On this episode of Selling The Dream, Ken Jordan and co-host Joe Iredell sit down with Christopher Vester: COO of Hubert Vester Auto Group, leadership thinker, author of Answers From The Stairs, host of Answers From The Stairs Podcast, and a man whose approach to faith, family, and business has shaped thousands of lives.

From growing up on a tobacco farm, to working every role inside a dealership, to becoming a people-first executive, Chris shares a powerful and practical blueprint for leadership:

How growing up in a family business shaped Chris’s leadership philosophy

Building a leadership development company disguised as a car dealership

Why the best salespeople are often not the best leaders — and what to do about it

How to recruit great people using culture, values, and intentional influence

Why connection, name-recognition, and presence matter more than scripts

The real difference between attention to detail and executive function

How to stop “saving” people you lead… and start truly leading them

Chris’s nine-pillar blueprint for excellence: body, soul, mind, spirit, marriage, parenting, work, stewardship, and circle of genius

Bringing faith into leadership without forcing it — just living it

How to transition from “cop → coach → consultant” as your people grow

Why sometimes the right leadership move is letting someone fail

Chris and his wife both winning state bodybuilding titles (yes, really)

Plus… the guys guess Chris’s “Two Truths and a Lie,” dig into tattoos, childhood jobs, and the surprising way his podcast was born on a stair machine.

00:00 – Ken introduces episode & Joe’s black eye story
01:20 – Chris joins: family business origins & the early days
07:00 – Building people vs. selling cars: a leadership-first business
14:40 – Recruiting on culture: the PI test, avatars & top-performer traits
23:00 – Hyper-focus vs distraction in salespeople
28:00 – Influence, leadership & intentional impact
30:00 – Faith in business without apology
34:00 – Leading friends, boundaries & letting people fail
36:00 – Parenting models that also apply to employees
38:00 – Chris’s 9 areas of excellence (body, mind, spirit & more)
45:00 – Origin story of Answers From The Stairs podcast
50:45 – Two Truths and a Lie reveal

If you lead people, sell for a living, or want to grow into your calling — this episode is for you.
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