Confessions of an Implementer – Episode Summary

Podcast: Confessions of an Implementer
Host: Ryan Hogan
Guest: Zach Arend (EOS Implementer, Leadership Coach, Former VP of Sales, Two-time State Champion Saddle Bronc Rider)
Episode Title: From Reactive To Intentional: Leading With Clarity with Zach Arend
Release Date: September 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode offers an in-depth conversation with Zach Arend, whose journey spans from two-time state champion rodeo bronc rider to executive leadership and now to an EOS Implementer and leadership coach. Host Ryan Hogan and Zach explore the lessons of resilience, failure, and the transition from reactive leadership to intentional, creative leadership — drawing vivid analogies between rodeo and business. Zach shares personal stories of growth, setbacks, self-discovery, and his emerging leadership philosophies, including concepts from his upcoming book, Unbridled.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Rodeo Arenas to Boardrooms: Zach's Origin Story

• Early Influences: Grew up in small-town Nebraska with parents who ran a grocery store; introduced to horses at a young age.

• Rodeo Lessons: Spent two years repeatedly failing in saddle bronc riding but persisted until he “made it to the buzzer.”

• Key Analogy: The fear-response in riding—how learning to do the opposite of what fear tells you can lead to success, both in rodeo and in business.

  “Everything in you wants to contract and be small and tighten up. And that's a recipe for disaster… So raise high and lift means you got to lift your hand in the air, raise that rein high and, and reach with your feet. And so you're literally doing the opposite of what fear is telling you to do.”
  — Zach Arend [04:09]

• Link to Leadership: Translates rodeo resilience into leadership, emphasizing the need to let go, trust, and make space for others.

2. Leadership Development: Time, Failure, and the Path to Growth

• Adversity & Experience: The major takeaway from rodeo and leadership is the necessity of “hitting the ground” — failing and getting up again.

  • Leadership lessons are often learned the hard way and require creating room for others to fail and grow.

  “For people to grow, we have to put people in the arena. We have to ask more of them... My job is not to teach them leadership... but it's to create an environment where leadership can be learned.”
  — Zach Arend [11:53]

• Difference Between Knowing and Doing: Academic learning vs. in-the-arena experience; development requires action, not just head knowledge.

  “Most leadership training today... puts us in our head... But I think we need to learn to trust ourselves.”
  — Zach Arend [12:49]

3. The Bridled Leader Trap and the Need for Creative Leadership

• Modes of Reactivity:

  • Servant: Always giving, being helpful.
  • Controller: Tightening grip, doing everything oneself.
  • Victim: Exhaustion, feeling overwhelmed.
  • Rationalizer: Justifying current state.

• Problem: Cycling unconsciously among these modes keeps leaders reactive and stifles creativity.

  “We just cycle through these four modes and what we're not doing... they're very reactive to the circumstance and life is happening to us...”
  — Zach Arend [15:52]

• Unbridled Leadership: Moving from reaction to creation, moving away from “how” to “what do we want to create?” and “what is the next step?”

• Philosophy: Creativity and vulnerability are essential; no one has all the answers, so leaders must rely on fresh perspectives and intuition.

  “Let's, let's figure this out. Let's experiment, let's use our intuition, let's ask others, but let's learn and grow.”
  — Zach Arend [17:59]

4. Personal Experience: Setbacks and Self-Discovery

• Corporate Demotion Story: Shifted from VP of Sales at a large logistics company back into a lower role — a major ego and identity challenge.

  • Confirmed that leadership isn’t just about results or titles; it's about embodying the leadership an organization truly needs.

  “I was reacting to everybody else's agenda... and, frankly, it's just not leadership. And that's what Michael was trying to show me.”
  — Zach Arend [27:53]

• Coaching & Reflection: The importance of having a coach to process setbacks, challenge assumptions, and refocus on personal desires and direction.

  “Your worst fear just happened. Now what's your opportunity?”
  — Zach Arend [31:33]

• Moving Forward: Pivoted towards coaching and EOS implementation by listening inward, not rushing, and letting clarity emerge.

