We are living in a time where noise dominates.
Fear sells.
Urgency drives behavior.
And complexity has somehow become a badge of honor in leadership conversations.
But what if the most powerful leadership strategy available today is deceptively simple?
What if “good” is not soft… but strategic?
When I sat down with Heather Campbell—CEO, author of Good Is Amazing, and a leader whose career spans ESPN, Odyssey, and healthcare innovation—I was reminded that the most disruptive ideas are often the ones hiding in plain sight.
Heather’s mission is clear: help people be seen, heard, and celebrated.
And in a world where most organizations are optimizing for efficiency over humanity, that mission is not just refreshing—it is necessary.
The Leadership Gap No One Is Talking About
Heather didn’t set out to write a book overnight.
For ten years, she carried a title: Good Is Amazing.
And every time she shared it, something remarkable happened.
People leaned in.
Their shoulders dropped.
Their defenses softened.
They exhaled.
That response tells us something critical.
There is a deep, unmet need—across industries, across generations—for permission.
Permission to want something different.
Permission to define success on your own terms.
Permission to choose “good” over externally imposed expectations.
Heather saw this firsthand in two radically different audiences: MBA candidates at the University of Chicago Booth and listeners of a spiritually focused podcast.
Different language. Same question.
“Is it okay if I don’t want what I thought I was supposed to want?”
Executives would be wise to pay attention.
Because that question is not just personal—it’s organizational.
The Power of the “Positive Presumptive Close”
One of the most elegant leadership tools Heather shared is what she calls the positive presumptive close.
Instead of arguing, defending, or justifying, you invite alignment.
You start with shared outcomes.
For example:
- “I want to be healthy and fulfilled.”
- “I know you want me to be successful and secure.”
- “Let’s define what that looks like together.”
This approach is as relevant in the boardroom as it is in family conversations.
Because at its core, leadership is not about control.
It is about alignment.
And alignment begins with language.
A Defining Moment: The Presidential Question
Every leader has a moment.
A moment where the trajectory of their thinking shifts.
For Heather, it came during her sophomore year of college.
A phone call from her mother—unexpected, urgent, and entirely out of character.
“Promise me you’ll become President of the United States.”
It sounds absurd. It was.
But beneath the surface was a deeper question:
Who are you going to be?
In that moment, Heather made a decision that would shape her life:
“I want to be happy and healthy.”
Simple.
Radical.
And incredibly difficult to execute consistently.
Because the world rewards titles, status, and scale—not necessarily well-being.
This is where executives must pause.
How many strategic decisions inside your organization are optimizing for “more” instead of “better”?
Redefining Impact: Small Actions, Massive Outcomes
Heather’s response to her mother was equally powerful.
She didn’t reject the idea of impact.
She redefined it.
“I change the world every day.”
Not through policy.
Not through power.
But through presence.
- Holding a door
- Listening deeply
- Showing up with intention
In business terms, these are micro-behaviors.
But collectively, they shape culture.
And culture determines performance.
Disruption at ESPN: Speaking the Right Language
Let’s be clear—Heather is not just a philosopher of “good.”
She is an operator.
At ESPN, within the Walt Disney Company, she stepped into a role designed to drive “synergy.”
The problem?
“Synergy” had become a dirty word.
It meant top-down mandates.
It meant compliance.
It meant resistance.
So Heather did something bold.
She renamed her function.
Not through HR.
Not through a formal process.
But in a meeting.
“We’re no longer the synergy department. We’re the co-promotions team.”
That moment was more than semantics.
It was a strategy.
Because she understood something most leaders miss:
People don’t resist change. They resist what change represents.
By shifting language, she shifted perception.
By shifting perception, she unlocked collaboration.
The Universal Translator of Leadership
Heather described her role as learning to “speak multiple languages.”
- ESPN had fans
- ABC had viewers
- Disney Parks had VIP guests
Same business ecosystem.
Different lenses.
Great leaders act as translators.
They don’t force alignment—they create it by understanding what matters to each stakeholder.
This is where many organizations fail.
They attempt to standardize communication instead of contextualizing it.
