Unveiling the Power of “Kairos” in Leadership & Communities
Welcome Trium's newest Partner, Daniel Levitt
We are excited to welcome Daniel Levitt as Trium’s newest Partner! In this illuminating interview, we sit down with Daniel to explore the intricacies of leadership and personal growth. Daniel's recent return to Trium sparked a conversation about his motivations, aspirations, and the transformative power of authentic leadership. With a refreshing perspective, Daniel highlights the complexity of human dynamics often overlooked in traditional consulting approaches, advocating for a deeper understanding of the emotional and psychological dimensions of work. He shares his aspirations to cultivate a greater sense of gravitas, empower others to navigate change in a complex and uncertain world, and build communities at multiple levels that drive change. Join us as we delve into Daniel's journey, uncovering the essence of “Kairos” in leadership, and emphasizing the importance of fostering environments where individuals can thrive and reach their fullest potential.
Talia: Daniel, it's a pleasure to have you here. You worked at Trium from 2003-2009 and then branched out on your own these past 15 years. Let's dive into your recent return to Trium. What prompted your decision to come back after all these years, and what elements of Trium attracted you this time around?
Daniel: Well, my previous experience at Trium left a profound impact on me—I was truly transformed. This time, I'm hoping for a similar journey of growth and discovery. Trium’s emphasis on personal development and authenticity resonates deeply with me. The truth is, the team here offers an effective formula for guiding C-Suite executives and their teams in building and maintaining strategic leadership at scale, often through personal and enterprise-wide transformations. While I bring valuable expertise to certain aspects of this formula, I am eager to learn and incorporate additional elements while also benefiting from the expertise of others. I'm keen to engage with and learn from the team's multidisciplinary approach. Finally, Trium's strong community ethos, characterized by openness, genuine care, and a shared commitment to growth, resonates with me deeply at this stage of my career. While I enjoyed my private practice immensely, I missed having that sense of community with like-minded peers.
Transparently, I'm particularly drawn to cultivating a greater sense of gravitas. In my coaching, I’ve been thinking about how to embody power in an authentic way. For me, to be powerful is to be able to orchestrate great change in a complex and uncertain world and to have influence with others as the best version of yourself. To do so, you need to be able to handle the doubts that might arise from the corners of your own mind and from the rest of your organization, create a sense of confidence and trust in yourself and your team, and rally everyone toward that great change. It sounds simple, but it’s so hard to do.
Talia: What do you want to focus on in this next chapter?
Daniel: I think about concentric circles – the executive, their immediate leadership team, but then the broader communities in the organization. Undoubtedly, pivotal strategy and culture decisions originate with the firm’s leader and the top team. They must lead from the front and embody their intentions. But the realization of these decisions depends on the “next 100 people.” They are the engines of change because they span from the strategic and cultural intentions to the realities of what is actually happening in the business. In too many companies that next level is where these intentions fizzle out. So, success or failure depends on these communities. Do they get it? Are they committed? Do they know how they can drive change? And maybe most importantly, are they connected to each other in a community that can work through the bumps? I believe that leaders who can establish such communities have the secret sauce of driving the change they envision. My most satisfying work has been helping leaders foster such communities – with shared purpose, supportive relationships, true ownership, collaborative infrastructure, and aligned action.
Talia: When was the first time you felt compelled to do this work?
Daniel: Early in my career, I was a consultant at McKinsey. I was lucky enough to be staffed on a project working with a senior leadership team on creating internal alignment, and I loved it. When the project ended, and particularly when I was nose-deep in spreadsheets and dry recommendations presos again, I was hungry for more of that type of work.
Sometimes, it can feel like “consultants” often treat human beings like “rational bots.” There's a prevailing focus on metrics, efficiency, and bottom-line results, often at the expense of addressing underlying human dynamics. It’s essential to recognize human complexity. People are inherently irrational and driven by a myriad of emotions, fears, and beliefs that influence their behavior and what REALLY happens in team decision-making and problem-solving. Relationships and trust issues often take precedence in the workplace over “shareholder value” or even agreed-upon strategies. I’ve found in the years since those consultant days a truth that business success – industry disruptions, ambitious scaling, turnarounds, and transformations – isn’t in the PowerPoint. It’s about leaders stepping up, having the “real-real conversations,” true alignment on difficult decisions, and the magic that happens in cohesive teams.
I’m most interested in helping executives acknowledge and value the emotional and psychological dimensions of work so that teams can foster environments where people feel empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents, ultimately leading to greater innovation, resilience, and success.
Talia: You’ve mentioned the concept of Kairos before. Can you expand on what Kairos means to you?
Daniel: Kairos embodies a state of flow – the moment when you lose the sense of time and everything falls into place. It's about creating an environment where individuals feel inspired, connected, and empowered to achieve their fullest potential. My goal is to help clients find and maintain this state of flow, where meaningful growth and transformation can occur organically. Whether it's through fostering trust, encouraging collaboration, or cultivating a sense of purpose.
I’m particularly interested in the science and art of creating Kairos for groups when they are together. The experience of work and the sense of connectedness on teams have irrevocably been impacted by the pandemic and hybrid environments. I think the working world is still trying to figure it out. These elements used to be the unconscious default, humorously depicted in “The Office,” where you naturally spent in-person time together every day.
Now, being together is a more conscious effort and it counts more than ever. Key to this work is the magic that happens in intentional, designed in-person gatherings. Teams of all sizes need to achieve a shared view of reality. They must converge on purpose, strategy, culture, and operating models, which all tend to fray when you're operating in a hybrid way, being autonomous every day and interacting with smaller subsets of folks. There is a science and art to the design and facilitation of these gatherings, achieving Kairos, for both impact and indelible connecting experiences that have impact long after the gathering is over. I’m intent on fleshing out these techniques of ways of facilitating in person to achieve this mission-critical impact, and I believe this skillset will be a precious commodity in the future.
Talia: What are you most proud of?
Daniel: Easy - my three sons. They’re loving, trustworthy, ambitious, kind, and comfortable being themselves in the world. It’s been pretty remarkable to be their father and I’m inclined to take more credit than I deserve. I’m also proud of tricking my wife into marrying me twenty years ago. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without her and the path we’ve carved together.
On the work front, I’d say I’m proud of my ability to get back up after setbacks. I’ve done many challenging things in my life - some successfully and others not so much - but regardless of how the cards fell I always picked myself up and moved forward. It’s something I work hard to maintain and appreciate how pivotal this trait has been for my own development over the years. It’s not whether you mess up, or even whether you feel bad about it; it’s whether you get up, learn from it, and go for it again.
Talia: Thank you for sharing your insights and personal reflections with us, Daniel. We’re thrilled to have you back on the full-time Trium team again!