
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
More episodes of The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations
- EP 221: Why Generalists Win in a Fast-Changing Talent Market · June 9, 2026 · 1h 11m
- EP 219: Building Talent Programs at Hulu, Activision, and Take-Two · May 28, 2026 · 46 min
- EP 218: Don't Hire · May 26, 2026 · 47 min
- EP 217: How Every Chapter Builds the Next · May 21, 2026 · 53 min
- EP 216: Grit, Resilience, and the AI-Driven Future of Talent Acquisition · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
- EP 215: Building Human-Centered Talent Acquisition in the AI Era · May 14, 2026 · 38 min
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