Lead by Design: Supporting Personal & Professional Growth

Lead by Design: Supporting Personal & Professional Growth

From Cleinman Connect Podcast by Cleinman Performance Partners

April 29, 2026 · 15 min · Season 3 · Episode 61

About this episode

Nancy Dewald discusses the importance of structured support in leadership development for optometry practices.

Nancy Dewald is Senior Director of Client Solutions at Cleinman Performance Partners, a consultancy that helps optometry practices grow through strategy, training, and performance improvement. With decades of experience, she supports independent practices across operations, coaching, and consulting. Nancy specializes in leadership development and created Cleinman’s Lead by Design program, equipping managers to communicate clearly, coach effectively, and build accountable, high-performing teams. In this episode… Leadership ability doesn’t automatically come with a promotion; it requires structure, support, and the right tools to help talented team members grow into their roles with confidence. How can practices take a more intentional, structured approach to developing their leaders? With decades of experience in consulting, operations, and training, Nancy Dewald believes that leadership development starts by giving people the support they need before expecting them to succeed in a new role. She compares it to promoting a great flight attendant to co-pilot — the potential may be there, but training and resources are what keep the plane steady. When leaders are equipped with clear…

People in this episode

Host: Kim Carson

Guest: Nancy Dewald

Topics covered

  • leadership development
  • coaching
  • team performance
  • optometry practices
  • professional growth

Keywords

  • leadership
  • coaching
  • team building
  • optometry
  • professional development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cleinman Performance Partners

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