By Profiles in Leadership Journal

Leadership is often described as providing direction, speaking up, and making quick decisions. In many workplaces, influence seems to belong to the person who talks the most, presses hardest for an outcome, or carries the largest title.

There is another way leadership can work. Some leaders rely less on asserting authority and more on working with the people in the room. They monitor how others respond and adjust their approach as they go. Their influence grows through collaboration, not simply through position.

This approach to leadership begins with a simple habit of mind.

“What is happening here right now?”

That question shifts attention away from what a leader wants to say and toward what others may be experiencing. Decisions still must be made, but they are shaped by what is understood first. Perhaps that is the difference.

So, what does a collaborative leader notice?

One signal is participation. A discussion that begins with several voices can slowly narrow to one or two. Others stop offering ideas and start nodding instead. Nothing has been announced, yet something has changed. That change matters.

Another signal is tone. A group that sounded relaxed may become careful. Answers grow shorter. Humor fades. People begin choosing their words more cautiously. No one says there is a problem, but the mood has shifted.

Body language sends its own messages. Arms fold. Chairs turn away from the table. Someone who usually speaks freely may look down or avoid eye contact. Phones appear. These are small movements, but they often tell more than the words being used.

What happens after the meeting can matter too. Side conversations begin. Decisions are delayed without explanation. Work gets done, but with little pride. These patterns suggest that something beneath the surface may need attention.

A collaborative leader notices these shifts before acting. Sometimes the right move is to ask a question rather than give an instruction. Sometimes it is necessary to take a sensitive issue out of the room and handle it privately. Sometimes it is simply to slow the pace and make sure people feel heard.

Some people seem naturally aware of these cues. Others develop the habit over time. It often begins by holding back just a little. By not rushing to fill every silence. By not assuming the first answer is the whole answer. The skill grows through more careful watching and listening.

Leading this way does not mean avoiding decisions. It means choosing the right moment and the right tone. A collaborative leader still sets direction when it is needed. The difference is that direction is shaped by what the situation calls for, not only by what authority permits.

Collaboration does not mean avoiding decisions or trying to please everyone. It means building enough shared understanding that decisions make sense to the people who have to carry them out.

This approach does not draw much attention to itself. It shows up in small choices. A manager who notices when a team is losing confidence and steps in early. A mentor who senses hesitation and takes time to explain rather than push. A leader who keeps a problem from becoming harder than it needs to be.

Leadership takes many forms. Some moments require firm direction. Others require patience and careful listening. Collaborative leadership belongs to this second category. It works by building understanding first, so that agreement and follow-through come more easily.

Perhaps leadership is not first about direction at all. Perhaps it begins with attention. By noticing when people hesitate, when energy drops, or when conversation narrows. But attention alone is not enough. Collaboration depends on the kind of listening that helps ideas take shape. Good listeners ask questions that invite fuller thought. They restate what they have heard, not to be polite, but to be sure they understand. They help speakers go deeper into what they are trying to say rather than rushing past it. In that way, listening becomes part of the work itself. And when decisions grow out of that kind of exchange, they tend to travel farther, because they were shaped by understanding rather than insistence.

By Profiles in Leadership Journal

In our work with leadership, we focus on the areas that have the greatest impact.

Each quarter, that focus shapes the awards we choose to recognize. For 1Q 2026, we are honoring four expressions of leadership that quietly shape organizations, often long before outcomes are fully visible or formally acknowledged.

Human Resources Leadership Award

Human Resources leadership is often described in functional terms. Policies. Processes. Compliance. Necessary work, all of it. But that description rarely captures the human weight of the role. HR leaders often carry the most difficult conversations in an organization, conversations that involve disappointment, conflict, and uncertainty. Those moments do not end when the meeting ends.

At its best, HR leadership is less about control and more about judgment, knowing when to enforce a standard, when to listen longer, and when context matters as much as consistency. Much of this work remains invisible when it is done well. Problems do not escalate. Trust holds. People leave difficult moments with their dignity intact. Leadership of this kind shapes culture more than most policies ever will, which is precisely why it deserves recognition.

