Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D., MPH

Co-Founder and Board Member

Leslie W. Braksick, Ph.D., MPH, is a nationally known consultant, executive coach, and author. As a consultant, she is noted for enabling dramatic business improvement in companies, including many of the Fortune 50. Her greatest strengths lie in analyzing complex organizational histories and challenging business conditions, and then helping senior executives articulate business objectives, develop targeted implementation strategies, and execute them successfully.

In her second edition of Unlock Behavior, Unleash Profits: Developing Leadership Behavior That Drives Profitability in Your Organization (McGraw-Hill, 2007), Leslie makes a compelling case for the pivotal role of behavior in successfully executing business strategy.  The book’s second edition has been on The Wall Street Journal’s Business Best Seller list and ranked high on 800CEORead’s Best Seller list, with all proceeds assigned to the Heart Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

For her most recent book, Preparing CEOs for Success: What I Wish I Knew, Leslie and her CLG colleagues interviewed over two dozen sitting CEOs of companies with workforces exceeding 10,000 people and revenues of $4B or greater.  In the book, Leslie presents the candid wisdom of these leaders, handily organized into categories like Preparing Well for the Job, Leading Your New Team, Working with Your Board – all revealing what the book’s title promises: What I Wish I Knew.  The book’s research and development were underwritten by William R. Johnson, Chairman/CEO of H.J. Heinz Company with net proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities^®, Inc.

Through her books, consulting work, and speaking engagements, Leslie demystifies behavior and teaches leaders at all levels how to make a difference and significantly improve their world, even outside the workplace.  Leslie brings the same energy and skills to her many civic and community activities. She is a board trustee for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital Foundation. Leslie is Vice-Chair of the Board of Princeton Theological Seminary and a Board member at Imani Christian Academy, a K – 12 school for at-risk urban youths. She chaired the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the United Way of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) and has served as a cabinet member for several past campaigns.

Leslie holds a doctorate in Applied Behavior Science and master’s in industrial psychology from Western Michigan University and a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University. She is a frequent keynote speaker at professional conferences on issues of leadership, strategy execution, executive succession and implementing change. In addition to her books, Leslie writes a monthly magazine column on leadership for Smart Business Magazine.