Lead With More: Character-Driven Leadership for Today's Leaders

What separates good leaders from great ones? The ability to tell stories that connect, influence, and inspire action.

In this episode, Tom DeBell sits down with speaker, author, and storytelling expert Dr. Danny Brassell to unpack the power of leadership storytelling. You'll discover why the world's most effective leaders are voracious readers, how to build a personal story library you can draw from instantly, and why sharing your failures—not your successes—is what truly builds audience trust.

Dr. Brassell walks through his proven 5 C's Framework—Clarity, Connect, Content, Call to Action, and Close—a practical storytelling blueprint leaders can apply immediately whether they're addressing a boardroom, a team, or a crowd.

In this episode:

• Why great leaders read widely and collect stories intentionally
• How to structure a presentation that converts using the 5 C's
• The role of humor and emotional connection in effective leadership communication
• How to get your free Well-Crafted Story Blueprint

Dr. Danny Brassell is a highly-sought after speaker, trainer and coach known as “Jim Carrey with a Ph.D.,” Dr. Danny Brassell (www.DannyBrassell.com) has spoken to over 3,500 audiences worldwide. He has authored 21 books, including "Leadership Begins with Motivation" and "Misfits and Crackpots." The co-founder of WellCrafted Story™, Danny helps entrepreneurs, individuals and organizations leverage speaking on stages as a major client lead source that converts.

Download your free copy of “The Storytelling Blueprint: Five Steps to Craft a Compelling Business Narrative” and start generating real results for your business:

https://wellcraftedstoryworkshop.com/blueprint

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Great Leaders Are Great Storytellers

01:03 From Journalist to Leadership Coach: Dr. Danny Brassell's Career Pivots

04:19 Reading Habits of Top Leaders: Why the Best Read Every Day

11:35 How to Build a Personal Story Library for Leadership

16:43 How Sharing Failures - Not Successes - Builds Audience Trust

19:50 Overcoming Resistance to Storytelling in Business Presentations

22:27 The 5 C's Framework: A Storytelling Blueprint for Leaders

29:50 Using Humor in Leadership Communication to Drive Results

34:26 The Well-Crafted Story Blueprint: Free Resource for Leaders

36:26 Episode Recap: Key Takeaways on Leadership Storytelling

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Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com

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Podcast guests managed through PodMatch. If you’re a podcast guest or host (or both!), I would encourage you to check it out: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/tomdebell (affiliate link).

#PodMatch

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With permission from:

Music by HitsLab (https://www.youtube.com/@hitslabmusic)

from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)

In this episode of the Modern Leadership Solutions podcast, we explore how leadership awareness directly affects team stress, communication clarity, and execution speed. Many leaders assume that good intent is enough, but without self-awareness and shared language, even well-meaning leaders can unintentionally create friction and slow their teams down.

You’ll learn:

• How leadership friction shows up in meetings and communication
• Why stress reactions often go unnoticed by leaders
• How tools like DISC and Working Genius support leadership awareness
• Three practical steps to reduce team stress and improve execution

Timestamps:

00:00 The Importance of Leadership Awareness

01:04 How Leadership Friction Shows Up At Work

01:35 How Misinterpreted Responses Can Create Team Stress

02:40 Understanding Stress Reactions in Leaders

03:51 Turning Self-Awareness Into Shared Language

05:27 Why Leaders of Integrity Still Create Anxiety

05:46 Three Practical Steps to Improve Leadership Awareness

07:14 How Leadership Awareness Improves Team Performance

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Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com

Unexpected change can test even the most experienced leaders. Whether it’s a shift in your organization, a career transition, or a personal disruption, the ability to lead yourself through unexpected change is what determines your long-term effectiveness.

In this episode of Modern Leadership Solutions, Tom DeBell sits down with Chip Scholz, author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts, to explore how leaders navigate unexpected change. From career transitions and succession planning to personal health crises and identity shifts, this conversation focuses on the mindset and habits that sustain effective leadership over time.

We discuss:

• The five C’s framework: context, clarity, conditioning, choice, and character
• How to turn unexpected change into leadership growth
• Why small decisions often matter more than big plans
• Why self-leadership is the foundation of leading others well
• How identity, meaning, and purpose shape long-term success
• Leadership succession and navigating generational transitions

If you want to grow as a leader, navigate uncertainty with confidence, and remain intentionally effective when conditions shift, this episode will give you a clear framework you can apply immediately.

