90th Percentile Leadership: Insights. Backed by Data.

In this episode of The 90th Percentile Podcast, BreAnne Okoren and Jack Zenger sit down with leadership expert Michelle Fabian to explore one of the most overlooked—but critical—elements of effective coaching: presence.

While many leadership coaching models focus on goal setting, performance gaps, and action plans, this conversation takes a different approach. Michelle shares why great coaching begins with trust, connection, and a deep understanding of the individual—not just the problem.

Grounded in Zenger Folkman’s research on strengths-based leadership development and data from over 1 million 360-degree assessments, this episode reveals what truly differentiates leaders who coach effectively.

You’ll learn practical coaching techniques to help leaders:

If you’re a leader, HR professional, coach, or facilitator looking to improve your leadership coaching skills, this episode offers a simple but powerful truth:

???? The best coaching conversations don’t start with answers—they start with presence

Many leaders jump straight to goals and solutions. But effective leadership coaching begins with building trust and connection. Without it, even the best coaching techniques fall flat.

Being fully present—listening without distraction or agenda—is what allows leaders to uncover deeper issues like uncertainty, self-doubt, and competing priorities.

Strong coaching skills require understanding what motivates someone, where they feel confident, and where they feel stuck. This broader perspective leads to more meaningful and lasting development.

Coaching isn’t about solving everything at once. The most effective leaders help others identify small, actionable next steps that build momentum and confidence over time.

Zenger Folkman’s research shows that leaders who develop others effectively don’t rely on giving answers. Instead, they ask thoughtful questions that help individuals think more clearly and take ownership of their growth.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 184: Coaching is Connection First— Why Presence Outperforms Advice first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

Gossip may seem like a minor workplace habit, but the research tells a very different story.

In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne and Joe Folkman explore new data from Zenger Folkman’s 360-degree leadership assessments revealing how destructive comments about others can quietly undermine a leader’s effectiveness. Based on feedback from hundreds of leaders and thousands of raters, the findings show that leaders who engage in negative gossip are perceived as significantly less effective across nearly every leadership competency.

Joe explains why leaders fall into the gossip trap, the hidden ways it erodes trust and psychological safety, and how this behavior spreads through organizations. More importantly, the research reveals that when leaders become aware of this pattern and change it, their effectiveness can improve dramatically.

For HR, Talent Development, and Learning leaders, this conversation highlights the powerful role feedback and leadership development play in shaping healthy cultures. When leaders commit to speaking about others with integrity—and addressing issues directly rather than through back channels—they build the trust, collaboration, and influence that define truly extraordinary leadership.

1. Leadership gossip is not harmless—it’s a career-limiting behavior.Zenger Folkman’s research shows that leaders who engage in destructive comments about others are viewed as less effective in 29 of 31 leadership behaviors measured in 360-degree feedback assessments.

2. Gossip erodes trust and psychological safety.When leaders criticize others behind their backs, team members become guarded and hesitant to speak openly—damaging collaboration, innovation, and honest communication.

3. The impact extends far beyond the individuals involved.Destructive comments create ripple effects across organizations, contributing to toxic culture, decreased collaboration, wasted energy, and higher turnover among top performers.

4. Small behavior changes can produce dramatic leadership gains.Leaders who improved their behavior around discouraging destructive comments saw their overall leadership effectiveness rise dramatically—from the 29th percentile to the 78th percentile in the study.

5. Awareness and feedback are powerful catalysts for change.360-degree feedback can help leaders recognize behaviors they may not realize they exhibit. When leaders commit to addressing issues directly and sharing praise instead of criticism, they build stronger trust and influence.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 183: The Gossip Trap— One Leadership Habit That Quietly Destroys Trust first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

In a time of tighter budgets and higher scrutiny, leadership development is often one of the first investments leaders feel pressure to justify—or cut. But what if that decision is quietly costing organizations far more than they realize?

In this episode, BreAnne Okoren sits down with Orin Salas, Vice President of Sales at Zenger Folkman, to unpack compelling research from Joe Folkman that reframes the ROI conversation entirely. Drawing on data from nearly 1,000 leaders—and insights published in Harvard Business Review—they explore why effective leadership development doesn’t just pay for itself, but actively saves and generates money.

Together, they examine how leadership quality drives employee engagement, retention, discretionary effort, and culture—and why poor leadership silently drains value every day it goes unaddressed. Orin brings a candid, real-world perspective from decades in the training and development industry, including roles at Wilson Learning, Hogan, and Deloitte, offering a clear-eyed view of what separates leadership development that works from what doesn’t.

If you’ve ever wondered whether leadership development is truly worth the investment, this episode offers a data-backed answer—and a challenge leaders can’t afford to ignore.

Leadership development isn’t an expense—it’s a value protector.Organizations are already paying for leadership through turnover, disengagement, burnout, and lost productivity. Investing in leadership simply shifts those costs from reactive to intentional.

