Innovating Leadership:
Co-Creating Our Future

Hosted by Maureen Metcalf

Conversations with global thought leaders on leadership, culture, and innovation—designed for executives navigating complexity and building resilient organizations.

Creating Peace in an Evolving & Interconnected World

Episode Description

In this conversation, peace-building scholar Mike Hardy shares both the founding principles of his research center and a striking personal story: his decision to renounce anger, and the positive ripple effects that choice sent through his family and professional circles. His central conviction is that individual behavioral change can be a genuine catalyst for broader social impact, and that leadership research directly shapes how communities approach peace across cultures. It’s a reminder that peace-building in an interconnected world begins with the choices leaders make about themselves.

Key Takeaways

Peace-building must adapt to today’s deeply interconnected global landscape.
One leader’s decision to renounce anger created positive ripple effects across family and work.
Individual behavioral change can be a real catalyst for broader social impact.
Leadership research directly informs contemporary approaches to peace across cultures.
Fostering peace is an active leadership responsibility, not a passive outcome.

Why This Episode Matters

Executives come away with a powerful reminder that broad social change often begins with a leader’s own choices, and that individual transformation can ripple outward into lasting impact.

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Featuring

Mike Hardy, Founding Director of CTPSR

Episode Topics

Culture Change • Ethics & Moral Decision Making • Organizational Transformation

Podcast Air Date

January 28, 2020

Episode Duration

43min

Watch the episode

Season 6

Episode Number 3

Episode Content:

In this rediscovered episode, guest Mike Hardy delivers an insightful update on the founding principles and advancements at the Centre for Trust, Peace, & Social Relations at Coventry University. He delves into his own transformative journey towards embodying peace, serving as a beacon of inspiration. The episode highlights the Centre’s remarkable evolution into a hub of outstanding research, playing a pivotal role in shaping contemporary perspectives on fostering peace in our dynamic, interconnected global landscape. Furthermore, Mike reveals the profound impact of his personal decision to renounce anger, fostering a ripple effect of positivity both in his family sphere and professional environment. Listen in for a compelling exploration of the power of leadership research and individual change in contributing to a more peaceful world.

Produced in conjunction with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org.

Enjoy a binge-listen to Mike Hardy’s updates on peace and leadership:

Democracy on the Run with Mike Hardy, Veronika Anghel, & Matt Qvortrup
Reflecting on Leadership & Peace-Building with Mike Hardy
Nurturing Peace from the Ashes of Violence with Mike Hardy & Hyppolite Ntigurirwa

Resources:

More information on Mike’s work – and that of his colleagues – is on the Centre for Trust, Peace, & Social Relations’ website at https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/trust-peace-social-relations.

Our host, Maureen Metcalf, posts a newsletter every week on LinkedIn. You can subscribe here.

Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here.

Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:

Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)
Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First by Martha Piper & Indira Samarasekera. Paperback (https://amzn.to/3tOtzg4) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/41OYdT5)
Jilly Truit murder mysteries by Beverley McLachlin:
- Full Disclosure – https://amzn.to/46TxW6Q (paperback) https://amzn.to/46VDL3Q (audiobook)
- Denial – https://amzn.to/46YCbhs (paperback) https://amzn.to/3GJc0AA (audiobook)
Women and Leadership: Journey Toward Equity by Sherylle J. Tan & Lisa DeFrank-Cole

NOTE: As an Amazon partner, we may make a small commission from books you buy through these links.

Other episodes you’ll enjoy

Why You Fight Against Your Own Interests: Lessons from a Peace Negotiator with Lord John Alderdice
Academy for Systems Change and the Magnolia Moonshot 2030 Project with Darcy Winslow
Reimagining American Identity with Amiel Handelsman and Jewel Kinch-Thomas

Guest(s):

Mike Hardy, Founding Director of CTPSR

Guest(s) Bio:

Mike Hardy is Chair of Intercultural Relations and a founding Director of the Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations at Coventry University. He is adjunct professor of leadership at the LSPR Institute of Communications and Business in Jakarta, Indonesia. Mike has been twice honoured in the UK, awarded the OBE in 2001 for his peace-building work in the Middle East, and appointed a Companion of Honour of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the HM Queen’s Birthday Honours June 2010 for his work internationally in Intercultural Dialogue. Mike is a Board Director and Chair of the International Leadership Association ( http://www.ila-net.org ), Chair of Trustees of The Faith and Belief Forum ( http://faithbeliefforum.org ), the leading interfaith charity in the UK, and life-fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts.

Transcript