Megan Reitz

How can leaders foster a culture where employees feel free to speak up about workplace concerns without fear of retribution? How can employees be encouraged to challenge conventional thinking and offer new ideas so teams can remain agile and innovative? And how can organizations both avoid scandal and facilitate overall healthy corporate cultures? A renowned expert on leadership and dialogue, Hult International Business School professor Megan Reitz, Ph.D., teaches leaders that having a psychologically safe culture requires them to notice their own habits and be mindful of the signals they’re sending which may be deliberately or inadvertently silencing others. In this presentation, Reitz shares evidence-based communication tools leaders can use to encourage employees to speak up and ensure all voices are heard so vital knowledge and innovative ideas can be regularly exchanged.

Many employees feel they are in a state of constant ‘busyness’ where attention is given increasingly to short-term tangible tasks to the detriment of creativity, relationships and learning. This results in high stress and, over time, lower productivity. Pausing in order to make wiser choices in what we do and how we show up with one another is vital – it doesn’t slow things down, in fact, it is quite the opposite. How do we know when it’s time to pause, both individually and collectively? According to leadership expert Megan Reitz, Ph.D., it’s vital to find a balance between attending to short-term tasks and to less tangible longer term, relational tasks. She explores why we get caught in cycles of busyness, shares her AIM framework (allowing, inquiry, meta-awareness), and provides practical experiences of pausing, attending and ‘AIMing’ both individually and in teams. Attendees will be empowered to create the space in their minds to notice the patterns they are in and choose different, thoughtful responses.

We need all sorts of conversations in order to thrive individually and organizationally. While conversations about tasks and short-term targets are vital, if they take over, we can find ourselves with less and less time to have conversations that focus on relationships, creativity, reflection and purpose. These latter conversations are less tangible, and their benefits are longer term – however without them organizations cannot survive. Megan Reitz, Ph.D., has been researching conversations at work for more than a decade. In this talk, she will share the importance of ‘conversational habits’ and how leaders can become stuck in a ‘busyness’ cycle that, over time, can lead to employees feeling less connected, less able to challenge, give feedback and learn. Audiences will be guided to consider what conversations they prioritize, they’ll understand that leaders are likely to be unaware of ‘missing’ conversations and they will learn practical ways they can ensure their teams are having conversations that matter at work.

Increasingly, employees are starting challenging conversations with management: “So, what’s our policy on Black Lives Matter, gender equity, climate change, human rights in our supply chain?” Some leaders respond by saying their organization is apolitical, or they hand off hard-to-avoid issues to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) managers. Worse, they don’t respond at all. Silencing employees works against organizations in a number of ways. Two big drawbacks: employees may not reveal hidden problems which can grow, or they may end up leaving if the values of the organization do not align with their own, explains Megan Reitz, Ph.D., professor of leadership and dialogue at Hult International Business School, and co-author of the acclaimed book “Speak Up: Say What Needs to be Said and Hear What Needs to be Heard.” In this talk, she shares her research-backed framework which helps leaders become aware of their responses to employee activism and serves as a playbook for proactively and thoughtfully engaging with employees. Leaders come away with a stronger ability to navigate power differences and transform their workplace cultures. As a result, employees are more likely to openly communicate, and leaders are able to find out what’s really going on in their organization and harness much-needed ideas for tackling the ‘wicked’ business, social and environmental challenges that now face us.

Advancements in tech are causing businesses to move faster than ever before, and avoiding disruption is no longer an option for organizations. “Experimentation is vital – but learning from those experiments is even more important,” says leadership expert and associate fellow at Saïd Business School at Oxford University Megan Reitz, Ph.D. Her provocative approach to management showcases learning from ‘intelligent’ failures (as Amy Edmondson would term them) as essential stepping stones toward innovation. Many of us don’t like to dwell on failures, let alone talk about them thoroughly and openly, but this capacity is critical in teams and organizations. By explaining why we avoid discussing setbacks and then detailing how to successfully reframe them as opportunities for growth, Reitz empowers managers to transform their organizational culture. Attendees will learn how to foster an environment where experimentation (in actions and behaviors) is celebrated and ‘intelligent’ failures are viewed as valuable insights. Energetic and funny, Reitz provides practical tools for leaders to encourage a culture of boldness and creativity, ensuring their teams thrive in the face of change. Leaders will leave with a clear strategy to invite and hold conversations that drives continuous improvement and sustained competitive advantage.

Failure is not a subject that is spoken about frequently in organizational settings even though it is inevitable and can be a vital and constructive means of moving innovation forward and improving performance. So how can leaders make it safe to talk about failure in the right way? According to psychological safety expert Megan Reitz, Ph.D., the right kinds of failure can be powerful learning opportunities. In this presentation, she investigates the conditions that prevent discussions about failure – both speaking up about it and listening to others’ experiences. Audiences will leave with actionable strategies for encouraging reflective and thoughtful conversations about failure, turning it into an important learning asset.

How can leaders combat the overwhelming busyness that stifles creativity and innovation in the workplace? Megan Reitz, Ph.D., an associate fellow at Saïd Business School at Oxford University, explores the concept of “spaciousness”– the essential breathing room that allows ideas to flourish and employees to grow. Drawing on her latest research, Reitz demonstrates how creating physical and mental space in the workplace can lead to significant improvements in productivity, creativity and employee satisfaction. Attendees will discover actionable strategies to balance task-oriented focus with opportunities for reflection and development, transforming their workplaces into environments where employees feel valued, and visions become realities. Ultimately, Reitz equips leaders with the insights needed to foster a culture that prioritizes meaningful work and deep engagement.

Many employees have a burning desire to voice their opinions regarding important organizational changes, yet companies may not have a culture that encourages them to do so. When leaders become aware of the link between leadership and mindfulness, says Hult International Business School professor Megan Reitz, Ph.D., space for speaking truth to power is born. In this presentation based on her engaging TEDxHultAshridge talk, Reitz teaches leaders how to navigate power differences and transform their workplace cultures so employees feel free to openly communicate.

What role does mindfulness play in leadership? Hult International Business School professor Megan Reitz’s research shows that mindfulness opens doors for leaders to become more “present,” enabling them to respond rather than react to circumstances, which in turn builds resilience, improves focus, and allows them to become better listeners and decision makers. Based on her book Mind Time, Reitz teaches participants tools for becoming more present, mindful, less stressed, and more effective leaders who are viewed as more approachable and relatable.