Thriving Business
THRIVING BUSINESS
Business Insights to Help You Grow Your Business with Ease
We’re two seasoned business owners — Sam Morris and Kate De Jong — sharing our nearly thirty-year combined experience of starting and growing service-based businesses from the ground up. We so many small businesses struggling or falling prey to expensive promises of quick fixes or silver bullets. Both of us know what it REALLY takes to start and grow a business, we've done it many times over and we've got the blisters to prove it! We’ve joined forces to share our knowledge and experience so you can find the easiest path to success, doing it your way, and most importantly — staying true to yourself.
Thriving Business
Standing Tall: Flipping the Script on the Tall Poppy Syndrome with Kim Lancer
In this episode, Kate sits down with leadership expert and global Executive Coach Kim Lancer, founder of Tall Poppies Leadership, who is on a mission to help one million leaders lead confidently and "stand tall."
Growing up in Australia, Kim experienced firsthand how the country's notorious "Tall Poppy Syndrome" encourages high achievers to downplay their success. After spending most of her career overseas in the UK and USA—where this cultural phenomenon is less prominent—Kim returned to Australia determined to flip the script. She founded her business to help leaders embrace their achievements and develop authentic, powerful leadership styles.
Now Kim empowers executives across five continents to confidently own their success rather than hide it. Her signature "Know, Trust, Be Yourself" methodology is transforming leadership development by turning a culture of cutting people down into one that lifts everyone up.
If you've ever felt pressure to downplay your wins or shrink to make others comfortable, you'll enjoy this conversation.
Key Highlights & Takeaways:
🌍 From Exchange Student to Global Leadership Expert Kim's 20-year international career journey—from Dutch exchange student to NYC executive—shaped her culturally aware, human-centric approach to leadership development.
🎯 The Confidence Crisis in Leadership
- Why confidence is the most overlooked yet critical leadership skill
- How self-doubt ("Kevin," as Kim calls it) sabotages even high performers
- Cultural differences in confidence expression between Australia/NZ and US/UK markets
💡 The "Know, Trust, Be Yourself" Framework
- Know Yourself: Build genuine self-awareness through intentional reflection
- Trust Yourself: Learn to manage (not eliminate) self-doubt effectively
- Be Yourself: Leverage your unique quirks and strengths as leadership advantages
🌺 Tall Poppy Syndrome Decoded
- Why Australia and New Zealand struggle with celebrating individual achievement
- The business cost of cultural pressure to "stay humble"
- How leaders can "stand tall" without apology
⚖️ The Gender Confidence Divide
- Women acknowledge self-doubt more openly but may underestimate their capabilities
- Men often mask internal struggles behind confident facades
- Why both genders need safe spaces for authentic leadership development
🧠 Strategic Self-Awareness
- Tasha Eurich's research: 95% think they're self-aware, but only 10-15% actually are
- Self-awareness as competitive advantage, not just emotional intelligence
- Understanding your energy patterns, values, and impact on others
🚀 Leadership as Personal Growth
- Confidence as a developable skill, not fixed trait
- Learning to sit with discomfort and use it as fuel for growth
- Why sustainable transformation beats quick coaching fixes
Ready to lead with more confidence and authenticity?
Connect with Kim Lancer at Tall Poppies Leadership: https://tallpoppies.us/
Connect with Your Hosts:
Kate De Jong, PhD | Inspired Business 🌐 Website: https://katedejong.com/ 📱 Instagram: @katedejong.inspiredbusiness ✉️ Email: kate@katedejong.com
Sam Morris | Digital Systers 🌐 Website: https://www.digitalsysters.com/ 📱 Instagram: @sammorris.businesscoach
