Lead with Impact is a 12-month leadership small-group training cohort for current and emerging leaders. Gallup research shows that organizations with highly engaged employees have higher productivity and profitability.

“We know the workplace elements that need to be in place to improve employee engagement, and every one of those elements is the direct result of effective leadership,” stated Carolyn O’Kelley, Director of HR & Business Consulting, Ollis/Akers/Arney. “The massive Gallup study was conducted worldwide, and performance outcomes including turnover rates, safety incidents, employee wellbeing and a slew more were all substantially better in companies with engaged employees.”

The leadership pipeline gap is growing with an increasing number of retirements. As a result, “the problem we’re seeing in the marketplace is that top performers are being promoted because of their strong track record. But the skills they developed to be great contributors, aren’t the same skills they need to be successful leaders and managers,” said Richard Ollis, CEO Ollis/Akers/Arney.

Lead with Impact was designed to strengthen the foundation necessary for someone to embody the role, skills and mindset of a leader. The curriculum is a combination of formal training and peer-to-peer exchange with a focus on real-world applications.

Specifically, Lead with Impact concentrates on the practical skills to:

• Improve employee engagement and accountability,
• Strengthen communication and coaching skills,
• Navigate conflict and change more successfully, and
• Make informed, strategic decisions.

In 2025, Ollis/Akers/Arney ranked in the top five of America’s Best Workplaces among medium size companies nationwide by Best Companies Group. “We know how we became a great place to work. We want to share this information with others on an individual level to be successful, because we feel success breeds success,” said Sherry Coker, Ollis/Akers/Arney Organizational Development Advisor.

The 2026 Lead with Impact cohort begins Thursday, September 24, meeting in-person and virtually roughly twice a month for a year. All in-person sessions are held at Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors located at 2274 E. Sunshine, Springfield, Missouri. Registration deadline is September 17. More details and registration information is available at OllisAkersArney.com/Lead.

About Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors

Since 1885, Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors has provided consulting and insurance services to businesses and communities in southwest Missouri. Ollis/Akers/Arney provides business risk assessments and solutions, health and group benefits, human resources solutions and commercial as well as personal lines of insurance. Offices are in Springfield, Branson and Bolivar, Missouri and serve clients nationwide. Ollis/Akers/Arney has been nationally recognized by Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Inc. as a Best Practices Agency in the United States and as a Top Insurance Employer from Insurance Business America every year since 2019. The agency received a Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau, Best Companies Group Best Places to Work, and Biz 417 Best Places to Work number one employer in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

For more information, contact Tammy Johnson, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at (417) 881-8333 or visit OllisAkersArney.com.