with Alec Pearson and Rich Carter, Chief Growth Officer and President of Advanced Programs at Albers Aerospace.

In this episode of Beyond Leading, we sit down with a leader who operates at the sharp end of one of the most fast-moving, high-stakes industries in the world: aerospace and defence.

The world leaders are operating in right now is faster, more complex and more unpredictable than anything most leadership textbooks prepared us for.

So what does it actually take to lead well in that environment?

We explore:

• why speed has become the defining leadership challenge of our time
• how to lead from the front when the plan changes before the day has even started
• why banning the word "I" might be one of the most powerful cultural shifts a leader can make
• the frozen middle and how to thaw it
• whether the old leadership playbook needs throwing out or simply evolving
• how to think about AI as a tool, not a threat, and what that means for your people
• generational differences, reverse mentoring and why diverse teams move faster
• and what to say to the leader who is tired, overwhelmed and wondering where to start

This is a practical, honest conversation from someone who has done it, and is still doing it.

About Rich Carter

Rich Carter is Chief Growth Officer and President of Advanced Programs at Albers Aerospace. With over 20 years of executive leadership experience, he drives revenue generation, business development, and customer relationships serving the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Pentagon, international partners, and commercial entities. Previously, Rich held executive roles at MAG Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master of Science from Stony Brook University.

About Albers Aerospace

Albers Aerospace is a proud company built by Warfighters and committed teammates who share a deep passion for serving the Nation. For the past decade, the company has delivered exceptional value across its Industrials, Defense, and Advanced Programs sectors — operating with a People First, Mission Always mindset.

Through its Industrials division, Albers provides vertically integrated, full-spectrum manufacturing capabilities that strengthen the aerospace and defense industrial base. In Defense, the company delivers products and services within complex, multi-security environments — ensuring readiness, reliability, and mission success. Through Advanced Programs, Albers solves emerging challenges with agility, innovation, and technical precision.

Albers Aerospace exists to make a difference — for the country, for the men and women who serve it, and for the future of aerospace and defense. The team brings operational insight, engineering excellence, and an unwavering commitment to quality in everything they do.

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with Alec Pearson, Tiffany David and Graham Da Costa.

Emotional intelligence. Two words that have been talked about, trained, workshopped and plastered on LinkedIn until they mean almost nothing.

So why are we talking about it?

Because most of what you've heard about EQ only scratches the surface.

It isn't a personality type. And it definitely isn't something you either have or you don't.

In this episode of Beyond Leading, we get underneath it, the real, unfiltered version of emotional intelligence that shows up in how you lead, how you connect, and how you read the room when it actually matters.

We explore:

• why 85% of us are less self-aware than we think we are — and what that's costing us
• how your triggers, your energy and your values are shaping every relationship you have, whether you know it or not
• why face-to-face connection does something Zoom never will
• the assumptions quietly destroying your team relationships
• and whether the next generation of leaders are arriving in the workplace with an EQ gap nobody is talking about

This isn't another definition of emotional intelligence.

It's a challenge to how you think about it.

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with Alec Pearson, Tiffany Barnard and Nick Sellers.

In this episode of Beyond Leading, we explore a question that sits at the heart of leadership, growth and change:

Can we gain from pain?

When does discomfort lead to progress, and when does it simply wear us down?

How much of what we call “pain” is really fear, stretch, uncertainty or anticipation?

And what happens when the very thing we are avoiding may be the thing that helps us grow?

We explore:

1. the difference between positive stretch and toxic pressure
2. why growth so often feels uncomfortable
3. how leaders, coaches and individuals can think more carefully about what challenge is useful - and what challenge is too much.
4. fear, self-labelling, resilience, public speaking, personal growth, team development
5. the role of coaching in helping people move beyond the beliefs and experiences that keep them stuck.

If you are navigating change, supporting others through growth, or trying to understand the difference between discomfort that develops you and pressure that drains you, this episode will give you plenty to reflect on.

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