Latest News Jan 14, 2026 Local and National Business Leaders Gather Tonight at Roanoke's Science Museum for Immersive AI Leadership Experience Tonight, Wednesday, January 14, from 5:00–6:30 PM, Cortex Leadership Consulting will host an immersive leadership experience inside The Eye Planetarium at the Science Museum of Western Virginia, welcoming participants from across the country for AI Strategic Leader Cohort 3 and the inaugural EPIC 2.0 leadership program. Read More Oct 31, 2025 Cortex Leadership Consulting CEO Lynda Foster to Deliver Wrap-Up Keynote at the Emerging Technology Conference Cortex Leadership Consulting CEO Lynda Foster to Deliver Wrap-Up Keynote at the Emerging Technology Conference Read More Jul 11, 2025 Cortex Leadership Launches “The AI Leader Brief” to Equip Executives for Rapid AI Disruption Roanoke, VA — July 1, 2025 — As artificial intelligence continues to reshape decision-making, operations, and strategy in every sector, Cortex Leadership Consulting has launched a new tool to help leaders adapt. The AI Leader Brief, a weekly executive digest, is designed to equip organizational decision-makers with timely, actionable insights at the intersection of AI, leadership, and strategy. Read More Jun 20, 2025 Leadership Experts Urge Global Business Shift from VUCA to BANI Framework to Navigate Chaos of the 2020s Roanoke, VA & Cologne, Germany – In a bold and timely call to action, Lynda McNutt Foster, CEO of Cortex Leadership Consulting, and Holger Heinze, Director & Partner at O'Donovan Consulting AG, have co-authored a powerful new thought leadership piece titled “From VUCA to BANI: Leading in Today’s Chaotic World.” The article challenges today’s business leaders to move beyond the now-outdated VUCA framework and embrace a new, more relevant leadership model: BANI – Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible. Read More Jun 8, 2025 How AI Will Change Your Job—And What You Can Do About It Live Small Group and One-on-One Demo Experiences Show Leaders and Everyday Workers How to Stay Ahead of AI's Disruption Read More Mar 14, 2025 Five Years Later, This Leadership Training Stuck and It's Still Paying Off With clients across the globe, Cortex Leadership Consulting equips leaders with the skills to strengthen their teams, improve communication, and drive company success. Read More Feb 7, 2025 Professionals Graduate EPIC Leadership Program More than two dozen professionals from across Virginia gather to celebrate graduating from the EPIC Leadership Program. Read More Dec 16, 2024 Kimberly Eakin Earns TED Certification to Elevate Client Success with Cortex Kimberly Eakin, a valued Mentor and Coach on the Cortex team, has achieved certification in The Empowerment Dynamic (TED*) Read More

Cortex Leadership Consulting Video Library Learning and Growing with the Help of a Mentor Read More Motivating Yourself to Exercise Read More Smile or frown: Are emojis okay at work? Read More How to create a business chemistry Read More How to make your side hustle your full time Read More Oversharing can put your career in limbo Read More Risks and rewards of starting a business Read More SWVA business owners to unveil big plans Pt. 1 Read More What is it really like to open your own company? Read More Virginia At Work: Escaping the social media "Echo Chamber" Read More Are you stuck in a social media bubble? Read More How coaching your team makes all the difference at work Read More How to make sure you get a pay raise Read More Happiness in the workplace Read More Three steps to building your confidence muscle Read More The Power of Understanding People Read More How to create positive change in the workplace Read More How much money makes you wealthy? Read More How to balance work life and home life Read More Coffee with a Coach and the 5 faces of Anger Read More BulletProof Coffee to Boost Your Brain to Become a Better Leader Read More Your New Years "To Don't" List Read More How to Handle Gossip at Work Read More The Difference between Appreciation and Recognition at Work Read More Nine Lies About Work Read More Courage in Lexington Read More Dealing with a Bad Boss Read More DEV Day Read More Would You Get Chipped? Read More Risk and rewards of starting a business Read More Interpretations of your boss could be based on perception Read More The cost of gossip at work Read More Smile or frown: Are emojis okay at work? Read More Don't Fall In Love With Your Plan Read More Perks and risks of working from home Read More SWVA business owners to unveil big plans Pt. 2 Read More Creative Collaborations: How to make them work Read More Why working solo can backfire Read More Virginia at Work: How to Create Defining Moments Read More How to Land a Job in Your desired Field After Graduation Read More NCAA Brackets Turning the tounament into a team building activity Read More Virginia At Work: Helping Veterans find Jobs Read More How to get your worth at work Read More Side jobs grow in popularity Read More The skills you need to be marketable in the future Read More Management: What Makes Work Fun Again Read More How to Change your Focus: Asking the right Questions Read More Coffee with a Coach - Virginia Women's Conference 2018 Preview Read More The Importance of Morning Routines Read More Get BIG results from making small changes - Coffee with a Coach Read More Top 4 Reasons why Employees Quit their Jobs Read More How to Deal with Conflict at Work Read More The Cortex Solution to Tough People Problems Read More Handling Conflict in the Workplace Read More OmniSource Retreat Read More Check Out Our YouTube Channel

