What does real leadership look like when you don’t have the title yet?

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, I sit down with Ryan George, Chief Marketing Officer at Docupace, to talk about ambition, culture, setbacks, and leading people with intention.

Ryan didn’t rise through marketing by positional authority. He led first through influence — before he ever had the title.

We explore:

• How to lead before you’re officially “the leader”
• The wake-up call of a brutal 360 review — and what to do with hard feedback
• Why culture is built on support, not “gotcha” moments
• The difference between managing performance and managing people
• Why your job as a leader is to prepare people for their next role — even if that means losing them

Ryan shares openly about being laid off, facing an identity crisis, and realizing that the bumps are the growth.

Three powerful leadership takeaways:

1. Choose the right people to work for — culture trickles down.
2. Growth rarely feels smooth — lean into the discomfort.
3. People have lives beyond work — lead with understanding, not punishment.

If you care about culture, influence, and lifting as you lead, this conversation delivers.

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/y62FHv7NXi0

🔔 Subscribe for more leadership insights:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@DrWaynePernell

#LeadershipWithoutTitle #InfluenceOverAuthority #CultureMatters #LeadershipGrowth

Ryan George's LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/in/rageorge

What do most leaders get wrong about culture, performance, and the future of work?

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with the former first CHRO of LinkedIn and author of Workquake to unpack what actually drives high-performing teams in today’s rapidly changing world.

We discuss:

• Why culture is a leadership responsibility — not HR’s
• How hypergrowth silently breaks communication
• Why learning agility matters more than job security
• The hidden poison in fear-based performance systems
• How AI should enhance people — not replace them

If you’re leading through change, building a high-performance culture, or navigating AI disruption — this conversation is essential.

Trust scales. Bureaucracy suffocates. Leadership decides.

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/X5RNRC54cNs

🔔 Subscribe for more leadership insights:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@DrWaynePernell

#Leadership #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalCulture #AILeadership #ExecutiveLeadership

Steve Cadigan's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cadigan

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with mission-driven tech founder Dekel Skoop, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who has built companies serving underserved markets—from web accessibility to cybersecurity.

Dekel shares hard-earned leadership lessons on scaling organizations, hiring for adaptability and common sense, and why people always come before process and product. He also unpacks how real growth guarantees change—and why great leaders plan for it instead of resisting it.

This is a grounded, practical conversation for founders, executives, and leaders navigating growth in fast-changing environments.

Key Takeaways

• Why people—not products—are the foundation of scalable organizations
• How successful growth guarantees change (and why that’s a good thing)
• The leadership discipline of hiring people who are better than you
• How to assess adaptability, culture fit, and common sense when hiring
• Why small and midsize businesses are the backbone of the global economy
• How Guardz is simplifying cybersecurity for MSPs and SMBs

Connect with Dekel
● LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dekel-skoop-469335118

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3bmEkAXph-g

AI has been around for decades—but only recently has it become accessible, scalable, and deeply personal. In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell speaks with Nick Yaitsky, Chief AI Officer at Lulav Technology Partners, about what actually works when AI meets healthcare, leadership, and organizational culture.

Nick breaks down hyper-personalization, data ethics, failing fast vs. learning fast, and why leaders must fix broken processes before layering in AI. This is a grounded, human conversation about growth, fear, adaptability, and building organizations that are truly future-ready.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why AI enables personalization at a level humans alone can’t scale
• The difference between AI-native and AI-branded organizations
• How leaders can evolve culture without burning it down
• Why fear is information—not a stop sign
• The leadership mindset required to navigate rapid change

Connect with Nick:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nickyaitsky
• Email: nick@lulav.ai
• Website: https://lulav.ai

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/EUckhht5Ego

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Robert Beaven—human-centered culture architect and leadership coach—to explore why culture isn’t a side initiative, it is the strategy.

Together, they unpack what it really takes to build trust and psychological safety in organizations, especially in a world shaped by rapid change, remote work, and increasing complexity. Robert shares hard-earned lessons from his journey through corporate leadership, consulting, and culture design—along with practical insights leaders can use immediately.

This conversation dives into curiosity as the foundation of trust, the danger of perfectionism, the power of presence, and why great leaders don’t call people out—they call them in.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Why culture is the primary driver of sustainable performance
• Psychological safety as a leadership responsibility
• Curiosity as the foundation of trust and belonging
• The myth of perfection and the cost of comparison
• Leadership presence: how you show up is the message
• Calling people in vs. calling people out
• Building trust through boundaries, grace, and consistency
• Supporting introverts and quieter voices on teams
• Why leaders must grow people—not just results
• Giving yourself (and others) grace in a polarized world

This conversation dives into curiosity as the foundation of trust, the danger of perfectionism, the power of presence, and why great leaders don’t call people out—they call them in.

Robert Beaven is a human-centered culture architect with more than 20 years of experience helping leaders design cultures where people thrive and performance follows. His work focuses on leadership alignment, psychological safety, trust, and courageous conversations.

Connect with Robert:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robertbeaven

🎥 Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/nReCgtQtG3I

What does it take to live above your perceived potential—and help others do the same?

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Damon Dixon, a lifelong leader whose journey spans Division I athletics, a 33-year Naval career, biotech leadership, and now senior operations at BYU Athletics. Rather than a straight résumé walk-through, this conversation dives into the inner architecture of leadership: identity, vision, faith, perseverance, and service.

