People Expert #237: Kathleen Quinn Votaw - The Future of Leadership: Compassion Meets Accountability

What does the future of leadership look like when compassion meets accountability? In this episode of The Coaching Podcast, People Expert Kathleen Quinn Votaw challenges leaders to lead without judgment, have fierce conversations, and create workplaces where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to take ownership of their performance. We explore why caring for the whole human is a leadership responsibility, not just an HR function, and how curiosity, clear expectations, and courageous conversations build stronger teams. Kathleen also shares her trademarked formula for sustainable leadership and her book resources – and reminds us that great coaching begins with one powerful word: compassion.

About Kathleen Quinn Votaw – People Expert

Kathleen Quinn Votaw is an award-winning keynote speaker on recruitment, retention, and workplace culture. As CEO of TalenTrust, she brings decades of experience helping companies build human-centric workplaces that drive results. A best-selling author, two-time Inc. 5000 honoree, and organizational design expert, Kathleen challenges leaders to rethink how they connect with their people – because winning the talent war starts with designing care into your organizations.

Connect with Kathleen

Website: https://kathleenquinnvotaw.com/
LinkedIn: kathleenquinnvotaw
Instagram & Facebook: @kqvotaw

Kathleen's Two Books

1. Solve the People Puzzle: How High-Growth Companies Attract & Retain Top Talent (2016)

This book focuses on the full talent journey: attracting great people, hiring for attitude and values, building a culture where people know they matter, and retaining your best talent. Kathleen's core message is that recruitment and retention require leaders to connect with employees and understand what truly drives them.

How do you find great people – and create a workplace they don't want to leave?

2. Dare to Care in the Workplace: A Guide to the New Way We Work (2021)

This book moves beyond recruitment into the employee experience, encouraging leaders to build people-centric workplaces based on empathy, trust, transparency, respect, and genuine care.

Care isn't just a value – it's a leadership strategy for building trust, connection, and sustainable performance.