COLLABORATIVE EDGE
How leaders catalyze change, turnarounds, and transformation
by Carol Vallone Mitchell
Released Oct. 1, 2026
The Leadership Advantage Hidden in Plain Sight
The command-and-control playbook that built yesterday's companies can't keep up with today's volatility, complexity, and speed. What can? A three-domain model of leadership based on perceptiveness, inclusiveness, and participativeness—with leaders who read a room before they try to lead it, widen the circle of voices shaping a decision, and share power instead of hoarding it.
This is Collaborative Edge: the leadership model that turns individuals into networks, and networks into engines of transformation.
The research is telling. The leaders who have most consistently demonstrated this three-domain model are executive women—long dismissed as "soft" for the very behaviors now proving to be essential for every leader who wants to drive innovation, transformation, and lasting results.
Inside, you'll discover how to:
lead with greater self-awareness and insight in complex situations.
build trust and make better decisions by engaging diverse perspectives.
create shared accountability that strengthens both people and performance.
develop collaborative teams that innovate, adapt, and deliver lasting results.
The future belongs to leaders who don't simply direct change.
They catalyze it.
ISBN Paperback: 978-9-0837-0492-0
Also available as eBook
Editor: Kristin Anderson
Cover Design: Cigdem Guven
Typesetting: Hannah Huber
Self-publishing powered by Storyhouse Works
“What if the expectations placed on women—strength without swagger, confidence without ego, authority without dominance—are what modern leadership requires of all of us? Collaborative Edge draws on Carol Mitchell’s twenty-five years of research on leaders who actually catalyze change: the ones who rely on empathy, shared power, and strength to inspire and get things done. These are the people—men and women alike—who make a difference for their companies, and maybe more importantly for the people they lead.”
Carol Vallone Mitchell, PhD, is cofounder of Talent Strategy Partners, a 25-year-old leadership consulting firm working with organizations to identify and develop leaders who can nurture a healthy workplace culture and drive exceptional results.
She is author of three books grounded in her original research: Breaking Through “Bitch”: How Women Can Shatter Stereotypes and Lead Fearlessly; Collaboration Code: How Men Lead Culture Change and Nurture Tomorrow’s Leader; and now, Collaborative Edge: How Leaders Catalyze Change, Turnarounds, and Transformation.
Carol earned her doctorate in organizational psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Rutgers University. She received a U.S. patent for molecular biology research conducted at DuPont. Carol lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and son.
Contact Information: Carol Vallone Mitchell, Talent Strategy Partners LLC
