What is it really like to be led by you? That question was at the center of Synergy Solution Group’s 2026 Leadership Forum, held September 13-16 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Current and emerging leaders from Synergy member companies came together for three days focused on understanding how others experience their leadership, receiving honest feedback, and putting what they learned into practice.

The forum combined a full-day workshop with guest speaker Steve Thomas, personalized 360 Leadership Assessments, confidential mentor groups, and a Leadership Lab facilitated by Lisa Withers.

Understanding Your Leadership GIST

Steve Thomas opened the forum with The Leadership GIST: The Vibe You Didn’t Know You Were Giving, challenging attendees to look beyond their titles and intentions and consider the influence they have on the people around them.

“You don’t decide your GIST,” Thomas told the group. Leaders can choose their intentions and behaviors, but ultimately their GIST is shaped by how other people experience them.

Throughout the day, members examined the beliefs and assumptions behind how they lead. Thomas asked attendees to consider whether people follow them because they have to or because they want to, how people feel when they enter a room, and what kind of culture they are creating through their everyday behavior.

The conversation also focused on what people need from their leaders. Thomas encouraged members to hear and understand their employees, meet people where they are, appreciate them for more than the work they produce, and help them understand that they are needed.

“I really enjoy listening to Steve and take away as much as possible to implement in my day-to-day life,” said Justin Ralston of MSD.

Seeing Your Leadership Through Someone Else’s Eyes

On Day Two, the focus shifted from how attendees viewed their own leadership to how others experienced it.

Before arriving in Scottsdale, attendees had invited supervisors, peers, and direct reports to provide feedback through a personalized 360 Leadership Assessment. Lisa Withers prepared members to receive those results by emphasizing that the goal was not to react to every score or comment, but to look for patterns, pay attention to gaps, and identify one or two meaningful opportunities for growth.

Members had time to review their results individually before joining confidential mentor groups, where they could talk through what surprised them, what validated what they already knew, and what they wanted to work on.

“Hard conversations were had, but more importantly I took the information shared and ideas from peers and plan to use them to strengthen my leadership skills,” said Stacy Murray of Warwick.

Creating Accountability Without Taking Over

The Leadership Lab then moved into one of the challenges many leaders face every day: creating accountability without doing the work for everyone else.

Through case studies and group activities, members examined what happens when a leader talks about accountability but routinely steps in to finish an employee’s work, provides the answer as soon as someone brings them a problem, or assumes employees already know what is expected.

One comment from the group captured the problem particularly well: by constantly stepping in, a leader can actually steal accountability from the team.

Instead, members discussed the importance of setting clear expectations, asking questions, coaching people toward solutions, and allowing employees to own the outcome.

The conversation also explored the difference between accountability and blame. As members worked through a scenario involving a missed deadline between departments, the group described blame as backward-facing while accountability looks forward and asks what can be done next.

Learning From Leaders Who Understand the Challenge

Peer learning continued throughout the forum.

On the final morning, members brought real leadership challenges to their tables, selected the ones they most wanted help solving, and passed them to another group for ideas and perspective. A “speed date” exercise then gave attendees another opportunity to move around the room, connect with people outside their tables, and exchange ideas.

For Benjamin Clark of ABM Mechanical, that outside perspective was one of the most valuable parts of the experience.

“It’s helpful to get someone’s feedback that might be going through the same situations you’re stuck in,” Clark said. “Raw constructive emotionless information. Beyond helpful!”

Those conversations are also what make the confidential mentor groups an important part of the Leadership Forum. Rather than discussing leadership only in theory, members had the opportunity to talk openly with experienced leaders and peers who understand many of the same people and business challenges.

Making Room to Lead

The forum ended by addressing what may be one of the biggest obstacles to putting any of these ideas into practice: the whirlwind.

Attendees defined the “inside the whirlwind” work as the urgent day-to-day responsibilities that have to happen to keep the operation moving. Outside the whirlwind are the things that improve the future but are often easier to postpone: coaching employees, developing future leaders, improving processes, strengthening relationships and working on your own leadership.

The goal wasn’t to somehow eliminate the whirlwind. It was to intentionally make room for work outside of it.

Members considered what they needed to make time for when they returned home and what could get in their way. Just as importantly, they were encouraged not to try to change everything at once.

The 2026 Leadership Forum gave members plenty to think about. What happens next is up to them: what they ask, what they listen to, what they make time for, and ultimately, how the people around them experience their leadership.

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If you’re a mechanical contractor looking for a peer group that brings real value, real sharing, and real relationships, learn more about becoming a Synergy member.