Only 11% of executives are happy with their leadership development.

That stat caught us off guard—and energized us. Why? Because it validates what we’re hearing inside real companies every week.

In this episode, Becky Rivest, Jeff Lovell, Mike Pumphrey, and Aaron Lee unpack a recent Training Magazine article on leadership development in the age of AI.

What begins as a data dive quickly becomes a deeply strategic conversation about what’s actually working—and what’s not—when it comes to building leaders at scale.

Key Quotes

• "Leadership development takes more than belief. It takes a plan." — Becky Rivest
• "AI is an amplifier. It makes clarity clearer—and chaos more chaotic." — Jeff Lovell
• "Innovation and engagement are rising—but they can't be addressed with information alone." — Mike Pumphrey

Show Outline

• 0:00 Summer signs and sunscreen: team check-in
• 2:00 The article that sparked this episode
• 3:30 Why intention without a plan is still failure
• 5:00 The 11% effectiveness stat (and why it matters)
• 8:00 Root causes: time, complexity, and missed investment
• 11:00 Innovation vs. engagement: a growing gap
• 13:30 Where development efforts leak impact
• 17:00 A client story: high touch > high tech
• 20:00 Culture, trust, and change management
• 24:00 A map for leadership development
• 25:00 Final takeaway: Don’t run another workshop

Resources We Mentioned

• Training Magazine: AI's Evolving Role in Developing Leaders

Welcome to the Leadership Manifesto, a practical, people-first framework for leadership development inside growing organizations. In this episode, we unpack six truths that help companies move from accidental growth to intentional culture, from individual burnout to scalable systems.

From the myth of hustle culture to real stories of transformation, this episode will resonate with founders, executives, and people leaders who are tired of duct-tape leadership and ready to build something sustainable.

Key Quotes

• “If success depends on a few exhausted leaders, you're one burnout away from a breakdown.” (00:00)
• “Hope is not a leadership pipeline. You need a system.” (18:28)
• “Training is a spark, but systems are what sustain leadership.” (16:00)
• “You don’t hire culture. You build it — every day.” (21:35)

Show Outline & Timestamps

• 00:38 – 3rd Gear: Why small talk matters for building strong teams
• 01:42 – Summer rhythms, family life, and the 100-day work reset
• 05:17 – Why every organization needs to understand its natural rhythms
• 06:40 – Intentional planning: A client story of coordinating around capacity
• 08:29 – Whole-person leadership and why compartmentalization doesn’t work
• 09:47 – What is the Leadership Manifesto — and why do we need it now?
• 11:34 – The tension between systems and people, and how both must be present
• 13:49 – Founder handoff challenges and caring for the whole executive
• 14:58 – Climbing down the mountain: how to develop others intentionally
• 15:56 – Truth #1: Training doesn’t build leaders. Systems do.
• 18:28 – Truth #2: Hope isn’t a pipeline. Strategy is.
• 21:35 – Truth #3: You don’t hire culture. You build it every day.
• 24:14 – Truth #4: Heroic effort is not a sustainable growth plan
• 26:47 – Truth #5: Your business won’t grow faster than your people
• 30:11 – Truth #6: Information doesn’t create transformation. Execution does.
• 32:46 – Client story: The bottlenecked CEO and the power of systems
• 36:53 – Why this work matters: from leadership tools to kayaking with your kids
• 38:01 – If this feels overwhelming, you’re not behind — you’re just early
• 39:06 – Bold step: Build one system. Start with one meeting, one rhythm.

Mentioned on the show:

• Dr. Laurie Bassi's Research + Investment Advisory Firm: outperformed the S&P 500 by 40% [BusinessTraining.com]
• Episode 1: Why Your Leadership Retreat Isn't Working
• The LRN Learning Center

What if the boldest leadership move you could make wasn’t about vision or execution, but self-awareness? In this powerful episode of the Leaders Rising Podcast, listeners are invited into a candid conversation about leadership transformation that begins not with image, but with truth.

Dr. Tom Nebel, founding partner and executive chairman of Leaders Rising Network, shares the raw and redemptive story of his leadership journey. From early signs of defiance as a child to pioneering faith communities and coaching leaders around the world, Tom’s path has been marked by bold starts, painful pivots, and deep personal work. Through it all, a single theme stands out: leaders grow when they choose to liberate others, not control them.

Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of what it means to build liberating cultures, how visual tools like the Support Challenge Matrix and 5 Gears can transform relationships, and why your scars often tell a more powerful story than your success. Whether you're leading a team, a company, or yourself, this episode offers both challenge and clarity for the road ahead.

Resources Mentioned on the Show

[download the Scatterplot exercise]

Key Quotes

“Your scars will tell better stories than your trophies.”

— Dr. Tom Nebel (26:33)

“Liberation happens when someone brings support and challenge. And you know they’re for you.”

— Dr. Tom Nebel (23:00)

“We didn’t just fix the relationship. The tools gave us a way to finally have one.”

— Dr. Tom Nebel (32:40)

Show Outline + Timestamps

• 00:00 – Setting the tone and revisiting early podcast attempts
• 01:47 – Childhood defiance and the first signs of leadership potential
• 05:02 – Entrepreneurial roots and lessons from a legacy of builders
• 08:21 – Leading from conviction in college as an outlier
• 12:59 – The moment Tom chose to start something from scratch
• 18:29 – Crisis, transition, and redefining purpose after personal loss
• 20:29 – What it really means to be a liberator using the Support Challenge Matrix
• 27:41 – How the 5 Gears tool changed Tom’s relationship with his adult son
• 34:16 – Founding Leaders Rising Network and designing environments for others to thrive
• 47:00 – One bold step for leaders: use the scatterplot to see how others experience your leadership