What if empathy is burning you out as a leader? Cathy Maday sits down with Heather Hopkins to break down empathy vs. compassion in leadership and how to drive leadership accountability without guilt, over-functioning, or burnout.

Learn why jumping in the hole with your team backfires, how to hold behavioral accountability around boundaries, asking for help, and saying no - and how compassionate leadership keeps high standards without shielding your team.

Perfect for business owners and managers navigating accountability, team performance, and healthy boundaries.

If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

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Leaders - stop trying to motivate others and start by asking the right questions. Wingspan Performance Advisors, Ivan and Heather, unpack "big-hat" leadership, why support roles belong at the table, and how to turn “who am I to speak up?” into real ownership and co-creation. If you're leading and looking for practical tools that deliver results without the BS, this one's for you.

If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders often wait for permission to grow. Ivan Konermann and advisor Heather Hopkins unpack continuous growth, asking for the roles and skills you want, and turning hard feedback into fuel. Learn how ownership of your development - and a growth mindset - builds real executive presence.

If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday.

Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Discover Mother Jones’ powerful Labor Day legacy and why true leadership starts with the inside game. Learn how personal hardship becomes purpose, how Activating Language® shifts victim thinking to ownership, and practical ways to master self-talk for stronger results.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, joins Ivan on Leading Without the BS to discuss how behavioral leadership, accountability, servant leadership, and intentional coaching can transform high-performing teams. Brandon shares how Wingspan Performance helped him become a more effective leader, challenge organizational roadblocks, develop his leadership team, and ultimately drive measurable business results.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders often treat red tape and policies as immovable barriers and slip into victim mode. Ivan and Cathy break down how to flip that script: become a rebel for the business, negotiate exceptions with clear reasons, capture the real risks of the status quo, and start saying "no" more often than "yes". Drawing on special operations examples and real client conversations, this episode of Leading Without the BS shows how to operate on an even playing field, influence senior leaders, and create better outcomes for your team and the organization.

If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our August 26th episode featuring Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, for his full conversation with Ivan.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders who are too "easygoing" or overly composed often confuse teams about priorities and urgency. Cathy and Ivan explore how a compressed intensity range (think operating only at a 2–3.5 out of 10) sends mixed signals and practical ways to expand range with voice, body language, and Activating Language®. Learn why intensity is information, how positive intensity (curiosity, excitement) works, and why shifting from “appropriate” to “effective” drives better influence and performance.

If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our August 26th episode featuring Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, for his full conversation with Ivan.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders from technical backgrounds often over-explain, which quietly destroys influence, credibility, and team contribution. Cathy and Ivan break down why saying more works against you, how it signals “I don’t want your input,” and simple fixes: cap your talking to 20–30 seconds, cut 30% of your words in your emails, and the $5 Jar Challenge that fixes over-explaining FAST. These are proven tools you can use in the next meeting to lead without the BS.

If you enjoyed the content in this episode, be sure to listen to our August 26th episode featuring Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, for his full conversation with Ivan.

Text us for leadership performance advice!

4 Takeaways:

1. Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now!
2. Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.
4. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders.

💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward.

Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!