The Leader Fast Lane

John Osborne, President and CEO of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance and Visit Lubbock, joins me on The Leader Fast Lane to discuss the people and experiences that shaped his leadership. We talk about building trust through follow-through, sustaining progress on projects that take decades, and making organizational values part of everyday decisions. 

Texas State Senator Charles Perry joins The Leader Fast Lane to discuss what changed when he moved from running a CPA practice to serving in the Texas Legislature. He shares lessons on building consensus across differences, standing firm when compromise would weaken a solution, and making decisions whose effects may reach well beyond his own time in office.

Leslie Reed draws on three decades of public service—including five assignments as a USAID Mission Director—to explain why effective leadership begins with listening, trust, and a willingness to hear difficult feedback. She shares lessons from leading across cultures, developing leaders at every level, navigating complex organizations, and sustaining communication and community during the extraord...

In this episode, I speak with Will Rodriguez, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, as he shares how lessons from the Marine Corps, manufacturing, healthcare, and higher education shaped his approach to servant leadership, adaptability, and data-informed decision-making. He offers practical insights on making difficult decisions, creating room fo...

James Mauldin, Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer for the Texas Tech University System, shares leadership lessons drawn from a career spanning corporate operations, municipal government, aviation, higher education, and the Navy Reserves. He discusses leading through uncertainty, building trust before difficult decisions arise, creating a culture where bad news travels quickly, and develop...

A former colleague Ryan Walther joins The Leader Fast Lane to share lessons from two decades of international development work across countries, cultures, and functions. Drawing on his leadership at USAID, Ryan explores how leaders can pursue demanding results while investing in people, remain steady amid uncertainty, build trust across cultural and professional boundaries, and combine evidence wi...

In this episode of The Leader Fast Lane , Texas Tech University System Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Tedd Mitchell reflects on a leadership journey spanning medicine, business, higher education, and public service. He shares practical insights on building a values-based culture, earning trust, making consequential decisions with incomplete information, and developing leaders whose influence extends far...

Retired U.S. Ambassador Art Brown joins The Leader Fast Lane to share lessons from a 34-year public-service career that took him from Peace Corps volunteer in Benin to USAID Mission Director and U.S. Ambassador. We discuss leading across cultures, listening before acting, emotional intelligence, making consequential decisions with incomplete information, developing future leaders, and why Art beli...

Andrea Sparks joins The Leader Fast Lane to share leadership lessons from a career devoted to protecting vulnerable children, including her work helping build Texas’ response to child sex trafficking. We discuss servant leadership, the importance of listening and collaboration when tackling complex problems, having the humility to pivot when an approach isn’t working, and sustaining yourself while...

In this episode of The Leader Fast Lane , Dr. Rick Lange, founding president of Texas Tech Health El Paso, shares lessons from building a university, leading through failure, and creating a culture of excellence from the ground up. We explore why the best leaders embrace humility, build trust, develop great teams, and practice servant leadership—offering practical insights that leaders in any fiel...

Namatai Kwekweza has endured arrest, intimidation, and imprisonment for standing up for democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe. Yet her leadership lessons extend far beyond activism, offering powerful insights on courage, community, reading, and developing the inner resilience needed to lead through uncertainty. This conversation is a compelling reminder that extraordinary leadership begins with o...

What does it take to lead one of the nation's premier academic health institutions? In this episode of Leader Fast Lane , TTUHSC President Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman shares lessons from her journey as a first-generation college student to becoming the first female president in the Texas Tech University System. We discuss trust, influence without authority, embracing failure as a catalyst for inno...

In this episode, I talk with Billy Breedlove, Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Construction at the Texas Tech University System, to explore the leadership principles that have shaped his 35-year career. Billy shares why he believes servant leadership, trust, and strong relationships are the foundation of high-performing teams, explains the difference between pursuing success and pursu...

Derek McIntire, COO of TCP Software, joins me in this episode. Derek is an exceptional leader of a highly successful business and shares best practices on engaging with AI/LLMs, leading with vision, qualities he most values in leaders, and the impact Angelo State University has had on him.

In this episode, I am joined by General (ret.) David Hill, Executive Director of the Society of American Military Engineers, and the former Commandant of the United States Army War College. In our conversation, General Hill shares why: Leadership is never about yourself—it's about the mission and the people entrusted to you. Humility means taking responsibility when things go wrong and giving...

In this episode of Leader Fast Lane, I sit down with Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec for a candid conversation about leadership in one of higher education's most complex environments. Drawing on more than four decades at Texas Tech—as professor, dean, provost, and president—Dr. Schovanec shares practical insights on making difficult decisions, leading through uncertainty, b...

In this episode, I talk with an old colleague, Jesse Rudy, who is the Founder & CEO of Redeem International, a Christian non-profit dedicated to protecting some of the world's most vulnerable widows and orphans from violent abuse and exploitation.  Jesse is a leader I greatly admire. Listen as he shares about the risks of conflating your profession with your identity, how to deal with anx...

In this episode, I talk with Mike Millegan, an exceptional leader of four decades across several sectors. An alumnus of Angelo State University, Mike considers his time at ASU as formative and foundational to his remarkable career success.

In this episode, I talk with Cole Johnson, Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Operations Officer for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Some highlights include: 6:28 - Seek to improve yourself and other opportunities will come; say "yes"  11:48 - "Brains are sexy": be a lifelong learner 20:54 - Collaboration and competition are needed to achieve big...

In this episode, I talk with Dennis Mikula, Jr., CEO of the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA). Dennis is an accomplished people-focused leader and world-class connector. In the episode, he shares: 5:37 - Leadership is more about people than operations 7:02 - His motto: People First. Purpose Always. Team Over All 11:51 - How to balance tradition and innovation/change 18:57 - How to mai...

In this episode, I had a delightful conversation with Amanda McAfee, President and CEO of the Lubbock Area United Way. Amanda is an amazing leader that builds value-driven teams, leads effective community collaboration, and raises up new leaders. Listen in as she talks about: 2:22 - Saying "yes" to opportunities as a young leader & learner 8:37 - Letting the journey take you where it...

In this episode, I talk with Steve Sosland, Founder & President of Second Mountain Coaching and former Vice Chancellor for Leader & Culture Development at the Texas Tech University System. Steve has decades of experience leading others and training up leaders. There's a lot here for leaders of all stripes. Steve shares: 5:00 - about his Army Ranger experience and what it taught him ab...

In this episode, I talk with Ginger Kerrick Davis, former NASA Flight Director and Regent at the Texas Tech University System. Ginger is an exceptional leader with practical insight and tips for leaders at all levels. Highlights of this episode include: 2:32 - Ginger's role in the development and success of Artemis II 6:00 - her admonition not to "model yourself" after other but to...

In this episode, I speak with Andrew Natsios, Executive Professor at the Bush School at Texas A&M. Andrew shares about his leadership experiences at the highest levels of politics, diplomacy, and higher education. We talk quite a bit about USAID and its legacy as well. Some key points: 2:34 - the experiences that shaped his leadership philosophy 5:10 - how leading and managing differ 6:24 - &q...

In this episode, I am joined by Texas Tech University Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt. Kirby shares about: 1:59 - the role of an athletic director 6:31 - leaders he modeled his approach after 10:31 - how he makes decisions in a rapidly changing environment 17:26 - how to assess culture in an organization 19:00 - the guiding principles of the athletics department 20:38 - how to address high performe...