< Back The cost of gossip at work 0c7k Previous Next

From Reactivity to Resilience Unlocking Your Leadership Potential You already know that great leadership isn't about reacting - it's about responding with clarity and confidence. But how often do you find yourself caught in stress, frustration, or self-doubt? This session will help you recognize when you're triggered, understand your DISC-driven stress responses, and apply proven techniques to shift from reactive to resilient. Step One - Self-Assessment: Take the Cortex Resilient Leader Index: Measuring Your Response Agility Assessment Assessment Step Two - Read the Scorecard: Empowered Response Scorecard: Recognizing and Elevating Your Mindset to better understand your score Scorecard Step Three - Read the Article: Read how your DISC style influences reactivity and resilience Article Step Four - Prep-Podcast: Listen to a short episode on reactivity vs. intentional leadership

The High-Potential Leader's Fast Track to Self-Mastery The path to effective leadership is no longer a slow climb—it's a sprint. Today's rising managers, supervisors, and high-potential employees, and existing leaders must understand themselves, raise their emotional intelligence, and increase their discernment faster than ever to succeed in an AI-accelerated environment. EPIC 2.0 in the Age of AI program transforms generic training into precision talent development. If you're a participant of EPIC 2.0, click here to access your material. It's password protected: find the password in your email inbox. Key Program Deliverables This program is specifically designed to provide your organization with an immediate return on investment by focusing time and energy on high-leverage skills: Mastery of Self-Awareness Scientifically validated assessments (DISC, 12 Driving Forces, AI Traveler, and others) ensure customized materials, fast-tracking self-awareness for intentional leadership. Time Mastery 2.0 with AI Adopt the Time Mastery 2.0 framework for your exact role to optimize schedules, focus on high-value outcomes, and leverage AI for task delegation and efficiency. Trust as the Engine of Change Learn practical techniques for building and maintaining trust across three levels of Conversational Intelligence, reducing internal and organizational drama. Strategic Communication and Problem Solving Gain immediate practical communication and application skills using the updated VIPEi Framework (Vision, Ideation, Planning, Execution, Iteration) to restore team adaptability and accelerate insights and use it for your, specific, problem or project. Learning How to Learn in the Age of AI Develop a co-thinking mindset, using AI not just for speed, but for clarity and strategic partnership, mastering high-impact prompts. Utilize tools and frameworks to understand and communicate with others more effectively and collaborate with better outcomes. Self-Mastery Leadership Challenge chosen by each participant that ensures application of the EPIC 2.0 learning experiences. Participation during sessions in 3-4 person Thinking Pods to practice what they are learning and ways to apply it immediately. EPIC 2.0 Why This Program, Why Now The path to effective leadership is no longer a slow climb—it's a sprint. Today's rising managers, supervisors, and high-potential employees, and existing leaders must understand themselves, raise their emotional intelligence, and increase their discernment faster than ever to succeed in an AI-accelerated environment. EPIC 2.0 Age of AI program transforms generic training into precision talent development. Leaders are currently wrestling with the twin burdens of low-value interactions and "work-slop" (ineffective work product resulting from poor AI integration and unclear self-management skills) and "drama" (resulting from a lack of self-awareness and self-regulation). Cortex, which is now training hundreds of leaders in both human-centered skills and AI essentials, designed EPIC 2.0 to solve this gap. EPIC 2.0 is a dynamic 2-day experience that transforms leaders from overwhelmed responders to more agile Co-Creators who seamlessly integrate human judgment with AI-enabled insights. Contact Us! Read More What you can't get anywhere else 1. High-Performance Acceleration: Experience a two-day transformation that fast-tracks self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and strategic execution—skills leaders usually take years to master. 