The result?
Misalignment disguised as agreement.
Invitation Over Instruction
One of the most powerful concepts Heather shared is what she calls “invitation moments.”
Instead of directing, leaders invite.
Instead of prescribing, they explore.
Instead of saying: “This is what we’re doing.”
They ask: “What if we could…?”
This shift transforms everything.
Because innovation does not thrive in environments of judgment.
It thrives in environments of curiosity.
I often frame this with clients as:
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could…”
It’s simple.
It’s disarming.
And it opens the door to possibility.
Creating Space for Contribution
Heather shared a story about inviting individuals—regardless of title—into strategic conversations.
Not because they were required.
But because they were engaged thinkers.
One individual, not formally responsible for the initiative, continued contributing ideas long after the meeting ended.
Why?
Because he felt invited.
Most organizations unintentionally suppress this behavior.
They prioritize hierarchy over contribution.
They confuse structure with control.
And in doing so, they lose their most valuable asset: thinking.
The Role of Leadership in Psychological Safety
Let’s talk about the moment that separates average organizations from exceptional ones.
Failure.
Heather described presenting results she believed were strong—only to discover a major discrepancy.
100 million impressions?
Actually, 22 million.
A significant gap.
Her response?
Transparency.
Ownership.
Action.
“I uncovered a miss. Here’s what happened. Here’s what we learned. Here’s what we’re doing next.”
This is leadership.
Not perfection.
Not spin.
But truth.
Because when leaders model this behavior, they create environments where others feel safe to do the same.
And that is where real innovation happens.
The Risk of False Innovation
Many organizations claim they want innovation.
But what they actually want is certainty.
They reward outcomes.
They punish risk.
And then they wonder why no one is willing to step forward.
Heather articulated this perfectly:
“If you say you want disruption, but only reward sure results, no one will take the risk.”
This is not a strategy problem.
It is a cultural problem.
The Leadership Framework for Disruption
Heather offers a simple, actionable framework for leaders ready to challenge the status quo:
- Think it
Develop the idea. Explore the possibility.
- Say it
Share it before it’s perfect. Invite feedback.
- Do it
Execute, even when it’s uncomfortable.
- Share the results
The good. The bad. The ugly.
This cycle builds trust.
It builds momentum.
And most importantly, it builds learning.
The Business Case for “Good”
Let’s bring this back to the executive lens.
Why does this matter?
Because organizations today are facing:
- Talent disengagement
- Cultural fragmentation
- Innovation stagnation
And the solution is not another framework.
It is a return to human-centered leadership.
When people feel:
- Seen
- Heard
- Celebrated
They perform.
They contribute.
They stay.
“Good” is not a soft concept.
It is a performance driver.
The Integration of Purpose and Performance
Heather’s work with Ready, Recover further reinforces this.
In healthcare—a system often defined by clinical efficiency—she is bringing humanity back into the process.
Preparing patients.
Supporting recovery.
Creating experiences that acknowledge the individual, not just the procedure.
This is the future of business.
Where strategy and empathy are not competing priorities—but integrated ones.
The Executive Reflection
As you consider your own leadership approach, ask yourself:
- Are you creating invitation moments—or issuing directives?
- Are your teams safe to share failures—or hiding them?
- Are you aligning language across stakeholders—or forcing uniformity?
- Are you optimizing for “more”—or for “better”?
And most importantly:
What does “good” look like for you—and your organization?
The Real Disruption
The most disruptive thing Heather Campbell is doing is not writing a book.
It is challenging a belief system.
That success must be complex.
That impact must be massive.
That leadership must be rigid.
Instead, she offers something far more powerful:
Clarity.
Connection.
Choice.
And a reminder that a life—and a business—full of good is not just enough.
It is extraordinary.
Listen to the full episode on C-Suite Radio: Disrupt & Innovate | C-Suite Network
Watch the episode: DI 152 Empowering Lives Through Positivity
Check our website: LcubedConsulting.com
This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing assistant (Abacus.AI’s ChatLLM Teams) and edited by Lisa L. Levy for accuracy, tone, and final content.
