Big Ideas
for small business.
Leadership Development Consulting
right here in the Lehigh Valley & Poconos.
"The Art of Flying" used with permission from Jan Van Ijken
Leadership Development
On Your Budget &
In Your Backyard.
Starling Leadership delivers uniquely-tailored & highly-customized leadership development offerings for small to mid-size, local & family-owned businesses in the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, and surrounding areas
Big consultancies charge Fortune 500 companies top dollar for some of the most powerful and transformative leadership frameworks which led me to ask a simple question:
Why can’t I scale down these tools to bring them within reach of business owners like you?
Starling Leadership isn't an expert in YOUR business, but we are experts in the people side of business—
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strengths based leadership
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group dynamics & teambuilding
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communication and conflict
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accountability & productivity
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burnout and task/stress/priority/time/energy management
...all of which are slightly different things, I may add…
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realistic self-appraisal
...which is not merely “self awareness”...
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mission, vision, & action planning.
As a fellow small-business owner (and mom raising the next generation of entrepreneurs), my goal is simple:
to help you thrive today so that our vibrant marketplace of businesses continue to survive in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos for generations to come.
Get started here, risk free:
Testimonials
Jess’s workshop was incredibly engaging, thorough, and professional. She made the information accessible to everyone in the class and did a great job getting everyone in the group to actually speak up. She’s open to others’ thoughts and opinions which made for a good atmosphere where the group actually had some needed-conversations.
I liked the interactive bits and they were well placed to drive the point home. The walkie talkie activity helped me realize the importance of proper communication and opened my eyes to some of the struggles we could minimize by streamlining interdepartmental communication. Sounds silly, but "eliminating walkie talkies” is on my to-do list now!
Great workshop! Loved it. Great material and you really kept members engaged. It was very cool to see a different perspective on how to handle different situations. It all challenged my thought process, but also even challenged my view on challenges.
Let's Talk-Risk Free
What's With the Birds?
Scroll back up and look closer at the beautiful video, The Art of Flying" as captured by Jan Van Ijken.
Allow yourself a moment to be mesmerized by the incredible formations.
Thousands of starlings move as one living cloud in the sky—twisting, expanding, and diving in perfect synchrony, with no single bird in charge. This phenomenon is so unique that animal behaviorists felt it needed its own term as "flock" simply didn't capture the complexity. Enter "murmuration".
What looks like magic is actually the result of three simple rules every starling follows:
stay close to your neighbors, match their speed and direction, and avoid collisions.
That’s it. No hierarchy, no central commander, yet the flock achieves something far greater, faster, and more resilient than any individual could alone. A whole that is truly is greater than the sum of its parts.
What if I told you that it's possible for human teams to function that seamlessly?
Instead of micromanaging or hoarding control or burning from both ends of their own wicks, the most effective leaders create conditions for alignment: clear shared direction, rapid local feedback, and psychological safety so people can adjust quickly knowing they're trusted to do so. When every team member pays 360 degree attention —attention to peers, customers, supervisors, direct reports, third party partners, company culture, and shared values—they can notice subtleties pivot far quicker, increasing resilience, efficacy, productivity, and satisfaction.
Starling murmurations remind us that scale, speed, and beauty in a collective performance don't often come from unilateral, one dimensional perspectives—they emerge when you foster a culture of alignment, attention, and mutual care.