Guest: Larry Coval | Founder, Arcane Leadership Concepts & Author of the book "Misled" Theme: Leadership as a Skill, Accountability, and Helping People Succeed In this Above Center® episode, Larry Coval challenges the assumption that strong leaders are simply born with the right personality. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience, including 21 years at Cox Business, where he rose to Division Vice President, Larry argues that leadership is a practical, learnable skill built through observation, structure, accountability, and difficult decisions. His forthcoming book, "Misled: Why Almost Everything We Learned About Leadership Is Wrong and How to Fix It," questions advice that prioritizes likability and emotional language without giving managers the tools to lead effectively. Larry’s message is direct: empathy matters, but it cannot replace the ability to run a strong meeting, address underperformance, set expectations, and help people succeed. Key Takeaways from Larry’s Leadership Philosophy 🧭 Leadership Is a Skill, Not a Personality Trait Effective leadership can be learned. Being empathetic, vulnerable, or likable may help, but those qualities alone do not teach someone how to manage performance, build accountability, or guide a team through difficult situations. ⚖️ Evaluate Both Will and Skill When someone is struggling, leaders should assess two factors: Do they have the will to succeed, and do they have the skills required for the role? The answer helps determine whether someone needs coaching, clearer expectations, a different environment, or a different role. 🎯 A Leader’s Job Is to Enable Success Larry’s leadership standard is simple: his job is to make his people successful. Sometimes that means helping someone grow in the current role. Other times, it means recognizing that success may need to happen somewhere else. 📋 Define What a Good Day Looks Like Larry encourages leaders to define what a strong, average, and poor day look like in each role. Clear standards help employees understand expectations and give leaders an early warning system before small issues become major problems. 🤝 Trust Requires Support and Accountability Employees need to know their leader has their back, will show up, and will offer help. They must also know that the leader will hold them accountable. Strong leadership balances structure with freedom and support with responsibility. 🔁 Failure Is Part of the Process Larry developed his approach by trying new things, learning from mistakes, and refusing to let failure end the experiment. Positive intent, reflection, and a willingness to take risks helped him discover what worked. 💬 Favorite Quote “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” For Larry, failure is not evidence that someone should stop trying. It is part of learning. Leaders grow by testing new approaches, acknowledging what did not work, and continuing to improve. __ About Larry Coval Lawrence “Larry” Coval did not study leadership from the outside. He lived it for nearly four decades. He started at the bottom, worked his way up, and spent years leading large organizations, managing significant revenue, and being accountable for hundreds of people. At 23, Larry was handed a leadership role he knew he was not ready for. That experience shaped everything that followed. Rather than relying on theory, he learned through real outcomes, pressure, and consequences. Over time, Larry developed a simple but demanding standard: his job was to make his people successful. If they won, he won. Today, as founder of Arcane Leadership Concepts and author of the forthcoming *Misled: Why Almost Everything We Learned About Leadership Is Wrong and How to Fix It*, Larry brings an operator’s mindset to leadership development. His work replaces conventional advice with practical skills, clear accountability, and approaches designed for the real world. --- ABOVE CENTER® is brought to you by REVEL®, an Executive Search and Coaching firm that helps people and companies grow through great leadership. Our ABOVE CENTER® approach is about staying grounded, clear, and resilient, especially when the stakes are high. This podcast features corporate leaders who share how they navigate pressure while living ABOVE CENTER®. We explore the mindsets, strategies, and philosophies that help high-performing executives lead themselves and their teams. From hiring and retaining talent to thriving in the first 90 days of a new role, these conversations are about building a career and life with purpose, impact, and joy in the journey.

