Leading from the Middle: Leadership Lessons with Dr. Michelle Loyet (Part 2)
Description
Leadership often happens in the middle—not at the very top. In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Michelle Loyet, we explore how to lead effectively without relying on positional authority. Michelle shares her experiences at Webster University, where she learned to build coalitions, invite people into change, and balance responsibilities up, down, and across the institution.
Michelle also opens up about her unexpected background in roller derby and the leadership lessons it taught her—resilience, persistence, and teamwork. We also discuss Webster’s long history of serving military students, and how strategies like tuition alignment and transfer credit help meet their needs. This episode is full of practical insights for anyone managing from the middle of an organization and looking to create lasting impact.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How to manage up, down, and across with authenticity
- Why inviting people into innovation works better than coercion
- The power of complementary strengths in leadership partnerships
- How roller derby shaped Michelle’s perspective on persistence and teamwork - Practical strategies for supporting military students in higher education
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome and introductions
02:00 – Managing from the middle: strategies for success
06:00 – The importance of invitation vs. coercion
12:00 – Complementary strengths in leadership partnerships
14:00 – Resilience and persistence: lessons from roller derby
20:00 – Role models, coaching, and team-building with Yelp Roulette
28:00 – Supporting military students through tuition alignment and transfer credit
32:00 – Reflections on leadership impact
33:00 – Outro & reflection question
Reflection Question for Viewers:
What can you do this week to build coalitions of support—up, down, and across your organization—to move an important initiative forward?
Links & Resources:
📖 MACRO Leadership – https://amzn.to/3IAp2VG
📘 Free MACRO Leadership Workbook – https://engagedbydesign.com
