LEADERSHIP UNLEARNED ( and Reframed)

Maxine Attong
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When we speak about leadership, we are not only speaking about a role in an organization. We invite you to take up your leadership mantle wherever you are - your places of worship, your community, your households, your sports team. Wherever you are, you can display your leadership. If you think that someone like you cannot be a leader, we invite you to unlearn that. Since we are taking away, we're going to give you something in exchange. We are offering a reframe of leadership so that you can walk away from this program with one new thought or willingness to do something differently.

  1. May 18

    The hardest person to lead is yourself

    What happens when leadership stops being performance… and starts becoming truth? In this powerful episode, Cathy LaCognata opens up about surviving Hurricane Sandy, rebuilding after devastating loss, leading through COVID, and creating a business rooted in psychological safety instead of fear. This is not another conversation about hustle culture or productivity hacks. This is a conversation about: Authentic leadershipBuilding safe spacesEmotional recoveryLeadership lonelinessLearning to trust yourself againListening as a leadership skillResilience after traumaTogether, Cathy and Maxine Attong unpack how personal healing transforms business leadership and why the future of leadership may depend less on authority and more on humanity. If you’ve ever felt exhausted by performative leadership, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air. #Leadership #Resilience #PsychologicalSafety #Healing #WomenLeaders #EmotionalIntelligence #SelfLeadership #Authenticity

  2. May 11

    They Want Experience… Just Not From Older People

    In this episode of Leadership Unlearned and Reframed, Maxine Attong speaks with HR professional Leslie Ferrier-Attong about ageism in the workplace and the challenges facing older professionals in today’s job market. Together, they explore the hidden biases shaping hiring decisions, the pressure to appear younger to remain employable, and why organizations may fear experienced employees who are willing to challenge poor leadership and unethical practices. The conversation also examines multi-generational workplaces, leadership, power dynamics, and the importance of creating space for both younger and older generations to contribute meaningfully. A candid discussion on leadership, dignity, inclusion, and what it truly means to value people at every stage of life.

  3. Apr 26

    I am the problem - Leadership and System Thinking

    In this episode of Leadership Unlearned and Reframed, Maxine Attong is joined by systems thinking practitioner PeterSeah for a deep exploration of leadership beyond traditional models. They discuss the growing shift toward self-awareness and accountability in leadership, particularly in a post-COVIDworld where leaders are increasingly asking deeper questions about their impact. The conversation explores how leaders influence systems, the importance of psychological safety, and why meaningful change requires patience, discipline, and sustained effort not quick fixes. The central theme: Leadership transformation begins when leaders are willing to examine themselves as part of the problem and the solution.

  4. Apr 6

    Your Team Isn’t Closing Sales—It’s a Leadership Design Problem

    In this episode of Leadership Unlearned (and Reframed), Maxine Attong and Jarrod Best-Mitchell explore the connection between sales performance, team performance, and leadership decisions. Many organizations struggle with closing sales and assume it is a capability issue. However, this conversation highlights how sales outcomes are often driven by team design, organizational structure, and leadership strategy. The discussion examines: How team effectiveness impacts sales performanceThe role of diversity is sales teams in shaping access and influence Why poor sales team structure impacts results How leadership choices affect culture and performance

    Your Team Isn’t Closing Sales—It’s a Leadership Design Problem

  5. Mar 29

    The Leadership Skill No One Teaches: Why Improv Builds Better Leaders

    What if leadership isn’t about having the answers—but about being fully present in the moment? In this episode of Leadership Unlearned and Reframed, Maxine Attong sits down with coaches Amy Warshawsky and Betsy Salkind to explore how improv is reshaping leadership development. This is not about performance. It’s about practice. They dive into how leaders can build psychological safety, trust, adaptability, and real-time decision-making through experiential learning—not theory. In a world marked by uncertainty, anxiety, and constant change, the ability to let go, listen deeply, and respond in the moment is becoming a critical leadership skill. This conversation challenges traditional leadership models and offers a powerful reframe:👉 You don’t learn leadership by reading about it—you learn it by doing it. If you’re leading teams, navigating complexity, or rethinking how leadership actually works—this episode is for you. Subscribe to this channel to never miss a conversation

    The Leadership Skill No One Teaches: Why Improv Builds Better Leaders

  6. Mar 21

    HR Can’t Fix Your Team: Leaders Must Own Performance, Culture, and Results

    In this episode of Leadership Unlearned and Reframed, Maxine Attong and HR leader Nicolette Johnson break down acritical leadership shift: leaders—not HR—own employee engagement, performance, and culture. They explore why technical expertise is no longer enough, how leadership directly impacts business results, and what the future of performance management, coaching, and AI in HR looks like. If you’re a leader, manager, or HR professional, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership,accountability, and building high-performing teams. Topics Covered: Leadership vs HR: Who owns people? From technical expert to people leader Performance management redefined Coaching, culture, and accountability The future of leadership and work

    HR Can’t Fix Your Team: Leaders Must Own Performance, Culture, and Results

  7. Mar 8

    Quiet Quitting Isn’t the Problem—Low Agency Is: Leaders need to switch Psychological Safety

    In this episode of Leadership Unlearned (and Reframed), Maxine Attong speaks with Karel McIntosh, a communication professional, coach, and corporate trainer, about what it really takes for people to show up with agency—at work, at home, and in every system they belong to. Karel unpacks why the tension between personal power and fitting into a group often comes down to identity, belief, and early conditioning (“your family is your first system”). The conversation reframes “professionalism” as an often undefined standard that can shrink people into the “smallest version” of themselves—reducing honesty, creativity, and connection. Together, we explore what psychological safety looks like in real life: not “touchy-feely,” but the everyday practices that create dignity, courage, and clarity. Carol shares practical ways teams can surface the “elephant in the room,” understand differences in thinking and feeling styles, and stop mislabelling people as “difficult” when they’re often operating from coping strategies shaped by their environment.A key theme: leaders say they want empowered, expressive employees—until that empowerment shows up with feedback, opinions, risks, and voice. The question becomes: Are leaders actually ready for the “superpowers” they’re asking people to unleash? The episode closes with audience reflections on the loneliness of leadership, the lack of support when people move from technical expert to manager, and the need to normalize leadership as a human experience—one that benefits from coaching, mentoring, and spaces for honest reflection.

    Quiet Quitting Isn’t the Problem—Low Agency Is: Leaders need to switch Psychological Safety

  8. Mar 8

    Generosity is a leadership Strategy

    Jerry Talley is many things - academian, marriage counsellor. In this interview he is wearing his Organisational Development hat and shares how his generosity has been a game changer and a professional definer.

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When we speak about leadership, we are not only speaking about a role in an organization. We invite you to take up your leadership mantle wherever you are - your places of worship, your community, your households, your sports team. Wherever you are, you can display your leadership. If you think that someone like you cannot be a leader, we invite you to unlearn that. Since we are taking away, we're going to give you something in exchange. We are offering a reframe of leadership so that you can walk away from this program with one new thought or willingness to do something differently.

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