Dr. Laurie Cure Is Redefining Leadership and Organizational Success

By Robert White, Editor-In-Chief

In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing business environment, leadership and organizational development are more crucial than ever. At the forefront of this domain is Dr. Laurie Cure, Ph.D., a renowned executive coach and CEO of Innovative Connections. With a career spanning over 30 years, Dr. Cure has built her reputation on helping organizations harness human potential to drive strategic success, and her influence extends far beyond consulting rooms, appearing in top publications around the country.

Before founding Innovative Connections, Dr. Cure started her journey in the medical sector, focusing on business development and strategic marketing. However, her passion for understanding human behavior and leadership drove her to pursue further education.

Earning a doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Dr. Cure delved into how individuals show up in the workplace as leaders, navigate cultural and organizational change, and engage in effective recruitment and assessment. This blend of strategic planning and human psychology laid the foundation for the future of her consulting work.

With Innovative Connections, Dr. Cure set out to create a consulting firm that helps organizations leverage their talent, manage change effectively, and build a culture of accountability without sacrificing productivity. “The work that I do is really to say that there is a role in the world supporting leaders and focusing on the business side,” she shares. Her approach emphasizes bringing together top talent to support clients in achieving their goals while also fostering growth within her own team.

One of Dr. Cure's key insights into organizational growth is the importance of trust and teamwork. For entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses beyond a solo operation, she advises that success often hinges on the ability to extend trust to others and allow them to become an extension of one’s vision. Initially, she contracted work before realizing that an employment model better suited the company’s needs, allowing for consistent business functions and the ability to bring in contracted expertise for specific changes or new directions.

However, growing a business, according to Dr. Cure, is not just about building a team; it’s about establishing the right structures and understanding the people behind them. “What we find is that in most problems that businesses have, it’s about the person and the structure that is putting them in place,” she explains. This focus on human dynamics within organizational systems is at the core of her consulting philosophy.

Dr. Cure’s contributions to the field also include her book, Leading Without Fear, where she explores the often-overlooked role of emotions in business. The book is based on the idea that fear, when acknowledged and understood, can become a powerful force for progress. “We think emotions are a little soft,” she notes, “but the data in emotions is critical in driving the way we feel in business.” By examining how fear can be harnessed rather than avoided, Dr. Cure provides leaders with tools to navigate uncertain spaces—something particularly relevant to entrepreneurs stepping into uncharted territories.

While Leading Without Fear is a few years old, Dr. Cure envisions releasing a second edition to update its insights and continue the conversation around emotional intelligence in leadership. Her work as a Meta-coach for the Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence program further highlights her commitment to integrating emotional understanding into the fabric of organizational success.

In addition to her consulting and coaching, Dr. Cure has served as faculty at various universities, sharing her expertise with future leaders. Her role as an educator, combined with her consulting practice, makes her a trusted voice in strategic planning, talent management, change management, and leadership development.

Through Innovative Connections, Dr. Cure not only supports leaders in their professional journeys but also offers a different way to think about how businesses can be led. By advocating for the power of human potential, emotional intelligence, and strategic structures, Dr. Laurie Cure is redefining the path to organizational success. Whether she is coaching an executive team, conducting research, or facilitating cultural evolution, her work consistently emphasizes the critical intersection of strategy, people, and purpose.