From Engineer to Executive: Learning People Skills the Hard Way

Power Fades. Influence Lasts. Building Relationships Before You Need Them

What does it actually mean to lead without authority — and why do so many smart, capable leaders never learn how? Mike Krupit spent 25 years building startups from engineer to CTO to COO to CEO before founding Trajectify, and his answer is simple: most people try to lead with power because it's faster. The problem is it runs out. In this episode, Mike and Kent dig into why influence outlasts authority, what it actually takes to build it, and why the shift to remote and hybrid work is quietly eroding the relationship capital leaders depend on most. Guest: Mike Krupit is the CEO of Trajectify, an executive coaching and advisory firm helping leaders and organizations break through growth plateaus by developing stronger people skills alongside stronger strategy. In this episode: * [01:49] — Mike's career arc: from engineer to CEO across 25 years in Silicon Valley startups * [04:54] — How startup leaders skip leadership levels vs. the corporate path — and what each approach misses * [12:14] — The story that crystallized it: a director who quit rather than learn to lead without the CEO's authority * [15:17] — Where Mike starts when leaders complain about "no accountability" — and why it's almost always a relationship problem * [18:27] — The bank account metaphor: why you have to make deposits before you can make withdrawals * [22:11] — How remote and hybrid work is unwinding the basic building blocks of influence * [25:19] — "Leaders should never eat alone" — the VP of HR who told Mike to put down his lunch and go to the cafeteria * [29:24] — Relationship mapping and the "is this manipulation?" pushback Mike and Kent both get from clients * [34:55] — Mike's summary: power fades fast, influence lasts long, and 80% of it is rapport * [35:59] — Advice for promotion seekers: lead with authenticity over idealism * [37:35] — Advice for the newly promoted: your fears haven't happened and probably won't — take the next step Resources mentioned: * Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi — the book on intentional relationship-building that came up in the conversation * Teddy Roosevelt quote: "People don't care what you think until they think that you care" * Trajectify — trajectify.com [https://trajectify.com] Links for today's show: * Mike Krupit on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrupit/] * Trajectify [https://trajectify.com] * Kent Kniebel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentkniebel/] * The Promoted Leader Toolkit [https://kent.coach/toolkit] Music for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com [http://pertnearsandstone.com] and on all major streaming platforms. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.

The 7 Parts of Every Business — and Why Your Mindset Runs All of Them

RJon Robins has spent 15+ years helping entrepreneurs stop working for their businesses and start building businesses that work for them. His new book — Truth, Lies, Mistakes or Bullshit: What's Driving Your Business? — started as a talk and became a business parable about what separates thriving organizations from struggling ones. Spoiler: it's not the business model. It's what's running in the owner's head. We cover the seven parts of every business, why HR exiled itself to a compliance island, and what it means to invest in leadership before you actually need it. Guest: RJon Robins is an 8-figure entrepreneur, licensed attorney, and bestselling author. He founded How to Manage a Small Law Firm in 2009 and has since achieved 8,000% revenue growth, with 600+ of the fastest-growing small law firm owners in the country as members. His company has been named to the INC 5000 every year since 2015 and recognized as an INC Best Place to Work. In this episode: * 00:02:06 — RJon's background: founding How to Manage a Small Law Firm and building a business he's away from 270 days a year * 00:04:21 — What led to the book Truth, Lies, Mistakes or Bullshit and why it's written as a business parable * 00:07:38 — The difference between owning a business and owning a job * 00:10:40 — The 7 parts of every business: marketing, intake, production, people, physical plant, financial controls, and you * 00:17:36 — The 7th part: your mindset is in the center of the clock, and it's affecting every other part * 00:22:02 — Why HR should be called Human Development, and what it looks like when it's treated as a profit center * 00:25:42 — "This is 100% HR's fault" — why HR exiled itself to the compliance island and what it costs them * 00:32:13 — The Peter Principle in action: what GE and other big companies do differently with talent development * 00:38:56 — How intrapreneurs can navigate any organization by understanding its core motivations * 00:42:44 — The Doctrine of Sacrifice vs. the Doctrine of Profit — and what profit actually means as a voluntary exchange * 00:46:43 — How RJon opens every interview: treating candidates as CEO of their own career * 00:50:00 — Advice for leaders pursuing promotion, and for leaders on day two of a new role: pursue truth, find out what's real Resources mentioned: * Truth, Lies, Mistakes or Bullshit: What's Driving Your Business? by RJon Robins and John David Mann — truthliesmistakesorbs.com [http://truthliesmistakesorbs.com] or order at Barnes & Noble (pre-order at time of recording) * The Automatic Marketing Machine by RJon Robins (search on Amazon or Barnes & Noble) * Profit First for Lawyers by RJon Robins (25,000+ copies sold; search on Amazon or Barnes & Noble) * The Doctrine of Sacrifice vs. The Doctrine of Profit — RJon's proprietary framework on why suffering isn't a requirement for building a profitable business * The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber (referenced on systems-driven business) * Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill * The Peter Principle — concept by Laurence J. Peter (search "The Peter Principle book") Links for today's show: * RJon Robins on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjonrobins/] * truthliesmistakesorbs.com [http://truthliesmistakesorbs.com] * Kent Kniebel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentkniebel/] * The Promoted Leader Toolkit [https://kent.coach/toolkit] Music for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com [http://pertnearsandstone.com] and on all major streaming platforms. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.

