Here are few leadership patterns you may recognize:
- The dominator who pushes aggressively, disregards input, and uses coercion.
- The autocrat who demands results without buy-in and ignores collaboration.
- The insensitive boss who speaks truth without tact, humiliates, and weaponizes honesty.
- The overconfident manager who ignores feedback, blames, and justifies inappropriate behavior.
- The cynic who assumes laziness or deceit, questions motives, and micromanages.
But leaders who choose these patterns are usually focused on fighting for something good—clarity, results, efficiency...
The solution starts with this insight:
All good things have a natural tension with another good thing.
- Accountability vs. Relationship Building
- Grit vs. Flexibility
- Courage vs. Caution
Good leadership draws energy from the tension.
Leadership problems come from the neglect of a counterbalancing leadership virtue.
Training from The Leadership Progress Cycle shows leaders how to build neglected strengths without giving up the good things they're already fighting for.
The LPC offers a flexible set of services, but our first recommendation is the Paradox-Aware Leadership Starter Kit.
This gives leaders experience with discovering their own paradoxes and getting a quick win by turning that energy into immediate action.
.png?width=1400&height=1200&name=The%20Leadership%20Progress%20Cycle%20(1).png "The Leadership Progress Cycle (1)")
Jared Oates is the creator of the Leadership Progress Cycle, a practical framework that helps leaders work with paradox to create lasting impact.
A self-taught engineer with a background in English rhetoric, he’s spent over a decade designing learning experiences that go beyond surface-level training. As co-founder of Niche Academy, Jared has helped thousands of leaders in public and nonprofit sectors navigate real-world challenges.
Known for blending practical tools with personal insight, he helps leaders see tension not as a threat—but as the energy source for innovation, trust, and growth.
.jpg?width=800&height=1000&name=Jared%20Oates%20(1).jpg "Jared Oates (1)")
Good things are happening because I'm doing this training. It's helping me to look at the big picture.
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