What's happening, what's happening?! Welcome back to The Brian Hess Show — and welcome to 2026.

In today's episode, I'm taking you on a real, unfiltered walk through everything 2025 taught me. The wins. The pressure. The lessons that cost something. This isn't hype, predictions, or surface-level motivation — this is leadership lived out in real time. 2025 was a year that revealed things. It revealed people. It revealed standards. It revealed discipline, focus, loyalty, and where leadership either holds or breaks under pressure.

In this episode, I break down:

✅ Why adversity doesn't create leaders — it reveals them

✅ The truth about kindness without accountability

✅ Why low turnover isn't a badge of honor — standards are

✅ The ceiling of coaching and when leadership requires hard decisions

✅ Why you can't outwork scale — systems beat heroics

✅ How drama destroys momentum (and why it's optional)

✅ Contributors vs. takers — and how discernment protects your mission

✅ The loneliness of leadership — and why it's supposed to be that way

✅ Why presence matters more than intention

✅ How discipline, focus, and daily execution make success inevitable

I also share the real lessons learned while scaling The Pavement Group, Top Contractor School, and One Team Media — lessons that apply whether you're leading a company, a team, a family, or just yourself.

🔥 THE THEME FOR 2026: Raise the standard. No drama. Clear focus. Clear accountability.

🔥 CHALLENGE: Audit your circle. Audit your standards. Audit your time. What needs to be eliminated so your best people — and your best life — can thrive?

If today's episode brought you value, do me a favor — Like, Subscribe, and Share this with someone who's stepping into leadership this year.

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🔗 Resources & Partnerships:

💡 Expert content creation? www.1teammedia.com

🚜 Elite paving & construction training? www.topcontractorschool.com

🏗️ Industry-leading paving solutions? www.thepavementgroup.com

🔧 Trusted industry partners:

→ www.leeboy.com

→ www.dynapac.com

→ www.truxnow.com

→ www.dewalt.com

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