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

09/01/2026

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a session on 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 with emerging leaders through the University of Kansas Public Management Center’s Emerging Leaders Academy.

And one idea kept coming back throughout our time together:

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆.

We explored the values that shape public service, organizational culture, and our own leadership.

But we also wrestled with something leaders face every day:

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙚?

🔹 Efficiency vs. equity
🔹 Transparency vs. loyalty
🔹 Innovation vs. tradition
🔹 Responsiveness vs. individual rights

Through reflection, discussion, a Values Auction, and real public-sector scenarios, participants had to think beyond simply naming their values.

They had to decide 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗼𝗳𝗳.

That’s leadership.

Because 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀—and our values shape how people experience those relationships.

A question worth asking:

𝙄𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚?

08/21/2026

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 🕷️

Spider-Man has a leadership problem.

Everybody expects something from him.

Save the city.

Protect the people you love.

Make the right decision.

And somehow still have a normal life.

Sound familiar?

Maybe your team isn't asking you to stop a supervillain.

But they ARE expecting you to have answers.

Your boss expects results.

Your employees expect support.

Your customers expect great service.

And sometimes those expectations compete with each other.

That's where leadership gets difficult.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

That means being clear about what you can do.

Being honest about what you can't.

Communicating when priorities change.

And not waiting until people are disappointed to explain what happened.

I've seen leaders create unnecessary frustration because they assumed everyone understood the plan.

They didn't.

That's why communication matters so much.

You may not be able to give everybody exactly what they want.

But you can make sure people understand what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what they can expect from you.

That's part of building trust.

And 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀.

🔹 Leadership lesson from the wild:

Don't make your team guess what success looks like.

Set expectations.

Communicate early.

Follow through.

Where have unclear expectations created problems for a team you've been part of?

08/19/2026

What if becoming a better leader requires letting go?

Letting go of control.

Letting go of needing to have every answer.

Letting go of the belief that because you're the leader, everything has to go through you.

Leadership thinker Margaret Wheatley has spent decades challenging our traditional ideas about leadership.

One of the lessons I take from her work is simple:

𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚.

In Leadership and the New Science, Wheatley explores organizations as living networks of relationships rather than machines that leaders have to control.

That's a big shift.

Because when things get uncertain, our instinct as leaders is often to tighten our grip.

More approvals.

More rules.

More meetings.

More decisions coming from the top.

But Wheatley's work suggests another possibility: people are capable of organizing, adapting, and finding solutions when they're connected by shared purpose and given room to contribute.

That's where letting go comes in.

Letting go doesn't mean abandoning responsibility.

It means creating clarity around where we're going and then trusting people enough to help figure out how we get there.

🔹 Give people context.

🔹 Invite their ideas.

🔹 Create clear expectations.

🔹 Then give them room to lead.

𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗕 𝗜𝗦𝗡'𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟.

Sometimes it's knowing when to give some of it away.

That's uncomfortable.

But if everything falls apart the moment you stop directing it, have you developed leaders or simply developed followers?

What could you let go of this week that would give someone else an opportunity to lead?

08/17/2026

𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡’𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦.

One of the harder parts of leadership is knowing when to hold the line and when to give someone grace.

Too much accountability without compassion can create fear.

Too much compassion without accountability can create confusion and frustration.

Good leadership requires both.

🔹 Set clear expectations.

🔹 Have the difficult conversation.

🔹 Listen before making assumptions.

🔹 Hold people responsible while still treating them like people.

I’ve learned that 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗦 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦.

That doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations. It means building enough trust to have them in a productive way.

This is exactly the kind of real-world leadership challenge we work through in my leadership development and team-building workshops. The goal isn’t another training where people leave with a bunch of concepts and wonder, “Okay, what now?”

It’s helping leaders build skills they can actually use when they get back to work.

If your organization is working through accountability, communication, conflict, or team dynamics, 𝙇𝙀𝙏’𝙎 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝘾𝙏.

What’s harder for leaders on your team - holding people accountable or showing compassion?

08/14/2026

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 👑

One of my favorite leadership lessons doesn't come from a business book.

It comes from *The Princess Diaries.*

When Mia first learns she's next in line for the throne, she doesn't suddenly become a great leader.

She's awkward.

She lacks confidence.

She makes mistakes.

And honestly...that's exactly how most leaders begin.

Too often, organizations promote someone because they're a great individual contributor and then expect them to magically know how to lead.

But leadership isn't something you're handed with a new title.

It's something you develop over time.

What I appreciate most about Mia's journey is that she wasn't expected to figure it out alone.

She had someone willing to coach her.

Someone who challenged her.

Someone who believed in her before she believed in herself.

I've seen this play out countless times in organizations.

The leaders who grow the fastest aren't always the most naturally talented.

They're the ones who stay curious, ask for feedback, and invest in becoming better.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱.

And that development rarely happens by accident.

It happens through intentional coaching, honest feedback, meaningful relationships, and the willingness to keep learning.

What's the best leadership lesson someone invested in you?

I'd love to hear your story.

