If you’ve ever experienced a boss who believed in you before you believed in yourself, you know what it means to have a Best Boss. They don’t just manage outcomes—they shape people. And the very best ones never stop learning how to do that better.
That’s why attending Summit Series Detroit this year felt like a masterclass in modern leadership. Not the kind built on charisma or control—but the kind rooted in curiosity, vulnerability, and a deep commitment to human potential.
As an executive coach and the host of The Best Boss podcast, I spend a lot of time asking leaders questions like:
- How do you build trust at scale?
- What does people-first leadership look like under pressure?
- How do you stay coachable when everyone expects you to have the answers?
At Summit, I saw those questions come to life.
Summit Detroit: A Crash Course in People-Centered Leadership
For those unfamiliar, Summit Series is a global gathering of founders, creatives, technologists, and changemakers. Detroit’s edition didn’t just celebrate innovation—it celebrated intention. Every conversation, panel, and performance was infused with emotional intelligence and genuine connection.
It reminded me: the best leadership development doesn’t happen in boardrooms. It happens in brave spaces—like Summit—or in confidential, high-trust coaching engagements where leaders do the hard inner work.
What Executive Coaching and Summit Have in Common
Over the three days, five themes kept surfacing—each one aligning with the qualities I see in the best bosses I coach and interview. If you’re a leader (or coach one), here’s what’s worth paying attention to:
1. Curiosity Is More Powerful Than Certainty
The most effective leaders don’t lead with answers—they lead with better questions. At Summit, I met a founder relearning coding “just to stay humble.” A healthcare exec studying mythology. They’re staying relevant by staying curious.
→ Coaching question: What’s one assumption you’re willing to challenge this week?
2. Vulnerability Builds Trust Faster Than Perfection
The leaders who had the greatest impact weren’t the flashiest—they were the most real. They shared failures. They asked for feedback. They made space for discomfort.
→ Coaching question: What would happen if you shared the full truth with your team?
3. Inclusion Isn’t an Initiative—It’s How You Lead
Summit didn’t just include diverse voices—it centered them. Founders, artists, and activists from historically excluded communities weren’t tokenized. They were heard. That’s real culture work.
→ Coaching question: Who still doesn’t feel fully safe to speak in your meetings?
4. Regeneration Is a Leadership Discipline
One speaker said, “Rest is how you do the work.” That stuck with me. Burnout is still too normalized in leadership circles. But the best leaders I know? They protect their energy—and their people’s.
→ Coaching question: What would change if your calendar reflected your values?
5. Emotional Intelligence Is No Longer Optional
Summit was filled with emotionally intelligent moments—from how panelists handled disagreement to how strangers supported each other. Leaders who self-regulate and stay attuned to others are the ones teams follow in hard times.
→ Coaching question: What emotional habit do you want to strengthen this quarter?
Coaching Makes It Stick
Summit lit the spark. But coaching is where the habits form. As an executive coach, I help leaders put these insights into action—shaping trust-filled cultures, improving communication, and leading with clarity even in chaos.
That’s also what my Best Boss project is all about: collecting the real stories of leaders who create loyalty, growth, and impact—not by being the smartest in the room, but by seeing the full potential in others.
Because as one client once told me, “I don’t remember the metrics my best boss hit. I remember how she made me feel.”
Final Thought: Leadership Is Personal. So Is Growth.
Whether you were at Summit or not, the message is the same: the world is changing. Leadership must, too. The future belongs to emotionally intelligent, people-first leaders who are still coachable.
If that sounds like you—or who you want to become—let’s talk. Or follow along on the Best Boss podcast, where we’re exploring what the best leaders do differently.
Let’s not just lead. Let’s evolve.
