EP 220: Elephants, Lions & the Psychology of Talent Leadership

EP 220: Elephants, Lions & the Psychology of Talent Leadership

From The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations by James Mackey

June 2, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

Michael Kieran discusses his unique perspective on talent leadership shaped by his childhood experiences in Canada and East Africa.

Growing up between Canada and East Africa, Michael Kieran’s childhood was shaped by international communities, close encounters with elephants and lions, and experiences that challenged the way he saw the world. He brings that same perspective to building high-performing recruiting teams grounded in consistency, ambition, and continuous growth as a Fractional Talent Leader. In this conversation, he shares why the best TA organizations think differently about performance, AI, and what it reall...

People in this episode

Host: James Mackey

Guest: Michael Kieran

Topics covered

  • talent leadership
  • recruiting teams
  • performance
  • AI
  • continuous growth

Keywords

  • talent acquisition
  • high-performing teams
  • psychology
  • AI in recruiting
  • performance management

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Canada, East Africa, elephants, lions

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