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Love in ActionAuthor: Marcel Schwantes
The Love in Action Podcastranked #33 among the 100 Best Leadership Podcasts and in the top 2% of shows worldwideis where leadership meets humanity. Hosted by global influencer, author, and executive coach Marcel Schwantes, the show features candid conversations with bestselling authors, visionary executives, and thought leaders who are redefining what it means to lead. Whether you want to sharpen your leadership skills, create a culture people love to work in, or grow your business by putting people first, youll find practical wisdom and inspiring stories to help you get there. Language: en Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Becoming The Kind Of Leader People Wish They Had Growing Up with Marcel Schwantes
Episode 275
Friday, 22 May, 2026
Episode recap If you are a champion for human-centered leadership and workplaces, Marcel would love to speak with you to explore partnerships. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2026-02 In this solo episode, Marcel explores a question that cuts deep: Why do so many leaders struggle to create emotionally safe environments where people can thrive? Drawing from a striking study highlighted in Harper’s Magazine, Marcel unpacks the reality that only 35% of Americans grew up knowing a compassionate, non-judgmental adult, and only 5% identified their father as that person. He examines how generations of men were conditioned to suppress emotion, prioritize performance over presence, and equate vulnerability with weakness, patterns that continue to shape leadership behavior today. Most importantly, this episode challenges leaders to rethink what people truly remember about them. Not their charisma. Not their intelligence. But whether they created an environment where others felt safe enough to grow. This is a conversation about becoming the kind of leader many people wish they had growing up. Bio: Marcel Schwantes is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and advocate for more humane workplaces. He works with organizations struggling with disengagement, and cultures that lack high performance — and who are ready to build something better. Marcel’s work includes: Executive coaching Leadership development programs for managers Keynote speaking and workshops Executive roundtables and culture strategy sessions Marcel is the author of Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss. Whether coaching a CEO or training a leadership team, Marcel’s #1 goal is the same: To help leaders become the kind of people others want to follow. Quotes: "We're asking today's leaders to create experiences they may have rarely experienced themselves growing up." "A lot of leaders are navigating with what I call an incomplete emotional map." "People rarely remember the smartest leader in the room. They remember the leader who made them feel safe enough to become better." Takeaways: Your early experience (or lack) of a compassionate, non-judgmental adult directly shapes how emotionally safe people feel around you as a leader today. Many leaders operate with an “incomplete emotional map,” defaulting to control, defensiveness, and avoidance because vulnerability was never modeled for them. Psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of high-performing teams, making emotional safety a core business imperative—not a “soft” extra. Humane leadership is built through daily micro-moments—pausing before reacting, listening without fixing, asking curious questions, and staying fully present. Regardless of your past, you can break the cycle and become the compassionate, non-judgmental leader others remember as a turning point in their lives. Timestamps: [00:00] Why Leadership Wellbeing Must Be a Priority [01:12] Podcast Rebrand and Future Direction [02:14] The Shocking 35% Compassion Statistic [03:08] Why Emotional Safety Wasn’t Modeled for Many Leaders [04:12] The Leadership Challenge of Psychological Safety [05:20] What an “Incomplete Emotional Map” Looks Like at Work [06:33] How Childhood Conditioning Shapes Leadership Behavior [07:24] Research Behind Psychological Safety and High-Performing Teams [08:22] Caring Leadership Is Built Through Daily Human Moments [09:34] The Small Habits That Permanently Change People [10:22] What Employees Actually Remember About Great Leaders [11:09] Becoming the Compassionate Leader Many Never Had [12:01] Breaking the Cycle and Building Better Leadership Cultures [12:48] Closing Remarks and Podcast Outro Conclusion: In a world obsessed with metrics, strategy, and performance, Marcel's message is a powerful reminder that the real work of leadership is emotional. Only 35% of people say they knew a compassionate, non-judgmental adult growing up-and that deficit shows up every day in how leaders react, control, or shut down when things get hard. But this isn't a story of blame; it's a story of possibility. By recognizing our incomplete emotional maps and choosing small, daily acts of care, curiosity, and presence, we can rewrite the script. We can create teams where people feel safe enough to speak up, grow, and take risks-and become the kind of leaders others remember not just for what we achieved, but for how we made them feel. Ultimately, the real opportunity in front of us isn't only to build better businesses-it's to become part of the "other 65%" of leaders: the compassionate, non-judgmental adults the next generation desperately needs. Links/Resources: The book: https://www.amazon.com/Humane-Leadership-Lead-Radical-Kick-Ass-ebook/dp/B0CWG3PTL4/ Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/ X: https://x.com/MarcelSchwantes YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MarcelSchwantes1 Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcel.schwantes/
