Purposeful Leadership Kylee Dare

Some places settle into your bones.
Australia’s Red Centre is one of them.

Desert plains stretching to weathered ranges. Rocky gorges carved by time. A sky so full of stars it feels like the universe leaned in close. And Uluṟu, watching the world’s most famous rock blush crimson at dawn, then deepen to ember at dusk, while a didgeridoo hums into the silence.

But this wasn’t just a holiday. It was reverence.

Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and more importantly, sacred to the Aṉangu people, the traditional landowners who have held this place for tens of thousands of years. To be welcomed into it is a privilege that asks something of you: Your attention and presence, and your humility and gratitude.

Not “spiritual” (that word gets overused). Something quieter and truer than that word can carry.

The stories and experiences from this place have settled deep in my heart, where I expect they’ll stay.

If you ever get the chance - go. And go slowly.

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

[We Shall Keep the Faith - by Moina Michael, 1918]

Some mornings, a feeling arrives before the alarm does.

Not always a welcome one.

Rumi wrote about this in The Guest House. The idea that every emotion that shows up in us deserves to be met at the door, not turned away. Joy. Grief. Shame. Malice. Each one, a visitor with something to teach.

It’s a beautiful concept. And a profoundly useful one for leaders.

Because the instinct (especially in professional life) is to manage emotions out. To perform composure. To keep the house tidy for the guests who are watching.

But ’s work on Emotional Agility offers a more honest path: treat your emotions as data, not directives. Get curious about what they’re signposting. Move through them, rather than around them.

That’s not softness. That’s self-awareness at its sharpest.

The leader who can name what they’re feeling, and stay curious about what it’s telling them, makes better decisions, builds more trust, and leads with far greater range than the one who’s simply learned to keep the door shut.

Your emotions aren’t the problem.
Ignoring them is.

[Almost ready to sit my Emotional Agility Certification exam - yikes]

Be like Max. 🤍

Marshall Rosenberg said, “Your presence is the most precious gift you can give another human being.”

I’ve just finished the Emotional Agility Workshop in Byron Bay with Dr Susan David. One of our invitations was simple: give someone the gift of being truely seen.

I had my own experience of being seen , and that’s where Max comes in.

At SOMA, Byron Bay. I was struggling to navigate the hill with my walking stick. Max, who maintains the property, drove me down to the hill to the Dome in his buggy and he said,

“It seems unfair you can’t see the property properly. Let me show you around.”

And he did.

The Lotus Pond.
The bee hives.
The spot where he sees the koala.

He didn’t need to. He just saw me.

Leadership isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it’s a buggy ride and a little extra kindness.

Be like Max. ✨

Hello, Byron

’s Early Career Cohort, was impressive.

Facilitating with my son, and exploring What’s Right With You was a special opportunity.

The 39 team members brought laughter, noise, conversation and curiosity in exploring their natural talents and how they can use them deliberately in their professional and personal life.

Some opportunities in life feel quietly extraordinary.

Tomorrow, I’ll be facilitating a Gallup Strengths session for 39 new starters in a professional services firm and for the very first time, I’ll be co-facilitating with one of my sons.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity in the first place, and equally grateful for the openness to try something new by welcoming us in together.

What makes this experience even more meaningful is that my son’s age and generation closely match those of the participants in the room. I wanted to see the topic through his eyes, learn from his perspective, and bring a generational lens to how we talk about strengths, growth, and potential.

We don’t know when, or even if, we’ll have this opportunity again. So tomorrow, I’m choosing to be fully present. To remember the joy. To revel in the moment and to be deeply grateful. I’m hoping this post brings good luck 🤞🏻

There’s something powerful about a room full of leaders who are willing to lean in, try new things, and laugh at themselves along the way.

Workshop Day 3 of Pathway brought Senior Managers and Partners from across Australia and New Zealand together to explore what it means to Lead Commercially. We focused on business development, networking, and how we grow these capabilities not just for ourselves, but for our teams.

What stood out most was the courage in the room. The willingness to challenge assumptions, to connect purpose with contribution, and to step into evolving leadership identities with honesty and humour. It’s a privilege to work alongside a group that consistently dares greatly.

We had some fun too (who knew there were so many uses for a whisk?), and appreciated the perspective shared by our special guest, Don McLean.

I say “selling”, but what this group really does is build trust and deepen relationships. The word selling often feels far too small.
Always grateful for my friend, and co-facilitator .

And then, a small moment that made me smile — I ran into my Virtual EA by chance at a cafe the very next day. A lovely reminder that connection really is everywhere.

We’re often reluctant to show appreciation because we overestimate the awkwardness and underestimate the positive impact - Psychology Today

What’s on the horizon for you?

He didn’t want me to post this.
But I’m proud of the story behind it.

My 26-year-old son, who works in a large construction firm, was nominated by women in his workplace as an ally for women — one of only four men chosen.

He believes allyship should be normal, not notable.

Leadership starts long before the boardroom — it starts at home.