5. Leading from the Inside Out: Becoming Unbridled

• The Inner Horse & Rider Metaphor: Balancing instincts (horse) and intellect/direction (rider). The ideal is merging the two — acting with both intuition and intention.

  “I was the fearful rider, not trusting the horse... so cued in on my outside environment... It was this outside-in perspective and that's the bridled leader trap.”
  — Zach Arend [38:33]

• Shifting Mindset: The crucial change is moving decision-making from external validation to internal values and intentions.

  “The work changed when I started discovering my own character and values... and started asking the question, what do I think is the next step versus what do I think they think is the best next step?”
  — Zach Arend [39:40]

• Role of EOS: Praises the EOS Accountability Chart and structure for helping people develop true personal accountability and leadership.

6. Feedback, Selfishness, and Just Saying What Needs Said

• Honesty & Clarity: Leaders often shy away from giving clear, honest feedback out of fear of appearing selfish, but clarity benefits everyone.

  “If the clients that I work with could hear themselves back, like, they're so articulate... And I always want to just say, like, just say that, but we can't because, oh, that would be selfish.”
  — Zach Arend [43:47]

• “Selfishness with a capital S”: Encourages leaders to lean into their desires and perspectives — not for self-gain, but so they can show up fully and authentically.

  “Every question has the common denominator of you in it... that's drawing people back to themselves... because that is nobody's coming, it's you.”
  — Zach Arend [44:09, closing callback to 00:00]

• Feedback in Action: Recommends feedback be delivered from a personal, “I” perspective, owning your viewpoint rather than generalizing or using “we/you” language.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Raise high and lift. You gotta learn to do the opposite of what fear is telling you to do.”
  — Zach Arend [04:09]

• “My job is not to teach them leadership... but it's to create an environment where leadership can be learned.”
  — Zach Arend [11:53]

• “We just cycle through these four modes and what we're not doing... they're very reactive to the circumstance and life is happening to us...”
  — Zach Arend [15:52]

• “Honestly, I'd rather be more of a creative mind where it's like, I don't know. Let's figure this out. Let's experiment.”
  — Zach Arend [17:59]

• “Your worst fear just happened. Now what's your opportunity?”
  — Zach Arend [31:33]

• “Who am I being? Is it who I want to be?”
  — Zach Arend [22:01]

• “Nobody's coming, it's you.”
  — Zach Arend [00:00; 44:09]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:50 | Zach’s rodeo roots, first lessons on resilience and fear | | 04:07–07:52 | Translating rodeo lessons to business leadership | | 11:53–13:29 | Leadership development, letting leaders “hit the ground” | | 14:34–18:16 | The “Bridled Leader Trap” explained, moving towards creative mode | | 24:46–28:27 | Corporate demotion: identity, ego, and self-reflection | | 31:33–35:42 | Coaching, personal breakthrough, and starting as an EOS implementer | | 37:05–40:45 | The Inner Horse and Rider—leading from within, trusting intuition | | 43:47–46:31 | Selfishness, honest feedback, and the problem with “we/you” language | | 50:37–55:18 | Zach’s current work, workshops (Saddle Up Live), how to connect |

Zach Arend Today

• EOS Implementer: Works with 10–12 clients at a time; helps leadership teams build structure and clarity.
• Speaker & Author: Keynotes, speaking engagements, and author of the upcoming book Unbridled.
• Workshops: “Unbridled Leadership Workshop” and “Saddle Up Live” events teach self-leadership and accountability.
• Philosophy: True leadership is rooted in personal responsibility, honesty, self-trust, and vulnerability.
• Mantra: “Nobody's coming.” Leaders must own their journey and inspire others by doing the same.

Connect:
Free “Get in the Arena” toolkit: zacharend.com/toolkit
LinkedIn & more via zacharend.com

Closing Thoughts

Ryan Hogan closes the episode with reflection on Zach’s wisdom, authenticity, and practical advice. The discussion is a compelling reminder for leaders to embrace vulnerability, trust themselves, let others fail and learn, and move from reactivity to intentional creation in work and life.