Episode 54: Leadership Is Changing with Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva and Kristi Venta Diemoz in the Leadership is Changing Mashup Podcast by Denis Gianoutsos
Welcome to Leadership is Changing!
Each week, we and our guests provide information and insights through exploring leading change.
This is taking your leadership to another level by finding the balance between executive excellence and personal well-being through stories that inspire real change.
It’s time to adapt in our fast-moving world when leadership is changing, with your host, Denis Gianoutsos.
How Leaders Reinvent in Times of Extreme Change
In this episode of Leadership is Changing, Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva joins host Dennis Giannoutsos to share how her early life experiences—from political exile to post-Soviet collapse—shaped her view on disruption, leadership, and the necessity of reinvention. She reveals why leadership today is not about title or tenure—but about entering and exiting the space of influence with intent.
From her journey through U.S. academia to advising some of the world’s largest organizations, Dr. Nadya breaks down how leadership must evolve to thrive in chaos—and how even your children can be your greatest teachers.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll learn why leadership today is a space—not a title—and how the most adaptive leaders develop the ability to enter and exit that space deliberately. Dr. Nadya shares her philosophy of “reinvention as literacy,” and explains why systems like annual budgeting or rigid hierarchies are fundamentally incompatible with modern complexity.
You’ll also hear the surprising leadership lessons she learned from her daughter, how nomadic cultures shaped her understanding of power, and what it takes to build resilience and agency as a leader in a rapidly shifting world.
Who This Is For
- Senior executives navigating organizational change
- Founders and entrepreneurs building future-ready teams
- Leadership development professionals and executive coaches
- Women in leadership seeking new models of success
- Anyone grappling with identity, reinvention, and impact in times of uncertainty
3 Key Takeaways from This Episode
1. Reinvention Is a Space You Enter—Not a Title You Hold
Leadership isn’t a fixed role or job description. Dr. Nadya introduces a nomadic, circle-based view of leadership—as something you do, not something you are—and explains why the most effective leaders move in and out of that space with awareness and agility.
2. Reinventing Organizations Requires Reinventing Systems
From budgeting to communication flows, legacy systems often block reinvention. Dr. Nadya discusses how she helped a global mining company move from quarterly budget forecasts to dynamic weekly planning—and what that shift unlocked.
3. The Deepest Leadership Lessons Often Come from the Closest Circles
In a striking story, Dr. Nadya shares how her 14-year-old daughter declared herself one of her own “three favorite people”—a radical act of self-leadership. These moments, she argues, often offer more clarity than boardroom strategy sessions.
Resources Mentioned
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