Everyone loves to talk about authentic leadership. Very few talk about what happens when it goes wrong.

Authenticity without boundaries turns into ego.

Empathy without self-definition becomes exhaustion.

Leadership skills without sincerity feel like manipulation.

In the latest episode of Insights, I push back on the idea that leadership is just “be yourself.” It’s not. Real leadership is about calibration, knowing when your strengths are helping and when they’re quietly hurting the team.

If you’re tired of leadership buzzwords and want something more honest, give this episode a listen.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

⁠Amazon⁠

⁠Barnes & Noble⁠

Visit Us at: ThinkNewAmsterdam.

Trust is the foundation of leadership, but most leaders underestimate how intentional it must be.

In a special episode of my Insights podcast, I recorded the introduction to my new book, Leading With Trust.

The episode begins with a simple moment: an unexpected leadership decision, a choice to trust, and the impact that trust had on performance, confidence, and results. It’s a reminder that trust isn’t theoretical; it’s lived, earned, and reinforced through everyday behavior.

Trust enables people to step up.

Trust allows teams to collaborate under pressure.

Trust is what carries organizations through both success and crisis.

This episode sets the foundation for the book and introduces the thinking behind The 12 Elements of Trust, the behaviors that drive peak performance and lasting leadership impact.

If the episode resonates, the book takes you deeper, providing the structure, questions, and tools to build a culture of trust intentionally, not accidentally.

Leadership starts with trust.

What you build on top of it is up to you.

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

⁠Amazon⁠

⁠Barnes & Noble⁠

Everyone loves talking about “culture.” Most leaders don’t actually build one.

Tonight’s national championship isn’t being decided by hype speeches or talent alone. It’s being decided by standards, the kind most organizations say they have but don’t enforce.

In this week’s Insights episode, I break down what Curt Cignetti’s leadership teaches us about winning:

• Why motivation is overrated

• How performance earns opportunity (not potential)

• The danger of hiring résumé instead of fit

• How belief is built with proof, not posters

• Why calm leaders outperform loud ones

Five minutes. One story. Five takeaways.

If your culture collapses under pressure, don’t blame your people. Blame your standards.

Listen before the game. Then ask yourself, would your team win tonight?

Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:

⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠

⁠⁠Barnes & Noble⁠⁠

Visit Us at: ⁠ThinkNewAmsterdam.