Alliance for Leadership Acceleration

I’ve been hearing this question a lot, and I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering: Will AI replace executive coaches?

Short answer? No. Longer answer? Not if we evolve.

Artificial intelligence is already changing how we work, think and lead—and yes, it’s stepping into the coaching space, too. There are AI tools that can now offer feedback on communication style, assess leadership strengths, generate reflection questions and even simulate coaching conversations. And they’re improving fast. But let’s not panic. Instead, let’s get curious.

For this article, I’m diving into the pros and cons of AI in executive coaching—and offering actionable tips to help us stay relevant, credible and deeply human in an AI-accelerated world.

What AI Can Do For Coaches
Let’s start with the good news. AI is not the enemy or our competition. In fact, it can be our new best assistant. Here are some ways AI can help:

• Scalable Support: AI can help scale the reach of coaching. Virtual platforms with embedded AI can provide micro-learning, track habit formation and prompt reflection between sessions, which is especially useful for clients in fast-moving roles or organizations rolling out coaching across tiers of leadership.

• Real-Time Insights: Some tools analyze tone, sentiment and language patterns during conversations, helping clients (and coaches) identify blind spots. Imagine receiving a report that says, “You interrupted 30% more than usual in this meeting.” Powerful.

• Data-Driven Feedback: AI tools can synthesize data from 360s, engagement surveys or leadership assessments to identify themes faster and more objectively. This allows us to spend more time coaching and less time aggregating reports. I love it!

• On-Demand Reflection: AI-generated journaling prompts or chat-based "AI coaches" can keep clients engaged between sessions and reinforce coaching topics, helping to close the "knowing versus doing" gap.

What AI Can’t Replace
And now, the heart of the matter. AI can simulate aspects of coaching, but it can’t be a coach. It can’t do what we humans do best, including:

• Deep Empathy And Intuition: An algorithm can’t look a client in the eye (yet), sense the emotional weight behind their silence or pause at just the right moment to let a breakthrough surface. Empathy isn’t just emotion—it’s presence, nuance and attunement.

• Context And Complexity: Coaching is rarely about simple answers. It’s about exploring competing priorities, organizational politics, personal histories and unwritten rules. AI may offer frameworks, but it struggles with paradox.

• Trust And Relationship: The power of coaching lies in trust: the safety we create, the belief we hold for someone, the way we challenge them because we care. That kind of transformative relationship can’t be coded.

• Ethics And Judgment: Executive coaching often involves messy, high-stakes decisions. Ethics, judgment and values are central to the conversations. AI isn’t ready to navigate moral gray areas with grace and integrity.

Staying Relevant In The AI Age
So, how do we keep our edge as coaches when AI is getting smarter by the second? We double down on what makes us uniquely human—and learn to partner with the technology, not compete with it. Here are five tips all coaches can use:

1. Be tech-savvy, not tech-phobic.
Understand the tools your clients might be using—AI writing assistants, leadership dashboards or behavior tracking apps. Experiment with AI tools that can enhance your prep or session planning. Speak the language.

2. Lead with insight, not information.Information is abundant.
Insight is rare. Your value comes from helping leaders make sense of their world, not just from delivering models or frameworks. Dig deeper. Ask sharper questions. Bring new lenses.

3. Go deeper into the human side.
The more AI performs the tasks, the more leaders need help with the intangibles—confidence, vulnerability, values, courage, meaning. Be the coach who helps them lead from the inside out.

4. Measure impact, not just activity.As organizations grow and become more data-driven, they’ll expect coaches to demonstrate value.
Define success metrics up front. Then collect a baseline measurement. Revisit goals and success metrics to see if you’re moving the needle. Link coaching to business outcomes, culture shifts or leadership pipeline strength.

5. Be a thought partner, not just a cheerleader.
Your clients don’t need someone to simply affirm their brilliance. They need a trusted partner who’ll challenge their thinking, help them see the bigger picture and nudge them toward growth even when it’s uncomfortable.

Final Thoughts
AI is absolutely changing the landscape of coaching. But rather than fearing displacement, we should see this as a call to grow and evolve professionally. Coaches who embrace both head and heart—who blend data with wisdom, insight with empathy—will thrive.

