The Inspiring Leader

This explainer explores Kim Scott’s Radical Candor and the tension between caring personally and challenging directly. It looks at why avoiding difficult feedback can hurt people more than help them, how leaders can build trust through clarity, and why receiving criticism well may be the first step toward giving it better.

This explainer unpacks Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin and its five-part Choice Cascade. It explores why strategy requires hard choices, clear trade-offs, focused capabilities, and the discipline to decide not only what an organization will pursue, but also what it will deliberately leave behind.

Why are leaders so quick to give advice, and what does that habit do to their teams? This explainer explores The Coaching Habit and its practical approach to shifting from problem-solving to coaching through better questions, small behavioral changes, and conversations that build greater ownership and autonomy.

For this podcast interview, I sat down once again with my former professor, Dr. Benito “Ben” Teehankee, for a conversation on humanistic management in the age of artificial intelligence.

Dr. Ben is a Full Professor at De La Salle University and formerly holds the Jose E. Cuisia Professorship in Business Ethics and the Corazon C. Aquino Professorship in Business and Management. For more than four decades, his work has explored business ethics, corporate governance, humanistic management, and the role of business in advancing human flourishing.

Our conversation went beyond the usual discussion about how AI can make us faster and more productive.
We talked about what happens when we begin outsourcing our thinking to machines, the impact of AI on critical thinking and ethical judgment, and the responsibility of leaders to make sure technology enhances and not diminishes our humanity.

One thought from Dr. Ben stayed with me:
Use machines to enhance your thinking, not to do the thinking for you.

A timely conversation about AI, leadership, and what it means to remain human.

In The Workshopper Playbook, author Jonathan Courtney presents a structured system designed to replace inefficient meetings with productive, high-impact collaboration. The core of his methodology is the 4C’s Framework, which guides teams through a four-stage process of Collecting data, Choosing priorities, Creating solutions, and Committing to actionable tasks. This approach relies on facilitation principles such as working "together, alone" to eliminate groupthink and ensure every voice is heard anonymously. By utilizing specific tools like the Sailboat exercise and the Effort/Impact Matrix, the text explains how anyone can become a Workshopper capable of solving complex problems. Ultimately, the book serves as a practical guide for turning vague challenges into documented actions that drive real progress within any organization.

In his book What Great Leaders Do, Andy Stanley presents a roadmap for achieving enduring impact through seven essential leadership behaviors. He argues that while some people are born with a "leadership gear," true greatness is defined by disciplined action and the development of character rather than just talent or charisma. The text emphasizes that exceptional self-leadership is the vital foundation for sustained influence, warning that giftedness can often take a person further than their maturity can support. To avoid self-destruction and become a leader worth following, one must commit to rigorous self-honesty and prioritize long-term values over immediate desires. Ultimately, Stanley asserts that leadership is a dangerous gift that must be wielded responsibly to transform organizations and inspire the next generation.

In a world of "new demands and insufficient resources," the biggest challenge for leaders isn't finding more talent, but accessing the genius already in their ranks. In Multipliers, Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown explore why some leaders—Diminishers—drain the capability of those around them, while others—Multipliers—amplify it to produce extraordinary results.

Drawing on research from over 150 global executives, the authors reveal the "Multiplier Effect": the ability to extract twice the intelligence and capability from a team compared to traditional leaders. Multipliers aren't just smart themselves; they are genius makers who make everyone around them smarter and more capable.

The book outlines five key disciplines that distinguish these leaders: they act as Talent Magnets who find native genius, Liberators who demand best thinking, Challengers who seed opportunities, Debate Makers who drive sound decisions, and Investors who instill ownership.

Whether you are a first-time manager or a seasoned executive, this book provides a hard-edged, practical framework for leveraging your organization’s greatest asset—its people. It’s time to stop trying to be the smartest person in the room and start building an environment where everyone can contribute their best.

Our guest for this episode is Pastor Allan C. Morales. He's a certified Life Coach under The Global Life Coach Training & Entrepreneur Institute in the US, a  Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership Graduate from the International Graduate School of Leadership, and is the Senior and Founding Pastor of The Breakthrough Community Church. Enjoy the episode. Cheers!