Train Like Your Leadership Depends On It
Explore how prioritizing health and wellness as a leader directly impacts your ability to perform, make decisions, and lead others…
Read the article
FOUNDER TO THE PROFILE
Willard Ashby
Executive Leadership Coach, Director of Leadership, Appalachian Safety Company
“A few things, actually. I’ve learned that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you take action. Doubting yourself will only keep the dream that much further away. I’ve also learned to connect my intentions to my self-worth rather than allowing the results to define it. Whatever I do, I try to approach it with good intentions and give it my best, but I don’t allow the outcome to determine my value. I learned early on that if my joy and happiness are dependent on everything turning out the way I hoped, I’m going to spend a lot of my life disappointed. Sometimes you can do the right things for the right reasons and still not get the result you wanted.”
About
Willard Ashby is an Executive Leadership Coach and Director of Leadership at Appalachian Safety Company, where he works with organizations to strengthen leadership, communication, and alignment at every level. His approach to leadership is grounded in a simple belief: people ultimately follow people, not policies. Sustainable organizational change requires leaders who understand themselves, communicate effectively, and intentionally build trust with the people they lead.
Will’s leadership philosophy was shaped through nearly 15 years in the trucking industry before an unexpected opportunity moved him into organizational leadership. He went on to serve as General Manager of a growing manufacturing company, helping lead the organization from just four employees to more than 130. That experience gave him firsthand insight into the challenges that come with rapid growth, particularly the need to keep executive vision, midline leadership, and frontline teams connected as an organization scales.
Today, Will brings that experience into his work with executives, leadership teams, and organizations. He is a certified 5 Voices for Teams Guide through GiANT Worldwide and uses practical leadership frameworks to help people develop greater self-awareness, communicate more effectively, and build healthier, more connected teams.
Beyond his professional work, Will serves on the Board of Directors for the Fayette Chamber of Commerce and supports the Village of Virtue and Victory, a nonprofit organization led by his wife, Becca, that invests in children and families throughout the community.
At the center of Will’s leadership philosophy is the belief that leadership begins with the person in the mirror. He encourages leaders to take ownership of their mistakes, lead with character and intention, and recognize that their actions and behaviors are constantly setting the direction for the people around them. For Will, great leadership is not about having everything figured out. It is about being willing to take action, remain accountable, continue growing, and become the kind of leader others can trust.
Key Areas Of Focus
- 01. Safety consulting
- 02. Leadership consulting
IN HIS OWN WORDS
The Q and A
-
01
What do you attribute your success to?
A few things, actually. I’ve learned that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you take action. Doubting yourself will only keep the dream that much further away. I’ve also learned to connect my intentions to my self-worth rather than allowing the results to define it. Whatever I do, I try to approach it with good intentions and give it my best, but I don’t allow the outcome to determine my value. I learned early on that if my joy and happiness are dependent on everything turning out the way I hoped, I’m going to spend a lot of my life disappointed. Sometimes you can do the right things for the right reasons and still not get the result you wanted.
-
02
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've gotten is to pay more attention to actions than words. I’ve learned to turn the volume down on what someone tells me and watch what they consistently show me instead. People can say what they believe, what they value, or what they intend to do, but over time, their actions reveal what truly matters to them. That lesson has helped me become more intentional about who I trust, how I make decisions, and making sure my own actions consistently match the words I give to others.
-
03
What advice would you give to young men entering your industry?
My advice to young men entering the industry would be to pay attention to who you are becoming along the way, not just what you are trying to accomplish. I heard the following quote in passing along my journey and it really stuck with me. "Enter every activity with the need and the want TO BE THE BEST regardless of the environment, but be agile in your preparation; grow in ways your character can carry not just where ambition leads."
As you grow and eventually find yourself leading others, understand that people are always paying attention to your actions, your character, and your behavior, even when you don’t realize it. The way you handle pressure, treat people, respond to mistakes, and carry yourself will speak louder than any title you earn. Leadership carries responsibility, so be intentional about the example you set and the kind of person you are becoming as your career grows.
-
04
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in leadership moving forward will be disconnection. As AI becomes more integrated into how we work, communicate, and make decisions, organizations will have more tools than ever to become efficient, but efficiency doesn’t automatically create connection. There’s a real possibility that as technology advances, the human side of the workplace becomes easier to overlook.
At the same time, I think that creates one of the greatest opportunities for leaders. The organizations that are intentional about creating genuine human connection, developing their people, and building environments where employees feel heard, understood, and valued will have an opportunity to create a much healthier human experience at work. AI can improve how we work, but leadership will still determine how people experience the workplace. I believe the leaders who understand that distinction will be incredibly important in the years ahead.
-
05
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me come from the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I try to use those as an ongoing check-in with myself, both personally and professionally.
At the end of the week, I can look back and ask myself: Was I patient enough? Did I show people love and kindness? Did I maintain self-control when things didn’t go the way I wanted? Was I faithful to what I said I was going to do? More importantly, did I step more into a particular fruit for what the situation was calling of me. I’m never going to get all of them right all the time, but they give me a standard to continually measure myself against and help me recognize where I still need to grow.
PERSPECTIVES
Perspectives by Willard Ashby
Original insights, ideas, and viewpoints shaped by real-world experience.
View All Articles
LEARN MORE
Interested in
Learning
More About Notable Men?
Notable Men brings together influential voices across industries to share insights, experiences, and perspectives that matter.
Learn More