Are New Year’s resolutions actually helpful for leaders… or are they quietly holding you back?

In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost challenges the idea of once-a-year goal setting and explains why real leadership isn’t about resolutions—it’s about courage, clarity, and consistent action. Dropping this conversation a few weeks into the new year is intentional, because statistically, this is when most resolutions fall apart.

Kim shares why she doesn’t believe in January resets, how fear disguises itself as “strategy,” and a powerful story from a Peloton ride that perfectly captures how leaders often mistake discomfort for danger. (Spoiler: sometimes the “snake” is just a mouse.)

This episode is a candid, reflective conversation for leaders who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or hesitant to move forward—not because they lack skill, but because fear is quietly running the show.

In this episode:

• Why great leaders don’t rely on annual resolutions
• The difference between fear-based logic and real strategy
• How fear disguises itself as “being prudent”
• Why unnamed fear grows—and named fear loses power
• The “snake vs. mouse” metaphor that every leader needs
• How reacting vs. responding impacts trust and leadership
• A simple daily approach to shrinking fear instead of avoiding it
• Why courage isn’t loud—it’s quiet, steady, and decisive

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Boomers. Gen X. Millennials. Gen Z. One team. What actually works and what absolutely doesn’t.

For the first time in history, four generations are working side by side, and if you’re leading them, it can feel less like running a business and more like moderating a family reunion. In this episode, we break down why generational tension isn’t really a “generation problem” at all— nd what strong leaders do differently to create clarity, engagement, and performance across age groups.

Drawing on data from Gallup, Deloitte, McKinsey, PwC, SHRM, and Microsoft, this episode unpacks the leadership myths that keep teams stuck—and the practical shifts that help leaders thrive.

In this episode:

• Why generational conflict is usually a leadership clarity issue, not an age issue
• What each generation tends to value at work (without stereotyping or labeling)
• The biggest mistakes leaders make when managing across generations
• Why one-size-fits-all leadership, annual reviews, and unclear expectations backfire
• How regular feedback, clear standards, and adaptive communication drive engagement
• Practical strategies to build cross-generational collaboration that actually works

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Chaos isn’t a phase, it’s the environment. Market shifts, AI disruption, layoffs, global instability… uncertainty is now part of everyday leadership. And in moments like these, leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about how you show up.

In this episode, we look at what courageous leadership actually looks like when clarity is hard to find. Inspired by insights from Harvard Business Review and real-world leadership examples, this conversation focuses on leadership in practice—not theory—when things feel messy, loud, and unresolved.

Because here’s the truth: your team doesn’t need perfection. They need clarity, consistency, and calm.

In this episode:

• Why chaos reveals the leader—and why uncertainty puts leadership on full display
• How creating a strong internal narrative anchors leadership in turbulent times
• The balance between confidence and humility
• Why great leaders “act their way into clarity"
• The role of connection, support, and honest feedback in sustaining courage
• Why emotional regulation is a strategic leadership skill, not a soft one

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

What a year.

No one could have predicted the twists we saw in leadership, hiring, and the future of work—but here we are, closing out another unpredictable, enlightening, and wildly transformative year.

After 25 years in executive search and talent strategy, I thought I had seen it all:

the dot-com bust, the global financial crisis, a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and the rewiring of how we work.

Yet 2025 still managed to surprise me.

In this episode, I’m wrapping up the year with candor, clarity, and zero sugarcoating:

what really happened in the job market, how leaders changed, which trends matter for 2026, and the invisible thread that connected every episode of this podcast.

And yes… I also talk about turning “that age,” my first year of podcasting, assumptions that blew up (in business and friendships), and why emotional intelligence is becoming the new currency of leadership.

In this episode:

• Great leadership in 2026 will come down to clarity, courage, transparency, and emotional intelligence.
• Leaders who thrive will be the ones who can have difficult conversations and actually listen.
• The job market is shifting, but leaders with strong self-awareness and strong teams will weather the changes.
• Your culture, not compensation, will determine whether your high-pos stay or take the recruiter call.

