The Step UP - Where Leaders, Talent Managers and Leadership Development pros find expert tips for Leadership excellence

Vulnerability and emotional intelligence keep coming up in leadership conversations — and Randy Lyman has a physicist's take on why. A patent-holding engineer who spent 36 years doing his own emotional work, Randy makes the case that the inner work isn't soft: it's the mechanism behind every result you care about. Kent and Randy unpack what leaders who want to grow actually have to let go of — and how showing up more honestly turns out to be the most effective thing you can do.

Guest: Randy Lyman is a physicist, serial entrepreneur, and authority on emotional intelligence — he founded and sc...

Trust isn't built through big gestures. It's built, and broken, through small ones. In this episode, Kent talks with leadership consultant and author Gerd Bents about his Leadership Map framework and what it actually takes to develop as a leader over time. The conversation covers why skills alone aren't enough, how AI is going to break human trust before it builds it, and what it means to lead from a place of courage rather than confidence.

Guest: Gerd Bents is a leadership consultant, coach, and author with nearly 30 years of experience working with executives and organizations through...

Most of us were taught that resilience means gritting your teeth and pushing through. Leadership advisor Angus Nelson challenges that idea head-on — and what he offers instead is both more practical and more human. In this conversation, Kent and Angus explore why a dysregulated nervous system is the most expensive bottleneck in any business, and what leaders can actually do about it.

Guest: Angus Nelson is the author of Neuro Resilient Leader and founder of Evolve Leadership — he helps high-performing leaders install what he calls Leadership Stability through his C³ Protocol: Clarity, Capacity, and Composure.

In th...

What happens when your technical brilliance gets you promoted — and then becomes your biggest liability? Frank Sherwood spent his early career as a high-performing engineer who needed "finishing school" to survive leadership. In this conversation, Frank traces his career from aerospace engineering at Rosemount to managing a 500-site global real estate portfolio to joining CBRE — and what each transition demanded of him as a leader.

Guest: Frank Sherwood is First Vice President at CBRE, with a 20+ year career in corporate real estate spanning leadership roles at JLL, Staubach, Cushman & Wakefield, and CRESA, including managing real estate portfolios acro...

Most companies measure engagement once a year and then throw a happy hour at the results. Seth Thomas, HR leader at Claris Health, argues that's exactly backwards — engagement lives in the 364 other days, not the survey or the social event. In this conversation, Kent and Seth dig into the real relationship between engagement and performance, why feedback culture is harder to build than it looks, and what leading a fully remote workforce of 30+ states has taught Seth about making connection feel less optional.

Guest: Seth Thomas is an HR leader at Claris Health with a background in in...

What actually changes when you stop being the best individual contributor in the room and start being responsible for the people around you? Nicole Nelson has navigated that question at every level of a 20+ year career in CPG sales, from her first people management role covering Southern California and Hawaii to leading cross-functional teams as a Senior Director. In this conversation, she gets specific about the moments that forced her to recalibrate, the mentors who saved her, and why self-assurance beats imposter syndrome every time.

Guest: Nicole Nelson is Senior Director of Sales, Distribution and Sales Planning...

Leadership expectations are rising faster than leader preparation. That's the tension at the center of this conversation with Justin Roscoe, VP of Learning and Organizational Development at California Credit Union. Justin makes a sharp case that organizations have been treating leadership development as an event when it needs to be an ecosystem, and the results of getting that wrong show up in turnover, disengagement, and leaders who are stuck managing the shift instead of leading the business.

Guest: Justin Roscoe is VP of Learning and Organizational Development at California Credit Union, where he leads training and development...

Leaders are busy running the business — but leading people is part of the business. So why does that so often fall through the cracks? Kent talks with Jill Gosnell, Corporate Training & Development Manager at Field Aerospace, about the real tension between what HR expects leaders to do and what leaders are actually equipped to handle.

Guest: Jill Gosnell has spent her career across corporate L&D, state government, global consulting — and a decade running her own bakery. That hands-on business experience shapes how she thinks about leadership development and the demands on leaders' time.

In this...