Latino/Hispanic Leadership Award

Latino and Hispanic leadership is sometimes understood too narrowly, often defined by visibility rather than contribution. Yet much of this leadership shows up through responsibility steadily assumed and carried over time. It is leadership expressed through reliability, steady presence, and a willingness to hold things together when pressure builds.

No group leads in a single way. Still, there is a recurring pattern worth noticing. Leadership that builds trust quietly. Leadership that places duty ahead of recognition. When this contribution goes unseen, organizations miss an opportunity to learn from it and to elevate what already works. This award exists to bring that leadership into clearer view and to honor its sustained impact.

Mentoring Leadership Award

Mentoring is often treated as a formal role, something assigned or structured. In practice, it is far more personal than that. Mentoring happens when someone creates space for another person to think, to ask questions, and to grow without being rushed or reshaped.

Mentoring also carries a responsibility that is easy to underestimate. Words offered casually can linger longer than intended. Encouragement can open doors. Careless advice can quietly close them. The best mentors understand this and lead with restraint. They guide without overtaking. They invest without needing credit. This award recognizes leadership that strengthens others in ways that continue long after the moment has passed.

Emerging Leadership Award

Emerging leadership exists before certainty arrives, before experience has had time to develop, and before authority is fully formed. That makes it easy to overlook, even though its long-term influence is often decisive. Emerging leaders often reveal themselves not through titles, but through effort, curiosity, and a willingness to take responsibility without being asked.

This stage of leadership is fragile. A well-timed word of encouragement can accelerate growth. A careless dismissal can slow it for years. Recognizing leadership at this stage signals that potential and effort matter, even before everything is fully formed. Every experienced leader was once emerging, and someone took the time to notice.

Taken together, these four awards reflect a single view of leadership. Leadership that is practiced rather than performed. Leadership that builds confidence, steadies teams, and creates room for others to grow.

Recognition, when done thoughtfully, does more than celebrate outcomes. It signals what an organization values and what it chooses to encourage going forward. This quarter, we are signaling that leadership shows up in many forms, often quietly, and always through people.

That feels like leadership worth recognizing.

By Profiles in Leadership Journal

How Leadership Elevates Today’s Culture of Appreciation

Organizations everywhere are rediscovering a simple truth. People thrive when their work is seen, valued, and acknowledged.

Many companies now use internal tools that encourage frequent praise, support peer to peer appreciation, and keep accomplishments visible inside the workplace. These systems have become essential for strengthening morale and shaping culture from within.

Profiles in Leadership Journal™ steps in at a different point in the journey. Our purpose is not to replace internal recognition efforts. It is to complement them, to deepen the meaning behind them, and to carry worthy stories beyond the walls of the organization.

Employee recognition thrives when companies honor contributions internally and, when fitting, share those stories with the wider world.

Below are ten ways Profiles in Leadership Journal™ adds unique value to that effort.

Ten Ways We Complement and Elevate Recognition

1. We Provide External Validation

Internal praise lifts spirits inside a company. Public acknowledgement strengthens the identity of the organization and reinforces a culture of leadership.

2. We Tell the Stories Behind the Achievement

Internal programs record the event. We tell the story. Through thoughtful profiles and interviews, we show what accomplishment looks like and why it matters.

3. We Put a Face on Recognition

Recognition becomes more powerful when the individual is visible. Name, role, photograph, and narrative turn achievement from a line item into a person others can relate to and learn from.

4. We Strengthen the Language of Appreciation

Most leaders understand the need to recognize others, although fewer are equipped to do it well. Our publication models clear, specific, and sincere praise, helping recognition become a lasting leadership skill.

5. We Keep the Larger Purpose in Focus

We explore why acknowledgement matters. It supports belonging, morale, psychological safety, performance, and retention. This gives leaders the context needed to build strong cultures over time.