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Leadership transparency is a buzzword. “I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”

But here’s the truth: great leaders aren’t open books, they’re disciplined communicators.

In today’s episode of Hire Power, we’re breaking down the nuance of transparency:

When it builds trust, and when it quietly destroys it.

Harvard Business Review has written about this extensively, yet most leaders still get it wrong. Transparency isn’t about saying everything. It’s about saying the right things, at the right time, in the right way. And yes — even seasoned leaders make mistakes here.

You’ll learn the moments when transparency is non-negotiable, when it becomes dangerous, and why emotional intelligence is the leadership differentiator in an AI-driven world.

If you lead people, even one person, this episode will make you a stronger, clearer, more grounded communicator.

In this episode:

• Why transparency is misunderstood and why “being an open book” is not the mark of a great leader
• The three moments when transparency is essential, especially during change, uncertainty, and low morale
• How silence creates more fear than truth and why employees assume the worst when leaders say nothing
• A real story from the field about acknowledging a sensitive cultural moment and why it built more trust than staying quiet
• The rise of emotional intelligence in the AI era and why EQ is becoming a leader’s competitive advantage

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Most leaders say they want to hire people smarter than themselves… but when it comes to the reality of succession planning, many avoid it entirely.

In today’s episode, Kim Frost breaks down the leadership responsibility almost no one talks about — but that the strongest leaders quietly master: planning for their own replacement.

This conversation is bold, direct, and necessary. Because protecting your seat isn’t leadership. Protecting the future of the business is.

Kim unpacks the data, the risks, and the mindset shifts every leader, board member, and CEO needs to hear — especially as CEO turnover accelerates and organizations continue to operate without any formal succession plan.

If you care about leadership longevity, organizational stability, or building a legacy that outlasts you, this episode is non-negotiable.

In this episode:

• Why most leaders avoid succession planning (and why that’s dangerous)
• The data every leader needs to know right now
• How to build true bench strength
• The uncomfortable hiring question every leader must ask

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Today we’re diving into one of the most overlooked, misunderstood, and high-ROI leadership practices: stay interviews.

Not performance reviews, not hallway check-ins, not annual conversations—true, intentional, proactive dialogues designed to keep your best people before they start imagining a future without you.

Here’s the reality:

Most leaders don’t know what a stay interview is.

Even fewer know how to actually run one.

And almost none understand the massive impact they have on retention, connection, and culture.

Great leaders?

They do stay interviews consistently—and it’s one of the reasons their high performers stay.

In this episode, we break down:

- Why stay interviews matter now more than ever

- Why your top performers (your HiPos) are actually the loneliest people on the team

- What you should be asking—and what you should never ask

- How stay interviews strengthen trust, reduce preventable turnover, and build real culture

- Why waiting for an exit interview means you’re already too late

You’ll also get a simple framework and four essential questions you can start using this week, plus a leadership challenge to put this episode into action immediately.

Because retention isn’t reactive.

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com

Companies love to say they “hire for culture”… but most can’t define what their culture actually is. That’s why turnover stays high and hiring stays inconsistent.

In this episode, Kim breaks down why culture fit is not a hiring strategy—and what to build instead: a clear, behavior-based employee brand.

You’ll learn:

• What “culture fit” really means (and why it’s unreliable)

• Why gut-driven hiring leads to first-year turnover

• The difference between employer brand vs. employee brand

• Why interviewing for “vibe” creates chaos

• The 5–7 word culture clarity test

• How a fast-growing company cut turnover simply by defining their internal identity

If you want help defining your employee brand or building a culture interview scorecard, DM Kim. Her team specializes in clarity, alignment, and hiring systems that work.

💬 Connect with Kim: linkedin.com/in/frostkim

🌐 Learn more: frostconnections.com