Hi there, I'm Scott

My mission is to revolutionize corporate culture, one executive and one team at a time.

I want to help transform workplaces into enjoyable AND productive environments, where managers lead from their heart and team members can learn, grow, accomplish big things, and feel connected to a higher purpose.

Why is that? Because we are social animals. Evolutionarily and biologically wired to connect.

Connected, “People-first” leadership should be the easiest thing in the world. Sadly, decades of outdated “leave your emotions at the door” beliefs about managing and “being professional” result in far too many people struggling to connect authentically at work.

It’s exactly how going to work every day can easily turn into a hellish chore.

We’re so habituated to stress and exhaustion that we take it for granted. It can get to the point where we feel like something’s wrong in those brief periods where we aren’t experiencing nonstop busyness. It’s as if we’re addicted to stress.

The cost? Lower productivity, higher turnover, more stress, lost sleep… you get the picture.

We’re making ourselves and the people around us more stressed and disengaged than ever before. We’re making things so much harder than they need to be, but are too close to (and too used to) the problem to see what the core issue is to begin with.

The answer is Authentic Leadership.

I’ve seen time and time again that when executives lead with authenticity – committing to both people AND results – they are able to accomplish their goals faster and easier.

Leading with authenticity is the key to unlocking your greatest potential - both for yourself and your team - no matter what your company looks like.

Leading with authenticity naturally creates trust, engagement, and connection between you and your team. It also reduces friction and prevents misunderstandings, as you and your team learn to express yourselves clearly & honestly.

Authenticity is what comes naturally once you get out of your own way. It’s the shortest path to emotional intelligence, and the fastest way to gain the respect and admiration of your colleagues.

But most of all, acting with authenticity gives you the ability to handle situations with empathy, while connecting to people’s deepest need to feel seen & heard.

This is the foundation of my Relationship Agility Framework, and is the key to understanding Authentic Leadership on a practical level.

The Relationship Agility Framework centers around 4 types of connection, embodied in the following key steps:

1. Practice self awareness: Connect with your core self to develop self-awareness and self-discipline

2. Develop emotional resilience: Connect with your emotions to gain the resilience needed to respond (rather than react) to people and situations in the moment

3. Make better decisions: Connect with your decisions to actively choose mindsets and beliefs that will lead to better outcomes (and better overall quality of life)

4. Take more effective action: Connect with your actions to build the skills, habits, and interpersonal re-calibration that lead to authentic leadership. This fully enables you to create lasting change for yourself and your organization.

Click the button below to learn more about the Authentic Leadership Program:

The Relationship Agility Framework was born out of a desire to apply my belief system to a world that desperately needs more heart.

Given what I’ve learned from my clients AND from my own 20+ years experience in the corporate world, executive leadership is evolving. Companies crumble when they fail to move outside of the cold, outdated “get the job done at all costs” mindset.

At my core, I believe that…

Leaders have a responsibility to their people - not the other way around.
It is possible to be your whole, authentic, imperfect, vulnerable, playful self at work - without being too much - and it’s your secret weapon to unlocking your and your team’s potential.
You don’t need more tips, tactics and hacks. Lasting change happens from the inside out. So if you’re ready to start looking within to understand how to be the leader you always thought - or maybe never dreamed - you could be, you’re in the right place.
While execution is non-negotiable, the way to get results is to focus on people first and trusting the results will come.

My mission is to create a quiet revolution, one executive and team at a time, that transforms workplaces into connected, compassionate, microcosms where people can learn, grow, do their best work, accomplish big things, and feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

Professional Bio

Scott David brings over 25 years of real-world executive experience in telecom and leadership consulting to his coaching.

Scott began his journey as a leader at MCI Telecom in the 1990s. In that fast-paced and rapid growth environment, he worked with great leaders and left with the ability to take risks, learn from failure, adapt to change, and manage a wide range of people and situations. He then worked as SVP of sales and operations for a leadership and management consulting firm that is now part of Korn Ferry International.

In 2005, Scott ventured into entrepreneurship with his first company, Stone Lake Leadership LLC. Stone Lake provided leadership development solutions to Fortune 500 companies and the Federal Government.

In 2014 Scott created Courage to Be LLC – now The Authentic Executive – as a platform to help senior and C-Suite executives and their teams develop authentic leadership styles and cultures that deliver tangible business results without killing themselves and their teams in the process.