6. We Amplify Accomplishment Beyond Company Walls

When a high performing colleague is profiled, the ripple extends to the professional community outside the employer. Clients, partners, and peers gain visibility into the strength of the organization.

7. We Build a Permanent Archive of Achievement

Internal praise may fade with time or leadership turnover. Published profiles remain. They become a source of lasting pride for individuals, families, and employers.

8. We Support Every Stakeholder Who Has a Stake in Leadership

Public recognition signals a great deal beyond the employee honored. Shareholders see evidence of a strong talent pipeline. Suppliers and partners prefer working with organizations that invest in people. Customers gain confidence in a company that cultivates leadership excellence.

9. We Strengthen Talent Attraction and Retention

Employees stay where they feel valued, seen, and supported. Candidates are drawn to organizations that make recognition visible and meaningful. Public acknowledgment signals opportunity for those seeking growth.

10. We Help Companies Demonstrate Who They Are Becoming

Internal systems affirm accomplishments today. Profiles in Leadership Journal™ showcases rising leaders who will shape the organization tomorrow. This is where identity, values, and aspiration come together in a visible way.

How Recognition Becomes Culture and Legacy

After profiling thousands of leaders, we have learned that pride is rarely private. Families clip articles and place them on refrigerators. Colleagues forward links across departments. Communities, universities, and hometown newspapers celebrate their own.

Over time, these public stories help companies create a visible archive of leadership that inspires those who come next and signals what is possible inside the organization.

And perhaps the more important question is this. What happens inside a workplace when people believe their work will be seen and remembered?

A Complete Circle of Appreciation

Internal recognition lifts people in the moment. Public celebration sustains the spirit into the future.

Together, these efforts give organizations a full circle of appreciation. Daily acknowledgement encourages performance today. Published recognition builds culture, legacy, and inspiration for years to come.

Profiles in Leadership Journal™ is honored to partner with organizations that believe people deserve to be seen and celebrated.

PLJ Recognizes our 2025 Third Quarter
Emerging Leaders Award Winners

For more than two decades, Profiles in Leadership Journal has been dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating a diverse range of leaders. Our primary goal has always been to showcase individuals who have made significant impacts in their organizations and communities. We take great pride in presenting our Emerging Leaders Award winners, a new initiative aimed at recognizing the exceptional leadership and contributions of up-and-coming professionals within various organizations.

In this issue, we feature five profiles that highlight the dedication and remarkable achievements of these Emerging Leaders. Each award recipient has graciously provided us with insightful answers to thought-provoking questions and an engaging essay. This content offers our readers a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of these talented and innovative individuals.

2025 Emerging Leaders Award Q3 Winners

• DailyPay – Gregory (Goyo) Schipilliti Cid – Director of International and Head of Latino Segment
• Ivy Planning Group – Alex Smith – Vice President, Recruiting
• Ivy Planning Group – Bradley Smith – Consultant and Project Manager
• Ivy Planning Group – Gary Smith II – Business Development
• Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP – Eagle Robinson – Head of Patents, United States

The 5th Annual Native American/Indigenous Leadership Awards PLJ Salutes a New Native American Indigenous Leadership Award Winner

For more than two decades, Profiles in Leadership Journal has honored outstanding individuals who have forged new paths. These individuals have overcome challenges, mentored others, advanced their community, and excelled in their chosen professions. PLJ is again honoring Native American Indigenous leaders with our fifth annual Native American Indigenous Leadership Awards.

The profile that appears in this issue recognizes and celebrate the talents, hard work, and impressive achievements of the Native American Indigenous Leader we honor on the following page. This award recipient provided us with answers to some interesting questions, along with an essay, that will give you, our readers, a chance to better know this multitalented and trailblazing individual.

Welcome to PLJ’s fifth Native American Indigenous Leadership Awards.

