Visionary Leader with Jim Robinson

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226

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Aug 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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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

August 28, 2026Episode 23130 min

How to Cast a Vision Your Team Actually Follows

If your team doesn't buy into the vision, it's not because they don't care, it's because they don't see themselves in the story yet. Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into how to actually cast a vision that sticks: the difference between a vision and a goal, why storytelling (not authority) is what gets people to follow, and how repetition turns a one-time pitch into a habit your whole team lives by. In this episode: 🔍Why so many leaders confuse metrics and data with vision 🔍How to make people see their own role inside the bigger picture 🔍The framework Jim uses to cast vision on a weekly basis without losing sight of the long-term ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:43 – Why so many leaders struggle to share a vision 2:09 – The "why" every vision needs 3:37 – Translating vision into a story people can see themselves in 5:38 – Vision vs. goals vs. metrics 8:19 – Keeping the vision alive (and why money is just "bribery") 11:00 – What happens when people don't buy into the vision 12:35 – Vision creates community 15:52 – How to know if what you have is actually a vision 19:47 – A practical framework: casting vision in weekly huddles 22:48 – Unreasonable Hospitality, Ritz-Carlton, and raising the bar 25:56 – Step-by-step: how to cast a vision in your next team meeting 28:21 – Recap and final 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/ Sponsored by CGP Construction - https://www.cgpconstruction.com/

August 21, 2026Episode 23037 min

EOS Visionary vs Integrator: How to Lead Without Overwhelming Your Team

EOS visionary vs integrator: why the biggest thinker in the room can accidentally stall your team. Jim Robinson and Lori Prust break down the Visionary/Integrator dynamic inside the Entrepreneurial Operating System, and how visionary leaders unintentionally create overwhelm instead of momentum. In this episode: ✅Why a visionary's biggest strength can become a bottleneck for the team ✅How Jim shifted from blasting big ideas to "planting seeds" ✅Why the integrator role is the most critical piece of a visionary's execution ✅Using the Five Whys to get to the real root of a conflict or decision ✅Overcoming imposter syndrome as a leader ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 0:00 – Introduction 1:05 – What is EOS, and how a visionary can stall the team 1:42 – The "splatter gun" effect: how visionary strengths overwhelm a team 3:22 – How Jim's leadership approach has changed over 25 years 8:16 – Why the integrator is the most critical role in execution 11:13 – Building buy-in before the big meeting ever happens 13:35 – The real cost of moving too fast with too many ideas 15:35 – Context switching and why it exhausts a structure-driven team 21:56 – Imposter syndrome and staying current in a fast-changing market 23:01 – Time orientation, "date stamping," and decision-making styles 24:20 – Jim's 41-year journey and his vision for what's next 33:38 – The Five Whys and defusing team conflict through triangulation 36:38 – Final thoughts: know your lane, and accelerate what you do best 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 #EOSvisionaryvsintegrator #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

August 7, 2026Episode 22851 min

How To Actually Listen As A Leader (Green Beret Advice)

Green Beret Perry Blackburn joins Jim Robinson and Lori Prust to reveal why the best leaders listen first, act second, and how ego gets in the way. Perry Blackburn spent his career as a Green Beret combat diver, one of the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11, part of the horse-mounted "Horse Soldiers" featured in 12 Strong. After retiring, he founded AFG Free, a nonprofit that rescued over 2,000 Americans and allies after the fall of Kabul, and later started 18 Series Coffee Company to fund humanitarian aid in Ukraine. In this conversation, Perry breaks down the difference between split-second combat decisions and deliberate planning, why ego is the biggest barrier to listening, and how trust, built one decision at a time, is what actually holds a team together under pressure. ⏱️CHAPTERS 0:53 From Green Beret to Humanitarian: Perry's Story 3:04 Why Leaders Struggle to Listen 5:34 The Feedback That Changed His Leadership 7:27 "Uniqueness Wins": Embracing What Makes You Different 9:18 Ego Isn't Your Amigo: Empowering Your Team 11:17 Building Trust Through Buy-In 15:16 How Listening Builds Influence 16:09 A Split-Second Combat Decision in Afghanistan 20:34 Founding AFG Free: Rescuing Americans After Kabul Fell 29:00 Answering the Call: Lead with Empathy 30:11 18 Series Coffee Company: Bringing Aid to Ukraine 33:14 Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable 40:24 A Team Effort: Lobbying in Washington for Military Families 45:15 Perry's Best Advice for Becoming a Better Listener ABOUT PERRY BLACKBURN Perry Blackburn is a former Green Beret combat diver who served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, including as part of the horse-mounted "Horse Soldiers" featured in the film 12 Strong. He is the CEO and founder of AFG Free, a nonprofit that fed, sheltered, and evacuated American citizens and allies from Afghanistan after the 2021 withdrawal, and he later founded 18 Series Coffee Company to fund humanitarian aid in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. --- 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/ 📍 Jim's Book - Leading with Empathy: 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 #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

July 31, 2026Episode 22737 min

How to Lead a Trades Team Without Losing Their Respect

How to lead a trades team without losing their respect starts with one truth: the moment you get promoted, everything changes, for you and for them. In this episode, Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust dig into what actually happens when someone moves from peer to manager on a trades team. They cover why egos get big fast, how to keep your credibility while holding people accountable, and why self-awareness is what earns real respect from a team you used to call your buddies. ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 – Introduction 0:44 – Keeping your team's respect 2:25 – Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership and the ego trap 3:50 – The "I have to know it all" trap new leaders fall into 6:00 – Signals someone is ready to lead: the "Five to Thrive" framework 7:18 – Losing trust: the ego walk and becoming "the boss" 10:42 – Address the problem in the room, handle the person one-on-one 12:44 – The Good, Great, Excellent, Outstanding framework 17:48 – Self-awareness first: humble, hungry, smart 19:53 – Understanding how each person on your team learns 23:50 – Building trust and respect after a promotion 26:00 – Don't show up as the fire — emotional maturity under pressure 30:17 – The real job of the first 30 days 32:37 – Personalized recognition: knowing your people 36:06 – Closing nugget --- 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/ Jim's Book - Leading with Empathy: 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 #EOSleadership #entrepreneuroperatingsystem #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

July 24, 2026Episode 22633 min

What EOS Gets Right About Leadership and What It Misses

Jim Robinson breaks down what the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework gets right about leadership, and the gaps it doesn't address. Jim and co-host Lori Prust dig into how Jim built his company to 18 states using the same "departmental" thinking EOS would later put a name to. They unpack his "Olympian level" framework for finding your strengths and delegating everything else, why letting go of control is the real unlock for scaling a business, and the leadership gaps EOS never talks about: inspiring your team, staying aligned with the right clients (not just the right hires), and carrying the psychological weight of always being the one who has to believe in a brighter future. ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 – Introduction 0:49 – Jim's growth story: building to 18 states with a global vision 1:38 – What EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) actually is 3:17 – How Jim uses EOS 5:50 – Where EOS falls short: learning to let go of control 7:58 – Building leadership from within vs. hiring from outside 10:13 – Was EOS a discovery or just an affirmation of what Jim already knew? 13:22 – Finding your business's "sweet spot" and the growth abyss between $3M–$8M 16:54 – The cost of hiring "survivalists" instead of "Olympians" 18:45 – The visionary's ongoing job: refining who's in the seat 20:19 – Why good performers still get you a poor result 21:02 – The gap EOS misses: aligning with the right clients, not just the right team 26:13 – Olympian level, imposter syndrome, and the weight of leadership 28:57 – Who actually benefits most from the EOS framework --- 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 #EOSleadership #entrepreneuroperatingsystem #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

July 17, 2026Episode 22545 min

Trust Your Instincts: How To Lead Under Pressure

Tim Keck — police chief turned threat management expert — breaks down what real mentorship looks like under pressure. In this episode of Visionary Leader, Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust sit down with Tim Keck, a bestselling author and court-certified threat management expert, to dig into the mentors who shaped his path from beat cop to executive coach and speaker. Tim shares how improv training made him a sharper leader, why laughter is essential in life-or-death work, and the two questions every leader should ask before they speak or act: does this create more clarity, and does this build more trust? ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:22 – Meet Tim Keck: cop, SWAT leader, threat management expert 2:48 – How improv training shaped Tim into a better leader and speaker 6:06 – Balancing humor with heavy topics in threat management training 7:56 – Tim's first mentors — his father and early law enforcement influences 10:46 – Faith, empathy, and the first-grade teacher who started it all 14:15 – Choosing mentors carefully: the "John Wayne vs. Dirty Harry" lesson 19:44 – The mentor question — the mentor who taught Tim when to hold back 25:48 – Meeting Bill: the mentor who moved Tim from policing into coaching 32:28 – Coaching Bill through his final months 40:10 – Guilty by association: choosing who surrounds you 41:44 – Closing value bombs: trust your instincts, lead with clarity and trust --- ABOUT TIM KECK Tim Keck is a bestselling author, top-rated speaker, and court-certified expert in threat management. Over a career that spans police officer, SWAT leader, and chief of police, he's testified before Congress, led multinational undercover investigations, and provided protection for celebrities and organizations around the world. Today he trains leaders and teams on threat management, mentorship, and decision-making under pressure. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timkeck/ Website: https://www.gobulletproof.com/ --- 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/