Leaders First: What a VP of Ops Learned About Letting Go

Tom Priebe spent 20-plus years in med device operations — but he'll tell you the function is secondary. This conversation is really about what it means to identity as a leader first, why your career is built on failure, and what it actually looks like to give your people the space to grow. Tom brings a VP-level perspective without any of the polish that usually comes with it. Guest: Tom Priebe is VP of Global Operations at Bracco Medical Technologies, where he leads across functions he didn't start in — hired, as his boss put it, for his leadership. In this episode: * [02:16] — Tom's career path: IBM disk drives to med devices, and why purpose pulled him away from manufacturing * [07:03] — Redefining what a good day looks like: "Did I actually do anything today?" and why planting seeds counts as work * [08:29] — The sandwich years: why first-level managers carry the full weight of the organization, managing both up and down simultaneously * [13:18] — The hardest thing to let go — and why it wasn't the technical work * [15:09] — How to decide which mistakes to let people make: fixed vs. growth mindset cultures, and the engineer Tom intentionally set up to fail * [17:24] — Why leaders should start with themselves when something goes sideways — not the employee * [28:25] — Ego vs. humility: why ego locks you in and humility keeps you growable (via Ryan Holiday's Ego Is the Enemy) * [32:15] — What readiness for the next level actually looks like: fire in the belly, and why Tom would rather tame a tiger than prod a panda * [40:54] — Advice for leaders preparing for a promotion: write your resume of the future, then work backwards * [42:43] — Advice for day one at the new level: stop performing, start listening — and why pushing too fast damages your reputation Resources mentioned: * The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins — Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Strategies-Expanded/dp/1422188612] — Tom's go-to recommendation for new leaders * Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday — Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Ego-Enemy-Ryan-Holiday/dp/1591847818] — referenced as the "Daily Stoic guy's" book on ego vs. humility * StrengthsFinder (now CliftonStrengths) — gallup.com/cliftonstrengths [https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253868/popular-cliftonstrengths-assessment-products.aspx] — the assessment that told Tom he might make a good leader * Improv as a leadership development tool — search for "improv leadership training" for programs near you Links for today's show: * Tom Priebe on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-priebe/] * Bracco Medical Technologies [ braccomedical.com] * Kent Kniebel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentkniebel/] * The Promoted Leader Toolkit [https://kent.coach/toolkit] Music for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com [http://pertnearsandstone.com] and on all major streaming platforms. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.

