In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Rich and Dave explore one of the most common leadership bottlenecks in senior roles: when everything still comes back to the leader.

They discuss why shared leadership, emotional intelligence, and team coaching will define high-performance teams in 2026 and beyond

Drawing on research, real-world experience, and Zentano’s Connected Leadership approach, they unpack why traditional, hero-centric leadership models are no longer fit for purpose, and what replaces them. The conversation explores shared leadership as the emerging gold standard, where decision-making, ownership, and influence are distributed across the team rather than concentrated at the top.

Rich and Dave discuss the role of power, emotional intelligence, and team coaching in unlocking collective intelligence, reducing blind spots, and creating teams that adapt, innovate, and perform under pressure. Practical examples and clear takeaways help leaders reflect on where they may be unintentionally acting as a bottleneck, and how to shift toward a more connected, sustainable leadership model.

Key Talking Points

1. Why capable leaders often become unintentional bottlenecks
2. The shift from heroic leadership to shared leadership
3. Power, hierarchy, and mindset: what really needs to change
4. How shared leadership improves decision-making, agility, and ownership
5. The four Connected Leadership personas and their relationship with power
6. Why emotional intelligence is the “glue” that makes shared leadership work
7. The role of team coaching in building accountability, resilience, and performance
8. Practical ways to start embedding shared leadership without a culture overhaul