Leadership is a choice and a practice
Pete Shepherd is a Modern Leadership Expert and Executive Coach who helps leaders navigate the messy, human side of work. He has coached over 10,000 leaders and executives across 90 countries from more than 150 companies, including Google, Westpac, Woolworths, Kraft Heinz, Alfred Health, and the Royal Australian Navy.
Pete served as the Head Coach of the pioneering altMBA, working alongside industry legends like Seth Godin and Margaret Atwood to reshape how we think about culture and change. Through this work, he has helped clients who have built multi-million dollar companies, produced Emmy award-winning TV shows, and been nominated for Australian of the Year.
He believes that leadership is a choice, not a title. As such, he focuses on the "soft" skills that drive hard results: curiosity, empathy, and humility. By nurturing these traits, he helps organisations build psychological safety and high-performance teams.
Pete is a TEDx speaker, writer, and co-host of The Long and The Short Of It, a weekly podcast exploring leadership and creativity. Known as a "Human Periscope" (both for his height and his insight), his talks are funny, interactive, and packed with practical tools leaders can use immediately.
Talking Points
Leadership is a Choice: The Human Skills That Drive Performance
We often promote people because they are good at their jobs, but we rarely teach them how to work well with people. In a world of increasing automation and hybrid work, the "soft skills" of leadership are actually the hardest to master, and the most critical for business success. In this talk, Pete breaks down the three essential traits of modern leadership and proves why they are no longer "nice to haves," but strategic necessities.Leadership is a Choice: The Human Skills That Drive Performance
Key Takeaways:
- The Difference: Why "management" is a role, but "leadership" is a behaviour you choose every day.
- The Big Three: A deep dive into Empathy, Curiosity, and Humility as drivers of psychological safety.
- Practical Tools: How to operationalise these concepts to build trust and retain top talent.
Leading with AI: Artificial Intelligence, Real Leadership
AI is rapidly transforming the workplace, but the one thing it cannot automate is genuine human connection. In this engaging session, Pete cuts through the hype and anxiety to show how leaders can harness AI not as a replacement, but as a powerful partner. The goal isn't to compete with the machine; it's to collaborate with it, enabling you to focus on what matters most: connection, strategy, and culture.Leading with AI: Artificial Intelligence, Real Leadership
Key Takeaways:
- The Mindset Shift: Moving from fearing AI to using it as a collaborative partner for creativity and problem-solving.
- Practical Application: How to use GenAI tools to prepare for difficult conversations, enhance research, and sharpen communication.
- The Human Advantage: Why the rise of AI makes your "soft skills" (curiosity, empathy and discernment) more valuable than ever before.
Turn Friction Into Progress: Mastering Difficult Conversations
Do your leaders shy away from giving feedback? Does your culture suffer from being "too nice"? Most of us avoid difficult conversations because we fear conflict, but this avoidance kills innovation and slows down progress. In this session, Pete shares a practical framework for navigating tension, proving that friction, when handled correctly, is actually the fuel for growth.Turn Friction Into Progress: Mastering Difficult Conversations
Key Takeaways:
- The Barrier: Understanding the psychology behind why we avoid hard talks.
- The Framework: Learn the "EARS" and "OC" models, simple tools to de-escalate tension and increase understanding.
- The Shift: How to move from "winning the argument" to "solving the problem" together.
The Imposter Advantage: Why Self-Doubt is a Sign You’re Ready
Almost everyone will experience Imposter Syndrome, and high-performers feel it the most. Why? Because they are constantly pushing into the unknown. Too often, we let feelings like being a "fraud" stop us from speaking up or taking risks. Pete flips the script, arguing that Imposter Syndrome isn't a defect to be fixed, it's a reliable indicator that you are doing important, innovative work.The Imposter Advantage: Why Self-Doubt is a Sign You’re Ready
Key Takeaways:
- The Reframe: Why feeling like an imposter is actually a good thing (and a sign of competence).
- The Science: What happens in our brains when we step out of our comfort zone.
- The Strategy: A practical method for "dancing" with your fear so it fuels you rather than freezes you.
Video
What if imposter syndrome is a good thing? | Peter Shepherd
Do you ever feel like an imposter? Like you have no right to be where you are? Turns out anyone who’s ever created something new or done something for the first time likely experienced imposter syndrome. So the question becomes: what do we do with it? In this talk, Peter Shepherd offers a simple, practical and effective framework for dancing with our imposter in order to move forward. Human Periscope Peter Shepherd is a human periscope: helping others see things they can't through his work as a coach, speaker and podcaster... And also literally (he’s really tall). He has coached, presented to and collaborated with hundreds of changemakers and leaders around the globe, helping them: build startups, write books, deliver keynotes, create products, launch podcasts and redesign business strategies. As a Head Coach in Seth Godin’s altMBA, Peter also leads a team of coaches from right around the world who have helped thousands of students take the online workshop that’s transforming higher education.Masterclass for IG2020 | Peter Shepherd
Audio
Pete is an incredibly engaging speaker, using humour and storytelling to bring his topics to life. ... keep reading Transport Accident Commission
Pete’s session was a breath of fresh air.
A really engaging and practical session and I appreciate that Pete drives discussion.
Pete is an incredibly engaging speaker, using humour and storytelling to bring his topics to life.
Of all the speakers who have spoken at my events, Pete Shepherd is the tallest. Oh... he’s also a funny, clever, inspirational, captivating storyteller and speaker that everyone totally loves.
Pete's sessions are always dynamic, fun, and spark new thinking. He has a gift for unravelling complex topics and making them accessible and relatable.
Pete is incredibly charismatic and engaging and was able to help stretch people's thinking. One attendee told me it was the best leadership session they'd been to in their 20 years with us.
Pete was so effective that after just one short session 100% of participants were able to identify tangible next steps and felt reinvigorated. We look forward to continuing and expanding our collaboration.
