The Leader's Mindset

Hosted by LeDuc Leadership & Media Group

Business Management

Website RSS feed LinkedIn YouTube

Episodes

264

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Leader’s Mindset is a leadership strategy podcast for executives, founders, and emerging leaders who want to think clearly, act decisively, and build high-performing teams. Hosted by Jason LeDuc, a former U.S. Air Force officer and leadership strategist, the show blends powerful interviews with practical Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) you can apply immediately. If you’re responsible for results and developing the leaders behind you, this show equips you to lead with clarity and confidence.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 20, 20261 hr 2 min

Founder Syndrome: The Leadership Trap Nobody Warns You About

Most founders don't get pushed out. They quietly become the bottleneck in the thing they built — and they're the last to see it.The hardest leadership move isn't scaling the organization. It's knowing when to take your hands off the wheel before you start doing damage to your team, your mission, and your own legacy.In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Luke Mickelson — founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the largest bed-building charity in the world (400,000+ beds built by volunteers across ~400 chapters in four countries), a CNN Hero featured by Mike Rowe — to break down what almost no founder is warned about: "founder syndrome," the relevance wounds that come with stepping back, and how he went from running everything in his garage to naming a new role for himself as the organization's ambassador. Luke also gets honest about scaling from single digits to 125 chapters in a year without imploding, why the volunteer experience matters as much as the mission, and how radical transparency saved him when a quarter-million dollars landed in accounts nobody could access.💡 Who should watch this episodeLuke's perspective is great for:- Founders and CEOs who sense they may be holding their own organization back- Nonprofit and mission-driven leaders scaling faster than their structure- Operators who need to delegate but can't let go of control- Leaders trying to build a volunteer or team culture people actually show up for🤔 What you will learn:- What "founder syndrome" actually is — and the first sign it's time to step back- Why founders rarely see it coming until someone else makes the decision for them- How to "name your role" so stepping back is a promotion, not a loss (Luke's shift to ambassador)- Why the volunteer/team experience is as important as the mission itself (the Hank story)- How to scale fast without imploding — the transparency that carried him through the chaos- Why 90% of every dollar staying local forced a hard structural lesson about scalability🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week1) Ask your right-hand person one honest question: "Am I inhibiting or enhancing this organization right now?" — then actually listen.2) Name your role. Write down what you should OWN and what you should hand off, so the handoff is a defined job, not a vague retreat.3) Audit one volunteer or team touchpoint: does the person leave feeling they made a real difference, or that you did all the "important" work for them?💬 Question for you:Where in your organization might YOU be the bottleneck right now — and who would tell you the truth if you asked?Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things:1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights.2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week!3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this!📌 Exclusive Leadership ProgramsWant to take your leadership development to the next level?Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery How to reach Luke Mickelson:Website (Sleep in Heavenly Peace): https://shpbeds.org Email: luke.mickelson@shpbeds.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shpluke/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shpbeds/ How to reach Jason LeDuc:Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership 🗞️ Stay informed without the noise: I use informed.now every day — the day's news texted straight to you, free of bias, clickbait, and ads. Try it: https://infmd.co/jld Disclosure: This description contains an affiliate link. If you upgrade to informed.now premium I may earn a small referral, at no extra cost to you. I partnered with them because I use and believe in the product.

August 18, 20264 min

What to Do When You're Managing People for the First Time – Leadership Tactics Techniques and Procedures

