Emotional Intelligence: Jim Burns Reveals the Hidden Advantage in Leadership

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Mick Unplugged

Episode: Emotional Intelligence: Jim Burns Reveals the Hidden Advantage in Leadership
Host: Mick Hunt
Guest: Jim Burns
Date: December 11, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "Mick Unplugged," host Mick Hunt sits down with Jim Burns—longtime developer, community leader, executive, and former Greenville County Council member. Together, they unpack the foundational role of emotional intelligence (EQ) in modern leadership, personal growth, and community impact. Jim shares lessons from his expansive leadership journey, exploring how core values, self-awareness, and service shape sustained success both in business and in life. This episode blends practical advice, personal anecdotes, and actionable strategies for leaders and aspiring changemakers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovering Your ‘Because’ (03:47–06:34)

• Mick’s trademark question kicks off the conversation, prompting Jim to reflect on his deeper motivation—what Mick calls your “Because.”
• Jim’s answer:
  • “Family, friends, faith. I call them the three F’s.”—Jim Burns [04:43]
  • Leadership and growth are central to Jim’s “Because.”
  • Building his company "Strategy and Execution Excellence" (C LLC) stemmed from seeing many organizations excel at either strategy or execution, but rarely both.

Quote:
"You can’t just be good at strategy, or it’s just a plan on the shelf. You can’t just be good at execution, because then you execute things that don’t matter." — Jim Burns [05:42]

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2. Leadership: Self-Awareness and Team Building (06:34–09:40)

• The hosts agree that expecting leaders to master both meticulous planning and flawless execution is unrealistic.
• Self-awareness is key:
  • Jim: “If you don’t know your strengths and your weaknesses, you’re going to create problems.” [07:55]
• Supplementing your weaknesses by hiring strong, diverse talent is wise leadership.
• Mick's philosophy: Invest in developing people’s strengths, not merely fixing weaknesses.

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3. Growth Mindset & Intentional Development (09:40–12:38)

• Jim: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” [09:40]
• Growth should be intentional and measured; arbitrary goals like "1% better every day" lack meaningful metrics.
• Community growth must be paced and intentional to avoid decline and foster prosperity for all.

Quote:
"Be intentional about your growth—all the way down to specifically knowing where you want to be a year from now. Have specific measurements." — Jim Burns [11:50]

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4. How to Hire—The Human Factor (16:01–18:31)

• For specialized roles (HR, accounting), technical expertise is critical.
• For broader roles, character and adaptability trump credentials.
• Jim: “Your success as a leader depends on how well you build up everybody else.” [18:31]

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5. Emotional Intelligence in Practice (18:31–25:26)

The EQ Pillars for Leaders

• Many leaders understand emotional intelligence theoretically but struggle to apply it—especially self-regulation.
• Jim:
  • “I can only control what I think, what I say, and what I do.” [19:58]
  • Leading by calm example sets an organization-wide tone.
• Advice for reactive situations: “Whenever something upsets you that much before you act, take that breath…let that be ingrained in you as a leader.” [21:29]
• Empathy and understanding are essential, even for high-achieving leaders who struggle to understand those less driven.

Quote:
"Whenever you act in anger, that’s not going to be the best decision you can be." — Jim Burns [20:27]

EQ Pillar Jim’s working on:

• Self-regulation—resisting immediate reactions and prioritizing thoughtful, composed responses.

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6. Morning Routines & Daily Habits (29:02–33:24)

• Jim’s routine: protein shake, 10-minute meditation (using Daily Calm app), reading devotionals or philosophical texts, preparing mind and body for the day.
• Avoids starting the morning with the phone—prioritizes tranquility and reflection.
• Sees value in trading late nights for early, intentional mornings.

