Leadership Style Evolutions

Stop glorifying aggressive leadership. Start thinking like a farmer. I've coached hundreds of leaders, and here's what I've learned: Pressure kills potential. Force creates resistance. But nurture? It transforms. 7 practices that actually work: 1. Create space for growth 🌱 ↳ Stop shouting. Start listening. ↳ Your team needs oxygen, not pressure. 2. Own the environment 🌍 ↳ Bad results? Look at the soil first. ↳ Culture eats strategy for breakfast. 3. Trust the process 🕐 ↳ Growth happens in silence. ↳ Judge outcomes, not daily progress. 4. Match talent to terrain 🎯 ↳ Right person, wrong role = slow death. ↳ Your job is to spot the fit. 5. Feed what matters 💧 ↳ Recognition builds confidence. ↳ Learning fuels innovation. 6. Address toxicity early ⚠️ ↳ One bad apple spoils the barrel. ↳ Have the tough conversations today. 7. Plan for seasons 🌦️ ↳ High performance isn't linear. ↳ Build resilience before the storm. Real leadership isn't about control. It's about creating conditions for growth. You can force compliance. Or you can nurture commitment. Your choice shapes your harvest. What's one practice you're implementing next?

Are You Aligning Your Strengths with What Your Organization Values? A few years ago, a talented professional, came to me feeling frustrated. Despite her hard work, she wasn’t moving forward in her department. After a core competency analysis, we discovered the reason: She excelled in technical skills, but the company placed heavy emphasis on leadership, initiative, and innovation—areas where she wasn’t fully demonstrating her potential. To fix this, we crafted a plan to develop these core competencies. We assigned her small team projects to build leadership experience, and encouraged her to share her innovative ideas. Within six months, she was recognized as a natural leader, and new opportunities started opening up for her. 🌱 📊 Here’s How You Can Assess Your Organization’s Core Competencies: 👉Review Job Descriptions: Look at the required skills for your current and aspirational roles. Companies often include key competencies in job postings. 👉Pay Attention to Company Culture: Observe what behaviors are praised and rewarded—this is often a reflection of the core competencies the organization values. 👉Engage with Leadership: Ask for feedback and guidance on what the organization sees as vital for success in your role. 👉Study Performance Reviews: Look at what’s being measured in performance evaluations—this will reveal the competencies your company values most. 💡 Key Action Points: 🔆Assess the core competencies your organization values most. 🔆Identify where your strengths align with those competencies. 🔆Take proactive steps to develop in-demand skills like leadership and innovation. Feeling stuck in your role? It might be time to reassess your competencies and align your strengths with what the organization values. Start today and unlock new opportunities! #Leadership #CareerDevelopment #CoreCompetencies #Innovation #Initiative #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipSkills #CareerAdvancement #SkillDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment

Sales 1.0 was built on persuasion. And persuasion sounds like this: “We help comp teams move off Excel so reps get real-time visibility by automating reports and building trust in the process. I know I called out of the blue, I’m just looking to get introduced and aligned with your priorities. How’s Wednesday or Thursday?” It’s well-meaning. But when your intent is to change someone’s mind, it triggers resistance. The more you push, the more people dig in even if what you’re offering would help. “You have to see this demo.” Now I don’t want to. Because persuasion feels like correction. Like you’re saying: “You’re doing it wrong.” Even if that’s not the intent, that’s how it lands. And people are naturally skeptical of anyone who stands to benefit from changing their mind. Add a little pressure, and discomfort sets in. Discomfort = avoidance. Which is why persuasion often ends in: “Let me think about it.” Sales 2.0 starts with a different intent. Not to convince. But to spark reflection. To ask a question that makes someone pause and say: “Hmm. That’s a good question.” Like this: “Not sure about you, but most comp admins use Excel to calculate commissions, which means reps don’t always know how their payout was figured. How are your reps seeing where their number comes from?” When you let people think, you stop trying to win them over. You stop carrying the burden of being right. Because the truth is: People are more likely to believe something when they figure it out themselves, not when someone else tries to tell them. Buyers have the answers. Sellers have the questions.

