I’M LENETRA KING.
CEO, The WME Group | Watch Me EXCEL®
Former Healthcare Executive| Leadership Strategist| Author| Speaker
I built this firm on hard-won operating experience in hospitals in competitive markets.
Today, I set the company’s vision, lead a team of seasoned coaches and consultants, and work with clients in well-respected organizations around the country.
at a glance.
15+
Years as a healthcare executive
The CEO
2020
Launched Watch Me EXCEL®, now a team-based firm.
I’ve owned the outcomes. Now, I help develop the leaders who deliver them.
30,000+
Leaders and team members impacted through our work, and counting.
“Education was my great equalizer. Leadership development is how organizations give every leader that same advantage.”
I grew up in Montevallo, Alabama, and left home as a first-generation college student. Florida A&M University changed my life; my years at that HBCU gave me confidence, community, and a vision for my future. I went on to earn both a Master of Science in Health Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Rockhurst University, respectively.
My healthcare career began as an Administrative Resident at a Level I trauma center in the Midwest. A highly selective executive development program fast-tracked my path into senior leadership, and over 15+ years I served as COO, SVP, and Channel COO, including C-suite roles at four hospitals across four different states. I led turnarounds, oversaw construction projects, and drove results around patient experience, engagement, quality, safety, and financial performance.
Helping others grow became my calling along the way. I launched Watch Me EXCEL® in the summer of 2020 and stepped into the role of full-time CEO in 2022. My faith comes first and my family second, and balancing both with a demanding career and board service tested me more than once.
Today, developing leaders is the heart of my work. I partner with CEOs and their senior teams to sharpen alignment and accountability. I help health systems, professional services firms, and mission-driven nonprofits strengthen talent from the first-time manager to the boardroom. And I equip executives to lead with greater presence and impact as their responsibilities grow. The candor I learned in those hospital hallways shapes every one of those conversations.
Recognition and Influence.
Trusted to serve. Honored by peers.
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) National Service Award
ACHE Regent’s Award
Dress for Success Dallas Honoree
Florida A&M University (FAMU) National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award
FAMU School of Allied Health Distinguished Alumna of the Year
National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) DFW Chapter Community Impact Award
My thought leadership includes two books, Unwritten Insights and Presence, Perception & Politics, as well as a number of articles, podcast and media appearances. I serve as Executive In Residence for the Department of Health Services Administration at University of Alabama at Birmingham and Advisory Board Member for the FAMU MHA Program. In every community I have lived in, I have served as a community trustee, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County Emeritus Board Member, Leadership Fort Worth, Leadership Overland Park, and Sustainer Member of Junior League of Kansas City, MO and Fort Worth.
The Company
My inspiration to launch.
I watched too many talented leaders stall in workplaces that slowly wore them down, and too many organizations spend on programs that never changed a single result. I knew there was a better way, because I had sat on both sides of the table. So I assembled a firm of former operators. Our people have managed budgets, led teams, and answered to boards.
Our work is grounded in proprietary and non-proprietary methodologies, so every engagement builds on proven thinking rather than off-the-shelf content.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
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Engagement, retention, and financial performance rise or fall with leadership, so we treat culture as a business lever.Description text goes here
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Organizations that grow talent throughout their ranks build a bench that outlasts any single executive.escription text goes here
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How decisions really get made and what behavior gets rewarded shape outcomes more than any policy manual.
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Innovation, team alignment, an AI-ready workforce, and leading through change now top the agenda for most boards and CEOs.
At least one of these is raised in every conversation we have with senior leaders and their teams.
What you can count on from us
beyond the work
Faith. Family. Foodie. Football. Friends.
That’s how I spend my time when I am not with clients, on the speaker stage or writing books !
Faith. The foundation for everything I do.
Family. I’m a proud Mom of a middle school son, RJ, who keeps me busy, yet grounded in life.
Foodie. My favorites are seafood, steak and pasta ! And, I always love a great dessert and coffee.
Football. Growing up in Alabama…you guessed it, I am an Alabama Crimson Tide fan and will cheer for any team in the SEC against other conferences. I also cheer for FAMU and love Black college football homecomings and classics.
Friends. My life would not be complete without a tight knit circle of friends, who encourage me, hold me accountable and inspire to achieve.
Let’s Connect
Transforming Organizations. Transforming Leaders. It starts with one conversation.
Whether you’re aligning your executive team, setting your managers up to succeed, or readying your organization for what’s ahead, we’d welcome the chance to learn what you’re working toward.