I pledge to create experiences that make others feel good about interacting with me: Dr. Byron Ernest (of Leadery Global) said speaking with The Silicon Review

“If we want to keep breaking new ground we must make it a priority to seek out the intersection of multiple fields, disciplines, and cultures.”

Leadery Global is an Indiana-based education leadership solutions company. It serves clients globally.

Dr. Byron Ernest founded Leadery Global and currently serves as the Chief Positivity Officer of the company. Dr. Ernest is a globally recognized and highly sought-after speaker and facilitator.

The Silicon Review reached out to Dr. Ernest and here’s what he had to say.

Interview Highlights

Q. Why was Leadery Global born?

Leadery is an adjective that means the act of practicing great leadership. It is a word that was created by participants and me in a leadership program I was facilitating a few years ago. We were discussing how bravery and courage were needed in leadership and there was no word describing those attributes. So, playing on bravery, we came up with “Leadery.” 

Q. What pain points did you set out to solve?

I wasn’t seeing people who were motivating and giving people practical tools for growth. Much of my career was in teaching, so I sat through many so-called “professional development sessions,” and the speakers were always static and dull—many weren’t even former teachers, so they lacked perspective. Teachers love their jobs, and they constantly want to improve their skills or discover new ways to reach their students. As a facilitator of adult learning I have studied the adult brain and learned to facilitate meaningful and lasting learning. I do this because I am passionate about it, good at it, and want to help others.

Q. What makes Leadery Global successful?

What makes Leadery Global successful is my pledge to create experiences that make others feel good about interacting with me. I develop leaders with a multiplier’s mindset who want to make others smarter. Moreover, the following are our focus areas that I believe play a crucial role in our success.

• Motivational Speaking
• Expert Facilitation and Moderator
• Custom Programs for Creative and Collaborative Help
• Multidimensional Program Development
• Leadership Development Programs
• Professional Development
• Leadership and Teacher Coaching/Mentoring
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Strategic Planning

Q. Can you introduce us to your innovative services? What are their key features?

I offer custom-tailored consultative packages for clients seeking stakeholder engagement, systems-level visionary design, leadership development, education leadership, and facilitation services. The collaborative learning environments I help to enable support clients of all sizes ranging from countries, states, districts, schools, universities, groups, and private and public organizations, serving students in PreK-12 and higher education as well as other industries outside of education. Customization is enabled by having the client involved every step of the way as programs are developed.

Each personalized package and the multidimensional program is tailored to meet specific needs described by the client and uses the same methodologies, curricula, and expert facilitator of learning which has made me a highly sought-after provider of collaborative solutions and professional facilitation. Custom speaking, consulting, and facilitation programs can be delivered on-site at a client’s location or remotely by utilizing virtual tools.

Q. How does Leadery Global create and sustain a culture of innovation?

Innovation happens at the intersection of different perspectives. Innovative ideas are not just about adding another feature or an adjacent market. If we want to keep breaking new ground we must make it a priority to seek out the intersection of multiple fields, disciplines, and cultures.

Q. Tell us about the Leadery Global team. What value do they bring to the company?

I started to eliminate this question because I am Leadery Global. There are no other employees. But then I realized that one of the key features of Leadery Global is the fact that I become a value-added partner and part of the organization’s team I am working for using creativity and collaboration to contribute my professional expertise, multi-level support and help.

Q. Will Leadery Global be expanding, bringing on any new services that we should be aware of?

Yes. I have begun offering facilitation, project management, and leadership for developing mission, vision, core values, strategy statements, and five-year strategic plans for schools and organizations. Additionally, I have entered the higher education space by providing custom consultative services helping colleges and universities.

Q. What's the one thing you want Leadery Global to be known for?

Never cookie-cutter!

Q. Is there anything else you want us to highlight that we might have missed?

Hopefully, I will be remembered as a thoughtful leader who showed love for those I served by providing growth and development.

Dr. Byron Ernest | Founder & Chief Positivity Officer

Dr. Byron Ernest has had extensive experience globally leading online and in-person facilitation of groups and consulting. He has experienced diverse business contexts and engaged in cultural exchanges with colleagues from around the world while tackling international issues related to education and other industries. Byron will become a value-added partner, using creativity and collaboration to contribute professional expertise and multi-level support to help you realize your full potential.

Dr. Ernest was the 2010 Indiana “Teacher of the Year” and formerly served as Superintendent/Head of Schools for Hoosier Academies Network of Schools. He also served as principal at Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis after it was taken over by the State for receiving seven consecutive failing annual performance grades. As principal, Dr. Ernest developed a new staff and culture of excellence focusing on high student achievement and performance. The State removed Manual from the state’s “F” list under Byron’s leadership.

Prior to going to Manual, Dr. Ernest worked as the Department Head for Agriculture and FFA at Lebanon Community School Corporation. During his tenure, he was named the 2011 Christopher Columbus Foundation National Outstanding Agriscience Teacher. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Agricultural Education and a Master’s in Education from Purdue University. He received his Doctorate from Walden University in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning. Dr. Ernest completed the Certificate for Advanced Educational Leadership program at Harvard University, where he continues Post-Doctoral Studies.

Byron serves as a policy maker and citizen leader on the Indiana State Board of Education where he led a very successful statewide systemic change to Indiana’s graduation requirements. He chaired the Graduation Pathways Panel created by the Indiana Legislature to study and make recommendations to the Indiana State Board of Education. Ernest led the panel through a series of 10 stakeholder engagement gatherings to craft a successful Graduation Pathways Plan giving students many options for graduation as opposed to a single graduation qualifying exam. Dr. Ernest also served as the chair of the board of directors for the National Association of State Boards of Education and was most recently named a board of trustees member for Home Builders Institute (HBI). Byron continues to do transformational work at various scales, from the group and organizational to the global.

“The collaborative learning environments I help to enable supports clients of all sizes ranging from countries, states, districts, schools, universities, groups, and private and public organizations, serving students in PreK-12 and higher education as well as other industries outside of education.”