This show is, of course, all about those of us who didn’t exactly set out to lead but just kind of looked up one day and realized that people were looking to us for direction. It’s humbling, it’s weirdly funny sometimes, and it’s full of lessons, and this week on the podcast, I am talking about one of my favorite topics: quality.

It’s a word we all throw around. We want quality work. We stand for quality. Few of us, however, ever actually stop to define what that means, and I spend some time talking in this episode about someone who truly lived quality in a way that was hilarious, demanding, and unforgettable: James Brown.

Every time the Godfather of Soul stepped on stage, before the first note played, he’d turn his back to the audience and face his band. He would then raise one hand or two: five or ten. Those weren’t countdowns. They were fines—five dollars for unshined shoes, ten for a wrinkled suit. The thing is, though? it wasn’t vanity. James Brown knew that if you looked sloppy, you would probably play sloppily. Quality wasn’t about the shine but rather about the standard.

In leadership, especially the accidental kind, we tend to assume everyone wants to do great work, and I do believe that most do, but they can’t hit the target if they don’t know where it is, and that is where we come in as leaders - defining what “great” looks like, modeling it, celebrating it, correcting it when it’s off, and doing it all with consistency because quality isn’t a one-time thing. Similar to how we can't just take a shower once and then never need to again in our lives, quality is a constant thing.

Listen in as I share the four keys that I have learned to actually build that rhythm of quality in your culture without becoming the “fine police.” I discuss clarity, accountability, celebration, and consistency and how those play out in the real world because when your team starts catching their own unshined shoes before you do, that’s when you’ve built something special, so here’s the question I’m leaving you with: what’s your version of James Brown’s shoe inspection? I would love to hear from you!

Time Stamps:

[01:06] - I open by exploring the often-misunderstood concept of “quality” and its role in leadership.

[02:09] - I recount James Brown’s strict pre-show inspections to illustrate how details define true quality.

[05:36] - Listen as I reframe quality as respect - clarity, preparation, and integrity - not perfection or polished appearances.

[08:37] - Leaders ultimately set the tone for quality via their own consistent example.

[10:10] - I outline clarity, accountability, celebration, and rhythm as the four keys to sustaining quality.

[13:28] - A quality-driven team eventually self-regulates, maintaining excellence without constant reminders.

[15:13] - I bring the episode to a close by encouraging leaders to define and model their own “shoe inspection” standards.

Resources:

The Accidental Leader - Website

yournarketing.co

[email protected]

Bo McDonald on LinkedIn

Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values