Visionary Leader with Jim Robinson

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236

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Nov 2026

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About the show

Leadership growth doesn’t happen by accident. Designed for leaders who are serious about growing, this podcast features thoughtful conversations and real-world lessons that deliver practical guidance to help you navigate your career, strengthen your leadership skills, and step confidently into your next level. Whether you’re leading a team today or preparing for what’s next, the Visionary Leader with Jim Robinson podcast will help you grow with empathy, clarity, and impact so you’re not just learning about leadership, you’re practicing it.

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November 6, 2026Episode 24127 min

Leadership vs Management: Delegating Without Micromanaging

Leadership vs. management isn't a title change. Control gets compliance, influence gets commitment, and Jim Robinson explains how to make the shift. Too many companies rename their managers "leaders" without ever developing them into leaders. In this episode, Jim and Lori Prust break down why managers should manage processes and systems, not people, and why trying to control people leads to burnout, stifled creativity, and turnover. Jim shares his three-step approach to delegating, the "coach or quit" lens for seeing how your team and clients really perceive you, and the one thing you can let go of this week. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:39 The difference between managing and leading 2:15 Why control backfires 4:30 Managers manage systems, not people 6:07 Give people autonomy 7:46 The mindset shift: recognizing your own influence 11:59 What to do when you're afraid to let go of control 13:30 Jim's three-step approach to delegating 15:14 Give away the wins, own the losses 17:06 Why more rules don't create accountability 19:27 Five to Thrive and Ten to Win 21:16 Self-perception vs. reality 24:27 They coach you or they quit you 26:37 Key takeaway: one thing to let go of this week ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #leadershipvsmanagement #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

October 30, 2026Episode 24014 min

Holding Employees Accountable Without Losing Trust

Accountability conversations don't have to make you the bad guy. Done right, they're one of the most caring things a leader can do. Most new leaders avoid accountability because it feels like punishment, for them and for their team. Jim Robinson and Lori Prust break down the difference between accountability as punishment and accountability as service, and why curiosity, clarity, and ownership turn hard conversations into trust-builders. Jim also shares how to handle someone who keeps missing expectations, and why he believes 99% of business failures trace back to management and leadership, not employees. ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:00 – Introduction 0:28 – Why leaders avoid accountability conversations 1:24 – Accountability as punishment vs. accountability as service 4:04 – Curiosity: ask "how," not "why" 5:11 – Clarity: attack the problem, not the person 6:27 – Holding a high standard without damaging trust 8:45 – What happens when trust breaks down 10:11 – When someone keeps missing expectations 12:25 – The one conversation to stop avoiding this week 14:06 – Key takeaway ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #accountability #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

October 22, 2026Episode 23920 min

New Manager Mistakes: Why Great Foremen Struggle to Lead

Becoming a new manager means trading control for trust, and the skills that got you promoted from foreman won't get you there. Jim Robinson and Lori Prust break down why mastery-level technical skills don't translate to leadership, and what the emotional shift from doing everything yourself to leading a team actually takes. Jim walks through the three-step delegation process his companies use, explains why the word "boss" is off-limits inside his organizations, and describes the "mirror" practice that helps new managers see when the recurring problem is them. ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:26 Why great foremen don't automatically make great leaders 1:37 The hardest emotional adjustment: letting go of control 3:18 The 3-step delegation process 4:40 Leading like a coach 6:19 Why every new manager needs a mentor 7:55 How the relationship with your old crew changes 9:25 Why we don't use the word "boss" 11:04 Manage process, not people 11:58 Asking former peers for permission to lead 12:18 The biggest mistakes in the first few months 14:05 Where to start: use the mirror 15:58 What Jim wishes he'd known at 19 16:49 Critical thinking: a gift that can become a curse 18:47 Be friendly, not friends 20:04 Key takeaway --- ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. 🔗 Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ 🔗 Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP 🔗 Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ 🔗 Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #newmanager #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

October 16, 2026Episode 23819 min

New Leader Advice: What Nobody Tells You on Day One

Going from manager to leader isn't about doing more. It's about learning to let go. Nobody sits down and teaches you how to lead. They hand you the title and expect you to figure it out. Jim Robinson and Lori Prust break down why the jump from doer to leader is so painful, how Jim uses an 80/20 rule to separate leaders from managers, and why "the higher the level, the bigger the devil." Plus, Jim's advice for anyone who just got promoted: get crystal clear on what winning looks like, every single day. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:24 What "visionary leader" actually means 1:38 Why your first leadership role is so painful 3:03 Leadership is more about letting go 4:13 Why not every great manager becomes a leader 5:45 The 80/20 rule for leaders vs. managers 6:33 The first mental shift for a new leader 7:48 Success through others, not accolades 9:58 Why leadership gets lonely 10:36 How ego changes as you move up 12:23 Can you learn vision casting? 14:44 Mentorship and feeling worthy 15:55 Leaders command, managers demand 16:17 Does a 90-day plan work for new leaders? 18:15 Just promoted? Start here 18:59 Five to thrive: defining what winning looks like ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/

