The human-centered leader: How to develop talent and build influence with Al Dea

Video Description

In this episode of How to Make a Leader, we're joined by Al Dea, founder of Edge of Work consulting and a respected voice in talent and leadership development. Al breaks down why true leadership success hinges on a human-centric approach focused on two essential drivers: viewing leaders as developers of people and building social capital within organizations. Drawing from his extensive experience as a consultant, keynote speaker, and podcast host, Al shares practical insights on how day-to-day leadership actions directly impact talent development. He challenges the notion that employee growth belongs solely to HR and L&D departments, revealing the common mistakes leaders make when developing their teams and offering actionable strategies that extend beyond traditional training programs. You'll discover: - Why developing your people is the highest-impact leadership investment - Practical ways to implement human-centric leadership principles - How to build and leverage social capital to enhance team performance - Effective development strategies that don't require formal training programs Things to listen for: (00:00) Introducing Al Dea (01:13) The evolution of workplace dynamics (07:10) Defining human-centric leadership in real terms (09:41) Leaders as developers of people (12:09) Building growth into your weekly workflow (15:28) How HR and L&D scale development (18:02) Why investing in people ultimately saves time (20:23) Common mistakes leaders make when developing others (25:02) How to build social capital (and why it matters) (31:26) A leadership development program that built real connections (34:35) How to measure development and social capital To learn more about Al and his work, check out his https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/ profile, his website https://al-dea.com/ and his podcast https://theedgeofwork.com/ Interested in attending an interview live? Find out more at bigthink.com/plus/events Want to learn more about getting Big Think+ for your business? Schedule a call with us at https://www2.bigthink.com/request-a-demo-big-think-plus