McKay Christensen

Your Leadership Brand Is What People Say When You're Not in the Room

McKay Christensen · RizeCon 2026 · Pocatello

McKay Christensen started at Procter & Gamble out of graduate school, working on brands like Tide, Crest, and Old Spice. Every one of those brands had a brand promise — a clear statement of what the consumer could expect. Old Spice's brand promise was to empower men to be bold, confident, and unforgettable. McKay's question for RizeCon: do you have one of those for your leadership? And have you ever written it down?

His session moved through history, psychology, neuroscience, and one very personal story about a 14-ton harvester and a farm manager named Stan — all in service of a single argument: your words have power, your team cannot see what you cannot help them see, and if you define your leadership brand intentionally, you will lead differently.

What he covered

Leadership brand: what it is and why it matters. McKay defines a leadership brand as the culture you create, the reputation you develop, the identity you carry, and the perception people hold of you — in short, what people say about you when you're not in the room. The point isn't to manage perception. It's to build it intentionally, the same way world-class consumer brands are built: with clarity about the promise you extend to the people who follow you.

The founding fathers as case studies. George Washington stepped away from the presidency after two terms not because a law required it — the 22nd Amendment didn't arrive until 1951 — but because he knew that using power for his own benefit would compromise the kind of leader he wanted to be. His brand: service over self-interest.

McKay Christensen

Your Leadership Brand Is What People Say When You're Not in the Room

What he covered

Rize Above.Build What's Next.

Rize Above.
Build What's Next.