A Leadership Beyond

 "Face reality and deal with it. The more we can create an environment where it's okay to give people the time, the space, and the opportunity to process what they're going through, the higher the chances are of successfully dealing with a loss of a loved one—or dealing with an organizational change."  Ian Ziskin Panel discussion on Lives Lost and Leadership Found In this insightful and wisdom enh...

In today's environment, clarity isn't a luxury— it's a multiplier that unlocks every dollar you've invested in your people. - Salima Heman i   Here's the truth most leaders don't realize: You're already shaping your organization's culture and performance every single day—whether you know it or not.   Every leader needs some understanding of organizational design's impact. Not to become an OD exper...

  Presence is more that just being there. -Malcolm S. Forbes If you're a leader, coach, or communicator seeking to elevate your presence and influence, this episode is a masterclass in showing up with clarity, confidence, and authenticity. Sue Reynolds Frost—Managing Director of Sloan Group International and co-author of Deliberate Mindset —joins us on the Leadership Beyond podcast to unpack the a...

In this conversation, Laurent Pierre Jr. , Senior Vice President of Global Customer Support at Precisely, demonstrates the power of aligning business strategy with people strategy—and how viewing business problems through a human-centric lens  transforms not only operations but culture. With a career spanning IBM, Microsoft, and NielsenIQ, Laurent's stories reveal how technology, data, and people...

We are grateful for having connected with Aïko Thurlow. Aiko is Ceo of InFounders: Home - InFounders In this compelling conversation, Aiko shares how she transformed her own lonely entrepreneurial journey into a mission to bring people together through carefully facilitated peer groups. After discovering the power of Masterminds, she founded her company to help organizations—from industry associat...

Leadership Lessons from Show Business In this episode, Tom and Adrienne chat with Steven Puri and trace his unexpected path from a "code monkey" in Northern Virginia to an Academy Award–winning visual-effects producer and later a tech entrepreneur. Steven shares how he bridged left-brain engineering and right-brain creativity on films like Independence Day, Braveheart, and several David Fincher pr...

There's a big difference between watching a leadership tool in action—and experiencing it with your own team, focused on your real business challenges. That's the power of our People Strategy Power Hour.  At A Leadership Beyond, we believe people-first doesn't mean soft—it means strategic. When leaders understand their own leadership DNA and how their team naturally works together, they can move f...

Thriving Through Transition In this engaging conversation, Ben Baker shares his journey of professional transition, moving from owning a communication consulting company for 17 years to rebranding himself and exploring new opportunities. The discussion delves into the nuances of personal and professional evolution, resilience, and the importance of adaptability. Key Highlights: - Ben closed his co...

We're all experiencing the same thing, only differently -Adrienne Guerrero Since 2021, our A Leadership Beyond community has examined leadership through diverse lenses, bringing together insights from business leaders and human development experts. Today's conversation with Dot Proux (a community member, podcast guest and dear friend) represents a natural evolution in our journey—moving from facil...

"Keep it simple and focus on what matters. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed." -Confucius The Power of the Pause Congratulations to our co-host Adrienne Guerrero on rocking her TEDx talk on the Power of the Pause. She did it! We'll keep you posted when it's published. You won't want to miss it! The P.A.U.S.E framework emerged from Adrienne's personal struggles with the symptoms of living and doing...

How important it is to walk along, not in haste but slowly, looking at everything and calling out Yes! No! The swan, for all his pomp, his robes of grass and petals, wants only to be allowed to live on the nameless pond. The catbrier is without fault. The water thrushes, down among the sloppy rocks, are going crazy with happiness. Imagination is better than a sharp instrument. To pay attention, th...

How to Lead in the New World of Work In this episode of A Leadership Beyond , we welcome Dina Denham Smith, co-author of the book " Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work " (releasing February 18). As an expert at the intersection of psychology and business, Dina shares valuable insights on leadership in today's emotionally demanding workplace. Key highlights from our conversati...

