BSP 146: Heartbeat Leadership with Dawn S. Kirk

Dawn S. Kirk, author of Heartbeat Leadership: Empower
Yourself, Engage Your Team and Impact Your
Organization, decided to write her first solo book to empower
those who often feel unheard in meetings. She wanted to ensure no
one else felt like she did when they walked into a room because
every person has something to offer and has value that can be added
to any organization. Kirk’s 26-year career in corporate America
launched her on a quest to better understand what it meant to be a
leader and to become the best version of herself. She recounts some
experiences in that realm not being as positive as they could’ve
been and realized, “The goals I set for myself were greater than
the obstacles I was going to face.” This is the impetus for the
book – getting out that message of empowerment to as many people as
possible. Kirk says the book is for those already in leadership
positions to become better leaders and for those who are not
feeling heard. She uses the subtitle, “Empower Yourself” so people
know they have a choice to empower themselves in any situation. The
book is also for those responsible for larger teams to help them
fully engage everyone and tapping into their potential. She also
argues that many organizations have a “heart problem,” where
they’re focused on the bottom line more than they are focused on
their people. While there’s nothing wrong with profitability, when
that comes at the expense of the people, that’s when they have a
heart problem. Kirk states, “At the end of the day, the heart of
the business are the people that work for you. I truly believe
people are your competitive advantage.” Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices