Leaving Industrial Age Leadership Behind

Cathie Leimbach • March 19, 2024

Leading with Collaboration, Trust, and Inspiration

In the 21st century, effective leadership is not about issuing commands but rather fostering collaboration, growth, and authenticity within an organization. This approach emphasizes holistic impact and shared success among stakeholders.


At its core, effective leadership today revolves around encouraging collaboration. Leaders recognize that diverse perspectives drive innovation and problem solving. By creating an environment where every voice is heard and valued, leaders harness the collective intelligence of their teams, leading to more robust solutions and outcomes.


Also, nurturing employees’ development goes beyond just honing their existing skills. It involves cultivating new mindsets, knowledge, and skills that are essential for adapting to an ever-changing world. Leaders who prioritize continuous learning empower their teams to thrive in dynamic environments and embrace change as an opportunity for growth.


Authentic leadership is crucial in the 21st-century workplace. Leaders who bring their whole selves to work foster trust, transparency, and inclusivity. By embracing vulnerability and displaying authenticity leaders inspire loyalty and commitment among their teams, creating a culture where individuals feel empowered to do their best work.



Effective leadership in the 21st-century is characterized by a commitment to collaboration, continuous learning, and authenticity. By adopting these approaches, leaders can cultivate environments where all stakeholders thrive, driving innovation and sustainable success.

The Power of Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters

By Cathie Leimbach • November 10, 2025
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.

Unlock Your Team's Potential: Fix Dysfunction, Boost the Bottom Line!

By Cathie Leimbach • November 4, 2025
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.