Third Option Leadership Podcast

What happens when the skills that made you successful stop being enough? In this candid conversation, Tanya Dempsey, Co-CEO of CSG Advisors, shares her journey from being a highly driven, results-focused leader to discovering that the next level of leadership required an entirely different set of skills. Along the way, she learned hard lessons about delegation, trust, emotional intelligence, commu...

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗞𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡? In this episode of The Third Option Leadership Podcast, Bobby McGraw sits down with coaches Dean Harbry and Janalee Rainwater to unpack Stage 3 of the Leadership Lifecycle: Corporate Leadership—the transition from manager to senior leader. At this level, leadership is no longer about personal productivity. It’s about judgme...

In this episode of The Third Option of Leadership Podcast, Bobby sits down with Dean Harbry and Janalee Rainwater to unpack one of the most difficult—and most defining—shifts in a leader’s journey: the move from doing the work to developing the people who do the work. Drawing from the Middle Way Institute’s leadership lifecycle and the core principles of “leadership as a profession,” the team expl...

Episode Theme: A practical, visual roadmap showing the four stages of leadership development — and what every leader must learn at each stage to grow without burning out. 🔥 Key Idea Where you are in your leadership journey determines what you need next. Without a map, leaders feel overwhelmed, stuck, or burned out. With a map, they grow with intention. 🧭 The Four Stages of Leadership 1. Individu...

Leadership often feels like an emotional roller coaster — conflict, pressure, and unpredictable people. In this episode of The Third Option Leadership Podcast, host Bobby McGraw sits down with Dean Harbry and Janalee Rainwater from the Middle Way Institute to explore one of the most powerful metaphors in leadership: “the balcony.” The balcony represents a leader’s ability to rise above the drama —...

Leadership can feel like walking a tightrope—expectations are high, feedback is rare, and support is often missing. In this first episode of  The Third Option Leadership Podcast , host  Bobby McGraw  sits down with  Dean Harbry  and  Janalee Rainwater  from the  Middle Way Institute  to explore a central leadership tension: 👉 How do you stay in control...