What if leadership wasn’t about having all the answers, but about asking better questions, listening more deeply, and giving others the space to grow?
That’s the message my recent podcast guest, Malinda Shultice, lives and teaches every day.
Malinda is a professor at Iowa State University and Barcelona Executive Business School, a licensed nursing home administrator, and the founder of a consulting company focused on solving one of healthcare’s biggest challenges: high turnover and low morale. Before launching her business, she spent over a decade in senior living leadership, and her career pivot is nothing short of inspiring.
The Bold Pivot
Malinda shared how she left a successful career in healthcare to step into academia and entrepreneurship. On paper, she had everything: a strong team, solid compensation, and a leadership role many aspire to. But inside, she felt a shift, her spark for the work was fading. Instead of ignoring it, she made the courageous choice to pivot into something new, even when others thought she was “crazy” for walking away.
Her story is a powerful reminder: staying in a role that no longer fulfills you can be scarier than taking the leap into the unknown.
Leadership Superpowers: Curiosity & Compassion
In our conversation, Malinda highlighted two qualities she believes every leader needs: curiosity and compassion.
- Curiosity isn’t just asking questions, it’s truly listening to the answers, being open to new ideas, and seeking out the story beneath the story.
- Compassion means leading with empathy, understanding what your people are carrying, and creating a culture where they feel heard.
Together, these qualities create ripple effects that boost morale, reduce burnout, and empower teams to grow.
Practical Tools You Can Use
One of my favorite parts of our conversation was Malinda’s “IDEA Method,” a simple but powerful framework for better conversations:
- I – Introduce yourself
- D – Discover common ground
- E – Explore deeper with open-ended questions
- A – Apply by holding others accountable and empowering them
Simple? Yes. But the execution changes everything.
Your Spark Challenge
Malinda left us with two practical tips you can put into practice right away:
- Practice active listening with 2–3 people each day. Don’t multitask – just listen.
- Gift yourself reflection time each week. Even 30–60 minutes of “think time” can reignite creativity and clarity.
These small shifts can spark big results.
Ready to Dive In?
I encourage you to listen to the full conversation with Malinda, it’s packed with wisdom for anyone navigating leadership, career transitions, or simply looking to connect more deeply with others.
🎧 Listen to the episode here: [Insert Link]
👉 Connect with Malinda on LinkedIn: Malinda Shultice
Here’s to leading with curiosity, compassion, and confidence – and to creating ripple effects you may never even see, but that will change the world around you.
