Joining a business founded by your parents comes with its own set of obstacles. Stan Chen, now CEO of Telamon, started his tenure at the company knowing people had made assumptions about what his path would look like. While trying to navigate those murky relationships and earn respect, he decided to keep his co-workers at arm's length. Today, he knows that was a mistake.

In this episode, Stan shares why it’s critical for leaders to cultivate relationships with their people. As an introvert, he often struggled with the idea of being in charge because the stereotypical leader is often portrayed as loud, boisterous, and maybe even a little in-your-face. Over time, Stan realized none of that is necessary. What is, is the ability to create connections with the people on your teams and share parts of your own life in return.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of Quiet by Susan Cain
• Learn more about Tony Dungy
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com
• Download Craig’s 10 Rules for Better Meetings

High performers are often thrust into management roles without the training or tools needed to be effective. Margy Feldhuhn experienced exactly this in her first leadership position and had to navigate murky waters to rise to the challenge.

In this episode, Margy explains why insufficient training and preparation is the biggest hurdle middle management has to face and discusses solutions to the problem. Listen in to hear the other lessons she’s learned from her early work experiences and how she applied them on her quick rise from an hourly contractor at Interview Connections to CEO of the company.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of Multiplier by Liz Wisemans
• Learn more about Bob Iger
• Check out Margy’s Podcast and Margy’s Blog
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com
• Download Craig’s 10 Rules for Better Meetings

Leadership requires a marathon mindset. You can’t take on everything yourself and sprint to the finish because there is no finish line. If you’re doing your job right, you keep supporting your people so you can achieve evermore goals together.

Kevin Bailey is currently CEO and Co-Founder at Dreamfuel, and it’s not his first time in the C-Suite. But success can come at a price if you aren’t prepared. Something Kevin learned the hard way in his very first leadership position, a post he ended up leaving due to burnout.

In this episode, Kevin shares his story of stepping down after pushing himself to the point where he no longer enjoyed the work. Listen in to hear about Kevin’s positive mindset techniques for creating a sustainable leadership approach. Along the way, you’ll learn how a leader’s energy can make or break an organization.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of Coherence by Dr. Alan Watkins
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com
• Download Craig’s 10 Rules for Better Meetings

Ryann Dowdy’s first leadership role didn’t come with an official title that told everyone she was “in charge,” and yet, she was. With her lack of title, Ryann realized people were much more comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns with her because she wasn’t technically their boss.

Now, as CEO and Founder of Uncensored Consulting, Ryann leans into emotional intelligence to encourage the same openness from her team, regardless of role dynamics. Creating workplaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued is critical for both attracting and retaining talent in today’s market, and she’s made it her mission to do so. In this episode, Ryann explains why leading others starts with self-leadership and discusses her six principles for achieving exactly that. Listen in to learn how to build trust and motivate people through meaningful work.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of Extreme Ownership by Joko Willink and Leif Babin
• Learn more about Jamie Kern Lima
• Check out Ryann’s female leadership community: Be in the Room
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com
• Download Craig’s 10 Rule’s for Better Meetings

Lorraine Ball’s leadership journey got off to a rocky start when she chose a “take me as I am” approach which ended up pushing people away. Over time, she realized she needed to meet team members where they are so they could connect.

Lorraine has learned that connection, building trust, and fostering loyalty is key to driving performance. In this episode, Lorraine shares her insights on leading with curiosity instead of judgment as a way of understanding what motivates people.

After You Listen:

• Check out the works of Peter Drucker
• Take a listen to Lorraine’s podcast: More Than a Few Words
• Join the Digital Toolbox marketing community
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com
• Download Craig’s 10 Rule’s for Better Meetings

Jeb Banner thought he was going to be a rockstar, and he worked to make that happen. He formed a band, marketed it, learned the industry, and made connections. All of those skills easily transferred to the business world once he understood that leadership was where his strengths resided.

Today, Jeb has founded and grown countless businesses and non-profits, and each experience has developed him as a leader and as a human being. In this episode, Jeb shares why the latter is so important for people in leadership positions. As you listen, you’ll learn how to effectively delegate and why there needs to be more focus on connection and well-being in workplaces.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni and Being Ram Dass by Ram Dass
• Learn more about Lee Iacocca
• Connect with Jeb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jebbanner/
• Watch Jeb’s Ted Talk: Everything I know about business I learned from being in a bandhttps://www.youtube.com › watch
• Learn more about Boardable: https://boardable.com
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com

Chris Keaveny is the Founder and CEO of Meritize, an organization helping students pay for programs that unlock better careers. The amount of business Meritize generates has quadrupled in the past two years, but the staff has not. Chris says that is a testament to the solid team they’ve built and the leadership lessons he’s learned.

Chris started his professional career as a trained statistician. He was a self-described propeller head until one day, he was thrown into the deep end of the leadership pool. Looking back he’d give himself an F for his performance, and Chris says he’d do just about everything differently. Listen in to hear why leaders aren’t meant to always be the ones with the answers and learn how Chris’s technical background serves him well today.

After You Listen:

• Get your copy of Extreme Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• Learn more about Jamie Dimon
• Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-keaveney-1b7bb94/
• Learn more about Meritize: https://www.meritize.com
• Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpanderson/
• Learn more about ClearPath Consulting and Coaching: https://clearpathcoaches.com

Leaders aren’t born. It takes learning and intentional growth. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, there’s no reason to go at it alone. 

I’m Craig P. Anderson, and I’m what you might call an accidental leader. I never expected to be working side-by-side with Fortune 500 execs, so when I started doing just that, I struggled. Now I know I didn’t have to, and neither do you. By talking to guests currently sitting in the c-suite about lessons they learned along the way, this show will demystify what great leaders do and how they do it with confidence.