🔥 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 🔥 

🎓 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫.
For 18 years, I’ve explored what makes leadership work in classrooms, boardrooms, and communities. As a long-time Professor of Management at John Carroll University and Instructor at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business Executive Education, I bring academic rigor to the practical realities leaders face e͟v͟e͟r͟y͟ ͟d͟a͟y͟. I’ve taught thousands of students and professionals, helping them turn insight into influence.

📚 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫. 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫.
I’ve co-authored five books and published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles on leadership. I also host Practical Wisdom for Leaders, a podcast ranked in the top 2.5% globally, and write a weekly newsletter for professionals looking to quickly elevate their knowledge.

🏢 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of energizing teams across Fortune 500 and global organizations, including NASA, Toyota North America, Cleveland Clinic, Nestlé, Progressive, Nordson, KeyBank, Creston, Whiting-Turner, Sam’s Club, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Whether on stage or in a strategy session, my work focuses on helping leaders and teams enhance their communication, culture, and impact.

💬 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫. 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫.
LinkedIn has become an extension of the classroom. It's a space for ongoing conversations about leadership and human behavior. I post daily and love to engage with people around the globe.

🤝 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬. 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
I’m passionate about building communities that advance leadership education and practice. I co-founded the Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC) and served as its Board Chair, creating an international platform for students to develop real-world leadership skills. I have also served on the boards of the International Leadership Association, Association of Leadership Educators, and the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. In 2021, I was named an ILA Fellow for contributions to the global leadership community.

💡 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲.
Leadership isn’t a title. It's a series of behaviors. It’s about presence, courage, and the daily practice of helping others do their best.

If any of this speaks to you, I'd love to connect!

Disagreement doesn’t have to equal disrespect.
Healthy disagreement is baked into my best relationships.

HBR suggests that when we listen with respect (even to opposing views), our arguments become more persuasive, not less! 

And organizational studies confirm that when people voice disagreement constructively, it strengthens trust, satisfaction, and collaboration.

As Bourdain suggests, the real test isn’t whether we see eye to eye.

It’s whether we can still see each other as humans and seek to understand.

That's the magic.

What about you? When have you built respect in the middle of disagreement?

Source: HBR, Disagreement Doesn’t Have to Be Divisive

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Scott J. Allen, Ph.D.

Professor, Author, Speaker, Podcaster, Expert in Leadership

The best leaders aren’t just visionaries.
They’re the chief learning officers of their teams.

The first step is building strong relationships.
They ask great questions, listen, and act.

In a study of 2,502 nurses, caring leadership was significantly associated with organizational commitment and work engagement.

But too often, managers skip the conversations that actually strengthen relationships and unlock potential. 

Here are 12 questions that can spark dialogue. 
They are simple, but powerful.

They surface motivation, needs, hidden obstacles, and opportunities for growth.

I am convinced that sometimes, leadership isn’t about having the answers.
It’s about asking the right questions.

What is your go-to question to signal that you want your team member to learn, develop, and grow?

Source: Impact of caring leadership on nurses’ work engagement: examining the chain mediating effect of calling and affective organization commitment

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Scott J. Allen

Scott J. Allen, Ph.D., is the Robert M. Ginn Institute Professor for Leadership & Social Responsibility at John Carroll University. Allen is an associate professor and teaches courses in leadership, the future of work, and executive communication. He's an award-winning professor passionate about working with people of all ages.

Scott served as a Mulwick Scholar in the Boler College of Business, and his primary stream of research focuses on leadership development. Scott has published more than 50 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. He is the co-author of The Little Book of Leadership Development: 50 Ways to Bring Out the Leader in Every Employee, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students, and the textbook Discovering Leadership: Designing Your Success (2019). Scott’s most recent publication is Captovation: Online Presentations by Design. He is also the host of two podcasts: The Captovation Podcast and Phronesis: Practical Wisdom for Leaders.