Great leadership compounds over time.Longitudinal research shows that sustained leadership development creates a “rising tide” effect—where strong leaders develop strong leaders, multiplying impact across the organization.

The engagement gap is a profitability gap.Leaders in the top 10% drive engagement levels nearly 50 percentile points higher than bottom-tier leaders—fueling 20–25% gains in profitability through productivity, retention, and customer satisfaction.

One poor leader can quietly cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.Employees under ineffective leaders are five times more likely to consider leaving, with replacement costs often reaching 1.5–2x salary. Improving even one leader can fund an entire development program.

Every organization has a leadership strategy—whether it’s intentional or not.When leadership development is inconsistent or ignored, pressure and bad habits become the teachers. The question isn’t whether leaders are being developed—it’s who (or what) is doing the developing

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 182: Does Leadership Development Actually Pay Off? The ROI Leaders Can’t Ignore first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

In this episode of The 90th Percentile, BreAnne Okoren and Joe Folkman unpack Zenger Folkman’s new Leadership Skills 2026 Report and explore what truly differentiates leaders in an AI-accelerated world.

As AI makes information faster and cheaper, one capability is becoming increasingly scarce: human leadership. Drawing on fresh data from tens of thousands of leaders and direct reports—along with insights from trust, feedback, recognition, and decision-making studies—BreAnne and Joe reveal why technology is amplifying both productivity and the cost of weak leadership.

Together, they walk through the four leadership priorities shaping 2026: strengths-based development, faster decision-making fueled by trust, employee experiences that unlock discretionary effort, and cultures built on psychological safety and shared influence. You’ll learn why there’s no single “best” leadership style, how trust becomes infrastructure for speed, and why recognition and participation are some of the highest-impact behaviors leaders can master.

If you’re navigating change, scaling leadership capability, or wondering how to help your organization thrive alongside AI, this episode offers practical, research-backed guidance you can apply right away.

Want the full research, visuals, and practical framework? Download the new Leadership Skills 2026 eBook to explore each chapter in depth and start applying these insights with your leaders today.

Key Points

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 181: Highlights from The Leadership Skills Report 2026 first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

Trust in leadership is often framed as a generational issue—older leaders are assumed to be more credible because of experience, while younger leaders are expected to “prove themselves” before earning trust. But Zenger Folkman research challenges these assumptions. In this episode of The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast, BreAnne Okoren sits down with renowned psychometrician Joe Folkman to unpack data from 80,336 leaders and 360-degree trust ratings that reveal a surprising reality: trust does not rise steadily with age. Instead, trust follows a U-shaped pattern across career decades and is most strongly driven by observable leadership behaviors, not generational identity. Together, BreAnne and Joe break down the myths, explain what truly drives trust across generations, and introduce the Trifecta of Trust framework—Relationships, Expertise, and Consistency—highlighting how leaders and teams can intentionally build trust at any stage of their career.

Learn more about Zenger Folkman’s Trifecta of Trust Development Experiences for leaders and teams.

Key Points

Trust is not a generational trait—it’s a behavioral outcome.Age-based assumptions about trust distract from what actually builds credibility: consistent leadership behavior.

Trust doesn’t increase steadily with experience.Zenger Folkman’s analysis shows a U-shaped trust curve—high trust early career, declining in mid-career, and rising again later, proving that tenure alone does not create trust.

Younger leaders are not “less trustworthy” by default.When trust ratings are analyzed by generation, Gen Z and Millennials score higher on trust than Boomers, challenging common stereotypes in both directions.

Three competencies explain trust across every age group.Trust is most strongly predicted by:

Collaboration is one of the largest leadership gaps—across all generations.Even though collaboration is ranked as highly important, it consistently ranks much lower in actual effectiveness, meaning it must be intentionally developed, not assumed.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 180: The Generational Trust Myth—Why Behavior Beats Age Every Time first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

Emotional intelligence has dominated leadership conversations for years—and for good reason. Leaders who listen, empathize, and build strong relationships create healthier, more engaged teams. But what if EQ isn’t the primary capability driving leadership effectiveness?

Drawing on a global dataset of 128,000 leaders and 360-degree feedback from over a million raters, they explore what happens when strategic perspective and emotional intelligence are placed head-to-head.

This episode reframes a long-standing leadership debate and offers a practical roadmap for leaders and organizations deciding where to focus their development efforts next. If you’re responsible for building leaders who can navigate complexity, inspire confidence, and lead through uncertainty, this conversation may change how you think about leadership capability altogether.

Register for our upcoming webinar on this topic.

Key Points

While emotional intelligence remains important, strategic perspective magnifies a leader’s overall effectiveness. Leaders strong in strategy outperform across 14 critical leadership behaviors—far more than leaders who rely primarily on EQ.

Contrary to popular belief, leaders with strong strategic thinking communicate more powerfully and inspire greater commitment. Clear reasoning behind decisions reduces uncertainty and builds trust across teams.

