Lisa Duerre: Rebooting Leadership with Human Science

In today’s fast-paced world, our mental batteries are draining out quicker than our coffee getting cold. Cut-throat competition and the urge to stay ahead of others have led to choosing profit over people, revenue over relationships, or work over life. Experiencing burnout is inevitable, with the fight-or-flight mode on at every instance. The speed of the tech industry has accelerated during the pandemic while also removing the human component of the workplace. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that we need to shake ourselves up, especially as leaders, and prioritize mental health besides leading the team members to do the same. Enter Lisa Duerre, a high-performance advisor, burnout prevention specialist, and co-founder and CEO of RLD Group. Lisa has helped over 25,000 employees grow their careers and build a more meaningful connection between work and home. 

Early Life 

Lisa Duerre has spent 25+ years of her professional life in some of the top tech companies in Silicon Valley. She has led highly successful teams in the areas of Talent Development, Field Engineering, Customer Education and Support, Sales Development, and Marketing across various organizations. It was during this time that she witnessed some of the most professionally successful tech leaders fail badly in their careers, relationships, health, and life. Lisa herself faced the virus of burnout, experienced forgetfulness, was unable to make decisions faster and just kept wondering what was wrong with her. In 2017, she took it upon herself to take a stand, quit her high-paying yet stressful job, and take a break. This self-awakening led her to do what she does today—help leaders build a healthier, more meaningful connection between work and home and make an impact through strategy, clarity, and heart.  

The Burnout Bane 

Lisa Duerre throws light on the reasons behind burnout in the modern-day, disconnected world. First, the individuals giving away their power and not asking for what they need leads to limiting beliefs. Burnout is more likely to occur when there is a mismatch between an individual’s expectations and the reality that they experience. 

Second is leaders being busy becoming technical experts that they lose sight of the honor of leadership, of leading people. In other words, focusing on requirements rather than people and what is going on around them. For burnout prevention, Lisa focuses on a flexible work environment, a flexible mindset, and a flexible leader. 

Burnout occurs differently in different individuals. While burnout is more acceptable and understood in men, in women, it is seen as them becoming more aggressive and controlling. Furthermore, women juggling work and home, with the lack of a supportive partner, tend to fall prey to burnout more than others. Additionally, from supervising remote learning for their children to basic household chores, the pandemic has forced women to take on more responsibilities at home. 

About RLD Group 

In 2017, Lisa and her husband Randy Duerre founded Reboot Leadership Drive (RLD) Group, a coaching and consulting firm that helps leaders in tech companies take culture change out of the clouds, banish burnout, and drive bottom-line results. Lisa wants leaders to not just lead teams but also lead themselves, and that is her underlying philosophy. She helps them unlock their magic, discover their own strengths, understand their blind spots, and provide them with tools to lead others better. Much as the name of the company suggests, RLD’s customized programs help in developing experts into leaders who positively contribute to the business, enhance the lives of employees, customers, and shareholders, and make a difference in their communities—without burnout. 

Some of the services that RLD offers are Executive Coaching, Burnout Prevention, Leadership Accelerator, Engagement and Retention, Organizational Strategy, Event Design and Facilitation, Inclusion, and Belonging and Speaking. The firm also runs a podcast called “Ctrl+Alt+Delete”, which was born from Lisa’s own burnout story. Precisely put, it is about shutting down the programs that are running in the background and rebooting your, mindset, beliefs, and skills. 

The Mission 

RLD’s approach is simple—push back against the tech industry norms and help leaders go from being liabilities to assets within organizations. Not one to bank heavily on theory, Lisa and her team create solutions based on real-world experience and success. Furthermore, Lisa stresses on human science to achieve the desired results. 

“RLD Group is different in the sense that we are heart-based. We use the framework of appreciative inquiry and positive psychology in everything that we do. Every interaction with the team is life-giving and generative. “I am against computer-generated reports that summarize your stand and throw up results. I am more in favor of the human connection. Our programs are more holistic, with a human touch that helps reframe and think about everything on a much deeper level to break out of the rut of sleepwalking through life,” Lisa says. 

With all the problems plaguing people these days, including insomnia, uncertainties because of a raging pandemic, inflation worries, and blending work and life, people have ceased to feel human. Tech expertise will only take one so far when it comes to building a great business. One can live a wholesome life and kick ass at work. That change or permission to be human requires value alignment, creating healthy boundaries, and celebrating your humanity to simply reboot and remind yourself as to why you are doing what you are doing today. If you are stressed at work, it’s likely not because you are doing too much but maybe because you are not doing more of what aligns with your values. Lisa advises and coaches leaders on rebooting themselves to achieve kickass results and, most importantly, being present for the moments that matter. 

For Future Women Leaders 

A female leader herself, Lisa advises budding women leaders to speak exactly how they feel and go for what they want with conviction. She also urges them to find a sponsor, someone who believes in them and will open doors of opportunities. Connecting with people, clarity, and confidence are the major factors to work on to make someone a better people person and an even better leader. A woman with a strong and powerful voice backed by passion and purpose makes for a successful leader.