We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zoë Routh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Zoë thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

Dr Kiran Bedi is one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever met. As a teenager, she was an Asian tennis champion. She was the first female police officer in Delhi. She was strongly committed to ethical leadership, so much so that when she was on the traffic beat in Delhi, she had the Prime Minister’s car towed when it was parked illegally. There is a famous picture of her charging alone, armed only with a police baton, ahead of her fellow officers towards a group of rioters. Notwithstanding her steely courage, she made a lot of enemies. In an effort to thwart her, they sent her to Tihar prison to be the warden. The largest prison in India, it was known for drug trafficking, prostitution, violent crime and corruption. There were strong bets on how quickly she would ‘fail’. When she arrived, she took a tour of the facility and then assembled all the inmates. They sized her up, waiting to see what this short, diminutive female warden would have to say. She simply asked, “do you pray?” After asking a second time, someone said ‘yes’ an she led them in prayer. What followed was a lot of listening and courageous actions. In three weeks she transformed this notorious prison into a type of ashram, or learning centre, where NGOs came in and skilled inmates taught each other various life and professional skills. She stamped out corruption and improved conditions.

Her work was a marked success, which only made her critics more enraged. When they reassigned her for being too successful at Tihar, the inmates rioted in protest. They were devastated Madam Bedi was being taken from them.

I met her several years later after the police force and work she did at the United Nations. She was then deeply involved in leading a number of not-for-profits. We were visiting from Australia at one of her education centres. She walked in, beaming, and I admit my tears welled up. This was a human with tremendous courage and conviction and I was in awe. She was warm, friendly, and deeply centered from a lifetime’s practice of meditation.

Whenever I feel small and helpless, I remember the power of courage, and what Kiran embodies in every cell of her being.

Zoë , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have had twin passions from an early age: people and the outdoors. I’ve managed to blend these two for much of my working life, leading canoe trips in the summer in Canada, and when I moved to Australia in 1996, working in leadership development at Outward Bound Australia and then with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. Outdoor experiential education continues to be one of my most favourite forms of educational experiences. There is nothing like the stunning power of nature and the beauty of the wilderness to help people see themselves better and work better together.

These days my outdoor work is only occasional, while I embrace the jungle of boardrooms to work with leaders and teams on strategy and culture.

I work with big thinkers with big hearts who want to make a big difference. I work with leaders and teams to see over the horizon to catch what’s next. Together we craft a strategy to meet the challenges, and build a culture that’s worth belonging to and will deliver on the vision. I am both grounded and engaging in my approach, taking an adventurist mindset into my work with clients. They leave exhilarated and inspired.

I am proud of the journeys I’ve undertaken: long walks in Australia, six week canoe trips in Canada. I’m proud of my books, both fiction and non-fiction: three have won awards and my ninth, Power Games, is in production. I’m proud also to be in service to leaders, who do the real courageous work of leadership in moving the world a little bit further ahead to a more hopeful future.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had a few false starts with my business. The first one came just three years into my entrepreneurial journey. I had just taken the plunge to go full time in my business after working on it part-time and in the evenings for two years. After twelve months of digging deep into business building, I was diagnosed with cancer. Everything came to a screeching halt while my priorities shifted to survival and medical care. I didn’t work for six months. And then it took a few years to get my strength back. I took a job during these years to keep me afloat. On many occasions I thought about throwing in the towel on my business, but a tiny inner voice screamed ‘no’. So I hung in there.

After five years of part-time work, I decided ‘now or never’ and went full time in my business once again. I worked my tail off and eventually things took off. I can’t say it’s ever been smooth sailing, as business is full of highs and lows. Covid reinforced that in a big way! Things changed in my practice yet again. But it has been a dance of reinvention and creativity the entire time. Now, I play more lightly with strategy and projects and enjoy the opportunity of invention and being in service to others. It’s fun!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistent quality work has been essential for building a brand in the market place. My clients know I care deeply about their success, I’m a down-to-earth facilitator who speaks plainly with care and respect, so others feel safe and well-guided with me.

I gained more credibility and visibility once I started publishing books, running high profile events, launching a podcast, and blogging consistently. I aim to be of service with the content I produce and many have told me it gives them new ideas and inspiration to keep trying new things in leadership. Above all, I am committed to being real: real talk, real challenges, real commitment. Life is too short for puffery and pretence.

I believe perspective is power and the more we see, the better we lead. It helps me stay curious, and curiosity is the antidote to hubris. Ultimately I want to connect with others and share aspirations and endeavours for a kinder world. I welcome meeting fellow travellers!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zoerouth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoerouth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoe.routh
• Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/zoerouth
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/zoerouth
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZoeRouthInnerCompass
• Other: https://www.threads.net/@zoerouth

Image Credits

Paul Chapman