Radical Humility in Leadership: Unlocking Trust, Growth & Resilience with Urs Koenig

In this episode of the Change Management Review Podcast, host Theresa Moulton sits down with Urs Koenig, leadership expert, executive coach, and author of Radical Humility. Drawing from his experience as a NATO peacekeeping commander, ultra-endurance athlete, professor, and keynote speaker, Urs shares powerful insights on why radical humility is the key to effective leadership in today’s fast-paced world. 

You’ll discover: 

• The Power of Humble Leadership – Why the best leaders get out of the spotlight and empower their teams. 

• The Three Pillars of Radical Humility – How self-awareness, relational leadership, and psychological safety drive success. 

• Overcoming Leadership Ego – How confidence and humility go hand in hand, and why arrogance signals insecurity. 

• Building Trust in the Age of AI – Why relationships matter more than expertise and how to cultivate trust with your team. 

• Reframing Failure for Growth – Lessons from Urs’ near-death ultra-cycling experience and how failure fuels success. 

• Practical Strategies for Change Leaders – Actionable exercises to increase self-awareness, deepen relationships, and foster a culture of openness. 

If you’re a change management practitioner, executive, or leader looking to lead with impact in a world that values confidence over humility, this episode is essential listening. Urs Koenig’s unique perspective will challenge the way you think about leadership and equip you with real-world strategies to drive lasting, people-centered change. 

Guest Bio 

Urs is a bestselling author, one of the world’s leading experts on humble leadership, a former UN peacekeeper and NATO peacekeeping commander, a highly accomplished ultra endurance champion, a widely published professor, and a seasoned executive coach and keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience helping hundreds of leaders and dozens of executive teams unlock new levels of achievement across four continents.
He is the founder of the Radical Humility Leadership Institute and speaks frequently on the topic of leadership to corporations and associations across the globe. His message of Radical Humility in leadership has inspired teams from across the spectrum, including Amazon, Starbucks, the Society of Human Resource Management, HP, NATO, Vistage, and Microsoft.

He holds a PhD in geography and a Master of Science from the University of Zürich, Switzerland, and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Urs is the loving father of two teenage boys who make commanding soldiers look easy. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Connect to

Urs Koenig Website

Radical Humility: Be a Badass Leader and a Good Human (book)

Urs Koenig on LinkedIn