Leading

With Love and

Laughter

by Zina Sutch and Patrick Malone

Why do leaders often falter at tasks like building trust, handling poor performers, or engaging with employees?

Too many training programs reduce leadership to an equation, a matrix, or an acronym. But leadership is a relationship. It’s one human helping another. The most successful leaders show they genuinely care about their employees, and are, well, fun. It’s just like any relationship.

About Us

Zina and Patrick met while at American University where they found that they not only had a lot in common with respect to their histories, but where they discovered they shared similar values, albeit raised in two very different parts of the country. Both believed in the same principles when it came to leadership development, social science take-aways, and common human decency.

As they spent more and more time together talking and getting to know each other, they realized that together, they could do more than either could do on their own. They still believe that there is so much more to learn and share and plan to continue exploring new ideas and new ways to uncover the leader within each unique individual.

While Zina Sutch and Patrick Malone cite the science, and offer examples, tips, and practices, their larger purpose is to reintroduce the warmth of human interaction and emotion as the foundation of what leadership is all about.

Reviews

Zina and Patrick’s work has been reviewed by scholars, critics, media, and practitioners across the world. Their unorthodox but effective approach to leadership has captured the hearts and minds of many.

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“This is a wonderfully written book. It’s funny, it’s breezy, but it gets to the heart of the matter with references culled from research. But it never gets bogged down in dry statistics or lengthy explanations. It’s a human book that speaks to the human in all of us. In these divisive and difficult times, caring and humble leaders who aren’t afraid to laugh–and in fact encourage it– are greatly needed. This isn’t a “how to” book because we all know how to do it. The book illustrates why it’s important, gives examples, and even answers challenging questions.”

Linda M. Boris

Amazon Review

“Zina and Patrick have written a warm, funny, and eminently practical guide to bringing our humanity to our leadership. As we’re all struggling to figure out this new world of work, coming out of the pandemic, their book is a great reminder that building strong, positive relationships – with ourselves first, and then with those around us – is the best foundation for whatever organizational work we need to do together.”

Erika Andersen

Amazon Review

“I actually met one of the author of this book before I started reading the book. I am enjoying reading the book thus far. I rarely get to meet an author before reading their books, but I find myself approaching this book with a curious mind this time. I felt connected with the author and often finding myself reliving our first meeting just because, when we met, there were laughter and a sense of price in his work. This book is terrific. Although I am not done reading it, I strongly encourage and recommend it to anyone, at any level, to reach and grasp the concept of leading with love and laughter.”

Freddy Israel

Amazon Review

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We all learn best when we grow together and share our ideas. It connects us AND it’s a lot of fun. Please add your voice to our blog entries and share your thoughts and ideas. We can’t wait to hear from you!

The Human Side of the New Normal – PA TIMES Online

November 2, 2021

By Patrick Malone

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Creating a New Normal? Try a Human Approach. – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

October 18, 2021

By Zina Sutch & Patrick Malone

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