Leadership Advantage in a Noisy World Requires Better Signal

Over the last 24 hours, I’ve read application after application from incredibly accomplished leaders. And honestly, the most surprising part is how many people are quietly saying the same thing: “I feel alone trying to think through what happens next.” That should tell us something. We are living through one of the biggest leadership resets of our lifetime. Most leaders are moving fast. Very few have space to think deeply. Even fewer have rooms where they can do it honestly. That’s why we created the 1871 Leadership Network. Not to help people collect contacts. To help them build clarity, perspective, and real connection. Because in moments like this, the leaders who win are not the ones with the most information. They are the ones with the best signal. The response so far has honestly exceeded my expectations. I’ll begin inviting the first group of leaders later this week as I work thoughtfully through the applications. Applications remain open: https://lnkd.in/gmFCEC8d

"Disruptive." It's the word that has followed tech into the boardroom. AI, platforms, automation — the sweeping pace of change rewrote entire industries almost overnight, and suddenly every leader has also aspired to be 'disruptive'. It's a powerful idea. And powerful ideas, I have always felt, are best treated as genuine insights — not trends to wear or discard, but lenses to look through and draw out what is useful. As I head to Miami (again) for the Disruptive Leadership conference, the insight that often keeps coming back to me is this: the most meaningful, enduring, and transformative disruption doesn't begin with breaking rules, systems and things. It begins with the courage to imagine and co-create something entirely new, root and branch. Not from frustration and dissent, but rather from a deep, clear-sighted commitment to purpose — and the honest recognition that the current path isn't getting us there. That's a fundamentally different energy. One is reactive, and the other is 'generative'. The one needs an opponent, while the other only needs clarity. The leaders I find most genuinely disruptive aren't the loudest in the room. They're the ones willing to set aside what has always been done — not because it's broken, but because something truer and more enabling is possible. They disrupt from vision, not from dissatisfaction. They build entirely anew — not for the sake of demolition, but because they've seen clearly enough to know the old structure can't hold what they're trying to create. That takes a very different kind of courage, not the courage to fight the system, but the courage to imagine beyond it. That's the disruption worth leading.

Whispers in the Breakroom I've spent 25 years in meeting rooms where leadership credibility is won and lost. Here's what I'm seeing right now. The most dangerous thing happening to leaders isn't AI disruption, economic uncertainty, or geopolitical chaos. It's the collapse of credibility. I've never seen a trust deficit like the one leaders are navigating today. Here's what's happening: Leaders are communicating more than ever—more town halls, more video messages, more e-mails—but their employees are believing them less. Volume without credibility isn't leadership. It's noise. A recent Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 69% of people believe their leaders deliberately mislead and manipulate them. Nearly seven out of ten. So who DO people trust? Their peers. Influence used to flow top down, from position to people. Now it flows laterally, from peer-to-peer. I call it the Influence Flip. Which means that whispers in the breakroom are as powerful as what’s presented in the boardroom. Why? Because leaders are confusing activity with influence. They're measuring how much they say, not how it’s landing. They're optimizing for presence without earning trust. Real influence—the kind that moves people, markets, and organizations forward—is built on a foundation of credibility. That's the paradox facing leaders right now: their positional influence is waning. Social media is emboldening peer power. AI is democratizing information. And emerging generations are rebuffing authority. Traditional leadership was not built to withstand these forces. The good news? Influence is a skill, not a personality trait. It can be developed, strengthened, and strategically deployed— but only if you understand what's eroding it. That's what UpFront is about. I'm taking you inside the rooms. The real dynamics. The moments that define leaders—and the ones that quietly derail them. What's the #1 thing you believe is causing the credibility deficit between leaders and their people right now? I read every comment. #UpFront #Leadership #ExecutiveCommunication #Influence #Credibility #LeadershipDevelopment

Ever feel like every answer can be provided by search bars, but still come up short with the information you need? In a recent conversation with Rico Emmanuel Pineda, CLDP, a young business owner and leader, we dove into the C.A.N.D.I.D. Conversations Leadership Deck and tackled a crucial question: "How do you ensure your team is culturally sensitive and globally aware?" His answer --> It’s not about searching—it’s about connecting. Here are five key takeaways from our conversation: 1. The Power of Proximity: Joining organizations and other industry groups opens doors to insights you simply can't find online. 2. First-Hand Perspectives: Attending conferences and events allows you to hear directly from top leaders, providing a level of awareness and context that articles can't match. 3. Ask the "Stupid" Questions: Don't be afraid to speak up! Even if you think your question sounds basic, the answers you receive can provide a wealth of knowledge and help you understand how different leaders view global issues. 4. Synthesis and Strategy: By gathering these diverse viewpoints, you can synthesize them into a powerful, solutions-oriented strategy for your team and organization. 5. Collaboration Over Competition: There's enough business for everyone! By sharing solutions and brainstorming together, we can create more impactful results than any single company could achieve alone. Check out the video snippet of our conversation below (with Rico's consent): Let's start a conversation --> What’s one insight you’ve gained from networking that you could never have found online--even with access to AI? Share your thoughts below! #Leadership #GlobalAwareness #Networking #CulturalSensitivity #ProfessionalGrowth #Collaboration #LeadershipDevelopment

