Personify Leadership

10/08/2026

The best leadership training should not end when leaders leave the classroom. The real impact comes when they keep using the skills months later. This week, we heard from a client who brought Personify Leadership onsite last year. She and 20 of her leaders completed our Core Program together. What she shared is a great example of what lasting leadership growth can look like.

Each month, she brings her supervisors together and revisits one of the modules from their Personify Leadership experience. They break into small groups to discuss the skill, then come back together to share what they learned. She ends each meeting with an action item leaders can take back to their teams. Even better, she uses the weekly Personify emails to add fresh ideas and tips to those conversations.

This is exactly why we built learning beyond the classroom into the Personify Leadership experience. After the Core Program, leaders receive access to a 90-day mobile coaching tool. They can interact with the tool, ask questions, and get help applying what they learned to real leadership situations. Participants also receive a full year of weekly reinforcement emails. Each Tuesday, a short two-minute article revisits one of the leadership skills and offers practical tips for putting it into action with others.

A two-day program can spark change. Continued practice helps that change stick. When leaders revisit the skills, talk about them with peers, and apply them with their teams, leadership development becomes part of how they work. Our client's story shows that the Core Program does not have to be a one-time event. With the right tools and a committed leader, the learning can continue all year long.

Want to create that kind of experience for your leaders? Schedule a Discovery Call to explore bringing a Personify Leadership team member onsite to deliver the Core Program for your organization. Or join us at our upcoming Open Enrollment Core Program in Denver, November 17-18. We have a few seats left and would love to have your leaders in the room.

~Michelle Cummings
Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer
Personify Leadership

Schedule a call: https://calendly.com/pcummings-personify/30min

Register for a course: https://www.personifyleadership.com/events/

09/14/2026

Every once in a while, a participant surprises you. About five months ago, I was facilitating our Personify Leadership Deep Dive program for an organization when one participant caught my attention. He had been with his company for 40 years in the marine industry. Forty years. He had decades of experience and had likely faced more workplace and leadership challenges than many people in the room.

We began the program with the Heart of a Leader module, which focuses heavily on empathy. Deep Dive asks leaders to look inward, examine how they show up for others, and consider where they may need to grow. This gentleman was clearly struggling with the topic. His nonverbal signals weren't exactly subtle. There were folded arms. There were eye rolls. At one point, I actually wondered if he might walk out of the training.

Then he surprised me.

He came in early on Day Two and asked if he could talk with me. He said, "I'm not sure if you noticed, but that first module was really hard for me." I laughed out loud and told him, "Oh, I noticed." Then he asked me for advice. He genuinely wanted to know how he could begin using empathy in his role as a leader.

We talked through several practical things he could try with his team. I gave him some ideas he could put into practice right away. More importantly, I asked him to think about a much bigger question: What kind of leader do you want to be?

The program ended, everyone returned to work, and I didn't see him again. But his learning didn't stop when he left the classroom. That's an important part of how we approach leadership development at Personify Leadership. We don't want our programs to become another training event that gets checked off a leadership development plan. We want participants to take what they learned back to work and actually use it.

That's why our participants continue receiving reinforcement after the program. Each week, they receive a short, two-minute-read article tied to something we covered in class. Each article also includes three practical tips they can try right away. The goal is simple: keep the learning alive and help leaders move from understanding a skill to actually using it.

Fast-forward five months.

I recently returned to the same organization to facilitate another Deep Dive program. That participant drove three hours just to stop by, say hello, and tell me what had happened since our class.

He told me he was a changed person and a changed leader.

Then he explained what he had been doing. Every time one of my reinforcement articles arrived, he copied it, highlighted the parts that resonated with him, and tried the tips. Week after week, he kept working on the skills we had discussed in class.

Then he said something that really stayed with me. He told me I could ask any of his direct reports about the change. He believed they would tell me just how different his leadership style had become since going through our programs.

I told him he was one of my biggest surprises of 2026. I also finally admitted that during that first Heart module, I genuinely thought he might walk out of the training. We both had a good laugh about that.

But there is something powerful behind that laugh.

After 40 years in his field, this leader could have decided he already knew everything he needed to know about leadership. He could have dismissed the idea of empathy because it felt uncomfortable. He could have rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, finished the class, and gone right back to leading exactly as he had before.

Instead, he got curious. He asked for help. He tried something new. Then he kept practicing. Five months later, the people he leads are experiencing a different version of him.

That's what leadership development should do.

It shouldn't end when the class ends. Real growth happens when leaders take what they learn, practice it, reflect on it, and make different choices when they return to work. Sometimes those changes are small. Over time, those small changes can completely change how others experience us as leaders.

Forty years of experience didn't mean this gentleman was finished growing. In fact, his willingness to keep learning may be one of the strongest signs of leadership.