Steve Moss served as Chief Marketing Officer at Gilbey Canada, Pillsbury International, Nestle Ice Cream and Imation. Global brands are his sweet spot. Steve reversed Smirnoff declines in Canada and set the brand on a path for six consecutive years of growth. He authored the Pillsbury Company's first global brand manual, for the Green Giant brand. Steve introduced Häagen-Dazs to China, its largest market after the US. And he revitalized Drumstick, reversing years of volume declines and creating advertising adopted by Nestle ice cream businesses worldwide. Steve's success in building brands is matched by his passion for developing l...

DR. GARLAND VANCE believes every person deserves to work with a great leader, and every leader can be great. He has spent over 25 years helping organizations develop the leaders they need to succeed. He authored Gettin' (un)Busy, which Forbes named “one of the seven books everyone on your team should read” and 2020’s Best Business Book by the AuthorElite Awards.

DOROTHY WOOD VANCE has been helping leaders discover and maximize their unique talents and gifts for over 25 years, empowering good leaders to become great. With her husband, Garland, she cofounded AdVance Leadership, which is recognized as one of...

Kari Loken is an expert in leadership and talent development, people and culture strategy, and organizational effectiveness. As a consultant, coach, and facilitator, she empowers leaders to thrive, navigate change, lead diverse teams, and build healthy, high-performing organizations. With over 15 years of global experience in learning and organizational development, Kari has delivered impactful leadership and strategy programs across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America.

We're diving into the art of communication and why it’s a game-changer for building relationships and achieving results. In this episode, we chat with Kari Loken about how leaders can shift their mi...

Atiba de Souza is an author, entrepreneur, and relationship mentor who helps leaders break free from burnout and build teams that take ownership. He wrote The Delegation Trap: It’s Not Them, It’s You, a story-driven guide teaching leaders how to let go of every task and get results that shine. With 25+ years running gyms, bakeries, and food service companies and coaching National Championship youth football teams, he knows firsthand what it takes to turn average performance into excellence. His mission is simple: transform overwhelmed bosses into confident leaders of teams that thrive, even when they’re not in the...

Anna Marie Samson is a people-focused leader, strategist, and culture builder with a passion for helping organizations grow without losing what makes them human.

With experience spanning learning and development, talent management, and organizational effectiveness, Anna Marie has spent her career designing systems that unlock performance, engagement, and joy at work.

With over two decades of shaping people strategy in fast-paced, growth-oriented environments such as Celanese, FedEx, and Wingstop, she brings experience leading global talent teams across manufacturing, retail, and hospitality sectors.

In her current role as Vice President of Learning, People, and...

Elena Agaragimova is a global talent development expert, speaker, and Co-Founder of Shiftwell.ai—a human-centered performance and wellbeing platform. With over 15 years of experience spanning higher education, corporate learning, and entrepreneurship, Elena helps individuals and organizations unlock growth through practical, neuroscience-backed strategies. She’s passionate about building high-performing, soul-centered workplaces and preparing the next generation for the future of work.

The future of leadership hinges on understanding how our nervous systems operate, especially for those in charge. We dive deep into the six essential elements that drive human performance: mindset, career, health, relationships, environment, and purpose. It's...

David Boelens is the Integrated Talent Development (ITD) lead for Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality at Raytheon, an RTX Company. The ITD mission is aimed at connecting people with questions to people with answers in a personal, scalable, and sustainable way.

Prior to working at Raytheon, David served in the United States Army as a Cavalry Officer. At Raytheon, he has held roles of increasing responsibility in Operations, Supply Chain, Digital Technologies, and Learning and Talent Development. David has a Bachelor’s degree in History from Texas A&M University, and a Masters in Supply Chain and En...

As a certified executive coach, Organizational Development strategist, Impact Measurement & Learning expert, and founder of The Trusted Edge, Kasia Hatcher helps strong women and mission-driven organizations lead with clarity, grounded confidence, and measurable impact. Her 20+ years across 20+ countries includes coaching political appointees, senior foreign service officials, and leaders at Google, Deloitte, and the U.S. State Department. Her approach blends systems thinking, human-centered design, emotional intelligence, and a faith-rooted belief in the power of leading from the inside out.

