Business Building Blocks Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Growth doesn't just bring opportunity — it brings chaos. Every step forward introduces a little bit of the unknown, and if you don't prepare for it, that chaos compounds fast. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmidt breaks down the four things (plus one powerful underlying force) that every leader needs in place before introducing change...

Send us Fan Mail Leading change with a Kaizen culture is one of the most effective ways for leaders to build engagement, ownership, and continuous improvement inside their teams. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains how leaders can move from doing all the problem-solving themselves to creating a culture where teams actively drive impro...

Send us Fan Mail Are you building a workplace culture that creates ownership—or unintentionally training your team to wait for instructions? In this episode, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explores how leaders can move beyond compliance and build a culture where people think, problem-solve, and take responsibility. If you're a business owner, manufacturing leader, manager, or people leader...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership boundaries are often the early warning sign most leaders ignore. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmitt explains how weak leadership boundaries contribute to employee burnout, resentment, poor accountability, and unhealthy workplace culture. If you’re a business owner, manager, or team leader trying to create a healthier and more susta...

Send us Fan Mail Repeated questions from your team are often a sign of broken systems, unclear processes, or missing development.  In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmitt explains how leaders can stop answering the same questions every day by building better systems, improving coaching, and developing more proactive teams. If you’re a business owner, manufacturing...

Send us Fan Mail Why do leaders keep getting asked to take personality and leadership assessments? In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmitt explains why tools like Working Genius, StrengthsFinder, and MBTI can help leaders improve self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and team performance. Many business owners and managers feel skeptical about leadership assessme...

Send us Fan Mail Many organizations believe growth requires moving faster, doing more, and constantly reacting to problems. But sustainable business growth often comes from improving fewer things with greater focus, operational clarity, and alignment. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt sits down with Chad Bareither to discuss how business own...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership growth often requires a shift that most leaders avoid. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains the leadership growth shift that helps business owners and managers scale their teams without staying the bottleneck. You don’t have a knowledge problem. You have a growth problem. If you’re still the go-to person, th...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership feels hard when you’re trying to lead in a way that doesn’t match how you naturally operate. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains why leadership feels harder than it should—and how leaders can shift toward a style that actually works for them. If you’re a business owner, manager, or leader who has ever felt...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership overwhelm doesn’t come from doing too little—it comes from carrying too much for too long. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt breaks down why leaders feel overwhelmed and where to start when everything feels urgent. If you’re a business owner, manager, or leader who feels stuck in the day-to-day—despite doing all t...

Send us Fan Mail The CEO role is often misunderstood, especially by leaders who feel like they need to stay involved in everything to keep control. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains what a CEO should actually be doing and how to lead without losing control. Most business owners, manufacturing leaders, and managers don’t struggle wit...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership strategy often fails not because it’s wrong—but because it’s never used. In this episode, we break down leadership strategy that actually works and how to turn it into consistent action. If you’re a business owner, manager, or manufacturing leader who has spent time defining vision, mission, and purpose—but rarely revisits them—this episode is for you. In this episode o...

Send us Fan Mail Managing problem employees is one of the most frustrating challenges leaders face. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains how to deal with problem employees by focusing on behavior, not labels. If you’re a business owner, manager, or team leader feeling stuck, frustrated, or drained by someone on your team, this episode...

Send us Fan Mail Leaders often try to copy best practices from other companies—but still struggle to get results. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt explains why best practices fail for leaders and how to make them actually work in your organization. If you’re a business owner, manufacturing leader, or manager who has ever implemented somethi...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership overwhelm is real. Many leaders feel like they must handle everything at once—strategy, team management, operations, and constant “fires.” In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmitt shares practical strategies for leaders dealing with leadership stress and overwhelm. Drawing from her experience as a plant manager and business owner, she ex...

Send us Fan Mail You built your business with passion, grit, and long nights. Now you're asking: “Why don’t my employees care like I do?” In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt breaks down the real reason employee engagement drops — and it’s not laziness. When teams feel: Unclear about direction Disconnected from meaningful goals Unrecognize...

Send us Fan Mail Want to involve your team in decision making… without losing leadership control? In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast , Kristina Schmitt shares how leaders can invite team input while still maintaining clear direction for the business. Because here’s the reality: You can ask for feedback You can listen to concerns Your team can disagree …and your leadership deci...

Send us Fan Mail Decision making under pressure for leaders is one of the hardest parts of leadership. When you're making 100+ decisions a day, clarity matters before the stress hits. This episode is for business owners, manufacturing leaders, and people managers who need to make aligned decisions — even when there’s no perfect answer. In this conversation, you’ll learn how to: Make better le...

Send us Fan Mail Your team is capable. Your strategy is sound. So why does progress feel harder than it should? In Episode 89 of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Kristina Schmitt unpacks how team discord—both loud and quiet—can slowly damage performance, morale, and results. You’ll learn: Why division distracts teams from real issues How ego and self-protection stall progress Why “agree to di...

Send us Fan Mail Your business is growing. Your team is expanding. From the outside, everything looks successful. So why are you exhausted, frustrated, and quietly miserable? In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, leadership coach Kristina Schmitt addresses a truth many business owners and leaders are afraid to admit: 👉 Success without alignment leads to burnout. Using real clie...

Send us Fan Mail Why won’t employees take responsibility—and why does it keep falling back on you? If you’re working harder than everyone else and constantly fixing what your team should own, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast , Kristina Schmitt unpacks a question leaders ask behind closed doors: “Why won’t my employees take responsibility?” The answer...

Send us Fan Mail Struggling to move your goals—or your team’s goals—forward? In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast , Kristina Schmitt shares actionable strategies for leaders, managers, and business owners to set goals that actually work and follow up effectively to ensure results. You’ll learn how to: Set SMART goals that actually work Stay focused on priorities without getting...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership clarity is the difference between working hard and actually moving the business forward. In this episode, we break down why many capable leaders still feel stuck—and how closing the clarity gap leads to stronger decisions, aligned teams, and sustainable growth. This conversation is for: Business owners who feel stretched but not scaling Leaders and managers navigating c...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership doesn’t break because people aren’t capable. It breaks when leaders lose themselves in the role. In Episode 84, Kristina Schmitt sits down with Nicole Donnelly of Hello Moxie for a deeply honest conversation about identity, burnout, Working Genius, and the courage to lead from within. This episode will challenge how you define leadership—and invite you into a healthier,...

Send us Fan Mail Every January, we tell ourselves: This year will be different. But when motivation fades and life gets real, shame often replaces momentum. In this episode of the Business Building Blocks Podcast , Kristina breaks down why New Year’s resolutions fail—and how to respond when they do. You’ll learn: Why setbacks are normal (and expected) How to coach yourself without shame How to rea...