Retired Brigadier General Twanda E. Young shares insights on leadership, mentorship, workplace culture, resilience, and personal growth.
We are honored to spotlight retired Brigadier General Twanda "Tia" Young. She is a widely recognized leader, coach, author, and speaker. She is a decorated veteran with over three decades of service. Twanda aims to empower others through leadership development, conflict management, and career coaching. As a sought-after speaker, she inspires audiences at prestigious institutions and leadership conferences, including the Leadership Experience Tour. She founded LT3 Leads to guide inspiring leaders. A graduate-level professor, her dedication extends to education with a focus on leadership excellence. Her extensive list of military honors highlights the Distinguished Service Medal. Outside of her military and professional achievements, Twanda’s impact has been recognized through the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and the incorporation of her autobiography into the Library of Congress collection, cementing her legacy as a trailblazer in leadership and empowerment.
With a career spanning military service, leadership development, education, and executive coaching, Twanda Young has dedicated her life to helping others become effective leaders. In response to our Leadership Spotlight questions, she shares the following insights:
What is one practical thing leaders can do to create a more supportive and healthy work environment?
“A defining aspect of true leadership, one that separates great organizations from those that merely manage to exist, is the inherent ability of leaders to be atmosphere changers. They do not just react to the temperature of the room; they set it. This concept, often discussed under the umbrella of 'culture,' is a tangible force. When a true leader walks in, you feel the shift in energy—a move toward purpose, possibility, and collective potential. Leaders set the pace, and that pace is not about speed; it is about direction, intentionality, and an unwavering commitment to the team's core mission. To understand the magnitude of this role, we must examine the mechanism through which leaders affect this change. It is not done through singular declarations or executive orders, but rather through a deep, profound understanding of two critical elements: the innate value that each team member brings to the table, and a clear-eyed awareness of the leader's own limitations.”
What helps individuals grow into leadership roles, even before they have a formal leadership title?
“To cultivate leadership influence and readiness before formal authority is granted, utilizing the ‘LT-NCO’ mentorship model as a foundational framework. The Foundation: The LT-NCO Paradigm The military provides a unique blueprint for leadership development through the relationship between a brand-new Second Lieutenant (LT) and a seasoned Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). The Power Gap: While the LT holds the formal rank, they lack the ‘ground truth’ experience. The Mentorship Loop: The NCO provides the ‘wing’ under which the officer grows, trading technical and cultural wisdom for the officer's strategic responsibility. The Ego Reset: True growth begins when the aspiring leader values the guidance of experienced subordinates over the prestige of their own potential title.”
If you could share one insight with individuals hoping to grow, lead, and succeed, what would it be?
“Cultivate a P3 Mentality Mindset. My one core insight is this: Leadership is not about the authority you hold, but the atmosphere you create. True success is built on the foundation of Intentionality. Whether you are commanding a unit or steering a business, you must operate with a clear sense of purpose that others can follow. You cannot wait for growth to happen to you; you must be the architect of your own discipline. I have always believed in three specific pillars for sustained success: Persistence: You will face friction. It is a guarantee. Your ability to stay the course when the initial excitement fades is what separates a dreamer from a leader. Perseverance: This is your resilience in the face of adversity. It is the mental toughness to find a way through, over, or around an obstacle without losing sight of the mission. Patience with the Process: We live in a world that demands instant results, but character and excellence are forged over time.”
Highlight
“Leaders fight the impulsive demon and learn to make informed decisions that are strategically focused, intentional in the ROI, and decisive in making an impact.”
Twanda Young's leadership philosophy reflects several well-established leadership and organizational behavior theories, including organizational culture, organizational health, psychological safety, authentic leadership, leader-member exchange, and grit. Throughout her responses, she emphasized the powerful influence leaders have on shaping workplace environments, developing others, and fostering long-term growth and success.
To begin, Twanda's statement that leaders are "atmosphere changers" who "set the temperature of the room" aligns closely with Schein's (2010) research on organizational culture. Schein argues that leaders are not only creators of culture but also managers of it. Through the behaviors they model, the priorities they emphasize, and the actions they reward, leaders shape workplace norms and expectations. As a result, leadership directly influences employee engagement, trust, collaboration, and overall organizational effectiveness. Twanda's emphasis on creating a positive atmosphere reflects Schein's view that leadership and organizational culture are deeply interconnected.
Building on the importance of culture, Lencioni (2012) argues that organizational success depends not only on technical expertise but also on organizational health. According to Lencioni, healthy organizations are characterized by trust, clarity, accountability, and shared purpose. Twanda's emphasis on intentional leadership and creating positive workplace environments reflects this perspective. Her belief that leaders shape the atmosphere around them reinforces Lencioni's argument that healthy leadership teams create the foundation for healthy organizations, enabling employees to work together effectively and pursue common goals.
At the individual leadership level, Twanda's emphasis on intentionality, self-development, and leading with purpose closely aligns with Authentic Leadership Theory. According to Avolio and Gardner (2005), authentic leaders are self-aware, guided by their values, and committed to building transparent and trusting relationships with others. Rather than relying on formal authority, they influence through their character, actions, and consistency. Twanda's belief that leadership begins before receiving a title reflects this perspective, highlighting the importance of personal growth, self-reflection, and purposeful leadership.
In addition to personal development, Twanda repeatedly emphasized the importance of mentorship and learning from others. This perspective aligns with Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, which suggests that effective leadership develops through high-quality relationships built on trust, respect, and mutual support (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995). Twanda's discussion of the military's LT-NCO mentorship model illustrates how leadership growth often occurs through meaningful relationships rather than formal authority alone. Her experiences reinforce the value of seeking guidance, investing in others, and building partnerships that support collective success.
Finally, Twanda's emphasis on persistence, perseverance, and continuous growth throughout her leadership journey closely aligns with Duckworth et al.'s (2007) concept of grit. According to the authors, long-term success is not determined solely by talent or intelligence but by an individual's ability to maintain passion and sustained effort toward meaningful goals despite challenges and setbacks. Twanda's experiences in military and leadership roles, combined with her commitment to lifelong learning, resilience, and service, reflect the qualities of gritty individuals who remain dedicated to growth and purpose over time. Her insights reinforce the idea that effective leadership is often built through perseverance, adaptability, and a willingness to continue moving forward in the face of adversity.
Together, these theories suggest that the most effective leaders do more than manage people or achieve results; they shape the atmosphere around them. By cultivating cultures of trust, encouraging growth, and creating environments where individuals feel valued and supported, leaders can inspire meaningful change and leave a lasting impact on both people and organizations.
References
Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001 View Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L.'s Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087 View Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R.'s Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals
Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(95)90036-5 View Graen, G. B., & Uhl-Bien, M.'s Relationship-based approach to leadership
Lencioni, P. (2012). The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business. Jossey-Bass.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
