#Roadto10K: September 2025: Life is a Highway

September’s Road to 10K digs into how positive, repeatable habits become the engine of team culture and performance. Host Ryan Gray is joined by Brian Shanks (Texas State University), Annie Foster (Washington and Lee University; HETMA Secretary), and Steve Greenblatt (Control Concepts) to swap practical frameworks: stacking habits so one triggers the next, using “alerts” to spot when you’re slipping, replacing the old “just get it done” reflex with “get it done right,” and gamifying quality through commissioning and scoring handoffs between integration and support. The group keeps outcomes at the center and treats process as a living system—iterated, owned, and measured.  

They also get into the leadership moves that make habits stick: start with trust, invite fresh eyes to question sacred cows, sell the vision (don’t just demand it), and build internal champions who keep momentum when attention shifts. Steve introduces EOS-style Level 10 rhythms as a repeatable structure for reviewing goals and metrics, while Brian and Annie show how empowerment at the “lowest level” creates real buy-in. It’s a timely, practical blueprint for September’s theme—Build a System—so your team can thrive when crunch time hits.  

Topics Discussed

• Habit stacking and using “alerts” to course-correct early.  
• Turning “get it done” culture into “get it done right” quality.  
• Commissioning + scoring spaces to close the loop between integration and support.  
• Trust first: empowering teams to solve problems at the lowest level.  
• Giving new hires permission to challenge the “agreed-upon way.”  
• Selling the vision vs. micromanaging; building champions of consistency.  
• Using cadence (e.g., EOS Level 10) to keep outcomes front-and-center.  
• Personal habit hacks: accountability, tiny disciplines, and rewards.  
• When habits become liabilities—recognizing and retiring outdated routines.  
• Mission → buy-in → habits → outcomes: aligning people systems like AV systems.  

Connect with Brian Shanks

• Email: [e-mail] 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-shanks-06428b36/

Connect with Annie Foster

• Email: [e-mail]  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankneefoster/  

Connect with Steve Greenblatt

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegreenblatt/
• https://controlconcepts.net
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-the-programmer/id1561530169
• https://www.avnation.tv/a-state-of-control/

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Show Links:

• HETMA Community: https://community.hetma.org
• Higher Ed AV Media: https://higheredav.com

This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media - www.higheredav.com

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