Quote:
"Once you clear your mind, fill it with something good. Fill it with something inspirational." — Jim Burns [29:36]

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7. Work-Life Integration Over Balance (33:35–36:19)

• Jim confesses he “got it wrong for a long time,” prioritizing work to the detriment of family.
• "Work-life balance" is a myth—integration is key.
• Modeling hard, smart work for your family is important, but being present (emotionally and/or physically) trumps being simply available.

Quote:
"If you don't love your work, if you're not enthusiastic about your job, then you're missing something in your life." — Jim Burns [34:22]

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8. The Importance of Community Involvement (39:17–45:30)

• Serving in public office and on community boards is deeply fulfilling and essential for healthy, thriving communities.
• Local government impacts people’s daily lives more directly than higher offices.
• Community leadership is about rising tides, collective prosperity, and creating an ecosystem for entrepreneurs.

Quote:
"We all stand on the shoulders of giants—but you realize, you’ve got to put your money where your mouth is and your time and effort too." — Jim Burns [42:51]

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9. Rapid-Fire Questions & Personal Insights (47:04–51:53)

• Admiration for Steelers player Franco Harris, love for Italian heritage and beach destinations, and the pride of watching children grow.
• Legacy:
  “If people think of me as a humble man who continued to grow and loved his family, that’s a life well lived right there.” — Jim Burns [51:47]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the growth mindset:
  “The more that I find out about, it points out how little I know.” — Jim Burns [10:10]

• On leadership example:
  “If you’re the right leader, you’re going to grow more people, put them in positions to lead, so the organization continues if you get hit by a bus.” — Jim Burns [09:11]

• On being present for family:
  “Sometimes you just have to be there—the memories will continuously be cherished and probably more than anything else.” — Jim Burns [35:29]

• On humility and legacy:
  “Humility. I would love to be known as someone with amazing peace of mind and calm…who continued to grow, and loved his family.” — Jim Burns [51:40]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:47 — Jim’s “Because” and the Three F’s
• 06:34 — Strategy vs. Execution in Leadership
• 09:40 — The Power of Growth Mindset
• 16:01 — How Jim Hires: Character vs. Credentials
• 18:31 — Emotional Intelligence in Action
• 21:29 — Advice on Self-Regulation
• 29:08 — Jim’s Morning Routine
• 33:35 — Lessons on Integrating Work and Family
• 39:17 — Leadership and Community Involvement
• 47:04 — Quick-Fire Personal Questions & Reflections
• 50:27 — What Jim Wants His Legacy to Be

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Real Takeaways

• Modern leadership requires both high EQ (emotional intelligence) and honest self-awareness.
• Growth should be intentional, measured, and rooted in areas of genuine interest.
• Great leaders amplify the strengths of others and don't try to “fix” every weakness.
• Success in business and community begins with being present, calm, and values-driven.

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Original Tone: The episode maintains a conversational, candid, and encouraging vibe—balancing humor, humility, and lived experience.

Memorable Closing:
“Your ‘Because’ is your superpower. Go unleash it.” — Mick Hunt [51:59]

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Transcript

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[Mick]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an in person MC Unplugged. I'm in my hometown in the upstate and I am here with a gentleman who when you think of the upstate of South Carolina, you think about developing. You think about community outreach. It is this guy. Jim Burns.

[Rudy Rush]

You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged.

[Podcast Advertiser]

You can't laugh, that's the truth.

[Mick]

But you're too kind. No, no, no, no, man.

[Jim Burns]

It takes a village, my friend.

[Mick]

It does take a village for sure. Jeremy, I know. If I remember correctly, you moved here from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You were 9, 10. Yep, yep, exactly.

[Jim Burns]

I was actually a little town right outside of Pittsburgh called Latrobe. I've heard of Latrobe.

[Mick]

There's some real ball players. Or St. Vincent.

[Jim Burns]

St. Vincent College, where the Steelers training camp is And Arnie Palmer was there. And Mr. Roger. Lots of the little beer called rolling rock.

