The Building Champions Leadership Development Blog

Drawing upon their decades of leadership experience—and the hundreds of conversations they have each week with leaders across the country—our team of coaches deliver insights, strategies, and tips to help you improve how you lead and live.

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Leading in the AI Era: The Mindset & Habits for Success
Dan Foster Dan Foster

Leading in the AI Era: The Mindset & Habits for Success

In this Coach Video Tip, COO & Executive Coach Dan Foster explains how thriving in the AI era is less about mastering every new tool and more about adopting the right mindset and habits. He encourages leaders to treat AI as a thought partner for brainstorming, exploring options, and stress-testing decisions. You can use AI to enhance your leadership while still maintaining human connection, discernment, and care. Learn to lead in the era of AI with a healthy mindset and regular disciplines!

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Embrace AI and Increase Your Influence
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

Embrace AI and Increase Your Influence

We’re all navigating new territory as artificial intelligence (AI) begins to permeate more and more aspects of our work and life. But what’s been historically true of innovation is that we must adapt, embrace the new, and find the opportunity. And at the core, this development is no different. We can view AI as a negative or positive disruption—and you, the leader, make that call.

AI is bringing about big changes and there’s always a ripple effect with any change which is why it’s important for leaders to be aware of widespread impact. In his book, The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders, our CEO & Founder, Daniel Harkavy says, “Your leadership effectiveness will be determined by just two things: the decisions you make and the influence you have.”

And in this fast-moving technological landscape, the decisions needing to be made by leaders are changing too. At Building Champions, we encourage leaders to use the 7 Perspectives framework in their decision-making, helping them to consider diverse and important viewpoints. And in this article, we cover how AI connects to the 7 Perspectives and how by embracing it in your decision-making, you can increase your influence and strengthen your leadership effectiveness.

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How AI is Transforming Decision-Making
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

How AI is Transforming Decision-Making

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly growing, but no matter how capable it becomes, human discernment will always be needed—and that’s where leadership comes in. AI should be viewed as an assistant. It can pull together information in a matter of seconds, preview options, and tackle routine work so you, the leader, can stay focused on the human side of the business. AI won’t replace leaders, but it is a tool to be utilized by leaders. In this article, we cover how AI can help leaders make decisions faster, how it reduces bias, and what leaders should be aware of when factoring it into their decision-making.  

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4 Ways to Welcome Innovation
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

4 Ways to Welcome Innovation

Innovation is often born of necessity, but it can be proactively fostered when given time, space, and creative freedom. As a leader, you can invite your teammates to innovate through your leadership: by modeling curiosity, asking honest questions, and resisting the urge to provide quick answers. By encouraging your teammates to seek answers for themselves, their resourcefulness may lead to new ways of thinking or working that might not have otherwise been realized.

In this article, we share four ways a leader can welcome innovation to their team and foster an organizational culture of creativity.

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Overcoming the Barriers to Collaboration & Innovation
Carlos Marín Carlos Marín

Overcoming the Barriers to Collaboration & Innovation

In this Coach Video Tip, Building Champions COO Dan Foster sits down with Executive Coach Carlos Marín to unpack a leadership behavior that often goes unnoticed—but can have a major impact on team performance: unintentionally shutting down collaboration and innovation. Drawing from real coaching insights, Carlos explains how the pressure to have all the answers can create subtle barriers that limit trust, creativity, and contribution. Together, they explore simple yet powerful ways leaders can create a culture where ideas thrive and diverse perspectives are welcomed.

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Creating an Environment of Collaboration
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

Creating an Environment of Collaboration

Collaboration is key to team effectiveness. But it requires effort to create a team culture where it is fostered. For healthy collaboration, teams need a high-trust environment where partnership is expected and ideas are shared freely—and that necessitates leadership.  

In this article, we discuss how a leader can create an environment of collaboration within their teams so that people learn to work together creatively, strategically, and purposely.  

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Leveraging Adaptability in an Evolving World
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

Leveraging Adaptability in an Evolving World

Adaptability in an ever-changing business landscape is key to effective leadership. Remaining flexible yet focused on your organization’s long-term vision is how you foster innovation during times of uncertainty. Adaptable leaders examine their current ways of doing business (without ego), realign resources quickly when needed, and steer their organizations forward while keeping purpose and vision front of mind. 

In this article, we share three recommendations for you to employ within your own organization so that you can remain adaptable and competitive in today’s environment.

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How to Become an Agile Leader
Todd Mosetter Todd Mosetter

How to Become an Agile Leader

In this Coach Video Tip, COO Dan Foster and Executive Coach Todd Mosetter discuss the critical importance of agility and adaptability in leadership. They explore how leaders can proactively embrace change, overcome common roadblocks, and implement best practices to foster a culture of agility within their teams. Their real-world examples illustrate the necessity of understanding client needs and continuously reevaluating strategies to remain relevant in a fast-paced environment.

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The Agile & Adaptable Leader
Self-Leadership Building Champions Self-Leadership Building Champions

The Agile & Adaptable Leader

In our complex, fast-paced, modern world, leaders need to be both agile and adaptable. The leaders who thrive are those who can move with purpose, flexibility, and wisdom. They set a clear direction, respond quickly to what’s unfolding, and keep their teams focused and energized through uncertainty. That blend of speed and flexibility is not accidental; it’s built through disciplined self-leadership and a strategic, future-facing mindset. In this article, we define leadership agility and adaptability, explain the equal importance of both, and share how you can strengthen them through one-on-one coaching.

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Resilience to Results with Vision-Driven Leadership
Self-Leadership Kirk Faulkner Self-Leadership Kirk Faulkner

Resilience to Results with Vision-Driven Leadership

If you're in the mortgage business and have been for at least the past three to five years, you're a working, practical definition of resilience. It's no surprise to anyone that the market fluctuates with respect to real estate in general, and the mortgage business in particular. We've all become accustomed to those fluctuations. However, the severity of those fluctuations, in recent years, has redefined market volatility.

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