Leah Houde

About Leah Houde

Are you satisfied with simply “adding to the body of knowledge” on a topic? I’m not. That’s why I opted to pursue a career in leadership development rather than following a traditional tenure track within a business school. Contributing to thought leadership on a topic is important, but I want to make a real difference in people’s lives right now. For me, that means cultivating new ideas about what it takes to lead in today’s complex, uncertain environment. It then entails translating those ideas so people both understand and are inspired to use them.To me, leadership is about enabling the success of people around you so that you can all contribute to the outcomes the organization is aspiring to achieve. That means lots of things. There are the basic elements of knowing what matters to you, having a strong set of values that guide your actions, treating people fairly and consistently, and being curious and asking questions about what really matters to people and the business. But these are just starting points. In today’s world, leaders need to be a “light in the hallway” for their people. These are leaders who can be comfortable being uncomfortable. They can take a step forward when the view is foggy and the ground is shaking. They can also create enough clarity in the mire that people are inspired to follow. That’s the kind of leader I aspire to be, and those are the kinds of leaders I aspire to build every day.

Experience

1. Partner

   Heidrick & Struggles

   Mar 2025 — Present

Education

• Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business

  PhD, Management

  1996 — 2003

• Duke University

  BS, Psychology

  1992 — 1996

Skills

• Action Learning
• Executive Development
• Executive Education
• Executive Coaching
• Culture Change