Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership

Tip of the Day:
"A crowd can follow someone straight into failure." Jon Levy

This is the kind of insight that makes us pause and reflect. In a world obsessed with followers and influence, this reminder cuts through the noise: real leadership isn't about the size of your following, it's about the integrity of your decisions.

The best leaders don't lead crowds blindly. They build teams that think critically, question assumptions, and aren't afraid to speak up when the direction is wrong.

What's one decision you made recently that went against the crowd? Share in the comments, we'd love to hear your stories.

Visit our website to subscribe to receive great tips like this one, directly to your inbox: https://www.hesselbeinforum.pitt.edu/publications/leader-leader-journal

Today's Leader to Leader Tip of the Day comes from Stephen Wunker.
"AI changes the mechanics of how organizations work."

Stephen is Managing Director of New Markets Advisors, a global firm helping innovators grow, including many Fortune 500 companies. A pioneer in mobile tech, he helped develop one of the first smartphones and worked with Clayton Christensen to advance key innovation theories.

You can receive more great tips from the award winning Leader to Leader Journal, by subscribing: https://www.hesselbeinforum.pitt.edu/publications/leader-leader-journal

“The shift from autopilot to awareness isn’t always comfortable.” ✨Muriel Wilkins

If it feels uncomfortable… you’re probably doing it right.
Muriel Wilkins is a sought-after executive coach, CEO and founder of Paravis Partners, and a trusted advisor to senior leaders for over 20 years. She’s worked with thousands of executives, helping them break through the internal beliefs that hold them back and lead with more clarity and impact.
She’s also the author of Leadership Unblocked and host of the award-winning podcast Coaching Real Leaders, all focused on one core idea: real growth starts from within.

That moment when you stop running on autopilot and start questioning your habits, reactions, and beliefs? That’s where transformation begins.

💬 What’s something you’ve become more aware of lately?

“Allowing the diversity of a network to bloom, we achieve far more than we ever thought possible, ripples of change become waves, growing stronger with each localized solution.” – Sonja Betschart

Sonja Betschart is a passionate change agent and social entrepreneur, recognized as an Ashoka Fellow and Forbes 50/50 member. With decades of experience across nonprofits, startups, SMEs, and multinationals, she has turned bold ideas into impactful organizations and networks around the world.
From her awards in global leadership to speaking engagements at the WEF, UN, and WSIS, Sonja’s work reminds us that real change starts when diverse ideas come together and grow.

💡 Let’s take inspiration from her words and think about how small, local solutions can ripple outward to create meaningful impact.

is HERE ! 💙💛
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Your support helps advance our mission to assist SPIA in preparing students to lead in public service and make meaningful contributions in their communities.

We are grateful for your support as always!
Please consider supporting our center: https://pittdayofgiving.com/campaigns/johnson-institute-for-responsible-leadership-2

Last Call for Nonprofit Professionals !

You still have time to register for our FREE Ai 101 Workshop this Friday the 27th. Led by Executive Director at the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, Beth Schwanke. You do NOT need any Ai experience to attend this workshop, this is a great opportunity to learn and grow your knowledge base of Ai integration and safety.

Friday, February 27th, 9:30 AM (check-in starts at 9:00 AM)
Location: Wesley Posvar Hall, Room 3911
✅ Bonus: Parking and a light breakfast provided!
💰 This workshop is free, but registration is required.

🔗 Register here: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FvQq2LiGo8PYpM

🚨 Calling All Nonprofit Professionals! 🚨

The Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership is excited to invite you to AI 101: AI Basics for Nonprofit Users, part of our Nonprofit Capacity-Building Workshop Series.
No prior AI experience? No problem! This workshop is open to all experience levels.

Facilitator: Beth Schwanke, Executive Director, University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security (Pitt Cyber)

In this 90–120 minute interactive session, you’ll learn:
• Prompting fundamentals for AI
• Best practices for individuals and organizations
• Key risks and challenges to consider
• Guidance on developing AI use policies

Friday, February 27th, 9:30 AM (check-in starts at 9:00 AM)
Location: Wesley Posvar Hall, Room 3911

✅ Bonus: Parking and a light breakfast provided!
💰 This workshop is free, but registration is required.

🔗 Register here: https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FvQq2LiGo8PYpM

The Panther Leadership Summit is a one-day leadership conference for graduate and undergraduate students. Student participants will explore a range of critical leadership development-based topics and methods to become more dynamic, resilient and reflective leaders, empowering them to make a meaningful impact in the community.

Panther Leadership Summit will be held on
Saturday, February 28, 2026.

This year’s theme is Ignite Purpose, Inspire Change. Get ready to fuel your passion, spark your influence, and walk away ready to create change that matters!

Register today!
https://experience.pitt.edu/otp_signup?module=event&event_id=389437&private_event=1

Registration closes on February 18, 2026.

Despite the snow and freezing temperatures forcing us to move our Staff Retention Workshop online, the session was still a tremendous success. We were thrilled to welcome a large, engaged group of attendees eager to gain guidance from Dave Coplan on motivating and retaining staff on limited budgets while developing expertise in-house.

This screen grab comes from Dave’s incredibly resourceful presentation. In that presentation, he shared this quotes, and it resonated so strongly that we wanted to highlight it here.

A huge thank you to all who attended, and to Dave for his flexibility and for supporting local nonprofits in their mission to make a positive impact on the world.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:📣

Staff Retention Workshop Friday, January 30th
Because of the cold weather, we’re moving our Friday workshop to Zoom to ensure our nonprofit community can safely participate and still benefit from this important staff retention resource. Registration is open to everyone, and is free of charge.

Special thanks to Dave Coplan for his flexibility and willingness to continue facilitating his workshop despite the last-minute changes.

Please Register Here 👇
https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/fsKoSFS8RWODhT50wNeJug #/registration