Welcome to A Leadership Beyond , where we explore business challenges through a people-centered lens. In today's episode, we sit down with Ryan Englin, author of "Hire Better People Faster" and founder of Core Matters, who brings a fresh perspective to recruiting and retention in the trades and service industries. Drawing from his personal experience growing up in a blue-collar household, Ryan wat...

As the year winds down, the holiday season's chaos often drowns out critical reflection.  To grow as leaders, we must intentionally create space for thoughtful review—pausing the reactive frenzy to revisit values, acknowledge missteps, reconnect with relationships, and reignite aspirations before diving into next year's goals and plans.  This deliberate pause provides an opportunity to transform e...

For this week's episode, we're revisiting a clip from a fascinating panel discussion from our vault that explores how HR professionals can become true strategic partners in their organizations. But before we jump in, let's frame the conversation through the lens of Talent Optimization, a critical framework that many organizations are missing.  Adrienne and I work together to help organizations lev...

  In this week's episode of A Leadership Beyond, we're taking a journey back to a powerful conversation from our vault, originally recorded in 2022. Our featured guest, Olivier Aries—a certified Predictive Index practitioner with a deep focus on workplace engagement—shares invaluable insights into what it truly means to cultivate engagement within organizations. Olivier breaks down: What engagemen...

Energy Creating Engagement for Sustainable Performance For this week's episode we are revisiting the podcast vault as we prepare for a new leadership series focused on Employee Engagement.  Our hosts Adrienne and Tom continue to glean gems from a previously released engaging conversation with Bryan Sykes.   Bryan Sykes is a healthcare professional, neurobiologist, and martial artist working at the...

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." – Winston Churchill The path to extraordinary leadership is rarely a straight line. It's a winding journey, paved with adversity, setbacks, and the courage to chart a course beyond the status quo. It takes a unique blend of determination, resilience, and humility to stay the course and bri...

"You will have bad times, but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren't paying attention to." - Robin Williams Welcome back, community! After a brief summer hiatus,  our hosts Adrienne and Tom are excited to return with a special episode focusing on mindfulness and leadership. This episode builds on our recent sprint of panel discussions covering a wide array of leadership topics, incl...

Leadership in today's dynamic world demands more than just managing others -- i t requires mastering oneself. Our engaging panel discussions on diverse leadership topics consistently lead us back to a fundamental concept: our internal locus of control and how we respond to the challenges of change.   Dr. Ana Kazan eloquently defines self-leadership as "the practice of intentionally influencing you...

We had to make a slight adjustment in our planned panel discussion on empowering women for executive roles. Originally, we intended to feature a joint conversation with Beth Hilbing , co-founder of C-Sweet, and Heather H. Bennett, partner at Newport LLC. However, due to unexpected travel delays in Chicago, we've had to adjust our format.   Instead of a single panel discussion, we'll be presenting...

You've heard it said, "Your people are your greatest asset ". (ad infinitum). Well, quiet quitting, the great resignation and other trends make clear, they aren't an asset, you don't own them.    They are your greatest investment and the leaders that learn to better align talent strategies with business objectives will be better poised for long-term sustainability and growth.   We recently had an...

"Technology is nothing. What's important is that you have faith in people, that they're basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they'll do wonderful things with them." - Steve Jobs   In today's dynamic business world, technology stands out as a transformative force, dramatically reshaping our workplaces. From AI-driven recruitment to remote work enablers, these innovations do more th...

"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now" – Martin Luther King, Jr. We kicked off our new panel discussion format with the most requested of the seven leadership topics: employee well-being. As we transition from Wellbeing to Self-Leadership, it's clear that our leadership topics are not isolated silos but rather a tapestry of interconnected themes. Employee wellbei...

Welcome to another enriching discussion on employee wellbeing, a topic that resonates deeply with leaders striving to cultivate resilience and foster environments where employees not only survive but truly thrive. Our community, A Leadership Beyond, recognizes the pressing need to address this crucial aspect of leadership in today's fast-paced and ever-evolving workplace .     Our guests this week...