You Don’t Need a Title to Lead!

You Don’t Need a Title to Lead!

From The Secrets of Being Podcast by Dawn Airhart Witte

May 6, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

Leonard Weingarten discusses the essence of leadership beyond titles, emphasizing integrity, creativity, and personal growth.

In this episode, I am honored to sit down with Leonard Weingarten, a leader whose career spans professional sports, the LA Olympics, nonprofit partnerships, civic engagement, and higher education. Leonard’s journey is a powerful reminder that leadership is not about titles. It is about integrity, courage, creativity, and the way you treat people along the way. We talk about his early days working with the Oakland Raiders and how he learned firsthand that respect and empathy matter just as much as strategy. Leonard shares how he leveraged creativity and bold networking to land opportunities with the LA Olympics and major institutions, demonstrating what it really means to think outside the box. His career path was never linear, but it was always guided by purpose, passion, and preparation. One of the most powerful themes in this conversation is risk-taking. Leonard believes that personal growth requires stepping into the unknown and trusting yourself enough to act. He shares practical advice about visualizing your goals, writing down your passions, and spending quiet time in reflection to discover what truly matters to you. We explore how preparation, resilience, and proactive…

People in this episode

Host: Dawn Airhart Witte

Guest: Leonard Weingarten

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • personal growth
  • creativity
  • risk-taking
  • lifelong learning

Keywords

  • leadership
  • integrity
  • creativity
  • risk-taking
  • lifelong learning
  • personal growth
  • mentorship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oakland Raiders, LA Olympics, community college

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