Damon shares the story behind his personal “why”—to inspire all he comes in contact with so they maximize their potential—and how that purpose guided him through setbacks, career pivots, and moments where the plan fell apart… only to lead somewhere better.

🔑 Key Themes & Takeaways

• Living Above Potential: How Damon reframed limitations and outperformed expectations as a 5’8” Division I wide receiver
• Identity Before Outcome: Why becoming the person matters more than achieving the title
• The Navy as a Leadership Laboratory: Lessons in people-first leadership learned over three decades of service
• Setbacks as Redirection: When the “dream job” disappears—and why that may be essential
• The Power of Mentorship: How seeking (and becoming) mentors accelerates growth
• Multipliers, Not Diminishers: Building teams that scale talent, trust, and impact
• Faith + Effort: “Work as if everything depends on you; pray as if everything depends on God.”

👤 About Damon Dixon
Damon Dixon is the Chief of Staff for BYU Athletics, a former Naval officer, Division I football player, biotech executive, and mentor. Across every chapter of his career, Damon has focused on one core mission: helping people perform beyond what they thought possible.

🔗 Connect with Damon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-b-dixon-mba/

🎥 Watch the full episode now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6TmCXPsso2g

In this wide-ranging and deeply pragmatic conversation, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Mark Stouse—founder and CEO of Proof Causal AI—to explore what actually drives outcomes in business and life. Together, they unpack the critical difference between correlation and causation, why most patterns we notice don’t matter, and how leaders can reclaim agency in a world where 70–80% of factors are outside their control.

Blending philosophy, math, leadership insight, and real-world examples, this episode challenges conventional thinking about truth, belief, intuition, and effectiveness—while offering leaders a radically practical way forward.

Key Topics & Insights
• Causality vs. Correlation: Why understanding why things happen matters more than spotting patterns
• The 70–80% Reality: Most outcomes are shaped by factors outside your control—what matters is how you respond
• Three Universal Leadership Questions:
∘ How do I get more of what matters?
∘ How do I make it better?
∘ How do I do it faster?
• Reality Over “Truth”: Why belief can shut down progress—and why reality is the true decision-maker
• Unlearning: Letting go of outdated knowledge as a leadership superpower
• Time Lag Effects: Why good decisions take time to show results—and bad ones don’t
• Efficiency vs. Effectiveness: Why cutting costs without direction misses the point
• Agency Without Illusion: Doing your best, acting with integrity, and releasing control of outcomes
• Intuition, Instinct, and GIGO: How flawed data sets lead to consistently bad decisions
• Radical Pragmatism: Making better decisions without over-philosophizing the process

Mark Stouse is the founder and CEO of Proof Causal AI, and one of today’s most thoughtful voices on causality, fiduciary risk, and executive accountability. Known for blending rigorous mathematics with radical pragmatism, Mark helps leaders make better, defensible decisions in complex, rapidly changing environments. He is also the author of an upcoming book on Unlearning.

🔗 Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse/

🎥 Watch now on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gHnqzgQzEdk

In this episode of One Sharp Sword, Dr. Wayne Pernell sits down with Aman Mahapatra, Chief Strategy Officer at Tribeca Softech, to explore the rapidly evolving intersection of AI, strategy, and large-scale organizational transformation.

Aman brings a rare operator-investor perspective, sharing how Tribeca Softech partners with Fortune-level organizations—especially in financial services—to modernize legacy systems, break down silos, and responsibly deploy AI at scale. Together, they unpack the real evolution of artificial intelligence—from early machine learning and recommendation engines to large language models, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), and autonomous AI agents.

The conversation goes beyond technology into governance, cybersecurity, decentralized identity, and financial inclusion—highlighting how AI, when designed with guardrails and intention, can democratize access rather than deepen inequality. Aman also shares glimpses of his nonlinear personal journey and teases an upcoming AI spin-off emerging from Tribeca Softech.

This episode is a grounded, human-centered look at AI—not as hype, but as a strategic lever shaping leadership, culture, and the future of institutions.

Key Topics Covered
• What a Chief Strategy Officer actually does at a modern AI-driven firm
• Why banks have “a museum of systems”—and how AI can untangle them
• Machine learning vs. large language models (explained simply)
• The rise of RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) and AI agents
• Why governance, permissioning, and security must lead AI adoption
• Financial inclusion: banking the unbanked through non-traditional data
• Decentralized digital identity (DID) and encrypted consumer protection
• Why AI reshapes jobs rather than eliminates them
• Aman’s nonlinear journey across continents, startups, and venture work
• A teaser on Tribeca Softech’s upcoming AI spin-off (launching 2025)

Aman Mahapatra is Chief Strategy Officer at Tribeca Softech, where he operates at the intersection of strategy, operations, and go-to-market execution. His work focuses on AI-driven transformation across finance, healthcare, and technology, with a strong emphasis on governance, modernization, and financial inclusion. Aman’s journey spans early entrepreneurship, venture consulting, and global leadership roles—bringing a deeply practical lens to emerging technology.

Connect with Aman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akm76/
🎥 Watch the conversation on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/t8f2ET8DCQQ