In addition to writing and teaching, Scott consults, facilitates workshops, and leads retreats across industries. Recent engagements include Lubrizol, Key Bank, EY, Siegfried Group, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Sherwin Williams, Progressive, NASA-Glenn, FedEx Custom Critical, Thompson Hine LLP, Cleveland Clinic, Leadership Cleveland, and Cleveland Bridge Builders. Scott co-founded Captovation, a services firm dedicated to “Presentation Coaching for the Digital Age.” He is also the co-founder and Board Chair of the Collegiate Leadership Competition. He has served on the board of the International Leadership Association, Association of Leadership Educators, and Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. Allen was named an ILA Fellow by the International Leadership Association in 2021.

He resides in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, with his wife, Jessica, and three children - Will, Kate & Emily.

Titles don’t inspire commitment.
Behaviors do.

I've had the honor of working with some pretty incredible leaders over the years. Individuals who gained my unconditional trust and commitment. 

How'd they do it? Well, it's easy in concept, but rare in practice. 

These 15 behaviors are a great place to begin. They communicate true confidence. They are the blueprint. 

As you read the behaviors, think about the best leader you've worked with, and I am confident you will notice some themes. Names will pop into your head. You will be flooded with positive memories.

These individuals are grounded, clear, mature, and aligned.

When you model them, you don’t just lead, you build your legacy.

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Sometimes we think in extremes.
We make assumptions that are not helpful.

Kindness, for example.
Some assume a kind leader cannot or will not hold others accountable.

Or the concept of resilience does not mean pushing through at all costs.
There is a time and place to walk away.

The key is to observe your assumptions, observe your thinking, and check in with thinking partners who can help you chart a path forward.

Have a look at this list. I hope it will challenge some of your assumptions. 

It certainly did so for me.

Is there another misconstrued term that comes to mind for you? 

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Leadership development is a system.
Not a program.

Don't waste your money. This article (and the mindset behind it) can save you millions of dollars.

It’s unrealistic to believe that a one-day, quarterly classroom-based workshop will yield more effective leaders. 

While traditional classroom-based programs can be essential to a developmental experience, they contribute little to the long-term growth of leadership skills, competencies, and self-views. 

It is like putting a medical student through a few academic courses and expecting a competent surgeon at the end. 

The best path forward for any organization is to start building a system centered on leadership development. 

This was a wonderful collaboration with the incredible David Day. 

Thank you to Hannah Beaver and Big Think!

Link in the comments.

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Professor of Psychological Science, Claremont McKenna College, Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute

I interview the biggest names in leadership and L&D at Big Think+

Big Think

Viviane Presa (LL.B, MOS, ACE)

Be the leader who elevates others.
It's just that simple.

In return, they will elevate you.

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Elevate your team.
Elevate the trust.

Gallup's research is pretty clear. When trust is present:

🟢 Engagement Multiplies
🟢 50% of Talent Leans In
🟢 People Stay at Companies
🟢 Wellbeing Increases
🟢 Burnout Shrinks

In my consulting practice, you can feel it a mile away. Teams with trust carry themselves differently. There's an energy that's felt and a way of communicating that flows. There's happiness. There's laughter.

Wondering what you can practice today? Try these quick wins:

🚀 Keep micro-promises by following through and following up.
🚀 Admit (and fix) mistakes, oversights, and failed decisions.
🚀 Circle back and share the "why" behind your decisions.
🚀 Model consistency - words and actions are aligned.
🚀 Spotlight the wins of others. 
🚀 Say thank you.

Bottom line: Trust will elevate your team.

What trust-building behavior would you add to the list?

Source: Gallup - Leaders: Ignore Employee Wellbeing At Your Own Risk; How to Build Trust in the Workplace; and the Leadership Development

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Wasting people's time? No thanks.
So, how do you get the team aligned quickly?
Consider the 4x2. 

Harvard Business Review reports that 71 percent of senior managers say meetings are unproductive and inefficient.

Think of all that wasted time, money, and energy. I see it in my consulting, and I've lived it throughout my career. It's scary. 

Here is a simple tool that keeps everyone focused and moving forward. 

2 minutes per person, 2 priorities, 2 roadblocks, 2 celebrations. 

That's it. Follow up with anyone who needs a little more time, care, and attention. 

Fast. Focused. Finished.

Sounds like a win/win/win to me.

Source: Stop the Meeting Madness, HBR

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Most people can lead when conditions are calm.
Pressure is the real test.

Under stress, preparation reveals itself.
It shows up as instinct.

