In this insightful discussion on leadership and employee development episode, Stop Losing Your Best Employees Now, Tim Staton and Sharyn Abbott explore how growing smarter—not just working harder—drives unstoppable success for individuals, teams, and organizations. Sharyn Abbott, a seasoned speaker, author, and founder of Ultimate Business International with over 30 years of experience training entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 teams, shares proven strategies for developing executives and fostering sustainable growth.

Drawing from her personal journey overcoming stuttering, dyslexia, and a challenging family background marked by abuse, Sharyn learned to deeply understand human behavior. Her 20+ years in the printing industry, including sales roles with companies like Hewlett Packard and Varian, gave her a front-row seat to observe diverse management styles and their real-world impact on employee engagement.

Examples of Impersonal Leadership Styles and Their Consequences

Sharyn highlights how modern leadership has increasingly become impersonal, contrasting it with heart-centered approaches backed by Institute of HeartMath studies showing greater profitability, productivity, and employee retention. Impersonal leadership examples include a manager threatening an employee’s job over a family Thanksgiving trip or the mass layoffs during the 2008 downturn, which eroded loyalty and left workers feeling disposable—prompting many to seek more appreciative environments, such as Tesla opportunities in Texas. These impersonal leadership styles destroy trust, fuel disengagement (as seen in the Cisco example where 21 employees played Solitaire at 9:30 AM), and create high turnover.

Benefits of Flexible Talent Programs for Employee Engagement

To counter these issues, Sharyn strongly advocates for flexible talent programs that invest in people from day one. By matching employees to roles aligned with their unique personalities and learning styles—whether kinetic, visual, or auditory—companies can boost excitement, productivity, and long-term commitment. This tailored approach, far superior to rigid training manuals, significantly reduces turnover costs and builds a more engaged workforce.

Delegation and Addressing Conflict: Building and Eroding Trust

A core theme is building and eroding trust through effective delegation and addressing conflict. Ownership issues often prevent delegation, as managers claim credit for team ideas, breeding resentment and an “us vs. them” culture between departments. Sharyn recommends open-door meetings, leveraging natural team leaders, and clearly explaining the “why” behind decisions to resolve issues like mandatory overtime. Her personal philosophy—starting with 100% trust and allowing it to adjust based on actions—encourages leaders to avoid carrying past baggage into new relationships.

Evolving Leadership & Ethics with Sharyn Abbott’s “Growing into Leadership”

Sharyn introduces her book Growing into Leadership, which guides the transition from entrepreneurship to corporate roles while emphasizing evolving leadership & ethics. The focus is on instilling trust and respect without fear, helping managers bring others up through the ranks by recognizing individual strengths and avoiding authoritarian pitfalls.

Self-Care for Leaders: Essential for Sustainable Success

Finally, a critical message for busy executives is self-care for leaders. Sharyn compares it to securing your own oxygen mask first—leaders must prioritize rejuvenation through peer discussions, courses, family time, or other restorative activities to prevent burnout and maintain peak performance. For practical support, many leaders turn to the best self-care apps for busy leaders, such as Headspace or Calm for mindfulness, Forest for focused productivity, or habit trackers like Daylio and Finch to build sustainable wellness routines.

This episode delivers actionable insights on developing executives who lead with heart, ethics, and flexibility—ultimately creating loyal, high-performing teams and lasting organizational success.

Connect with Sharyn Abbott

Website: https://sharynabbott.com/press-room/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharyn-abbott-ubu/

Connect With Tim

Website: timstatingtheobvious.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw

Instagram: @TimStating

TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/

SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b

Growing into Leadership with Sharyn Abbott