Our next Personify Leadership Open Enrollment program is November 17-18, 2026, in Littleton, Colorado. Registration is open now, and through Friday, September 18, you can save 10%, or $150, on your registration. Simply use discount code disc10 when registering at www.personifyleadership.com/events.

No matter how long you've been leading, there is always something new to learn about yourself. The question is not how many years you've been a leader. The question is: What kind of leader do you want to become?

~Michelle Cummings
Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer
Personify Leadership

07/14/2026

Every organization is made up of interconnected parts: departments, teams, and individuals that depend on each other to succeed. As leaders, it is easy to focus on the needs of your immediate group without realizing how your actions ripple through the larger system. Sometimes those actions unintentionally create division or fuel misunderstanding between other parts of the organization.

For example, pushing for a tight deadline might meet your team’s goals but strain another department’s capacity. Sharing partial information may keep your group informed but leave others confused about priorities. These situations are rarely intentional, yet they can weaken trust and collaboration across the organization.

Considering the bigger system means pausing to ask, “Who else will this affect?” and “How might this be perceived outside my team?” These questions help you identify potential points of friction before they happen, allowing you to take steps to prevent them.

It also means looking for patterns. If you notice repeated tension between certain groups, ask yourself whether your actions or communication style could be reinforcing those divides. Even small adjustments, like involving other teams earlier in a decision or sharing context more openly, can shift the dynamic in a positive way.

When leaders take this broader view, they become connectors rather than contributors to silos. They help different parts of the organization see each other as partners working toward the same goals, rather than separate entities competing for resources or recognition.

The ability to consider the whole system is not about avoiding tough decisions. It is about making those decisions with awareness of their impact, so that progress in one area does not come at the cost of another.

Our Core Program teaches leaders how to recognize system-wide impacts, reduce unintentional divisions, and foster collaboration across the entire organization.

Tip/Tool for Implementation: Before acting, ask how this will affect relationships and understanding across the organization.

Leaders who consider how their actions impact the broader system reduce division and misunderstanding between teams. By anticipating ripple effects and communicating with the whole organization in mind, they strengthen trust, alignment, and collaboration across all parts of the system.

Supportive Research: Breaking Down Silos: Collaborative Strategies for Organizational Success. Applied Psychology. June 2025. By Brene Brown

~Michelle Cummings
Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer
Personify Leadership

07/14/2026

Last chance if you want to participate in our Core Program delivered by Personify founder, Michelle Cummings! Just 2 weeks until our Strengths-Based Open Enrollment Workshop with 34 Strong on July 27-28. This interactive experience will help you tap into your natural strengths, strengthen your leadership, and walk away with tools you can use right away. Seats are filling - secure yours now and join us for a transformative two days.

Claim your spot here ---> https://www.personifyleadership.com/events/

06/23/2026

Spots are filling fast for our DiSC-based Open Enrollment Core Program, and leaders across industries are stepping in to sharpen how they lead and communicate. For over 13 years, this research-based experience has helped leaders drive real results and stronger team performance worldwide. Secure your seat now and walk away with tools you can use immediately.

Claim your spot here: https://www.personifyleadership.com/events/

06/18/2026

Join us at one of our Strengths-Based Open Enrollment Workshops with 34 Strong - an energizing, hands-on experience designed to help you lead from your strengths and elevate your impact. Whether you’re looking to grow as a leader or bring new tools back to your team, this program delivers practical insights you can apply immediately. Be part of a powerful learning experience that transforms how you lead and collaborate.

Claim your spot here ---> https://www.personifyleadership.com/events/

06/09/2026

Join us for our Strengths-Based Open Enrollment Workshop with 34 Strong - an energizing, hands-on experience designed to help you lead from your strengths and elevate your impact. Whether you’re looking to grow as a leader or bring new tools back to your team, this program delivers practical insights you can apply immediately. Be part of a powerful learning experience that transforms how you lead and collaborate.

Claim your spot here ---> https://www.personifyleadership.com/events/

06/01/2026

A few years ago, I was working with a leadership team that had done almost everything right. They had a clear strategy, talented people, defined goals, and strong performance metrics. On paper, everything looked solid. Yet they were struggling with turnover, employee frustration, and inconsistent results. As we dug deeper, it became clear that the problem wasn't their strategy. The problem was that people didn't trust one another. Important conversations weren't happening. Feedback was being avoided. Managers were making assumptions instead of listening. Employees didn't feel heard. The strategy wasn't failing. The people responsible for executing it were struggling to work together effectively.

That experience reinforced something I've seen repeatedly throughout my career. Every organization has a visible side and an invisible side. The visible side is easy to see. It includes strategy, budgets, technology, workflows, organizational charts, goals, and performance metrics. Leaders spend enormous amounts of time building and improving these things. The invisible side is different. It consists of trust, communication, accountability, resilience, courage, and the quality of relationships between people. While the visible side determines how work is supposed to get done, the invisible side determines how people actually show up to do it.

