Pete Behrens Featured in Inc. Magazine: Why Human-Centered Leadership Matters Now More Than Ever
We’re excited to share that Agile Leadership Journey Founder & CEO Pete Behrens was recently interviewed for an article in Inc. Magazine exploring the future of leadership—and why the leaders who succeed next will be those who show up as humans first and executives second.
In 4 Things CEOs Must Do Differently to Lead With Clarity and Purpose, author Marcel Schwantes highlights Behrens’ perspective on “the fog”—the uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity leaders navigate every day.
Behrens’ insights are rooted in more than two decades of coaching leaders at every level and form the foundation of his book Into the Fog: Leadership Stories from the Edge of Uncertainty. In the interview, he shares why clarity, connection, trust, and courage have become non-negotiables for modern leadership.
Key Themes From the Inc. Magazine Article
1. Lead From Humanity, Not Hierarchy
Behrens reflects on the “armor of certainty” many leaders feel pressured to wear—and why real trust and performance only emerge when leaders step out from behind titles and invite others into the process.
2. Build Trust Before You Build Strategy
Drawing from a story on a heli-skiing trip, Pete illustrates how leadership is less about control and more about balancing direction with respect. Transformational leaders inspire commitment—not compliance.
3. Embrace Vulnerability as Strength
Through a personal story of community recovery after wildfire, Pete highlights that influence often comes through connection, not command. Vulnerability, he explains, is not weakness—it’s honesty.
4. Choose Courage Over Control
From engineering to executive coaching, Pete has seen teams stall when perfection becomes the goal. Learning to build “small sandcastles”—simple, testable wins—is what unlocks progress and growth.
Schwantes’s article reinforces what we see every day in our work with organizations: Traditional command-and-control leadership is no longer sustainable—human-centered leadership is. This philosophy is the core of the Agile Leadership Journey: helping leaders build the mindsets and practices to navigate uncertainty, strengthen culture, and create healthier, more adaptive organizations.
