Passion Struck with John R. Miles
Christie Smith on How to Embrace Human-Powered Leadership | EP 594
Fri, 4 Apr 2025
What if the greatest disruption in business isn’t AI—it's a crisis of human connection? What if the leadership skills we once dismissed as “soft” are now the most essential powers for thriving in a fractured, fast-changing world?That’s exactly what today’s guest, Dr. Christie Smith, unpacks in her groundbreaking new book Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership.Christie is a globally respected leadership advisor, former managing principal at Deloitte, and has worked with iconic companies like Apple, Accenture, and more. Her insights have been featured in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and Forbes—and today, she brings her powerful perspective to Passion Struck.Full Shownotes here: https://passionstruck.com/christie-smith-embrace-human-powered-leadership/In this conversation, we explore how to lead with intentionality, empathy, and authentic power—even in a world that feels increasingly disconnected. We dig into:Why “soft skills” are actually power skills—and how to develop themHow distributed teams and AI are challenging everything we know about leadershipThe new pillars of human-centered organizations: trust, well-being, and psychological safetyHow to create environments where people truly matter—and thrive because of itChristie doesn't just talk about theory—she brings real-world strategies for building purpose-driven cultures that adapt, inspire, and endure.Connect with Dr. Christie Smith: https://www.christiesmith.phd/Sponsors:Factor Meals: http://factormeals.com/factormeals50off and use code “FACTOR MEALS 50 OFF”Rosetta Stone: Unlock 25 languages for life at “ROSETTASTONE.com/passionstruck.”Prolon: Reset your health with 15% off at “ProlonLife.com/passionstruck.”Mint Mobile: Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at “MINT MOBILE dot com slash PASSION.”Hims: Start your journey to regrowing hair with Hims. Visit hims.com/PASSIONSTRUCK for your free online visit.Quince: Discover luxury at affordable prices with Quince. Enjoy free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/PASSIONNext on Passion Struck:In the next episode of Passion Struck, John sits down with Anne Marie Anderson, an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, sports journalist, and leadership expert. Anne Marie has spent years breaking barriers in sports media, navigating high-stakes environments, and coaching top athletes and executives on leadership, resilience, and communication. In our conversation, we'll dive into the mental frameworks of high performers, the art of storytelling, and how to build confidence in any field.For more information on advertisers and promo codes, visit Passion Struck Deals.Join the Passion Struck Community!Sign up for the Live Intentionally newsletter, where I share exclusive content, actionable advice, and insights to help you ignite your purpose and live your most intentional life. Get access to practical exercises, inspiring stories, and tools designed to help you grow. Learn more and sign up here.Speaking Engagements & WorkshopsAre you looking to inspire your team, organization, or audience to take intentional action in their lives and careers? I’m available for keynote speaking, workshops, and leadership training on topics such as intentional living, resilience, leadership, and personal growth. Let’s work together to create transformational change. Learn more at johnrmiles.com/speaking.Episode Starter PacksWith over 500 episodes, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. We’ve curated Episode Starter Packs based on key themes like leadership, mental health, and personal growth, making it easier for you to dive into the topics you care about. Check them out at passionstruck.com/starterpacks.Catch More of Passion Struck:My solo episode on 4 Powerful Trust-Building Exercises for Strong Teams and RelationshipsCan't miss my episode with Gabriella Rosen Kellerman on Thriving in the Future of WorkMy episode with Ethan Mollick on the Impact of AI on Life and WorkCatch my interview with Morgan Housel on How to Use the Past Wisely to Forge the FutureListen to my interview with Jacob Morgan on the Vital Power of Leading With VulnerabilityIf you liked the show, please leave us a review—it only takes a moment and helps us reach more people! Don’t forget to include your Twitter or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally.How to Connect with John:Connect with John on Twitter at @John_RMilesFollow him on Instagram at @John_R_MilesSubscribe to our main YouTube Channel and to our YouTube Clips ChannelFor more insights and resources, visit John’s websiteWant to explore where you stand on the path to becoming Passion Struck? Take our 20-question quiz on Passionstruck.com and find out today!
