Lyons Share

Better Relationships for Better Outcomes

Lyons Share empowers leaders to create healthier workplaces by providing relationship-focused coaching and leadership development experiences. Solutions for Individuals and Organizations:
--Executive Coaching for Leadership
--Leadership Development Workshops
--Team Building Workshops

Assessments:
--Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI)
--Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0)
--Emotional Quotient 360 (EQ 360)
--'Everyone Leads' Assessment of Self and Culture

06/04/2026

𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦𝗡’𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚

One of the most misunderstood ideas in Patrick Lencioni's 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝘆𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 is commitment.

Many leaders assume a lack of commitment means employees are lazy, disengaged, or resistant to change.

In my experience, that's rarely the case.

More often, low commitment looks like:

🔹 People leaving meetings unsure about what was actually decided

🔹 Team members nodding in agreement but not following through

🔹 The same conversations happening over and over again

🔹 Employees quietly questioning decisions after the meeting ends

🔹 Leaders avoiding difficult discussions to keep the peace

The root problem is usually not commitment.

It's a lack of healthy conflict.

Lencioni argues that teams struggle to commit when people haven't had the opportunity to weigh in, challenge ideas, and be heard.

When team members feel their perspective matters, they are much more likely to support a decision, even if it wasn't their preferred option.

I've seen organizations spend months trying to solve accountability problems when the real issue was that nobody ever created clarity or buy-in around the decision in the first place.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Commitment creates accountability.

Accountability drives results.

If your team seems hesitant, resistant, or slow to act, ask yourself:

Did they truly have a chance to contribute before the decision was made?

I'd love to hear from other leaders.

What is one sign you've noticed that a team is struggling with commitment?

06/01/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗳 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱?

Too often, leadership development is reserved for people with titles.

But some of the most important leadership moments happen long before someone becomes a manager.

That's why I love facilitating the Kansas Leadership Center's 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 program.

The training is built around a simple but powerful idea:

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱.

Not because everyone has authority.

But because everyone has the capacity to help a group make progress on its toughest challenges.

In my experience, organizations thrive when leadership isn't concentrated at the top. They thrive when people throughout the organization have the confidence, skills, and permission to step forward, contribute ideas, and take action. This philosophy closely aligns with my belief that leadership development should be accessible to everyone, not just executives.

For nonprofit organizations, developing leadership capacity is more important than ever. Resources are limited, challenges are complex, and communities need strong leaders at every level.

That's why I'm currently 𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗬 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗦 for nonprofits interested in bringing the When Everyone Leads training to their teams.

You'll only be responsible for the program materials and any applicable Kansas Leadership Center costs.

If your nonprofit is looking to:

🔹 Build leadership capacity across your organization

🔹 Strengthen collaboration and problem-solving

🔹 Create a culture where people feel empowered to lead from where they are

I'd be happy to have a conversation.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹?

Share your thoughts below or send me a message. I'd love to learn what's working in your organization.

05/27/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲” 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 👀

One of the most dangerous things that can happen inside an organization is when everyone starts confusing politeness with trust.

Patrick Lencioni talks about this in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team through the idea of “artificial harmony.”

Everybody smiles in meetings.
Nobody disagrees publicly.
Conflict gets avoided.
Concerns get whispered in the hallway after the meeting instead of discussed during it.

On the surface, the culture looks healthy.

But underneath?

Resentment is building.
Accountability disappears.
Bad ideas go unchallenged.
Teams start protecting feelings instead of solving problems.

I’ve seen organizations spend so much energy trying to “keep the peace” that they unintentionally create cultures where honest conversations stop happening altogether.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁.

They learn how to engage in it productively.

That means:
🔹 Asking hard questions
🔹 Challenging ideas without attacking people
🔹 Creating enough trust for people to speak honestly
🔹 Addressing tension before it turns into disengagement

Sometimes the most caring thing a leader can do is create space for respectful disagreement.

Because leadership isn’t about protecting people from discomfort.
It’s about helping teams move through discomfort together in healthy ways.

I’m curious:
Have you ever worked on a team where “being nice” actually hurt communication or accountability?

What did you notice first?

05/11/2026

What if the system isn’t broken at all? What if it’s producing exactly what it’s designed to do.

Last week I had the opportunity to facilitate one of my favorite sessions – Adaptive and High Performing Organizations – for the Public Management Center’s Certified Public Manager program.

𝗪𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘆:“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻”
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱
🔹 It produces consistent patterns
🔹 It reinforces certain behaviors
🔹 It protects the status quo
𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴… 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺

When we think something is broken, our instinct is to fix it fast.
We create new policies. We restructure. We send people to training.
But if the issue is adaptive, those fixes don’t stick.

Why?

Because the system is doing something important - it’s protecting people from loss. Loss of control. Loss of comfort. Loss of identity.

So the system resists change not because people are difficult - but because something valuable feels at risk.

That’s why technical fixes fall short. Adaptive leadership is less about having answers and more about asking better questions.

Instead of jumping to solutions, we slow down and diagnose.
We look at what the system rewards, what it punishes, and what it avoids.

And this is where it can get uncomfortable - because sometimes we realize… We’re part of the system too. We may be reinforcing the very patterns we’re trying to change.

But once you can see the system clearly, you can start to lead differently.

Not by forcing change - but by helping people face what’s really going on.

05/05/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 “𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝗽?

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate the 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 course with the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.

And here’s what stood out…

🔹 People don’t struggle because they lack ability
🔹 They struggle because they’re not always 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 or 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 to lead from where they are

That’s what this work is about.

