Ruth Kent, From Psychological Safety to AI as a Collaborative Partner - Innova.buzz 684
Innova.buzz
Our guest in this episode is Ruth Kent, a passionate advisor who began her career as a teacher with a love for public health. Driven by a deep sense of purpose, she now blends these two worlds to help organizations create more human-centered and effective ways to learn and thrive. In our wonderful chat, Ruth shares her pragmatic approach to navigating today's biggest workplace challenges, from fostering genuine psychological safety to harnessing AI as a tool for deeper connection.
Key points discussed include:
* True psychological safety is built on a leader's vulnerability and courage to "circle back" after a mistake.
* Frame AI not as a threat, but as a collaborative thinking partner to enhance our human capabilities and creativity.
* In an age of intelligent machines, our greatest asset is our ability to lean into our shared humanity.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
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Show Notes from this episode with Ruth Kent
It was an absolute privilege to welcome the brilliant Ruth Kent to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Drawing from her fascinating background in both public health and education, Ruth helps organizations build a more human and effective way to learn and thrive. Our conversation was a deep dive into what it truly means to support people in the modern workplace, moving beyond simple programs to create genuine frameworks for connection and wellbeing.
Ruth’s insights are particularly timely. She shared how the entire landscape of workplace wellbeing has evolved, especially in the last five years. We've moved past the era of one-size-fits-all fitness challenges and into a much more nuanced space. The conversation now includes hybrid work, the right to disconnect, and a growing understanding of neurodiversity, all demanding a more thoughtful approach.
The New Workplace Landscape: Beyond the Wellness Program
One of the most powerful ideas Ruth introduced was the concept of applying a "public health lens" to an organization. Instead of just reacting with isolated wellness initiatives, this approach encourages leaders to step back and look at the entire system. It’s about getting curious about the specific demographics, needs, and cultural nuances of the team you actually have, rather than just importing a program that worked for another company.
This means asking deeper questions and truly listening to what people need to feel supported. It's a strategic shift from simply offering perks to proactively designing a healthier, more connected work environment from the ground up. This method allows for the creation of supports that are not only more effective but also feel far more authentic to the people they are meant to serve.
The Foundation of Growth: Cultivating Real Psychological Safety
Of course, none of this is possible without a foundation of psychological safety. We explored the immense challenge leaders face in getting truly honest feedback, and Ruth shared a wonderfully human insight to guide them. She drew a powerful analogy between effective leadership and modern parenting, highlighting the importance of vulnerability and the courage to "circle back" after making a mistake.
Imagine a leader who, after a tense moment or a poorly-worded email, has the self-awareness to return to their team member and say, "That wasn't my best self, and I apologize." That simple, authentic act doesn't just fix a single interaction; it builds a bridge of trust. It signals that it's okay to be human, to be imperfect, and to be committed to working through challenges together.
The Leader's Inner Compass: The Power of Self-Awareness
Diving deeper, Ruth explained that this ability to "circle back" stems from a profound self-awareness, or what she calls "interoception." This is the ability to notice our own internal state—that clenching in the stomach or the quickening heart rate—and understand how it's driving our thoughts and actions. A leader who is attuned to their inner world can make more conscious choices about their behaviour.
This is critical because, as Ruth pointed out, a leader’s internal experience is transmitted to the team whether they intend it or not. We are all "beacons," and our non-verbal cues often speak louder than our words. By cultivating this inner awareness, leaders can move from being reactive to being intentional, creating a calmer and more stable environment for everyone.
Reframing Our Future: AI as a Collaborative Thinking Partner
Our conversation then turned to the great disruptor of our time: Artificial Intelligence. Ruth offered a refreshingly balanced and optimistic perspective, framing AI not as a threat, but as a potential "collaborative thinking partner." She sees it as a tool that, if we proceed with awareness and caution, can help us solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges.
This doesn't mean ignoring the very real anxieties many people feel about job displacement or a potential crisis of purpose. Ruth acknowledged these challenges thoughtfully, suggesting that our task is to guide this emerging technology, to have foresight, and to think critically about how we can make sure the benefits are shared by all.
From Efficiency to Empathy: Using AI to Enhance Our Humanity
So how do we use this powerful new partner to become more human? Ruth shared a fantastic personal example of using an AI chatbot as a supportive, objective third party. After receiving a frustrating email, instead of firing back an emotional reply, she used the AI to validate her feelings and think through a more constructive response, ultimately preserving the relationship.
This beautifully illustrates a key opportunity: we can use AI to handle repetitive tasks and create efficiencies, but the real prize is what we do with the time we save. The goal isn't just to move on to the next task faster. The goal is to reinvest that reclaimed time in what truly matters: checking in with a colleague, writing a thoughtful thank you note, or simply having a conversation to ask, "How are you?"
Your Ultimate Differentiator: Leaning Deeper into Connection
As we wrapped up, the central theme became crystal clear. In an age where AI can handle so much of the clerical and repetitive work, our greatest value and key differentiator will always be our humanity. The ability to be flexible, to connect authentically, and to lean into our self-awareness are the skills that will matter most.
Ruth left us with a simple, brilliant call to action that perfectly balances the technological and the human. First, find someone in your life who may not understand AI and take a moment to expose them to it; share the potential and open up a conversation. Then, to counteract that, pick up the phone and call a friend. Have a real conversation and listen to a human voice.
In Summary: My chat with Ruth Kent was a powerful reminder that the path to a better future of work isn't about choosing between technology and humanity, but about consciously using one to deepen the other. By cultivating self-awareness, fostering genuine psychological safety, and reinvesting our time in real connection, we can build workplaces where both people and organizations can truly flourish.
The Buzz - Our Innovation Round
Here are Ruth’s answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.
* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: AI can act as a supportive sidekick, offering advice before you respond to someone to help strengthen the connection.
* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Ruth uses AI to enhance her own capabilities and strategic thinking, which indirectly enables her to connect more effectively with others.
* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Differentiate yourself by deeply understanding your inner self, which allows you to harness AI to amplify your unique humanity.
Action
Expose someone new to AI to help spread the understanding of what it's capable of. To balance this, make a phone call to a friend and have a real conversation, connecting with a human voice.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Ruth on LinkedIn, via her website, or by sending an email to hello@sunrisewell.com.au.
Links:
* Website - Sunrise Well
* Instagram - @sunrise_well
Cool Things About Ruth
* Ruth applies a "Public Health Lens" to Business: She doesn't just look at individual employee perks. Instead, she applies a "public health lens" to an entire organization, analyzing the culture, demographics, and systems to understand the root causes of workplace stress and disconnection.
* She Saw the Pandemic Coming: Due to her studies in public health, she was one of the few people who wasn't surprised by the arrival of the 2020 pandemic and the subsequent public health measures. She knew something like it was statistically inevitable.
* Leadership is Like Conscious Parenting: Ruth has a powerful and relatable philosophy that great leadership mirrors conscious parenting. The key is not to be perfect, but to have the self-awareness and vulnerability to "circle back," apologize, and repair connections after a mistake.
* Uses AI as an Emotional Sounding Board: She views AI as a "collaborative thinking partner." She shared a personal example of using it to process her own frustration with an email, allowing her to get validation and formulate a calm, professional response rather than reacting emotionally.
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