Do you know how to effectively communicate with someone in a higher position, such as your boss, a board, or anyone in a position of authority? Kevin welcomes Melody Wilding, who shares strategies and conversation frameworks to help professionals at all levels navigate complex relationships with their leaders. Melody and Kevin discuss the concept of “managing up”; not as sucking-up or people-pleasing, but to take ownership of your success by fostering productive and respectful relationships with those in charge. They also discuss the critical conversations outlined in her book and dive into three in particular: the boundaries conversation, the feedback conversation, and the styles conversation. Melody emphasizes the "triple win" philosophy, which focuses on finding solutions that benefit you, your boss, and the organization. She offers practical advice for leaders on how to facilitate managing up for their team members, such as asking, "What do you need from me?"

00:00 Introduction 01:23 Guest Introduction: Melody Wilding 02:16 Welcome and Opening Question 03:05 The Psychology of Managing Up 04:11 Everyone Has a Boss 05:18 The “Why Isn’t My Boss in This Class?” Problem 06:08 Managing Up Isn’t About Excusing Bad Leadership 07:11 Managing Up Is for You 08:20 The 10 Conversations Framework 09:01 Boundaries Conversation 10:28 Setting Expectations and Clarifying Priorities 12:06 Creating Win-Win Outcomes 14:20 Feedback Conversation 16:25 Building Trust Through Positive Feedback 17:27 From Labels to Behavior: The ABC Model 19:33 Constructive Proposals, Not Complaints 20:28 Styles Conversation 22:49 It’s About Them, Not You 24:54 Avoiding Labels and Confirmation Bias 26:05 Meet the Needs of Your Boss 27:09 Ethical Visibility and Remote Work 28:37 Help Your Boss Help You 29:42 Make it Easier for People to Manage Up to You 30:38 One-on-Ones as Strategic Tools 32:14 The Leadership Book Question 33:12 What Do You Do for Fun 34:23 Learn More: ManagingUp.com 35:15 Final Thoughts: What Will You Do

Melody's Story: Melody Wilding is the bestselling author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work and Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. She is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from Columbia University, a professor of human behavior at Hunter College in New York City, and a former emotions researcher at Rutgers University. For more than a decade, she’s helped top performers and leadership at the world’s most successful companies to communicate more clearly, prevent burnout, and transform complicated workplace dynamics into powerful alliances that impact the bottom line. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, to name a few. She’s a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and CNBC.

https://melodywilding.com/

http://managingup.com/

https://www.instagram.com/melodywilding/

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

• Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge by Melody Wilding 
• Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work by Melody Wilding
• Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• Flex Your Feelings: Train Your Brain to Develop the 7 Traits of Emotional Fitness by Dr. Emily Anhalt

• Managing Up with Mary Abbajay
• Trusting Yourself with Melody Wilding

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

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How patient are you with others—especially as a leader? In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry explores why patience is more than just a virtue—it’s a leadership skill that impacts trust, engagement, and your effectiveness as a coach.

Kevin walks through the common triggers that test our patience (like stress, urgency, and mood), and he offers practical steps to help you respond more thoughtfully—even in high-pressure situations.

Discover how understanding your own mindset can help you show more grace and build stronger, more productive relationships.

My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast.

I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button.

Learn more about our offerings:

➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/ 

Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/

About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s).

About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.

What makes culture so powerful, and why do so many organizations get it wrong? Kevin sits down with organizational psychologist Laura Hamill to discuss the disconnect between the practice of culture and the science of culture. Laura defines culture not just as what’s visible on the surface, but as the underlying "collective set of reasons why" behaviors occur in organizations. She explains why leaders must bridge the gap between aspirational values and actual workplace experiences and introduces the concept of cultural betrayal. The discussion also covers the difference between culture and climate, the role of middle managers in operationalizing values, and how behaviors and norms shape what is truly valued in the workplace.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction 02:10 Guest Introduction: Laura Hamill 02:44 Opening Remarks and Book Background 03:10 Laura’s Journey to Studying Culture 04:46 Bridging Science and Practice in Culture 05:20 Why the Book is Called "The Power of Culture" 06:58 Leaders' Role in Culture and Power 09:15 Defining Culture 10:23 Culture vs. Climate 14:24 Real World Example of Cultural Disconnect 16:37 Aspirational vs. Actual Culture 20:24 Simple Culture Exercise for Teams 23:10 Cultural Betrayal and Its Impact 25:23 Leading Culture Change Over Time 28:08 Intentional Culture Circle and Behavior Focus 29:24 Role of Mid-Level Leaders in Culture 30:12 Frontline and Leadership Roles in Culture 31:01 What Laura Does for Fun 32:10 What Laura is Reading 33:01 How to Connect with Laura and Buy the Book 34:04 Final Reflections and Takeaways

