Leadership coaching may sound corporate on the surface, but for the team behind Uncommon Influence, the work is much more personal than business strategies and workplace goals.
Kevin Harrison, founding partner and executive coach, works alongside Reese Cagle, partner and executive coach, with a focus on helping leaders strengthen communication, improve team culture and grow both personally and professionally. “We help leaders and their teams grow capacity through coaching, business solutions and guidance,” Harrison says. “What makes us unique is we’re not just a coaching company. We’re actively involved in businesses ourselves, so we’re bringing real-time lessons and best practices into the work we do.”
Outside of work, both coaches stay busy with family life and personal hobbies. Harrison and his wife are empty nesters with four children and five grandchildren, and he enjoys hiking, biking and running with his wife and friends, along with spending time outdoors whenever possible. Cagle and his wife spend much of their time attending their children’s sports activities and traveling together as a family, while he also enjoys reading and learning, especially alternating between business and spiritual books.
Cagle says practical experience is one of the biggest applications separating Uncommon Influence from more traditional coaching services. “Coaching is really about closing the gap between where you are right now and where you want to go,” Cagle says. “You hear a lot of theory in coaching, but we really like to stay in the practical space to help businesses achieve the goals they’re aiming to achieve.” That approach has helped the company work with organizations both locally and nationally as workplace culture and leadership expectations continue evolving.
The name “Uncommon Influence” stems from one of Harrison’s personal experiences that ultimately changed the trajectory of his life. “When I was in ninth grade, my English teacher instructed us to write down life goals, which he later mailed back to us when we turned 25,” Harrison says. “The type of influence my teacher provided was uncommon. It wasn’t ordinary influence — it was life trajectory-changing influence.” Cagle says that same idea continues shaping the company’s mission today. “If you think about who influences your life, you can probably think of a lot of people,” he says. “But if you think about who actually is changing the trajectory of your life, that’s reserved for a select few individuals.”
Much of the work Uncommon Influence does centers around communication, accountability and helping teams work together more effectively. According to Harrison, many companies struggle simply because teams are not fully aligned. “Getting teams on the same page and rowing in the same direction is one of the things we hear the need for the most,” Harrison explains. “A lot of leadership ultimately comes back to people.”
As workplace culture continues evolving, both coaches say leaders are facing new challenges, particularly surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and changing workforce expectations. “There’s definitely a growing fear around AI because of so many unknowns,” Harrison says. “When you have fear in the workforce, that puts more responsibility on the leader to help provide clarity and direction.”
Cagle believes while leadership challenges may evolve, growth often comes directly from learning how to navigate them. “We always say, ‘if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you,’” he says. “Every challenge creates an opportunity for growth.”
One of Uncommon Influence’s most unique leadership experiences takes place far outside the office. Each year, Harrison and Cagle lead groups through the Camino de Santiago in Spain — a 100-mile pilgrimage completed—over seven days. According to Cagle, the experience is intentionally designed to push leaders outside their comfort zones. “The change is in the challenge,” he says. “When people are pushed outside of their comfort areas, it changes perspective.” Harrison says the experience reflects the company’s larger philosophy. “We don’t want to necessarily play it safe,” he says. “We want to push our clients in order to challenge themselves.”
For those stepping into leadership for the first time, both coaches believe growth begins with relationships and personal development. “You’re going to have to win the people,” Harrison says. Cagle adds, “The secret to leading is reading. Ten pages a day consistently will make you a better leader.”
At Uncommon Influence, leadership is not simply about managing a team or holding a title. It is about building stronger relationships, creating clarity and helping people grow into better leaders both inside and outside the workplace.
TO THE POINT:
Uncommon Influence
Address: 744 City Center Blvd., Ste. 400, Newport News, VA 23606
Contacts: Kevin Harrison, Founding Partner and Executive Coach;
Reese Cagle, Partner and Leadership Coach
Email: info@uncommoninfluence.com
Business: Executive and Business Coaching