October 9, 2026Episode 23739 min

How to Lead Your Team Through Change | Tara Tharpe

Leading through change starts with a pause. Change architect Tara Tharpe joins Jim Robinson and Lori Prust to explain why the best leaders slow down before they move. When change hits, most leaders do one of two things: they freeze, or they charge ahead faster than their team can follow. Tara, founder of She Is Changed, shares why an intentional pause is the first step in leading through change. She explains how listening before solving builds trust during layoffs, and how to create stability for your team even when you can't give them certainty. ⏱️Chapters 0:22 Meet Tara Tharpe 1:31 The two ways leaders get change wrong 2:21 Why leaders need to pause, not react 3:10 Reacting vs. responding: Tara's empty-nest lesson 3:55 When you pause, your team gets permission to pause 7:17 Defining the pause: "Fueling the Flame" 9:06 Slow down to speed up 10:54 How to pause when the deadlines don't stop 12:10 Listen first: leading a team through layoffs 16:44 Asking yourself better questions 20:15 How to create stability without certainty 21:00 The three answers to any question 22:17 Leading through your own layoff 26:56 Clarity comes as you move 30:27 The first step in leading through change 32:03 Why leaders must be decisive 36:02 Tara's one takeaway on change 38:51 Where to find Tara and the CHANGED framework — ABOUT TARA THARPE Tara Tharpe is a change architect coach and the founder of She Is Changed. She helps people navigate significant life and leadership transitions, especially the moments when change forces us to reconsider who we are and how we move forward. A veteran of leading global teams and of three corporate layoffs herself, Tara created the CHANGED framework to help leaders and individuals move forward with clarity and confidence. Website: https://sheischanged.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taratharpe/ — ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #leadingthroughchange #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

October 2, 2026Episode 23634 min

Leadership vs Management: Why Good Employees Disengage

Leadership vs. management comes down to one word: influence. In this Visionary Leader throwback episode, Jim Robinson revisits his conversation with Steve Blair. Steve spent 16 years at Procter & Gamble, including leading the diaper business on the Walmart account, before moving into people and culture leadership full time. He walks through the four chapters of his leadership journey and explains why he filters every decision through company values. He also shares his "no surprises" rule for performance reviews and the Gallup data showing how much a manager's own engagement moves their team, in either direction. ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 0:23 Meet Steve Blair 1:14 The four chapters of a leadership career 4:57 Imposter syndrome 7:31 Helping people love the work they do 9:03 Leadership vs. management 11:25 How leaders take responsibility for culture 12:50 Filtering every decision through your values 13:51 The power of vulnerable transparency 15:25 Authenticity as a core value 17:12 Setting clear expectations 19:11 No surprises in performance reviews 19:49 Buy-in-based development 21:33 Why not every manager becomes a leader 22:59 Challenging people while caring for them 25:30 Modeling behavior through storytelling 31:35 Why manager engagement moves the needle — ABOUT STEVE BLAIR After 16 years at Procter & Gamble, he has spent the last decade in people and culture leadership. He describes his mission as helping people love the work they've been given and helping leaders and founders build cultures worth loving. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairsteve/ --- ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #EOS #visionaryleader

September 25, 2026Episode 23523 min

Ego in Leadership: Where Leaders Cross the Line

Ego in leadership isn't the problem. Crossing the line into arrogance is. Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into the traits of visionary leaders, starting with why "check your ego at the door" is bad advice and how to tell healthy ego from arrogance. They then turn to self-awareness: why every leader has it, why most don't acknowledge it, and how owning your emotions builds trust with your team. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 0:40 The core traits of a visionary leader 2:21 Where ego shows up in leadership 3:22 Why "check your ego at the door" doesn't work 4:59 Ego, significance, and the need to matter 5:52 Balancing ego and humility 6:35 The line between ego and arrogance 9:40 Self-awareness: the misunderstood trait 10:27 Leading people through emotional moments 12:46 Reading a new hire's ego on day one 13:21 How to become self-aware 16:12 Why Jim lets his team see him emotional 18:42 Be grateful in all things 20:40 The myth of overnight success 23:21 Key takeaway: change your story, change your life ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #EOS #visionaryleader