So, will AI replace coaches? Only the ones who coach like robots.

Let’s stay real, stay curious and keep doing the deep work that only humans can do.

Earlier this year, I shared insights from an article titled “7 Workplace Trends that Will Define Success in 2025.” One of the themes that stood out is: the companies that thrive won’t simply chase technology for efficiency—they’ll build balanced human-tech systems that enhance rather than replace human capabilities.

This is the second article I’m writing to address each of the five themes for successful organizations in 2025 in depth and offer practical “how-to’s” for leaders who want to future-proof their organizations.

Let’s start with balance.

There’s a story I often share with leaders about a company that introduced AI-powered scheduling software to “streamline efficiency.” On paper, the system was brilliant. It automatically optimized shifts, cut down on idle time, and saved thousands of dollars. But there was a problem: it didn’t account for human realities—parents who needed flexibility, employees who thrived on consistent schedules, or the trust built through managers working directly with their people. Turnover spiked. Morale dipped. Productivity followed.

This is a cautionary tale, but not a hopeless one. Technology isn’t the enemy. In fact, when integrated thoughtfully, it can unlock human potential in ways we’ve never seen before. The key is balance. Human-tech systems should enhance what people do best—creativity, empathy, judgment—while freeing them from repetitive, low-value tasks.

The question is: how do we create balanced systems that respect and amplify human capabilities, instead of replacing them?

The Human-Tech Equation

Think of the relationship as a partnership:

• Humans bring context, creativity, empathy, and adaptability.
• Technology brings speed, data capacity, and consistency.

When these strengths are intentionally combined, organizations create systems that are not just efficient, but also deeply human-centered.

Three Guiding Principles for Balance

1. Design with Humans at the Center
Too often, technology is implemented because it’s “shiny” or “best in class.” Instead, begin by asking: What human problem are we solving?

How-to:

• Start with employee journey mapping. Walk through the day-in-the-life of a manager or frontline employee. Where are frustrations, delays, or repetitive tasks slowing them down?
• Involve users early. Bring actual employees into the design, testing, and feedback stages. They’ll spot blind spots leaders or IT teams might miss.

Tip: If your people are saying, “This makes my job harder,” you’re not balancing—you’re burdening.

2. Use Tech to Augment, Not Replace
The fear of “robots taking over jobs” often comes from poorly executed rollouts where human expertise is sidelined. The better approach is to ask: How can this tool help humans make better decisions?

How-to:

• Apply the “co-pilot rule.” Technology should act like a co-pilot—providing data, analysis, or automation—while humans remain the pilot, applying judgment and values.
• Focus automation on tasks that are repetitive, transactional, or data-heavy (like scheduling, data entry, or reporting). Then reinvest that saved time into human strengths like problem-solving, coaching, or relationship-building.

Example: A healthcare organization introduced AI-assisted charting to reduce administrative burden. Instead of replacing doctors, it freed them to spend more time with patients—improving both care and satisfaction.

3. Build Systems That Adapt Over Time
Human-tech balance is not a one-and-done decision. Technology evolves, and so do the humans using it. Leaders need systems that flex and grow.

How-to:

• Set regular “tech health checks.” Ask: Is this tool still serving its purpose? Is it enhancing human capabilities—or has it become a bottleneck?
• Create a feedback loop. Encourage employees to share when tech isn’t working and respond quickly. A culture of continuous improvement is key.
• Measure human outcomes alongside business outcomes. Don’t just track ROI in dollars saved—track engagement, retention, creativity, and trust.

Where Leaders Can Start
Here are three practical steps you can take this quarter to move toward balanced human-tech systems:

1. Audit your current tools. List all major systems and ask: What human capability does this support? What does it unintentionally hinder?
2. Ask your people. Hold a listening session: “Which technology helps you do your best work? Which gets in your way?” You’ll be surprised by the insights.
3. Pilot with intention. Before launching a new system company-wide, run a small, human-centered pilot. Test not just the technical performance, but the human experience.

A Final Word
In the rush to digitize, automate, and “future-proof,” it’s easy to forget that the heart of every organization is still human. Leaders who strike the right balance between human and tech systems will not only gain efficiency—they’ll unlock the creativity, resilience, and potential that only people can bring.

