Russo Leadership — Hero
Identity-Centered Leadership™

When Leaders Are Clear, Organizations Perform.

We work at the root. From individual leaders to executive teams to governance structures, we build the clarity, alignment, and identity that make performance sustainable.

6
Service
Areas
25+
Leaders
Researched
1
Root
Cause
ICL™
Research-Validated
Framework
Russo Leadership — The Problem Section
The Diagnosis

You are solving
the wrong problem.

Most organizations arrive with a performance problem. A culture problem. An execution problem. They are right about the symptom. They are wrong about the cause.

The root is always one layer deeper than the presenting problem

Recognize any of these?
01
Your Leaders Revert
They grow in the room and go back to the same patterns the week after. The training worked. The identity underneath it did not move.
02
Your Strategy Is Not the Problem
The people executing it are capable. And somehow execution keeps breaking at the same three points, every cycle.
03
Your Culture Says the Right Things
The values are on the wall. The behaviors in the room tell a different story. The gap between those two things is costing you.
04
Your High-Performers Plateau
The leaders you identified for bigger roles are stalling at the next level. It is not a skills gap. It is a self-knowledge gap.
05
Your Team Is Excellent Individually
Together they are exhausting. The friction is not personal. It is structural. And it keeps reappearing in different forms.
06
Your Leadership Team Is Not Aligned
They agree in the room. In the work that follows they pull in different directions. The gap is not personal. It is structural.
The Root Cause

These are not five different problems.
They are one problem, showing up five different ways.

The root is identity. How leaders understand themselves, how they have been shaped, and whether the gap between who they are and how they lead is costing them and their organizations in ways that do not show up on a performance review. That is where we work.

See how we work →
Russo Leadership — Framework Teaser
Our Framework

Identity-Centered
Leadership™

We built a research-validated framework on one foundational premise. Most leadership problems are not skill problems. They are identity problems. The framework gives leaders precise language for where they are, how they got there, and what it costs them and their organizations to stay there.

The question that locates everything
"Do I still know what I actually think?"

Explore the Framework →
25
Leaders in the
original research
9
Key findings
validated
2
Models that
work together
Russo Leadership — How We Engage
How We Engage

We diagnose first.
We prescribe second.

"Every engagement is designed to hold after we leave the room."

Most leadership interventions fail because they prescribe before they understand. We never walk in with a predetermined solution. We walk in with a diagnostic lens, and we build from what we actually find.

01
Diagnose

We start by understanding what is actually happening — not what looks like the problem from the outside.

Leader and team interviews Behavioral assessments Identity and alignment diagnostics Structural analysis where needed
02
Align

We partner with senior leaders to clarify priorities, define success, and establish the systems that support performance.

Priority and expectation clarity Leadership system design Stakeholder alignment Engagement scoping
03
Build

We develop leadership capability through pathways, coaching, and team development tailored to your people, culture, and pressure points.

Facilitated cohort programs Executive coaching Team performance work ICL™ framework application
04
Sustain

We reinforce new skills and systems with practical tools, accountability structures, and ongoing support to make the change hold.

Practical toolkits and frameworks Accountability structures Ongoing advisory support Measurement and follow-through
What Leaders Say

The work holds.

From emerging managers to senior executives, across healthcare, professional sports, and beyond.

"

The years I spent working with Nayli drastically changed my career for the better. I now lead from a foundation rooted in my core beliefs — which allows me to be more present with my team every day.

Zack Galia
Director, Social Media — Pittsburgh Pirates
"

Her leadership training helped me refine my decision-making and develop a more compassionate, inclusive style — while still driving results. I still use the model she helped me create to this day.

Andy Giambroni
Director, CRM & Consumer Strategy
"

Working with Nayli was more than professional growth — it was personal alignment. She created a space where I felt safe, seen, and sharpened. I now lead with clarity, not confusion.

Sofia Bermeo
Director of Operations, LCC
"

Nayli didn't just teach leadership — she rewired how I show up. Her focus on action made everything stick. This wasn't just learning. It was transformation.

Justin Newman
Head of Player Analysis — Pittsburgh Pirates
"

Nayli has been an outstanding mentor. Her frameworks helped me identify what was really holding me back and take tangible steps forward. With her support, I've achieved promotions, raises, and made bold career moves I never thought possible.

Erin Kust
Sr. Director, Enterprise Strategy

"I left with more clarity, confidence, and purpose."

500+
Leaders Developed
6
Service Areas
ICL™
Research-Validated
Russo Leadership — Founder + CTA
Our Founder

Nayli Russo

Founder, Russo Leadership

I arrived in the United States at 23 with a pharmacy degree and no English. I rebuilt from scratch. I went on to lead inside healthcare and professional sports organizations, serve as Chief of Staff at Highmark, and VP of People and Strategy at the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then I built a practice rooted in research I actually conducted. I know what it costs to lead from a version of yourself that is not quite true. That is why this work exists.

PharmD, MBA — Doctor of Pharmacy and Executive MBA
Former Chief of Staff — Highmark Health
Former VP, People & Strategy — Pittsburgh Pirates
Creator — Identity-Centered Leadership™ Framework
Ready to Work at the Root?

Identity first.
Everything else follows.

Whether you are developing a single leader or rebuilding a leadership culture, the work starts in the same place. Let us find out where your organization is and what it is costing you.

Russo Leadership — Latest Thinking