Jim Carlough is known across the leadership world as The Leadership Identity Architect—the expert who doesn’t just teach leadership skills but builds leadership identities. For more than 30 years, Jim has transformed teams, cultures, and careers across the healthcare industry and beyond, drawing on a legacy shaped under the mentorship from leaders at Perot Systems, including Ross Perot, whose fierce belief in grit, discipline, and decisive action still guides Jim’s mission today. Jim’s philosophy is simple, bold, and backed by decades of proof: Leaders aren’t born—they’re developed. After leading high-growth organizations, revitalizing underperforming teams, and coaching executives at every stage, Jim discovered the real barrier holding people back wasn’t competency—it was identity. Talented professionals weren’t failing because they lacked skills; they were failing because they didn’t see themselves as leaders. And that identity gap—not a skills gap—is the silent force behind turnover, disengagement, and broken succession pipelines. This insight led to his bestselling book, The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership, a character-based framework built on six human qualities AI can never replace: Integrity, Focus, Empathy, Compassion, Stability, and Humor. Unlike traditional leadership models that rely on tactics or competencies, Jim’s blueprint develops leaders from the inside out—future-proofing teams in an increasingly automated world. As a speaker, Jim is known for his charismatic, humorous, and deeply actionable style—a blend that audiences consistently call captivating, energizing, and immediately applicable. His workshops and keynotes don’t just inspire—they change how people see themselves as leaders.