September 18, 2026Episode 23423 min

AI in Construction: Why You're Not Behind (Yet)

If you're not using AI in your construction business, the guy next door could be outpacing you 10 to 1. That's the reality Jim Robinson lays out in this episode. Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into how AI is actually reshaping construction and trades companies, not in theory, but in daily use. Jim shares how his company uses AI for analytics, proposal generation, and regional projections, the guardrails he's built to protect company data, and why he believes nobody who's "in the game" with AI is actually behind. ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:45 – The Next 3–5 Years for AI in Construction 2:04 – AI-Powered Client Trackers in Action 3:23 – Are You Behind? Rethinking the AI Race 4:08 – Where AI Adds the Most Value: Estimating & Proposals 5:49 – Building AI Into Vision & Strategy 6:08 – AI as a High-Producing Team Member 7:22 – Managing AI's Mistakes & Guardrails 8:41 – How the Team Has Embraced AI 9:49 – Jim's Journey: From Skeptic to Advocate 11:05 – Why Jim Still Writes His Own Content 12:05 – ChatGPT vs. Copilot vs. Claude 13:33 – AI and the Future of Hiring 14:33 – Will AI Replace Jobs? 15:57 – Fewer Roles, Sharper Focus, Less Turnover 16:21 – Jim's Vision: 50 States by 2030 17:15 – The Human in the Middle: Self-Review System 18:59 – Guardrails: Access & Regional Data 20:57 – Final Take: Embrace AI or Get Outpaced ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #EOS #visionaryleader

September 11, 2026Episode 23321 min

How to Get Out of the Day-to-Day as a Trades CEO

Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into what leadership looks like once EOS moves from rollout to daily operating rhythm, including the excellence scale Jim uses to define success, why letting go is the hardest transition for founders, and how his weekly leadership meeting turns friction into real problem-solving. Jim also shares how personality and behavioral assessments help him read a room instantly, and why he believes a business built on EOS is the only kind you can actually sell, scale, or step away from. In this episode: ✅ How to define "excellence” so your team knows exactly what they're aiming for. ✅ Why letting go is the hardest leadership transition ✅ Tips for elevating the weekly leadership meeting ✅ Why building your business on EOS is transferable and sellable ✅ The 10% rule for budgets and projections to keep every department accountable ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:41 – Getting a handle on EOS 1:31 – The Good, Great, Excellent, Olympian scale 2:53 – Defining success so the whole team knows the target 3:58 – Why letting go is the hardest part for leaders 4:40 – Building the trust required to let go 5:50 – Visionary vs. Integrator 7:25 – Getting comfortable hearing "no" 8:02 – The weekly leadership meeting: structure and cadence 10:24 – Front-loading: solving problems before they happen 11:44 – Common EOS mistakes 13:20 – The 10% rule for budgets and projections 14:08 – Using DISC, IQ, and human-needs assessments on the team 15:17 – Why the weekly meeting needs to get "elevated" 16:20 – Case study: leading a team member through a personal crisis 17:21 – "Change your story, change your life" 19:15 – Why EOS implementation is "a piece of cake" 19:46 – Companies that run on EOS vs. companies that don't 21:24 – Closing thoughts ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #EOS #visionaryleader

September 4, 2026Episode 23224 min

DISC Personality Types: Why Your Team Isn't Hearing You

Ever wonder why your "clear" instructions leave your team confused? Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into the DISC personality framework and how understanding it is the key to actually being heard as a leader. In this episode: Why high-D communicators assume everyone "got it" the first time The difference between changing your personality and flexing your communication style Why calling people out in meetings often reveals a leader's own blind spot, not the team's How to speak the "language" of high-S and high-C team members without losing your authenticity What real empathy looks like when a team member is going through something hard The one-word tip Jim gives every leader who wants to communicate more clearly ⏱️Chapters 0:23 – Today's topic: DISC and empathy 1:23 – Breaking down the "D" (Dominance) in DISC 3:52 – Why high-D leaders think they're already communicating clearly 5:44 – You can't change your DISC profile 8:39 – The mistake of calling people out 9:52 – Why great communicators never have to single anyone out 11:03 – How DISC training runs inside Jim's company 11:32 – Why high-D's get overwhelmed by high-C detail (and vice versa) 13:31 – DISC as a product of your personality, environment, and experience 15:21 – Defining empathy 16:08 – A real story: showing up for a team member in crisis 18:56 – The hardest DISC combination 21:07 – Jim's #1 tip for clearer team communication 23:47 – Closing thoughts ABOUT VISIONARY LEADER Leadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership. Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ #leadership #executivecoaching #DISCpersonality #leadershipcommunication #visionaryleader