Today, we're talking about scaling your business while building and/or maintaining your culture.

A good...

Daniel Stewart is an Executive Consultant & Coach and serves as President of Stewart Leadership, a global leadership, team, and organizational consulting, training, and coaching firm. He is based out of Milwaukee, WI and has developed thousands of leaders over the past 25 years. He is also the co-author of the award-winning book LEAD NOW: A Personal Leadership Coaching Guide for Results-Driven Leaders.

Today, we're diving into the nitty-gritty of how to connect development strategy with talent and organizational strategy, all while making sure we’re not just going through the motions. Our main takeaway? If you see something, say somet...

Ericka Jones is here to create a spark. A spark for change. A spark of inspiration for transformation. She utilizes her expertise in innovative and strategic leadership to embed programs throughout organizations. She has a deep background in Operations, HR, Learning and Development and DEI. We met while we were both working at Cargill.

In today's episode, we're diving into some heavy but super relevant territory: the whole deal with belonging during layoffs. The big takeaway? You can't control the outcome of layoffs, but you can totally control how honest and transparent you are with your team...

Molly Conlin Peterson is an executive and career transition coach with over 23 years of experience helping thousands of professionals, leaders, and executives find more meaningful work. Her approach blends positive psychology with the research of Dr. Brené Brown, guiding clients to lead with courage, purpose, and heart. Molly has worked with organizations like Wells Fargo, 3M, SoFi, Feeding America, Better Up, and the University of Minnesota, where she also taught Strategic Career Planning. She holds an MA in Human Development, is a PCC-level ICF Certified Coach, and is certified in a range of career and leadership assessments, including MBTI, S...

Molly Conlin Peterson is an executive and career transition coach with over 23 years of experience helping thousands of professionals, leaders, and executives find more meaningful work. Her approach blends positive psychology with the research of Dr. Brené Brown, guiding clients to lead with courage, purpose, and heart. Molly has worked with organizations like Wells Fargo, 3M, SoFi, Feeding America, Better Up, and the University of Minnesota, where she also taught Strategic Career Planning. She holds an MA in Human Development, is a PCC-level ICF Certified Coach, and is certified in a range of career and leadership assessments, including MBTI, S...

Ash Seddeek is a leadership communications advisor and speaker coach to Fortune 100 executives. He’s the founder of the Executive Greatness Institute and creator of the Chief Excitement Officer philosophy and the Free Up → Think Up → Speak Up framework, helping leaders transform communication moments into momentum. Ash has coached leaders at Cisco, Uber, and Google to communicate with clarity, conviction, and excitement that moves people to action.

Leaders often think they just need to show up and drop some brilliant ideas in meetings. But, as we dive into this episode, we discover that effective leadership is so much m...

Today is a unique episode. Future guest, Adam Walz, is guest hosting today with me, Kent Kniebel, as the guest!

We've got a real gem for you today: we're diving into the nitty-gritty of why a shocking one in three promotions tank within the first 18 months, and trust me, it’s a topic that hits home for a lot of us. Our expert guest is here to lay down some solid insights on how organizations can step up their game and actually support leaders in making those tricky transitions from one level to the next. We chat ab...

Marcus is the founder of Mammoth Leadership & Organizational Development, where he combines clear strategy, advanced leadership skills, and adaptive technology to help leaders and organizations achieve lasting results. His diverse career spans multiple leadership arenas, including serving as a former non-profit CEO, President and GM of two semi-professional athletic teams, entrepreneur, college professor, and U.S. Air Force veteran. With an MA in Management and Leadership, MS in Organizational Development, and multiple AI certifications, Marcus brings both theoretical depth and real-world application to his work as a certified executive coach, helping leaders navigate complex challenges and drive transformational change.<...

Morganne August is a former English teacher who found herself in digital marketing and account management by way of a few local startups. Driven by curiosity and the value of lifelong learning, Morganne enjoyed the fast-paced startup environment, but always found herself more interested in the company-employee relationship than in driving leads.

She now leads Geear’s hiring efforts, supports managers and leaders in growing their people, and shapes the employee experience and company culture as the Director of People Operations. Morganne resides in Richmond, Virginia and is a passionate volunteer for and advocate of the CARITAS Wo...

