Why Great Leaders Befriend Their Inner Critic with Norbert Walther
December 9, 2025
So many leaders still believe that maintaining strict standards requires a harsh inner critic and an equally severe approach to managing others. But what if this common belief is actually holding us back? Host Michael Bunting sits down with Norbert Walther, Group CEO of Kinyara Health, to dive deep into the unseen emotional work of leadership and the journey from harshly achieving the results we desire. In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, self-judgment to conscious leadership.
So many leaders still believe that maintaining strict standards requires a harsh inner critic and an equally severe approach to managing others. But what if this common belief is actually holding us back from achieving the results we desire? In this episode of The Secret Life of Great Leaders, host Michael Bunting sits down with Norbert Walther, Group CEO of Kinyara Health, to dive deep into the unseen emotional work of leadership and the journey from harsh self-judgment to conscious leadership.
What You’ll Learn
- How to transform challenging team members through authentic connection rather than immediate judgment
- Why softening your inner critic leads to better leadership outcomes and stronger accountability
- The four-step framework for maintaining high standards while staying emotionally intelligent
- How to distinguish between compliance-based and authentic commitment in leadership conversations
- Why inner work and self-regulation are more crucial than leadership techniques for organisational success
- How to have difficult conversations from a place of curiosity and compassion rather than judgment
Norbert Walther is the Group CEO of Kinyara Health and Principal at 5P Advisory, where he focuses on building human-centred systems that combine performance with meaning. With over two decades of leadership experience across healthcare and aged care industries in Australia and globally, Norbert has established himself as a purpose-driven executive known for leading transformational change. His journey from finance management in Germany to executive leadership in Australia has given him unique insights into the challenges and opportunities of conscious leadership.
Episode Highlights
- [00:00] Intro
- [01:40] A Different Kind of Leadership
- [05:35] When Leadership Hurts
- [07:41] Softening the Inner Judge
- [10:50] Befriending the Inner Critic
- [14:16] Red Zone vs. Green Zone Leadership
- [19:55] A Four-Step Path to Accountability
- [24:36] Grow or Go
- [27:06] Inner Work vs. Leadership Techniques
- [30:44] The One Thing Norbert Would Tell to His Younger Self
Episode Resources
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