Technology should be the stage crew, not the star. The spotlight belongs to your people.

✨ Next in this series: Why the best companies of 2025 will invest in continuous learning and development (and perhaps re-imagine leadership development for an era of change!

We toss the word “leadership” around a lot these days—books, podcasts, job titles, workshops (hi, LEAP!). But for all the airtime it gets, have you ever stopped to ask: How do I actually define leadership?

Let me start by saying this: Leadership is not a title. It’s not reserved for the C-suite. It’s not bestowed by a promotion. And it’s not measured by how many direct reports you have or how long your email signature is.

Leadership is a choice. A mindset. A behavior. And perhaps more importantly—it’s an impact.
Not “Who You Are” But “What You Do”

Too often, we conflate leadership with position. But here’s the truth I’ve seen time and again in our LEAP cohorts and client organizations: You can be a leader without a title, and have a title without being a leader.

Leadership isn’t static. It’s dynamic and situational. It’s about how you show up—especially when the pressure’s on, the path is unclear, or no one’s watching.

It’s the supervisor who advocates for her team’s well-being, even when it’s unpopular. It’s the front-line manager who takes ownership when a project goes sideways. It’s the employee who speaks up about a better way, despite being “junior.”

Leadership lives in behavior—not hierarchy.

So… What Is Leadership?

In my consulting business, we define leadership through three core dimensions:

1. Clarity – Setting direction and communicating what matters.
Leaders provide clarity about vision, priorities, roles, and expectations. They help people see the "why" behind the "what."

2. Connection – Building trust and strengthening relationships.
Leaders foster psychological safety, demonstrate empathy, and create a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

3. Commitment – Taking action and being accountable.
Leaders follow through. They do the hard stuff. They model the values they preach, even when it’s uncomfortable.

When you combine clarity, connection, and commitment—you get leadership that inspires, sustains, and transforms.

What Leadership Is Not

Let’s also clear the air on some common myths:

· Leadership is not charisma. Some of the most effective leaders I’ve coached are quiet, steady, and thoughtful—not flashy or loud. Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great” studied the great companies and all of them had leaders who were not charismatic.

· Leadership is not control. It’s not about having all the answers or being the smartest person in the room. True leadership means asking better questions and trusting others to contribute.

· Leadership is not perfection. Mistakes are part of the job. Growth is the goal.

How We See Leadership Matters

Here’s the kicker: how we define leadership shapes how we develop it. If we think it’s about position, we only invest in “high potentials” at the top. If we think it’s about behavior, we open the door to developing leadership across the organization—from the front desk to the boardroom.

I’ve seen magic happen when we reframe leadership as a capability, not a class. Suddenly, everyone can own their impact. Suddenly, people lean in. Suddenly, the culture shifts.

Your Definition = Your Culture

If you’re a leader of leaders (and I know many of you reading this are), here’s a bold question: How have you defined leadership for your team or organization?

Because whether it’s been made explicit or not, people are absorbing the cues. They’re watching who gets promoted, who gets praised, and how decisions are made. That unspoken definition sets the tone.

Make it conscious. Make it clear. Make it inclusive.

5 Ways to Activate Everyday Leadership

So how do we help leaders—regardless of level—own their impact?

Here are a few coaching-tested strategies:

1. Ask, “What’s the impact I want to have today?”
Leadership is about intentional influence. Even a small mindset shift can change how you show up.

2. Reinforce that leadership is learned.
It’s not an innate trait—it’s a set of skills. When people believe they can grow, they will.

3. Celebrate leadership behaviors, not just outcomes.
Did someone give tough feedback with compassion? Advocate for a teammate? Recognize it. This signals what matters.

4. Create space for reflection.
Leadership requires self-awareness. Encourage your team to slow down and look inward. Journals, coaching, or just one powerful question can spark insight.

5. Embed leadership in the culture.
Don’t save it for retreats or training. Weave it into team meetings, feedback conversations, and how you evaluate success.

Final Thoughts

The question “How do you define leadership?” isn’t academic—it’s foundational. It shapes who we become. How we lead. And how we build the next generation of leaders.

