps 
The Barcelona model: democratic decision-making, hidden technology, citizen voting on data use 
Google's Toronto failure: corporate opacity versus public good 
The entry-level pipeline crisis: "We're going to run out of the well to promote from within" 
AI as amplifier: magnifying both society's problems AND its solutions 
Why understanding algorithms from 700 AD matters for today's implementations 
SparkEffect's Trust Study found AI-driven systems among the most disruptive forces to employee trust. 
The difference between the 36% who emerge stronger and the 64% who don't? Transparency, inclusion, and who controls the decisions. 
Build trust through AI implementation. Listen now. 

The Motivation Myths Burning Out Your Best Leaders

Your best leaders aren't leaving because they lack passion—they're leaving because you're using motivational myths that defy brain science. 
Dr. Bobby Hoffman reveals research on 6 million college students showing extrinsic motivation (money, recognition, status) drives performance—yet we shame people for wanting it. The result? Self-doubt, anxiety, burnout, and during change initiatives, your top talent walks out the door. 
The culprit? The "follow your passion" narrative creating guilt around fundamental human needs while leaders design change initiatives for their own mental models instead of employees' self-beliefs. 
In this conversation, Dr. Bobby Hoffman (Associate Professor at UCF, former corporate HR consultant for GE, NBC, KPMG, and the NBA, author of The Paradox of Passion and Hack Your Motivation) shares: 
Why extrinsic motivation isn't shallow—it's essential for sustained performance 
The "momostasis" principle: Why your brain requires motivational cycles with recovery periods 
Why change initiatives fail: Ignoring employees' locus of control and mental models 
Awareness hacks to prevent motivational crashes before they destroy trust 
How to design rewards within employee discretion for long-term engagement 
Resources mentioned: Dr. Hoffman's books The Paradox of Passion and Hack Your Motivation, plus 100+ Psychology Today articles translating neuroscience into actionable strategies. 
Stop losing talent to motivational myths. Listen now. 

Parenthood Advantage: Stop Losing Your Best Talent

Your best employees aren't leaving because they became parents—they're leaving because you don't know how to support them.
Mason Donovan and Mark Kaplan reveal shocking research: 100% of parents believe becoming a parent made them better employees—more empathetic, resilient, and organized. Yet the "motherhood penalty" persists (4% income decrease per child), while men get a 6% bonus.
The culprit? Well-intentioned managers making career-killing decisions "on behalf of" parents without including them.
In this conversation, Mason and Mark (Managing Partners of The Dagoba Group and authors of The Parenthood Advantage) share:
The manager assumption trap driving talent away
Why 95% of companies fail to support working parents adequately
Three organizational quick wins to stop the talent bleed
How parents can own their leave and advocate effectively
Special offer: Get 25% off The Parenthood Advantage with code COURAGE
Stop losing your best talent. Listen now.

HR's Make-or-Break Moment: Leading Your Organization's AI Transformation

71% of employees just faced major disruption—most of it AI-driven. Yet in most organizations, HR isn't in the room when AI strategy gets decided.
In this urgent conversation, Kim Bohr and change management expert Maria Ross reveal why HR has approximately six months to claim their seat at the AI transformation table—or risk watching technology teams make people decisions without you.
Drawing on SparkEffect's groundbreaking Trust Study showing only 36% of organizations emerge stronger from disruption, they expose the hidden cost of treating AI as "just a tech project." You'll discover the exact conversation starters that get HR heard, why empathetic leadership drives 61% more innovation, and which crisis interventions actually preserve trust (hint: transparency about uncertainty backfires).
This isn't about ChatGPT adoption. It's about positioning HR as the architect of human-centered transformation—before someone else defines your organization's future.
Download the full Trust Report and presentation deck HERE