Laura's Story: Dr. Laura Hamill is the author of The Power of Culture: Bringing Values to Life at Work. She is an organizational psychologist and business leader, focusing on the intersection of science and HR. Laura is an expert on creating great places to work. Her research is centered around employee well-being, employee engagement, and organizational culture. She is the owner of Paris Phoenix Group, a consulting firm specializing in driving impactful research and outcomes. Laura was also a co-founder of Limeade, an employee experience software company, where she held the dual roles of Chief People Officer and Chief Science Officer. Laura earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in industrial/organizational psychology from Old Dominion University and a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina.

https://www.parisphoenixgroup.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurahamill

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

• The Power of Culture: Bringing values to life at work by Laura Hamill 
• A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, Series Number 9) by Claudia Strauss and Naomi Quinn 
• Leadership on the Line, With a New Preface: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky 

• Solving the Culture Puzzle with Mario Moussa and Derek Newberry
• How Leaders Can Create a Company Culture That Doesn't Suck with S. Chris Edmonds and Mark Babbitt
• Culture is the Way with Matt Mayberry

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

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Kevin Eikenberry challenges the traditional notion of patience as merely waiting. Instead, he introduces the concept of proactive patience — a dynamic and intentional approach that involves movement, reflection, and growth even during periods of waiting.

Kevin highlights the balance between slowing down without becoming passive and maintaining forward momentum without forcing outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision, trusting the process, and maintaining a long-term orientation, especially in uncertain times. This mindset shift helps leaders continue progressing toward their goals even when immediate results aren't visible.

• Patience isn't passive: True patience involves intentional action, not just idle waiting.

• Proactive patience: Strike a balance between pausing and continuing to work toward your vision.

• Keep your goals in sight: Maintain focus on your long-term objectives even during pauses.

• Reflect and act: Use moments of waiting for thoughtful reflection that leads to deliberate action.

• Trust the process: Growth often includes plateaus and setbacks — stay committed to the journey.

• Think long-term: See waiting as a temporary moment within a larger path of progress.

• Flexible Leadership: Kevin ties these ideas to his new book, encouraging a mindset of "both/and" rather than "either/or."

• Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence Learn more and get your copy: https://KevinEikenberry.com/Flexible 

My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast.

I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button.

Learn more about our offerings:

➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/ 

Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/

About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s).

About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.

Are you empowering others or unleashing agency? In this episode, Judith Katz and Fred Miller join Kevin to discuss the role of agency in the workplace. While autonomy and authority are often topics of discussion, agency — the ability for all individuals, regardless of their role or tenure, to possess power, influence, and a voice — is crucial for high-performance organizations. They explain how organizational cultures often "smother" this natural agency through excessive rules, approvals, and "checkers checking checkers," which leads to the slow implementation of even the best strategies. Judith and Fred highlight that organizations need to transition from control-based leadership to trust-based leadership.

00:08 Autonomy, Authority, and Agency Introduction 00:40 Join Future Episodes Live + Book Promo 01:31 Introducing Judith Katz and Fred Miller 02:15 Background of the Guests and Their Work 02:58 Focus on Their Book: The Power of Agency 03:43 Fred's Journey to Writing the Book 05:22 Constraints in Organizations Today 06:15 Speed vs. Bureaucracy and Motivation for the Book 07:03 Judith on Why the Book Matters Now 08:08 Uncovering Ideas and Talent in the Workplace 08:38 Defining Agency 10:02 Who Should Have Agency in Organizations 10:26 Agency vs. Empowerment 11:34 The Natural State of Human Agency 12:16 Smothering vs. Unleashing Agency 12:43 Empowerment as Bestowing vs. Agency as Unleashing 13:42 Is the Trend Toward or Away from Agency? 15:16 Organizational Culture Post-COVID 16:14 Importance of Being Physically Together Sometimes 17:21 Human Connection and In-Person Insights 18:17 Discretionary Energy Drives Great Organizations 18:53 Skills Needed for Practicing Agency 19:55 Trust, Experimentation, and Continuous Improvement 21:13 Ownership and Decision-Making in Action 22:16 Fear of Going Big in Organizational Culture 23:05 Leadership and Facilitation for Voice 24:14 Mindset Shift Needed for Agency 25:05 Fear, Control, and Trust in Talent 26:29 Talent Retention Through Agency 27:17 Disengagement and Side Gigs 28:03 Saying Yes as a Leadership Strategy 29:07 The Core of Agency in Action 29:34 What the Guests Do for Fun 30:41 What They’re Reading Now 32:09 Where to Find the Book and Connect 33:39 Final Thoughts and Call to Action 

