Leading without the BS: Unfiltered. Unapologetic.

What if empathy is burning you out as a leader? Cathy Maday sits down with Heather Hopkins to break down empathy vs. compassion in leadership and how to drive leadership accountability without guilt, over-functioning, or burnout. Learn why jumping in the hole with your team backfires, how to hold behavioral accountability around boundaries, asking for help, and saying no - and how compassionate leadership keeps high standards without shielding your team. Perfect for business owners and managers navigating accountability, team performance, and healthy boundaries. If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders - stop trying to motivate others and start by asking the right questions. Wingspan Performance Advisors, Ivan and Heather, unpack "big-hat" leadership, why support roles belong at the table, and how to turn “who am I to speak up?” into real ownership and co-creation. If you're leading and looking for practical tools that deliver results without the BS, this one's for you. If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders often wait for permission to grow. Ivan Konermann and advisor Heather Hopkins unpack continuous growth, asking for the roles and skills you want, and turning hard feedback into fuel. Learn how ownership of your development - and a growth mindset - builds real executive presence. If you enjoyed this episode's content, be sure to listen to our September 30th episode featuring Kristen Beatty-Graham, Sr. Vice President of IT at Viatris, for her full conversation with Cathy Maday. Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Discover Mother Jones’ powerful Labor Day legacy and why true leadership starts with the inside game. Learn how personal hardship becomes purpose, how Activating Language® shifts victim thinking to ownership, and practical ways to master self-talk for stronger results. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, joins Ivan on Leading Without the BS to discuss how behavioral leadership, accountability, servant leadership, and intentional coaching can transform high-performing teams. Brandon shares how Wingspan Performance helped him become a more effective leader, challenge organizational roadblocks, develop his leadership team, and ultimately drive measurable business results. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Leaders from technical backgrounds often over-explain, which quietly destroys influence, credibility, and team contribution. Cathy and Ivan break down why saying more works against you, how it signals “I don’t want your input,” and simple fixes: cap your talking to 20–30 seconds, cut 30% of your words in your emails, and the $5 Jar Challenge that fixes over-explaining FAST. These are proven tools you can use in the next meeting to lead without the BS. If you enjoyed the content in this episode, be sure to listen to our August 26th episode featuring Brandon Burns, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Veeder-Root, for his full conversation with Ivan. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Lydia Lightner, Director of Sales & Marketing at Scalzo Hospitality, sits down to talk about the moment she stopped managing her team's problems and started building people who could solve their own. She walks through the internal shift from technical performance to behavioral leadership and the community crisis that put it all to the test, all while maintaining a healthy, high-performance culture. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Wingspan Performance leaders discuss navigating tough business decisions with no clear answers, the power of challenging ideas, receiving feedback, and building high-performing teams. Learn practical strategies from the Wingspan Performance System™ for better decision-making, cross-functional input, and leadership growth from real hospitality crises and everyday executive scenarios. If you enjoyed the content in this episode, be sure to listen to our July 29th episode with Lydia Lightner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Scalzo Hospitality, to hear the full conversation. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Wingspan Performance leadership advisors (and spouses!) Cathy Maday and Ivan Konermann discuss why accountability is essential for retention in today's tight labor market. Learn how to move past the fear of holding people accountable, strengthen relationships, and use the Wingspan Performance System™ to boost performance without sacrificing trust. Their real-world stories as spouses who lead together make this one worth your time. If you enjoyed the content in this episode, be sure to listen to our July 29th episode with Lydia Lightner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Scalzo Hospitality, to hear the full conversation. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

If you're still telling yourself you "have to have all the answers," it's time to challenge that and unlock your leadership performance by releasing that pressure. Wingspan Performance experts explore the powerful shift from relying on technical expertise to mastering better questions, behavioral leadership, and deliberately co-creating with your team. These key shifts can help drive the performance results for teams and leaders ready to break through their current ceiling. If you enjoyed the content in this episode, be sure to listen to our July 29th episode with Lydia Lightner, Director of Sales and Marketing at Scalzo Hospitality, to hear the full conversation. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Discover the origins of the Wingspan Performance System™ with founder Cathy Maday. Shay Prosser, founder of North 12 Partners, flips the script and gets Cathy in the hot seat to share how she built a practical behavioral system for healthy high performance, Advancing Questions®, Activating Language®, and leader behaviors that drive results for technical and seasoned leaders. This no fluff conversation explores the real-world tools created for leaders desiring sustainable success, strong relationships, and personal ownership. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Discover how Ryan Haas, President of Scalzo Hospitality and frontman of The UnderGroove, applies rockstar stage presence to lead high-performing hospitality teams. In this Wingspan Performance episode, Ryan shares powerful lessons on creativity, energy management, crisis leadership in Minneapolis, the "inside game," and building cultures through Advancing Questions® and healthy conflict. Perfect for leaders seeking total performance that boosts both people and the P&L. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Discover how former business owner and counseling psychology expert Bruce Stankavage joined Wingspan Performance as a Leadership Performance Advisor. In this candid conversation with Cathy Maday, Wingspan Performance Founder + CEO,  shares his powerful transition, the immediate impact of Wingspan’s behavioral performance system on leadership, communication, and family life, plus why mindset, accountability, and intentional leadership drive unstoppable results. Perfect for business owners, CEOs, and leaders seeking real performance breakthroughs beyond traditional coaching. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

On this episode Cathy Maday, Founder of Wingspan Performance, talks with Chris Lock, Siemens Smart Infrastructure leader. Chris shares raw lessons on entrepreneurial grit, risk-taking, and people-first leadership inside a global titan. From breaking sweat in early jobs to building high-performance teams with Wingspan Performance, discover how to lead with ownership, handle consequences, and create meaningful impact. This episode is for leaders seeking unfiltered performance strategies, industrial mindset shifts, and real-world business growth. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

What if accountability wasn’t about conflict or confrontation? In this episode of Leading Without the B.S., Mike Johnson sits down with Wingspan Performance Advisor Bruce Stankavage to unpack one of the most misunderstood leadership skills: exercising accountability. Drawing from 26+ years as an entrepreneur, Bruce shares how avoiding accountability and unclear expectations quietly limit team performance - and what changed when he shifted his mindset. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Join us on today's episode as Mike Johnson talks with Danny Curlin, Plant Manager at Koppers Performance Chemicals, about how he overcame fuzzy language like “I’ll try,” “I think,” and “I need” that was quietly sabotaging his leadership and team performance. In this raw conversation on Leading Without the BS, Danny shares his journey from fast-tracked supervisor to plant manager, the costly impact of vague communication in manufacturing, and the practical shifts he made through Wingspan Performance personalized coaching. Learn why accountability starts with clear language, how Danny moved from forcing yes/no answers to rooting out confidence issues, and the surprising results: stronger manager-to-manager conversations, better peer collaboration, and a high-performing team that now operates with greater independence. Perfect for manufacturing leaders, plant managers, and anyone ready to replace autopilot habits with intentional, actionable communication that drives unstoppable results. Key takeaways include investing in soft skills, recognizing autopilot tendencies, and why what got you promoted won’t get you (or your team) to the next level. If fuzzy language is costing your operation time, clarity, or results, this episode delivers real-world strategies you can apply immediately. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

In this episode of Leading Without the BS, host Mike Johnson talks with Dianne Grote Adams, President & Owner of CFX Inc. and a health and safety expert with over 40 years of experience. They reveal how unspoken or unclear expectations lead to serious safety risks, wasted time and money, team misalignment, and frustration. Discover why leaders struggle to communicate behavioral and technical expectations clearly, the hidden costs of poor performance, and practical ways to fix it through direct conversations, better feedback, and aligned communication styles. Learn how to eliminate assumptions, reduce emotional fatigue, build trust, and keep everyone safe and performing at their best. Ideal for safety professionals, manufacturing leaders, and anyone driving unstoppable performance through clarity. Text us for leadership performance advice! 4 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Most leadership training is bullsh*t — not because leaders don’t care, but because it fails to change behavior where it actually matters. In this episode of Wingspan's Leading Without the B.S., Wingspan Performance® Leadership Performance Advisors Heather Hopkins and Mike Johnson unpack why traditional leadership training fails, and what actually works when leaders are under pressure, overloaded, and responsible for real outcomes. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and operations, Heather and Mike talk candidly about: Leaders showing up disengaged before training even starts How multitasking and “being busy” quietly sabotage leadership effectiveness The cost of unspoken expectations and assumed behavior What real accountability looks like in meetings, conversations, and daily leadership How leadership performance always starts with ownership — not tools This isn’t theory. It’s a real-time look at how leaders think, speak, and show up, and how small shifts in language, questions, and presence create outsized impact. If you’re responsible for people and results, and tired of leadership training that sounds good but doesn’t stick, this conversation delivers what actually moves the needle. Text us for leadership performance advice! 3 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work. 📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

Hosts: Ivan Konermann & Heather Hopkins Big Promise: Leaders will leave with practical shifts they can use now and year-round to make reviews easier, clearer, and less stressful. Core Theme: Bad reviews aren’t born in December—they’re built through avoidance or fuzziness all year. Strong reviews come from routine, honest, specific feedback tied to role expectations and observable behavior. 7 Patterns That Create Terrible Reviews Avoiding feedback all year → surprise at review time, damaged trust. Key line: “Choose your hard.” Deal with discomfort now or misery later. Lopsided reviews (all bad or all good) → demoralizing or misleading. Fix: highlight strengths + 2–3 priority growth areas. Making it about the manager → spotlight shifts off the employee. Fix: focus on employee patterns/impact; remove “I” from drafts. Manager underprepared → vague fluff or identity attacks (“personality”). Fix: role requirements + clear examples; reviews aren’t negotiations. Overweighting technical performance → behavior issues ignored, toxicity rewarded. Truth: how results happen matters. Fear of honesty with top performers (“they’ll quit”) → unhealthy team signal. Better question: what if they stay and keep harming the team? Waiting for the formal review to give feedback → first real convo comes too late. Fix: ongoing small course-corrections, not annual swerves. Memorable Lines: “Choose your hard.” • “Fluffy cloud feedback.” • Spotlight metaphor • Driving/steering analogy. Takeaways: Give timely feedback, be specific, keep priorities narrow, balance strengths + gaps, prepare for the conversation (not just the form), and hold behavior accountable. Call to Action: If you’re dreading reviews or writing them over holidays, you’re likely stuck in these patterns. Reach out to Wingspan for help building honest, effective feedback habits year-round. Text us for leadership performance advice! 3 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!

In this episode of Leading Without the BS, Ivan sits down with Wingspan Performance Advisor Heather Hopkins to explore her journey from mechanical engineering and manufacturing leadership to becoming a coach who helps leaders see—and fill—the gaps they never realized they had. Heather shares how her pioneering early career shaped her entrepreneurial mindset, how she grew into people leadership without formal leadership training, and how joining Wingspan transformed her understanding of what truly effective leadership requires. Key Themes 1. The Messages We Send (and Don’t Realize We’re Sending) The episode opens with a powerful reflection on how leaders unintentionally teach people: “You’re not capable.” “You’re not bright enough.” “I don’t think you can do this.” These subtle cues — often delivered through tone, delegation, or assumptions — can define someone’s trajectory for years. 2. Heather’s Engineering Origin Story Heather’s first job was with the construction company building her university. That experience: Inspired her to build and create. Cemented the belief that she was a “pioneer.” Sparked a deeply ingrained entrepreneurial spirit. 3. Becoming a People Leader Without People-Leadership Training Although she spent most of her career leading people, Heather reflects that: Her technical background meant she rarely encountered training that truly addressed what it means to lead humans. She led teams without recognizing the blind spots she had. Looking back, she can now see her career with far more clarity. 4. The Transformation of Joining Wingspan Heather shares that Wingspan opened a new door to understanding leadership, including: What “real” leadership requires beyond expertise. How to see patterns and behaviors she previously missed. How her past leadership decisions look different in hindsight. 5. “Oh My Gosh, I Wish I Knew This 10 Years Ago” Ivan reflects — and Heather agrees — that many leaders only realize after working with Wingspan how much they wish they had known earlier. Common reactions: “I can’t believe what I used to do.” “I had no idea what I didn’t know.” “I wish Text us for leadership performance advice! 3 Takeaways: Explore Wingspan’s Leader Team Coaching & Advising — the proven path for leaders ready to multiply performance across their teams. Schedule a Clarity Call with one of our expert Advisors right now! Subscribe to the Wingspan Newsletter — get practical leadership insights, podcast episode deep-dives, client spotlights, and weekly tools delivered straight to your inbox. Check out our YouTube Channel for unfiltered clips on behavioral performance and leadership actions that actually work.📲 Text us for leadership performance advice — real answers for real leaders. 💥 Subscribe to Leading Without The BS now and share this episode with other leaders who want to stop spinning their wheels and start leading with intentional energy. Someone invested in you — now pass it forward. Share your thoughts on this episode and join the conversation on Instagram LinkedIn & Facebook!