127. REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong with Jerry Colonna

Our guest on the podcast today is Jerry Colonna, a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of REUNION: Leadership and the Longing to Belong (Harper Business; Nov. 14, 2023) and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up (HarperBusiness, 2019). He draws on his wide variety of experiences to help clients design a more conscious life and make needed changes to their careers to improve their performance and satisfaction. Previously, he was a partner with JPMorgan Partners (JPMP), the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase. He joined JPMP from Flatiron Partners, which he launched in 1996 with partner Fred Wilson. Flatiron became one of the most successful, early-stage investment programs in the New York City area. He is based in Boulder, Colorado.

In today’s conversation, we talk through the deeper aspects of leadership and organizational life, going beneath the surface of what is traditionally thought of as our role as leaders to emphasize the true responsibility of leadership in our fractured times. You will hear us share our personal perspectives to help you find yourself within our deeply personal stories. Jerry embodies his vulnerability and shares deeply personal reflections and insights on love, safety, and belonging, ultimately challenging listeners to embrace radical self-inquiry and awaken their better selves to address the global challenges we humans are facing with empathy.

Tune in to discover the power of radical self-inquiry, the impact of love and belonging on organizational culture, and the transformation from allyship to co-conspiracy in social justice efforts. We want to encourage a sense of working together to create a world where everyone feels a profound sense of belonging and safety. This was a truly inspiring conversation for me, one that I hope will help you expand your perspective on your role as a changemaker and how you can find your role in the global shifts necessary today.

Key Takeaways

• Jerry’s personal path from childhood trauma to positive impact
• The lost message of belonging and connecting in our fractured world
• The deeper aspects of leadership and organizational life
• What lies beyond “othering,” ownership and disunion in modern society
• The shift from allyship to coconspirator in social justice efforts
• Becoming empathic through radical self-inquiry and a felt sense of love, safety, and belonging

Memorable Quote

“The era of shrugging our shoulders and saying, Yeah. But that's not what my business is about. That era has to end because babies are dying. If you don't wanna do this because the planet's on fire, do it because the babies are dying. That's how important this is.” — Jerry Colonna

Episode Resources:

• Reboot Website
• Jerry’s Linkedin Profile
• SacredChangemakers.com
• Our Sacred Community
• Jayne’s Website
• Jayne Warrilow on Linkedin

Thank you to our sponsor:

A HUGE thank you to our Inner Circle...