We believe there is something missing in the field of leadership development.
For all the talk of developing ‘speak up cultures’ and psychological safety, they count for nothing if leaders lack the ability to deeply listen, or are unaware of the impact of their position of power.
The mission of Leaders who Listen is to develop wiser leaders and leadership teams, equipped to listen with curiosity and openness, and able to create lasting change.
About Us
The Leaders who Listen Story
Megumi Miki, Anna Reeve and Dr Leigh Gassner are the co-founders of Leaders who Listen. Their paths crossed while working in the field of leadership development after each pursuing careers in corporate and government spheres.
The trio was drawn together by a collective recognition of the limitations of the dominant 'leader-knows-all', action-oriented style of leadership. In contrast, they noticed examples of highly successful leadership that balanced action with reflection, moving at pace while slowing down, and using a listening-led approach to complex decision making.
The team recognised that together, they could bring their insights and practices to leadership teams across diverse sectors. Leaders who Listen was subsequently founded to help leaders and organisations develop high quality listening and decision-making environments that enable growth and change.
“A speak up culture can only be developed with an equal if not greater focus on a listen up culture”
- Leaders who Listen.
Introducing the Team
Megumi Miki
Co-founder
Megumi is an award-winning author, speaker and coach in Leadership, Culture, Diversity and Inclusion. She is particularly known for her research into Quietly Powerful leadership and is the author of “Quietly Powerful: How your quiet nature is your hidden leadership strength”, which received the Australian Career Book Award for 2020 and Best Leadership Book of 2020 award.
With over 20 years of experience working with clients across corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations, Megumi’s work is underpinned by study in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, systems thinking, coaching, mindset change and organisational development. Her work is also strategic and practical, informed by her earlier career experiences in strategy consulting and finance and performance analysis.
Megumi is recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice for her work highlighting the critical need for more diverse and inclusive leaders, who bring skilled listening and encourage collaboration for better decision-making in a complex world.
Anna Reeve
Co-founder
Anna brings a global perspective from her career in leadership development, strategy consulting, and diplomacy, in Australia, the UK, Europe and Japan.
As an executive coach and team and group facilitator, she partners with senior leaders in global corporations, government departments, professional services, and politics to help them navigate complexity, think differently and create new possibilities for their teams, organisations and communities. She is a member of the coaching panels of several top ASX corporations and leading professional services firms and is known for building long-term relationships of trust with her clients.
Anna began her career with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Canberra and served at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. She did an MBA at INSEAD (France) and became a strategy consultant at Deloitte and then a Partner at a leadership and organisational consultancy in London. Her experience in different sectors and geographies has taught her to be curious and to adapt to different cultures, languages and stakeholder groups and contexts. In the community, Anna is a Member of the Victorian Committee for Families of Children with Disability (VCFCD).
Leigh Gassner
Co-founder
Leigh brings to the team extensive experience in executive leadership roles in both strategic and operational contexts. As a former Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police, Leigh has a mix of operational and corporate experience.
Leigh has a Doctorate in Business Administration and was previously an Adjunct Professor of Business Leadership. Leigh has spent the past 10 years advising on leadership, culture change, and community engagement across government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.
Leigh also has extensive Board experience and is passionate about contributing to wider social impact. Leigh has led state-wide system reform in violence against women, gender equity with the Australian Human Rights Commission in China, national consultations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups, and system reform on gender-based violence in South Africa.
Leaders who Listen works collaboratively with organisations to establish deep trust and enact real change to leadership culture.
If it’s time to try a new approach in your organisation and you would like to know more,
please contact us.