July 10, 2026Episode 22435 min

The Hardest Thing I Had to Unlearn as a Leader

Jim Robinson opens up about the hardest lesson he ever had to unlearn as a leader: trading control for leading with empathy. In this episode of Visionary Leader, Jim sits down with co-host Lori Prust to unpack how his leadership style shifted from "driven and direct" to intentional, empathetic, and inspirational — and why that shift changed everything from employee retention to his own marriage. They also celebrate Leading with Empathy hitting #1 on Amazon's bestseller list. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 – Introduction 0:47 – Jim's early leadership style: "Be, Do, Have" 1:39 – Learning to lead instead of just doing 2:24 – Leading with Empathy hits #1 on Amazon 3:21 – Discovering an inspirational leadership style 5:20 – Why tenured employees stay for decades 6:19 – Learning empathy through hardship and homelessness 9:43 – Being direct without being demeaning 11:09 – Reframing "triggers" — whose responsibility are they? 13:23 – What good leadership looks like if you don't feel like "the leader" 16:07 – Self-awareness, obligation, and a wake-up call from his wife Christy 21:51 – Signals your leadership is failing — and asking permission to lead 24:45 – The Condoleezza Rice story 27:04 – Advice for leading in a toxic culture 32:00 – Key takeaway: give freely, lead with trust 📌 RESOURCES Leading with Empathy (book by Jim Robinson): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOP ------- 💡 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 shares 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/

July 4, 2026Episode 22337 min

How To Develop Leaders Who Last

What happens when a strength coach trades the weight room for infrastructure and operations? Jim Robinson sits down with Bryan Glover, Director of Infrastructure and Operations at Ramirez Hospitality Group, for a conversation on developing people, managing ego, and leading through fear instead of running from it. If you lead people, coach people, or are trying to build a culture where people actually want to grow — this one's full of value bombs. Chapters: 00:26 – Welcome & introducing Bryan Glover 00:49 – From strength coach to infrastructure/ops leader 01:18 – Stephen Covey and finding a belief system 01:44 – Faith, mentorship, and finding purpose through coaching 04:36 – Coaching, business, and "we're all looking for what's next" 05:44 – John Wooden's socks: why fundamentals win 07:09 – Developing self vs. "what can you do for me" 08:55 – The coach as "stress master" 09:21 – Dependence, independence & interdependence 11:33 – Staying playful: the puddle story 13:02 – The 1,150-lb leg press lesson in overcomplicating things 14:15 – "How we do anything is how we do everything" 14:38 – Awareness, choice, commitment 16:46 – When good people leave: what you learn 19:24 – Loyalty doesn't mean "stay" — building an alumni culture 22:41 – Meeting people where they are 23:25 – Pay well, and ditch the "golden handcuffs" 23:45 – Ego isn't your amigo: advice for new leaders 26:50 – Playing to win vs. playing not to lose 27:40 – Wooden, Walton, and coaching egos 29:11 – Bring your ego to the table 30:24 – The George Washington letter story 31:08 – Fear is F.E.A.R. — false evidence acting real 31:51 – Being real and vulnerable as a leader 33:18 – Using fear as fuel for small wins 35:13 – Value bomb: "Divorce the pattern, not the person" 🔗 Connect with Jim, Lori, & Bryan https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-glover-3aa9841ab/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/ https://www.cgpconstruction.com/ 📌ABOUT THE VISIONARY LEADER PODCAST The Visionary Leader podcast features real conversations with leaders who have done the hard work and are committed to leading people, not just managing them. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.