At PDG and through our LEAP program, we’re on a mission to redefine leadership as something bold, human, and actionable. Not a title. Not a theory. A daily decision.
So—how do you define leadership? And more importantly… how are you living it?

Until next time—keep leading what matters.

Let’s start with a controversial truth: Trust isn’t something you earn. It’s something you’re given.
Now hold your gasp—this isn’t about giving blind trust to every charming new manager who remembers your dog’s name. It’s about acknowledging that trust, at its core, is a gift—offered freely, often before it’s “deserved.” And as with any gift, it’s delicate, powerful and far more personal than we often admit.

In today’s world of fast-paced teams, hybrid workforces and AI assistants who never take lunch breaks, the human currency of trust matters more than ever. Trust is the critical asset to improve teamwork, foster collaboration, drive engagement and manage constant change. That said, Gallup found that "only 21% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. This marks a noteworthy decline from its 2019 peak (24%)."

According to PwC’s "2024 Trust Survey," 93% of business executives agree that building and maintaining trust improves the bottom line." 

Trust begins to build when employees feel inspired by senior leaders and see strategic actions leading to business success. Trust is complex and means different things to different people and in different contexts. It’s important to talk about trust, creating shared definitions and expectations to build trust across a team or organization.

So, what builds this seemingly intangible yet make-or-break element of team culture? It’s not just charisma or good intentions. We use a simple and research-backed framework that demystifies the magic of trust: the three C’s of trust—competence, consistency and care. This creates a shared language and understanding so people can talk about specific behaviors that affect trust (build it or break it) and creates stronger, more productive relationships.

Competence: 'Do You Know What You’re Doing?
'It’s the most obvious—and often overemphasized—dimension of trust. Competence answers the question, “Can I rely on you to get the job done?”
Think of it like hiring a pilot: You want to know they can fly the plane, not just smile during turbulence. Leaders who demonstrate skill, make sound decisions and deliver results start the trust conversation on solid footing.

But here’s the twist: Competence alone doesn’t inspire followership. A brilliant manager who’s erratic or uncaring will lose the room faster than you can say, “quarterly results.” Which brings us to the next C ...

Consistency: 'Do You Do What You Say You’ll Do?'
Predictability isn’t sexy, but it’s safe. And in a world where change is constant, people crave anchors.

Leaders build trust when they follow through, stay grounded in their values and show up in a way that people can count on—especially in tough times. It’s why we remember the manager who had our back during a layoff or the colleague who always follows through on commitments, even small ones.

Inconsistency is the fastest trust killer. Miss one too many deadlines or shift directions without context, and trust starts to slip through your fingers—no matter how competent or well-meaning you are.

Care: 'Do You Have My Best Interest At Heart?'
This is the wild card—the most human and often most neglected of the three. Care is where trust stops being transactional and becomes relational.
It asks: Do you see me? Do you respect me? Will you act in a way that serves not just your goals, but mine too? In leadership, this shows up as empathy, active listening, advocacy and small moments of connection.

Leaders who care create psychological safety. They normalize feedback. They ask how someone’s doing before diving into what they’re doing. In doing so, they open the door for discretionary effort—the difference between someone working for you and someone going to bat for you.

The Trust Equation: All Three Or Bust
Here’s where the model becomes powerful. You need all three C’s—competence, consistency and care—to truly earn the trust gift from your team or colleagues. Remove any one, and trust falters:

• Competent + Consistent But Not Caring? You’ll be respected, but never followed with heart.
• Caring + Competent But Not Consistent? You’ll confuse people, eroding confidence.
• Consistent + Caring But Not Competent? You’ll be beloved, but not entrusted with critical decisions.

Trust is holistic. When all three C’s are present, something beautiful happens: People give you the benefit of the doubt, collaborate more openly and assume positive intent.

So, How Do You Build Trust?
Start by asking yourself and your team:
• Where am I showing up strong across the three C’s?
• Where might I be falling short, especially under pressure?

And remember, trust-building isn’t a checkbox. It’s a practice. Like fitness or leadership itself, it’s a daily discipline, made up of a thousand small moments—done imperfectly but authentically.

