Leadership Circle

05/29/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?

🔍 In this month’s 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗿𝘆 video, Psychometrician Joseph Leman unpacks the 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 dimension of the Leadership Circle Profile®—and what the data reveals about the hidden tradeoffs of seeking approval.

Leaders who score high in Pleasing are often working hard to maintain harmony, avoid disappointment, or manage how they’re perceived. But over time, that pattern can dilute candor, slow decision-making, and make it harder to lead with clarity and courage.

Pleasing isn’t about kindness or care for others. It’s about where a leader’s sense of safety and value comes from. When approval becomes the goal, leaders may hold back difficult feedback, avoid healthy conflict, or say yes when they really mean no.

One fascinating insight from the data: leaders tend to rate themselves higher on Pleasing than others rate them. In true “𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀,” Joseph explores why that gap matters—and what it reveals about the internal experience of leadership.

🎥 Watch the latest Data Wizardry video to see how Creative leaders move beyond approval-seeking and into authenticity, courage, and deeper effectiveness.

05/29/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest Leadership Circle Profile 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 in North America—our May 19–21 cohort! 🎉

This incredible group is now part of a global community of more than 12,000 coaches and consultants committed to deepening the conscious practice of leadership and creating meaningful transformation in leaders and organizations around the world.

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. Your journey is just beginning, and we’re honored to walk alongside you!

A special thank you to Vinay Kumar, PCC and Patty Oji for guiding this cohort and stewarding such powerful conversations.

👇 Join us in celebrating these new practitioners (see tags below)!

If you’re feeling called to expand your impact, explore upcoming LCP certification cohorts and find one that fits your schedule. We’d love to welcome you next. Learn at the link in the comments.

Alex Yaroslavsky, NCM, PCC
Andrea L. Ames
Cathy Mazan Murata, ACC
Demond McKenzie, EdD
Elizabeth Guanlao
Gretchen Slenk
Ina Winterle
Jasen Miller
Joseph Ormsby
Kaitlin Erickson
Kathy Varto
Laura Bouvier
Lauren McClain
Lauren Zulli, PCC
Rodney Allen

05/28/2026

A coach’s value today isn’t just in asking powerful questions. It’s in helping organizations navigate the very human dynamics underneath performance.

The best coaches don’t just create insight for individuals; they create ripple effects across teams, culture, and leadership systems.

Read the full piece and consider the conversation it opens up around what modern teams truly need from coaches right now.

https://leadershipcircle.com/blog/what-makes-a-coach-truly-valuable-to-an-organization-today/

It’s an uncomfortable question, but an essential one. Because the context has changed. And with it, organizations’ expectations of those who support their leaders have evolved as well. Today, being a good listener is no longer enough. A professional demeanor and powerful questions aren’t enoug...

05/26/2026

Complex environments don’t call for quicker answers—they call for deeper seeing.

Discernment enables leaders to slow down, make sense of competing signals, and respond with greater clarity and effectiveness.

Read this perspective we've recently shared on discernment in complexity.

In complexity, discernment beats speed. This piece explores how leaders navigate uncertainty by listening deeply and choosing what truly matters.

05/26/2026

Some voices help us think differently about leadership. Bob Anderson is one of them.

For decades, Bob has helped leaders navigate complexity, expand consciousness, and grow into the kind of leadership the world now requires. Now, he’s bringing those reflections together in a new monthly newsletter: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Each edition explores the real terrain of leadership and life—with insights from the field, practical ways to apply what resonates, and prompts to help you reflect, experiment, and grow in real time.

👉 If you’re drawn to leadership that goes beyond performance into purpose, awareness, and transformation, we invite you to step into the field and sign up today!

Link is in the comments.👇

05/21/2026

📣 It’s official. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻! 🎉
For the first time, Leadership Circle practitioners can become Pulse certified fully on their own schedule, without waiting for a live cohort.

Pulse helps leaders turn insight into sustained action by keeping development visible, measurable, and active between coaching sessions. It gives coaches real-time data, deeper coaching conversations, and a clearer way to track growth over time.

And now, 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.

This new self-paced experience combines the same depth and rigor of our live certification with the freedom to move at your own pace, integrate learning in real time, and immediately apply it with clients.

If you’ve been wanting to deepen your coaching practice, strengthen long-term client impact, and bring more measurable transformation into your engagements, this is your moment.

👉 Learn more and begin your Pulse Certification journey today at the link in the comments.

05/20/2026

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 “𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲” 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.

📊 The 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 dimension in the Leadership Circle Profile® reflects the tendency to seek approval, avoid disapproval, and shape leadership around being accepted or well received by others.

That can look like:

✔️ Saying yes too often
✔️ Avoiding difficult conversations
✔️ Holding back dissenting views
✔️ Prioritizing harmony over clarity

And while those patterns may preserve relationships in the short term, they often come at the expense of candor, accountability, and effective leadership.

One of the most fascinating findings in the data? Leaders rate themselves significantly higher on Pleasing than others rate them—making it one of the biggest blind spots in the profile.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿: Creative leadership begins when leaders stop managing for approval and start leading for outcomes that matter.

👉 Explore the insights in our latest 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 infographic.

05/20/2026

Many leaders know how to win. Fewer know how to succeed in ways that are sustainable, principled, and truly meaningful.

This perspective examines the deeper shift from performance-driven winning to purpose-aligned success—and why it changes how leaders show up.

Read more in this message from Leadership Circle CEO Bill Adams.

Creative leadership challenges scoreboard thinking and redefines success through purpose, contribution, and lasting impact.

05/17/2026

Earlier this month, we gathered for another Surfacing Creative Leadership conversation, this time exploring the Pleasing dimension and the ways care, connection, and empathy can both strengthen leadership and, at times, quietly limit it.

We talked about how leaders can begin to recognize when support turns into over-accommodation, when harmony comes at the expense of honesty, and what it looks like to lead with care while still staying grounded in clarity and truth.

Thank you again to Leadership Circle expert coaches Yvonne Ingalls, Mike Kraft, and Keith Lewis for such a thoughtful and honest discussion. We’re grateful for the wisdom and insight each of you brought to the conversation.

If you missed the session or would like to watch the replay, check the link in the comments.👇

05/17/2026

Drive without purpose burns out. Purpose without drive stalls.

The leaders who make a lasting impact are able to connect meaning with momentum—aligning who they are with how they act.

In this message, Leadership Circle CEO Bill Adams explores how purpose-fueled drive supports sustainable effectiveness, even in complex environments.

Driven leadership lives on the Reactive side for many leaders. Learn how reconnecting drive to purpose creates more sustainable, humane leadership.

05/15/2026

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 “𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲” 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.
In this conversation, Leadership Circle Co-Founders Bill Adams and Bob Anderson explore the 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 dimension of the Leadership Circle Profile®—one of the most common Reactive Tendencies leaders face.

At its heart, Pleasing is deeply human. It reflects the desire to be liked, accepted, and valued by others. But when approval becomes tied to our sense of worth, leaders can begin to hold back truth, avoid tension, over-accommodate, or trade authenticity for acceptance.

Bill and Bob unpack how Pleasing quietly shapes leadership, relationships, and culture—often in ways that look helpful, supportive, or collaborative on the surface, while limiting candor, courage, and effectiveness underneath.

Bob also shares the personal insight that led to the creation of the Pleasing dimension in the LCP—revealing how this pattern can keep even well-intentioned leaders disconnected from their own authority and voice.

Most importantly, the conversation points toward a different possibility: leading with both heart and strength, without losing yourself in the need for approval.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺?

📽️ 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.👇