Leadership Is an Ecosystem, Not an Event: Rethinking How We Develop Leaders

Leadership expectations are rising faster than leader preparation. That's the tension at the center of this conversation with Justin Roscoe, VP of Learning and Organizational Development at California Credit Union. Justin makes a sharp case that organizations have been treating leadership development as an event when it needs to be an ecosystem, and the results of getting that wrong show up in turnover, disengagement, and leaders who are stuck managing the shift instead of leading the business.Guest: Justin Roscoe is VP of Learning and Organizational Development at California Credit Union, where he leads training and development for approximately 530 employees. He also serves as VP of Certifications for the San Diego chapter of SHRM.In this episode:00:11:42 — What we're actually asking of leaders today, and how those expectations have outpaced development00:15:41 — The shift from managing processes to leading the human behind the worker00:16:59 — HR as a cost center: who's responsible for telling the value story?00:22:50 — Why leaders stuck in shift-to-shift thinking never develop strategic vision00:24:48 — The business owner mindset: spending 50% of your time on the business, not just in it00:36:45 — "What got you here won't take you there" and why unlearning is the first job of a newly promoted leader00:42:31 — EQ isn't a future skill, it's a current requirement; how AI raises the bar for human connection00:50:57 — What to unlearn the moment you get promoted: the myth that leaders need all the answersResources mentioned:Peter Principle — the concept that people are promoted to their level of incompetence (search "Peter Principle Laurence Peter")"What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith (search for this)SHRM certification programs — SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP (shrm.org)Links for today's show:Justin Roscoe on LinkedIn (flag for Kent to fill in)California Credit Union (add link if applicable)Kent Kniebel on LinkedInThe Promoted Leader ToolkitMusic for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com and on all major streaming platforms.Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.