This week marks 23 years since I started Contagious Companies, Inc.
Twenty-three years of building something from scratch, helping leaders grow, watching organizations change, and learning firsthand how leadership works in the real world.
People often imagine building a business as a straight upward path, or an inspiring story of vision, growth, and success. There are inspiring moments, but…
The reality is more complex. Lol.
Building a company is, at times, like raising a child. There are proud moments, challenging seasons, unexpected setbacks, and constant learning. Some years bring incredible momentum. Other years require resilience, reinvention, and patience. Lots of patience.
And through it all, leadership becomes less about theory and more about practice and over the years, I’ve come to appreciate several truths about leadership that experience teaches even better than a book on the subject.
The core ideas of leadership are straightforward: build trust, communicate clearly, hold people accountable, and develop others, but practicing those ideas consistently, especially when situations are complicated, is where leadership becomes challenging.
Early in their careers, new leaders often believe authority will make leadership easier. In reality, authority only provides the right to make decisions. Influence is what inspires others to follow and grow in their accomplishments. The most effective leaders build influence through credibility, consistency, and respect.
Anyone who leads long enough will make mistakes. Ask any leader and they’ll have a few they very clearly remember. But what matters most is how leaders respond to those moments. The phrase “it’s not what happens to you, but what you do about it”, holds truth. In fact, that willingness to reflect, adjust, and grow is often what becomes the foundation for stronger leadership over time.
Many leadership challenges trace back to conversations that didn’t happen. Or the ones that didn’t happen the way we initially planned or hoped. Yet, giving honest feedback, addressing conflict, and clarifying expectations can feel uncomfortable and avoiding those conversations, or the resolution for ones that went off the rails, creates bigger problems later.
One of the most powerful lessons I learned early on, from working with dynamic organizations and seasoned leaders, is that leadership behavior is indeed contagious. What we do as leaders rubs off on those we have the privilege of leading. They pick up what you put down. They model what you show in your leadership behavior. Truly, how leaders communicate, respond to challenges, and treat others becomes the model for the entire team.
Organizations face uncertainty. Markets shift. Teams evolve. And the leaders who remain steady, thoughtful, and forward-looking during difficult times help others maintain confidence and focus. Learning and growth never really stops or shouldn’t. Even after decades in the leadership field, there is always more to learn. New situations appear. New generations enter the workforce. New leadership challenges emerge and the best leaders stay curious and committed to improving.
After more than two decades in this field, the most meaningful moments are not the milestones. They are the moments when leaders recognize their own growth.
- When someone learns how to have a difficult conversation with confidence.
- When a manager becomes a mentor.
- When a team begins to trust one another authentically.
Those moments are the reminders that leadership development truly matters.
Twenty-three years into this journey and one thing remains clear:
And the work of helping leaders grow is something I’ve realized is some of the most important work any organization can do. To date, each and every encounter, engagement, and client interaction has been a truly remarkable and fulfilling experience. The journey has been far less about time and much more so about impact. May the next twenty share even more of the honor of making a difference in the lives of many current and future leaders.