✔️ Have you done the work before the moment arrived?
✔️  Have you trained your mind, not just your calendar?
✔️  Have you built the skills required to perform when stakes are high?

As Peter Weiss shared on the podcast this week:

💫 “Many leaders believe Kaizen is something you delegate. That belief is the problem. Tools never changed a culture. What changes culture is how leaders show up when things get tough.”

That is the point.

When pressure hits, people are not interested in your words.
They are watching how you respond. And whether your words still match your actions.

Culture is shaped in the hard moments.

There’s a link to the full podcast episode with Peter Weiss in the comments. It was a powerful conversation

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There's a myth that leaders should know everything.


Devise the plan.
Create the vision.
Have the solution.
Know the answer...always.
Be the hero.

What happens as a result? A lot of bad stuff in my experience...

✔️ Leaders start to feel the crushing weight of pretending.
✔️ Teams stay silent because “the boss already knows.”
✔️ Opportunities get missed because curiosity was replaced with certainty.

But the truth?

In complexity, no one has all the answers.

Not the CEO, the founder, the manager...anyone.

The real power of leadership isn’t in knowing everything.

⚡ It’s in elevating the right questions and co-creating a path forward ⚡ 

Free yourself from the myth.

🔥 Listen actively.
🔥 Ask better questions.
🔥 Co-create the path forward.

That’s leadership (and management).

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“Moving forward imperfectly.” 


This is a quote by the awesome Jon Acuff.

That's what I am doing in 2026
That's what I did in 2025.

That's what I'll do in 2027.

Move forward imperfectly. 

We each have 360 more opportunities. 
Make them count.

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Self-doubt becomes a cage.
It turns your attention inward while the door stays open.

Research in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that self-doubt and self-focused attention consume cognitive resources, especially during complex or demanding tasks.

When people are preoccupied with evaluating themselves, worrying about mistakes, or monitoring how they are coming across, performance drops, even when ability is high. The problem is not competence. It is attention.

That is the cage.

Your energy is spent managing doubt instead of doing the work.

In my experience working with leaders, this shows up as:

✔️ Over-thinking instead of deciding.
✔️ Re-checking instead of finishing.
✔️ Waiting for certainty instead of moving.

The escape is redirecting attention.
Four practical shifts:

✔️ Talk with a mentor, therapist, coach, partner, or close friend.
✔️ Move from self to task focus. Ask, “What does the work need next?”
✔️ Act in small, concrete steps. Action frees attention.
✔️ Treat doubt as background noise, not a command.

Self-doubt tightens the bars when it owns your focus.

Freedom begins when your attention returns to the task in front of you.

That open door.

Source: It depends how you look at it: On the relationship between neuroticism and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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Intelligent Failure may save your life.
For real.

In fact, scientists love failing forward. It's kind of their jam.
And all of us benefit.

In her groundbreaking book, The Right Kind of Wrong, Amy Edmondson delineates between three types of failure

✔️ Preventable  - Hospital medication errors
✔️ Complexity Related - Supply chain breakdowns during COVID
✔️ Intelligent Failure - Pharmaceutical R&D trials

I recently read the article, "In First Human Trial Zombie Cancer Cells Train the Body to Fight Tumors." This may or may not prove fruitful in humans. But thankfully, scientists around the globe work every day in pursuit of an answer. 

They are failing forward, and we will all benefit down the road.

So, where are you actively failing? Where is your team actively failing? Intelligent failure signals a few things in my experience:

✔️ You are pushing boundaries 
✔️  You have a tolerance for (and perhaps even celebrate) risk-taking
✔️  You are leading...taking us somewhere new

As humans, we have been failing forward for roughly 200,000 years.

If you are one of the few who actively pursue intelligent failure, thank you. 

You are doing the work progress actually requires. 

In my mind, that's leadership.

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Most managers assume understanding is automatic.
It’s not.

Misunderstandings hide until they derail projects or erode trust.

My go-to fix when we NEED to be on the same page? 

The Read-Back Rule, which is a simple four-step loop:

1️⃣ Summarize the key actions.
2️⃣ Have the other person repeat them back.
3️⃣ Confirm or clarify.
4️⃣ Proceed when everyone’s aligned.

Repeat as needed. This loop keeps communication tight until true alignment is reached.

