Success Secrets and Stories
Intro - Podcast Purpose: To share management leadership concepts that actually work. You are responsible for your development as a leader. Don't expect the boss to invest the training budget in your career. Consider this podcast as an investment of time in your career, with a bit of management humor added at the same time.
Episodes
What if your tech stack made people feel more capable, more connected, and more heard? We dive into a people-first playbook for leaders, educators, and builders who want technology to amplify human potential rather than squeeze it into a workflow. From high-fidelity remote collaboration that makes distributed teams feel in the room to mobile video that turns solo field work into instant teamwork, John and Greg share p...
What if the fastest way to stronger results isn’t a bold new strategy but a return to fundamentals? We dive into the leadership playbook behind Kurt Cignetti’s rapid turnaround at Indiana University football, and translate his on-field methods into tools any manager can use to reset expectations, stabilize culture, and lower stress across the team.
We start with clarity. Cignetti wins by obsessing over basics...
Retention is changing fast, and so are the tools leaders can use to keep people engaged, growing, and proud to stay. We explore how supervisors and managers can blend real human coaching with smart AI insights to protect high performers, prevent burnout, and turn feedback into visible progress. The conversation starts with why people leave—stalled growth, weak communication, unfair loads, and unclear rewards—then move...
Leadership shouldn’t feel like a solo climb. When pressure builds and decisions stack up, the difference between burning out and bouncing back is often a small circle of real friends who listen, challenge, and show up. We explore how to go beyond likes and contacts to build genuine connection that strengthens emotional resilience and makes you a better leader and a better human.
Greg and I unpack why “more ne...
Culture isn’t a poster on the wall; it’s the behavior people feel every day. We unpack how leadership at all levels turns values into action, why true empowerment requires daily coaching, and how identity and mission shape whether a job becomes a source of pride or just a paycheck. Through candid stories—earning a vice president title the hard way, and a bracing town hall where new owners announced a site closure—we e...
Ever watched a meeting get hijacked by the loudest voice and wondered what real inclusion would look like instead? We unpack the concrete moves that turn leadership ideals into daily practice: listening before speaking, setting fair norms, inviting quieter voices, and designing systems that help everyone contribute at full capacity—whether your team is in-office, remote, or somewhere in between.
We start by r...
Ever felt the room get quieter the moment your title got louder? John and Greg unpacking the hidden epidemic of leadership loneliness—why it shows up, how it quietly shapes decisions and culture, and the practical moves that bring leaders back into real connection without sacrificing authority.
We start with the masks leaders are taught to wear: projecting certainty, playing it cool on camera, and carrying co...
Promotions feel like arrival, but the real journey starts when the title lands and the gap between managing tasks and leading people becomes painfully clear. The guys unpack "What we wish we knew before stepping up!"
How credibility is earned in action, why clarity beats complexity, and how to build trust that survives crises, change, and long weeks.
John shares a defining story from the plant floor...
Leadership gets real when learning is baked into daily work. We explore how to turn existing systems—incident command drills, compliance training, audits, and planning cycles—into a living leadership lab that strengthens communication, trust, and decision-making without a massive budget. Drawing on deep healthcare experience, we break down how OSHA and FEMA-driven requirements create a common language across nursing, ...
Predicting the future won’t make your team faster, but building a plan you can adapt will. John and Greg dive into strategic vision that survives uncertainty by shifting the spotlight from rigid five-year promises to flexible execution, concrete process goals, and review rhythms that actually move the needle. Along the way, we compare outcome goals to process goals, show how quarterly and monthly check-ins create mome...
A fire alarm rings. What do you do?... Do you wait for an action committee or act with clarity and speed? We dive into the real mechanics of critical decision making—from false alarms and incident command to a flooded manufacturing floor where seconds and amps collide. Along the way, we show how a simple, one-page SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) builds trust, cuts through politics, and keeps t...
Want a leadership edge that actually works when the pressure spikes? John sit down with Andrew Oxley, founder of Transforming Results, to unpack why the best bosses are both tough and deeply supportive—and how that balance creates real accountability without constant crackdowns. We challenge the myth that leadership keeps reinventing itself and focus on principles that still deliver: clarity, coaching, and consistency...
Results don’t care about your intention—and that’s exactly why they’re the most honest measure of leadership. We take you from a formative Management By Responsibility moment—shifting from truck mechanic to frontline supervisor—through a practical breakdown of what makes leaders promotable: owning outcomes, communicating so clearly that action becomes inevitable, and developing people who can replace you without missi...
Promotions rarely hinge on perfect reports—they hinge on proof that you grow people, steer outcomes, and communicate when it counts. John and greg open with a simple shift that changes everything: start with WIIFM—the listener’s “what’s in it for me”—and build leadership from the audience’s needs, not your talking points. From there, we map the real hiring filters (degrees, certifications, years of experience, capital...
A milestone is only meaningful if it changes what we do next. We’re celebrating 100 episodes by unpacking the MBR leadership framework, mapping advise from avoidance to transformation, and showing how data, story, and practice experiences combine to create lasting impact you can measure and feel.
We break down the eight MBR competencies—strategic foresight, global citizenship, disruptive mindset, people-first...
Ever wondered why some workplaces seem to hum with energy while others feel like productivity graveyards? The answer might surprise you. Leadership experts John Wandolowski and Greg Powell unpack the fascinating connection between workplace joy and bottom-line results in this eye-opening conversation.
Backed by compelling research, they reveal that companies fostering workplace happiness see 21% higher profit...
Resistance to change isn't a sign of defiance—it's often a signal of deep engagement. Join John and Greg discussing this revelation that stands at the heart of our exploration into organizational transformation, where we unpack why 70% of change initiatives fail and what the successful 30% do differently.
Drawing from cutting-edge psychological research, we reveal how people develop what experts cal...
The workplace revolution sparked by COVID has permanently transformed how we lead teams. While many employees have returned to offices, a significant portion of the workforce remains remote, challenging leaders to develop new approaches to connection, communication, and culture-building across distances.
"Remote does not mean removed" serves as our guiding principle as we dive into the six critical ...
Are you trapped in the long-hours fallacy? One host confesses he once wore 12-hour workdays as a badge of honor until a colleague bluntly pointed out: "The last thing I'd do is brag about taking 12 hours to do your job. You're just incompetent." This wake-up call revolutionized his approach to time management—and can transform yours too.
Time management isn't just about squeezing more...
John introduces Will Sampson, Coach and Author. Will discusses challenges of conventional leadership wisdom, revealing why great leaders succeed not through control but by empowering others to shine. Drawing from his experience as a former director of change for a 53,000-person organization leading a $12 billion merger, Sampson shares how his personal journey through addiction recovery transformed his understanding o...
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