2. Human + AI Integration: EPIC 2.0 bridges leadership science and AI capability, showing leaders exactly how to reduce “work-slop,” eliminate drama, and lead with clarity in an AI-driven world. 3. Exclusive Leadership Frameworks: Access the Time Mastery 2.0 system, the VIPEi Strategic Problem-Solving Model, and the AI Traveler Assessment—frameworks used by hundreds of high-performing leaders to optimize their teams and decision-making. Frequently Asked Questions What is the primary purpose of the EPIC 2.0 program? EPIC 2.0 is a dynamic 2-day experience designed to transform leaders from overwhelmed responders into more agile Co-Creators who seamlessly integrate human judgment with AI-enabled insights. The program aims to transform generic training into precision talent development. Who is the target audience for the EPIC 2.0 program? The program is designed for rising managers, supervisors, high-potential employees, and existing leaders. What specific challenges does EPIC 2.0 address? The program is designed to solve the gap resulting from leaders dealing with the "twin burdens" of low-value interactions and "work-slop" (ineffective work product due to unclear self-management skills and poor AI integration). It also addresses "drama" that results from a lack of self-awareness and self-regulation. What are the key deliverables of the program? The program focuses time and energy on high-leverage skills to provide an immediate return on investment (ROI). Key deliverables include: Mastery of Self-Awareness using scientifically validated assessments. Time Mastery 2.0 with AI to optimize schedules, focus on high-value outcomes, and leverage AI for task delegation and efficiency. Gaining skills in Strategic Communication and Problem Solving. Learning How to Learn in the Age of AI, including developing a co-thinking mindset and mastering high-impact prompts for strategic partnership. What frameworks and assessments are utilized in the program? Scientifically validated assessments are used to ensure customized materials, including DISC, 12 Driving Forces, and AI Traveler. The program also teaches the Time Mastery 2.0 framework. How is the learning applied and practiced? Application is ensured through a Self-Mastery Leadership Challenge chosen by each participant. Participants also engage in 3-4 person Thinking Pods during sessions to practice what they are learning and identify ways to apply it immediately. What is the format and duration of EPIC 2.0? The program is a dynamic 2-day experience delivered through in-person, live instruction. What is the cohort size? The cohort size is limited to 14-18 spaces to ensure maximum personalization and high-touch facilitation. When does the program start? Each cohort will collectively pick the best date for Day 1 and Day 2 based on availability to ensure high-level participation. The upcoming Cohort kicks off in January of 2026. What are the associated investment costs? As a Special Partnership Offering, the investment varies by membership status: SRCC Member Rate: $1,100 per participant. SRCC Member Rate (2+ participants from the same organization): $950 per participant. Non-Member Rate: $1,250 per participant. Who are the partners offering this program? This Special Partnership Offering is provided by the Salem-Roanoke Chamber of Commerce, Cortex Leadership Consulting, and Metis. Contact Us! First Name* Last Name* Email* Company* Position* I am interested in the following (select one or more). Additional Information Reserving an EPIC 2.0 seat for myself Sending one of my employees to EPIC 2.0 Sending two of my employees to EPIC 2.0 Sending three or more of my employees to EPIC 2.0 Submit

Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Personalized Coaching System The Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator rapidly equips leaders like you with essential competencies for success in today's fast-paced, AI-driven environment. You will master strategic time and priority management, develop greater adaptability and agility, enhance decision-making and problem-solving capabilities, and effectively integrate AI and technology into their daily workflows. Additionally, you'll strengthen communication and collaboration skills, foster continuous learning, and build intellectual curiosity, ensuring you, your team, and organization are well-prepared for the future. The level of learning you will need to create time for each week requires that you elevate your leadership performance by mastering your most valuable asset - your time. Our specialized, high-impact coaching package delivers personalized insights, actionable strategies, and AI-driven enhancements to ensure immediate results and sustainable success. Contact us about small group and large group trainings. Contact Us Read the Executive Summary of Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Summary Listen to the Time Mastery 2.0 Deep Dive Corecast Episode : Read the Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Summary & Corcast Episode Time Mastery 2.0 Digital eBook: Your comprehensive, step-by-step guide. Customized AI Profile: A personalized AI-driven leadership blueprint to help you identify you key areas of focus to accelerate your growth in your career trajectory in the age of AI. 3 One-on-One Coaching Sessions with a Cortex Certified Executive Coach: Direct, focused guidance and accountability from your dedicated coach. Exclusive Access to AI Tools: Curated list and training on AI solutions that streamline your productivity and elevate your strategic thinking. Personalized Action Planner: Clear, customized plans tailored to your unique leadership goals and organizational outcomes. Your Full Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Package Would Include What You'll Experience in the One-On-One Coaching Sessions with the Full Time Mastery 2.0: Executive Accelerator Program Deep Dive into your unique leadership assessment results. Custom-built AI profile outlining your distinct strengths, motivators, and productivity preferences. Orientation to the Time Mastery 2.0 system—personalized guidance on immediate application for maximum efficiency and clarity. Session 1: Personal Assessment and AI Profile Debrief (90 mins) Develop and refine your personalized, actionable execution plan. AI-supported prioritization strategies for achieving your highest-impact outcomes. Optimize your daily scheduled and workflows for peak performance and productivity. Session 2: Refining Your Time Mastery 2.0 Execution Plan (60 mins) Review your progress, troubleshoot any barriers, and reinforce new habits. Advanced strategies for sustaining focus, energy, and strategic thinking long-term. Strategic guidance on leveraging AI and your personalized system to anticipate and overcome future challenges proactively. Session 3: Sustaining Mastery and Strategic Acceleration (60 mins) All Materials are Personalized for You Proven Results. Clear, simple integration into your existing workflow. Enhances your strategic capability, leveraging your natural strengths. Empowers your leadership style with cutting-edge AI tools. Why Leaders Are Choosing Time Mastery 2.0 Get Started with Mastering Your Time Now! Contact us to get started on mastering your time to future-proof your influence and impact. Contact us about small group and large group trainings. Executive Accelerator Competency Outcomes Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Package First name Last name Email Company name Position Single choice I am interested in Small Group Training for Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Coaching Program I am interested in Large Group Training for Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Coaching Program I am interested in one-on-one Training for Time Mastery 2.0 Executive Accelerator Coaching Program I would like information on getting Lynda McNutt Foster as a KeyNote Speaker. Submit Ready to Master Your Time?

The New Playbook of Teamwork The New Playbook of Teamwork equips leaders and teams to solve complex challenges faster and smarter in today’s AI-driven workplace. You’ll learn how to spark deeper insight, align around a clear vision, unlock ideas worth pursuing, and build plans that keep momentum alive. With the VIPEi framework, you’ll execute without burnout, iterate without bureaucracy, and foster a culture of inclusion and innovation—ensuring your team doesn’t just perform, but thrives. The pace of challenges today demands more than hard work—it requires a new rhythm for collaboration. This playbook pushes you to elevate how your team thinks, communicates, and creates together. By combining proven strategies with AI-enabled tools, you’ll replace stalled meetings with real momentum, reduce burnout by aligning energy with outcomes, and transform scattered efforts into shared breakthroughs. The result? Teams that move faster, innovate smarter, and stay resilient in the face of constant change. How Top Performers Use Conversation, Collaboration, and AI to Solve Big Challenges Faster Contact Us Contact us about small group and large group trainings. Read the Executive Summary of The New Playbook of Teamwork - How Top Performers Use Conversations, Collaboration, and AI to Solve Big Challenges Faster Executive Summary Listen to The New Playbook of Teamwork Deep Dive Conversation: Read the Executive Summary & Listen to the Deep Dive Conversation The New Playbook of Teamwork Digital eBook: A concise, actionable guide that shows you how to unlock smarter collaboration and innovation. Teamwork Rhythm Framework (VIPEi): A proven system that keeps teams aligned, energized, and moving faster together. Leadership & Team Prompts Pack: Exclusive AI-powered prompts to spark better questions, sharper vision, and bolder ideas. Implementation Play Sheets: Simple, ready-to-use tools that turn theory into action inside your team right away. Practical Inclusion Rules: A set of powerful, team-tested principles that create trust, safety, and innovation at every level. The