08/12/2026

One of the most difficult leadership transitions is moving from supervising the work to developing the people who do the work.

I spoke with a coaching client today who is navigating that shift—from a task-focused frontline supervisor to a process-oriented director responsible for engaging and developing an entire team.

Our conversation centered on an important change in focus:

As a frontline employee or supervisor, you may spend much of your time thinking directly about the client: What do they need? How quickly can we respond? How can I solve this problem?

As a middle manager, your focus must expand. You still care deeply about the client—but you serve the client differently.

You serve the client by building a team that can consistently deliver excellent results.

That requires making time for:

• Clarifying expectations and improving processes
• Coaching people instead of simply correcting their work
• Building trust and strengthening team dynamics
• Developing employees’ judgment and decision-making
• Creating accountability without micromanaging
• Addressing conflict before it undermines performance

This transition can feel uncomfortable. Leaders who built their reputations by getting things done may struggle to step back from the tasks that once made them successful.

But the work of leadership has changed.

Your greatest contribution is no longer completing the most tasks or solving every problem yourself. It is creating the conditions for your team to perform at a high level—even when you are not in the room.

To serve clients with excellence, we must first build teams capable of delivering excellence.

That is the work of middle management.

08/10/2026

There’s nothing more rewarding than hearing that a workshop was engaging, relevant, and immediately useful.

I’m grateful to Literacy KC for this testimonial:

“Roosevelt offers a fun and interactive experience with his workshops. He does a great job addressing real workplace conflict and offering high-impact solutions tailored specifically for his clients. I highly recommend his Commitment and Accountability half-day session!”

Effective workplace training should do more than introduce concepts. It should help people address real challenges, strengthen relationships, and leave with practical tools they can put to work right away.

Through Lyons Share, I offer customized training and facilitation in areas including:

• Commitment and accountability
• Workplace conflict
• Emotional intelligence
• Trust and psychological safety
• Communication and team effectiveness
• Adaptive and situational leadership

If your organization is looking for an engaging, practical learning experience tailored to your team’s needs, let’s connect.

08/07/2026

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 🦌

What can Ted Lasso teach us about leadership?

A lot more than soccer.

One of my favorite leadership moments in the series isn't about winning games.

It's about how Ted responds to people.

He listens before he reacts.

He stays curious instead of defensive.

He sees the person before he sees the problem.

Too often, leaders assume emotional intelligence means being "nice."

It doesn't.

It means having the self-awareness to manage your own emotions while recognizing what's happening with everyone else on your team.

That's where trust starts.

And trust is what allows people to take risks, speak honestly, learn from mistakes, and do their best work.

I've worked with leaders who knew every policy, every process, and every technical detail of their job.

But they struggled to build relationships.

Eventually, those people problems became performance problems.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀.

Technical expertise might earn someone a promotion.

Emotional intelligence is what helps them become someone others actually want to follow.

What's one leadership lesson you've taken away from Ted Lasso?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

08/05/2026

**Are you leading like a sheepherder or a shepherd?**

Peter Drucker argued that the traditional supervisor has become an impediment to productivity. It's a provocative idea, but one that feels increasingly relevant.

Kimball Fisher offers an analogy I often think about:

A **sheepherder** moves the flock by barking orders, correcting mistakes, and keeping everyone in line. The result? People who wait for direction, avoid risk, and do just enough to get by.

A **shepherd** has a different focus. Rather than controlling every move, they remove obstacles, create clarity, and develop the flock's ability to navigate on its own. Their goal isn't simply to lead followers—it's to create more leaders.

The best leaders I've worked with spend less time asking, *"How do I get people to do what I want?"* and more time asking, *"How do I build a team that can thrive without me?"*

That's the difference between managing work and developing people.

Because leadership isn't measured by how many people follow you—it's measured by how many leaders you leave behind.

08/03/2026

One of the greatest privileges of my work is partnering with organizations that are deeply committed to developing their people.

Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to work alongside the incredible team at **Chicago Children's Advocacy Center**, providing executive coaching and leadership development for leaders across the organization. Their investment in leadership isn't just about professional growth—it's about strengthening the people who serve children and families every day.

Organizations like ChicagoCAC understand that when leaders become more self-aware, communicate more effectively, and build stronger relationships, the impact extends far beyond the workplace. It creates healthier teams, better decisions, and ultimately better outcomes for the communities they serve.

I'm especially grateful to Dia and the entire People & Culture team for trusting me with this work and for sharing these kind words:

> "Roosevelt has become a true extension of our leadership development strategy... His executive coaching and facilitation have played an important role in strengthening the capabilities of our leaders at every level of the organization."

Receiving feedback like this is incredibly meaningful because it reflects what I hope every engagement accomplishes: helping leaders grow in ways that create lasting impact for their teams and organizations.

Thank you to everyone at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center for your partnership and for the vital work you do every day to advocate for children, support families, and strengthen your community. It's an honor to play a small role in helping develop the leaders behind that mission.

Address

2000 E 60th Ter
Kansas City, MO
64130

Website

http://www.lyonsshare.org/

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