I'm Dr. Jane Lovas. I help technical CEOs stop being the bottleneck in their own company.

You built something real. It's profitable. It works. And somehow it still runs through you — every channel, every fire, every Monday meeting.

Here's my question: what if the problem isn't that your team doesn't care enough? What if they've never had the chance to?

My story

I started as a software developer. Then I moved into project management, and people kept handing me the troubled projects. The ones everyone expected me to fix with a tighter schedule and more control.

That's not what fixed them.

What fixed them was a question: "Tell me what's going on." Then I listened. I barely said a word, and people found their own answer. "I know what to do now, thanks." It happened again and again — and soon CEOs were calling me just to think out loud.

One project I inherited was called a "no-win." The accounting team worked in a windowless room with the door shut "because they worked with money." They and the client's team were stuck in blame and resentment. I got the door propped open. I brought the two teams together for lunch and office visits in both directions. Within about a month, the whole dynamic had changed. Nobody got a better answer from me. They got a safe place to say what wasn't working.

Then came the hard lesson. My own leadership blamed me for that project's lack of profit — a problem baked into the contract before I ever arrived. When it was clear they wouldn't own their mistake, I left. I wasn't going to carry blame that wasn't mine.

That throughline led me to a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, to executive coaching, to writing Leading with Love, and to hosting the Leadership Re-Imagined podcast.

Organizations don't transform because leaders have better answers. They transform because leaders create places where people trust each other enough to find better answers together.

What I believe

  • Trust beats control. If you hired and trained the right people, let them do their jobs.
  • Listening is the method, not the manners. When things aren't running smoothly, there's usually a relationship and listening problem underneath.
  • Own what's yours. Only what's yours. Take responsibility for what you're responsible for — and refuse to carry blame for what isn't.
  • Success has to work for everyone it touches. Your people, your clients, your community, and the land, water and energy your growth depends on.

And yes, I went to MSU — Made Shit Up. We made all of this up. So let's make up something powerful that makes a difference.

Leading with Love is what I believe. Breathe, Ask, Listen is what I practice, every day, under pressure.

  • Leading with Love is the why: Know Thy Self, Put Others First, Create Success for All.
  • Breathe, Ask, Listen is the how. Take a breath. Ask the simplest question that lets someone tell you what they need. Then listen — no interrupting, no judging, no fixing. Repeat as required.
  • Stakeholder Centered Coaching is where it becomes measured behavior change.

Who I work with

I work with CEOs of established tech and services companies — usually $10M to $100M+ and 100 to 3,000+ people. You're technical. You're capable. You've read Traction and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. You know exactly what you're doing wrong while you're doing it.

Maybe you hired a great COO and still ended up in every Slack channel. Maybe you've been telling yourself you'll rest when things calm down. For five years.

I get it. This isn't about control for its own sake. You love this company like it's your kid, and you're scared that if you let go, it stops mattering to anyone else.

You're not failing because you care too much. You're stuck because your team hasn't had the chance to care as much as you do. That's fixable.

How I help

I bring a rare mix to the table. I started out studying nursing and social work, and that's where I learned how people work. A BA and MA in Information Systems, years in software development, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior taught me how systems work. I speak both languages — and I'll ask the question everyone else in the room is avoiding.

Once, on an 18-month project running six months behind, I asked the senior leader: "Is this the conversation that's going to get this project back on track?" The answer was no. We changed the conversation. The client accepted the project on time.

Ways to work with me:

  • Stakeholder Centered Coaching — my flagship: a 12-month executive coaching engagement with a clear start, a clear end, and real measurement. 95% of leaders who go through it measurably improve, as rated by the people they lead and work with.
  • 90-Day Executive Leadership Accelerator — coming soon. A focused first step for CEOs who want to test the approach. Join the waitlist.
  • Executive Leadership Forum — a 90-minute, moderated conversation with five or six CEOs who get it.
  • Leading with Love keynotes — for leadership teams and conferences ready for something other than platitudes.
  • Organizational consulting — for teams and cultures that need to rebuild trust and ownership.

Want to start smaller? Read Leading with Love or listen to Leadership Re-Imagined.