Dr. Benjamin Ritter, is a certified leadership and career coach, and author of the Amazon best-seller Becoming Fearless. He is the founder of Live for Yourself (LFY) Consulting and is passionate about creating a world where people live and work fearlessly. Ben has coached over 500 leaders with a strong focus on senior-level executives across multiple industries and geographic regions, within organizations that have included names such as Amazon, Coursera, DoorDash, Google, Fiserv, Northwestern, Mayo Clinic, Pinterest, Yelp, and more.

Are we giving our power away at work, or are we stepping up and owning our careers? That's the...

Randi Roberts built a remarkable 30-year career in Pharmaceuticals, rising from Sales Representative to Vice President and Business Unit Head at one of the world's largest pharma companies before serving as Chief Commercial Officer for a start-up. Along the way, she started and ran two businesses. Her journey through four companies (large and small) and multiple career moves taught her to embrace each transition as an opportunity for growth. The value of executive coaching in her own development programs inspired her to make coaching her second career, using her business leadership experience to help others navigate their own transitions.<...

Guest Bio:

As the Director of Global Talent Management, Kristofer O’Brien is an executive coach, management consultant, talent partner, sits on the Enterprise Learning Council and seasoned team leader with over 20 years of experience. He leverages his expertise in creating environments that foster superior performance to empower leaders to believe that everyone can make a difference in both their professional and personal lives.

Kristofer oversees the deployment of leadership development programs, leads change management efforts, and promotes a culture of innovation. He is committed to helping his clients and partners explore opportunities for greater su...

Judy’s mission is to catalyze leaders of all backgrounds to be their very best and to help organizations build a workplace ecosystem that allows all individuals to thrive.

Judy is passionate to help “culture-crossers” (women, persons of color, first gen and global professionals) express their Best Self to achieve their highest potential. She also engages with organizations to develop workplace ecosystems and inclusive managers who engage, inspire and promote individuals of different social identities, backgrounds and cultures. As a Chinese immigrant woman who grew up in NYC, Judy’s first-hand struggles and accomplishments as a culture-crosser have dee...

Marc founded the Talent Strategy Group and advises the world’s premier companies, governments, foundations, NGOs and not-for-profit organizations. He is regarded as a trusted counselor to organizations on their most sensitive talent issues.

He co-founded the Talent Management Institute, now the world’s most popular executive education program on talent with 7,000+ graduates. He co-authored the Harvard Business Review Publishing best-seller One Page Talent Management and 8 Steps to High Performance. His prior corporate experience includes executive HR roles at Bank of America and Avon Products. His prior consulting experience includes starting and leading the Global Leadership Consulting practice at...

Capping a 25-year career as a chief marketing officer and executive vice president of business development, Scott Jeffrey Miller currently serves as FranklinCovey's senior advisor on thought leadership. As a senior advisor, Scott leads the strategy and development of the firm's Speakers Bureau and the production of podcasts, webcasts, and best-selling books. Scott also hosts On Leadership with Scott Miller, the world's largest and fastest-growing leadership podcast, with a reach of more than six million listeners weekly. Scott also authors a leadership column for Inc.com and is the best-selling author of the Mess to Success book series.

N...

Jurgen Bank is a consultant and coach with over 20 years experience. Originally trained in Germany, for a very long time in the USA, he has consulted with dozens of the Global Fortune 1000 companies, in the US, India, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and all over Europe. He and I met over 15 years ago when we were colleagues at what became Korn Ferry. Always working with leaders, understanding their tasks and challenges, training, assessing and coaching them.

After Boston, Boulder, Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Haven and New York, he currently resides in Philadelphia with his wife Susan. He has ra...

Kyle Courtaway has over 25 years of experience working in all areas of strategic talent management including succession planning, high potential identification, competency alignment, performance management systems, executive coaching, 360° instrumentation, intact leadership team development, and key talent development. Kyle’s previous roles have included Learning and Development Consultant, Senior Leadership and Team Development Consultant, and Organizational Development Manager at Andersen/Accenture.