2025 Native American/Indigenous Leadership Award Winners

• Special Olympics – Tyler Fryberg – Building Bridges Project Coordinator

James R. Rector, Founder and Publisher
Profiles in Leadership Journal

Across many organizations, belonging has become part of the everyday language of leadership. People want to feel recognized. They want to know whether their work and presence matter. A sense of belonging provides that grounding. It reduces the uncertainty people often feel when they are on the margins of a team.

In recent years, another idea has surfaced in the conversations leaders are having. It is enablement. The word sounds technical at first, yet it reflects something practical that many employees quietly hope for. They want clarity. They want access to information. They want tools that match the responsibility placed on them. They want fewer barriers to doing good work.

Belonging answers an emotional question. Enablement answers a functional one. When both are present, people tend to feel at ease and capable. They can navigate their roles without unnecessary friction. They can participate without worrying about missing anything essential.

Much of this comes through small, everyday actions. Sharing knowledge at the right moment. Offering context that helps someone understand the larger picture. Removing an outdated process that complicates the work more than it supports it. These are subtle adjustments, yet they shape the work experience in significant ways.

Leaders sometimes assume culture is built through large initiatives, but many cultures take shape through these steady, practical decisions. Belonging opens the door. Enablement provides the conditions that help people move forward. Together, they create an environment where contributions feel possible and where growth does not feel out of reach.

The question for leaders may be straightforward. What makes it easier for people to do their best work? The answer often involves clarity, fairness, access, and the removal of obstacles that have gone unnoticed for too long. These are not dramatic changes. They are the small calibrations that accumulate over time.

Belonging and enablement work together naturally. One reassures. The other equips. When combined, they form a leadership approach that is both human and practical. It does not demand perfection. It asks only for attention to the conditions people encounter every day. Cultures built on this foundation tend to last, because they rest on something honest and steady.

The 3-Minute Leader™ is co-authored by James R. Rector and Sage Curious. Each short essay offers practical reflections for emerging and promotable leaders who want to strengthen their judgment, presence, and impact at work.

PLJ Salutes our Third Annual
Veteran Leadership Award Winners

For more than two decades, Profiles in Leadership Journal has honored outstanding individuals who have blazed new trails. They have welcomed challenges, mentored others and excelled in their chosen fields. We are honoring Veteran Leaders with our Third Annual Veteran Leadership Awards.

The four profiles that appear in this issue recognize and celebrate the hard work and impressive achievements of these Veteran Leaders. Each award recipient has also provided us with answers to some interesting questions and an essay that will give you, our readers, a chance to better know these multitalented and trailblazing individuals.

Welcome to our third Veteran Leadership Awards.

2025 Veteran Leadership Award Winners

• DailyPay – Alexander Haig – Vice President, Public Sector, DailyPay
• New York Life – Christopher M. Mulch – MBA Partner
• Norton Rose Fulbright – Juanmarcos Bañales – Associate
• PENN Entertainment – Sean Demeule – Vice President and General Manager

Leading Through Burnout: How Leaders Can Model Balance While Struggling

By Dr. Alen Voskanian

There’s a particular irony in being asked to speak about burnout while feeling underwater yourself—actively Googling “signs of burnout” between back-to-back meetings. As leaders, we advocate for work-life balance while struggling to achieve it ourselves.

Burnout doesn’t discriminate. It affects everyone from frontline nurses to corporate leaders across industries, and the summer season that promised rest and renewal often became just another reminder of how far we’ve drifted from our own advice.

The Systems That Burn Us Out

Before diving into personal strategies, let’s acknowledge a fundamental truth: most of us entered our fields with a clear purpose, only to find ourselves buried under bureaucracy that creates distance from our core mission. Leaders everywhere burn out not because we lose passion, but because our systems haven’t evolved to support sustainable work practices. Various inefficiencies create what I call “pebbles in the shoes”—small interruptions that accumulate into major issues over time.

We’re not burning out because we lack resilience. We’re burning out because we’re working in systems that need significant improvements.

Leadership Takeaway: Recognize that individual burnout often reflects systemic problems, not personal failure.

