Maybe it's just us, but it feels like "excellence" has become something of a buzzword for many companies and individuals these days. But, just because it's written on the walls doesn't always happening down the halls. And whether you're the leader of an organization, leading your home, or even leading yourself, YOU are the standard bearer for excellence. It requires holding yourself accountable and making a commitment to get better every day. In Part 2 of this 2 Part conversation, we discuss the keys to pursuing excellence and how to improve in any area of your life.

Maybe it's just us, but it feels like "excellence" has become something of a buzzword for many companies and individuals these days. But, just because it's written on the walls doesn't always happening down the halls. And whether you're the leader of an organization, leading your home, or even leading yourself, YOU are the standard bearer for excellence. It requires holding yourself accountable and making a commitment to get better every day. In Part 1 of this 2 Part conversation, we discuss the keys to pursuing excellence and how to improve in any area of your life.

It’s officially baseball season & we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to invite our dear friend and MLB Umpire Vic Carapazza on the show. With a 20+ year career behind the plate, a decade in the majors, and most recently a World Series appearance – Vic stands out among today’s top umpires in the game. Beyond balls & strikes, the true leadership skill of any umpire is knowing how to deal with constant criticism.

As we grow in life & leadership, we have to ask ourselves this question – WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT? It may sound like a selfish question on the surface – “getting what you want.” But if you don’t do the work to clarify it, you’re going to be frustrated. In your life, in your home, in your family, at your job, during the year, for vacation, in your marriage, you fill in the blank – what do you REALLY want?

How can we make the most of every minute as we lead our lives, families, & organizations? All too often we focus on the BIG stuff, and we don’t realize all of the tiny changes that are necessary. You can aspire to big goals, but if you don’t prioritize your time & manage it well, you’re going to fall short. Join us for Part 2 of this 2 Part Episode.

How can we make the most of every minute as we lead our lives, families, & organizations? All too often we focus on the BIG stuff, and we don’t realize all of the tiny changes that are necessary. You can aspire to big goals, but if you don’t prioritize your time & manage it well, you’re going to fall short. Join us for Part 1 of this 2 Part Episode.

Life is moving fast, and sometimes it’s difficult to get perspective. When busyness, to-do lists, projects, and even expectations begin to pile up, we can easily lose focus of our days. Left unchecked, days turn into weeks & weeks turn into a life that is unfocused and unclear. How do we reset? It’s important to zoom out and look at our lives with a new lens.

This week, we welcome our dear friend and Pastor Q’s “twin brother,” Pastor Monté Dillard. Pastor Monté is the Senior Pastor of the First Church of God Christian Life Center in Evanston, IL – near Chicago, and is without a doubt one of the most influential leaders in his community. We discussed racial reconciliation, diversity, and what it looks like to reach across cultural lines with empathy, understanding, and hope. Our hope is that you take on a posture of learning, with an open heart & open mind as you listen to this conversation in full.

The best drummers in the world understand the nuances of timing & rhythm better than anyone. They aren't crashing all the cymbals and slapping the toms all at once. They know when to play, when to rest, and all of the dynamics in between. So it is with our lives, families, and organizations. If we are going to be the best we can be in 2024, we have to establish healthy rhythms that keep everything clicking. You might not be the next big rockstar, but we're confident you can find your groove this year.

We want to thank you JUST LEAD Family for the best year of the podcast yet! We're honored to get to serve you & invest in your life, family, and organization. Join us as we dust off the old vinyls & go back in time to rediscover the Top 5 Moments of 2023. To listen to the full conversation & download the show notes from each of these moments, make sure to check out the links below! We're just getting started. See you in 2024!

Grab some popcorn & get ready to discover some leadership gold inside of your favorite Christmas classics. Yeah, yeah, don’t act like you don’t have those Hallmark movies on repeat (even if it is just the same story with different sweaters)! Believe it or not, there’s essential lessons we can apply to our life, family, and organizations tucked away in the movies we watch every Christmas. Be careful with the hot cocoa when you’re taking notes on this one!

As dynamic leaders, we love to move fast and get things done! But BEFORE you move too quickly onto the next big mountain, it’s important to take some time to EVALUATE where you’re at & how you’re doing. These honest moments come from the desire to always get better. Whether it’s with your team, family, or even self-reflection, taking time to evaluate is essential to success.

Sometimes leaders are faced with situations that they can lead through by drawing on past experiences. But what about the times when something in completely NEW, and you find yourself in uncharted waters? Everyone is looking to you to lead, but there are is no precedent and no map for the way to go or how to get there. Even in uncertainty, we believe you can take steps in the right direction. With a clear vision, you can prepare your team for the choppy waters ahead. This ain't no cruise ship, and we're in deep, unfamiliar waters! Just how we like it...

If your team lacks trust, it’s quite possible that you haven’t gone first in vulnerability. Believe it or not, vulnerability is a leader’s sign of strength, not weakness. When done appropriately, vulnerability can be a huge asset to foster collaboration, trust, and bonding on an otherwise splintered team. But as always, it means WE as leaders must go first. Vulnerability with stability leads to healthy, growing teams.

President Harry Truman was famous for the sign on his desk, “The buck stops here.” In other words, the final decision rests with the leader. But how do you know what the right decision is? Or even more importantly, WHEN to make it? The answers to these questions usually lead to a wide range of outcomes --- from raving success to utter disaster! There are best practices to making timely decisions & they can be learned with discipline and courage.

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps said, “I believe the only difference between gold and silver medal winners is their attitude, not their ability.” Simply put, nothing affects an outcome quite like your attitude. Your circle of influence & every room you walk into will be affected by your attitude - positive or negative. And when we feel like SOMETHING needs to change in our life - our careers, our relationships, our broken situations - our attitude must change FIRST! Your attitude is the X Factor in your life & in your business.

Currently in the United States, anxiety affects more than 40 million adults and that number is only increasing and often highly under-reported. Even when everything in life may say that we’re successful, our anxiety will tell us that something is wrong, that something is just off. And what about those everyday stressors that just drive us crazy? Why are we so stressed and what do we do about it?

Currently in the United States, anxiety affects more than 40 million adults and that number is only increasing and often highly under-reported. Even when everything in life may say that we’re successful, our anxiety will tell us that something is wrong, that something is just off. And what about those everyday stressors that just drive us crazy? Why are we so stressed and what do we do about it?

One of the common themes we’ve explored is the concept of pursuing people who are further along than you in their leadership journey. As you grow, others will look to you to mentor them on their journey — whether it’s their career, family, finances, or personal influence. It’s an honor that anyone would ask, but it’s important to use wisdom in how you approach mentoring others. You only have so much bandwidth and so much time, so you must steward it well! So what should you be looking for when you’re deciding who to invest time in?

Maturity isn’t defined by age, personality, or even experience. It’s marked by traits that a leader of any age can begin to adopt and walk out in their everyday life. The best part is that none of these come with a certain set of talent or charisma, but are made up of daily choices that will set you apart if you decide follow it. To say it explicitly, well…JUST LEAD!