[Mick]

Old 33 desert so small fact. I didn't know it was Latrobe, but my youngest son, who we just talked about. All right. Yeah, that's at the University of Miami. All Post went to St. Vincent to play football.

[Jim Burns]

Really?

[Mick]

He chose Beloit College and only won two games of four year. And St. Vincent won like the D3 championship three years in a row. And I said, cayman, are you sure that this was really the right decision for you?

[Jim Burns]

Life choices, right?

[Mick]

And choices. Yeah, yeah, exactly. So Steelers there, big time.

[Jim Burns]

Yep. I know that I raised my kids right because they're all big Steelers fans, too.

[Mick]

All right. And the episode is over. That was the beginning and the end. Because us Patriot fans.

[Jim Burns]

They did good, too. They got six Super Bowls as well.

[Mick]

Yeah. Yeah. And ours are more recent, but that's fine. We live in the past.

[Jim Burns]

I hear you. I hear it.

[Mick]

No, man. So, Jim, I want to get into a lot, but, you know, I ask all my guests, the very first question is about their. Because that thing that's deeper than your. Why I call it like your true purpose. Yeah. And it. It changes over time. So if I was say, Jim, today, what is your recause. Why do you keep doing what you do?

[Jim Burns]

And. And like, like, we. We talked a little bit about for. It's got. It's kind of interesting just to go back and think about it. And so since we met and we started talking and. And doing this, I was like, wow, it really is a question. We did this game with kids, right? Like, why, why. Why, dad? Why do I do the cause? And then. And then, you know, if you're. You don't think about it as a parent, you say, because I said so. And so. So great, great. I love the, the question. Everything. I. I narrowed it down to, you know, it's. It's kind of a. A bunch of. Bunch of answers. But to try to get together, you know, my, My. My ca.

Family, friends, faith. I call them a three F's.

[Mick]

Yeah.

[Jim Burns]

Okay.

[Mick]

I have some of those in school.

[Jim Burns]

That's right. Yeah, that's right.

[Mick]

My 3.

[Jim Burns]

My 3s. And then, you know, I'm all about leadership. And every. I think, you know, John Maxwell said everything rises and falls on leadership. And then I'm also all about growth. You know, growth. You know, you want your companies to grow, you want to have personal growth, you want to see the organizations that you're a part of grow, whether philanthropic or the community or whatever. And So I created a company that is called C llc. It was Strategy and Execution Excellence. And I still have the company now I'm working with Harness Development and I'm the chief operating officer for Hartness. But C is still an entity and the reason that I started that was because it's Strategy llc. S E Strategy and Execution Excellence. And what I saw out there through my career was that the. Some people were really good at strategy and really good at visioning, but they didn't execute, they didn't get into the details. They weren't the type of person that, that wants to be collaborative, which on any big project you have to do. So they set the vision, they set strategy and they might be fantastic at that. But when you bring that together, because you can't just be good at strategy or, or it's just a plan on the shelf. You can't just be good at execution because then you execute things that you. That don't matter. And so, and I think that's part of that's. That's one of my whys is like be able to see the bigger picture, to envision what's not there and what it can become and then bring that to fruition.

[Mick]

Wow, I love that. And you're exactly right. I actually had this conversation with my coo. She's going to yell and do what she hears. Don't get a choke. I'm already choking. It's okay. It's okay. I don't believe that people that are highly organized and plan amazing are great executors.

[Jim Burns]

Right?

[Mick]

Right. It's almost like. And that's not a bad thing because I think people that are great at execution miss the small details. But for whatever reason, a lot of times we put people in place and we expect them to do it all. And we expect them to do the organizing, the planning and the execution. And usually when somebody is great again at the organizing the planning, they fail to execute to standard because they put so much time and energy making sure that if all the things could happen, we can solve or we will be protected. Right. I'd love to get your take on that too. Like I see leaders fail a lot when they think you've got to be multidimensional.

[Jim Burns]

I think as I'm one of the things in personal growth. Right. You've got to be self aware. You've got to know as a leader what you're good at, what your gifts are.