It’s also contagious. Teams that operate in a high-trust environment mirror that trust outward—to customers, partners and stakeholders. That’s not fluff; that’s a performance advantage.

Trust Is A Gift—Treat It Like One
When someone trusts you, they’re giving you something rare: the benefit of their vulnerability. They’re saying, “I believe in you enough to let go of control.”

So, yes, trust can be earned over time—but only if we treat it as the gift it is in the first place.
Your job, as a leader? Show up. Deliver. Care deeply. And never forget: People will follow those they trust—and flee those they don’t.

I recently published via Forbes an article on the “science of trust” and why it’s not just a “soft skill,” but a structural necessity for high-performing teams. This month, I’m doubling down—because according to a recent Forbes article on workplace trends that will define success in 2025, trust isn’t just important—it’s foundational.

Their article concludes that organizations that thrive in 2025 will be those that can integrate five critical elements into a coherent whole:

1. Human-tech systems that enhance people, not replace them
2. Transparent, trust-based relationships with employees
   
3. Adaptive, anti-fragile cultures
4. A commitment to continuous learning
5. Deep focus on well-being and engagement

All five are worth exploring (and we will) —but today, let’s focus on #2: Building transparent, trust-based relationships with employees.

Trust is the Currency of Modern Leadership
In today’s environment of hybrid work, economic uncertainty, and quiet quitting (or quitting loudly), employees aren’t just looking for stability—they’re looking for sincerity.

Trust is no longer a “nice-to-have” tucked inside team-building retreats. It’s the currency that governs culture, the bedrock of engagement, and the multiplier of performance. And it’s earned not through charisma or clever words, but through the 3 Cs of trust: consistency, competency, and care.

What Transparent, Trust-Based Leadership Looks Like
Let’s be clear: Transparency is not about oversharing every detail or reacting to every concern in real time. It’s about predictable honesty (consistency.) It means:

• Leaders admit what they don’t know.
• Organizations communicate “why” behind decisions—not just “what.”
• Employees feel safe to speak up without fear of retribution.
• Feedback is invited, not just tolerated.

Trust-based leadership means employees believe:

• “My leader sees me.” (care)
• “My work matters.” (competence)
• “We’re in this together—even when it’s hard.” (consistency)

When trust flows, performance follows. When it’s broken? It’s nearly impossible to fix with policy alone.

Measuring Trust (Because You Can)
In our LEAP-Leadership Acceleration Program, we use a Confidence & Competence Assessment to measure the growth of leadership effectiveness across 20 key areas—many of which are rooted in trust: emotional intelligence, communication, decision-making, and follow-through.
And here’s what we see consistently:

When leaders focus on earning trust, not demanding loyalty, everything improves—from engagement scores to retention to cross-functional collaboration.

The Leadership Imperative for 2025
As we look to 2025, trust is not a trend—it’s a threshold. Success won’t go to the companies with the flashiest perks or the most AI tools. It will go to companies where employees trust their leaders, and leaders trust their people.

This is the kind of trust that doesn’t just weather storms—it turns them into strength.

What’s Next for You?
Whether you're leading a team, a company, or a community of coaches, now is the time to audit your leadership trust quotient. Are you building it, breaking it, or borrowing it? 

As always, I’d love to hear how you're leading with trust in 2025—and how I can help.

Last month, we talked about gardens. More specifically, how the best leaders trade authority for influence—choosing to nurture growth rather than command it.

This month? We’re staying in the dirt but going deeper.

Because once your team garden starts growing, what keeps it thriving is not just vision or velocity. It’s trust and accountability—the twin roots that anchor a healthy culture and allow your people to bloom.

Let’s start with a truth many leaders tiptoe around:

You cannot hold people accountable if they don’t trust you.

Read that again.

In the workplace garden, accountability is not the pesticide you spray when things go sideways. It’s the natural result of mutual trust, shared clarity, and consistent care.

When done well, accountability isn’t done to someone. It’s owned by everyone.

What’s Trust Got to Do with It?
Everything.
Trust is what makes people lean in, take risks, speak up, and show up—even when it’s hard. It’s what transforms a team from a group of task-doers into a connected community of problem-solvers.

