Lead Like You Mean It with Masi Willis

Sometimes the most strategic leadership move isn’t pushing harder. It’s pausing. In this final episode of the season, we talk candidly about why we’re pressing pause on the Lead Like You Mean It podcast (for now) and what it means to truly protect your sweet spot. This isn’t quitting. It’s leadership. Using the 70/30 Principle , we unpack how to evaluate whether you’re spending 70% of your time in...

You don’t lack tools. You lack follow-through. In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we unpack one of the most practical leadership frameworks we use in real time: The CORE Process: a simple but powerful model for creating actual change. Because what you avoid doesn’t disappear. It compounds. Leaders delay hard conversations. They tolerate underperformance. They paint over dysfunction instead...

Most conflict isn’t about character. It’s about expectations. In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we unpack one of the most transformational leadership tools we use weekly... the Expectation Scale . Because if leadership is going to matter, clarity has to matter. Unspoken expectations don’t just create frustration. They quietly erode trust, diminish performance, and slowly move teams toward...

Before we talk strategy, productivity, or performance, there’s a more human, and more powerful, question leaders need to ask: How hopeful am I about tomorrow? In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we introduce The Hope Meter , a simple but transformational tool designed to help leaders assess what’s fueling them forward (or holding them back). Because you can’t out-coach, out-manage, or out-s...

Make It Matter isn’t about doing more, it’s about choosing better. We're a few weeks into a new year and the hype has faded, calendars are full again, and many leaders find themselves right back where they started: busy, tired, and reactive. In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we unpack why the banner for 2026 is Make It Matter, and why busyness is not a badge of honor. Together, we talk ho...

We’re back with our second holiday crossover between Lead Like You Mean It and Everything Made Beautiful and this time, we're in Christmas pajamas, wrapped in blankets, and getting honest about a topic everyone talks about but few actually experience: peace .  In this Christmas conversation, Shannon and I unpack why “peace on earth” feels great on a greeting card… but a whole lot harder around rea...

This week, we’re doing something brand new... a crossover episode with Shannon's podcast! We've recorded this one conversation and are sharing it on Lead Like You Mean It and Everything Made Beautiful Podcasts… because leadership and life don’t happen in separate lanes, and this season has a way of pulling all of it to the surface. In this Thanksgiving episode, we talk honestly about the kind of g...

We’re wrapping up our 5 Voices series with the Pioneer Voice, the visionary, results-driven leaders who see the future first and rally others to get there. Pioneers are wired for strategy, clarity, and competition. They love solving big problems, setting bold goals, and pushing people and systems to their highest potential. They bring the “charge the hill” energy every organization needs, but that...

This week, we’re turning up the volume on the Connector Voice : the energetic, persuasive, people-first communicators who can rally just about anyone to just about anything. Connectors are the relational glue of every team. They see potential everywhere, build bridges between people and ideas, and make sure no one feels left out. Their superpower is storytelling, so when a Connector believes in so...

This week, we’re talking about the Guardian Voice , and let me tell you, if you’ve ever been in a meeting with one, you know it. Guardians are the protectors of process, resources, and due diligence. They’re the ones asking the hard questions, pushing for clarity, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. Here’s the thing: 30% of the population are Guardians. That means nearly a third of y...

This week, we’re diving into the Creative Voice , the smallest percentage of the population (just 9%), but the one carrying some of the biggest breakthroughs your team needs. Creatives are the future thinkers, idea generators, and integrity protectors. They’re wired to ask “What if?” and “Why not?” They see opportunities, risks, and possibilities most people miss. But here’s the tension: what make...

We’re kicking off our new series on the 5 Voices , and we’re starting with the one that makes up the biggest part of the population, and the least heard in most rooms: the Nurturer. Nurturers are the champions of people, values, and relational harmony. They’re the ones who notice the atmosphere shift, who celebrate quietly, and who make sure people are cared for before projects are pushed. Here’s...

This week on Lead Like You Mean It , Shannon and I welcomed our very first guest and we couldn’t think of a better person than Jeremie Kubicek , co-founder of GiANT Worldwide, bestselling author, and one of the brilliant minds behind the Five Voices framework. If you’ve heard me talk about leadership, you’ve heard me reference the tools Steve Cockram, Jeremie, and the GiANT team developed. They’ve...

Every culture has kryptonite—the hidden stuff that keeps us from showing up at full strength. And spoiler alert: it usually has less to do with your skills and way more to do with your blind spots, unhealthy patterns, and the culture you’re tolerating. In this episode, Shannon and I unpack what kryptonite looks like in teams, why it drains the life out of leaders, and how to actually identify and...

If you’re still doing everything yourself, you’re not leading—you’re hoarding. 😏 In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we’re talking about the “L” in my M.I.L.E.™ Leadership Framework: Leverage . And no, this isn’t about titles, corner offices, or boss vibes. It’s about multiplying your influence, building trust through the Four C’s, and moving from doing to developing . I’ll break down the...

In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It, we’re diving into the second step of the M.I.L.E.™ Framework: I for Implement. Because here’s the deal: you can stare in the mirror all day, uncover all your tendencies, and name every leadership pattern in the book… but if you don’t do anything with that insight, you’re just gathering dust. Implementation is where transformation actually happens. This epi...

This week we’re kicking off my M.I.L.E.™ Framework with the first step: M is for Mirror. Let me be blunt: you can't lead anyone well if you aren’t leading yourself first. In this episode, Shannon and I are getting honest (and a little hilarious) about self-leadership—what it looks like, where it breaks down, and why so many of us keep repeating patterns that sabotage our influence. From Chick-fil-...

In this episode of Lead Like You Mean It , we’re digging into one of my favorite leadership analogies: the greenhouse. If you’ve ever thought, “Why can’t people just grow already?”—you’re not alone. But here’s the truth: growth doesn’t happen by accident. Plants don’t thrive without care, and neither do people. That’s why we’re reframing leadership not as a grind, but as gardening. We're talking a...

I finally did the thing I said I’d never do: launch a podcast. Welcome to Lead Like You Mean It , where we’re tossing out the corporate buzzwords, getting real about the mess and beauty of leadership, and talking straight about what it actually takes to grow and lead with purpose. In this first episode, my ride-or-die Shannon Scott and I lay the foundation for where we’re headed. We talk about tra...