Guest: Robin Green | Author of The Intelligence Loop In this Above Center® episode, Robin Green explores one of the most important leadership questions of our time: as AI gets smarter, what becomes more important about being human? As the author of The Intelligence Loop: A New Model for Growth and How We Get Smarter Together, Robin brings decades of experience helping organizations navigate technology, data, AI, and growth. His message is clear: the future will not belong to the people with the best tools alone. It will belong to the people who know how to keep humans at the center while using technology to expand learning, insight, and impact. Robin challenges leaders to slow down before they speed up. AI can make work faster, but speed without purpose can simply make us more efficient at wandering. True leadership requires judgment, curiosity, humility, and the courage to ask not just “Can we?” but “Should we?” Key Takeaways from Robin’s Leadership Philosophy 🧠 Keep Humans at the Center Robin believes both AI cheerleaders and AI doomers make the same mistake: they put the machine at the center. Real progress happens when human dignity, judgment, and meaning stay at the core. 🔁 Intelligence Is a Loop, Not a Line The Intelligence Loop is about learning, applying, reflecting, refining, and then learning again. AI can support that process, but humans must bring the insight, purpose, and judgment that make the work meaningful. ❓ Ask “Should We?” Before “Can We?” Robin warns that many organizations rush straight to the how and can of AI adoption. The better leadership question is why. Without purpose, efficiency can create more confusion, not better outcomes. ⚖️ Judgment Cannot Be Automated AI can process, summarize, and accelerate—but it cannot fully replace human judgment. Leaders must bring context, ethics, empathy, and responsibility into every decision. 🤝 Curiosity + Humility Wins The half-life of expertise is shrinking. Robin believes the strongest leaders are not the ones who claim to know everything, but the ones who say, “I don’t know, but I’ll go find out.” 📊 Data Matters, But Insight Matters More Robin learned early in his career to know the numbers cold. But numbers alone are not enough. Leaders must be able to interpret what the data means, what it implies, and what action it calls for. 💬 Favorite Quote “Everything civilization has to offer is a product of human intelligence.” — Stephen Hawking For Robin, this quote is a reminder that technology should enhance—not replace—the human experience. Progress without purpose is just a faster form of wandering. Human intelligence gives motion direction. About Robin Green Robin Green builds and scales revenue engines at the intersection of data, AI/technology, strategic partnerships, and leadership—delivering outsized results from startups to global enterprises. His passion is helping organizations close the gap between what they have and what they’re capable of. Across his career, Robin has helped businesses navigate major shifts in how commercial value is created—from the rise of enterprise software to the analytics revolution to the AI-enabled future of customer intelligence. At Publicis/Epsilon, he applied that discipline at scale, serving Fortune 500 clients across financial services, retail, CPG, travel, and healthcare. At FICO, he helped leading firms turn analytical insight into commercial action. At Oracle, as Head of Global Services & Alliances, he built an integrated partner ecosystem that helped double global services revenue from $820M to $1.6B in 24 months. Robin has led global organizations of 100+ professionals, managed enterprise relationships with the world’s leading systems integrators, and operated across 80+ U.S. markets. Across all of it, his belief remains consistent: growth doesn’t come from having the best data or the biggest team. It comes from building organizations that know what to do with what they have—and executing with discipline, integrity, and human judgment. ABOVE CENTER® is brought to you by REVEL®, an Executive Search and Coaching firm that helps people and companies grow through the power of great leadership. Our ABOVE CENTER® approach is about staying grounded, clear, and resilient, especially when the stakes are high. In this podcast, we feature leaders in corporate America who share how they navigate the pressures of leadership while living ABOVE CENTER®. We uncover the mindsets, strategies, and personal philosophies that drive high-performing executives to lead themselves and their teams to success. From hiring and retaining top talent to thriving in the first 90 days of a new role, these conversations go beyond leadership—they’re about building a career and a life with purpose, impact, and joy in the journey.

“Some leaders feel if I’m really good at pushing you at 1% better…you gotta be better, think better, elevate yourself, and you’re always coaching them at the gap of who they are about to be, some people thrive on that. Well then, to the next person, it sounds like ‘you’re not enough.’” - Marcy Stoudt Pause for 10-15 seconds, before giving feedback or direction, try asking: How might this land for them? Simply asking the question creates a shift from expressing your perspective to considering theirs. therevelcompanies.com

Instead of evaluating a conversation based on what was said or accomplished, try this more useful lens. How did that person feel after interacting with me? Encouraged? Clear? Pressured? Overlooked? “How do I want other people to experience my leadership?” - Marcy Stoudt therevelcompanies.com

Think you’re late to the AI conversation? Georgia Groc says you’re not. The ship hasn’t sailed yet. The opportunity is still wide open for anyone willing to start learning. If you’re ready to dive in but don’t know where to begin, listen to the full episode wherever you get podcasts. Or check out our Career Strategist to build a custom AI GPT tailored to your goals: https://www.therevelcompanies.com/leaders-in-transition-revel-career-strategist Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7IyqYMKU9r7tPHZLkEi51F Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/above-center-leadership-podcast/id1557113848 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@revelcompanies

"The second you try to be somebody else, your leadership weakens." - Marcy Stoudt Pause for 10-15 seconds before an interaction or decision and ask: Who do I want to be in this moment? Not just...What should I say? What should I do? But...How do I want to show up? Clear? Supportive? Direct? Patient? Answering this question can change the tone of an entire interaction. therevelcompanies.com

