Russ Powell Consulting, Inc. -

Marie-Claire Conlin

As a new manager, I was seeking training on meaningful, values-driven leadership skills and I wanted something that I could start implementing right away. I wanted to improve my skills in managing conflict, making and keeping agreements, negotiating, and generally working more productively with others. Enter Russ and his Leadership and the Middle Path workshop. I spent four virtual sessions with Russ and a small group of other leaders where we learned about several Middle Path concepts and tools and then practiced our new skills as we coached each other through real, relevant issues we’d brought to the workshop. I found Russ to be a highly-skilled facilitator who creates a safe and welcoming learning environment where he models grounded, empathic leadership while holding participants accountable to our shared group agreements. One of the many results of this training for me was I can now much more readily zoom out from the weeds of an issue and engage in systems-level thinking about potential solutions—asking how will this affect the “I”, “WE” and “IT” (i.e., the individuals, our relationships, and the work/deliverables, respectively). This has already begun to improve the quality of our team’s output—my team is clearer on our objectives, we’re more likely to identify non-obvious root causes of problems, and I feel I’m on a much stronger leadership trajectory. I wholeheartedly recommend Russ’ training and coaching, especially if you are a new leader in need of a supportive mentor and a learning environment with tools you will use long after the training is complete!

Jason Macauley

In my coaching practice I bring frameworks like middle path to bear on the challenges my clients face and am always looking to understand new approaches and perspectives on how to effectively collaborate in an organic/human system. A couple of years ago as an engineering leader at an ecommerce company I was introduced to the general concept of Middle Path Leadership and was intrigued enough by the paradigm to dig a bit deeper and found my way to Russ and his Leadership and the Middle Path seminar.

The focus on openness and understanding as the basis for problem solving is a key shift in perspective and thankfully breaks the old “leaders must know all and are always right” way of working. The introduction of middle path thinking can build more adaptive lower conflict systems through the application of inclusive thinking, common approaches, and a shared vocabulary. The framework is easy to remember but based on a deep and rich understanding of how cultures operate.

I greatly enjoyed the seminar and the additional perspective and tools it provided. I would wholeheartedly recommend Russ’ Leadership and the Middle Path seminar to anyone interested in expanding their leadership toolkit.

Amar Virk

I recently had the pleasure of attending Russ Powell's Leadership and the Middle Path workshop. As someone who’s had to tackle his fair share of gnarly problems in the workplace and have difficult conversations along the way, I found Russ's frameworks for solving problems and navigating challenging discussions to be incredibly valuable.

Russ provided us with concrete tools for uncovering and understanding problems within ourselves, our teams, and our organizations. His structured approach helps identify where we may be stuck and offers a clear path forward for solving problems and overcoming common leadership pitfalls.

I appreciated Russ's open and interactive facilitation style, which encouraged participation and engagement from everyone in the workshop. By the end of the program, I felt empowered with new skills and greater confidence to initiate important conversations, broach difficult subjects, and handle workplace conflicts more effectively.

The Middle Path frameworks are simple but profound. His workshop gave me a shared language and mental models to bring back to my team, enabling more productive dialogue. I now have go-to frameworks I can apply in my daily work to uncover the root causes of communication breakdowns.

If you are looking to enhance your leadership abilities, solve problems more effectively, and have more productive conversations, I highly recommend connecting with Russ and exploring his Middle Path leadership workshops.

Leo Meira

I have been managing and leading engineering teams for the past 5 years and I am always looking for opportunities to grow as a leader. One aspect that had been missing for me was a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks that I could use to understand and address the root causes of problems I deal with on my team and in my organization every day. I found just such a set in Russ’ Leadership and the Middle Path workshop, and this has helped me navigate difficult situations and generate better solutions in both team and cross-team settings. Additionally, I enjoyed the hands-on nature of the workshop. For example, we had plenty of opportunities to practice with real world scenarios in a safe and inclusive environment. And this helped us learn quickly! I found the material informative, simple to understand, and relatively easy to apply. I also found value in the practice sessions we held with Russ a couple of months after the workshop. These helped me refresh on the material and see how other leaders were applying the frameworks. If you’re a leader—even a leader with extensive management experience—and would like to take your skills to the next level, I highly recommend this workshop.

Mark Sowers

When I took the Leadership and the Middle Path program with Russ, I was facing a change in the agreement for my primary source of income. Even as inflation was raging, I was afraid of a loss of income.
The Middle Path provided tools which helped me to better understand not only the other party's position, but also my own needs and concerns. In just two meetings with the other party, I negotiated terms which actually increased my income, even while alleviating the other party's main worry.
Much of the credit goes to the Middle Path and to Russ Powell's presentation of the material: he is concise and the practice segments are effective, so I absorbed new concepts and developed new skills quickly.
If you are looking for a high-integrity and consistent framework for approaching negotiations of all kinds, I recommend registering for the next Leadership and the Middle Path workshop with Russ Powell.

Zaki Shafi

I participated in one of Russ's Middle Path leadership development programs and it was a blast. I found it useful both personally and professionally. He took us through a layered set of models that helped me uncover places where I was stuck—as an individual, in my collaborations as a team member, and in my involvement with my organization on a systemic level. His structured approach offers a valuable framework for solving problems and navigating through many common pitfalls and challenges leaders face. Additionally, his open-ended discussion style encouraged dialogue and engagement with everyone in the program. Overall, if you are an aspiring leader or have been leading for some time and want to take your skills and efficacy to the next level, I highly recommend Russ's Middle Path leadership program.

Ashley Gomez

I am a business owner who is growing my team, and I decided to work with Russ Powell to sharpen my leadership skills. Working with Russ I learned how to better manage my team, actively listening, and how to be a better leader to my team. I am so grateful for working with Russ and recommend him to every leader in the professional field!! Thank you Russ!!

Mary Anne Rasmussen

Today’s position-based approach to conversations—"I’m right; you’re wrong”—greatly needs the skills taught and practiced in Leadership and the Middle Path. I love that the program calls out some of the familiar but sometimes inscrutable traps we fall into in important conversations and problem solving. It unravels the complex mental processes needed for effective conversations, and includes enough practice and support to enable the leader to own the skills by the end of the program.

As a leader in Global Talent Development, I work with leaders desiring “a better way” to have critical conversations. I’m glad Leadership and the Middle Path is now in my toolbox. I highly recommend the program.