BEHIND THE LAB
ABOUT THE TXL PURPOSE
Why We Created the Transformative Leadership Lab
We didn’t set out to create just another leadership training.
We built the Transformative Leadership Lab because we were frustrated — deeply frustrated — by the status quo of rinse-and-repeat leadership programs that overpromised and underdelivered.
Most leadership programs:
Focus on knowledge instead of building behavior.
Inspire in the moment, but lack structure for learning to become habit.
Are heavy on theory, but light on practice that leads to lasting change.
And worst of all, they rarely measure real results–let alone whether leadership is improving in the eyes of those being led.
So, we broke the rules and started from scratch to create something truly transformative.
WHAT SETS THE TRANSFORMATIVE
LEADERSHIP LAB APART?
TXL closes the gap between knowing and doing—so leaders don’t just understand great leadership, they practice it. Because great leadership isn’t what a manager knows—it’s how their team performs, grows, and engages along the way.
We teach leaders to create an environment where people thrive and do their best work. Then we measure if it’s actually happening.
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ROI-Focused:
Behavior change first, theory second. Real results measured through our TXL² Team Health Scorecard.
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REVERSE-ENGINEERED LEADERSHIP:
We started with the follower’s experience and worked backward—identifying the leadership behaviors that actually drive trust, performance, and growth.
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Self-Mastery First:
Leaders must master themselves before they can effectively lead others. We start with mental fitness.
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Built for Behavior Change:
18 weeks of deliberate practice, organized in the real-world sequence that builds trust, clarity, and performance.
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Skeptic-Friendly Learning:
We don’t ask leaders to believe—we ask them to test, experience, and own the results themselves.
Traditional Leadership Training
Heavy on theory, light on real-world application
One-time workshops that fade fast
Focused on how much the leader knows
No real measurement of outcomes
Fragmented skills without a system
Neglect self-mastery and mindset
Demand belief without proof
Feel-good events with no lasting impact
VS
Transformative Leadership Lab
Behavior-first training that changes how leaders show up daily
18 weeks of sustained, intentional practice that sticks
Focused on how the team feels, grows, and performs
Real results tracked through the TXL Team Health Scorecard
A structured, cohesive leadership framework
Builds mental fitness first: calm, curiosity, and resilience
Invite leaders to test, experience, and create their own evidence
Enduring transformation that reshapes leadership and teams
OUR Mission & Vision
we believe leadership is more than a role—it’s a responsibility.
OUR MISSION:
To equip every person entrusted with positional power with the tools, mindsets, and habits to lead with love, clarity, and enlightened responsibility.
We started by asking thousands of people: What kind of leadership makes you feel empowered, engaged, and able to do your best work? From these answers, we reverse-engineered a training system that teaches leaders how to create that ideal experience for their teams.
Our vision:
To change the global conversation around leadership—so that being placed in charge comes with an expectation of self-mastery, trust-building, and accountability, not just authority.
We are not a feel-good seminar or a superficial toolkit. The Transformative Leadership Lab is a proven, evidence-based system that empowers managers to lead with purpose, skill, and integrity—creating environments where people thrive, collaborate, and grow.
By teaching the practices of relating and requiring, rooted in a calm, curious, and empathetic mindset, we make leadership excellence repeatable. And by measuring the real-world team impact, we ensure that what we teach doesn’t just sound good—it works.
We’re here to build a world where great leadership is the norm—not the exception.
Guiding Principles
These are the foundational truths that power us. They guide everything we teach, model, and practice—because great leadership isn’t just a mindset; it’s a method.
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Sage Mind
Lead with calm, curiosity, and empathy—especially under pressure.
The best leaders are steady in a storm, open in uncertainty, and human in every interaction.
Self-mastery is the root of team mastery.
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Power with Responsibility
The true measure of a leader? Whether their people grow.
We teach managers to use their power to lift others—building healthier, happier, more capable teams.
Authority isn’t a license to control. It’s a responsibility to transform.
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Science and Data
We teach what works—not what’s trendy. Every practice is backed by research and real-world results. No fluff. Just repeatable excellence.
And when new thinking proves more effective, we evolve—because leadership training should grow as fast as the world around it.
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Habits Over Hype
One-off inspiration fades.
Sustainable leadership excellence is built on consistent behaviors and reliable systems. We focus on the habits that deliver results.
Structure beats willpower, every time.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
MEET THE FOUNDERS
JIM PRINZING
Co-Founder of Transformative Leadership Lab
“The best leaders don’t rise above their teams—they rise with them.”
Jim Prinzing has spent 30 years helping others succeed by becoming the best versions of themselves. Starting his leadership journey at 19, he quickly learned that leadership is a skill—one that can be studied, practiced, and taught. From managing restaurants to overseeing 50+ locations as Director of Operations and later leading Pelican Brewing and Kiwanda Hospitality as CEO, Jim has guided teams through exponential growth, fostering collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
Passionate about leadership development, Jim co-founded the Transformative Leadership Lab with Thomas Cox to equip managers with the tools and habits needed to build high-performing, accountable teams. A lifelong learner, he enjoys mentoring, cooking, and learning guitar. He lives on the Oregon Coast with his amazing wife of 26 years, their two adventurous sons, three spirited dogs, and two curious cats. Like a great meal, Jim believes leadership is best when shared—ensuring those he leads walk away inspired and ready to lead others.
THOMAS COX
Co-Founder of Transformative Leadership Lab
The Becoming a Best Boss System℠ started when Thomas discovered he was a jerk boss. And he never intended to be -- he thought he was good.
Once he faced reality, his choices were, [a] get himself out of management forever; [b] resign himself to being a jerk boss; or [c] learn to be a great boss.
Thomas spent the next nine years obsessed with finding the best guidance possible on how to lead others. He waded through the 95% of leadership guidance that's wrong, toxic, mistaken, overly narrow, decontextualized, or "True But Useless." He only kept what worked for him and his clients.
In 2014 Thomas created a system that integrates the most useful and actionable guidance from dozens of the world's greatest Lean, leadership, and management thinkers and writers, from Shingo to Deming to Drucker to Mark Horstman to Edgar Schein to Amy Edmondson, and many more.
Thomas continues to add only the most tested ideas and elements to his Best Boss System.
