Leadership Levers

Hosted by William Gladhart

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Latest episode

Apr 2026

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About the show

This podcast spotlights leaders' actions so they may enhance their organization’s performance and culture. We feature CEOs and industry-recognized Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who share their experiences and insights on three key challenges: people, performance, and profit. If you are a leader who wants to learn from your peers about improving performance and financial returns, please join us.

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59 recent

April 30, 2026Episode 610 min

The Exit Isn’t the End: Mike Tracy on Purpose, Identity & Life After Selling a Business

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 of stepping away brought unexpected challenges.Mike shares:Why planning an “off-ramp” before the exit is critical The emotional challenge of watching new owners run your business differently Why relationships and networks don’t turn off after a sale What he missed most and still misses about leading a team How he re-engaged his time through mentoring, boards, and giving back Why purpose, health, and structure matter more than ever post-exit. For owners thinking or approaching a transition, this conversation is a reminder: the exit is not the end of leadership...it’s the beginning of a new chapter that requires just as much intention as building the business itself.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

April 10, 2026Episode 616 min

Leadership Capacity Under Pressure: Logan Yanovac on Culture, Process & Founder Readiness

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, Logan explains why most organizations fail to measure what matters most: a leader’s ability to manage complexity, pressure, and decision-making over time.As she built her own company, Logan encountered this challenge firsthand — realizing that even with strong networks and a clear vision, missing process and infrastructure can slow growth quickly.Logan walks through:Why leadership capacity — not strategy — often determines business outcomesHow early process gaps, especially in sales and lead generation, create growth constraintsThe importance of building systems before relying on networksWhy founders must recognize and act quickly on operational gapsHow stress and pressure test whether culture is real or theoreticalThe overlooked need for manager coaching — and why it’s a systemic issue across organizations. For leaders building and scaling organizations, this conversation is a reminder: performance challenges rarely start in the numbers — they start in leadership capacity, process discipline, and the ability to operate under pressure.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

April 1, 2026Episode 511 min

Consistency Drives Performance: Jon Dario on Standards, Execution & Leadership

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 multi-location operations, John explains why culture starts with people — but performance depends on clarity.John walks through:Why people are the foundation, but process determines consistencyHow inconsistent execution creates volatility in results and engagementThe power of defining a clear “pyramid of standards” across the organizationWhy leadership teams must align on priorities before expecting executionHow daily routines reinforce culture and operational disciplineThe mindset shift from blaming people to guiding them toward success. For leaders managing growth, scale, or multi-location teams, this conversation is a reminder: performance doesn’t fail because people don’t care — it fails when leaders don’t define what success looks like.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

March 2, 2026Episode 411 min

Process Before Profit: Andrew Abraham on Building Culture That Actually Scales

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 critical lever. But after scaling too quickly without operational clarity, he realized something deeper — even star players fail without structure and clear leadership direction. Andrew walks through:Why process — not people — was the real bottleneck in early growthHow direct accountability starts with the leader, not the teamThe difference between hiring talent and aligning personnel to the missionWhy servant leadership creates cultural gravityHis belief that entrepreneurship is a deeply spiritual journey — and why leaders must listen to their hearts as much as their metrics. For leaders building in high-growth environments, this conversation is a reminder: sustainable performance isn’t built on charisma or hiring velocity — it’s built on clarity, alignment, and systems that allow great people to win.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

January 7, 2026Episode 316 min

From Wall Street to Garage Startup: Matt Plooster’s Culture-First Blueprint for Investment Banking

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 of the business — they ARE the business.Matt’s story is anything but typical. A small-town Nebraskan who once walked on to play football at the University of Nebraska, he later found himself on Wall Street working on some of the largest private equity deals in the world. But purpose — not prestige — pulled him home.In this conversation, Matt opens up about the cultural principles that define Bridgepoint and how investing deeply in people has become his firm’s most important competitive edge.Matt walks through:Why culture is the only sustainable differentiator in high-performance service industriesThe leadership tension between scaling fast and protecting standardsWhy most people problems are really clarity and accountability problemsThe investment resources Bridgepoint makes in its people — from success coaches to supportive chaplainsHow mission, purpose, and trust strengthen both the work and the financial outcomesWhy gratitude and perspective matter more as the stakes get higher. For leaders navigating growth, hiring or culture drift, Matt’s story is a reminder that the real engine of performance isn’t strategy or capital — it’s people who believe in what they’re building together.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

December 15, 2025Episode 212 min

Your Culture Called - It Wants Its Standards Back: Mike Walrod on Accountability & Leadership Drift