Leaders high in EQ but low in strategic capability outperform in only two areas—integrity and collaboration. Without strategic perspective, leaders struggle to innovate, take risks, and champion meaningful change.

Caring about people isn’t enough. Strategic leaders ground empathy in action by helping teams understand where the organization is headed and how they fit into the future.

Strategic thinking isn’t reserved for executives. Through coaching, scenario planning, and cross-functional exposure, leaders at all levels can build strategic perspective and dramatically increase their impact.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 179: Strategic Expertise vs. Emotional Intelligence—Which Drives Leadership Success? first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

Are workplace evaluations truly objective—or do subtle perceptions still shape how we see male and female leaders differently? In this episode, host Bre Okoren sits down with leadership researcher Joe Folkman to unpack one of the largest real-world analyses ever conducted on gender and leadership effectiveness. Drawing from 12,000+ 360-degree evaluations, Joe reveals a surprising paradox: women are rated higher overall than men by colleagues who work directly with them, yet consistently rated lower on the very competencies most associated with executive advancement—like strategic thinking and external perspective.

Together, Bre and Joe explore why this “perception gap” persists, how it quietly reinforces the leadership glass ceiling, and what organizations and leaders can do right now to create fairer, more accurate evaluations. With insights spanning global data, behavioral science, and practical organizational solutions, this episode is essential listening for HR leaders, executives, and anyone committed to advancing equity in leadership.

Real workplace evaluations—not hypothetical scenarios—show that female leaders are rated slightly more effective overall by both male and female colleagues. This contradicts many assumptions about gender bias in leadership performance.

Despite high overall effectiveness, women receive lower ratings on strategic thinking, technical expertise, and external influence—competencies disproportionately tied to promotions into senior roles. This subtle gap plays a real role in why fewer women reach the C-suite.

Both men and women showed the same rating patterns, revealing that these perceptions come from deeply ingrained narratives about what leadership looks like, not simple in-group or out-group preference.

Structured promotion rubrics, diverse decision-making committees, and equitable access to strategic assignments dramatically increase fairness. Individual women can also counteract perception gaps by actively building visibility around strategic work and external influence.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 178: The Hidden Truth About Gender and Leadership Ratings first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

Consider this episode your Strengths-Based Leadership 101. BreAnne and Joe revisit the foundation of Zenger Folkman’s entire leadership philosophy — the data-driven insight that extraordinary leaders are not well-rounded; they’re exceptional in a few distinctive areas that matter most. Drawing from over 100,000 leadership assessments, Joe explains why traditional development programs focused on fixing weaknesses are fundamentally flawed, how strengths-based growth aligns with neuroscience and motivation, and what organizations can do to make leadership development more personal, powerful, and tied to real business outcomes. Whether you’re a leader, coach, or HR professional, this episode reframes how you think about growth and effectiveness.

Learn more about Zenger Folkman’s strength-based approach to leadership development.

Key Points

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 177: Why Strengths-Based Development Outperforms Traditional Methods first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

In this special episode of The 90th Percentile, we unpack how Jotun—the Norway-based, family-owned paints and coatings company operating in 100+ countries—elevated leadership effectiveness using Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leader program. Partnering with Arcadia Consulting, Jotun moved from a baseline well below industry average to outperforming peers, all by doubling down on a strengths-based approach to leadership. We’re joined by Alistair Skellern (Arcadia) to explore the data, the culture, and the practices behind this multi-year transformation. Learn how building a few profound strengths—not just fixing weaknesses—created measurable gains in performance, engagement, and leader pipeline.

You can visit Arcadia Consulting’s website to watch additional interviews  on this Jotun leadership case study: Arcadia Consulting.

Key Point

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 176: Jotun Case Study in Extraordinary Leadership first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.

What separates the best decision-makers from the rest? In this episode, Joe Folkman shares research on nearly 16,000 leaders to reveal seven key qualities that enable effective decision-making. Discover why information overload slows decisions down, how to balance speed with quality, and the surprising link between decision-making effectiveness and employee engagement. If you’re struggling with analysis paralysis or looking to empower better decisions throughout your organization, this episode offers practical, research-backed insights you can apply immediately.

Key Point

Decision-making is harder today due to information overload, uncertainty, and stakeholder complexity.

Effective decision-makers create highly engaged teams—the best leaders scored 86th percentile in effectiveness and their teams 77th in engagement.

The top decision-makers consistently demonstrate seven key behaviors, including anticipating problems, acting quickly, focusing on priorities, balancing risk, and building trust.

Trust is the foundation that accelerates decision speed and quality by reducing friction and bureaucracy.

Great leaders build decision-making cultures, empowering people at every level to act with clarity, confidence, and alignment.

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

The post Episode 175: 7 Key Leadership Behaviors of the Most Effective Decision Makers first appeared on ZENGER FOLKMAN.