Subscribe to the Modern Leadership Solutions channel for practical leadership strategies, and share this episode with someone navigating unexpected change.

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About Chip:

Our guest for this episode is Chip Scholz. He was a successful executive coach moving fast—until a stroke forced him to stop and rethink how he was living and leading.

In the years since, Chip rebuilt his life and career one small decision at a time. He now works with leaders navigating change, helping them cut through complexity and focus on the choices that quietly shape behavior, culture, and results. His book Small Decisions, Big Shifts grew out of that work—and out of a simple belief: real change rarely comes from big moments, but from the decisions we make every day.

Find out more about Chip and his most recent book release, visit:

https://scholzandassociates.com/

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Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com

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Podcast guests managed through PodMatch. If you’re a podcast guest or host (or both!), I would encourage you to check it out: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/tomdebell (affiliate link).

#PodMatch

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With permission from:

Music by HitsLab (https://www.youtube.com/@hitslabmusic)

from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)

In this episode of the Modern Leadership Solutions podcast, Tom discusses the critical importance of preventive maintenance for leadership. He emphasizes that burnout often begins with cognitive decline rather than emotional collapse, highlighting the need for leaders to recognize early warning signs. Tom outlines strategies for maintaining decision clarity, protecting perspective through peer support, and addressing blind spots with coaching. The conversation underscores the proactive approach necessary for effective leadership, advocating for intentional personal growth practices to prevent burnout and enhance leadership effectiveness.

Get your free Leadership Maintenance Checkup here: https://hlapi.espeakers.com/widget/form/W7Z4vixvTVAZ3e20lZo3

Takeaways

If you wait to develop your leadership until crisis, you'll be stranded.

Burnout doesn't start emotionally, it starts cognitively.

When decision clarity declines, leadership effectiveness declines.

Are small decisions draining more energy than they should?

Healthy leadership is proactive and preventative.

When you're not mentally growing, your thinking contracts.

Isolation amplifies your doubt and distorts perception.

Clarity increases when that thinking is externalized.

Leadership doesn't usually collapse in a dramatic fashion.

Effective leadership doesn't happen by accident, it's intentional.

Is leadership really about finding balance? Or is that the wrong metaphor?

In this episode of the Modern Leadership Solutions Podcast, Tom DeBell reframes leadership effectiveness around a more accurate concept: calibration. Rather than striving for a static balance between urgency and vision, structure and flexibility, or reflection and action, effective leaders continually evaluate and adjust with intention.

You’ll learn:

• Why “leadership balance” can be misleading
• How discernment and patience work together as core leadership disciplines
• Three critical recalibration zones: attention, structure, and decision speed
• When not to recalibrate—and why stability builds trust
• Two practical questions to guide better leadership decisions

If you’re an emerging or established leader navigating change, pressure, or growth, this episode provides a clear framework for intentional leadership development.

Listen now, and subscribe to stay equipped with practical leadership strategies designed to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Leadership comes with a powerful side effect that many leaders don’t fully recognize: it amplifies everything. As your role and influence grow, what you do, what you say, and even what you seem to value all carry more weight with the people around you.

In this episode of Modern Leadership Solutions, Tom explores why leadership doesn’t make you more important—it makes you louder. Through a real-world story from his time as President and CEO, Tom breaks down the three areas leadership naturally amplifies: your presence, your words, and your inner motivations.

You’ll learn why teams often over-interpret leaders, how visibility and communication send unintended signals, and why unchecked ambition can quietly undermine trust. Most importantly, Tom shares practical strategies and guardrails leaders can use to manage their influence with clarity, humility, and intention.

If you’re a manager, executive, or emerging leader who wants to communicate more effectively, build trust, and lead with greater self-awareness, this episode will give you simple questions and tools you can apply immediately.

🎧 Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with another leader who wants to grow intentionally.

