Leadership & Communication Insights Blog | Ariel Group

What Great Leaders Ask Before Strategizing

Gaysel Antrina — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:54:00 +0000

In many organizations, leaders believe they are aligned. They have met. They know their priorities, swim lanes, and deadlines. But, a few months into execution, timelines begin to slip. Priorities start to blur and cross-functional tension begins to surface, despite what felt like clear agreement early on. In review meetings, a familiar question surfaces: “Didn’t […]

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5 Signs of Misaligned Leadership

Gaysel Antrina — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:40:26 +0000

Misalignment in leadership is a quiet risk that can drain millions from an organization. The challenge is misalignment rarely shows up as a single, obvious event. It spreads through small execution failures that look like routine slip-ups. Decisions stall, direction changes depending on which leader is speaking, and teams are left unsure of which items […]

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Executive Development in Real Time: Embedded in the Work

Gaysel Antrina — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:40:17 +0000

“Nothing changes until something changes.” Executives rarely have dedicated time to focus on their own leadership behavior. Their world is defined by full calendars, high-stakes decisions, and competing priorities – with little opportunity for stepping away from the work. Yet executives still recognize when something in their leadership needs to change. The question is not […]

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Leadership Alignment: Navigating an Era of Relentless Change

Gaysel Antrina — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:22:06 +0000

We are operating in a business environment defined by relentless change. New technologies, regulatory shifts, competitive pressures, and evolving employee expectations are reshaping organizations faster than leaders can process and respond. As Joe Perricone, a VP of Global Clients at Ariel, put it, “The pace of change isn’t slowing down. It’s accelerating, and leaders are feeling that […]

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The Connection Between Trust, Executive Presence, and Employee Engagement

Gaysel Antrina — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:10:56 +0000

A leader sits in your office, arms crossed, leaning back. They say they’re open to feedback. But their body language says otherwise. Do you call it out? Executive coach Sunni Smith does. Sunni came to executive coaching through an unexpected conversation. With a Master’s in Counseling and Rehabilitation and two law degrees, she was working […]

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Stop Measuring Vibes: The ROI Case for Leadership Training

Gaysel Antrina — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:19:42 +0000

“It was a great workshop!” is not a metric your CFO cares about. Somewhere along the line, learning, and leadership development got cozy with adjectives like “inspirational,” “engaging,” and “empowering.” That kind of language scores well on a feedback form but it doesn’t survive a budget review. The moment someone asks, “So, what changed for the organization (or team, or leader)?” you […]

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What Makes a Great Leader?

Caroline Chessia — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:02:50 +0000

The top sales person in your company just got promoted to Director of Sales. They are a high performer, they’ve proven they can deliver – it stands that they should get the job. On paper, it makes perfect sense. Fast forward six months: things are not looking so peachy. The new leader is overwhelmed, their […]

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Practice Makes Permanent: Using Reinforcement for Skills Training

Caroline Chessia — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 13:17:33 +0000

You’ve just completed a training for directors at your company that you spent months planning and executing. The intended outcome was to make these directors more effective at solving internal communication crises in their teams. Now, your goal is to make sure these newly developed skills stick. How? Set up opportunities for continued practice. To […]

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The Hidden Psychology Behind Executive Communication Barriers

Caroline Chessia — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:41:31 +0000

What 40 Years of Coaching Teaches you About Leadership Development When the president of an important hospital confesses he feels like a “B player,” you realize there’s something off about how he thinks about himself. He’s at the top of his field, has tremendous power and opportunity, and directs hundreds of people. How can he […]

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Why Technical Leaders Benefit from Coaching: Bridging Logic and Leadership

Caroline Chessia — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:28:08 +0000

Picture this: You’re sitting across from a brilliant VP who solves complex technical problems in minutes but freezes when trying to motivate and reassure their team during a company reorganization. The issue with this VP? They lack communication skills, executive presence, and the ability to motivate their team. The ‘soft skills’ required of a leader. […]

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Leadership & Communication Insights Blog | Ariel Group​