Revisiting Strategy with Intention You don’t need another brainstorming session. And you certainly don’t need another binder full of goals. What you probably need is space to figure out why the plans you’ve made haven’t led to the traction you hoped for. You’re not alone. Most strategic plans don’t fail because they’re bad ideas. They fail because strategy execution breaks [ Read More ]
Why Relying on One Person’s Knowledge Can Hold Your Business Back Every business has a "Brenda". The employee who knows everything. Whether it’s solving a complex problem or dealing with a difficult client, Brenda has the answers. Over time, she becomes indispensable, the go-to person for all things critical to the business. But what happens when Brenda takes time [ Read More ]
When Leadership Turns Into a Bottleneck David was the hero of his company. As the head of sales for a fast-growing tech firm, he was the first one in, the last one out, and the person with every answer. An employee had a question about a proposal. They went to David. A client had a unique request? David [ Read More ]
What Growth Actually Feels Like At the end of the first workshop in Aileron’s Becoming a More Conscious Leader 12-month program, a participant laughed and sighed while sharing, “I feel like I’ve been through a workout — for my brain and my heart.” That’s not unusual. In fact, it’s expected. As Erika Alessandrini, Aileron Leadership Coach, often reminds [ Read More ]
When Pressure Takes Over, What Happens Next Defines Your Leadership Picture this: A CEO walks into a meeting just after a tense call with a client. Frustration lingers. An employee raises a concern — and the CEO snaps. The conversation shuts down. Nothing gets solved. Later, the CEO regrets it. The issue was minor. The reaction wasn’t. We’ve [ Read More ]
Why Conscious Leadership Lasts a Lifetime Ten years after attending a leadership session, a former participant sent a note with a simple reflection: “I still use these tools every single day.” That’s the power of conscious leadership. It’s not a quick fix or a one-time event. It’s a way of showing up — one that continues to grow [ Read More ]
The Most Effective Leadership Begins Within The room was quiet. A group of leaders — directors, owners, C-suite executives, and entrepreneurs — sat in a circle. Some crossed their arms, others leaned back, cautious and curious. One participant, a director of operations at a mid-sized company, admitted: “I thought this would be about managing my team better. But [ Read More ]
3 Key Takeaways from Stacey Lawson’s Summit 2025 Community Spotlight Growth is the most powerful thing a leader can commit to—especially in times of uncertainty. When leaders choose to stretch themselves, they not only unlock their own potential but also create the conditions for their teams and organizations to thrive. At Summit 2025, as part of our Community [ Read More ]
If you’re a business owner who doesn’t have a plan for how your business will continue without you, you’re not alone. ~70% of family-owned businesses fail to survive the transition from the first to the second generation, and only about 12% make it to the third. 47% of family business owners looking to retire in the next five [ Read More ]
Your calendar and to-do list are probably screaming at you to delegate, but in case that isn't enough, here are eight evidence-based reasons you should invest in learning how to harness this leadership superpower. Increased engagement: Employees who feel their managers delegate effectively are 63% more engaged at work. Source: HBR Higher retention: 91% of employees say that [ Read More ]
As a business leader, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day whirlwind of running your organization. You have fires to put out, decisions to make, and projects to oversee —and that can leave little time to pause and consider the bigger picture. But as a leader in your business, setting and executing your strategy is some [ Read More ]
As we approach January, consider the many ways you might learn about and through the power of perspective. Each Founder’s Day, Aileron honors Clay Mathile through a month of Learning, Doing, and Giving – three pillars Clay believed were essential to building a meaningful life. This year, the Aileron community is gathering on Campus on January 9 as [ Read More ]