Leadership isn’t just about titles or corner offices; it’s all about influence, relationships, and the conversations we have. Today, we’re diving deep into the world of leadership with our guest, Kyle Courtaway, a leadership developme...

Geoffrey M. Roche, MPA, is the son of a nurse, healthcare expert, diversity advocate, and education enthusiast, presently serving as the inaugural North America Director of Workforce Development at Siemens Healthineers. In this role, he leads all national workforce development strategy and partnerships to advance a sustainable future-ready healthcare workforce. Roche speaks often on healthcare workforce topics at global conferences such as Becker's Annual Conference, HIMSS, HLTH, ASU+GSV, HolonIQ, and ViVE. In 2022, Roche was nominated to the Forbes Business Council for his national level work.

Roche has over 16 years of experience in hospital and higher education...

Lorelei Whitney, CEO of Wave Leader Consulting, partners with business leaders to propel successful strategies and high performance through culture, change leadership, strategic talent management, and diverse, equitable and inclusive teams. Her balanced focus on people and drive for results, moves others to action. Her influential approach is business relevant and insightful, bringing a partnership that activates empowerment and creates a pull for high performance.

Today, we're diving deep into the concept of leadership legacy, and let me tell you, it’s all about planting seeds for the future, even if you don’t get to see the...

Andy Storch is an author, consultant, coach, speaker and facilitator on a mission to get the most out of life and inspire others to do the same.

He is the author of the book, Own Your Career Own Your Life, which is designed to help professionals stop drifting and take control of their futures.

Andy is also the host of three podcasts, including The Talent Development Hot Seat; Own Your Career; and My NFT Journey. He is the co-founder and host of The Talent Development Think Tank Conference and Community as well as the host of th...

Dr. Sarah Bridges, PhD, is the founder and leader of Bridges, with 25 years’ experience as a psychologist, executive coach, speaker, writer and leadership advisor. Dr. Bridges is known for offering challenging, yet practical, solutions to help people break through their own assumptions, discover their potential and build cohesive teams.

One of the key takeaways from our chat today is that it’s not about having a lack of resources; it’s really about figuring out your priorities. My mentor dropped that wisdom on me ages ago, and it still rings true: there are never resource problems, just priori...

Authenticity is the name of the game, and if you want to bring something to life, you can't go half idiot—you gotta commit 100%. In this episode, we dive into the art of going "all in" with our ideas, inspired by the worlds of improv and comedy. Our guest, Rick Lozano, shares his journey of merging music with leadership and talent development, illustrating how embracing our quirks can lead to genuine connections. We explore how leaders can foster creativity and innovation by flipping the script on "no" and asking the right questions instead. So, whether you’re leading a team...

Authenticity is the name of the game in leadership, and today we’re diving deep into what that really means. We're chatting with Kristine Engman, a total rockstar in building high-performing teams, and trust me, she’s got some solid gold nuggets of wisdom to share. We tackle the idea that being vulnerable as a leader can actually pack a punch in building trust and connection within your team—definitely easier said than done, right? Plus, we explore how knowing your team on a personal level sets the stage for a thriving environment where everyone feels valued and heard. So, if...

Michael Stewart, for the past 25 years, has consulted to hundreds of organizations ranging from the Fortune 50 to small non-profits. He has partnered with numerous thought leaders and organizations including David Campbell, Marshall Goldsmith, Blanchard, CCL, Covey, Lominger, Korn/Ferry and others. He is known for data driven solutions that appeal to the strategic CEO, the strategic Human Resources leader, and the practitioner.

Michael Stewart’s team of Ph.D. consultants and industry leaders has conducted hundreds of executive leadership programs, coaching engagements, training courses and delivered more than 4.5 million assessments working with organizations in more than 90 countries. Hi...

JD Slaughter is a People and Talent Leader based in Arlington, VA. He is currently building a high performing organization at Huge. Previously he worked as a Consultant at Korn Ferry and CEB in Washington, DC.

JD is all about driving growth through a strong culture and smart people strategies. He has a solid track record in every aspect of the People function and knows how to build, roll out and scale talent strategies that engage people and boost performance and growth.

We’re diving into the world of performance appraisals and shaking things up! Yo...