And contrary to popular belief, trust isn’t built by being "nice" or avoiding conflict. It’s built by being clear, competent, consistent—and human. (More on that next month when we unpack The Science of Trust.)

Think of trust as the rich soil your team needs to root into. Without it, accountability becomes brittle, like trying to stake a tomato plant in gravel.

Accountability That Grows, Not Grits
We’ve all seen it: the manager who announces “We need to hold people accountable around here!” only to disappear behind a spreadsheet or a policy.

But real accountability isn’t a hammer. It’s a trellis--something people can lean on to grow stronger.
Here’s what it looks like in action:

• Clear Expectations: “We agreed on this timeline. What’s getting in the way?”
  
• Shared Ownership: “How can we work together to get this back on track?”
  
• Constructive Challenge: “What support do you need to meet your commitment?”
  

It’s about conversations, not consequences.

When leaders lead with trust, accountability becomes something people invite—because they care about the work, the team, and the shared purpose.

The Gardener’s Mindset
Here’s the thing: You can’t force accountability any more than you can force a seed to sprout.
What you can do is create the conditions for it to grow. In the garden of leadership, that means:

• Watering with empathy
  
• Weeding with clarity
• Checking in before checking out
• Being present in the dirt, not just watching from the deck

We coach leaders to ditch the control-freak playbook and lean into the quiet power of showing up consistently, setting the tone, and modeling what accountability with care really looks like.

Because leadership isn’t about being in charge--it’s about being worth following.

Ready to Grow Something Meaningful?
If your organization struggles with accountability—or if trust feels more like a buzzword than a behavior—it might be time to stop barking at the plants and start tending the roots.

We love giving leaders the tools to:

1. Build trust that sticks (not just when things are going well)
   
2. Create psychological safety without lowering standards
3. Hold high expectations with people, not against them

It’s leadership that lasts longer than this year’s annual review cycle.
It’s culture cultivation at its finest.

Coming Next Month: The Science of Trust
We’ll be digging deeper (yes, we’re sticking with the soil metaphors) into what trust really means, how it works in the brain, and why it’s less about being liked—and more about being competent, consistent, and caring.

Because when trust grows, everything else gets easier.

Until then, happy planting.

If you’ve been wondering whether leadership development is still worth the investment in 2025, the answer is: only if you care about survival.

Let’s start with the blunt truth: 75% of organizations say developing leaders is critical to their future, yet only 11% feel they have a strong bench of ready leaders (DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2023). It’s a leadership drought, and it’s hitting just when we need rain the most.

Companies are facing a triple-whammy: economic pressure, relentless change, and the largest workforce transition since the boomers left disco. In the eye of this storm stands Gen X—yes, the “forgotten generation”—quietly holding up the tent.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

The Gen X Factor: Overlooked, Overdue, and Overqualified
Gen X (born 1965–1980) is the leadership backbone of today’s organizations. They hold over 50% of leadership roles, yet they receive significantly less leadership development than their Millennial and Boomer counterparts (Harvard Business Review). They're often viewed as the 'safe pair of hands'—so they get left alone while we obsess over onboarding Gen Z or ushering Boomers out the door.

But Gen X isn’t just competent—they’re uniquely positioned to lead in today’s chaotic climate. Here's why:

• Resilient: Raised on latchkey independence, recessions, and analog-to-digital transitions, they’re adaptable by nature.
• Skeptically optimistic: They won’t drink the Kool-Aid, but they’ll build the distribution system if the vision is sound.
• Tech-aware, not tech-obsessed: They can bridge the AI-native Gen Z and the digital-immigrant Boomers.
• Team-first mindset: They lived through toxic hierarchies and know the value of psychological safety.

But here's the rub: if organizations don’t invest in developing this generation now, they’ll lose a key stabilizing force just as Millennials and Gen Z clamor for leadership roles they may not yet be ready for.

The Cost of Ignoring Leadership Development
Leadership development isn't just a nice-to-have. It’s a performance lever. According to McKinsey, companies that invest in leadership development are 2.4 times more likely to hit their performance targets. Conversely, poor leadership is the top reason employees quit—and turnover is getting costly.

