What does it take to truly transform and lead authentically?
Paul Glover knows. Once a successful trial attorney, his life
unraveled due to choices that led to federal prison. But from the
depths of failure, Paul emerged not only as a survivor but as a
powerhouse coach for C-suite executives. His journey is raw,
unfiltered, and deeply inspiring, blending lessons of humility,
resilience, and hard-won wisdom.

Paul’s story is one of dramatic reinvention. Prison, he says, saved
his life and softened his perspective, forcing him to confront blind
spots and triggers that once drove destructive behavior. Today, his “No BS” coaching method empowers leaders to tackle their echo chambers and embrace failure as a growth tool. From offering money-back guarantees to positioning himself as a modern-day “fool” who tells leaders the hard truths, Paul’s approach is anything but conventional.

Leadership, Paul argues, demands the courage to fail and the humility to learn. His coaching and speaking emphasize resilience, not just to bounce back but to bounce forward. Drawing parallels to psychological safety and historical figures like the court jester, Paul challenges leaders to seek and trust those who hold them accountable, creating space for transformation. The key? Being brutally honest—with themselves and their teams.

Paul’s message is a wake-up call to leaders everywhere: true
leadership isn’t about being perfect; it’s about embracing
imperfection and turning failure into fuel for growth. With humor,
candor, and authenticity, Paul Glover inspires audiences to rethink
success and take bold, transformative steps forward.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Transformation Through Failure: Paul Glover’s journey from a
successful attorney to a convicted felon and then a sought-after coach highlights the power of embracing failure as a tool for personal and professional growth. He demonstrates how confronting blind spots and taking accountability can lead to profound transformation.

• Authentic Leadership Requires Honesty: True leaders need to break out of echo chambers and surround themselves with people who provide honest, unfiltered feedback. Paul’s approach as the “No BS” coach underscores the importance of humility, self-awareness, and the willingness to hear hard truths.

• Resilience Goes Beyond Recovery: Leadership isn’t just about
bouncing back; it’s about bouncing forward. Paul emphasizes resilience as the ability to learn from failures and turn them into opportunities for growth, fostering a leadership style that is both dynamic and transformative.

Instead of running from his past Paul has put it forward as part of
his authentic self. When you present your thought leadership are you being authentic or just trying to go viral? Check out this short video by Peter Winick to discover why being your real self is more important.

How can an academic bridge the gap between rigorous research and actionable insights for executives?

Stephanie Woerner, of MIT's Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), offers a masterclass on this topic in our latest podcast episode. She reveals how her team tackles the tension between academia’s slower pace and business’s urgent demands by designing projects with rapid deliverables and executive-relevant outcomes. It’s not just about publishing papers—it’s about driving impact and transforming practices.

Stephanie explains how CISR collaborates with its consortium of 75 corporate members to co-create research agendas that solve real-world problems. From exploring the impact of AI and data-driven decision-making to demystifying digital transformation, her frameworks make complex concepts accessible. Her advice? Listen to your audience, translate data into actionable insights, and focus on what drives performance—whether it’s profitability, innovation, or customer experience.

The conversation dives into the art of storytelling with data. Stephanie shares how visuals, like a simple two-by-two matrix, can illuminate business challenges and opportunities. By simplifying without oversimplifying, she equips leaders to move from confusion to clarity, making complex transformations manageable.

With thought leadership positioned as a practice, Stephanie reflects on her journey from researcher to influencer. She underscores the importance of connecting with your audience, constantly iterating, and striving for impact over time. This is thought leadership in action—anticipating the future, separating signal from noise, and delivering the insights your audience needs just when they need them.

Three Key Takeaways:

• • Bridging Academia and Business: Stephanie Woerner highlights the importance of designing research to deliver actionable insights for executives. By structuring projects with shorter cycles and a focus on business relevance, her team ensures their work addresses urgent corporate challenges while maintaining academic rigor.

The Power of Frameworks and Storytelling: Simplifying complex ideas into accessible frameworks, like two-by-two matrices, helps executives understand challenges and take decisive action. Effective storytelling with data transforms raw information into compelling, actionable insights.Audience-Centered Thought Leadership: Successful thought leadership requires deep listening and collaboration with your audience. Woerner emphasizes the value of co-creating research agendas and focusing on practical outcomes that align with what your audience urgently needs to know—or hasn’t yet thought to ask.

If you want to further explore the idea of using academic research to build your thought leadership, be sure to check out this video by Leveraging Thought Leadership founder and CEO Peter Winick.

How do you turn ideas into impact and expertise into action?

On this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick speaks with Dre Baldwin, Founder and CEO of Work on Your Game. Dre is a four-time TEDx speaker and author of 35 books, including "The Third Day: The Decision that Separates The Pros from the Amateurs" and the creator of the Work on Your Game framework. Together, they unpack the critical role frameworks play in scaling ideas and ensuring consistency. Dre shares how frameworks act as guardrails, anchoring your principles and making your work repeatable and impactful across topics and audiences.

Dre emphasizes the power of mindset as the foundation for success. A shift in thinking sparks changes in actions, which in turn drive outcomes. Skipping this sequence leads to frustration, wasted resources, and unmet goals. Whether you’re an athlete or an entrepreneur, Dre insists the process starts in your head. From there, strategies and systems create a path for repeatable success. Systems aren’t just efficient—they’re liberating. Build it once, and you can focus on execution and innovation.

Dre’s own journey began with a realization: the clock on a professional basketball career runs out fast. Embracing his inner tech enthusiast, Dre leveraged the internet to bypass gatekeepers and build his brand. Blogging, YouTube, and podcasting became his tools to connect directly with an audience eager for his insights. His approach? Show up consistently and deliver value based on real-time audience needs. It’s a formula he’s honed into a repeatable system, and it’s working.

Writing 35 books might seem Herculean, but Dre demystifies it with a system that maximizes today’s tech. From dictation to transcription, he’s found ways to streamline the creative process while staying true to his ideas. The tools evolve, but the challenge remains the same: having something meaningful to say and a receptive audience. For Dre, systems make the execution scalable—but only if you start with a strong mindset and clear strategy.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Frameworks Anchor Success: A strong framework acts as a guide, keeping your work aligned with your principles and making it repeatable. It ensures consistency and clarity across topics and audiences, which is essential for scaling impact.

• Mindset Drives Results: Change starts in your mind. Adjusting your thinking leads to better actions, which then create meaningful outcomes. Skipping the mindset step results in frustration and wasted effort.

• Systems Simplify and Scale: Whether writing books or building a business, systems are the key to efficiency. Once a system is in place, you can focus on execution and innovation, letting the process do the heavy lifting.

Dre does a great job of illustrating why changing mindset is so important to creating long lasting impact. For additional information on Changing Mindset and Building Skills take a look at this article by Thought Leadership Leverage CEO Peter Winick.