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Level 4: Executive Leadership Coaching to Organizational Peak Performance Your leadership impact will be greatly affected by the competencies you are able to build a foundation for and enhance as you adjust to changing working environments and market conditions. Deciding which ones you will need the most in the coming 1-3 years is a critical success factor in achieving the outcomes you want you, your team, and your organization to achieve. Review the following information to ensure an understanding of each competency, complete the spreadsheet provided, and then review it with whom you report to so that you can ensure alignment. This information will be used to create your Cortex Leadership Development Plan that you will utilize during your executive coaching journey. Step 1: Review the Leadership Competencies Selection and Instruction Guide Guide Step 2: Review the Executive Leaders Mission Statement Mission Statement Step 3: Complete the Value Portion You will need this Value List to complete Part one of the Leadership Mission Statement exercise. Values Exercise Step 4: Complete the rest of the Mission Statement Step 5: Leadership Competencies Consider your Top 4 Leadership Competencies and why developing those are the most important in the coming year. Assessment Step 6: Review with your Supervisor It is best, when you complete this exercise, to review it with who you report to in order to get their feedback.

< Back The Meeting Trap Are your meetings helping or hurting productivity? Meeting Should Drive Results-Not Waste Time How many meetings did you attend last week? Now, how many of those meetings actually drove progress? Meetings should be a tool for execution-not a placeholder for indecision. Yet, many leaders fall into the trap of: Default meetings - recurring calls that no one questions No clear agenda - conversations go in circles No decision-making - forcing another follow-up meeting Here's how to make meetings work for you: Audit your recurring meetings. Cancel any that don't serve a clear purpose. Use AI-driven summaries instead of spending hours on debriefs. End every meeting with an action step. IF there's no decision, the meeting failed. Want to reclaim your time? Watch this 1-minute leadership insight on fixing bad meetings. [Insert Video Clip] Previous Next

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?

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Cortex's Leadership Traits for the 21st Century The Six Main Leadership Traits for the 21st Century - McKinsey & Company Research Cortex Leadership Traits for the 21st Century Assessment: Assessment Cortex Leadership Traits for the 21st Century Scorecard Scorecard 21st Century Leadership Traits - McKinsey & Company Research Article Article 21st Century Leadership Traits - McKinsey & Company Deep Dive Corecast Episode:

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.

We've been growing so you can, too. Sign up for online self-learning courses in our cortex-courses site. Each contains videos from our coaches, activities, and exercises in bite-sized, achievable chunks. Shift Lynda McNutt Foster is a certified practitioner of TED* The Empowerment Dynamic and can make shifts happen with your team, no matter what type of drama your team is experiencing. 360 surveys are assessment tools that provide leaders and employees with feedback about their performance.  The surveys’ subject is rated in areas such as leadership, communication, productivity, and technical skills. Check it out The Cortex Team Strengths full day session is designed to tackle a leadership team's biggest challenge and give them a model they can use in the future. The session includes a Cortex Team Strengths assessment that will help leaders/managers better understand which of the 4 phases of a project cycle they prefer to work within. Grow EPIC is a turn-key, coaching and mentoring program to build emotional intelligence in the area of self-awareness and leadership skills of highly engaged professionals. Explore If you take your leadership training with a side of ridiculous, we've got just what you ordered. Get untied with Lynda McNutt Foster and Brett Sharp in this groundbreaking podcast. Listen Now Conducted with small groups in a highly interactive format, this program is designed for seasoned leaders and those accepting the role and responsibility of leadership. Lead Tools We Use Programs We Run Problems We Solve