From Insight to Action: Why Your Assessment Data Sits on the Shelf

Leaders love assessment data. Then it goes on a shelf. Former Hogan Assessments CEO Scott Gregory joins Kent to dig into why the gap between self-awareness and behavior change is so persistent — and what actually moves the needle. They cover how to filter what's worth developing, why context beats comprehensiveness, and the one question every leader should ask before acting on any piece of feedback. Guest: Scott Gregory is an IO psychologist, former CEO of Hogan Assessments, and longtime executive coach and assessment practitioner with decades of experience in personality research and leadership development. In this episode: * 02:00 — Scott's career arc: professional musician to IO psychology PhD to PDI, Pentair, MDA Leadership, and ultimately CEO of Hogan Assessments * 10:26 — Why assessment data ends up in a binder on a shelf — and what goes wrong between insight and action * 13:04 — The data overload problem: leaders are rarely surprised by their feedback, so why are we giving them 75 pages? * 19:37 — The definition of leadership nobody has (Scott once asked 50 Fortune 500 HR leaders to raise their hand — no one did) * 20:31 — Hogan's working definition: leadership is the ability to develop and sustain a high performing and highly engaged team * 21:01 — The shift from personal output to team output — why it's hard at every level of the pipeline, not just the first promotion * 26:17 — Why personality is stable after 25 and what that means for development (it's a marathon, not a binder event) * 28:48 — The "can do" vs. "will do" distinction — and why most leaders genuinely want to improve but still get stuck * 33:53 — The one question Scott uses to filter assessment data into actual development priorities: "Will it help me help my team?" * 35:02 — The coaching skills vs. vision-sharing example: why context determines which low scores actually matter * 36:49 — Using team feedback as the bridge from assessment insight to action — and as the check afterward * 40:19 — Advice for newly promoted leaders: the two herculean tasks of the transition, and why stopping yesterday's job is step one Resources mentioned: * Hogan Assessments [https://www.hoganassessments.com] — Scott's former company; extensive library of research articles and leadership resources * Robert Hogan — personality psychologist, foundational figure in IO psychology and personality measurement * Joyce Hogan — researcher and co-architect of Hogan Assessments' foundational work * John Holland — Holland Codes / occupational interest theory; foundational framework for career interests and fit (search "Holland Codes career interests") * Personnel Decisions International (PDI) — acquired by Korn Ferry; kornferry.com [https://www.kornferry.com] * MDA Leadership — mdaleadership.com [https://www.mdaleadership.com] Links for today's show: * Scott Gregory on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gregory-1b84958/] * Hogan Assessments [https://www.hoganassessments.com] * Kent Kniebel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentkniebel/] * The Promoted Leader Toolkit [https://kent.coach/toolkit] Music for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com [http://pertnearsandstone.com] and on all major streaming platforms. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.

Strength Through Vulnerability: The Inner Work Leaders Skip

Vulnerability and emotional intelligence keep coming up in leadership conversations — and Randy Lyman has a physicist's take on why. A patent-holding engineer who spent 36 years doing his own emotional work, Randy makes the case that the inner work isn't soft: it's the mechanism behind every result you care about. Kent and Randy unpack what leaders who want to grow actually have to let go of — and how showing up more honestly turns out to be the most effective thing you can do. Guest: Randy Lyman is a physicist, serial entrepreneur, and authority on emotional intelligence — he founded and scaled multiple 8-figure companies (including an Inc. 500 business) before writing The Third Element, a #1 New Release in Personal Growth, on how emotional awareness drives leadership results. In this episode: * [02:05] — Randy's background: physicist, engineer, business owner — and how a three-year relationship in 1989 cracked open the emotional side of his leadership * [03:48] — Why Randy thinks AI is a distraction from what actually matters: the emotional revolution, and what it means for leaders right now * [07:51] — Before and after Randy: from fear-driven overachievement to service-based leadership, and the personal work that bridged the gap * [09:12] — The three things every person on your team needs: acknowledgment, a sense of contribution, and a sense of belonging — and why they look different for every individual * [12:16] — The three-minute investment: how remembering one personal detail about someone changes everything about how they show up for you * [15:08] — Why the self-work has to come first: you can't hide your emotional state from the people you lead, and trying to hold it down makes it worse * [22:12] — Randy as contradiction: how his left-brain credibility actually makes him a better messenger for emotional leadership with the leaders who need to hear it most * [25:18] — Gender and leadership: why women leaders often over-index on masculine traits trying to prove themselves — and why men need to stop leaving their feminine leadership tools in the drawer * [28:44] — The cross-functional breakdown story: how walking into a meeting saying "I don't know the answers — I need your help" unlocked results that months of planning couldn't * [30:55] — Advice for leaders seeking promotion: stop performing, start multiplying — the results your team produces are the only currency that matters * [33:27] — Advice for newly promoted leaders: make yourself unnecessary at the level you're at, and develop the leaders underneath you Resources mentioned: * The Third Element by Randy Lyman — available through Randy's website and major online booksellers (search "The Third Element Randy Lyman") * Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines — Kelleher co-founded Southwest and built its people-first culture; his often-cited principle: take care of your people and they'll take care of your customers. (Note: the transcript spells this "Herb Keller" — the correct name is Herb Kelleher.) * Tapping exercises / EFT — Randy references free tapping resources on his website Links for today's show: * Randy Lyman on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamrandylyman/] * Randy's Website: randylyman.com [https://randylyman.com/] * The Third Element (#1 New Release in Personal Growth) — available via randylyman.com [https://randylyman.com/] and major booksellers * Kent Kniebel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kentkniebel/] * The Promoted Leader Toolkit [https://kent.coach/toolkit] Music for this podcast comes from a live recording of the song Needle & Thread and is provided with permission by Pert' Near Sandstone. Check them out on pertnearsandstone.com [http://pertnearsandstone.com] and on all major streaming platforms. Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review wherever you listen — it helps more leaders find the show.