Innovative Leadership Institute wins 2026 Inc. Power Partner Award

Innovative Leadership Institute has been named a 2026 Inc. Power Partner Award winner, putting the Columbus-based advisory firm among B2B providers recognized for helping businesses grow. The honor comes as the firm expands research on AI leadership, posts measurable client outcomes, and prepares to present new findings in Toronto later this month.

Why it matters: - Inc.’s Power Partner Awards spotlight B2B firms that help entrepreneurs and businesses solve core growth problems, from hiring and compliance to technology, fundraising and marketing. - The recognition gives Innovative Leadership Institute broader visibility as demand rises for leadership guidance tied to strategy execution and AI-driven change. - The award also reinforces the market for advisory firms that help CEOs, boards and executive teams turn plans into measurable results.

What happened: - Innovative Leadership Institute® was named a 2026 Inc. Power Partner Award winner. - The Columbus, Ohio-based firm is a women-owned leadership think tank and advisory company founded in 2001. - The award announcement was dated Oct. 20, 2026. - Inc. said the honorees have a track record of helping entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the challenges of building and growing companies. - Inc. said this year’s winners have earned customer loyalty across industries including marketing, financial services and technology.

The details: - Innovative Leadership Institute advises CEOs, boards and executive teams on strategy to execution, innovation, complexity, AI leadership, leadership continuity and succession. - The firm delivers its work through Innovative Executive Solutions™, leadership pathway programs, certification and Are You Ready® assessments. - Its research arm, The Innovative Leadership Think-Tank™, includes the Innovative Leadership Decision Velocity™ research hub. - More than 260 participants have completed the Innovative Leadership IT Leaders™ program for technology executives in Central Ohio as of September 2026. - In the first eight cohorts of that program, 65% of participants were promoted. - Twenty-two participants, or 12%, moved into C-level roles. - In September 2026, the Innovative Leadership Think-Tank announced a research partnership with the James Madison University School of Strategic Leadership Studies. - The research uses qualitative content analysis on more than 500 recorded conversations with senior leaders about leading with AI. - JMU SSLS and Innovative Leadership Institute plan to present the work at the International Leadership Association’s 2026 Global Conference in Toronto on Oct. 29. - The firm’s podcast, Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future, reaches listeners in more than 121 countries. - Listen Notes ranks the podcast in the top 1% globally. - Innovative Leadership Institute was also named a finalist for six awards in the 23rd Stevie® Awards for Women in Business. - Those placements will be announced Nov. 16. - Founder and CEO Maureen Metcalf received the 2025 Gold Stevie® Award for Female Executive of the Year. - Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures, which also publishes Fast Company. - More information is available in Inc.’s Power Partner Awards.

Between the lines: - The award fits a broader theme in the release: leadership systems matter as much as strategy when companies try to scale. - Metcalf framed the recognition as validation for clients building that system deliberately, while pointing to AI as a force that is speeding up leadership decisions. - The firm is using awards, research partnerships and podcast reach to signal both expertise and influence in the leadership-advisory market.

What’s next: - Innovative Leadership Institute and JMU SSLS will present their AI leadership research at the International Leadership Association’s global conference on Oct. 29 in Toronto. - Stevie Awards finalists will learn placements on Nov. 16. - The firm is likely to continue using research, program outcomes and thought leadership to support its advisory business.

The bottom line: - Innovative Leadership Institute’s Inc. award recognition strengthens its position as a leadership advisory firm focused on measurable growth, AI readiness and executive development.