What leadership behaviors make the biggest difference to employee experience during change?

In this episode of CultureClub X, host Jodie O’Brien sits down with Debra Corey, award-winning HR leader, founder of Step It Up HR, and bestselling author, to unpack the leadership behaviors that help employees feel supported, valued, and engaged during times of change.

Debra brings more than 20 years of HR experience across industries and geographies, and today works as a consultant, speaker, trainer, and author helping organizations rethink people strategy through a more human-centered lens.

The conversation explores why stability matters during change, how leaders can avoid relying on one default leadership style, and why personalization, awareness, and feedback are essential for improving leadership impact. Debra also shares her Awareness → Acceptance → Action framework, discusses the role of analytics and behavioral feedback, and reflects on what makes a truly great leader memorable.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why leaders must create stability during change through mission, vision, and values
• How different employees and situations require different leadership behaviors
• Why curiosity and continuous learning reduce fear of becoming obsolete
• How personalization improves engagement and retention during transformation
• Why awareness is the starting point for leadership growth
• How feedback, analytics, and action help leaders strengthen trust and performance

About the guest:
Debra Corey is an award-winning HR leader and founder of Step It Up HR. She is a consultant, speaker, trainer, and six-time bestselling author who helps organizations build impactful people strategies and more human-centered cultures. She is widely recognized as a global thought leader in engagement and leadership.

Connect with Debra Corey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debracorey/
Website: https://stepituphr.com/

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Tags

Leadership Insights, Season 5, leadership behaviors, employee experience, change leadership, employee engagement, workplace culture