Most organizations are very intentional about developing the visible side. We invest in new technology. We redesign processes. We create dashboards. We establish goals and key performance indicators. Yet the invisible side often receives far less attention. We hope managers know how to build trust. We hope teams communicate effectively. We hope accountability happens. We hope people know how to navigate conflict and change. The challenge is that the invisible side influences business results just as much as the visible side. When trust is low, engagement declines. When engagement declines, performance suffers. When communication breaks down, mistakes increase. When leaders avoid difficult conversations, accountability weakens. What often appears to be a business problem is frequently an invisible-side problem hiding beneath the surface.

This is why I believe leadership is the architecture of the invisible side. Every interaction a leader has either strengthens or weakens it. Every conversation builds trust or erodes it. Every decision either creates clarity or confusion. Every act of courage encourages more courage, and every avoided conversation creates more distance. At Personify Leadership, we've spent years helping leaders strengthen this side of the organization through eight core leadership competencies. The Heart builds trust and intention. The Mind develops resilience. The Voice strengthens communication. The Ears create understanding. The Hands develop others through delegation. The Feet reinforce accountability through role modeling. The Spine provides courage when challenges arise. The Eyes create vision and direction. Together, these competencies help leaders intentionally shape the experience people have at work every day.

The organizations that consistently outperform others understand that success requires attention to both sides of the organization. The visible side creates structure, direction, and clarity. The invisible side creates commitment, engagement, and discretionary effort. One without the other creates imbalance. The best strategy in the world will struggle when trust is low. The most efficient process will fail when communication breaks down. The strongest technology cannot compensate for leaders who lack courage, accountability, or the ability to connect with others. Sustainable results happen when leaders intentionally develop both sides together.

If your organization is facing challenges with retention, engagement, culture, succession planning, or performance, the answer may not be another process improvement initiative. It may be time to strengthen the invisible side of your organization. Our multi-year leadership development journey helps organizations build leadership capacity over time through experiential learning, practical application, and measurable growth. Start with our Leadership Assessment to identify strengths and opportunities across the eight core leadership competencies. Then deepen the journey with our new 360-Degree Feedback and Coaching Package, providing leaders with meaningful insights, personalized coaching, and a clear path for development. Because the strongest organizations don't leave leadership growth to chance. They intentionally develop the invisible side that drives everything else.

Want to learn more? We have a webinar this Wednesday called The Inside Look where I give a high-level overview of our Core Program.

~Michelle Cummings
Founder, CEO & Chief Creative Officer
Personify Leadership

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05/21/2026

ATD 2026 is officially in the books!

A huge thank you to the Association for Talent Development (ATD) for bringing together 7,500+ leaders, learning professionals, and talent development experts from around the world for an incredible week of learning, connection, and growth.

At Personify Leadership, we loved reconnecting with past clients, meeting new prospects, and having meaningful conversations about what leadership development looks like in today’s workplace.

A few highlights from the week:
• Launching our new 360-Degree Feedback Tool
• Sharing 100+ Leadership Assessment links with attendees
• Giving away 50 decks of our Conversational 360 Cards (Why wait for annual performance reviews to give feedback? These cards help leaders create more consistent and meaningful 1:1 conversations with their teams.)

We also had the opportunity to present our workshop: “From Stress to Strength: Practical Tools for Emotionally Resilient Leaders.”

One of the best parts of ATD is reconnecting with friends and partners across the industry, including the Association of Learning and Development Organizations (ALDO) + ISA-The Assoc of Learning Providers. Nathan Regier, Ph.D. Aaron Chappell Deckert, MSOD, Jamie Remsberg, Deborah Molique, David Dye, Karin Hurt, Britt Andreatta, PhD, David Morelli, PhD, Paul Cummings, Scott Blanchard, Kay Basi, Lena Baer, Tacy M. Byham, Ph.D, Margie Blanchard, Elaine Biech, Kevin Eikenberry, and I'm sure I'm missing a few others.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, attended a session, shared ideas, and supported our mission to develop courageous, emotionally resilient leaders.

And fun to bump into fun friends, clients and colleagues Fletcher Raftery, M.S., Robert Pattieri, Jack Phillips, PhD, Artrell Williams, CPTM, CPTD, Jimbo Clark, Vince Han, HREC, Steven M. Shook, PhD, Ben Ledyard and Michael Messner, too!

Already looking forward to next year.

05/11/2026

Curious what competencies we cover in our leadership course? Please join us THIS WEEK for our upcoming Inside Look Webinar on May 13 at 3:00pm ET / 1:00pm MT to get a feel for what we cover in our Core Program

Claim your spot here: Inside Look Webinar Registration https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEvHWnDUlYIQNeTsEwsEHTzO1J3dTpQOHlApQDHTE0zEmK2w/viewform