Magnets work better than mandates—another win for people-centric leadership. Brian Sherman, CPO at Delta Dental Ins., tested two approaches to getting people back to the office. His team? He mentioned once that he and other managers would be in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with an open lunch hour. Another division took a different path: repeated announcements about when leaders were coming in. The result? Brian's low-key approach drove higher attendance. Why? "When a senior leader talks about it a lot, it implies there's an expectation," one employee told him. Perceived pressure killed genuine engagement. It's what Ryan Anderson told me years back: reactance theory says that adults don't like being treated like children. Nearly six years into the remote work debate, the real question isn't where people work. It's how you lead them: with mandates or magnets? Here's what magnets look like: 🧲 Create desire, not compliance: Airbnb hosts monthly in-person weeks with senior leaders onsite for major releases. They went for FOMO over RTO. 🧲 Design for engagement: Consistent leadership presence, valuable programming, and intentional team schedules draw people in. As CBRE's Emily (Neff) Botello Botello put it to me: "People are the number one amenity to other people in the space." 🧲 Stop policing, start coaching: Tracking badge swipes turns professionals into compliance officers. Emily noted that many firms have backed away from that practice already: not a good use of manager time (and no ROI). The bottom line: If you can't measure results without monitoring office chairs, you have a management problem, not a flexibility problem. Organizations treating attendance as compliance will keep struggling with engagement. Those treating it as a design challenge will build competitive advantage. That advantage pays off in AI: Debbie Lovich and Stephan Meier's research showed that people-centric organizations are 7X more likely to be in the lead when it comes to AI adoption. People-centric leadership for the win... 👉 My latest in Charter, thanks Jena McGregor for the support! https://lnkd.in/dq7rKbZH #Leadership #RTO #AI

Can Leadership Development Thrive Without an Office? For a long time, we have assumed that leadership development requires physical presence—learning by osmosis, catching organic wisdom from senior leaders. These things do matter, but what if they were never the real driver of growth? And if not that, what are the ingredients that really matter? 🔹 Nick Bloom’s research shows remote work doesn’t kill productivity—it can actually improve it. 🔹 Brian Elliott argues that the best companies succeed not because of where people work, but how they work together. 🔹 Laszlo Bock has long said great leadership isn’t a product of proximity—it’s a result of intentional design. So why do so many organizations still fear that remote work will destroy their leadership pipeline? In my latest Forbes article, I explore how Hudson Institute of Coaching helped a global firm with hundreds of thousands of employees crack the code on virtual leadership development: ✅ Structured Peer Learning: tech-powered matching built diverse learning groups across business units. ✅ Embedded Micro-Development: Weekly 15-minute practices turned daily work into a training ground. ✅ Expert-Facilitated Coaching: Monthly deep dives replaced the informal mentorship that offices once provided. ✅ Measurable Business Impact: Leadership skills improved, engagement soared, and turnover dropped. The real challenge isn’t remote work—it’s whether we’re designing leadership development for the way work actually happens today. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gwwpMzTb

For years, I led with intensity. And it worked - until it didn’t. Intensity can drive results, but it comes at a cost. Over time, I realized that while my approach pushed people to perform, it didn’t always create trust, collaboration, or growth. Now, I’m learning to balance intensity with compassion. It’s not easy as it’s a constant work in progress. But here’s what’s helping me along the way: 1. Reset before every meeting. Before stepping into any discussion, I ask myself:  What does this moment need?  Do I need to challenge the team? Or do I need to listen and understand? 2. Recognize the situation. Some moments call for accountability and tough questions. Others require patience and calm understanding. 3. Reflect on what went wrong. I’ll admit, I often leave meetings thinking, I could have handled that differently. But leadership isn’t about perfection - it’s about learning, adjusting, and growing. There’s a time to push, and there’s a time to connect. Leadership isn’t about being intense or compassionate, it’s about knowing when to be each. The key is to be intentional, to show up with clarity, and to create space for both. Here’s something we must never forget: People don’t just remember what you said.  They remember how you made them feel.

Driving change in organizations has interesting parallels to physical workouts. In teaching about this today, I started thinking about what makes change stick, and realized how much it mirrors what happens in the gym. Here are five parallels that stood out: (1) You can’t delegate the workout. Just as no one can do your pushups for you, no one can “do the change” on your behalf. A leader can inspire, set direction, and create the right environment, but must also model the effort. People follow sweat. Change starts when others see you lifting the weight you’re asking them to lift. (2) Real growth happens through discomfort, not avoidance. In exercise, muscles grow by tearing slightly and rebuilding stronger. In organizations, people and systems grow by facing what’s uncomfortable: uncertainty, conflict, new habits. Avoiding discomfort keeps you safe; embracing it makes you strong. (3) Consistency beats intensity. One heroic workout doesn’t make you fit (I so wish it did!); small, regular effort does. Change leadership is the same: big launches fade if not followed by daily practice. Meaningful transformation comes from steady repetition: feedback loops, small wins, sustained energy. Change is endurance not an event. (4) Progress feels invisible before it’s undeniable. When you first start training, results are slow and invisible. But over time, the small efforts compound. In change, early results are often hidden beneath resistance or confusion. Leaders must hold faith long enough for the “muscles” of the organization to catch up. Patience is the bridge between effort and impact. (5) You train differently, but you sweat together. Every body has its limits and rhythms; every person and team does too. But the shared experience of effort builds trust and community. Great leaders create conditions where everyone feels part of the same workout: supported, stretched, and celebrated. Change is a team sport, not a solo performance. #Leadership #ChangeManagement #HumanLeadership #GrowthMindset #OrganizationalChange #Learning