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

• The Power of Agency by Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz
• No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

• Understanding Employee Engagement with Jacqueline Throop-Robinson
• Creating a Culture of Reinvention - Lessons from Netflix with Erin Meyer
• A Practical Guide for Building Engagement with Brian Hartzer

In times of uncertainty, many leaders freeze, worry, or retreat — but what if there was a better way?

In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry explores the common reactions to uncertainty that hold us back, and he offers four proactive strategies to help you lead with confidence even when the path isn't clear. This episode draws directly from Kevin’s latest book, Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence, and offers immediately applicable tools to help you become a more adaptable and resilient leader.

🔍 Discover: - Why withdrawal, denial, and overthinking don’t serve you - Four powerful, action-oriented strategies to respond to uncertainty - How curiosity, learning, and experimentation can provide clarity - Why pattern recognition helps build leadership confidence

📖 Want a sneak peek of Kevin’s new book? Download a free chapter here: https://kevineikenberry.com/flexible 

My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast.

I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button.

Learn more about our offerings:

➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/ 

Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/

About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s).

About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP

Are we in a modern renaissance? Kevin welcomes Dr. Christie Smith to discuss the major shifts impacting leadership today, including distributed teams, AI, workforce expectations, and global uncertainties. Dr. Smith introduces the concept of gray-collar workers, a growing segment of the workforce that combines blue- and white-collar roles and explains why traditional leadership models are no longer adequate. She also breaks down the Essential Leadership Flywheel, which advances beyond emotional intelligence to emotional maturity. This focuses on suspending self-interest, fostering curiosity, and genuinely understanding the context in which employees operate.

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview 01:01 Kevin’s Book Flexible Leadership 01:56 Meet Dr. Christie Smith 03:06 The Journey Behind the Book 04:24 Early Influences and Advocacy 05:24 Why Now The Timing of the Book 07:19 Framing Leadership in a Complex World 08:20 Leadership is Hard 10:23 The Challenge of Polarization 12:33 A Modern Renaissance Hope and Opportunity 14:27 Leadership and the Human Centered Workplace 15:31 Centering Humans in the Digital Age 16:55 Defining Gray Collar Workers 19:05 Empowerment and Gray Collar Jobs 20:28 Four Human Needs in the Workplace 21:00 The Power of Agency in Leadership 22:15 From Emotional Intelligence to Emotional Maturity 24:24 Essential Leadership Flywheel 25:21 Suspending Self Interest as a Leader 26:22 Why Leadership Trust is Declining 28:02 Investing in People Drives Results 29:09 Contextual Competence A Modern Imperative 30:53 Flexibility Empathy and Humanity at Work 32:18 Rapid Fire Fun and Reading 34:30 Learn More About Christie and the Book 35:57 The Final Question Now What 

Christie's Story: Dr. Christie Smith is the co-author of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership with Kelly Monahan. She has over 35 years of experience advising the C-Suite of Fortune 500 companies. She is the founder of The Humanity Studio™, a research and advisory institute dedicated to improving the way we live by revolutionizing the way we work. She has held global leadership positions at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture as a highly respected expert in leadership, talent management, organizational design, workforce management, change management, and executive team performance. She is a highly sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership and culture, DEI, people analytics, and the impact of workforce technologies and AI. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, to name a few. Christie received her doctorate in Clinical Social Work with a focus on leadership and culture from New York University.

https://www.humanity.studio/

https://www.smith-monahan.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiesmithphd/

https://www.instagram.com/christiesmith.phd

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

• Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership by Christie Smith and Kelly Monahan
• The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
• Winston Churchill Biography: Lessons from a Visionary Leader by Douglas Glenn Rohde
• Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant

• Building Workplaces Fit for Humans with David Brendel and Ryan Stelzer
• How Work Works Now with Michelle King

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP

When is different actually better? In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin shares a personal example of breaking from routine and explores how “different” can lead to growth, innovation, and new perspective.