New Playbook of Teamwork Package Includes What You'll Experience in the Full New Playbook of Teamwork Program Collective review of team dynamics, communication patterns, and current challenges. Introduction to the VIPEi Framework—clarifying how Insight, Vision, Ideation, Planning, Execution, and Iteration build a new rhythm of teamwork. Teamwide assessment to surface strengths, blind spots, and alignment opportunities. Practical exercises to practice “starting with Insight” and building clarity before solving. Session 1: Assessment and Insight Alignment (3–4 hrs) Facilitation of Vision exercises to define shared goals and success measures. Application of the 10 Rules of Ideation to create a safe, inclusive space for bold ideas. Guided practice in moving from ideas to structured, right-sized plans that protect momentum. Use of AI-supported tools to expand ideation, test assumptions, and strengthen planning clarity. Session 2: Vision, Ideation, and Planning in Action (3–4 hrs) Team coaching on executing without burnout—building energy, accountability, and support structures. Application of 10 Rules of Inclusion to strengthen trust, psychological safety, and collaboration. Practice in low-stakes iteration loops to refine work without bureaucracy or bottlenecks. Creation of a Team Rhythm Playbook—a customized guide that captures agreements, norms, and AI-enabled practices to sustain long-term performance. Session 3: Execution, Iteration, Sustainable Team Rhythms (3–4 hrs) The New Playbook of Teamwork training will help leaders build the skills today’s organizations demand most. More than a framework, this training gives you the tools to solve big challenges faster with smarter collaboration, practical conversation strategies, and AI integration. Leaders who apply these principles strengthen critical competencies, including: Vision and Strategic Clarity – framing challenges and opportunities in ways that mobilize teams. High-Impact Communication – leading conversations that inspire trust, reduce resistance, and drive action. Collaboration Across Silos – breaking down barriers and creating alignment between functions. Decision-Making Agility – applying AI and team intelligence to move faster with confidence. Innovation Under Pressure – fostering environments where fresh ideas surface, get tested, and scale. This training combines decades of leadership research with real-world application to help you navigate complexity, accelerate results, and elevate the performance of your team. What Training Will Include: Get Started with solving big challenges! Contact us about small group and large group trainings to get started. Contact us First name* Last name* Email* Company Name* Position* I am interested in (Select all that apply). Small Team Training Large Team Training Company Wide Training One-on-one training/coaching for better utilizing my VIPE strengths in the workplace. I would like information on getting Lynda McNutt Foster as a Keynote speaker. Other Is there any additional information you can provide about your Team that will help us personalize your training sessions specifically to your team?* Submit Ready to Solve Big Challenges Faster?

Meet Your Coach Kim Levings Kim Levings is an experienced leadership development professional with over 35 years of expertise in people and leadership development. With career experience in both corporate and nonprofit sectors in the USA and South Africa, Kim provides training facilitation, leadership development, and coaching services. She has held executive leadership roles in Human Resources, Manpower Development, Training, and Operations and has partnered with leadership teams and consulting firms to help scale development teams and programs. As a Master Trainer and certified partner in Everything DiSC® and 5 Behaviors® of Effective Teams, Kim equips individuals to bring their best selves to life, building healthier teams and cultures. Offering services globally and remotely, Kim spends part of each year in South Africa, continuing her work with leaders and teams around the world. Originally from South Africa, Kim has always been passionate about helping individuals and teams reach their full potential. Through her years of leadership in Human Resources and Operations, she saw firsthand the challenges leaders face. These experiences inspired her to focus on leadership development, training, and coaching to create lasting impact. With a candid, transparent approach, Kim aims to connect with people in meaningful ways, building trust quickly. Whether working with organizations like River Ranch Foods, Nex-gen Pharma, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, or facilitating programs like Thinking into Results and Serving Leadership, her goal remains the same: to support leaders and teams in creating healthier, more effective workplaces. As a “nomad,” Kim splits her time between the USA and South Africa, providing leadership development services to clients across the globe. Contact Let's connect.

