About this episode

This episode discusses the findings of the 2026 State of Leadership Report, highlighting trends in leadership health and team dynamics.

In this episode, David Spickard and Rob Shields introduce the 2026 State of Leadership Report, built from insights gathered through the THRIVE Assessment™. The data reveals an encouraging trend: leaders and teams are thriving more than in previous years, with noticeable gains in trust, relationships, and value. However, a major tension remains—leader health continues to decline, highlighting a growing gap between external success and internal sustainability. 00:00 – Welcome + intro to the State of Leadership report 02:00 – What the report is + how data was gathered 04:30 – Key insight: leaders are thriving more 06:00 – Why scores are improving (focus on people) 07:00 – Growth in trust, relationships, and value 12:30 – Tension: health scores are still low 14:00 – Why leader health is declining 18:00 – Rethinking success + whole leadership 21:00 – The importance of knowing your “why” 24:30 – Expanding impact to teams and communities 28:00 – Leadership health tied to community health 29:30 – Rest as a competitive advantage 33:00 – Final takeaways + encouragement Resources 11 Ten Leadership 2026 State of Leadership Email: info@11tenleadership.com

People in this episode

Host: David Spickard

Guest: Rob Shields

Topics covered

• leadership trends
• team dynamics
• trust and relationships
• leader health
• success redefined
• community impact

Keywords

• leadership
• trust
• team health
• THRIVE Assessment
• 2026 report
• leader health
• community impact

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 11 Ten Leadership

Products: THRIVE Assessment™

Books & works: 2026 State of Leadership Report

Places: 2026

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• [Replay] Episode 36: 4 Ways to Become a "Super Communicator" · February 17, 2026 · 25 min
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