Leadership Blueprints

SHOW NOTES: Most people think winning builds confidence. But this former Princeton National Champion says it's the other way around. For Lauren, the championship isn't the first thing she remembers when she reflects on how sports shaped her. It's the moments that taught her to believe in herself. Now, as a high school lacrosse coach and parent of three athletes, she's helping young people discover...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter   The story of America is the story of getting punched in the face and choosing to come back stronger. That is not just history. That is leadership. As the country turns 250, BJ sits down with Army Colonel Steve Messenger to unpack what that actually demands of you. Steve teaches a class...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most firms send their project managers to a bootcamp once a year, hand them a certificate, and call it development. Anthony Fasano says that's not even close. PMs are running your client relationships, your budgets, your teams. They are CEOs of their projects. If you are not building the...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most parents think they're doing right by their kid in youth sports. They show up. They invest. They mean well. But Jonathan Carone says two hidden emotions are quietly driving most of the bad sideline calls. Self love and self glory. Once you can name them, the whole thing changes. Jona...

Most business owners can rattle off their revenue, their pipeline, and their biggest headaches. Almost none can answer this one. What is the business actually doing to serve you in your life? Krystn Macomber asks her clients that before anything else. She's a fractional Chief Growth Officer who helps small government contractors stop chasing every shiny opportunity and actually build a strategy. I...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most leaders shut down ideas without realizing it. A "yeah but" in a meeting. A quick correction before someone finishes. The team quietly learns to stop bringing anything new. Will Dennis runs Unscripted Productions, an applied improv studio that trains Fortune 500s, hospitals, and scho...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter   Every leader has that one person on the team. The one showing up halfway. The one quietly setting the ceiling for everyone else. And most leaders tolerate it longer than they should. Matt Crispino refused to. After taking over the Princeton men's swim team, he inherited what his assista...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter   Every Memorial Day, BJ replays this episode to reset how he thinks about what it means to lead. Dennis Zilinski was his West Point classmate, swim teammate, and one of his best friends. Dennis was killed in action on November 19, 2005, at 23 years old. In this conversation, BJ sits down...

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter   95% of women executives and 95% of Fortune 500 CEOs were athletes. Yet, most kids leave sports before they even get to high school. This episode breaks down why more kids are walking away and how parents and coaches can work together to change it. Katie Lee, founder of All American AIM,...

During this episode, we are digging into the leadership challenges of transitioning from the military into the private sector and the lessons that had to be learned along the way.  Chris Banks is a 20-year Navy veteran and the President of Banks Industrial Group, a company providing maintenance services in the industrial space. He joins us to share more about his search for impact after working in...

A good leader is aware of cybersecurity risks and tackles them intentionally!  Today on Leadership Blueprints, we are joined by our very own information security practice leader, Bill Jones, to discuss all things cybersecurity. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about the very real cybersecurity threats that are out there, Bill’s career from the military to the FBI to MCFA, and more!  We delve into what m...

The difference between a stalled project and a successful ribbon-cutting ceremony lies in the project champion, a leader who possesses the courage, fortitude, and strategic mindset to navigate complex bureaucracies and transform ambitious plans into multigenerational realities. Today on the podcast, BJ is joined by MCFA’s Brian Pieplow and Michael Fuhrman to talk about the necessity of cultivating...

What does it take to turn an ambitious vision into a buildable, fundable reality?  In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, host BJ Kraemer sits down with Brad Tubbs, president of Willis Construction Consulting, to discuss cost estimating, risk management, and the leadership role estimators play in complex construction projects. In their conversation, Brad explains why great estimators do far mor...

What does it take to build a championship football program that shapes not just great athletes but exceptional leaders?  In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, host BJ Kraemer sits down with Frank DeLano, Head Football Coach at Haddonfield Memorial High School, to explore how to build a winning culture rooted in relationships, values, and community, and his leadership lessons from decades of su...

It’s easy to assume that growth comes from adding more, but it often actually requires doing less with greater intention. Today on the Leadership Blueprints Podcast , BJ sits down with Jeff Evenson, Scaling Strategist at Scaling.com, where he helps clients 10x their business in three years or less, which Jeff describes as the “impossible goal”. Tuning in, you’ll find out what it really means to gr...

Setting priorities and staying aligned is essential in business. But without the right systems, it’s only a matter of time before you get caught up in day-to-day operations and lose sight of the bigger picture. Since 2018, MCFA has been using quarterly reviews to set a 90-day cadence, allowing teams to align efforts, set priorities, and ensure clarity across teams. In this solo episode of Leadersh...

What does it take to lead major infrastructure projects when the work is complex, there are many stakeholders, and the outcome must last for decades?  In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, we sit down with Brian Pieplow, Chief Project Development Officer at MCFA, to explore how project development leaders transform big ideas into tangible, resilient realities. Brian shares the path that shaped...

Most leaders believe the lie that “hustle” is the only path to success. But true success is actually an optimized daily experience sustained over time. When you neglect your physical, mental, and spiritual health, you become a reactive leader-swinging a dull axe and working harder for fewer results.  In this episode, BJ explores the powerful intersection of servant leadership and personal sustaina...

Time is the most precious resource leaders manage, and you can either drift with time or direct it. In a world where there is not a lot you can control, your time is something you can take ownership of. In David Allen’s book Getting Things Done , he teaches readers his methods for stress-free performance and emphasizes that your productivity is directly proportional to your ability to relax. A few...

Part of being a great leader is being self-aware and understanding the blind spots in your leadership approach. In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, we sit down with Jill Macauley to unpack the concept of blind spots through the lens of Martin Dubin’s book Blindspotting . Jill is the Chief Operating Officer at Behavioral Essentials and brings over 15 years of experience in business and non-pr...

What hard conversation are you avoiding right now? In this solo episode of Leadership Blueprints , BJ reflects on Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and even the Winter Olympics to unpack one central leadership tension: compassion and accountability must coexist. Real leadership is not choosing between love and standards - it is holding both. Through presidential vignettes, youth sports culture, an...

What does it mean to create a safe space to fail?  During this episode, we are going outside of the built environment to speak to a different kind of inspiring leader in his field. Paul Donovan is the CEO and Head Coach of Jersey Wahoos, a USA swimming club program located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He is a champion of self-compassion and kindness. In this conversation, Paul shares how to balanc...

Consider your funeral – what is being said in your eulogy, and what do they thank you for? Are they praising your achievements and accomplishments or memorializing your character and the relationships you nourished?  In this solo episode, BJ challenges listeners to define the leader you are trying to become, not just at work, but at home, too! You’ll hear all about the inspirational books (and sol...

What if the true measure of leadership is not what happens on your watch, but what happens long after you are gone?  In this episode, we speak with John Teichert, an expert in leadership, about unlocking your team's potential and achieving organizational excellence. John is a retired U.S. Air Force general, combat and test pilot, and senior defense leader with thousands of flight hours across a wi...

True leverage is about multiplying leaders!  In this solo episode, BJ explores the concept of leadership and leverage and shares why he believes that leaders are actually levers. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about what to consider when thinking about leverage, the power of discerning leverage properly, and how the 80/20 rule can help leaders.  BJ delves into the importance of leveraging and protecti...