The Power of Agency: Fred Miller on Speaking Up, Leading Change, and Building a Culture That Cares
Every now and then, you get to speak with someone who has genuinely shaped the conversation around leadership. Today, Fred Miller, a true pioneer in strategic culture change and inclusion, joins the podcast to share insights from his remarkable 53-year career.
Fred begins with a foundational story from his early days at Apple, sharing a powerful lesson about the necessity of speaking truth to power with integrity. This conversation explores the deep, practical work of organisational transformation. Fred discusses why "agency" must be unleashed, not simply empowered; how to create effective "guardrails" for autonomy; and why leaders must get out of the conference room and show their people they genuinely care.
This episode is packed with wisdom for any leader who wants to build a faster, more creative, and more inclusive organisation that is fit for the future.
[03:00] The Critical Lesson from Apple: Why leaders and consultants must be emphatic with their advice.
[05:30] Integrity Over Income: Why being prepared to be fired for giving the right advice is essential.
[09:10] The "Grace" to be Candid: How demonstrating you care builds the trust needed for difficult conversations.
[10:30] The Mechanics of Big Change: How to get "skin in the game" from everyone in the organisation.
[13:20] Overcoming "Battle Scars": A powerful story about re-engaging employees left "heartbroken" by a previous failed change initiative.
[18:20] The Leader as Figurehead: Why the leader—not a consultant—must always be the face and voice of the change.
[20:10] Agency vs. Empowerment: The crucial difference and why you must "unleash" what is already there.
[22:20] Creativity in Regulated Industries: How to find the "flex" for innovation, even in tightly controlled environments.
[24:45] The Unseen Leader: Why leaders need to get out of meetings and connect with their people.
[28:45] Generational Shifts: Adapting to a workforce that expects to learn, grow, and have a voice.
[36:10] The "Scavenger Hunt" for Talent: Why a "360-degree vision" from a diverse team is vital for solving complex problems.
[39:40] The Leader Fred Admires: The book and leader that inspire Fred's thinking on modern organisations.
Book: The Power of Agency: Cultivating Autonomy, Authority, and Leadership in Every Role by Fred Miller
Connect with Fred:
Website: kjcg.com
Email: fred411@kjcg.com
Music, jingles, and images - attribution.
Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/
Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/
Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/
Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/
Background: https://pixabay.com/users/tommyvideo-3092371/
Thank you for watching/ listening.
Follow LevelUp!
https://www.levelupleadership.uk/
Disclaimer.
LevelUp and the podcast host do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for any products, services, views, or claims presented by guests during podcast episodes. Any opinions or statements made by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of LevelUp or its representatives.
© 2025 LevelUp.
This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
