Rutherford Pascal :

The Power of Enough

After being passed over for leadership promotions multiple times, Rutherford Pascal realized he was presenting what he thought people wanted—not who he truly was. That shift to authenticity changed everything, unlocking a path to the top levels of leadership.

Bio

Rutherford Pascal is the Founder and CEO of Glass Walls Leadership, where he helps good leaders become great and great leaders become even better. He does this through keynote presentations, training sessions, and 1:1’s.

His approach leverages over 30 years of experience with three fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies, He held key leadership roles including Head of Sales and leading teams to achieve outsized results.

His focus is people development, culture, retention, and diversity ensuring that both individuals and organizations reach their full potential through transformative leadership strategies. He has developed a proven system PID system (Preparation, Intentionality and Differentiation) to help individuals and companies’ standout.

Topics

  • The cost of inauthentic leadership
  • How to stop interviewing for approval
  • The mindset shift that changed everything
  • Why authenticity is your greatest career advantage
  • Leadership lessons from failing forward
  • How to own your “zone of genius” in interviews
  • From overlooked to promoted: navigating internal advancement
  • Self-worth vs. external validation in leadership
  • Aligning personal values with professional roles
  • What leaders can learn from rejection

Guiding Questions

  • What was going through your mind after your seventh failed promotion attempt?
  • What helped you realize you were showing up inauthentically in interviews?
  • How did the way you framed your strengths shift once you embraced authenticity?
  • Can you break down the differences between first, second, third, and fourth line leadership?
  • What was the internal change that allowed you to go from rejection to rapid promotion?
  • How did embracing your “zone of genius” impact how you led others?
  • How can others recognize when they’re not leading from their true self?
  • What advice would you give to someone preparing for a leadership interview today?
  • Have you faced any pushback for showing up authentically—and how did you handle it?
  • What does “being enough” look like to you now?

Interested in this guest’s story?