Leadership Levers

What happens when leaders give people permission to make decisions - even if they get some of them wrong?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Eric Cantu, CEO of Precision AI Workforce, shares how a career spanning rehabilitation, education, entrepreneurship, and AI shaped his approach to building cultures where people feel empowered to perform. 

For Eric, leadership isn't about having control over every decision. It's about gi...

What happens when a high performer delivers results, but damages the culture around them?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Frank Clark, President and CEO of Encore Leadership Advisors, shares why people - not profit - must remain the top priority for leaders who want sustainable performance. 

Drawing on decades of experience in executive search, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership consulting, Frank explains why culture...

What happens when organizations try to do everything at once?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Monisha Longacre, founder of Productivity 101 and a fractional COO, shares why leadership today is less about doing more and more about creating clarity when there is constant change. 

Drawing from experience across enterprise organizations, startups, and growing businesses, Monisha explains why culture remains the foundation of b...

What happens after the deal closes - when the business is no longer yours?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Mike Tracy, founder of Omni HRM, reflects on what comes next after leading and selling a business built over 30+ years.

Unlike many founders who treat the exit as a finish line, Mike approached it differently - intentionally designing a multi-year transition to prepare for what came next.

But even with planning, the reality...

What happens when leadership capacity becomes the limiting factor in growth?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Logan Yanovac, CEO and co-founder of the Founder Readiness Institute, shares how gaps in leadership development — not strategy — are often the root cause of underperformance in both startups and middle-market companies. 

Drawing from a career in private equity, venture capital, and impact investing, Loga...

What causes performance to break down across an organization — even when you have good people in place?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Jon Dario, founder of Retail Management Formula and CEO of Edison Properties, shares how inconsistent execution across 250+ locations exposed a critical leadership gap: without clear standards, every team creates its own version of success.

Drawing from decades of experience in retail and...

What happens when you hire great people, but still don’t get great results?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Andrew Abraham, CEO and co-founder of Heybuddy, shares how early hiring mistakes forced him to confront a hard truth: talent doesn’t compensate for missing process.

As a young founder building a customer-consciousness platform for CPG and e-commerce brands, Andrew initially believed people were the most critic...

What happens when a former Wall Street banker trades skyscrapers for a garage — and builds a mission-driven investment bank from scratch?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Matt Plooster, Founder & CEO of Bridgepoint Investment Banking, shares the remarkable journey that took him from billion-dollar transactions at Deutsche Bank to launching a boutique firm with a simple belief: people and culture aren’t just part...

What happens when a leader avoids the hard people decisions—and everyone else quietly lowers their standards to match?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Mike Walrod, founder of Incite Business Strategiesand longtime fractional integrator of EOS shares why accountability is one of the most powerful cultural signals a leader sends.

With over 30 years in operations and executive roles, Mike has seen the same pattern across org...

What happens when your culture functions like a power grid — and one small disconnect shuts down momentum across the organization?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Chip Higgins, founder of Bizzics and a former 40-year banker, explores why culture and process failures create more organizational heat, friction, and performance stalls than any financial constraint ever could.

After decades advising owner-managed businesses, C...

What happens when empowered leadership goes unchecked - and everyone "starts running with scissors?"

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Joshua Miller, Founder & Principal of Remarkable Foods, shares how his food service consulting work revealed a hidden leadership trap - giving too much freedom without clear frameworks.

Joshua’s journey started with scrambled eggs at age eight and evolved into executive leadership in the...

What happens when rapid growth exposes cracks in your structure - and you decide to rebuild from the inside out?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Jimi Gibson, VP of Brand Communications at Thrive Agency, shares how his team preserved culture while scaling fast - and what marketing and magic have in common.

Jimi's leadership journey spans from graphic designer to creative director to executive leader. Along the way, he’s st...

What happens when leaders stop pretending and start leading with vulnerability?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, Tucker Graves, CEO and co-founder of Pineapple Academy, shares how his content training company unexpectedly pivoted into the world of SaaS - and the leadership lessons that came with it.

With roots in a multi-generational family business, Tucker brings a grounded perspective on culture, growth, and people. When faced...

Is bigger always better?

In this episode of Leadership Levers, we sit down with David Mandel, Managing Partner at Emerging Ventures Capital, to explore how culture, capital, and leadership collide in high-growth environments.

David shares his journey from aspiring AI researcher in the 1980s to serial entrepreneur and now venture investor - offering a rare, full-circle view of leadership evolution. 

Having built and exited four un...

The relationship between organizational culture and business success has never been more critical - or more complex. How can today’s leaders strengthen culture in ways that drive performance and connection, especially across remote and hybrid teams?

In this Leadership Levers episode, we sit down with Charles Windsor, CEO of Oakwood Systems Group and TalentPort Inc, to unpack the connection between culture, performance, and lea...

What does it take to build a winning culture - on the court and in the office?

Highlights Covered

• Why process and mindset matter more than results
• How a “Pyramid of Success” model shaped team performance at KU
• The hidden cost of one bad actor on a high-performing team
• Leadership takeaway - be a star in your role, even if it’s behind the scenes
• Mindset principle: Live life in the hills and valleys, not at the peaks o...

What happens when you shift from a culture of “can’t” to a culture of “can”?

Highlights Covered

• How a new leader used the first 90 days to map change across an entire organization
• The power of listening, documenting, and acting to build trust and momentum
• Why transitioning from a mindset of “can’t” to “can” unlocks empowerment, innovation, and accountability
• Real-world exam...

Is your next level of growth a process problem or a people problem?

Highlights Covered

• How a three-tier, national franchise model adds complexity to culture alignment
• The difference between handing out handbooks and living your mission
• Why the right senior hire is often the real unlock for growth
• How Covid forced consistent, system-wide communication and culture buy-in
• Leadership takeaway - most plateaus aren’t solved with how ...

What happens when the market isn’t the problem - but the messenger is? 

Highlights Covered

• Why product strategy often turns into culture therapy
• A case study - success metrics masked a deeper cultural breakdown
• How fear of leadership can quietly derail execution
• Leadership takeaway: Start every meeting with “How are you doing today?”

Summary

This episode reveals how behind every market-facing issue - there ...