Jesse Katen Leadership Consultancy

06/15/2026

I created this video for the incredible people in the New and Emerging Leaders in Healthcare and Human Services group I am leading. Even if you’re not in my group of leaders, feel free to watch the video and I hope it resonates with you!

This is the first of a series and it’s on the concept that you need to understand before we can focus on the “P’s”—people pleasing, perfectionism, procrastination, paralysis (analysis paralysis), and perseveration—and that is the question of “What do I WANT?” This is the critical question that helps leaders define their intention.

As always, please feel free to reach out by leaving a comment or email me:
[email protected]

I created this video for the incredible people in the New and Emerg...

05/16/2026

One of the worst things we seem to be taught (I see it in my clients and people I know) from a young age is to not trust good things. Don't trust your success or your "luck" (if there is such a thing). Don't celebrate good things because your luck will run out. Don't trust positive experiences to last. If you find success, prepare to pay for it. Don't get your hopes up. "Knock on wood." "I should have known it wouldn't last," etc.

What a terrible way to think.

Were you taught this?

Do you spend your life expecting bad things and then when good things happen, you find yourself waiting "for the other shoe to drop?"

It took me way too many years--and now lots of success--to finally realize that THERE IS NO OTHER SHOE!

05/13/2026

“When you feel stuck, the problem is NEVER your external circumstances. NEVER! ”

I sometimes make my leadership clients aware of a concept I call “Hopeless and Helpless External Blame.” And I usually bring it up when I notice that they’re falling victim to it. You may be falling into this trap as well!

This is when, instead of focusing on your ability to respond (otherwise known as “RESPONSIBILITY”—see the etymology: “ability to respond”) to a particular challenge, you focus on the reasons that the challenge is outside of your control, is someone else’s “fault,” or is otherwise leaving you with no choice but to accept defeat and complain about it.

Here’s what it sounds like from my clients:
“No, Jesse, you don’t understand, this employee is IMPOSSIBLE. Nothing can be done.”
“Jesse, my boss is the WORST, there is really no choice but for me to quit.”
“My workplace is impossible; like it’s REALLY bad, there is literally no hope.”

Sometimes I will ask the question, “To what degree is Hopeless and Helpless External Blame playing a role here?” In other words: “In what ways are you CHOOSING to posit this challenge as exclusively someone else’s responsibility just to let YOURSELF off the hook from addressing it effectively?”

Or from GROWING the cognitive skills you need to address it effectively? Looks like we have an opportunity here! A way to prompt ourselves into emerging onto a new level!

When you feel stuck, the problem is NEVER your external circumstances. NEVER!

If you don’t see a way forward, the problem is with a limitation of YOUR cognition, perspective, or perception. But you don’t need to feel badly about it.

There IS a perfect way forward. You just have to expand the limits of what you can see before it becomes obvious.

05/04/2026

Check out my latest blog post on “Anger and Leadership”

Leadership is performative. As a leader, you are always putting on a show. You are always on display, always in the spotlight. People always have their eyes on you. The behavior that you choose to demonstrate has real effects on the people who are observing you and on the environment as a whole. You have an audience who are taking in and processing everything that you express.

We know that in order for people to be at their best in the workplace, we need them to be experiencing the four F’s: Feeling Good, Freedom, Flow, and Fascination

All of these are compromised in the performance of anger, as well as the leader’s own command of respect, authority, and admiration.
When negotiating with your own feelings, it’s helpful to ask:

What’s the wisdom hidden within this anger?

In other words, what is the anger actually about? What is it really telling you? What’s valuable and actionable about what it is bringing to your attention?

If you can transmutate your anger into a more productive emotion before you appear in front of your people or interact with anyone in any way, you are far more likely to bring about the desired positive changes that the initial anger cued you in on.

So, remember, “Anger is not allowed!” You can feel it briefly, use what it has to show you, but then transmute it into something vastly more powerful!

A powerful guideline that I offer the leaders I work with is “Anger is not allowed.” Don’t show it outwardly. Don’t let your people see it. And don’t harbor it for very long within yourself. You see, as I often explain, leadership is performative. As a leader, you are always putting on a s...

04/30/2026

I had a great day visiting the Raymond/Toyota Material Handling lithium ion battery facility in Binghamton today, working with engineers on dealing with human difference and managing conflict. Such great people and powerful discussion! If you know me, you know how much I love Raymond and how much I learn from them! I always feel that my unique approaches to leadership development are so valued there because they are so aligned with Toyota thinking. The best thing any workplace can do to ensure high levels of performance is to invest in the talent of their people. Raymond and Toyota are excellent at that!

04/27/2026

I often use the questions presented in this exercise to begin my leadership workshops. Focused on various concepts that begin with the letter “I,” this infographic prompts leaders and prospective leaders through a process of introspective reflection.

04/26/2026

I created this infographic version of my "Five Questions" Exercise that I often use in leadership workshops. Whenever you're facing a complex situation with many unknowables, this is a helpful place to start. Give yourself time to reflect on and work through the questions.

I created the Five Questions for myself originally, to navigate complex situations. The first time I taught it to an audience was at the Binghamton University Department of Social Work. It proved transformative and two psychotherapists in the audience asked if they could use it with clients. Encouraged by its relevance, I have then shared in a variety of leadership contexts.

Let me know what you think!

04/26/2026

I spent the morning talking about leadership with an entirely new audience! Middle Schoolers! Students from Susquehanna Valley and Chenango Valley attended Hornet Academy at SUNY Broome.

Here are some the thoughts they shared with me! Notice how these ideas came so intuitively to these young people and yet seem to counterintuitive to grown ups!

"If your employees aren't happy then they will get mad and leave and go work for someone else!"
"If you're a bad boss, then people will tell everyone they know how terrible you are!"
"If people are afraid, then they're not going to tell you what they think!"
"If people feel like you're ripping them off, they're going to rip you off by stealing things to get back at you!"

BRILLIANT!

04/19/2026

For my first post on my firm's brand new page, I would like to share an infographic I created: "The Six Elements of Microtrauma's Effect on Talent." It explains how adverse events can get in the way of our talent. I hope someone finds it helpful!