HEART Leadership
Welcome to Leading with HEART—the podcast redefining leadership from the inside out.
Hosted by Sara Valentine, HR executive, leadership strategist, and creator of the HEART Leadership Principle, this show is your weekly guide to leading with Hear, Empathy, Acknowledge, Respond, and Thank.
Each episode explores how real leaders bring humanity back into the workplace—through honest conversations, practical insights, and powerful personal stories.
Whether you’re a CEO, a new manager, or someone just trying to lead yourself better, this podcast will challenge you to show up with purpose, connect more deeply, and create impact that lasts.
Because leadership isn’t about control—it’s about connection.
And when we lead with HEART, we give others permission to do the same.
HEART Leadership
The A in HEART — Appreciate, Acknowledge, and Apologize
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In this episode of the HEART Leadership Podcast, Sara unpacks the “A” in HEART — Appreciate, Acknowledge, and Apologize — and why these three leadership behaviors are essential to building trust, credibility, and healthy workplace cultures.
Sara explores why great leaders never take credit for their team’s work, why appreciation and recognition must be personal (not one-size-fits-all), and why the most powerful words a leader can say are, “I screwed that up.” Drawing from real leadership experiences, she also addresses how lack of accountability and fear-based cultures erode trust, silence feedback, and ultimately weaken performance.
This episode challenges leaders to balance appreciation with accountability, humility with high standards, and recognition with action — because accountability isn’t punishment, it’s an act of caring.
A HEARTfelt thank you for listening!