From comfort zones to habit loops, Kevin dives into the psychology of sameness — and offers compelling reasons why leaders need to occasionally disrupt their own patterns to stay flexible and fresh. This isn’t just about filming in a new location — it’s a metaphor for embracing change and stepping into the unknown.

💡 If you're looking for practical leadership insight in a world full of change, this episode is for you.

📘 Want more on this topic? Grab your copy of Flexible Leadership here: https://kevineikenberry.com/flexible

My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast.

I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button.

Learn more about our offerings:

➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/ 

Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/

About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s).

About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.

Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

Does your calendar align with what you say matters most? Kevin sits down with Ryan Matt Reynolds, to talk about the impact of living in a constant state of urgency. He emphasizes the importance of identifying core values and intentionally aligning daily actions with those values. The conversation also covers the voluntary hardship of choosing challenging, growth-oriented tasks to build resilience for when things go wrong (and they will). They also discuss the practice of delegation and the difference between fleeting happiness and long-term joy.

00:00 Introduction 01:59 Meet Ryan Matt Reynolds 03:30 The journey to writing Undoing Urgency 05:28 Why urgency is a universal issue 06:20 The deeper purpose behind the book 08:53 Why urgency matters to Ryan personally 10:03 The link between urgency and core values 12:05 Lessons learned through failure 13:24 Writing a legacy for future generations 14:07 From “busy” to what really matters 15:06 Hardships are part of life but what kind? 15:28 The concept of voluntary hardship 17:33 Voluntary hardship prepares us for the involuntary 19:29 Practical hardships in leadership and life 20:16 Delegation as a leadership turning point 21:10 Letting go to grow 23:49 Building a leadership team 25:43 Training your team to take ownership 27:19 Moving from technician to CEO 28:00 Joy vs happiness 29:40 Why joy comes from alignment with core values 31:13 Finding joy in the process not the destination 33:12 Teaching our kids and teams about joy 34:49 What Ryan does for fun 35:33 Intentional time for what matters 37:14 Your calendar is a truth teller 38:07 Urgency vs importance 39:16 Book recommendation: Never Enough by Andrew Wilkinson 40:51 Final thoughts on values joy and learning 44:44 Outro and reminder to subscribe

Ryan's Story: Ryan Matt Reynolds is the author of Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things That Matter Most, a strength and conditioning coach, and a former professional strongman. He is the founder, owner, and CEO of Barbell Logic, one of the largest online strength and nutrition coaching companies in the world. With 25 years of experience in his industry, Reynolds’ focus is on redefining traditional personal training by creating connections in the online space and increasing access to professional coaches.

https://x.com/ReynoldsSTRONG 

Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos. 

• Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things that Matter Most by Ryan Matt Reynolds
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
• Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire by Andrew Wilkinson

• Leadership Productivity Principles with Maura Thomas
• How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World with Christian Madsbjerg

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP

Are you coasting toward your goals—or are you running through the tape?

In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry explores the powerful metaphor of running through the tape, borrowed from the world of track and field, and applies it to leadership, goal-setting, and personal growth. Whether you're finishing a project, wrapping up a quarter, or achieving a milestone, how you finish matters.

Kevin shares four compelling reasons why finishing strong isn't just good practice—it's essential for great leadership.

💡 Discover:

• What it really means to run through the tape

• Why leaders must finish strong to lead by example

• How this mindset prepares you for the next challenge

• And how to build lasting momentum in your leadership journey

📘 This episode is inspired by Kevin’s new book: Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence. Learn more: https://KevinEikenberry.com/flexible 

My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast.

I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button.

Learn more about our offerings:

➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ BOOK: Check out my latest book, The Long-Distance Teammate: https://longdistanceteammate.com/ ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/ 

Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/

About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s).

About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.

If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below.

Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group

If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes 

Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP