Ryan's Leadership Lessons

Accountability without training is just blame. Real accountability starts with the leader.In this episode:• What being accountable to your team looks like (not just demanding it from them)• Why accountability is the highest-leverage leadership habit• How to build a team where accountability feels like trust, not fearPairs with my Substack Accountability Series: "Accountability Without Training Is Just Blame" and "You Haven't Trained Someone Until They Can Do It Without You."🔗 Read the series free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple. Oprah was fired as a news anchor. Failure wasn't their ending. It was their setup.In this episode:• Why the best leaders separate identity from outcomes• How to extract the lesson without carrying the label• What to do in the first 30 days after a professional setbackThis one is personal. It's the seed of my TEDx talk on failure and the book HURDLES. If you've ever been knocked down at work, this is for you.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com📕 HURDLES: on breaking free from what holds you back (coming to Kindle)---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Sunday night dread isn't a personal failing. It's a leadership signal.In this episode:• My personal playbook for ending the week with clarity• The Monday-morning habits that make Sunday nights calmer• How leaders accidentally create Sunday Scaries for their teams, and how to stopShort episode, big quality-of-life upgrade.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Might be the shortest leadership podcast ever. 90 seconds, 5 steps.When someone on your team is struggling:1. Identify the root cause: skills, resources, or motivation?2. Give clear, actionable feedback with specific examples3. Set attainable, measurable goals4. Offer training, mentorship, or development5. Monitor progress and adjust. Keep encouraging.Leadership is helping people improve, not just documenting failure. Work to become a championship-level team.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Your calendar is your leadership strategy in disguise.In this episode:• The meeting rules that save hours every week (45 not 60, 15 not 30)• Why multitasking is toxic and single-tasking is gold• How to block time for deep work, and actually defend it• The monthly reflection that eliminates your biggest time drags18 lessons, 14 minutes. Steal the 3 that hurt the most.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

The highest-leverage thing a leader does? Train the next leader.In this episode:• Why training your team is a multiplier, not a cost• How to spot and develop high-potential team members early• The "seeds" I plant in every role, and how long they take to growIf you want your impact to outlast your tenure, start planting.🔗 Related reading: "The Multiplier: Why Training Your Team Is the Highest-Leverage Thing You Do": https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

I've run 17 marathons. Leading complex projects feels exactly the same.In this episode:• Pacing, fueling, and hitting the wall, in running and in projects• Why the middle miles (and middle phases) break most teams• How endurance thinking makes you a calmer, steadier leaderFor leaders managing long, complex work where quitting quietly is the biggest risk.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Your network is an asset. But only if you build it before you need it.In this episode:• Why networking is career insurance, not job hunting• 3 low-pressure ways to build genuine professional relationships• How I think about giving first, asking secondShort, practical, and worth sharing with someone early in their career.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

Leadership trends come and go. Principles don't.In this episode:• Leadership insights distilled from nearly a century of wisdom• What changes with generations, and what never does• How to anchor your leadership style in timeless fundamentalsFor anyone tired of leadership fads and hungry for what actually lasts.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen

2,500-year-old stories. Surprisingly modern leadership lessons.In this episode:• The Tortoise and the Hare: why consistency beats intensity in team performance• The Boy Who Cried Wolf: trust is slow to build, fast to lose• How to use simple stories to teach complex leadership ideasGreat for leaders who want to communicate clearly and be remembered.🔗 Subscribe free: https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com---🔗 Substack (subscribe free): https://ryansleadershiplessons.substack.com🌐 Blog: https://www.ryanstemen.com🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStemen