Ep 102: The Courage to Live - Day One as a Leader

In this episode of The Courage to Live, Jenna and I talk about what it really feels like to step into leadership on day one. I share the story of my first night as a brand-new sergeant, the pressure I put on myself to have all the answers, and the moment I had to say, “I don’t know, let me look it up,” instead of faking it. We also get into the unique challenge of being promoted over your peers, how that changes relationships, and how Jenna navigated going from “coworker” to “boss” after eleven years with the same team.

From there, we break down the shift from being good at the job to learning the job of leadership. We talk about becoming a student of leadership, why understanding human behavior matters more than memorizing buzzwords, and how to think about motivation and experience when you’re leading a team. We wrap with a hard look at delegation, the trap of trying to do everything yourself, and one question every leader should be asking: “Am I working harder than my people?” If you’re newly promoted, preparing for your first leadership role, or just trying to get better at leading humans instead of tasks, this conversation is for you.