Saddle Your Own Horse: Leading with Conviction Instead of Fear

Plenty of managers think leadership means carrying everything. They answer every question and fix every problem, then wonder why nobody on the team grows.

Zach Arend, founder and leadership coach at Create Purpose, is a two-time state champion saddle bronc rider who spent nine years rising to VP of sales at a $300 million logistics company. Then he got demoted at 34, and that demotion is where his coaching philosophy started.

Key takeaways:

• How carrying 20 direct reports for four years made Zach a "good soldier" instead of a leader, and why too much ownership strips it from your team
• What the LIFT practice (listen, identify, focus, transform) looks like for a middle manager caught between the team and the executive suite
• Why "are you running away from something, or toward something?" is the question to ask before you quit a job that isn't working