Episode 22: Leadership in an Anxious World, Pt. 2 - Ken Hyatt, Partner & Co-Founder at CMPartners

In this second half of a two-part conversation, Ken Hyatt, Founder and Partner at CMPartners, returns to dig deeper into the leadership framework he introduced in Part 1. Drawing on decades spent at the negotiating table, in consulting, and at the helm of a 2,000-person government agency, Ken explains why leadership in today’s “VUCA squared” world is best built through practices rather than skills alone, and why learning must sit at the heart of the journey. 

You’ll hear Ken and Patty explore what it means to lead yourself well, from regulating your nervous system to protecting the mental reserves you need for your toughest decisions. They also dig into the essentials of leading others, including how to communicate with both curiosity and clarity, how leaders shape culture through what they model, and where negotiations most often go wrong. The conversation closes with a moving reflection on staying hopeful in a divided world. This insightful, deeply practical episode explores how leaders can bring their best thinking to an increasingly complex world. 

What you’ll hear about 

• Why do leaders need practices, not just skills, to succeed today? 

• How does a leader’s nervous system affect their team’s performance? 

• What is cognitive reserve, and why should every leader protect it? 

• How can leaders balance humility and confidence when making decisions? 

• How do leaders turn good behaviors into lasting organizational culture? 

• What are the most common mistakes people make in negotiations? 

This episode is intended for clinical operations executives and outsourcing and alliance leaders, offering a clear framework for leading with clarity under pressure and negotiating more effectively with partners. 

Timestamps 

01:25 – Revisiting leadership in a VUCA squared world 

02:50 – Why practices matter more than skills 

05:30 – Leadership as a learning journey 

07:25 – Leading yourself: the three Rs 

09:20 – Is self-awareness becoming the new norm? 

10:40 – How your nervous system shapes your performance 

13:05 – Why a leader’s stress is contagious 

16:35 – Rethinking strength, stability, and vulnerability 

21:30 – Why no one coaches leaders on self-care 

22:25 – Protecting your cognitive reserve 

29:10 – Leading others: communicating with curiosity and clarity 

33:35 – Balancing humility with confidence 

35:30 – Modeling the culture you want 

40:00 – The most common negotiation mistakes 

45:15 – Staying hopeful in a divided world 

Guest Biography 

Ken Hyatt is Founder and Partner at CMPartners, where he advises companies and governments on complex negotiations, conflicts, and critical relationships. A Harvard Law graduate and early associate of the Harvard Negotiation Project, he later served as Acting Under Secretary and Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, leading the International Trade Administration. He also founded the Global Restoration Institute, helping leaders and societies transform the wounds of the past to build healthier relationships and more resilient communities.