A recent Gallup report pegs the cost of replacing an employee at 1.5 to 2 times their annual salary. Multiply that by a disengaged team? You’re bleeding money.

And here’s the kicker: 70% of the variance in team engagement is tied to the manager. (Gallup again. They’re kind of the Beyoncé of workplace stats.)

So, when we say leadership development will make or break your business—we mean it literally.

The New Mandate: Human-Centered, Performance-Driven Leadership
In an AI-enhanced, hyperconnected workplace, technical competence is table stakes. What separates effective leaders now? Empathy (make that professional compassion.) Communication. Psychological safety. Decision-making in ambiguity. Leading across generations and difference.

This isn’t soft stuff—it’s power skills. And Gen X leaders, given the right support, are primed to model them.

But support is the key word. That’s where most organizations fumble. Too many leadership programs focus on content over context, one-off workshops instead of long-term behavioral change, or confuse coaching with therapy.

To build leaders who can actually lead, organizations need to:

1. Invest early and often – not just for the next generation, but for your current ones.
2. Provide actionable tools, not vague inspiration.
3. Create communities of practice, where leaders can reflect, experiment, and grow together.
4. Hold leaders accountable—because if you don’t measure leadership, it won’t matter.

What High-Performing Companies Are Doing Differently
Organizations winning the leadership game share a few key practices:

• They embed leadership development into everyday work. It’s not an event—it’s a habit.
• They connect it to culture and strategy, not just competency models.
• They use leadership cohorts to break silos and build cross-functional trust (hello, LEAP!)
• They develop middle managers as multipliers, not bottlenecks.

As for Gen X, smart companies are doubling down on their development—not because they’re the squeaky wheels, but because they’re the engine. They’re the mentors Millennials need and the role models Gen Z deserves. And with the right investment, they can be the glue that holds your culture together in times of turbulence.

Your Leadership Future Starts Now
If leadership is your competitive advantage (spoiler: it is), then waiting to invest is like watching your roof leak and saying, “We’ll fix it when the weather clears.”

Leadership development isn’t a luxury line item—it’s your organization's life jacket. And Gen X may just be the crew that gets you through the storm, if you equip them well.

So here’s the call to action:  Develop your leaders like your business depends on it—because it does.

Want to learn how to activate the Gen X (Gen Y or Gen Z) effect and build a leadership culture that scales? Join our next LEAP cohort or attend our Executive Briefing: Operationalize Professional Compassion. Because thriving organizations don’t just have competent managers—they have courageous, compassionate leaders.

In our LEAP Leadership Acceleration Program, we believe that transformation doesn’t start with guessing—it starts with clarity. That’s why we integrate two powerful tools into every cohort: PXT Select™ and CheckPoint 360°™.
Together, these assessments give our LEAP participants more than just insights—they create momentum. Here's how:

PXT Select™: Precision for the People Side of Performance
This assessment helps leaders understand how they’re wired to think, work, and communicate—then matches that profile against their current role or future leadership goals. What it delivers:

• · Increased self-awareness and emotional intelligence
  
• · Alignment of strengths with job demands
• · Actionable coaching insights for targeted growth
  

Our members often say it feels like “getting the user manual for myself.” And for managers, it’s the missing link to hiring and developing high-performing teams with confidence.

CheckPoint 360°™: Feedback That Fuels Forward Motion
Leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it happens in relationship to others. The CheckPoint 360° gathers confidential feedback from direct reports, peers, and supervisors to create a full-circle view of how a leader is showing up. What it delivers:

• · Specific development priorities, not vague feedback
  
• · Validation of strengths and blind spots
• · A roadmap for building trust, influence, and effectiveness
  

LEAP graduates consistently call it one of the most eye-opening elements of the program. And we agree—it’s a catalyst for growth that lasts far beyond the cohort.

From Insight to Impact
When paired with coaching and a trusted learning community, these tools do more than generate reports—they generate results. Our LEAP members walk away with deeper self-awareness, stronger leadership presence, and practical strategies to lead with clarity and confidence.

Because when leaders understand themselves better, they lead others better.
And that’s where real transformation begins.