Discover Your AI Traveler Type Discover Your AI Traveler Type Discover Your AI Traveler Type Discover Your AI Traveler Type A Cortex-Exclusive Assessment Trio designed to unlock how you think, lead, and grow with AI — no matter your role. What is the AI Traveler Assessment? What is the AI Traveler Assessment? What is the AI Traveler Assessment? What is the AI Traveler Assessment? In a world where AI is reshaping how we work, the AI Traveler Assessment is your compass. Whether you're a team member, manager, or senior leader, this simple self-assessment reveals how you're currently engaging with AI—your mindset, your habits, and your growth edge. It’s not a test. It’s a reflection. And it gives you a custom profile designed to help you adapt faster, lead smarter, and navigate the future with clarity. Your AI Traveler type highlights where you are now — and offers practical next steps to grow your impact with the help of tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. Ready to discover your AI Traveler type? Ready to discover your AI Traveler type? Ready to discover your AI Traveler type? Ready to discover your AI Traveler type? Choose the version of the assessment that best fits your role. It only takes about 5–7 minutes to complete, and your scorecard will be emailed to you automatically. If you're not sure which to pick, go with the one that aligns closest to your day-to-day responsibilities. AI Traveler for Team Members AI Traveler for Managers AI Traveler for Leaders What happens after you submit your assessment? You'll receive an AI Traveler Scorecard based on your responses - sent directly to your email. This scorecard includes a detailed profile of your AI mindset, coaching questions, and growth strategies. Most people finish the assessment in under 7 minutes. Didn't get your scorecard? Check your spam/Junk folder or email us directly at info@cortexleadership.com Having trouble choosing or accessing your assessment? No problem. Contact your lead or contact us and we'll help guide you to the right fit. Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions What is the AI Traveler assessment all about? The AI Traveler assessment is a self-reflection tool that helps you understand your current relationship with artificial intelligence (AI) in your work. It’s not a test, and there are no wrong answers. It’s designed to show how you're thinking about, using, or avoiding AI—so you can grow from where you are, not where someone else thinks you should be. Your results offer: a n AI Traveler profile, coaching-style reflection questions, skill-building challenges, and suggested AI prompts to try immediately. What does the assessment measure? The assessment evaluates how you engage with AI across four dimensions: Awareness – Do you see the relevance of AI for your work? Willingness – Are you open to experimenting and learning? Capacity – Do you have the tools, time, and support to succeed? Application – Are you already using AI in meaningful ways? Each profile reflects a unique combination of these dimensions. I took the assessment but don’t feel like the type I scored as. Did it get it wrong? Not at all. That feeling usually means you're on the edge of a transition—you’re evolving. Your score reflects your current patterns, not your potential. The Traveler Type is a mirror, not a label. Use it as a starting point for conversation and growth, not a definition of your identity. Will my AI Traveler type change over time? Yes—and that’s the goal. As you try new things, build confidence, and reflect on how AI fits into your workflow, your type may shift. Retaking the assessment every few months is a great way to measure progress and spark fresh insight. What should I do after I get my type? Every scorecard includes: Reflection questions to guide journaling or coaching, Suggestions for small, safe AI experiments, Prompts you can use in ChatGPT or Copilot today. You can also: Share your type with a peer, team, or leader, Upload your profile to an LLM and ask for a 90-day growth plan, Talk to your Cortex contact about next steps Can I be more than one type? Absolutely. Most people show traits from multiple types. Your profile is about what’s most dominant right now, not an all-or-nothing label. What happens if I don’t engage with AI at all? Here’s the thing: it’s not just about using AI. It’s about understanding how it’s changing your industry, your role, and your team’s expectations. Leaders who ignore AI risk: Falling behind in strategic conversations, Missing opportunities to improve clarity, speed, and creativity, Being seen as reactive instead of forward-thinking. And if you’re only using AI for basic tasks (emails, lists), you might be limiting its potential to help you coach better, think deeper, and lead smarter. How does the assessment support personal growth? It’s built to meet you where you are. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or confident with AI, your type offers: A mirror for your habits, A push toward growth, A way to make AI more human and helpful. And it’s backed by Cortex’s leadership philosophy: practical tools, deep reflection, and courageous clarity. How does it support team or organizational growth? AI Traveler profiles are conversation starters. They create a shared language across teams and roles so people can: Normalize learning together, Coach each other forward, Build trust in a changing workplace. The real power isn’t just in the score. It’s in what you do with it together.

Are You Ready to Lose Your Leaders? November 19, 2017 Lynda McNutt Foster 86% of companies surveyed by Deloitte University Press say the need is urgent to develop new leaders. Only 13% of organizations say they do an excellent job developing leaders at all levels. The Global Leadership Forecast reported that 85% of executives are not confident in their leadership pipelines. Perhaps organizations have been asking the question: How many people in our organization will we train to be leaders this year? When a better question might be, how many leaders do we need to train this year? The number of leadership positions that need to be filled as the baby boomers and silver generation retire in the next 10 years, can not be filled by Gen Xers . There’s not enough of them to fill those vacant positions. It’s estimated that 24 million new jobs will be created by 2020 as a result of baby boomers retiring. The Director for Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, Anthony P. Carnevale says, “The cognitive skills that will be most in demand for the jobs available in 2020 are leadership, communication, analytics and administration,” Also important research from Gallup discovered that 50% of the workers who had left organizations did so because of their manager . We’re going to need to train a ton of new leaders and the ones we have may not have the skills necessary to retain them. It is clear that succession planning through leadership and employee development, at every level of organizations, is an imperative. To be prepared, we need to consider that the previous models for training and development are not adequate for the tsunami that is ahead of us. The old model for training and development was an event. Each year, a select group of leaders from an organization were sent away in hope that they would come back to their teams and inspire and coach their team member’s to be more engaged and productive in order to reach the corporate goals that the leader wanted to meet. The training was expensive, which was why only a small number from the organization could go, and the programs took the leader away to a fantasy island where the lessons were set in a perfect scenario that was supposed to result in their team easily embracing the new lessons the leader had learned. If the leadership teams went as a group, their team members often felt like their boss, and his/her peers had learned a new and special “language” that was hard to understand and was never fully explained or understood by them. There was a separateness that was created that led to a “them vs us” mentality and resentment sometimes was felt towards the leaders. Even worse was the idea that the leaders being trained separately from their teams somehow had the skill of facilitation in order to “cascade” what they learned to each team member. This was supposed to happen in a seamless way with no continuing, or meaningful, support from the programs that trained the leaders. If support was given, it was usually done in an impersonal way through digital files or for those with a sizeable enough budget, one-on-one coaching. The old system of leadership training was not designed for today’s rapidly changing workplace that requires practical instruction for immediate challenges that face leaders and their teams daily. Leaders must demonstrate agility and so should the sources that help train them. For organizations to be competitive in attracting today’s workforce, they need to adopt a methodology of continuous development for their leaders with the teams they serve. Today, succession planning can be “baked into” the training. In the new model training is not one event, but instead, it is a series of group experiences that continual development and support leaders. By conducting the training this way, there is no loss of investment if a leader or one person on the team leaves, because the development is cascading to all members of the team. By doing this, you are developing your leaders of tomorrow while supporting the ones you have today. Through short, scheduled group sessions, teams, and their leaders learn to listen for understanding, have the difficult or sweaty conversations (as we call them) most people avoid that leads to their ability to work through and past the toughest challenges. The only way to make leadership development and skill building of your highest potentials affordable is to make it an imperative. It must be something that the current leadership in the organization believes to be one of its highest priorities. Saying it is “urgent and important” yet placing it in the “important but not urgent” quadrant will not create solutions that net results for your culture that reflect positively through your brand. When something is urgent and important it gets done. Creative solutions are found to solve it. The best minds in the company come together to collaborate on ideas and how to implement them. The solutions that are created are committed to and executed from the very top – they are not pushed up. When something is urgent and important it gets done and everyone sees the effect on the organization if it doesn’t. Where do you start if you know you need to train your leaders? 1. Determine if your commitment to developing your future leaders and to your succession plan will be in the urgent and important category in 2018. It’s fine if it isn’t, just please don’t say it is when it is not. Your mangers will notice the misalignment and more harm than good will come from it. To identify whether it truly is in the “urgent and important” category take a look at the budget you have set for it and the time you have made to create a vision, brainstorm ideas, develop a plan, and execute it. If you haven’t set money and time aside for these things, it’s either not in the urgent and important category now or you are throwing spaghetti at the wall and expecting it to stick. 2. Discover the answer to these questions: How many leaders do we need to have trained in 2018 and why to ensure we are ready for our changing workforce in 2019, 2020 and beyond? What are the leadership competencies they need to be trained in? How will we determine which competencies individual leaders are weak in? What are the best ways to be sure any training those leaders receive will be practiced? What are some of the modern methods of training that we can use that will have an immediate effect on the productivity of the leaders and their teams? How will we make performance development a continuous practice for our leaders and the teams they serve? How dated are the models we are using to train our contemporary workforce? What will success look like from the training that we are going to do? What type of support will be necessary, after the training, to ensure that it sticks? How will we measure the success of the training? Can the training stick without our (meaning the top tier leadership group) participation in it? Would it be most effective to train the leaders with their teams or have them trained separately? Does the brand image of the products or services we offer support the type of culture we are building within our leadership teams? Would you recommend to your best friend, if they are qualified, that they come to work for your company or organization? Make the time to consider these questions and have the sweaty conversations necessary to answer them this week, rather than next. Before the end of this year, instead of next. In 2018 instead of 2019. Your biggest competitors are doing this type of hard work that will lead to changing their corporate culture’s brand in order to reach prosperous outcomes. Cortex is working with organizations, right now, to ensure their profitable outcomes for 2018. We’d like to work with you.

