The Leadership Drives Podcast

When an organization has a large and powerful mission and a growing team that is located across an entire country, how does it achieve alignment and make sure everyone is on the same page? How does an organization prevent the rise of lone rangers who will pursue their own agendas at the expense of the organization? At the end of the series, I’ll share my thoughts. As you listen to the episode, tak...

While some women allow their fears and insecurities to discourage them from pursuing challenging roles, Dr. Laurel Harry did not and is Pennsylvania’s newest Secretary of Corrections. From her first position with the PA DOC to her current post, her career path demonstrates her commitment to people. She takes seriously her duty to improve the lives, outcomes, and experiences for the people under he...

While some women allow their fears and insecurities to discourage them from pursuing challenging roles, Dr. Laurel Harry did not and is Pennsylvania’s newest Secretary of Corrections. From her first position with the PA DOC to her current post, her career path demonstrates her commitment to people. She takes seriously her duty to improve the lives, outcomes, and experiences for the people under he...

Can you imagine what you would be like if you’d spent the last 40 years of your life and career as a jail warden? What about being a female warden for 40 years in a very Republican town when you’re a liberal in a very liberal state? You probably can’t imagine, and neither could we! After spending a little over a year as a retiree, Sandy Mueller, invited us into her home to share how she went from...

Can you imagine what you would be like if you’d spent the last 40 years of your life and career as a jail warden? What about being a female warden for 40 years in a very Republican town when you’re a liberal in a very liberal state? You probably can’t imagine, and neither could we! After spending a little over a year as a retiree, Sandy Mueller, invited us into her home to share how she went from...

If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. He...

If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. He...

When you think about the people who are leaders in law enforcement and correctional institutions, is love the first thing that comes to mind? If you answered no, you would not be alone! Nevertheless, it is through the lens of love and compassion that Cyn Link viewed her work. Over the course of a career spanning more than 25 years, going from corrections officer to superintendent, she came to beli...

Would churches be better managed if pastors saw themselves as CEOs running businesses? How would churches be different if the members debated and chose specific values instead of simply agreeing to the broad language of their doctrine or denomination? Well, Rev. Dr. Hunt does see himself as a CEO of a medium-sized business and he has pushed his Baltimore congregation to adopt specific values. As y...

When you think about urban centers and images of violence that are often used to describe those communities, do you ever wonder, “Why are they harming each other? Why do those communities struggle so much?” Frankly, if you’ve never asked the question, you are odd person out!  Dr. Nadine Finigan Carr has taken questions like these to heart and has dedicated her career to understanding the causes of...

How many people begin their careers set on a particular direction and ultimately pivot because their soul finds its sweet spot? How many people do you know who accept that moving across the country, multiple times, is the only way they’re going to get to do the work that they really want to do? Mark has crisscrossed the country in pursuit of personal and professional happiness and has landed in th...

Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Independence Region located in Center City Philadelphia shared his journey with us! As he has grown, so has the organization. Could it be that the more self-aware a leader is, the more successful their team is? Moreover, Marcus’ transparency about how he manages his board and internal operations gives valuable insights into how a leader must bal...

Is the internalized oppression that leaves many African Americans seeing themselves as small greater than societal and systemic oppression? Do Black people who come to the US from other countries have different experiences because they come from cultures and countries where their Blackness is centered? JerriAnne Boggis, shares her experiences of owning her place in the world, as a Jamaican who has...

Have you ever wondered, "What would our organizations be like if leaders lived their values even when they knew their perspective was unpopular and might come at a cost?" In a world where many people are worried about cancel culture, the Rt Rev Dr. Shannon-MacVean Brown is a remarkable in her boldness about how she sees herself, what God has called her to do and what it means for her to lead the E...

Have you ever thought, "I don't know what it means to build an inclusive team"? On the other hand, have you ever been at work and said to yourself, "I'm just going to play it safe and get through this?" If these sound familiar, Audra Bohannon is here to tell you that you do know how to build that team and that you might get by playing it safe, but you are also playing it small. Audra's years of ex...

What does the leader of the organization do when feelings of overwhelm begin setting in? If you don't know, you might want to ask Christine Lloyd-Newberry. When many leaders are sheepishly asking, "How many pieces are in the box?", Christine is excited about the puzzle-making of being executive director. She is passionate about the work and honest about the challenges she faces. Her story is a gif...

How do you balance being inclusive and also believing everything isn’t for everybody? Can you be part of an organization that focuses on the needs on a particular group and be a part of a group that aims to meet the needs of everybody without betraying either group or hypocrisy? LaNeshe Miller-White shares with us how she does just that as she leads Theater in the X, a Philadelphia Theater Company...

Can you have a healthy relationship (whether as a family member, romantic partnership, a coworker, or just a friendship), with someone who uses drugs? I used to answer this question with my personal/family experiences front and center in my mind. After my interview with Carla, I still do; however, my perspective has changed.  Can Carla change your mind? Carla Sofronski, Co-founder, Pennsylvan...

What happens when you find yourself on a career path that you know you don't want to be on, but you don't know what's next either?  Instead of fretting, Jason took a risk on a job that offered him an opportunity to do work he never dreamed of doing. That decision changed the trajectory of his life and has led him to a career and business that allows him to help people live better lives by hel...

What makes a professional woman who is a wife, mother, and career social worker walk away from every aspect of her life, except her children, to start over? What makes such a woman a highly sought after therapist for men?  Dr. Alonda Alloway did just and is just that!  She gives us a glimpse into the work she put in to take her life and career off the path that everybody else thought she should be...

How much longer will you walk down the path that isn't making you happy before you decide to do something different and take control of your life? Michelle and Kenya give us a taste of the labor and emotional work it takes to reorient their lives so that they can spend more and more of their time on what matters to them. Are you willing to devise a plan to get to peace and happiness, even if it re...

Where's the beef? Robert Burns, the leader of one of the largest foundations in the US shares the connection between his work and growing up on a cattle farm in the south. Whether we realize it or not, what we believe about people and life in general shows up in how we live and live. If you look back over your life, can you clearly see how you became who you are? https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert...

Is perpetual resistance a sign that your vision won't come to pass or a test of your commitment? In the face of a daunting task, this soul easily answers the question, "Is it worth saving?" https://twitter.com/joymd76 https://www.instagram.com/joycelyndvs/ https://dignityjustified.com/joycelyn

Do you have what it takes to lead in the face of hostility, rejection, and limited resources? Do you know when to keep fighting and when to throw in the towel? One woman's conviction to do the work she's called to do, no matter what. https://montgomeryselmadistrict.org/presiding-elder

Just because you love what you do, it doesn't mean that work is a breeze: how one leader follows her passion, takes on its challenges, and avoids burnout. Ashley Rogers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-rogers-6955007a/ Whitney Plantation - https://twitter.com/WhitPlantation