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.
From Founder to CEO: Coaching Tech Leaders Through the Scaling Curve
Tech founders in Waterloo may need new leadership habits as companies scale. Building Champions explores delegation, self-awareness, team growth, and change.
Why Your Team Isn’t Aligned (Even If You Think They Are)
Misalignment doesn’t necessarily begin with disagreement; more often, it develops in the space between what one leader believes was decided and what another leader heard. And those differences can be easy to miss until you’re trying to get a project across the finish line. To avoid duplicated work and unnecessary stalls, team alignment needs to be confirmed at the start of a project.
In this article, we explore why misalignment hides in assumptions, how leaders can unintentionally carry clarity on their own, and why planning without alignment can create friction instead of momentum.
What Makes a Great Sales Leader? Coaching Insights from the Field
Are you a manager or a true revenue driver? Building Champions explores the habits that separate average managers from top-tier executives in today's market.
Signs Your Leadership Team Needs Alignment Coaching
Is your executive group struggling? Building Champions reveals the hidden drag of misalignment and how coaching builds trust, clarity, and sustainable growth.
Performance Culture in Action
In this Coach Tip Video, Building Champions President Dan Foster explains why many organizations struggle to build a performance culture: they talk about it, but they haven’t clearly defined it. And without a shared understanding at the leadership level, performance culture can mean something different to every person.
Learn why creating a culture of performance starts at the top with a simple, compelling, and shared vision. Before leaders can build a strategy, cascade expectations, or hold teams accountable, they must first align around what performance culture means inside their organization.
If you’re a leader who wants to create greater alignment, accountability, and clarity across your organization, this video will help you take the first step and define performance culture.
Don’t Let AI Replace Your Leadership
In this Coach Tip Video, COO and Executive Coach Dan Foster helps leaders cut through the noise around AI and focus on what truly matters: using AI to enhance leadership—not replace it. In this video, you’ll learn how to leverage AI to free up time, sharpen preparation, and improve follow-through, while staying rooted in the trust-building moments your team needs most. If you’ve been wondering how to use AI without losing authenticity, connection, or your coaching leadership edge, this short video offers quick tips to help you lead with greater presence, stronger relationships, and lasting impact.
The Behaviors of a Stretch Culture
In this Coach Tip Video, COO Dan Foster and Executive Coach Annette Pellinat share how leaders can create a team culture where people are encouraged and expected to stretch beyond what feels comfortable. The result is a high-performing, connected team culture where people thrive, innovation increases, and top talent stays engaged because they feel challenged, supported, and inspired.
Unlocking the Potential of Your Teammates
In this Coach Video Tip, learn from Coach Carlos Marín on how to develop a coaching culture within your organization that unlocks the potential of your teammates, fosters a healthy organizational environment, and drives lasting results.
A Coaching Leadership Mindset
As a leader, what you believe about yourself and those around you will impact your leadership effectiveness and level of influence. To be a coaching leader, you must understand how your mindset shows up in your actions and your leadership. In this Coach Video Tip, learn from Coach Matt Cummings how to develop a coaching leadership mindset.
Are Executive Retreats a Good Use of Resources?
Executive retreats are making a comeback after the pandemic. With many teams unable to get together for the past couple of years, a well-planned and properly executed retreat can be an excellent use of resources. They can provide a wealth of benefits to help your company get out of a rut or elevate organizational success.