Stop treating employees like machines. Leaders: if you’re only focused on deadlines and output, don’t be surprised when burnout, disengagement, and turnover follow. Here’s the reality: employees aren’t programmed to grind nonstop from 9-to-5. They’re human beings with needs beyond tasks and targets. Want to build a team that’s resilient, motivated, and truly committed? Here’s where to start: • Show Empathy: Understand the challenges your team faces, both at work and beyond. • Offer Flexibility: Trust your employees to manage their time and balance their lives. • Create Space to Recharge: Encourage breaks, rest, and time off without guilt. • Lead with Humanity: Recognize that happy, healthy employees are more productive employees. Remember, treating people like people isn’t just good leadership—it’s good business. What’s one way you’ve made empathy and flexibility a priority in your workplace? Let’s hear your thoughts.

Measuring human leadership skills with AI Agents. 🤯 Back in my Novartis days, leadership assessments were a real pain. Every 6-12 months you had to wait for a place. If you were lucky, you got in. If not? Wait again. So much time wasted, so much potential lost. Classic, right? Now check this out: Leadership skills tested not in months but in days. Not with theories but with AI teams that mimic real people. Sounds like Sci-Fi? 🤖 It’s not. A study (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2025) showed we can assess leadership skills using AI agents. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱: 👇 → Leaders guided groups of AI agents to solve problems. → Same leaders also worked with real human teams. → Both groups had to pool knowledge and make decisions (think: assembling a puzzle where everyone holds one piece). And guess what? Leaders who crushed it with AI also excelled with humans. What made the best leaders stand out? 🤔 ✅ High social & fluid intelligence (EQ + IQ combo) ✅ Letting others speak (a quiet leader? YES.) ✅ Smart decision-making under pressure ✅ Asking questions (lots of them!) Vitamin-B, gender, age, or background? Didn’t matter. The cool part? AI agents acted as substitutes for human followers. This made leadership assessments: ✔️ Faster ✔️ Cheaper ✔️ Scalable Ok, but why does this matter? 💡 → No bias based on schools, resumes, or connections. → No more waiting MONTHS to get a leadership slot. → Training becomes practical AND accessible. → Hidden talent? Easier to spot. Of course, AI agents don’t feel emotions (yet 🫢). But this proof-of-concept? I find it to be absolute stunning for leadership development. Now the big question: Would YOU trust an AI to measure your leadership skills? --- Hi, I’m Michael I help early-stage leaders fast-track their growth, overcome doubts, and lead with confidence & authenticity in an AI-first world.

The most dangerous leadership decisions aren't made from strategy. They're made from state. From that frustration when someone misses a deadline. From that cold grip of fear when a client complains. From that tight knot of panic when your expectations crash into someone else's reality. And in those moments, we reach for corporate time-outs. The passive-aggressive email sent at 11pm. The public correction in the team meeting. The sudden withdrawal of support. The PIP that appears like a guillotine. All dressed up as "accountability" but really just punishment wearing a corporate suit & tie. We don't call them time-outs. We call them "consequences" or "tough love" or "setting standards." But they're the same thing we do to children - if you don't behave, I'll withdraw something you value. My approval. My attention. Your status. Your belonging. This isn't leadership. It's emotional hostage-taking. The truth? When you feel triggered by someone's performance, the first person who needs management isn't them. It's you. Your nervous system is sending false alarms. Your ego is feeling threatened. Your perfectionism is screaming. And from that place, you can't see clearly. You can only react. Defend. Control. High-trust leadership requires a different path. Step away. Breathe. Ask yourself - what in me is being activated right now? What in the system might be creating this behavior? Is this about their capacity or my expectations? My standards or my wounds? Those 90 seconds of self-regulation will save you months of relationship repair. Because great leaders don't use relationships as weapons. They don't exile people when things get hard. They steady themselves, then move closer. They get curious, not furious. They see behavior as information, not identity. The next time you feel that urge to "discipline" someone on your team, remember: Before you manage others, manage your state. Before you demand accountability, create psychological safety. Before you focus on what's wrong with them, examine what's happening in you. Your team doesn't need your punishment. They need your presence. Your clarity. Your regulated leadership. The best performance improvement plan starts with your own nervous system.