Whole Leaders, WiLD Trust | Dr. Rob McKenna | Episode #269

This week, The BeatiDudes welcome Dr. Rob McKenna, psychologist and founder of WiLD Leaders, for a fast-moving conversation about trust, leadership, and the kind of vulnerability that builds thriving organizations. Dr. Rob shares how growing up in a very public ministry home shaped his view of leadership, why Psalm 13 is a masterclass in honest prayer, and how “the little i” in WiLD points to whole and intentional leader development.

Rob and The BeatiDudes (Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein) unpack the WiLD Trust Index, explore how faith fits into a healthy workplace, and WiLDly launch into a round of Blessed Are the Joke Makers. Along the way, you will hear practical ways to spark better one-on-ones, cultivate humble curiosity, and turn culture talk into culture traction.

Dr. Rob also previews his new book, Whole Leaders, WiLD Trust: The Courageous Path to Personal, Relational, and Organizational Change, with a foreword by Stephen M. R. Covey.

https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Leaders-...

Standout Moments

• WiLD Leaders origin story and why the “little i” matters for whole and intentional leader development

• Growing up under a seminary president dad and learning to face hard questions at the kitchen table

• Psalm 13 as a template for honest lament that still chooses trust

• The WiLD Toolkit: ten developmental assessments that build people capacity over time

• The WiLD Trust Index explained in plain English, including the 33 drivers of trust

• Three levels of trust building: awareness within, patterns between, and conditions around

• State of Trust research insight that many people work in a “jungle of trust”

• Why trust is not “everywhere” just because it is “somewhere” - and how fragmentation shows up on teams

• The power of asking questions you do not already know the answer to

• Faith and leadership through the lens of St. Paul’s “many parts, one body”