Magic in the Room #164: Your Unique Contribution: Courageously Finding your Contribution with Guest Karen Lum

September 6, 2023

In today’s episode of Magic in the Room, we continue our series on finding your unique contribution, which is the intersection of your strengths and values with the needs of your community. Karen Lum joins Hannah and Luke to discuss how leaders can discover their unique contribution using Karen’s leadership framework of self-awareness, situational awareness, caring, and courage.   

 

As leaders understand themselves more fully, they can align their actions to what an organization needs, even when they are not fully supported and require courage. Self-awareness, situational awareness, caring, and courage can also help you evaluate when it is time to leave a company or other community. 

 

Karen is the owner of K. Lum Consulting; an accomplished business coach, corporate trainer and curriculum designer in the areas of leadership, team building, management, sales and new systems implementation. Extensive experience in high-end service (customer experience) in a variety of industries, as well as team and project management. 

Listen now on your favorite platform!

 

Find Karen on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/klumconsulting or at www.klumconsulting.com


Credits: 

  • This episode of Magic in the Room was recorded remotely.
  • Music by Evan Grim. Find his music on Apple Music

Magic in the Room #195: Activity vs. Impact

By Sarah Whitfield • December 3, 2025
In this episode of "Magic in the Room," Luke, Hannah, and Chris unpack the difference between being busy and being truly impactful, exploring why organizations often get stuck in high-activity, low-impact cycles. They identify five common contributors: compliance-heavy environments, resistance to change, disconnected decision-makers, fear-driven “CYA” cultures, and firefighting systems that reward heroics over long-term strategy. From there, they highlight what creates real impact: clarity of purpose, agency, curiosity, intentionality, and the discipline to question assumptions and align action with a meaningful “why.” The conversation encourages leaders to build awareness of their strengths, design systems that support healthy impact, maintain congruence between their public and private influence, and cultivate the kind of presence that can genuinely move a room. 

Magic in the Room #194: NNAHRA Interview

November 4, 2025
In this episode of "Magic in the Room," Chris interviews board members from the National Native American Human Resources Association (NNAHRA) discussing the power of purpose-driven leadership within tribal organizations. Recorded at the NNAHRA annual conference, they explore themes like courage, vulnerability, accountability, community service, and fostering environments where all employees feel valued and able to contribute. They share how NNAHRA builds a supportive professional network for tribal HR leaders, encourages alignment between individual roles and tribal purpose, and creates space for courageous conversations across governance and enterprise structures. They also discuss future initiatives, including new certifications and the 2026 conference at the Hilton Village in Hawaii. The overarching message: lead with purpose, support one another, and build cultures rooted in respect, courage, and shared responsibility.
Show More