With more than 25 years leading teams, training and coaching leaders, I’ve learned one thing: leadership ain't easyship. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Leadership found me early — sometimes by choice, sometimes by force.
I didn’t grow up surrounded by great examples of leadership. Most of what I thought leadership was came from what I saw on TV, in sports, in music, or in movies. Real leadership didn’t show itself to me until I was 18 years old, standing in the Army, trying to lead grown men under pressure when you’re barely an adult yourself will teach you real fast what leadership actually is — and why people follow some leaders and resist others.
That lesson stayed with me — especially when life tested it.
In 2000, I spent nine months homeless with a wife, two kids, and another on the way when both of our jobs went under within a month of each other. There was no safety net. No applause. Just responsibility, pressure, and the daily choice to keep moving forward when quitting would’ve been easier.
That season taught me more about leadership than any title ever could.
I came from a broken home. I wasn’t raised under ideal conditions. I faced real setbacks, real loss, real hurt, and real instability. And through all of this…I went on for the next 25 years of my life training and coaching leaders at every level, across different organizations, earned national and international certifications, and lived leadership long before I ever taught it.
What I bring to you is leadership only as I know it — real, disciplined, imperfect, and tested under pressure.
Now, let me be clear.
If you’re looking for corporate boardroom leadership talk, polished jargon, or leadership that feels rehearsed and detached from real life — this is not the place. What you’ll get here is the real me.
So if you’re still here, get ready.
This is The Leadership Cheat Code.
Main skills
Leadership Development
Learning & Development
Leadership Consulting
Organizational Development
Performance Management
Communication Skills
Project Management
Curriculum Development
Coaching
Values
Leadership Starts Internally
Growth Is Non-Negotiable
Skill Beats Potential
Practical Always Wins
Tools Are Meant to Be Used
Empowerment Over Dependency
Exceptional Is a Choice
Responsibility to People
Education & Experience
Experience
25+ years developing leaders in real-world environments
50,000+ hours of leadership facilitation and training
Designer of enterprise and regional leadership development programs
Builder of train-the-trainer and facilitator certification frameworks
Keynote speaker for leadership onboarding and training summits
Award-recognized leadership and training facilitator
Advisor and consultant to senior leadership teams
Education
Villanova University, Organizational Leadership
Villanova University, Human Resource Management
Leadership Institute of Virginia Peninsula — Leadership Graduate
McKinsey Black Management Accelerator Program — Program Graduate
The Fellows Experience Leadership Program — Leadership Fellow
Certifications
Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP)
Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+)
MBTI® Certified Practitioner
Certified Insight Coach Practitioner
FranklinCovey Certified Facilitator
Leadership Through People Skills Certified Facilitator
Miller Heiman Leadership Certified Practitioner
Lead In 30 Certified Facilitator
50,000+ hours leading teams, training and coaching leaders. This is leadership that holds when it counts.
Professional Bio
B. Vaughan is a leadership strategist, facilitator, and the creator of The Leadership Cheat Code, a leadership development platform built for leaders who want practical, pressure-tested leadership that works in real environments.
With more than 25+ years of experience and 50,000+ hours leading teams and training and coaching leaders, B. Vaughan has designed, delivered, and scaled leadership development programs across multiple organizations and leadership levels. His work focuses on leadership mindset, communication, trust, accountability, decision-making, and performance under pressure.
B. Vaughan began developing his leadership foundation early, including leading a platoon during basic military training at age 18 — an experience that shaped his understanding of responsibility, influence, and why people follow leaders. His professional career later evolved into leadership training, organizational development, and executive coaching, where he invested deeply in mastering the craft of leadership development.
He holds numerous national and international certifications in leadership development, facilitation, personality dynamics, productivity, communication, and sales effectiveness, including certifications as a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP), Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+), MBTI® Certified Practitioner, Certified Virtual Facilitator, and FranklinCovey Certified Facilitator across multiple leadership and productivity programs. He is also a graduate of advanced leadership programs, including the McKinsey Black Management Accelerator Program, The Fellows Experience Leadership Program, and the Leadership Institute of Virginia Peninsula.
Throughout his career, B. Vaughan has mentored and coached leaders at all levels, served as a trusted advisor to leadership teams, designed enterprise leadership and train-the-trainer programs, delivered keynote sessions for leadership onboarding and development initiatives, and received recognition for excellence in leadership training and facilitation.
Through The Leadership Cheat Code, B. Vaughan organizes his work around three core pillars — Mindset, Skillset, and Toolset — helping leaders master themselves first, sharpen the skills that matter most, and use tools that support execution, not just intention.
With over 50,000+ hours leading teams, training and coaching leaders, B. Vaughan’s work is grounded in lived experience, sharpened through decades of practice, and built to help leaders show up with clarity, discipline, and responsibility when it matters most.