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 Strategies and 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 organizations - people issues ignored at the top become performance issues everywhere else.Through EOS’s “right person, right seat” framework, Mike helps leadership teams confront misalignment, rebuild trust, and reset expectations—often for the first time in years. And when leaders finally raise the bar, the culture responds almost immediately.Mike walks through:Why people issues must be fixed before processesHow one misaligned leader creates a ripple effect across culture and moraleWhy employees watch what leaders tolerate—not what they sayHow communication breakdowns fuel organizational driftWhy resetting standards begins with honest, direct conversations. Mike also shares how fractional integrators help teams rebuild trust, alignment, and clarity by reigniting honest conversations—often the first candid conversation the team has had in years.For leaders navigating team dysfunction, misalignment, or cultural stagnation, this episode is a reminder that accountability isn’t punitive—it's cultural stewardship. And culture changes the moment leaders decide to raise the bar again.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

December 6, 2025Episode 113 min

Culture Is a Power Grid - Chip Higgins on the Energy Behind Organizational Performance

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, Chip noticed a pattern: companies rarely fail from lack of capital — they fail from lack of energy. Drawing from concepts in his book The Bizzics Way, Chip explains how culture acts as the “power grid” of an organization, conducting the energy needed for alignment, velocity, and execution.Chip walks through:Why culture acts as an energy system — not a slogan or morale boosterHow one small breakdown in communication or process can cripple momentumWhy systems fail when people aren’t included early in the designThe hidden “heat” created when automation solves compliance but undermines executionHow local ownership can transform process redesign into cultural strength rather than cultural erosion. For leaders navigating automation, growth, system rollouts, or operational change, Chip’s insights offer a simple idea: momentum requires energy — and energy only flows through a culture built for connection, clarity, and ownership.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

September 12, 2025Episode 1210 min

From Scrambled Eggs to Empowered Leadership - Joshua Miller’s Journey to Organizational Clarity

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 food service industry. Today, he helps organizations turn chaos into clarity by building cultures where process and empowerment work together.A great real-world example - a client’s well-meaning efforts to empower leaders & managers led to confusion, overlapping innovations, and operational slowdown. Joshua stepped in to help realign, but there was a turning point - a discovery process that surfaced surprising insights through confidential, one-on-one interviews - showing that even in dysfunction, the team deeply respected their leaders, wanted to improve and drive growth. Joshua walks through:Why process - not people - was a real problem in this leadership challengeThe downside of innovation without alignment or structureHow linear thinking can be a leadership asset or a liabilityWhy psychological safety and clear feedback loops drive better outcomesHis reminder that leading others well starts with treating them how you'd want to be led. For leaders navigating complex teams or culture drift, this episode offers practical insight into how empowered leadership and intentional process can unlock performance.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

September 8, 2025Episode 1017 min

The Magician's Approach to Leadership, Culture & Marketing with Jimi Gibson

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 stayed focused on what matters most: culture, communication, and connection. At Thrive, where industry turnover can reach 50%, his team maintains a voluntary turnover rate of just 5% - a direct result of intentional culture-building and leadership decisions.When a hierarchical structure started to crumble under the weight of growth, Jimi led the company through a major transformation, shifting to a matrix model. Their approach included an “alpha team,” a communications plan that invited team feedback, and a strong commitment to protecting trust and continuity.Why setting clear expectations - and setting realistic expectations about the difficulty of change - was essential to success.Jimi also breaks down his magic-to-marketing framework that taps into core human neurological responses - to drive better connection and communication.We cover:How Thrive maintained stability while transforming operationsWhy matrix teams helped restore trust and clarity internallyThe neuroscience behind compelling messaging—and what magicians know that marketers forgetHow clear expectations and structured pilots kept their culture strong during changeFor agency leaders, marketing executives or any team navigating growth and restructuring, this conversation is full of insight - and a reminder that the best culture strategies are the ones that stick when pressure hits.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.

July 28, 2025Episode 98 min

From Food Service to SaaS - Tucker Graves on Culture, Growth & Asking for Help

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 with the challenge of running a company they weren’t fully equipped to lead, Tucker and his co-founder didn’t fake expertise - they asked for help. That simple act of vulnerability became a cultural foundation, transforming how they built the team and tackled growth.Tucker walks through:The real impact of process gaps when scaling a companyHow embracing vulnerability helped align their team and cultureWhy honesty builds trust faster than pretending to have all the answersThe performance formula that guides his decisions - investments come from growth, and growth comes from people.For leaders navigating unfamiliar terrain or high-impact growth, this episode is a reminder that admitting what you don’t know might be your greatest leadership strength.We'd love your feedback on how we can improve - send us a Text!!Seeking to align your culture, boost performance & impact your bottom line? Let’s chat—no sales, just real talk about your challenges. Not ready? Join our PL3 Community for free insights & connections.