Cultivating Innovative Leadership

I’ve always felt a kinship with people who commit themselves to extinguishing inequity in its many forms, and who seek to cultivate compassion, connection and justice through their work. Over my 20 years working in global health, I’ve met thousands of impatient optimists, who—grounded by a vision of a better world—work tirelessly for change.

Regardless of background, the road to leadership for many of these Changemakers, Innovators and Entrepreneurs is strikingly similar. Early sparks of conviction and curiosity evolve into lives and careers that are more interesting and demanding than ever imagined. In time, greater opportunities and responsibilities challenge the limits of the hard skills gained in academic and early professional training. Many resort to instinct—rather than trained skills—to handle the challenging day-to-day demands of leadership and the management of their teams, partners and institutions.

The highest-performing companies don’t leave the effectiveness, resilience and creativity of their leaders and teams to chance. They understand the value of these the interactive skills, behaviors and perspectives on their culture, quality of their work and their bottom line. And they make sure their leaders and managers are equipped with the skills and tools needed to be successful.

In these challenging times, I’m curious what would be possible if more of non-profit organizations, philanthropies and socially-minded businesses took similar steps to ensure that their leadership and teams were built to be high-performing. What could be saved—in resources, time and energy—and what could be created?

Over the past several years, I have honed my own training and positioned Sage Innovation so we could deliver these tools and skills to the people and organizations who are up to something good. In doing so, I’m more convinced than ever that we need to have real conversations about leadership and the skills and tools that make organizations successful, teams connected and lives full and balanced.

Though our consulting, and now our coaching and leadership development work, I’ve worked with leaders at the frontlines of making the world a better place. From New York to Nairobi to Kabul to Seattle, many describe the struggles and solutions to leading and living with the passion and commitment that has defined their careers.

This blog will be a mix of stories, interviews and simple facts about how to thrive as a leader and amplify your positive impact on the world. I hope you find sparks of inspiration, connection and tools to help you do your best work. Keep me posted!