Designing Organizations That Breathe: How Structure Shapes Culture, Leadership, and Impact - A Conversation with Salima Hemani
A Leadership Beyond
In today's environment, clarity isn't a luxury—it's a multiplier that unlocks every dollar you've invested in your people. -Salima Hemani 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 expert or efficiency consultant, but because aligning structure with culture and creating environments where people do their best work is fundamentally your responsibility. When budgets...
info_outline
Mastering Executive Presence - A Conversation with Sue Reynolds Frost
A Leadership Beyond
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 art and science of executive presence. With warmth, candor, and strategic insight, she shares how leaders can align their message, mindset, and somatic cues to inspire trust and drive impact....
info_outline
Aligning Business and People Strategy - A Conversation with Laurent Pierre Jr.
A Leadership Beyond
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 come together to drive meaningful, sustainable change. Episode Highlights People, Process, and Technology—Intertwined: Laurent emphasizes that sustainable transformation demands...
info_outline
Creating Trust and Belonging Through Peer Groups - A Conversation with Aiko Thurlow of InFounders
A Leadership Beyond
We are grateful for having connected with Aïko Thurlow. Aiko is Ceo of 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 associations to corporations—create spaces where professionals can authentically connect, problem-solve together, and experience genuine belonging in an increasingly transactional business world. Key Highlights • Trust...
info_outline
Leadership Lessons from Show Business - A Conversation with Steven Puri
A Leadership Beyond
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 projects. He reflects on lessons learned in Hollywood—managing creatives, nurturing “lightbulb” moments, and building culture—that carry over into hybrid and remote leadership. Long before...
info_outline
Exploring Predictive Index with A Leadership Beyond
A Leadership Beyond
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 faster, solve business problems more effectively, and stay aligned to what matters most. In this week’s podcast episode, we walk through a live demo of the Predictive Index...
info_outline
Thriving Through Transition - A Conversation with Ben Baker
A Leadership Beyond
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 company, Your Brand Marketing, at the end of 2024 to focus on coaching, mentoring, and solving problems. - Emphasized the importance of creating a transition that allows continued connection with...
info_outline
Understanding People First, Results Follow: A Conversation with Dot Proux
A Leadership Beyond
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 facilitating discussions about leadership challenges to offering collaborative, tailored solutions. While our community of conversation remains a vibrant space for exchanging ideas and perspectives, we...
info_outline
The Power of The Pause - Adrienne Guerrero and Tom Rosenak
A Leadership Beyond
“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 from a reactive state. She learns what she teaches, teaches as she learns! A Leadership Beyond emerged as we saw our synergy and had big ideas, inspiring possibilities of working together....
info_outline
Listen, Lead, and Love Your Work - A Conversation with Michele Stowe
A Leadership Beyond
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, this is our endless and proper work. — Mary Oliver, "Yes! No!" Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays, Beacon Press, Boston, 2003, p. 27 In this week’s release of A Leadership Beyond,...
info_outlineAs 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 end-of-year busyness from a distraction to a time of meaningful personal and professional renewal.
As co-founders of A Leadership Beyond, Adrienne and Tom are practicing what we teach: taking a purposeful pause to reflect before rushing into action. While we're excited about an upcoming year filled with panel discussions, new services, and leadership strategies, we're first taking time to thoughtfully review, learn, and realign.
This approach embodies the essence of our podcast—demonstrating that true leadership begins with intentional reflection.
This episode is an invitation to all leaders to step back, breathe, and create space for meaningful reflection before diving into the river of reactivity. We explore the power of pausing, examining our accomplishments, learning from challenges, and realigning with our core values as we prepare for the coming year.
Highlights of the conversation:
-
Importance of carving space for personal reflection, even amidst the busy holiday season.
-
Practical strategies for taking 10-15 minutes to reconnect to core values and assess what you accomplished and what may need refinement.
-
How personal touches can increase engagement through deeper connection.
-
Understanding the power of M2 in your S.M.A.R.T goal setting. Effective goals must be meaningful, motivating and measurable.
-
Importance of finding trusted partners to provide objective feedback. Sometimes a partner with no skin in that game can shed valuable light on your dilemma.
The overall message is that taking a purposeful pause for reflection and renewal can transform the end-of-year chaos into a meaningful time of personal and professional growth for leaders.
We’d love to hear about your success (and challenges) with leadership beyond the lines.
A Leadership Beyond exists to support the alignment between the business strategy and people strategy - to drive results with people not at the expense of people (Talent Optimization).
Subscribe to our podcast to join the Leadership Beyond Community of Conversation and hear insights from thought leaders and human development experts leading the way in the field of Talent Optimization.
We are grateful to you and always eager to hear from you!
To learn more visit https://aleadershipbeyond.com.