As Arin It Out closes its first season, host Arin Patterson goes back to the foundation with one essential question: What is leadership?

Drawing on Silva’s (2016) five dimensions of leadership — process, influence, context, acceptance, and shared goals — Arin blends research, real-life stories, and practical reflection to help listeners see leadership not as a title, but as a living, evolving practice. From the memorable Graduation Gridlock story to lessons learned across education, nonprofit, and higher education leadership, this finale invites listeners to slow down, think deeply, and redefine what leadership means for them.

In this episode, Arin helps you:

• Understand the five core dimensions of effective leadership
• Reflect on your own influence and leadership moments
• Learn how to adapt leadership to different contexts
• Explore how acceptance and trust shape true followership
• Build a personal Leadership Vision Framework through Purpose, People, Practice, and Promise

This isn’t just a summary — it’s an invitation. As you look ahead to the new year, craft your own leadership vision and step into influence with clarity and confidence.

Leadership doesn’t start with a promotion, a corner office, or even a job title. In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson explores what it means to lead from where you are—without waiting for a title to give you permission.

Drawing from her own career journey across education, higher ed, nonprofit management, and operations, Arin unpacks five keys to leading without a title:

• Why leadership starts with your posture, not your position
• How influence is earned through trust and credibility
• The power of everyday leadership moments
• The trap of clinging to titles and status
• Practical ways to add value and show leadership right now

With stories, insights, and actionable takeaways, this episode challenges listeners to rethink what leadership really looks like in their own careers—and sets the stage for next week’s season finale, What Is Leadership?

In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson unpacks why great leaders also know how to be great followers. Drawing from her own experiences, Arin shares how followership is more than obedience—it’s about respect, alignment, and discernment.

She introduces The Five Marks of a Great Follower:

1. Respect comes before agreement
2. Alignment matters
3. Watch and learn
4. Exercising influence without authority
5. Knowing when to stay and when to go

Through practical insights and personal reflection, Arin shows how following well not only supports leaders and teams, but also prepares you for your own leadership journey.

In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson explores what it really means to lead with courage, clarity, and care—drawing inspiration from Brené Brown’s book Dare to Lead.

Arin reflects on three powerful themes that mirror her own beliefs about leadership:

• Rumbling with vulnerability — why courage requires leaders to set down their armor and embrace hard conversations.
• Living into values — the role of integrity, relationships, and growth in shaping authentic leadership.
• Learning to rise — how setbacks like layoffs or career pivots can become classrooms for stronger leadership.

She also shares how leaders often learn to “function in dysfunction,” normalizing unhealthy patterns that hurt both them and their teams. Instead, daring to lead means naming dysfunction, owning mistakes, and rising stronger.

This episode is equal parts personal story and practical insight, designed to help leaders reflect on where they need to “dare” a little more in their own work.

In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson explores what makes a truly dynamic team. Drawing from her own experience working on a group that called themselves “The Dream Team,” Arin shares why balance—not sameness—is the key to lasting team success.

She unpacks the five elements that every team needs:

1. The Connector — builds trust and relationships
2. The Doer — ensures things get done and done well
3. The Thinker — analyzes, questions, and prepares for the future
4. The Influencer — moves people, ideas, and systems forward
5. The Balancer — brings adaptability and emotional intelligence to keep the team steady

With stories, practical insights, and a yin–yang perspective on opposites working together, this episode will help you see your team in a new light—and reflect on how you can build your own dream team.

In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson explores the subtle yet costly behaviors that slowly drain teams of trust, energy, and motivation—what she calls leadership leaks.

Arin breaks down leadership through three lenses—behavioral, transformational, and destructive—before walking listeners through a relatable “Put a Finger Down” activity that reveals where leaks may be showing up in their own leadership. She then shares five actionable strategies leaders can use to plug the leaks and build more engaged, resilient teams.

This episode is both honest and practical, blending research with storytelling and humor. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or just beginning your leadership journey, it will challenge you to reflect on the small habits that make the biggest difference.

In this episode of Arin It Out, host Arin Patterson unpacks Gallup’s groundbreaking research from It’s the Manager! and explores what separates great managers from raggedy ones.

Arin begins by sharing her Top 5 CliftonStrengths—Futuristic, Connectedness, Maximizer, Relator, and Positivity—and how they show up in her work and leadership. From there, she dives into Gallup’s seven expectations that drive success in any role:

1. Build relationships
2. Develop people
3. Lead change
4. Inspire others
5. Think critically
6. Communicate clearly
7. Create accountability

Through personal stories and practical insights, Arin contrasts raggedy leadership behaviors with research-backed strategies that inspire teams and create thriving workplaces.

Whether you’re a manager looking to grow, an employee navigating leadership at work, or someone curious about what truly drives engagement, this episode offers a mix of research, reflection, and relatable storytelling.

We’ve all had them — raggedy leaders. The ones who make you shake your head with the things they do, say, or fail to do. In this episode of Arin It Out, Arin shares real-life stories of “raggedy leadership.”

With names changed to protect the guilty, Arin unpacks seven all-too-common leadership missteps:

• Getting jealous when a team member progress
• Misrepresenting staff to make yourself look better
• Taking frustration out on employees
• Failing to communicate
• Not leading by example
• Speaking poorly about current or former team members
• Not making time for employees

Each “raggedy” story is paired with practical wisdom, turning cautionary tales into leadership lessons. Arin challenges listeners to reflect on the raggedy behaviors they’ve experienced and the ones they may need to leave behind. Because here’s the truth: raggedy leadership doesn’t just frustrate people — it drives them away. And if we’re not careful, any of us can slip into raggedy habits.

In basketball, a pivot isn’t about stopping the play — it’s about adjusting your position to get a better shot. Careers work the same way.

In this episode, Arin shares two of her biggest career pivots — leaving education and moving from an individual contributor to a leader of leaders — and the 5 Pivot Points that can help guide your next move.

You'll learn:

• The signs it might be time for a pivot
• How to avoid getting stuck in “analysis paralysis”
• Leveraging your leadership capital
• Networking in the direction you want to go
• Breaking free from the golden handcuffs

Whether you’re itching for change or just starting to think about your next step, this episode will help you recognize when to shift — and how to do it without starting from scratch.

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Know someone who’s building their leadership voice? Send them this episode!

Find Arin online:

LinkedIn & YouTube: @arinpatterson

Interested in being a guest or submitting a leadership topic? Email Arin at [email protected].

In this episode, Arin shares her journey through 19 jobs, including roles in education, nonprofit leadership, property management, and more, and the powerful leadership lessons each one taught her. From realizing the importance of alignment to navigating difficult transitions, she breaks down what it means to grow through experience and lead with intention.

You’ll learn:

• Why every job, even the frustrating ones, can teach you something
• The nonnegotiables that matter in a healthy work environment
• How Arin’s current role is helping her grow as a strategic leader

Whether you’re early in your career, in the middle of a pivot, or thinking about your next chapter — this one’s for you.

Subscribe, follow, and share — you don’t want to miss what’s coming.

Know someone who’s building their leadership voice? Send them this episode!

Find Arin online:

• LinkedIn & YouTube: @arinpatterson

Interested in being a guest or submitting a leadership topic? Email/DM Arin at [email protected].