Welcome to Defining Moments of Leadership, a podcast hosted by Marsha Acker. We’re joined today by guest Leslie Riley to explore leadership through team communication while cultivating environments. Leslie built her career by answering the number one question she was asked, “How do I fix the dysfunction on my team?” After training and facilitating teams inside organizations across the globe, from SoCal to Sweden, Leslie realized she not only saw the same dysfunctions happening in almost every team around the world, but also inside every individual as well. This discovery led her to re-envision how she speaks & trains leaders, at all levels of an organization, so they can create cultures where it’s safe to communicate what previously felt un-sayable and in doing so, achieve goals that previously felt un-reachable. Leslie has shared her passion for leadership through better communication in such places as VISA, Disney, CapitalOne, Procter & Gamble, Adobe, Fidelity, The World Bank, and even her alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Leslie’s done a little bit of everything.
Her non-linear path gave her opportunities to travel the world, study human dynamics, and live life to the fullest every minute. She calls herself a “Life Enthusiast” because if there’s some kind of challenge most people don’t want to tackle…she’ll give it
a try. From running an ultra-marathon to lessons to master the flying trapeze, Leslie doesn’t know the meaning of the words, “I can’t.”
She decided early on to take the road less traveled, which led her to The U.S. Military Academy at West Point after high school. Leslie spent four years there pursuing a degree in Portuguese (including a summer program in Brazil, which hooked her irrevocably on international travel) before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. She spent seven years as an Aviation officer flying CH-47D Chinook helicopters, including tours in Kosovo & South Korea.
After leaving the Army, Leslie worked in a lot of organizations & roles from sales to project management. Some of her most unique (and favorite) jobs were as a professional organizer & TV news producer. Eventually she found her way into a role as an internal facilitator where she spent several years working & playing in a field she knew was meant for her! She also added the titles “trainer,” “inspirational speaker,” & “coach” to her resume before starting her own company, which focuses on inspiring groups & individuals to look for new perspectives when the ones they’re stuck in just aren’t working anymore. Her passion is helping teams use their own brilliance to improve communication and enhance success.