Chapter 1: What is Dr. Christie Smith's perspective on current market changes?
coming up next on passion struck we are living in unprecedented times and have been living in this for the last five years really since the pandemic and maybe a little bit before that and what makes it unprecedented well
We are seeing a super cycle of change happening in the market, happening in our socio-political and economic conditions around the world, which really challenge leaders to fundamentally have to lead differently.
Welcome to passion struck. Hi, I'm your host, John R. Miles. And on the show, we decipher the secrets, tips and guidance of the world's most inspiring people and turn their wisdom into practical advice for you and those around you. Our mission is to help you unlock the power of intentionality so that you can become the best version of yourself.
If you're new to the show, I offer advice and answer listener questions on Fridays. We have long-form interviews the rest of the week with guests ranging from astronauts to authors, CEOs, creators, innovators, scientists, military leaders, visionaries, and athletes. Now, let's go out there and become PassionStruck. Hey, PassionStruck fam, welcome to episode 594.
Whether you've been with us for a while or you're tuning in for the first time, I am absolutely thrilled you're here. You're now part of a global movement dedicated to igniting purpose, unlocking potential, and creating a more intentional human-powered future. So let me ask you this. What if the greatest disruption in business isn't AI, it's a crisis of human connection?
What if the leadership skills we once dismissed as soft are now the most essential powers for thriving in a fractured, fast-changing world? That's exactly what today's guest, Dr. Christy Smith, unpacks in her groundbreaking new book, Essential, how distributed teams, generative AI, and global shifts are creating a new human-powered leadership.
Christy is a globally respected leadership advisor, former managing principal at Deloitte, and has worked with iconic companies like Apple, Accenture, and more. Her insights have been featured in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and Forbes, and today she brings her powerful perspective to PassionStruck.
In this conversation, we explore how to lead with intentionality, empathy, and authentic power, even in a world that feels increasingly disconnected. We dig into why soft skills are actually power skills and how to develop them, how distributed teams and AI are challenging everything we know about leadership. We go into the new pillars of human-centered organizations,
trust, well-being, and psychological safety, and how to create environments where people truly matter and thrive because of it. Christy doesn't just talk about theory. She brings real-world strategies for building purpose-driven cultures that adapt, inspire, and endure. But before we dive in, let's reflect on the interviews from earlier this week here on PassionStruck.
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Chapter 2: Why are soft skills now considered power skills?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Where does this next generation focus their skill set so that they don't feel they're going to become obsolete? And I would throw that over to you.
Yeah. What we're talking about, and we devote a whole chapter to the skills scarcity issue, which is the half-life of skills is shortening and shortening. And candidly, your son asked a really good question because skills are outpacing our educational systems, our traditional learning and development models within organizations, and they simply can't adapt at the pace of change.
So I think that to address this, listen, I think technology is fantastic, but we have to begin, we have to always think about technology as an enabler to the work and the performance context of an organization. And when you think about a performance context of an organization, you begin Anyone begins with, okay, what's our purpose as an organization? Purpose drives strategy.
What is the strategy of the organization? What's the strategy of the groups within the organization that will create that reality for the company in the marketplace. Strategy leads to culture. Culture leads to structure. Structure leads to design. Design leads to then our op model. And that leads to what are the skills that I need. Now, that
won't go away it may be made faster with some data given to us from technology but the reality for performance will remain the same and we will need to go through those steps to define how our companies are structured and who runs them right so in terms of what i think i'll get to the obligation of the individual but the obligation of leaders
is to keep pace with what skill development their people needs and to provide the outlets to get that done, the time and the outlets to get that done. Again, if we don't do that, we are going to be at a deficit of skilled workers in the millions by 2032. Six million in the United States, right? If you think, just extrapolate that, we're talking about close to billions. worldwide.
So the onus is on both the company and on the leader to provide those opportunities for continuous learning and the time and the resources to do. Now, for your son, for my kids, they need to keep pace as well with defining what is their interest, what do they want to learn, and then the tools are available to them, right?
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