Leadership Discoveries #21: Conscious Competence: The Leadership Upgrade for 2026 with Dean McAlister, Inizio Biotech
What is Leadership Discoveries?
You know it best: being an executive leader can be tough. How do you stay inspired and keep moving the business forward with so much going on? Meet Dr. Shirley Kavanagh, Executive Advisor and scholar/practitioner. In each episode, hear Shirley in conversation with top global leaders and experts on leading with integrity, overcoming adversity, and developing other leaders. Presented by Shirley Kavanagh each episode, hear Shirley in conversation with top global leaders and experts on leading with integrity, overcoming adversity, and developing other leaders. Leadership Discoveries is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your favourite podcast platform.
Episode #21
In this episode of Leadership Discoveries, Shirley is joined by returning guest Dean McAlister, Executive Vice President at Inizio Biotech, for a timely conversation on conscious competence and leadership readiness as organisations look toward 2026. Drawing on decades of experience in global biopharma leadership, including senior roles at AstraZeneca, Dean shares practical insights on reflection, adaptability, and decision-making in environments shaped by AI acceleration, policy volatility, and geopolitical uncertainty. The discussion focuses on how leaders can move beyond autopilot, confront blind spots, and lead with intention when the stakes are high.
This episode explores how leaders can strengthen their leadership muscle through preparation, accountability, and self-awareness. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
Why conscious competence matters more than experience alone
The difference between activity and real accomplishment in leadership roles
How to use AI as an enabler without outsourcing your thinking
What adaptability really means in volatile and uncertain environments
How milestones, accountability, and courage drive better leadership outcomes
Connect with Dean on LinkedIn.
Check out the episode and show notes below.
Show Notes
Dean McAlister – Conscious Competence
[0:27] Welcome back to Leadership Discoveries!
[01:25] The leadership challenge landscape: policy uncertainty, AI acceleration, and geopolitical complexity
[02:48] Understanding personal leadership wiring and the role of reflection
[05:12] Activity versus accomplishment and aligning effort with outcomes
[05:41] Defining conscious competence and applying learning intentionally
[07:37] Augmented intelligence versus artificial intelligence in leadership decision-making
[09:32] Conscious competence as a muscle that can be developed over time
[10:26] Calling audibles: making prepared decisions in real time
[12:15] Adaptability as a learned skill built on agility, resilience, and foresight
[15:16] Ego, feedback gaps, and the risks of senior leadership isolation
[17:39] Clear goals, accountability, and cadence as drivers of conscious competence
[20:58] Using dates, milestones, and meetings as tools to force execution
[23:25] Speaking hard truths, course-correcting failure, and leading uncomfortable moments
[32:54] Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Dean on LinkedIn