🔹 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
Teams walk away with:

Clear understanding of how leadership shows up in everyday work
Stronger 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 across roles and teams
Practical tools to navigate conflict, change, and uncertainty
Confidence to step into leadership - regardless of title

Because leadership isn't just about managing - it's about truly inspiring and engaging your team.

🔹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄
For 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, I 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 my standard facilitation fees for this course.

Why?

Because organizations doing critical community work deserve access to meaningful leadership development - not just surface-level training.

🔹 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮, not checking a box

If you’re part of a nonprofit and trying to:

Strengthen your team culture
Develop leaders at every level
Reduce burnout and improve collaboration

Let’s connect.

How is your organization building leadership capacity right now?

Drop your thoughts below or send me a message - I’d like to hear what’s working (and what’s not).

04/20/2026

Over the past few months, I’ve seen an influx of new coaching clients who are all asking the same question:

“Why can’t I even land an interview?”

They’re qualified.
They’re applying consistently.
They’re doing “all the right things.”

And yet… silence.

Here’s what I’m seeing:

We’re in a labor market where jobs exist—but hiring has slowed. Fewer roles. More applicants. Longer timelines. Higher selectivity.

Which means one thing:

👉 The traditional application process isn’t enough anymore.

Submitting more applications isn’t solving the problem. In many cases, it’s just increasing frustration.

What is working right now?

Relationships.

In this kind of market:

Referrals matter more than resumes
Conversations matter more than applications
Visibility matters more than volume

The people landing interviews aren’t always the most qualified on paper—they’re the ones who are:

Getting in front of decision-makers
Leveraging their network intentionally
Communicating their value clearly and directly
What this means for job seekers

If you’re relying primarily on online applications, you’re competing in the most crowded part of the funnel.

If you’re building and activating relationships, you’re moving yourself around that funnel.

That’s the shift.

What I’m working on with clients right now

In my coaching work, I’ve been helping clients:

Reframe their job search strategy
Identify and activate key relationships
Position their experience in a way that resonates
Build confidence in outreach and conversations

Because in this market, how you show up matters just as much as what’s on your resume.

If you (or someone in your network) are navigating a job transition and feeling stuck, I’m happy to connect.

Sometimes a small shift in strategy makes all the difference

04/07/2026

🚀 Leadership Lesson from Artemis II: You don’t wait for certainty—you prepare people for the unknown.

The Artemis II mission isn’t just about going back to the Moon.
It’s about going further than we’ve gone in decades—with new systems, new risks, and new questions.

And what stands out most?

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
It’s built on trust, preparation, and shared responsibility.

Think about it:

🔹 Astronauts training for scenarios that haven’t happened yet
🔹 Teams making decisions with incomplete information
🔹 Leaders trusting others to execute in high-stakes environments

That’s leadership.

Not having all the answers—
but building a team that can navigate without them.

In my work with leaders, I see the same challenge:

People want certainty before they act.
But leadership requires movement in the absence of it.

The best leaders:
✔ Invest in preparation, not perfection
✔ Build trust before the pressure hits
✔ Share leadership, because no one person can carry the mission

Artemis II is a reminder:

You don’t lead by eliminating risk.
You lead by preparing people to face it—together.

👇🏽 Where in your leadership are you waiting for certainty instead of building readiness?

04/06/2026

𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬

Great coaching isn’t about showing off how much you know; it’s about 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰. The answers are already within—they just need the right questions to unlock them. As coaches, we act as guides, helping clients step out of the daily grind and view their challenges from the balcony. 🏞️ From that perspective, they can see clearly, think objectively, and uncover the solutions that work best for them.

When coaching is done well, it centers on the client’s journey, not the coach’s expertise.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜: guiding without overpowering, supporting without steering, and empowering clients to own their path forward.

How do you or your organization approach coaching? Drop your insights below or send me a message to explore how coaching can transform your leadership or workplace culture. Let’s step onto the balcony together and see what’s possible!

♻️ Know a leader or team ready to find their answers? Share this post to spark the conversation.

03/23/2026

One of the biggest myths in leadership:
“Engagement will improve once we fix everything else.”

In reality, engagement is the indicator, not the outcome.

When people feel safe:

• They speak up

• They collaborate

• They invest emotionally in the work

I break this down in a short leadership training on psychological safety, trust, and team dynamics.

If you lead people—and want clarity, not another tactic—this is worth your time.

👇 Watch here:
https://lyonsshare.org/leadership-strategy-roadmap

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03/18/2026

Day 2 of 3 with Reno County, Kansas—and the energy in the room continues to build.

Over the past two days, I’ve had the opportunity to work with 170 supervisors across six sessions at the Dylan Nature Center as part of Reno County’s HPO initiative.

We’ve been focused on a critical leadership capability: building psychological safety and mastering crucial conversations.

What stands out most isn’t just the content—it’s the willingness of leaders to lean in, reflect, and practice. These supervisors are doing the real work:
✔ Creating environments where people feel safe to speak up
✔ Addressing tough, high-stakes conversations with clarity and respect
✔ Strengthening trust to improve team performance

Psychological safety isn’t a “soft skill”—it’s a performance driver. When leaders get this right, collaboration improves, innovation increases, and outcomes follow.

Appreciative of Reno County’s investment in their people and culture. Looking forward to closing out Day 3 strong.

Address

2000 E 60th Ter
Kansas City, MO
64130

Website

http://www.lyonsshare.org/

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