Moderated Conversation: So you want to change the world? Careers in Service

Great leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about staying teachable, adapting to new challenges, and empowering others to contribute their expertise. Drawing from her experience leading a growing nonprofit across multiple regions, Susan Peters will share lessons on navigating complexity, embracing innovation, and building sustainable impact in diverse communities.

In addressing human trafficking through Unbound Now, Susan quickly learned that no organization can do this work alone. Task forces and cross-sector collaboration are essential, bringing together law enforcement, hospitals, educators, district attorneys, and nonprofit partners to identify victims and coordinate effective responses.

In a culture often shaped by pride, self-promotion, and pressure to succeed, Susan offers a different approach rooted in humility and continual learning. She will share practical insights on leading collaboratively, staying grounded in purpose, and creating meaningful change without losing sight of the mission.

Most volunteers are leaders in disguise. They rally teams, raise money, hold missions together, and they do it all without a title, a paycheck, or a playbook. So when friction hits, they don’t pivot. They quietly step back. And the organization loses one more good one.

The SOAR Mindset™ changes that. It is a leadership framework built for people who lead through influence, not authority; exactly the conditions every volunteer operates in. Four pillars: Storytelling, Ownership, Abundance, and Resilience, give volunteer leaders the language and the muscle to lead on purpose.

In this hands-on workshop, attendees take a live assessment, uncover their dominant SOAR™ pillar, and apply the framework to real volunteer challenges: recruiting, conflict, burnout, restarts. They leave with a personal SOAR™ profile, a one-page leadership plan, and a new way to show up the very next time they serve.

In today’s high-stakes business environment, conventional thinking may be your greatest vulnerability. While organizations value consensus and alignment, these same qualities often lead to costly blind spots, missed opportunities, and avoidable mistakes.

What if your organization’s competitive edge lies in systematically challenging your own assumptions?

Join Jim Benvie, “The History PM,” as he reveals why today’s elite organizations are deliberately institutionalizing skepticism as a strategic advantage. Drawing from historical case studies and contemporary business examples, Jim demonstrates how structured challenge transforms decision quality and exposes hidden risks before they become costly missteps.

The “Deliberate Disruptor” methodology isn’t about creating conflict—it’s about implementing a disciplined framework for critical thinking that:
· Prevents groupthink and assumption-based errors that plague even the most experienced leadership teams
· Reveals blind spots in strategy that competitors are waiting to exploit
· Stress-tests critical decisions before significant resources are committed
· Creates psychological safety for authentic discussion without undermining team cohesion
· Builds organizational resilience in today’s volatile business landscape

As businesses navigate increasingly complex challenges, from digital transformation to market disruption, the ability to systematically question assumptions provides an essential safeguard against failure.

Discover how historical wisdom and contemporary leadership techniques combine to create a powerful framework for superior decision-making that elite organizations already employ.