Mastering AI Collaboration AI Guide Book: A comprehensive playbook designed to help leaders develop Conversational Intelligence for collaborating effectively with AI. Including frameworks, real-world prompt evolution examples, and step-by-step instructions for transforming basic AI prompts into strategic, emotionally intelligent dialogues. Guide Book SuperHuman AI Newsletter: Get the latest AI news, learn must-know AI tools, and keep up with tech news in just 3 minutes a day. Join 1 million+ readers growing their skillsets with this newsletter. SuperHuman AI Newsletter Corcast Episode: Your personal guide to Conversational Intelligence with AI

DISC, Motivators, Team Strengths DISC, Driving Forces, Cortex Team Strengths, Stress Quotient, Emotional Intelligence Each of these assessments delivers vital information to help you quickly assess the strengths and weaknesses of your team members and leaders. Using a proven Cortex method, these assessments based on real science will move you to a more efficient and effective way to pin point exactly what and who you need to focus on to create optimal performance from your team. TTI Success Insights (TTI SI) believes all people are unique and have talents and skills of which they are often unaware. TTI SI and its network of Value Added Associates, like Cortex Leadership Consulting, exist to reveal and harness these talents, using the Science of Self. Over three decades, TTI SI has researched and applied social and brain science, creating assessment solutions consultants in 90 countries and 40 languages used to hire, develop and retain the best talent in the world. TTI SI assessments are at work in the Fortune 1000 companies and have worked with over 100,000 companies over the years. TTI SI tools are EEOC and OFCCP compliant and are continuously tested and refined to ensure the highest standards of ethics and reliability, which is why Cortex has chosen to use TTI. With a tenacious, innovative culture, TTI SI and Cortex Leadership Consulting transform potential to productivity, performance and profits. TTI Success Insights® believes there are five dimensions of a superior performer that can be measured by our research-based assessments: Behaviors Motivators Acumen Competencies Emotional Intelligence Who you are, what you do and how you do it. The research-based, validated TTI Success Insights assessment we use at Cortex Leadership Consulting measures behaviors in five behavioral dimensions using the DISC theory. DISC measures Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance and was first developed by William Moulton Marston. Our Behaviors/DISC assessment is key in helping people understand HOW they behave and their ability to interact effectively with others in work and life, as well as how they respond to the following challenges: Problems and challenges Influencing others Pace of environment Rules and procedures To see a sample of our in-depth 23-page DISC Assessment Report, click here . Becoming self aware is the first step on your leadership journal. WHAT MAKES OUR DISC ASSESSMENTS MORE RELIABLE? The provider we use, TTI Insights, were the first DISC providers to guide companies from the prospective employee stage to selection, from on- board training to job-related development. More importantly, TTI SI is the only provider of DISC assessments in the marketplace that generates 384 unique reports, based on both the high and low scores revealed in each individual’s two DISC graphs (natural style graph and adapted style graph). In other words, TTI not only studies the behaviors that come naturally to the respondent — both how they act (Behaviors) and why they act a certain way (Motivators) — but we also analyze and present the less dominant behaviors. Developing these less dominant behaviors presents opportunities for self-improvement and greater understanding. Where other companies only provide a snapshot of an individual, we provide a full picture to gain a greater understanding of self and others. In addition, TTI SI is constantly running internal studies, including the study of adverse impact and is conduct- ing test-retest analysis to validate and to improve our products. These steps allow our suite of assessments to remain at the forefront of innovation and stand the test of time. MOTIVATORS Whereas Behaviors illustrate the HOW of our actions and decision-making, Motivators explain the WHY behind your actions and passions. Motivators, based on Eduard Spranger’s theory of human motivation, are the windows through which an individual views the world. These intrinsic motivations explain the key driving forces about someone’s on-the-job performance and why they act a certain way. Theoretical — the discovery of truth Utilitarian — money and what is useful; ROI Aesthetic — form and harmony Social — an inherent caring for people; helping others Individualistic — personal power, influence and renown Traditional — a system for living To see a sample of our in-depth 23-page Motivators Assessment Report, click here . Contact Cortex Leadership Consulting to learn more. Contact Us!