Timestamps:

00:00 Leadership Makes You Louder: How Influence Gets Amplified

00:27 When a Title Changes the Meaning of Your Approval

01:12 Why Leaders Get Interpreted More Than They Expect

02:01 How Leader Presence Sends Signals to Your Team

03:59 Why a Leader's Words Carry Extra Weight

05:07 How Humor Can Help or Hurt Leadership Trust

05:46 How Leadership Amplifies Ego and Ambition

06:56 Guardrails That Keep Authority From Going Too Far

08:04 Why One Speech Does Not Change Culture

08:30 Three Questions to Use Leadership Amplification Wisely

09:34 Closing: Intentional Leadership Reminder

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Interested in learning more? Schedule a free no-obligation call with Tom:

https://hlapi.espeakers.com/widget/bookings/tom-debell-calendar

Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com

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Music by HitsLab with permission.

https://www.youtube.com/@hitslabmusic

https://pixabay.com/

What if the greatest leadership risk in your business isn’t a lack of talent—but the way you’re trying to develop it? In this episode of the Modern Leadership Solutions podcast, Tom DeBell sits down with Rich Ashton, author of Growing Your Own, to explore why leadership development looks different—and is often harder—in small businesses than in large corporate environments. During his 45-year career owning small businesses, Rich became frustrated about the choice between bringing in outside leadership talent who didn't fit the culture of his organizations versus promoting excellent, but unprepared existing employees into leadership positions.  He developed a training program to develop leaders in his own company which was so successful he was able to retire and leave management of his businesses to his leadership team.  His book, "Growing Your Own, common sense advice for developing leaders in small business" is a guide to the principles taught in the training course.  The book has been described as "practical, actionable and based on Ashton's real world experience in small business.

You can find out more about Rich here:

https://www.growingyourown.net

[email protected]

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Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com

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Theme music by HitsLab, used by permission.

https://www.youtube.com/@hitslabmusic

https://pixabay.com/

In this episode, Tom DeBell explores why so much modern leadership feels confusing and unhealthy, even when influence is clearly present. Building on John Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership, Tom adds a critical missing filter—integrity—and explains why influence without character ultimately erodes trust. He challenges leaders to move beyond platform size and follower counts and instead evaluate their leadership by the value they create in others. The episode closes with two reflective questions designed to help leaders choose the high road and lead with lasting impact.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why today's leadership feels so confusing

01:02 Leadership growth without character isn't progress

01:54 When Influence looks like leadership, but isn't

02:25 Integrity gives direction to influence

03:58 High Road vs Low Road leadership

04:37 The trap of chasing followers instead of adding value

05:09 Two questions every leader must ask about integrity

In this episode, Tom discusses the trap of accumulating solutions to problems you don't have. He shares personal experiences and insights on how to avoid mistaking activity for progress and choosing the right problems to solve. Tom talks about the questions he asks himself before pursuing a new solution to ensure it isn't wasted time, energy, or money.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: A Confession About Solutions

01:07 The Trap: When Tools Feel Like Progress

01:58 My Dilemma: Collecting Too Many Solutions

03:05 The Costs of Adding New Solutions

04:16 The Shift: From Collecting Tools to Creating Value

05:11 Applying this Lesson

In this episode of the Modern Leadership Solutions podcast, Tom delves into a common leadership trap that many process-oriented individuals face: the confusion between process goals and product goals. He shares his personal journey as a 'process guy' who has learned that while systems and workflows are essential, they can become a hindrance if they overshadow the actual outcomes. Tom emphasizes that process goals, which focus on creating systems, often lead to a false sense of productivity without delivering tangible results. Instead, he advocates for product goals that are outcome-oriented and directly benefit others, urging listeners to shift their focus from planning to action.

Tom introduces the SMARTER goal-setting framework, highlighting the importance of specificity, measurability, and action orientation in goal creation. He warns against the 'gear trap,' where individuals believe that new tools or apps will enhance productivity without the necessary discipline to implement them. By the end of the episode, Tom challenges listeners to evaluate their current goals and redefine them to prioritize outcomes over processes, reinforcing that while planning and tools are important, true leadership is measured by results.

Interested in learning more? Schedule a free no-obligation call with Tom:

https://hlapi.espeakers.com/widget/bookings/tom-debell-calendar

Tom DeBell, the founder and president of Modern Leadership Solutions, is a Certified Maxwell Coach/Speaker/Trainer, a Full Focus Certified Pro, and a Certified Facilitator in the Six Types of Working Genius.

www.modernleadershipsolutions.com