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#138 Harnessing Certainty: CIA-Grade Tactics for Leadership Success with guest Mike Mears
Teams want certainty, but in an uncertain world, how can you deliver it? Find out how in this episode.
We dive deep with Mike Mears, Leadership Theoretician, former GE change-agent under Jack Welch, and ex-CIA Chief of Human Capital.
Mike Mears reveals the neuroscience backed rituals and intelligence inspired frameworks that clear away uncertainty, sharpen your focus, and unleash your team’s full potential.
From GE’s “Workout” sessions to CIA secure briefings, Mike unpacks his three-pillar “Certainty” method.
Mike shares the mindset pivots that turn cautious managers into bold innovators, and the battlefield lessons of building true psychological safety, even in the most critical situations.
Tune in to discover how these proven insights can elevate your leadership, strengthen your culture, and drive transformative results, starting today.
Journey Highlights & Story Beats
GE’s “Workout” Revelation:
Rebecca and Callum discover Mike’s first “aha” moment under Jack Welch, how a noisy, chaotic workshop taught him that culture change starts with listening, not lecturing.
CIA’s Safe-House Confession:
Mike recounts the night an agent risked their career to report a critical encryption error, because Mike had built a “safe house” of trust. That moment taught him that psychological safety isn’t a luxury; it’s a survival tool.
Military Roots & Dual-Engine Leadership:
From survival-of-the-fittest drills to commanding a nuclear missile site, Mike learned that drive alone breeds burnout and only paired with genuine empathy will people truly follow.
Key Takeaways
Certainty Overrides Fear
Our primitive “survival” wiring clings to the status quo. Weekly 5-minute, agenda-free check-ins and timely praise rewire brains toward confident change.
Psychological Safety as a Secure Briefing Room
In covert ops, absolute trust saves lives. In business, it unleashes candid feedback and breakthrough ideas. Start small, smile at every team member, ask one open-ended question, then listen.
Insight Prompts: Your CEO “Ask”
Inspired by CIA Director's, assign each direct report a single, high-stakes question. Give them a week to reflect, and then collect ten ideas back. Dopamine-driven “aha” moments follow.
The Dual-Engine Model: Drive + Empathy
Military toughness and modern leadership demands both relentless mission focus and genuine concern for people’s well-being.
Notable Quotes
“Great bosses don’t force change; they engineer certainty so teams feel safe innovating.”
“You don’t need all the answers, just the right questions and the space for insights to emerge.”
“Pair relentless drive with real empathy, then watch your people follow you anywhere.”
Actionable Steps for Leaders.
Implement CIA-Style Check-Ins: Five-minute, no-agenda chats each week with every direct report: What’s top of mind? How can I support you?
Rotate Your Ops: Structure work into three phases, core execution, innovation sprint, and recovery to maintain peak performance and morale.
Launch an Insight Prompt: Give each team member one strategic question, set a deadline, reconvene for accountability and harvest high-impact ideas.
Connect & Continue the Conversation
Mike Mears on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/mike-mears-leadership-theoretician-4627a889
Email: https://www.mikemears.com
Tune in to discover how to harness certainty and lead with the confidence of a CIA strategist—wherever you are in the world.
----more----
Connect with the show hosts below.
Callum Jenkins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumjenkins/
Rebecca Jenkins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajenkins-rjen/
Subscribe & Follow: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and follow the Lead to Succeed podcast for more insights on leadership and business growth.
The podcast is brought to you by RJEN
https://RJEN.co.uk
Strategic Revenue Transformation
Gain Access to the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing 2025
Elevate your revenue engine with the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing, the definitive executive briefing revealing the essential moves for impactful, strategic growth. A crisp, insightful read for senior leaders delivering:
Claim your FREE copy today and start driving results.
View all episodes
By Callum and Rebecca Jenkins
4.9
1313 ratings
Teams want certainty, but in an uncertain world, how can you deliver it? Find out how in this episode.
We dive deep with Mike Mears, Leadership Theoretician, former GE change-agent under Jack Welch, and ex-CIA Chief of Human Capital.
Mike Mears reveals the neuroscience backed rituals and intelligence inspired frameworks that clear away uncertainty, sharpen your focus, and unleash your team’s full potential.
From GE’s “Workout” sessions to CIA secure briefings, Mike unpacks his three-pillar “Certainty” method.
Mike shares the mindset pivots that turn cautious managers into bold innovators, and the battlefield lessons of building true psychological safety, even in the most critical situations.
Tune in to discover how these proven insights can elevate your leadership, strengthen your culture, and drive transformative results, starting today.
Journey Highlights & Story Beats
GE’s “Workout” Revelation:
Rebecca and Callum discover Mike’s first “aha” moment under Jack Welch, how a noisy, chaotic workshop taught him that culture change starts with listening, not lecturing.
CIA’s Safe-House Confession:
Mike recounts the night an agent risked their career to report a critical encryption error, because Mike had built a “safe house” of trust. That moment taught him that psychological safety isn’t a luxury; it’s a survival tool.
Military Roots & Dual-Engine Leadership:
From survival-of-the-fittest drills to commanding a nuclear missile site, Mike learned that drive alone breeds burnout and only paired with genuine empathy will people truly follow.
Key Takeaways
Certainty Overrides Fear
Our primitive “survival” wiring clings to the status quo. Weekly 5-minute, agenda-free check-ins and timely praise rewire brains toward confident change.
Psychological Safety as a Secure Briefing Room
In covert ops, absolute trust saves lives. In business, it unleashes candid feedback and breakthrough ideas. Start small, smile at every team member, ask one open-ended question, then listen.
Insight Prompts: Your CEO “Ask”
Inspired by CIA Director's, assign each direct report a single, high-stakes question. Give them a week to reflect, and then collect ten ideas back. Dopamine-driven “aha” moments follow.
The Dual-Engine Model: Drive + Empathy
Military toughness and modern leadership demands both relentless mission focus and genuine concern for people’s well-being.
Notable Quotes
“Great bosses don’t force change; they engineer certainty so teams feel safe innovating.”
“You don’t need all the answers, just the right questions and the space for insights to emerge.”
“Pair relentless drive with real empathy, then watch your people follow you anywhere.”
Actionable Steps for Leaders.
Implement CIA-Style Check-Ins: Five-minute, no-agenda chats each week with every direct report: What’s top of mind? How can I support you?
Rotate Your Ops: Structure work into three phases, core execution, innovation sprint, and recovery to maintain peak performance and morale.
Launch an Insight Prompt: Give each team member one strategic question, set a deadline, reconvene for accountability and harvest high-impact ideas.
Connect & Continue the Conversation
Mike Mears on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/mike-mears-leadership-theoretician-4627a889
Email: https://www.mikemears.com
Tune in to discover how to harness certainty and lead with the confidence of a CIA strategist—wherever you are in the world.
----more----
Connect with the show hosts below.
Callum Jenkins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumjenkins/
Rebecca Jenkins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajenkins-rjen/
Subscribe & Follow: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and follow the Lead to Succeed podcast for more insights on leadership and business growth.
The podcast is brought to you by RJEN
https://RJEN.co.uk
Strategic Revenue Transformation
Gain Access to the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing 2025
Elevate your revenue engine with the CEO Revenue Architecture Briefing, the definitive executive briefing revealing the essential moves for impactful, strategic growth. A crisp, insightful read for senior leaders delivering:
Claim your FREE copy today and start driving results.
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