I've been fortunate to work with some really innovative, out of the box thinkers in leadership positions recently. The thing that impresses me most is that when they think about applied AI and refined process in their businesses, they don't limit their thinking to cost reduction and efficiency. So many leaders today look at a line item and try to reduce it. They see a manual input and remove it. Needle moved, everybody's happy. And I get it, those wins are real. But it's a seriously limiting thought process, especially today. The real power of where tech and AI are right now goes well beyond that. It increases your business intelligence. It sharpens decision making. It enables your top talent to cover more ground, take on bigger problems, and operate at a level they couldn't before. It surfaces patterns you'd never catch manually. It tightens your feedback loops. It makes your value proposition stronger and your team genuinely harder to compete with. The leaders that impress me aren't spending their days chasing a 0.0000067% savings or a simple efficiency gain. They're asking how tech threads into the purpose of the business. How it differentiates them. How it makes their people better. If you consider yourself a creative leader and are open to how business leadership is going to evolve over the next couple years, DM me. I'm putting together a round table to dig into exactly this.

Great conversation today with The Inspire Leadership Academy Next Generation Leader cohort and opportunity to speak on IT Vision & Strategy.   Thank you Camryn Williams and @Dr. Andy Ward for the invite and hosting.   I appreciated meeting everyone and the thoughtful questions! It's by far my favorite subject to discuss ways to create and execute a compelling technology vision and strategy.   A few key areas we discussed: IT strategy always begins with the company strategy. Before building a roadmap, understand what the company is trying to achieve; growth, efficiency, M&A, resilience. Then spend time translating the opportunity what is possible. This means we are not just in technology, we are also in sales, marketing, and change leadership.   Partnership is everything. IT leaders are business leaders. To achieve a compelling and realistic vision, technology leaders need trusted relationships, engaged stakeholders and opportunities to deliver wins along the way.   Laser focus on the Top 5 The best leaders identify the handful of priorities, what I call the “top 5”, that will drive the most value. When everything is a priority, nothing is.   Long-term vision requires short-term agility. In today’s environment, especially with AI accelerating change, 5-year plans are increasingly not realistic. I've walked into organizations with 5-year plans, where the same 5-year planned rolled into the next 5 years. Build a solid 90-day plan, align to annual priorities, and iterate. Know the budget and constraints you are operating in.   Strong strategy requires deep understanding. Great IT strategy comes from all variety of avenues: Feedback from executives to end users, observing how systems are actually being used, understanding data and AI opportunities, assessing risks, and continuously evolving the IT organization to become a stronger strategic enabler. The Inspire Leadership Academy SeattleCIO

This shift “from operator to orchestrator” resonates with me. The higher you climb in technology leadership, the less the job is about the technology and the more it's about coordinating across people, priorities, and influence. The leaders I've seen struggle in complex environments were often technically brilliant but hadn't made that transition. Worth a read for anyone in or aspiring to the tech C-suite. https://lnkd.in/grhJe7W6

Great to spend time recently as a guest on the Indicator Syndicate Leaders programme - a valuable opportunity to connect, challenge thinking and share perspectives with senior leaders across a range of sectors. A particular highlight was hearing from Brett Roberts on the 'The Science of Value' and 'Sales and the Impact of AI' - highly relevant topics in the current environment. A few reflections that stood out: -In a challenging and fast-moving market, NZ businesses are still finding ways to win. Those that stay customer-centric, translate data into clear, actionable insight and continue to invest in capability and technology will come out ahead. -AI is quickly becoming a ticket to the game. Competitors are building capability now, and customers are already using it in RFPs and negotiations. This requires a clear and deliberate leadership agenda — not experimentation at the edges. -Peer-to-peer coaching is an underutilised lever. In a multi-generational workforce, it can be one of the most effective ways to accelerate adoption and improve utilisation of tools. -“Sales is your best research department.” Sales teams hold the closest, most current view of the customer — what’s working, what’s not, and where opportunities are emerging. The real advantage comes from actively capturing and using those insights. Appreciate the opportunity to be part of the session. Huge thanks to Justine Beguely Mike Stokes Abbie Takle for the invitation.

‼️ disrupting or being disrupted?? if you're a #leader managing change during this period of change, uncertainty, tech advancement and so much more... you need to be in this room. whether you feel confident or you need support - #LeadershipinPractice is the #conversation you need to evolve your leadership, your people and your organization's results. without causing complete #burnout. See you May 28th. https://lnkd.in/gAxkMDZK It's virtual. It's free. Is it on your calendar?

Let me be direct about who 'Own the Room' is not designed for. ➝ This program is not for people who believe that results alone are enough. If you have spent years telling yourself that the quality of your work will eventually speak for itself, I am not going to argue with that belief here. But I will say this: in boardrooms, investor meetings, and leadership reviews, decisions tilt before the numbers are presented. Authority is registered before a word is spoken. And if you have not thought deliberately about what the room is reading when you walk in, you are leaving a significant variable unmanaged. ➝ Own the Room is also not for mid-level leaders who are still building the case for their own visibility. This work is built for founders, CXOs, and senior leaders who are already in high-stakes rooms and who sometimes sense, uncomfortably, that something about how they show up is not fully under their control. It is not a communication workshop. It is not a styling consultation. It is not a confidence programme. It is a rigorous process of understanding and calibrating the signals: visual, physical, and behavioural that shape how you are perceived before, during, and after you speak. Because at the senior level, presence is not a soft skill. It is a business lever. And most leaders have never been formally taught to pull it with intention. Every high-stakes room you enter without intention is an opportunity ceded. If you are done leaving that to chance, apply now. Cohort spots are limited.