September 5, 2025

Leader Lab Episode 5: Overcoming New CEO Syndrome to Lead with Impact with Heather Conklin

In this episode of the LEAD3R Lab mini-series, Dane Groeneveld chats with Heather Conklin, CEO of Torch, about why caring about people as humans first builds the trust and resilience teams need to thrive. Heather shares the early teamwork lessons that shaped her leadership style – from tackling gossip head-on, to creating a culture of candid feedback, to setting a high bar for quality.

She and Dane explore why removing gossip can transform a team’s energy, how “drawing the line” on behaviors creates clarity without micromanagement, and why listening is just as important as taking action when leading through change.

Heather also opens up about stepping into the CEO role at Torch, what it was like to transition from peer to leader, and how she guided her team through a period of rapid transformation – relaunching strategy, branding, and culture in just nine months.

If you’re looking for human-centered leadership wisdom, this episode is packed with practical advice and inspiration!

Leadership Development Exercise: How Do You Lead3r?

Leadership, like any discipline, is strengthened through consistent practice. Just as physical training develops strength and resilience, reflective leadership exercises help build emotional intelligence, awareness of your natural response tendencies, and an understanding of healthy team dynamics. 

This exercise is part of the ‘How Do You Lead3r?’ series – incorporating short, purposeful prompts designed to stretch your thinking around the topic of ‘leadership and teamwork’.  

You can complete the questions individually as a journaling activity or use them to spark a rich conversation with your team or peers. The goal is to reflect honestly, share generously, and develop practical insights you can carry into your everyday leadership practice.

Reflective Questions:

1. Thinking across your career, what’s one standout achievement you’ve navigated with a team – and what did you learn from that experience?
2. You’ve just stepped into a CEO role. What’s your 90-day plan to assess, align, and lead with impact?
3. What three leadership principles guide you when uniting a team around a mission, project, or organisational change?
4. How do you successfully transition into a leadership role within a team you were once part of?
5. After the loss of a key team member, where do you begin in helping the group reset and move forward?
6. What’s one trait or behaviour do you seek to foster within a team to ensure psychological safety?
7. How do you like to acknowledge and celebrate team success?
8. When leading a team, do you place more value on alignment in purpose or in approach? Why?
9. Do you have a clear vision for how your team should ideally work together?

Next Steps:

Remember, there’s no ‘right or wrong’ answer – leadership is contextual and constantly evolving. The real value comes from engaging with the questions, staying curious, and listening to others’ perspectives.

For more bite-sized leadership development drills like this, explore the full ‘How Do You Lead3r?’ series at the Future of Teamwork Podcast. Each episode and exercise is designed to help you lead with greater intention, connection, and impact. 
If you’re looking for support to attract or develop your leadership team – connect with our Executive Search, Team Effectiveness or Coaching specialists to learn more about your options.