Cortex Culture Kits Cortex Culture Kits Cortex Culture Kits Cortex Culture Kits Everything a leader needs to conduct tailored, relevant, meaningful, and impactful, 1-hour team experiences that build trust and cohesion. How Culture Kits Work How Culture Kits Work How Culture Kits Work How Culture Kits Work All Culture Kits are designed as a six-part series spanning over 12-months. Already been through a series before through a Cortex Workshop? You have the option to mix & match! By mix & matching, you have the opportunity to design a Culture Kit experience for you and your team that addresses your teams needs specifically. Once choosing or mix & matching your Culture Kit follow these steps: 1 Schedule 6 team meetings with your team spanning over 12-months 2 Notify your Cortex Coach on what your Culture Kit includes and that you have scheduled all sessions with your team 3 Two weeks prior to your scheduled meeting, you'll receive an email with the landing page of each month's materials relating to your Culture Kit What We Offer Cortex Culture Kits Grow Your Team! Stressed for Success Stressed for Success is a guided Culture Kit designed to help individuals understand and manage stress and anxiety. It explores the neurological roots of stress, different types of anxiety, and introduces practical tools to "quiet the bully in your brain." Participants engage in short, spaced-out learning modules paired with simple, repeatable exercises aimed at rewiring stress responses. By consistently practicing the techniques, users can expect to reduce anxiety triggers, improve sleep, gain emotional control, and experience a greater sense of calm and clarity. This Culture Kit is available as a six-part series spanning over 12 months. The DISC Culture Kit series guides teams through a dynamic journey of self-awareness, communication mastery, and collaboration using the DISC behavioral model. Over six one-hour sessions, participants learn to identify their own DISC style, understand and adapt to others, and use this awareness to improve teamwork, manage conflict, and give effective feedback. Each session builds on the last through interactive activities, guided discussions, and practical application tools. By the end of the series, team members will be equipped to leverage their behavioral strengths, flex for better connection, and lead with greater emotional intelligence. *Already been through a couple of these? You can mix and match between all culture kits to best fit your teams needs!* Appreciation The 6-part Appreciation Culture Kit is designed to help teams build a stronger, more connected workplace by practicing meaningful, personalized appreciation. Through the lens of the 5 Languages of Appreciation, participants learn how to recognize and express gratitude in ways that truly resonate with their teammates. Each one-hour session blends science-backed insights with practical tools and guided discussions that deepen trust, increase engagement, and reduce turnover. By the end of the series, teams walk away with a shared understanding of how to make appreciation a natural, everyday part of their culture. Conflict Resolution The 6-part Conflict Resolution Culture Kit helps teams develop the skills to navigate tension with clarity, compassion, and confidence. Each session guides participants through a progression—from recognizing personal conflict styles and emotional triggers, to mastering active listening, respectful expression, and behavioral adaptation using DISC. Teams will learn how to transform difficult conversations into growth opportunities and strengthen trust through accountability and repair. This practical, interactive series creates a psychologically safe environment where healthy conflict leads to stronger collaboration and better results. Want More? Check back periodically to see updates to the Culture Kits we offer! Have questions? Feel free to email info@cortexleadership.com

De-Escalation & Conflict Management These resources were created to address your teams Conflict Management by Lynda McNutt Foster Effective leadership requires the ability to navigate conflict with confidence and clarity. Your upcoming Conflict Management Workshop provides your team with the tools to assess their conflict tolerance. Step 1: Take the Cortex Conflict Mastery Assessment Assessment Step 2: Read the Cortex Conflict Mastery Scorecard Scorecard Step 3: Read the Cortex Conflict Mastery De-Escalation Article Article Step 4: Listen to the Cortex Conflict Mastery Prep Corecast Episode Step 5: Print out the workbook and bring with you to your live session Workbook

Request Your DISC Assessment Link Fill out this form to request to have a link to take your DISC assessment emailed to you. Once you take it, your results will also be emailed to you. First name Last name Email Company Request Link

Local and National Business Leaders Gather Tonight at Roanoke's Science Museum for Immersive AI Leadership Experience < Back Lynda McNutt Foster, Founder, Cortex Leadership Consulting & AI Strategic Leader, EPIC 2.0 Jan 14, 2026 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. Contact: Lynda McNutt Foster Founder, Cortex Leadership Consulting & AI Strategic Leader, EPIC 2.0 lynda@cortexleadership.com 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. This invitation-only event brings together senior leaders, executives, and high-potential professionals who are actively applying artificial intelligence to real-world organizational challenges. Participants are flying in from multiple regions, alongside leaders from right here in Southwest Virginia. At 5:40 PM, attendees will experience a 20-minute, state-of-the-art visual presentation designed to stimulate strategic thinking, innovation, and collaboration—using the planetarium dome as a fully immersive environment. The evening also includes: Chef-created appetizers focused on brain health and performance Conversations with leaders shaping the future of work through AI A unique visual and experiential setting ideal for on-camera storytelling Event Details: Date: Wednesday, January 14 Time: 5:00–6:30 PM (key visual experience begins at 5:40 PM) Location: The Eye Planetarium, Science Museum of Western Virginia Address: 1 Market Square SE, Top Floor, Center in the Square, Roanoke, VA Media representatives are welcome to attend, film, and conduct brief interviews with event participants and Cortex leadership. For access or interview coordination, please contact Lynda Foster directly. Contact: Lynda McNutt Foster Founder, Cortex Leadership Consulting & AI Strategic Leader, EPIC 2.0 lynda@cortexleadership.com Previous Next