Leadership
Chief Executives and Emerging Leaders Breakfast
Q&A with IPAA Emerging Leaders: Bhavik Kapadia, Regan Vella, Zoe Keath, Brooke Wanstall, Alex Parker, Juan VegaOnTalent was proud to
May 29, 2025
Do you rate yourself as an approachable and quality leader.
Have you created a safe environment for people to talk.
Do you use open questions and consider your body language, and most importantly how do you handle mistakes made by your employees?
It might be useful to utilise this checklist to ensure you are always collaborative, and able to have psychologically safe discussions every time.
1. Before the conversation/decision
☐ I’m clear on the purpose of this conversation.
☐ I’ve thought about who will be affected and ensured they’re invited/represented.
☐ I’ve decided on the decision mode and will name it (Tell / Consult / Collaborate / Delegate).
☐ I know what is non-negotiable and what’s genuinely open to shape.
☐ I’m prepared to share my own uncertainty or limits (“I don’t have this all figured out”).
2. During the conversation/decision
How I open
☐ I state the purpose clearly (“We’re here to…”)
☐ I name the decision mode and boundaries (“I’ll decide, but I need your input on…”).
☐ I explicitly invite honesty and dissent (“If this doesn’t feel right, I want you to say so.”).
How I ask
☐ I use open questions (“What are we not seeing yet?”).
☐ I invite dissent before closing (“What are the risks or downsides?”).
☐ I bring in quieter voices (“I’d love to hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet.”).
☐ I stay curious, not defensive (“Can you walk me through how you’re thinking about that?”).
How I respond
☐ I thank people for speaking up, especially when they challenge me.
☐ I separate person from idea (“Let’s look at the idea, not who suggested it.”).
☐ I manage disagreement without attack (“I see it differently because…”).
☐ I acknowledge the risk they’re taking (“I know that wasn’t easy to say, thank you.”).
How I handle mistakes / bad news (if they surface)
☐ I stay calm and avoid blame.
☐ I focus on what in the system or process went wrong, not who to blame.
☐ I share my own learning or past mistakes when relevant.
3. After the conversation/decision
☐ I clearly summarise the decision and next steps.
☐ I explain the “why” behind the decision and how input shaped it.
☐ If I changed my mind based on input, I say so explicitly.
☐ I close the loop on suggestions (even those we’re not taking up now).
☐ I ask, “How did this process feel?” or “What could we improve about how we ran this conversation?”
☐ I note one micro-behaviour I’ll repeat next time and one I’ll improve.
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Q&A with IPAA Emerging Leaders: Bhavik Kapadia, Regan Vella, Zoe Keath, Brooke Wanstall, Alex Parker, Juan VegaOnTalent was proud to
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As a CEO, I was recruited. As a Non-Executive Director, I helped recruit CEOs. Now, one year into my time
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