Getting promoted is not the same as knowing how to lead. The exact skills that made you the best performer are not the skills that make you a good manager. And if nobody tells you that, you'll spend your first year doing everyone's job except your own. In this Leadership TTP episode, Jason LeDuc breaks down what to do in your first weeks as a new manager — how to stop out-working your team and start leading them. 💡 This episode is for leaders who want to lead well their very first time in charge — especially: - New managers promoted from top performer to boss overnight - First-time supervisors who never got a manual for the job - Team leads still doing everyone's work themselves - Entrepreneurs building and leading their first team 🤔 What you will learn: - Why the skills that got you promoted are not the skills that make you a good manager - The Multiplier Shift: how to stop being the bottleneck and multiply your team's output - The three questions that make a great first one-on-one - How to set the standard out loud so everyone knows what "good" looks like - Why you praise in public and correct in private - How to delegate the outcome, not every step (commander's intent) - How to guard your calendar before the day eats it alive 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Name one task you're doing yourself only because you're faster — and teach it instead. 2) Run a first one-on-one with each person: What's going well? What's getting in your way? How do you like to be recognized? 3) Say out loud exactly what "good" looks like on your next deliverable — the standard and the deadline. 4) Block 30 minutes every morning for your own priorities before the team wakes up. 💬 Question for you: What's the one task you're going to hand off this week instead of doing yourself? If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more Leadership TTP content every week — practical tactics, techniques, and procedures you can use immediately. Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these ideas. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a new manager who could really use it. 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram Corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery About Jason LeDuc: Jason LeDuc is a seasoned leader and esteemed leadership consultant, drawing from his extensive experience in the U.S. Air Force and beyond. With a passion for empowering individuals to unleash their full potential, Jason is committed to fostering a new generation of visionary leaders. Connect with Jason and embark on a journey of leadership enlightenment today! How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ 🗞️ Stay informed without the noise: I use informed.now every day — the day's news texted straight to you, free of bias, clickbait, and ads. Try it: https://infmd.co/jld Disclosure: This description contains an affiliate link. If you upgrade to informed.now premium I may earn a small referral, at no extra cost to you. I partnered with them because I use and believe in the product.

August 13, 202654 min

Build a Culture People Don't Leave — Michelle Edwards on Leadership, Employee Retention, & Workplace Culture

Most leaders think a great culture comes from a program, a committee, or a one-day training. It doesn't. Culture is built by leaders who pour into their people — and it shows up (or quietly disappears) in your retention numbers. In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Michelle Edwards — award-winning leadership advisor, speaker, and author of DEI Died. Leadership Lives — to break down how she built one of the most diverse, most-awarded, and highest-retention cultures in healthcare without chasing programs. Michelle explains why leadership has always been the real work, why diversity and retention are outcomes of good leadership rather than the goal, and the framework she uses to make sure no one falls through the cracks — the GAS Strategy. 💡 Who should watch this episode Michelle's perspective in this episode is great for: - Senior leaders trying to lower turnover and protect their best people - Managers who want a practical way to develop and support their teams - HR and people leaders building a culture that actually retains talent - Founders and emerging leaders who want to lead well before they have the title 🤔 What you will learn: - Why "leadership has always been the work" — and how culture and retention become outcomes of it - What equity really means at work: "giving people what they need to succeed" without lowering the bar - The business case for pouring into people — and what you "pay for it in" when you don't (turnover, mediocre work, lost innovation) - The "scalability lie" — why empathy and good leadership scale the same way toxicity does: through your managers - The GAS Strategy and its four pillars: go deeper, take a stand, lead with love, and be the one - Why "fire leaders who refuse to lead" is Michelle's most important commandment - What real accountability looks like (ownership, not punishment) — and the "manager manifesto" behind it - The covert-contract trap: how unspoken expectations quietly sink your leaders 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Learn to speak your CFO's language — tie your people investments to retention and turnover numbers before you make the case. 2) Go one level deeper: when someone misses the mark, ask what's really behind the behavior instead of labeling it. 3) Write a one-page "manager manifesto" — a few clear sentences every manager is held to — and give them the tools to live it. 4) Say the expectation out loud. If it isn't spoken, no one can meet it. 💬 Question for you: Where is your culture actually built or broken — in your programs, or in how your frontline managers lead every day? Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this! 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs Want to take your leadership development to the next level? 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery How to reach Michelle Edwards: Website: https://michelleedwardsspeaks.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellekedwards Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleedwardsspeaks/ Book — DEI Died. Leadership Lives: available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Ingram Sparks How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership 🗞️ Stay informed without the noise: I use informed.now every day — the day's news texted straight to you, free of bias, clickbait, and ads. Try it: https://infmd.co/jld Disclosure: This description contains an affiliate link. If you upgrade to informed.now premium I may earn a small referral, at no extra cost to you. I partnered with them because I use and believe in the product.

August 11, 20264 min

What to Do When Your Team Training Never Sticks – Leadership Tactics Techniques and Procedures

Training that doesn't stick is not a bad-training problem. It is a follow-through problem. The money isn't wasted in the training room — it's wasted in the days after, when nobody reinforces what people learned. In this Leadership TTP episode, Jason LeDuc breaks down how to make team training actually stick — the debrief that turns a workshop into changed behavior. 💡 This episode is for leaders who want their team's training to actually change behavior — especially: - Leaders tired of watching training money evaporate by Monday - Managers whose teams forget new skills within days - Business owners investing in corporate training that never sticks - Team leads who want new habits to actually take hold 🤔 What you will learn: - Why people forget up to 70% of new training within 24 hours — and what to do about it - The One-Behavior Rule: pick one change, not ten - The 48-Hour Rep: how to beat the forgetting curve with one real use - Teach-Back: why explaining it once beats hearing it five times - The Manager Follow-Up Loop: the single question that makes training real - How to make the behavior visible so it doesn't stay optional - Why you reward the behavior, not the attendance 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) After your next training, name the ONE behavior you expect to see different on Monday. 2) Have every person use the new skill once, on a real task, within 48 hours. 3) In your next one-on-one, ask: "Where did you use the new approach this week?" 4) Call out the person who used the training and got a result — by name. 💬 Question for you: What's the one behavior you want different after your team's next training? If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more Leadership TTP content every week — practical tactics, techniques, and procedures you can use immediately. Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these ideas. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who's tired of watching training money evaporate. 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram Corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery About Jason LeDuc: Jason LeDuc is a seasoned leader and esteemed leadership consultant, drawing from his extensive experience in the U.S. Air Force and beyond. With a passion for empowering individuals to unleash their full potential, Jason is committed to fostering a new generation of visionary leaders. Connect with Jason and embark on a journey of leadership enlightenment today! How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ 🗞️ Stay informed without the noise: I use informed.now every day — the day's news texted straight to you, free of bias, clickbait, and ads. Try it: https://infmd.co/jld Disclosure: This description contains an affiliate link. If you upgrade to informed.now premium I may earn a small referral, at no extra cost to you. I partnered with them because I use and believe in the product.

August 6, 202655 min

Informed, Not Influenced — Kira Shishkin on Media Bias, News Minimalism, & Your Information Diet

Most people think they're informed. They're actually being influenced — and they can't tell the difference. In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Kira Shishkin — founder and CEO of informed.now, the news-by-SMS service on a mission to put the power of facts back in your palm — to unpack the difference between being informed and being influenced, why sensationalism is a bigger sin than bias, and what a clean information diet looks like for a busy leader. Born in Ukraine, come of age in Israel, and now building in the US, Kira has watched misinformation raise the stakes in three very different societies — and he's built a company whose business model is designed, on purpose, to only ever answer to the reader. 💡 Who should watch this episode Kira's perspective in this episode is great for: - Leaders and executives who need to be informed fast, without drowning in commentary - Founders building a company where the business model has to match the mission - Anyone who feels burned out by the news and wants a saner way to stay informed 🤔 What you will learn: - The real difference between being informed and being influenced — and how to feel when it's happening to you - Why over-sensationalizing a story is more corrosive than slanting it left or right - "The reader is left as a product, sold by her eyeballs to the advertiser" — how ad-driven incentives quietly shape what you read - What "attention terrorism" means: hijacking your attention with clickbait, then holding it hostage - Why a leader's information diet should be the least information needed to act with confidence — not the most 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Before you trust a story, ask: is this pointing me to a primary source, or just to another article? If there's no link to the original, treat it as commentary. 2) Look at the ad running next to what you're reading. It tells you who the outlet actually answers to — and that's not an accident. 3) Run an "attention audit": journal where your time and attention actually go for a week, then decide what you want to cut. 4) Borrow informed.now's writing standard for your team: straight to the point, every claim cited, hard figures compared to the prior period — no fluff. 💬 Question for you: Think about how you got informed this week — did you go looking for the facts, or did you mostly absorb what a favorite outlet told you to feel? Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this! 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs Want to take your leadership development to the next level? 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram 🏛️ Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery How to reach Kira Shishkin: Website: https://informed.now LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirashishkin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/informed.now/ How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership 🗞️ Stay informed without the noise: today's guest is behind informed.now — the news-by-text service I use every day and have partnered with. The day's news texted straight to you, free of bias, clickbait, and ads. Try it: https://infmd.co/jld Disclosure: This description contains an affiliate link. If you upgrade to informed.now premium I may earn a small referral, at no extra cost to you. I partnered with them because I use and believe in the product.

August 4, 20263 min

What to Do When You're Too Busy to Think Ahead – Leadership Tactics Techniques and Procedures

You're not behind because you're not working hard enough. You're behind because you never get an hour to just think. The day fills up with fires and "got a sec?", and the big moves that would actually change your business keep getting pushed to "someday" — and someday never shows up on the calendar. In this Leadership TTP episode, Jason LeDuc breaks down five tactics (plus a bonus) for making time to think ahead — so the strategic work that actually moves your business stops getting lost in the tyranny of the immediate. 💡 This episode is for leaders who want to get out of firefighting mode and lead with strategic clarity — especially: - Leaders drowning in daily fires who never get an uninterrupted hour to think - Managers whose big-picture work keeps sliding to "someday" - Entrepreneurs juggling too many priorities to plan ahead - Executives who want to work on the business, not just in it 🤔 What you will learn: - Why 96% of leaders say they don't have time for strategic thinking — and why that makes you normal, not broken (HBR) - How the "tyranny of the immediate" quietly eats every minute you have - How to book and protect a Weekly Strategy Hour - The 12-Month Question — and how to work backward from it to what this week must produce - The One In, One Out rule for solving a subtraction problem, not a time problem - The 10-10-10 Filter for separating real priorities from fake emergencies - How to turn thinking into a decision with a One-Sentence Bet - How a two-minute Pre-Mortem hands you your top three risks before they happen 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Book a one-hour Weekly Strategy Hour at the same time each week, phone in the other room — protect it like a customer meeting. 2) Ask "What has to be true 12 months from now?" then work backward to what this week has to produce. 3) Use One In, One Out: every time you say yes to something new, name the one thing you'll stop doing. 4) End your strategy hour with a one-sentence bet — "If we do X, then Y happens by this date" — and run a two-minute pre-mortem on it. 💬 Question for you: What's the one hour you're going to protect this week to think ahead? If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more Leadership TTP content every week — practical tactics, techniques, and procedures you can use immediately. Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these ideas. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who is drowning in the day-to-day and needs an hour to think. 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram Corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery About Jason LeDuc: Jason LeDuc is a seasoned leader and esteemed leadership consultant, drawing from his extensive experience in the U.S. Air Force and beyond. With a passion for empowering individuals to unleash their full potential, Jason is committed to fostering a new generation of visionary leaders. Connect with Jason and embark on a journey of leadership enlightenment today! How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/

July 30, 20261 hr 1 min

Entrepreneurship Isn't Glamorous — Lauren Cashatt on Building a Nonprofit, Leading Volunteers, & Mission-Driven Leadership

Everyone posts the laptop on the beach. Nobody posts the 2 a.m. reality.If you've ever been sold the dream of "working for yourself" — freedom, flexibility, sunsets — the truth is that building something real is unglamorous, relentless work, and the leaders who last are the ones who show up for it anyway.In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Lauren Cashatt — former Hollywood stunt woman, business and lifestyle coach, and founder of the Million Mile Project, a nonprofit that helps people with substance use disorder get into long-term treatment and then mentors them as they rebuild their lives. Lauren started it with no personal history of addiction and every reason not to — and built it on conviction alone. Lauren opens up about leading an all-volunteer team, what it took to keep the mission alive after losing her nonprofit partner, how she develops new leaders by handing them the green light, and why the dream is only worth chasing if you're willing to change your life to reach it.💡 Who should watch this episodeLauren's perspective in this episode is great for:- Founders and side-hustlers deciding whether to actually go for it- Nonprofit and mission-driven leaders building with limited resources- Anyone leading a volunteer team or an under-resourced organization- Leaders who want to develop the next generation without micromanaging them🤔 What you will learn:- Why "entrepreneurship is not glamorous" — and what the real day-to-day actually looks like- How to lead a team of volunteers when you're always last on their list- "Sometimes you have to slow down in order to speed up" — leading through loss and setback- How to develop new leaders by giving them autonomy and permission to fail forward- Why completing a program (or hitting a goal) is a start line, not a finish line- "Jump in, but keep your cards close" — protecting your conviction from well-meaning doubters- How to use AI as a tool without letting it replace the human connection at the center of your work💬 Question for you:What's the least glamorous part of building your thing — and what keeps you showing up for it anyway?If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more practical conversations on leadership, performance, and building teams that execute. And share this with a founder, volunteer leader, or anyone building something from conviction.Onward and Upward! 🚀✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things:1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights.2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week!3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this!📌 Exclusive Leadership ProgramsWant to take your leadership development to the next level?📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram 🏛️ Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery How to reach Lauren Cashatt:Email: hello@laurencashatt.com Website: https://laurencashatt.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-cashatt/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lbc Million Mile Project Website: https://themillionmileproject.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_millionmileproject/ How to reach Jason LeDuc:Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership

July 28, 20265 min

What to Do When Your Business Is Stuck and You Can't See Why – Leadership Tactics Techniques and Procedures

A stuck business is almost never an effort problem. It is a diagnosis problem.Revenue's flat, the team's working hard, and you can't figure out why the needle won't move. The longer the real constraint stays hidden, the more effort you pour straight into the wrong place.In this Leadership TTP episode, Jason LeDuc breaks down five tactics (plus a bonus) to diagnose what's really jammed — the same cold, disciplined mission planning the Air Force ran before committing a single resource.💡 This episode is for leaders who want to get unstuck by fixing the real constraint — especially:- Owners whose revenue is flat no matter how many hours they throw at it- Founders treating symptoms because no one has named the actual problem- Leaders who feel busy and productive but watch the needle stay still- Anyone ready to diagnose the business instead of just working harder🤔 What you will learn:- Why roughly 49% of businesses fail within five years — and why about 23% of closures trace to management decisions, not the market- How to find the one true constraint that, if it doubled tomorrow, would unstick everything- How to follow the money on a single customer — first click to final dollar — to expose the leak hiding in the math- The one question to ask your frontline that reveals what slows them down every day- Why most things break in the handoff, not the task — and how to map it on one page- How pulling one lever for 30 days beats trying to fix ten things at once🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week1) Find the one constraint: ask "What one thing, if it doubled tomorrow, would unstick everything?"2) Follow the money: track one customer from first click to final dollar — what you spend to get them, what they cost to serve, what they actually pay.3) Ask your frontline: "What slows you down every single day that I probably don't see?"4) Map your process on one page and circle every place it stops and waits.5) Pull one lever: pick the single highest-leverage fix, commit for 30 days, and watch one metric.💬 Question for you:Where do you think your real constraint is hiding?If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more Leadership TTP content every week — practical tactics, techniques, and procedures you can use immediately.Onward and Upward! 🚀✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things:1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these ideas.2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week!3) Share this episode with a leader who feels overloaded and wants more clarity.📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram Corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery About Jason LeDuc:Jason LeDuc is a seasoned leader and esteemed leadership consultant, drawing from his extensive experience in the U.S. Air Force and beyond. With a passion for empowering individuals to unleash their full potential, Jason is committed to fostering a new generation of visionary leaders. Connect with Jason and embark on a journey of leadership enlightenment today!How to reach Jason LeDuc:Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/

July 23, 202641 min

Not Every Startup Should Raise Venture Money — Matt Ober on Venture Capital, Go-To-Market, & Backing Founders

Most founders treat raising venture money as the finish line. A lot of them are chasing a round they don't actually need. And while they're chasing it, the thing that would have built the company — getting in front of clients — doesn't get done. In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Matt Ober — managing partner at Social Leverage, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a former data strategy leader at a quantitative hedge fund — to talk about what actually earns a check at the earliest stage. Matt shares what he looks for in a founder before writing a $1–2M check, why "sales solves everything," how AI is turning engineers into architects, and why a lot of good businesses should never take outside capital at all. 💡 Who should watch this episode Matt's perspective in this episode is great for: - Founders deciding whether to raise or bootstrap - Early-stage leaders about to go out for a seed round - Technical leaders trying to make the jump from great engineer to real leader - Operators building a go-to-market motion that actually closes 🤔 What you will learn: - Why not every company should raise venture money — straight from a VC - What early-stage investors look for in a leadership team: domain expertise, a vision that attracts talent, and a track record of handling adversity - "Sales solves everything" — why getting on a plane still beats another email sequence - Why the highest-value work in a hedge fund is risk and recruiting, and what that means for your business - How to avoid both extremes of decision-making: analysis paralysis and "I'll go with my gut" - Why AI should be making your best engineers 3–10x more productive — and what it means if it isn't - The real risk calculus on solo founders vs. co-founders, from the person writing the check - Why "an investor said no" almost never means what founders think it means 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Ask the honest question: does this business actually need outside capital, or do I just want the validation? 2) Book one in-person meeting with a prospective client this month. Not a call — a meal. 3) Hire one person who is better than you at the thing you're worst at, instead of three who are cheaper. 4) Organize your data early, even if it's thin — then go take swings while it accumulates. 5) Pick one recurring time-suck in your week and hand it to an AI agent. 💬 Question for you: If you never raised a dollar of outside money, what would you have to change about how you're building right now? If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more practical conversations on leadership, performance, and building teams that execute. And share this with a founder who's about to start raising — or who maybe shouldn't. Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more people find these insights. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this! 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs Want to take your leadership development to the next level? 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram 🏛️ Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery How to reach Matt Ober: Website: https://socialleverage.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obermattj/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialleveragellc/ X / Twitter: https://x.com/obermattj How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership

July 21, 20264 min

What to Do When You've Hit a Ceiling as a Leader – Leadership Tactics Techniques and Procedures

Hitting a ceiling is not a talent problem. It is a feedback problem. You've been good for years — and that's exactly the trap. The higher you climb, the less honest feedback you get. Everyone tells you what you want to hear, so the one blind spot that would unlock your next level stays invisible. In this Leadership TTP episode, Jason LeDuc breaks down five tactics (plus a bonus) to break through your leadership ceiling — using the same outside-eye discipline that ran every After-Action Review in the Air Force. 💡 This episode is for leaders who want to start growing again after years at the top — especially: - Senior leaders who feel stalled despite a track record of success - Executives who haven't gotten meaningfully better at any one thing in a year - High performers who rarely hear anything hard about their own leadership - Anyone ready to find the blind spot they can't see on their own 🤔 What you will learn: - Why executive coaching returns roughly 7x the investment — and how an outside mirror finds the blind spot you literally cannot see alone - How to name your plateau in a single, specific sentence instead of a vague "I need to grow" - The five-people, one-question method for surfacing your highest-leverage blind spot - Why recruiting an outside mirror — a coach, peer group, or mentor — accelerates the change you've been circling for a year - How a stretch goal with a 90-day deadline gets growth off the someday list - Why two protected hours a week to think (not run) the business is how the view from the ceiling finally changes 🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week 1) Name the plateau: answer "What have I not gotten meaningfully better at in 12 months?" — and be specific. 2) Ask five people one question: "What do I do that holds the team back?" Write down the patterns; when a word shows up three times, you've found it. 3) Recruit one outside mirror whose only job is to tell you the truth, and schedule the first conversation this month. 4) Set one uncomfortable stretch goal with a 90-day deadline on the calendar. 5) Block two hours a week — no inbox — to think about the business, not just run it. 💬 Question for you: What's the plateau you're naming today? If you got value from this episode, subscribe for more Leadership TTP content every week — practical tactics, techniques, and procedures you can use immediately. Onward and Upward! 🚀 ✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things: 1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these ideas. 2) Subscribe – New leadership content every week! 3) Share this episode with a leader who feels overloaded and wants more clarity. 📌 Exclusive Leadership Programs 📖 Take charge of your own leadership development with our online program: https://www.leducleadership.com/bethebossprogram Corporate Leadership Academy for Tech Managers: https://www.leducleadership.com/leadershipacademy 📅 Book a discovery call: https://link.marketingmoneymachine.co/widget/bookings/training-discovery About Jason LeDuc: Jason LeDuc is a seasoned leader and esteemed leadership consultant, drawing from his extensive experience in the U.S. Air Force and beyond. With a passion for empowering individuals to unleash their full potential, Jason is committed to fostering a new generation of visionary leaders. Connect with Jason and embark on a journey of leadership enlightenment today! How to reach Jason LeDuc: Email: info@leducleadership.com Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/