When the Expert Needs Help

Early in my career as a physician, I experienced severe burnout myself. I felt disconnected from my purpose and questioned my path in healthcare. That experience led me to make two major career pivots, each time searching for better alignment with my core mission.

Writing my book on physician wellness, Reclaiming the Joy of Medicine: Finding Purpose, Fulfillment, and Happiness in Today’s Medical Industry, was as much about my own journey as sharing strategies with others. But even after extensive research and self-reflection, I still find myself struggling with the same challenges I write about. The difference now is awareness of the patterns and having frameworks to navigate them.

The Mind, Body, Heart Framework

Burnout prevention can be organized into three interconnected areas that help me reset when the system feels overwhelming:

Mind: Reframe Perfectionism

The cognitive beliefs that fuel our unhappiness often center on perfectionism – the belief that anything less than an “A+” is failure. When you’ve spent your career being the best, a single negative review or complaint can feel devastating.

This perfectionism trap affects leaders everywhere:

• CEOs devastated by one negative board comment
• Managers paralyzed by a single team member’s criticism
• Executives who see any project delay as personal failure

Leadership Takeaway: Create “B+ is OK” zones where your team can deliver without overpolishing. Model this by publicly celebrating “good enough” solutions that move projects forward.

Body: Non-Negotiable Physical Practices

Physical practices aren’t luxuries—they’re necessities. I wake up early every day to go to the gym, not because I love 5 AM workouts, but because physical activity is non-negotiable for my mental health.

Essential body practices include:

• Regular exercise (scheduled like any important meeting)
• Proper nutrition and hydration
• Adequate sleep
• Mindfulness moments throughout the day

One simple practice: Every time I put my hand on a patient’s door handle, I take a deep breath and commit to being fully present. Every leader can adapt this – take a breath before entering any meeting and commit to being fully present.

Leadership Takeaway: Treat health habits as non-negotiable meetings on your calendar. Block time for exercise, meals, and brief mindfulness moments.

Heart: Stay Connected to Your Why

The heart represents our why—the passion and purpose that drew us to our field. For me, this means staying connected to patient care even as administrative responsibilities expand, because that direct connection keeps me grounded and energized.

Leadership Takeaway: Protect one activity each week that connects you to your core mission. Whether it’s mentoring, customer visits, or hands-on project work, maintain that vital connection.

Leading by Example, Imperfectly

The pressure to “lead by example” when you’re struggling can feel overwhelming. How do you advocate for boundaries while working 70-hour weeks? How do you promote self-care while skipping meals and losing sleep?

The answer, I’ve learned, is authenticity and vulnerability. I share my struggles with my team, acknowledging when I’m off-balance while still committed to the principles I believe in.

Concrete example: I’m careful about sending emails outside of working hours. I use the “send later” function to schedule messages for Monday morning, preventing my team from feeling pressured to respond on weekends.

Systems-Level Solutions

Individual strategies are important, but we also need organizational changes. My team has implemented several that made real differences:

Calendar Wellness

• Meetings are 45 minutes instead of an hour, with 15-minute buffers
• Friday afternoons are blocked for project time and thinking
• Morning meetings before 10 AM are limited to 15-30 minutes

Communication Wellness

• Established norms around email etiquette
• Reduced overwhelming message floods across multiple platforms
• Used BCC appropriately and intentional recipient lists
• Saved hours of unnecessary back-and-forth

Leadership Takeaway:

• Shorten meetings to create breathing room
• Limit after-hours communication with delayed-send emails
• Regularly audit workflows for small, fixable frictions

The Guatemala Test

Recently, I had to decide on a mission trip to Guatemala with my son. Despite my overwhelming workload, I chose to go. This decision crystallized my thinking about evaluating opportunities against core values.

The Guatemala trip aligned with my ‘why’ in multiple ways:

• Medical service (professional mission)
• Time with family (personal priority)
• Opportunity to model priorities for my children (leadership example)

When I measure requests against these core values – helping others, being present for family, and staying true to my medical mission – decisions become clearer. It reminded me that the antidote to burnout isn’t just rest, it’s realignment.