Guest: Georgia Groc | AI Automation & Process Transformation Leader, U.S. Bank In this Above Center® episode, Georgia Groc shares a grounded, real-world view of what leadership looks like when the pace of change is relentless and the stakes feel personal. As an AI Automation and Process Transformation leader at U.S. Bank, Georgia makes the case that leaders don’t need to be experts overnight, but they do need to get in the arena. Her advice is simple and powerful: block time to learn, start experimenting, and let AI handle the “nonsense work” so people can double down on what makes them uniquely valuable. But the conversation goes deeper than technology. Georgia connects the fear many professionals feel about AI to a fear she knows intimately: a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis at 36. What helped her move forward wasn’t pretending the fear wasn’t there. It was getting informed, building clarity, and choosing a mindset that refused to let a hard season become her identity. The result is a leadership posture that is both resilient and human: acknowledge what’s real, learn what we can, and keep choosing the path that aligns with our best self. Key Takeaways from Georgia’s Leadership Philosophy 🧠 Don’t Wait to “Be Ready” for AI Georgia believes the biggest risk is not starting. Leaders don’t need massive budgets or advanced expertise; they need intentional practice. An hour a week of learning and tinkering builds fluency, confidence, and momentum. 🧩 AI Raises the Bar on Human Value As AI accelerates execution, Georgia encourages teams to focus on what can’t be automated: judgment, vision, relationship-building, creative problem solving, and leadership presence. Let AI do the repetitive work so people can lead at a higher level. 🤝 Psychological Safety Is the New Adoption Strategy AI adoption isn’t just a tool rollout—it’s a culture shift. Georgia emphasizes creating a team environment where people can voice skepticism, fears, and frustrations without shame. Real progress happens when leaders “double-click” on what’s underneath the resistance. 🧭 Knowledge Reduces Fear From navigating AI uncertainty to navigating cancer, Georgia returns to one theme: information is empowering. When people understand what they’re facing, fear quiets down enough for clear action to emerge. 🔥 Choose Your Life—Daily Georgia’s resilience is rooted in choice. When life feels fragile, clarity sharpens. Her approach is to go all-in on what matters: family, impact, career, and presence. Choosing above center is not denial of hardship; it’s ownership of response. 💬 Favorite Quote “What a day, what a life!” For Georgia, this quote is a reset. The day might be hard, messy, or exhausting, but the larger story is still worth celebrating. It’s a reminder to hold both truths at once: reality can be heavy—and life can still be beautiful. About Georgia Groc Georgia Groc is an AI Automation and Process Transformation leader who turns complex problems into scalable solutions. Over the past decade, she has helped highly regulated financial organizations reimagine how work gets done—delivering millions in cost savings and revenue, accelerating operational efficiency, and empowering teams to do their best work. Today, Georgia leads an AI Automation Solutions Team at U.S. Bank, managing a team of eight and overseeing high-visibility AI and automation use cases across Operations for Consumer, Business and Treasury, Wealth Management, Contact Center, and Transaction Processing & Shared Services. She was promoted into this role for her ability to learn new business areas quickly, build frameworks that increase efficiency, and activate cross-functional teams around a compelling vision. Her leadership style is rooted in transparency, accountability, and building strong team culture. ABOVE CENTER® is brought to you by REVEL®, an Executive Search and Coaching firm that helps people and companies grow through the power of great leadership. Our ABOVE CENTER® approach is about staying grounded, clear, and resilient, especially when the stakes are high. In this podcast, we feature leaders in corporate America who share how they navigate the pressures of leadership while living ABOVE CENTER®. We uncover the mindsets, strategies, and personal philosophies that drive high-performing executives to lead themselves and their teams to success. From hiring and retaining top talent to thriving in the first 90 days of a new role, these conversations go beyond leadership—they’re about building a career and a life with purpose, impact, and joy in the journey.

We’re often the biggest obstacle in our own way. When doubt shows up, it’s worth pausing and asking whether the story you’re telling yourself is actually true. A powerful reminder from Marcy on why mindset matters more than we think. Catch Marcy on the Past the Pitch Podcast with @Anna Frazzetto: 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NHVFEEV6cwmhs0tmxcuca?si=739438331b5249a5 ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LW8YuA-O4

Growth doesn’t start with fixing the problem. It starts with asking better questions. Curiosity creates understanding. Without it, we risk repeating the same patterns over and over. Catch Marcy on the Past the Pitch Podcast with @Anna Frazzetto: 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NHVFEEV6cwmhs0tmxcuca?si=739438331b5249a5 ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LW8YuA-O4