Newsletter April 2026

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Inside First News

Inspiring Purposeful Leading & Living

April 2026

Thank you!

John Horan-Kates  (JHK), President

JohnHoranKates@gmail.com

Kick The Can

By Raj Manickam

We’ve all seen it, and if we’re honest, we’ve all done it. “Kicking the can” shows up in subtle ways: delaying decisions, avoiding tough conversations, or pushing responsibility just far enough down the road to get through the moment. This piece takes a closer look at that habit—not to call it out, but to understand how it quietly shapes outcomes in our work, leadership, and everyday lives.

Through story and reflection, I explore what happens when we stop deferring and start addressing what’s in front of us. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s where progress begins. A small shift in awareness can change not just the result, but the direction entirely.

FEELINGS:  A COMPETITIVE EDGE

By Jon Strickler

Businesses often chase performance the way a mechanic fixes a machine: swap parts, adjust levers, measure outputs. It's logical. It's also wrong.

A recent book reframes high performance through a more heart-centered approach that supports our Inside First^® perspective. In Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose, Jennifer Wallace defines the meta-need behind human performance: feeling valued by others and having a chance to add value back. As her subtitle suggests, it's built on deep purpose and connection.

And feelings of connection cannot take root without ethics. When leaders act with integrity, doing what they say, treating people fairly, and pursuing a purpose beyond profit, mattering becomes real. Without an ethical foundation, even genuine recognition feels hollow.

Inside First holds that when Ethics, Purpose, and Connection all exist, people stop complying and start caring. Its perspective is built on four pillars that combine head and heart leadership:

• Foundational - Moves an organization from stated values to lived values: the shared ethics that guide hard decisions.

• Character - Where ethics live in action. Leaders rated highest on character deliver a Return on Assets nearly 5× higher than self-focused peers.

• Skills - High-character leaders build skills like psychological safety, the single strongest predictor of team performance per Google's Project Aristotle, so people can speak up, learn, and grow together.

• Relationships - Where mattering becomes a daily practice. Strong belonging drives a 56% increase in job performance and 50% lower turnover risk.

Wallace uses an engine metaphor, saying organizations run on one of two fuels: Dirty fuel (fear and pressure) creates short-term motion but corrodes the engine; or Clean fuel (ethics, mattering, and connection) preserves the engine and compounds motion. It produces people who want to be there and invest in each other as if their own future were on the line.

The results are measurable. Engaged teams are 21–23% more profitable, and employees who feel valued are 73% less likely to burn out. The world's most ethical companies outperformed peers by 8.2 points over five years.

From compliance to commitment. From performance as pressure to performance as purpose. That is the shift Inside First makes possible.  Read the full article here.

Our new assessment measures how well your business runs on the clean fuel of Inside First. For early access, email jon.strickler@gmail.com to learn how to uncover better success.  

Trust

The Inside First Principle for April

Definition: Confidence in the integrity and character of a person or organization; the belief that those on whom you depend will meet your expectations; a relationship of reliance. The opposite is suspicion.

Overview 

Trust has always been an important principle, but it’s particularly hot at the moment because it’s been on the decline.  The World Economic Forum reports that trust has been sliding for quite some time, not only in corporations, but in governments, churches, even the United Nations and the Olympics.

Trust is an absolutely critical leadership principle touching every aspect of our lives – in our work, in governments, churches, families and institutions of every size and stripe. Stephen M.R. Covey in his book The Speed of Trust recommends “smart trust”, that is, extending trust

thoughtfully rather than naively. He advocates trusting others after careful analysis, taking reasonable risks. We know that trust is more often established through deeds rather than words as Emerson underscored when he said; “What you do speaks so loudly, I can hardly hear what you say.”

As a critical leadership principle, trust can be thought of as both a noun and as a verb. It’s a noun when it describes the condition we want to create. Trust is that state that we all want to be in. …

LEADING PERSPECTIVES

Dare to Lead; Brave Work – Tough Conversations – Whole Hearts

by Brene Brown

Overview

When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions.  We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others.  We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it’s necessary to do good work.  Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior.  This book is as much about personal development as it is about leadership.  It’s a very worthy read !

Key Principle

• Courage:  The level of collective courage in an organization is the absolute best predictor of that organization’s ability to be successful.  Brown says, “Daring leaders who live their values are never silent about hard things.”

Key Points or Perspectives

• You can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability …

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate School of Social Work.  She is the author of six No. 1 New York Times bestsellers.

“If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I’m not interested in or open to your feedback.”

- Brene Brown

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If you have comments or questions about the Alliance or our Leaders Network, don't hesitate to get in touch with me at JohnHoranKates@gmail.com.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead