Tim Stating the Obvious

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Oct 2026

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Turning leadership principles into practical application

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October 23, 2026Episode 5413 min

How to Never Miss Important Deadlines Again

Have you ever reached the end of a busy day, exhausted from everything you did, only to realize you accomplished nothing that actually mattered? The problem isn't that you don't have enough time—it's that your priorities don't have a place on your calendar. In this episode, I'm breaking down a military leadership strategy called the Personal Battle Rhythm that will help you stop reacting to your day and start commanding it. Defining the Personal Battle Rhythm Tim Staton discusses the practical concept of a personal battle rhythm, which adapts military scheduling principles for individual leaders and business owners. Tim Staton notes that people often stay busy all day without accomplishing their true goals because important priorities lack dedicated calendar space. Instead of simply packing a schedule with meetings, a battle rhythm connects activities by time and purpose to review priorities, execute crucial tasks, and check results. Tim Staton introduces the podcast focus on turning leadership theories into everyday advice, while Tim Staton provides a standard employment disclaimer. Tim Staton emphasizes that this approach ensures leaders dedicate consistent attention to responsibilities that cannot depend on spare time. Developing and Testing Your Schedule Tim Staton outlines the step-by-step process for building a personal battle rhythm by starting with core responsibilities rather than random meetings. Leaders must identify what needs consistent attention across three areas: results, people, and preparation. Tim Staton suggests working backward from existing deadlines to schedule preparation time before meetings with supervisors or stakeholders. For instance, leaders should assign specific time blocks and tangible outputs, like company commanders reviewing property books on Mondays and maintenance statuses on Tuesdays. Finally, Tim Staton advises treating the initial schedule as a weekly experiment, testing the calendar, and adjusting activities that do not move progress forward. Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about

October 22, 2026Episode 5528 min

You Don't Have an AI Problem. You Have a Tech Problem.

You don't have an AI problem. You have a tech problem. Most businesses jump into AI without a plan, buy tools they don't need, and wonder why nothing changes. Former Microsoft Data and AI executive and fractional CTO Arun Pattanayak explains how to pick where AI actually pays off, when to build, buy, or kill a system, and how to future-proof your business and your career. Arun has spent more than 20 years inside complex enterprise technology, building systems for companies like EY, Merrill Lynch, and Citibank, followed by six years as a Microsoft Data and AI executive. Today he is the founder and CEO of Tipsora, where he works as a fractional CTO for founders and CEOs. He is the author of Future-Proof Your Business and the host of What Comes Next with Arun. In this episode, you'll learn: Why being "blinded by success" is the most dangerous stage of the Durable Advantage Cycle How Google diversified while search was still on top, and what that means for your business The build, buy, or kill decision every business owner has to make How to map your technology to revenue before you spend a dollar on AI The compounding effect: why saving 5 minutes 100 times beats saving 1 hour once Where AI should hand off to a human so you protect your brand reputation Why the "work until you retire" model is broken and why everyone needs a personal brand How to use AI automation to build your brand without burning out Connect with Arun Pattanayak: Tipsora (fractional CTO services and AI courses): https://tipsora.com Website: https://arunansupattanayak.com Book, Future-Proof Your Business: https://arunansupattanayak.com/book arunansupattanayak Podcast, What Comes Next with Arun: https://arunpodcast.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunansuspeaks/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArunansuSpeaks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arunansuspeaks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArunSpeaking X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/arunansuspeaks Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about You are entitled to great leadership everywhere you go. Tim Stating the Obvious takes leadership principles and turns them into everyday, relatable, usable advice. If this episode helped you, share it with one or two people who need it, subscribe, and leave a comment.

October 16, 2026Episode 5328 min

Why Old Nonprofits Go Broke

Why do nonprofits that do excellent work still run out of money? In this episode of Tim Stating the Obvious, Tim Staton talks with Jay Deppeler of Inperium about what it takes for mission-driven organizations to survive. Jay began his career as a direct care worker with youth in behavioral health and juvenile justice, earned a master's in counseling and human services from Lehigh University, and went on to lead a behavioral health company in southeastern Pennsylvania. He now helps struggling health and human service organizations find a sustainable path forward. Jay explains why many nonprofits don't think of themselves as businesses, and why that has become dangerous as funding moved from program grants to fee-for-service, managed care, and closer scrutiny. He walks through the turnaround of Resources for Human Development, a long-running organization serving 35,000 people a year that was months away from insolvency. He also describes how Inperium's affiliation model works: shared back-office services, access to lower-cost capital, and stronger benefits leverage, while each nonprofit keeps its own board, leadership, and mission. Tim and Jay also talk about the frontline workforce shortage, competing with retail and fast-food wages, and how scale can give entry-level workers a real career path. This episode is for nonprofit executives, board members, and anyone working in behavioral health, IDD, substance use, or child and family services. Learn more about Inperium: https://inperium.org Watch or listen to the full conversation, and follow the show for more conversations with leaders doing the work. Connect with Jay Deepler: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydeppeler/ Website: https://inperium.org/ Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about

October 9, 2026Episode 5241 min

High Performing Teams Start With Clear Roles

Want to build high-performance teams and master executive leadership? Tim Staton and Guy Legare discuss clinical psychology principles, team alignment, and the US Air Force Thunderbirds framework. Discover how moving from an I-to-WE mindset yields extraordinary results in complex environments. Learn practical advice on team building, radical trust, feedback loops, and using AI to evaluate organizational performance. From Clinical Psychology to Executive Coaching Guy Legare traces an inspiring career path from clinical psychology to executive leadership development. Early experiences in community mental health taught Guy Legare that well-intentioned help often fails if it lacks direct feedback from the recipient. A pivotal moment involving a patient named James shifted Guy Legare toward a person-driven mindset. Instead of assuming what a patient required, Guy Legare learned to listen closely and empower individuals to guide their own support systems. Over decades, these foundational lessons in empathy and feedback translated directly into organizational consulting and coaching. Tim Staton highlights how these interpersonal insights apply equally well to business leaders and teams who frequently struggle with communication and psychological safety. Operational Excellence and Team Formations Guy Legare details how a documentary on the United States Air Force Thunderbirds inspired a new organizational framework for Imperium. By studying elite flight formations, Guy Legare and the leadership team adopted the concept of operating within a one-inch standard of role clarity and radical trust. Instead of focusing on good intentions, the team evaluates performance based on actual impact through structured, ranked debriefs. Tim Staton notes that applying these disciplined practices helps nonprofit affiliates shift from vague goals to concrete operational excellence. Leveraging Technology for Team Feedback Guy Legare introduces an innovative method for tracking team alignment by utilizing artificial intelligence to analyze meeting transcripts. Since remote teams lack physical telemetry data like flight formations, Guy Legare treats written communication records as performance videos. By processing transcripts through language models, the organization generates objective feedback on how teams operate during discussions. Tim Staton expresses strong interest in this practical application of technology to workplace feedback, emphasizing that simple operational adjustments can lead to significant organizational growth over time. Connect with Guy Legare: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-legare Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about

October 2, 2026Episode 5135 min

Your Team Is Growing. Is Your Mission Getting Lost?

Every CEO thinks they're "the one." Ryan Dewey Smith built a network of 40 nonprofit CEOs who agreed to become "one of." Published for NDEAM 2026: Celebrating Value and Talent. In this episode, Ryan Dewey Smith, Founding Executive Chairman and CEO of Inperium, joins Tim Staton for a conversation on the hardest leadership transition most senior executives never make. Ryan built Inperium into a nearly $1 billion national network of 40 affiliated nonprofits, employing 8,000 people who serve 30,000 adults every day across 20 states, many of them adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, or histories of homelessness. He explains why organizations die on the vine when leaders refuse to share power, why burnout is almost always a backward-looking problem, and how the best executives he recruits are willing to trade autonomy for scale. For nonprofit and healthcare CEOs, this is the clearest breakdown you'll find of Inperium's operating model: pooled tax-exempt bond financing, centralized HR, payroll, IT, cybersecurity, and audit, and a captive health insurance plan that lets frontline caregivers actually afford healthcare. Ryan walks through the case study of Resources for Human Development, a 55-year-old Philadelphia nonprofit that was on the verge of missing payroll before Inperium cut its general and administrative costs from 25% to 9%, refinanced its debt into 30-year tax-exempt bonds, and returned it to profitability. Eighteen months later, RHD opened a new homeless shelter with the city of Philadelphia. This episode was released in October 2026 for National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The 2026 NDEAM theme is Celebrating Value and Talent. Ryan's story is a direct look at the leaders, operating models, and frontline workforce that make employment and community life possible for adults with disabilities across America. KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS • The hardest CEO transition is moving from "the one" at the top to "one of" a peer network • Burnout comes from what you did in the last six months, not what you're about to do — leaders do better on offense than defense • Refusing to scale is a leadership failure, not a strategic choice — reimbursements never outpace costs • Standalone nonprofits under $250M in revenue can cut back-office costs by half through shared services • The affiliation model preserves local mission and executive autonomy while unlocking global infrastructure • Talent, capital, and health insurance are the three cost pressures crushing the organizations that serve adults with disabilities CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open and hook 00:47 Show intro and Ryan's background 02:39 Why refusing to scale is a leadership failure 04:24 Why the nonprofit sector is fragmented 05:23 The hardest CEO transition: "the one" to "one of forty" 08:03 Inperium's operating model 10:07 The peer network of 40 CEOs 11:38 Cost pressures on nonprofit leaders 12:49 Case study: Resources for Human Development 14:57 The talent war nonprofits are losing 16:42 Wages and the ceiling Inperium breaks through 18:25 The captive health insurance model 20:00 Career advice for new leaders 21:45 The first question Ryan asks every prospective partner 23:33 The onboarding timeline 25:00 The line that reframes burnout GUEST Ryan Dewey Smith is the Founding Executive Chairman and CEO of Inperium, launched in 2016 from a firehouse office in Reading, Pennsylvania. He previously grew Supportive Concepts for Families from $4.5M to more than $65M in revenue serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Upcoming book: Sustaining the Mission. GUEST LINKS Ryan Dewey Smith: https://ryandeweysmith.com Inperium: https://inperium.org Ryan on Inperium's leadership page: https://inperium.org/leadership/ryan-dewey-smith Book Sustaining the Mission: https://ryandeweysmith.com/about Featured in Behavioral Health Business: https://bhbusiness.com/2025/08/04/voices-ryan-dewey-smith-founding-executive-chairman-ceo-inperium-inc/ CONNECT WITH TIM STATING THE OBVIOUS Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about If this conversation changed how you think about scale, ego, or the leaders behind our frontline workforce, hit subscribe. This channel is built for leaders and leader development, and every guest tells you something you didn't know.

September 25, 2026Episode 5032 min

Feeling Stuck in Your Career? Find Your Next Move

Feeling stuck in your career, even though you're doing everything right? Former Fortune 100 vice president Jennifer Doty joins Tim Staton to discuss career change, work-life balance, and building an identity beyond your job title. After losing her corporate role, Jennifer had to rethink what she wanted from work and life. She shares lessons about people-pleasing, asking for what you want, and writing down your non-negotiables before deciding on your next move. For professionals in their 20s and 30s, this conversation offers a chance to question the version of success you've inherited and get clearer about what matters to you. Jennifer is the author of Just Lead and Find the Right Now Role. The conversation also includes her personal experience building a portfolio career and working with LivePure. CONNECT WITH JENNIFER LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sierveld-doty/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/jennifer.s.doty.58 Instagram: @jsierveld Just Lead: https://a.co/d/09lXdPmf Find the Right Now Role: https://a.co/d/04ue2vdl CONNECT WITH TIM Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about Subscribe to Tim Stating the Obvious for practical conversations about leadership, work, and the decisions that shape your life.

September 16, 2026Episode 4931 min

"They Wanted to Fire Him. His Boss Said No

None of it matters if you get the people part wrong." That's the blunt truth Scott Long has built a 26-year automotive career on — and it's the whole idea behind his book, It's All People. Scott went from a small-town Iowa service department in 1999 to overseeing 9 dealerships, then rebuilt his career again in Florida as General Manager at Honda of Port Richey. In this episode, he breaks down why relationships — not technology, process, or capital — are the only thing that actually scales a business, and tells the story of the one hire nobody else believed in that became a two-time "Salesperson of the Year." We talk about: • Why training your own replacement is how you actually get promoted • The "wingman" principle — the mindset shift that lets you grow another 20% • How Scott turned a "hospital waiting room" dealership culture into one with Aloha Fridays and college football polos • The 2020 furlough story: the employee two managers wanted gone, and why Scott called him back anyway • How to know if your leadership "talk" actually matches your "walk" • Why his 18-year-old son skipped college, became a certified Subaru technician, and makes $4,500/month CONNECT WITH SCOTT LONG 📖 Get "It's All People": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3G49ZZQ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-long-25a58439 CONNECT WITH TIM 🌐 Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com 🛒 Products: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw 📸 Instagram: @TimStating 🎵 TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ 🎓 SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about

September 14, 2026Episode 4841 min

How to Earn Your Team's Respect (Before You Say a Word)

In, How to Earn Your Team's Respect (Before You Say a Word), Tim Staton sits down with Dr. Fay Niewiadomski to talk about what it takes to be a truly human leader in a world obsessed with speed and “survival” mode. We break down why most leadership advice is outdated, how to stop playing the victim, and why your ability to listen is your greatest professional asset. Stop being a cog in a machine and start taking control of your personal odyssey. New leaders don't lose their team's respect in one big moment — they lose it in a hundred small ones. Dr. Fay Niewiadomski, a 4-decade leadership strategist and author of "Decisions That Matter," breaks down exactly what earns (and destroys) respect on a team, using two real airline-crash case studies where a leader shutting down bad news cost lives — and what that means for how you lead a team of your own. If you're new to leadership and want the tactical version of everything in this episode, timestamp 27:52 is for you. Key Takeaways: Prioritize lifelong learning to remain relevant and effective as a leader. Cultivate psychological safety to ensure teams feel comfortable reporting errors and sharing honest feedback. Develop personal accountability by stepping out of the “fear zone” and into the “growth zone.” Practice intentional listening to understand the human beings behind the labels and titles. Balance professional responsibilities with meaningful intergenerational connections to maintain perspective. Connect with Fay: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayniewiadomski/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fayniewiadomski/ Substack: https://substack.com/@fayniewiadomski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ICTNLLPUK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ICTNonline Media Appearances: https://www.ictn.com/news-events/ Blog: https://www.ictn.com/blog/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Decisions-That-Matter-Rethink-Reimagine-ebook/dp/B0FTVWSPYQ/ FREE Resource: https://ictn-freeaudit.subscribepage.io/ So they receive the Free Decision Audit Framework and watch the Micro Masterclass about Decisiveness. Discounts: I am pleased that we have a coupon code for you and your followers/listeners: TIM10 This applies to the following products: 1- The Psychology of Decision Making 2- Business EQ Profile 3- Business EQ Profile + Feedback Session. WEBINAR Date: September 17 and September 18 Workshop Investment: GBP 750 Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm BST on both days Workshop Title: Cost of Poor Judgement and Bad Decisions: How to Avoid Falling Into the Trap Connect With Tim: Website: https://timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: https://timstatingtheobvious.com/products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/abou

September 9, 2026Episode 4435 min

Leadership Playbook: Lead Like a SpaceX Pro | Essential Manager Skills

Lead Like a SpaceX Pro: The Essential Manager Playbook is a practical conversation on leadership development, technical management, and the foundational behaviors that help new and experienced managers build high-performing teams. In this episode, Tim Staton speaks with Matt Gjertsen about why effective leadership development requires more than slide decks, lectures, and conventional corporate training. Drawing lessons from military leadership, technical environments, and real-world management training, they explore the importance of hands-on learning, accountability, and clear standards—especially for professionals navigating a career transition into team leadership, engineering management, or broader organizational leadership roles. Matt introduces the minimum viable manager framework: a simple management playbook for leaders who need to master the essentials before applying more complex models. The foundation includes team building, trust building, setting expectations, workplace communication, and effective feedback. These leadership skills create the conditions for employee engagement, professional growth, talent development, and sustained high performance. The conversation also examines the role of first principles in management. Instead of relying on vague corporate language or generic professional coaching, leaders must understand the organizational constraints affecting their teams, establish useful performance metrics, conduct productive meetings, and provide practical manager support. Strong performance management is not a once-a-year event; it is an ongoing process of clear expectations, reinforcing positive behavior, and addressing problems early. Matt and Tim discuss how trust depends on competence, sound decision-making, and professional relationships. They also explain how leaders can use AI responsibly to improve clarity and prepare for difficult conversations—without replacing human judgment, connection, or accountability. If you are developing managers, leading technical teams, improving organizational culture, pursuing professional growth, or looking for career advice on becoming a more capable leader, this episode delivers actionable tools for building trust, improving feedback, and creating a workplace where people can perform at their best. Topics covered Leadership development versus traditional corporate training Technical management and engineering management lessons The minimum viable manager framework Team building, trust building, and team leadership Setting expectations and establishing clear standards Effective feedback and practical performance management Employee engagement and workplace communication First principles for leaders and managers Professional growth, talent development, and career transition Military leadership lessons for civilian organizations Productive meetings, performance metrics, and organizational constraints Professional coaching, manager support, and high-performance culture Connect with Matt Gjertsen Connect with Matt Gjertsen for practical insights on leadership development, management training, technical management, team building, and building high-performance organizational cultures. LinkedIn: Matthew Gjertsen YouTube: Built Leaders Matt Gjertsen shares actionable guidance for managers and leaders focused on trust building, setting expectations, effective feedback, professional growth, employee engagement, and stronger team leadership. Connect with Tim Staton Follow Tim Staton for leadership insights, career advice, organizational culture conversations, professional development resources, and interviews with business leaders, executives, and subject-matter experts. Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Professional Reading List: Tim Staton’s Recommended Books and Resources Facebook: Tim Stating the Obvious YouTube: Tim Stating the Obvious YouTube Channel Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: Tim Staton SKOOL Community: Tim Stating the Obvious Community

September 7, 2026Episode 4629 min

Nobody Owes You Success

What does Labor Day mean beyond a long weekend? In this Labor Day episode, Tim explores the dignity of work, work ethic, personal responsibility, discipline, and why an entitled mindset can keep people from moving forward. Labor Day Message: Nobody Owes You Success Labor Day honors the contributions of American workers and the value of the work that builds families, businesses, communities, and the country. But honoring work does not mean glorifying burnout, accepting poor leadership, or tolerating toxic workplaces. It means taking pride in being dependable, prepared, capable, and willing to grow. In this solo episode of Tim Stating the Obvious, Tim discusses why nobody is owed success, a promotion, recognition, or opportunity simply because they want it. He explains how consistent effort, humility, feedback, discipline, and perseverance help people build skills, earn trust, recover from rejection, and become ready when opportunity arrives. You will learn: The true meaning of Labor Day and why it still matters Why the dignity of work is about contribution—not job titles or social-media validation How an entitlement mindset leads to blame, stagnation, and missed opportunities Why hard work does not guarantee success but creates skills, credibility, resilience, and options How to work with purpose without glorifying burnout Why persistence requires feedback, humility, and better strategy—not repeating the same mistakes A practical Labor Day challenge to take ownership of your next step Key message: Nobody owes you success—but you owe yourself the discipline to prepare, the humility to learn, and the courage to keep trying. Listen if you are focused on: work ethic, personal growth, career development, leadership, professional development, motivation, discipline, resilience, workplace mindset, business growth, and building a meaningful life. Labor Day recognizes the social and economic achievements of American workers and their contributions to the country. U.S. Department of Labor: History of Labor Day Subscribe to Tim Stating the Obvious for direct conversations about leadership, character, work ethic, personal responsibility, career growth, and building a better life through action. Reference: Link: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1589538952915692 Jasmine K Boyd: https://www.facebook.com/jasmine.boyd.52821/reels/