What does it mean to be a heart-centred leader? Is it possible to always strive to be better today than we were yesterday? What does it look like to lead with love in today's self-focused world?
Ryan Hartley is a coach, consultant, podcast host and community builder who is driven by one overarching mission: to leave people today better than they were yesterday.
He set up his company, Always Better than Yesterday, back in 2017 - and since that time, has helped thousands of people worldwide to leave a heart print and connect to a brighter future. As Chief Heart Officer and worldwide community leader of ABTY, Ryan’s purpose is to help build and shape a community of heart-centred leaders. His popular programmes - Heartset, Heartwork and Heartprint - are all united by one goal: embedding a heart-centred approach into leadership, businesses and community building.
Ryan joins Second Mountain Comms' founder Ben Veal for episode 16 of Good Journeys with Second Mountain, the podcast series that explores the lives of inspired people and their inspiring stories.
Episode 16 of the #GoodJourneysPod is out now. Listen/watch:
WHAT IS HEART-CENTRED LEADERSHIP?
"Jesus has always been an incredible role model"
Speaking candidly on the #GoodJourneysPod, Ryan shares his journey to finding faith - and how Christianity has framed his approach to leadership.
"I think Jesus has always been an incredible role model for what it means to be a heart-centred leader who leads with love," says Ryan. "Before I came to faith, he was always a character I had accepted as one of the greatest leaders of all time; now he's my King ... I'm trying to walk life in a way that he did. I find that I'm better when I do that, my marriage is better when I do that, and I help people better when I do that."
"In a heart-centred economy, in Jesus' world, he would rather serve others and sacrifice himself. I think that's what leadership is: my willingness to serve other people."
connecting with purpose
"The world needs more heart"
"I truly believe that when we connect with our purpose and our heart, if we send out that 'Batman signal' of this is how I choose to accept myself, it will always resonate with those who need it," says Ryan, outlining his purpose-driven approach to business on the show. "It shows that this is something that the world needs: more heart in the world."
"The world needs a more loving, kind, compassionate style of leadership, a culture where people aren't made to feel that they lack or that they only belong if they choose to 'fit in' and present the best side of themselves. I represent a couple of things [through my work with ABTY]: the willingness to learn and be curious, and [the desire to] share good people with good people."
The biggest platform for Ryan’s inspiring outlook on life is the ABTY Podcast. Now in its fifth year, the podcast has over 900 episodes and has reached over 140 countries worldwide, with a huge ripple effect. The guests of Ryan’s podcast have been rich and varied - from Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey, to cancer survivor Chris Wark, to parenting expert Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, to World Record holder Brendon Prince. In each and every episode, Ryan provides his heart-centred guests with a platform to share their personal passions and to provide inspiration and practical tips to encourage others.
ALWAYS BETTER THAN YESTERDAY
"I come alive when I'm leaving people better"
"I'd already journeyed around a Simon Sinek 'find your why' stuff, so I'd already had a bit of clarity around why I did what I did, which was just to leave things better," reflects Ryan. "Coaching helped me realise that I come alive when I'm leaving people better."
"It's one thing to leave processes better and performance better - but when I can leave a person better, that was what lit me up and fulfilled me. I was coached myself and my coach asked me: 'what's important to you about being a coach?' And in May 2017, I wrote the words down, I love helping people be better than they were yesterday. I just wrote those words down, and I've never shaken them since."
Episode 16 of the Good Journeys with Second Mountain podcast is out now.
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