July 2026 Leadership Development Digest
Hosted by Sean Glaze | Great Results Teambuilding
Welcome to the July 2026 Leadership Development Digest – a curated collection of 22 articles, podcasts, and insightful content from some of today’s most thoughtful voices in leadership. Each month, contributors from across the leadership community share their best work, organized here by topic so you can jump straight to what matters most to you right now.
Whether you’re navigating change, developing your team, or thinking about culture and communication, you’ll find something worth reading. Enjoy the collection, and be sure to connect with these terrific authors on LinkedIn.
AI & Technology
The Biggest AI Problem Has Nothing to Do With Technology
By Dr. Jennifer Nash | LinkedIn
Organizations often struggle to see results from AI because they focus on technology rather than necessary shifts in human behavior, which creates an “AI Activity Trap”. Sustainable success requires leaders to move beyond tool adoption and instead redesign workflows, support change management, and invest in critical human skills alongside technological capabilities.
Crossing the Chasm of Fear — AI Soft Landing: Leading People Through the Anxiety of Transformation and AI
By Braden Kelley | LinkedIn
As AI reshapes roles and workflows, the real leadership challenge isn’t adoption — it’s managing the fear and resistance that come with it. This piece offers a practical framework for helping your team land softly on the other side of transformation.
Most Companies Are Not Adaptive Enough
By Marcella Bremer | LinkedIn
In a world of constant disruption, adaptability isn’t optional — it’s the new competitive edge. Marcella Bremer explores why most organizations fall short and what leaders can do to build cultures that bend without breaking.
How Financial Leaders Must Lead in the Age of AI
By Susan Inouye | LinkedIn
AI is transforming finance, but the leaders who will thrive aren’t just the ones who adopt it fastest — they’re the ones who bring their teams along with clarity, trust, and purpose. Susan Inouye unpacks what that leadership actually looks like.
Change & Innovation
“Leave Us Alone. We’re Done.” — What Happens When Change Goes Too Far
By David Grossman | LinkedIn
Change fatigue is real, and employees are hitting a wall. David Grossman, writing in MIT Sloan Management Review, examines what happens when organizations push change too hard and how leaders can recognize — and respond to — the warning signs before they lose their people.
Communication
When the Check Engine Light Comes On: Why Great Leaders Don’t Avoid Difficult Conversations
By Angela Hummel | LinkedIn
Avoiding hard conversations is like ignoring a check engine light — it feels easier in the moment, but the cost compounds. Angela Hummel walks through why courageous communication is a core leadership competency and what it takes to build that muscle.
Business Influence: How to Make a Real Impact in Business
By Susan Heaton-Wright | LinkedIn
Influence isn’t about authority — it’s about how you show up, communicate, and connect. Susan Heaton-Wright breaks down what genuine business influence looks like and how leaders can develop it in ways that actually move people.
Culture
Building Culture Through Connection, Courage, and Grit with Julia Gabor
By S. Chris Edmonds | LinkedIn
Cultures that work share consistent traits: leaders with vision, trust built into the system, and space for people to think, create, and contribute in meaningful ways. Chris Edmonds interviews Julia Gabor on what actually makes a workplace inspiring — and what slowly drains its energy.
The Mind-Deadening Gravitational Pull of a Leadership Singularity
When one leader’s voice dominates all decisions and thinking, organizations stop growing. Art Petty examines the dangerous dynamic of leadership singularity — and what it costs teams in creativity, ownership, and long-term performance.
Growth & Development
You Say You’re Kind, But Are You?
By Frank Sonnenberg | LinkedIn
Being kind is like wearing deodorant: it doesn’t cost much, but it makes life a lot more pleasant for everyone. Frank Sonnenberg challenges leaders to move past surface-level niceness and examine whether their actions actually reflect the kindness they claim to value.
Leadership Is Stewardship
By John Spence | LinkedIn
The best leaders see themselves as stewards — of their people, their culture, and the future they’re building together. John Spence makes the case that shifting from ownership to stewardship is one of the most powerful reframes a leader can make.
From Powerlessness to Power Within
By Ann Van Eron | LinkedIn
Feeling powerless at work is more common than leaders admit — and it’s often self-imposed. Ann Van Eron guides readers through recognizing internal power blocks and reclaiming the agency that drives real growth and contribution.
How to Build a Team That Thinks
By Katie O’Brien Ceccarini | LinkedIn
Solving every problem yourself is a leadership ceiling. Katie O’Brien Ceccarini lays out how to develop a team that thinks critically, takes ownership, and doesn’t need hand-holding — and why that’s the mark of a truly effective leader.
Do You Need a Fractional CFO?
By Jon Verbeck | LinkedIn
For growing organizations that need financial leadership without the full-time cost, a fractional CFO can be a game-changer. Jon Verbeck walks through the questions leaders should ask to determine whether the model fits — and what to expect when it does.
The Great Development Standoff
By Julie Winkle Giulioni | LinkedIn
Managers say they want to develop their people. Employees say they’re not getting it. Julie Winkle Giulioni unpacks why the development conversation keeps stalling — and offers a practical path forward for leaders who want to break the standoff.
Don’t Do More, Lead Differently
By Susan Mazza | LinkedIn
Doing more is rarely the answer. Susan Mazza challenges the hustle-harder instinct and offers leaders a more sustainable path: not adding to their plate, but shifting how they show up, engage, and create space for their teams to thrive.
Write Your Own Review
By Diana Peterson-More | LinkedIn
What if you didn’t wait for someone else to evaluate your performance? Diana Peterson-More invites leaders to take ownership of their own growth story — and explains why writing your own review is one of the most honest and empowering things you can do.
Performance & Results
The Courage to Lead
By Priscilla Archangel | LinkedIn
Leadership was never meant to be comfortable. Priscilla Archangel explores the specific courage it takes to lead well — to make hard calls, hold people accountable, and stay committed to the right direction even when it’s easier to look away.
Resilience, Well-Being & Burnout Prevention
Hurry Up and Wait
By Eileen McDargh | LinkedIn
Our too-fast, get-it-done-yesterday world leaves real life behind. Hall of Fame Speaker Eileen McDargh celebrates the underrated value of waiting — and what leaders (and humans) gain when they stop rushing and start noticing.
When Life Barges Into Your Office
By Bill Treasurer | LinkedIn
Personal crises don’t respect your calendar. Bill Treasurer writes about what it looks like when life shows up at work uninvited — and how leaders can respond with grace, courage, and humanity rather than pretending it isn’t happening.
Team Building
Why The Best Team Connection Ideas Are Not What HR Usually Recommends
By Sean Glaze | LinkedIn
Most team connection ideas feel good but change nothing. Here’s what intentional connection actually looks like and why it outperforms the usual HR playbook.
Trust, Fairness & Psychological Safety
The Leadership Practice I Didn’t Know I Needed
Sometimes the most transformative leadership practices are the ones hiding in plain sight. Lisa Kohn shares a simple but powerful shift she made — and why it changed the way her team shows up, speaks up, and trusts one another.
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It hs truly been my pleasure to host the Leadership Development Digest this month, and I know I speak for many when I say how grateful we all are to Julie Winkle Giulioni and Diana Peterson-More for sustaining this fantastic platform.
Month after month, they bring together thoughtful voices from across the leadership community and create a space where great ideas get the attention they deserve.
Thank you, Julie and Diana, for your commitment to making all of us better leaders.
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