Manager Trust Under Fire: The Hidden Leadership Vulnerability

Your direct managers are your organization's greatest trust asset—and your most dangerous vulnerability during crisis. New research reveals why.
In partnership with cultural anthropologist Dr. Aaron Delgaty, SparkEffect conducted the most comprehensive study on organizational trust during disruption. The findings flip conventional crisis management wisdom: 71% of employees experienced significant workplace disruption in the past 24 months, yet only 36% emerged with stronger trust.
What separated the winners from the losers? How leadership—especially frontline managers—handled the critical moments when trust was most fragile.
Discover why manager trust takes the biggest hit during crisis despite outperforming organizational leadership in normal times, the intervention that's twice as likely to strengthen trust (it costs nothing), and how "trust elasticity" determines which organizations bend versus break under pressure.
This isn't theory. This is data-driven insight into the leadership capability that will define competitive advantage in an era of constant disruption.

Why AI Can't Replace Executive Coaches

While AI can ask powerful questions and validate feelings, it can't synchronize nervous systems or call your B.S. when you need it most. In this essential conversation, SparkEffect's Chief Coaching Officer Rod Bacon reveals why the most transformative leadership breakthroughs require human connection, productive tension, and biological synchronization that technology cannot replicate. Discover why mirror neurons matter more than algorithms, how "sacred pressure" drives real growth, and why one executive found AI's validation brought her to tears—but zero transformation. Learn the critical difference between comfort and growth, why trust is the new strategic capital, and how the best coaches create the productive discomfort that sparks genuine change. A must-listen for leaders navigating the AI revolution while building high-trust, high-performance cultures.

Gen-Z Transforms Workplace Leadership Expectations

Your Gen Z employees aren't difficult. They're revolutionizing how we work. Dr. Meisha Rouser, organizational behavioral scientist with 20+ years experience, reveals groundbreaking research on why this generation's "why" questions are transforming outdated workplace paradigms.
Discover what happens when employees who watched their parents lose homes in 2008 refuse to sacrifice everything for companies that show no loyalty back. Learn why Gen Z's demand for empathetic management and clear expectations actually drives better performance across all generations.
Get practical strategies for feedback that resonates, boundary-setting that unlocks creativity, and connection-building in hybrid environments. Dr. Rouser explains how COVID created critical professional development gaps you must address and why your best performers need to understand their work's impact. Not just their tasks.
Transform your leadership approach with insights that bridge generational divides and create thriving, productive teams.

AI Training Gap Threatens Leadership Success

High-performing organizations are 17 times more likely to train their executives on AI. Yet, most companies are dangerously unprepared for the AI revolution. In this best-of episode from Season 1, i4cp co-founder Kevin Oakes reveals groundbreaking research showing only 11% of organizations are successfully operationalizing AI, while those ignoring it face extinction. Discover why companies like Moderna and Mastercard achieved 80% AI adoption rates, the critical role of executive training in AI success, and practical strategies to close your organization's AI readiness gap before competitors leave you behind. Kevin shares actionable insights on building a future-ready workforce, creating AI governance frameworks, and why HR's involvement in AI strategy has become non-negotiable for organizational survival. Learn how leading companies are redeploying talent rather than replacing jobs, why "learning cultures" outperform their competition, and specific next practices that separate AI leaders from laggards in today's rapidly evolving marketplace.

Join the Courage Community Now

71% of organizations faced major disruption in the past 24 months, yet only 36% emerged with stronger trust.
Season 2 of Courage to Advance explores how exceptional leaders navigate complexity while maintaining the trust that makes organizations thrive. Host Kim Bohr, President & COO of SparkEffect, brings you candid conversations with executives who've successfully led through transformation—from AI integration to culture shifts to leadership transitions.
Each episode delivers practical strategies for making difficult decisions that honor employees, shareholders, and organizational purpose. These aren't theoretical discussions—they're real stories from leaders actively building resilient, trust-based organizations.
Join a growing community of HR leaders and executives who refuse to navigate disruption alone.
New episodes every two weeks.