Your Next Right Decision

Balance isn’t a destination; it’s an ongoing practice. There will always be seasons of intensity and seasons of calm. The key is being intentional about both.

For leaders, start here:

Start small and be consistent. Perfect balance is a myth. Instead, aim for alignment with your values and purpose.

Prioritize the non-negotiables. Whether it’s your child’s recital, your morning workout, or simply taking a breath before each meeting.

Acknowledge the struggle. Struggling with these challenges doesn’t make you weak or hypocritical—it makes you human. Sometimes the most powerful way to lead by example is showing others it’s okay to struggle while striving to do better.

The system may need disruption for significant transformation, but we don’t have to burn out while working toward improvements.

This week, choose one decision that honors what matters most to you, even if it conflicts with your inbox or calendar. Maybe it’s blocking Friday afternoons for thinking time, saying yes to your child’s recital despite the competing meeting, or taking that trip you’ve been postponing.

After all, no one remembers how many emails you sent, but they do remember how you made them feel—even when you were running on fumes.

What’s your Guatemala Test?

James R. Rector, Founder and Publisher
Profiles in Leadership Journal

Sometimes the work just… continues.
You meet your deadlines, deliver what you were asked to do, and then, nothing; no response, critique, or affirmation.

Early in your career, that silence can feel loud.
It might seem like something’s wrong. Like your effort missed the mark.

But often, silence means something else.
It means trust.

When a leader doesn’t hover, doesn’t redirect, doesn’t flood you with feedback, it may be because they believe you’ve got it handled.

Trouble is, trust rarely comes with a headline.
It arrives quietly. And if you’ve spent your whole life learning confidence from someone else’s reaction, that quiet can feel like absence.

But confidence grows deeper when it moves inward.
When you stop asking, “Was it good enough?”
And start asking, “Was it careful? Was it honest? Did it reflect what I stand for?”

That’s the shift.

You’re still wise to check in from time to time.
A simple question does the job: “I want to make sure my approach still aligns with what you need. Anything you’d like me to adjust?”

Short and Respectful. No neediness.

And at home? Same story.

Family doesn’t always offer commentary.
Your partner or child may not applaud when you show up with patience or take care of a dozen quiet things. But their ease around you, the way tension drops when you walk in the room, that’s trust too.

Confidence, it turns out, has little to do with volume.
You begin to carry it like breath. Unannounced.

Leadership matures in those quiet spaces.
When you no longer need to be seen to know where you stand.

And then the silence is no longer silence.
It becomes room to grow.

The 3-Minute Leader™ is a weekly series offering practical insights for emerging and promotable leaders, because clarity and character still matter.

James R. Rector, Founder and Publisher
Profiles in Leadership Journal

The authentic leader does not borrow a voice or wear a mask. He or she speaks and acts from the same place the heart listens. Words and actions come from the same source, not a performance rehearsed for applause.

Authenticity begins with self-awareness, which involves knowing one’s strengths, limitations, motives, and fears. It grows when a leader no longer tries to appear perfect, only to be present. That honesty steadies others more than any show of certainty.

Followers recognize the genuine article. They can sense when a leader’s promises are anchored in values rather than convenience. They trust direction that sounds human, not rehearsed.

At home, the same truth applies. A child or spouse can tell the difference between attention and pretense. When we listen without agenda and admit when we’re wrong, we lead our families with the same quiet power that builds trust at work. Authenticity is not two-sided; it’s one life lived consistently in both worlds.

Authentic leaders do not chase approval. They chase alignment between what they believe, what they say, and what they do. That alignment becomes their quiet authority.

In moments of uncertainty, authenticity offers an anchor. When people see consistency between the public face and the private soul, they find permission to be more themselves, too. That is leadership at its highest: inspiring integrity by example.

The 3-Minute Leader™ is a weekly series offering practical insights for emerging and promotable leaders, because clarity and character still matter.