Mantra: “Say it back, lock it in.”

This isn’t micromanagement, it’s micro-clarity.

Healthcare research shows that closed-loop “check-back” communication sharply cuts errors in high-stakes settings, and the logic applies to any team.

Try it in your next one-on-one or team meeting to catch gaps early and avoid headaches later.

Learn More: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Tool: Check-Back (or Repeat Back) 

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Curiosity is a superpower.
It’s a performance multiplier.

I’ve seen it firsthand in my consulting work. 

A senior leadership team I was working with was locked in a debate about culture and where to invest their energy. Opinions were strong and tensions were rising. 

One manager paused and asked a simple question: “What path is most aligned with our values?”

That moment of curiosity flipped the room. Instead of defending positions, they started thinking in possibilities. The decision they reached was more robust, aligned, and their own.

Harvard Business Review confirms what I’ve witnessed. Curious teams make fewer errors, adapt to stress, perform better, and generate more ideas. They also listen more, reduce conflict, and build the kind of trust that fuels collaboration.

The ROI of curiosity is clear...open minds make for better decisions. It's not a silver bullet, but it's a great place to begin.

Think back to your last really tough meeting. How would it have played out if curiosity had led the way? 

It's fun to think about. 

Source: The Business Case Study for Curiosity, HBR

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Most leaders are busy solving everyone else’s problems.
The real work? It starts with the questions you ask yourself.

These 17 questions are a gut check. They aren’t about tactics or quick wins.

They’re about the kind of leader you are becoming. And as Professor Carol Dweck says, "Becoming is better than being."

Research backs this up. A Harvard Business School study found that employees who spent just 15 minutes reflecting at the end of the day performed 23% better after 10 days.

Ask yourself:
– Can I name the values that guide my work?
– Am I building a team that can hum along without me?
– How do I help the team handle mistakes and setbacks?

When you sit with these questions (really sit with them), they reveal gaps you can’t ignore. They also spark the kind of clarity that fuels better decisions, healthier teams, and a culture of trust.

Take five minutes today. Pick one question from the list and write down your honest answers. That small pause could reshape how you lead.

Better yet, conduct this activity with your team. Answer one question each meeting. One quick, one-breath reaction from each person can re-center your team on the leader they want to be.

Source: Harvard Business School, Making Experience Count: The Role
of Reflection in Individual Learning

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Most leaders are still trying to solve,
when some moments actually call for learning.

There’s a lot of leadership work happening in complexity right now.

That’s why this remains my favorite HBR article of all time. Snowden and Boone nailed it. Google it and read it with your team.

In complex conditions, leaders do not provide the answer. They elevate the right questions, create the space for sensemaking, and co-create a path forward with the team.

✔️ Experimentation is not a side activity. It is the work.
✔️ And intelligent failure (Edmondson) is not tolerated. It’s valued.

Bottom line: Different problems require different leadership. And some just require management.

People in positions of authority need to know the difference.

Source: Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76.

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Leadership development is a system, not a program.


I have admired the work of Big Think for years. 

It was an honor to work on this post with David Day. 

An important topic. When it comes to preparing people to serve as leaders and managers, there is a lot of opportunity. 

We can do better.

Leadership development has a long history of chasing the “flavor of the month.”

Organizations invest heavily in new programs, generate early momentum, and then move on when lasting behavior change fails to materialize. The effort is there, but the design falls short.

Scott J. Allen, Ph.D. and David Day argue that many leadership initiatives struggle because they are built as one-off programs rather than as systems grounded in how adults actually develop. Their framework shifts leadership development from events to an integrated system anchored in clear leadership principles, including:

 • Assessment and feedback
 • Personal development pathways
 • Ongoing learning over time
 • Stretch assignments embedded in real work
 • Coaching and accountability

When these elements are aligned, leadership development becomes something leaders practice every day, not something they attend once a quarter.

You can read the full article here: https://hubs.ly/Q03ZZV-60

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Anytime I can chat with David Day, I jump at the opportunity.
We explored far and wide for this one...It may ruffle some feathers.
This quote stood out to me.

“AI can absolutely substitute for management. Leadership is a different question.”

I hope you enjoy! The episode link is in the comments!

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