[Mick]

Right.

[Jim Burns]

Listen, I think if you, if you don't know your strengths and your weaknesses, then, then you're you're going to, you're going to create problems.

[Mick]

Yeah.

[Jim Burns]

So you can be great, you can be a great manager of people and have great people skills, but you're not going to have, you don't have the financial acumen. So what I look for in leaders of the companies that I, you got to have, you have to supplement with really smart people in those areas that you know aren't your strength. Okay. So how do you, how do you recognize that? And that's just, that goes straight back to personal self awareness. I can do certain things, but I might not be as good as somebody else. And when it's a big enough piece of the organization, you better make sure you hire strong people in all those other positions.

[Mick]

Again, something else we agree on. It's another thing, I literally just got finished speaking to an organization about that where I said, you're spending way too much time trying to grow weaknesses in people.

[Jim Burns]

Right.

[Mick]

Why not let your people accentuate where they're very strong and continue to be strong and then supplement where they're weak with another person that's strong where they're.

[Jim Burns]

Weak and, and keep building your organization that way. Because if as a growing thing, right. You go back to your growth as a growing thing, you need strong people throughout. And if you're the right leader, you're going to grow more people, you're going to put them in positions where they're leading in certain areas so that, you know, if you get hit by a bus, I get my organization, my entity is going to continue on.

[Mick]

Exactly. And you use the word grow or growth several times. And I know you've said this, and it was one of the things that when I moved here, when I moved back home, when I was researching Jim Burns, you had a statement that said, if you're not growing, you're dying. Die. Talk about the power of that growth, especially in this modern world, not just for leaders or entrepreneurs, but people in general. That growth, not just the mindset, but the actual application of growth.

[Jim Burns]

I think again, are you, most people are like, oh, I don't know how to do this or I don't know how to do that. And they, they tried to grow in those areas. And my, I don't do that. Grow in the areas where you have interests, where you, where you, where you have strengths. But you got to keep growing because you never, you never stop growing. You never stop reading. I'm a big, I've got like a whole reading list of things including Mick Unplugged and, and, and so you We've just got, we've got to continue to have the mindset that there's. I think the more that I find out about. Right. It points out how little I know. Right. And so if you. In. In everything that I've been a part of is. Has been. How do we grow.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jim Burns]

How are we going to grow in economic development and was a board chair for the local economic development Corp.

[Mick]

Right.

[Jim Burns]

We have to dispel the. We're growing too fast and we're growing too much.

[Mick]

We.

[Jim Burns]

Where we've got to grow in a. In a proper course. Right. And do the things that allow us to keep the personality and keep all the advantages of being in this area are. But we've got to continue to grow because those. You can just look back in history at all the examples where we say okay, no more. And then those areas just start to decline and people start to move out and there's no jobs to supplement. And that's just a, that's just a ticket down to the, the, the downward spiral. And so from, from everything from your communities to your person, what are you doing?

I plan for. Right. Be intentional about your growth.

[Mick]

Yes.

[Jim Burns]

And where you're going to grow and how you're going to do it and say, you know, by this time next year I want to be here by this and have specific measurements that you. Or. Or try some of it is, you know, is harder to do. It's harder to measure.

[Mick]

Yeah.

[Jim Burns]

But if you say. I think I heard one time you said in one of your things is like this with this 1% better every day doesn't work. Because how do you measure that? How do you measure it? And I, and I agree with that. 100 right. So you got to have measurable. They got to be measurable goals to, to grow. Or, or you. You don't. Right. When you hit those goals, you're. You feel empowered and you feel like I did this. And then it energizes me. At least me. It energizes me more. So how do we do that? And keep energizing yourself to go to that next level.

[Mick]

I love that dude. I love that. So again, one of the best and greatest leaders that I know is Jim Bright. When you're looking at building your teams.

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[Mick]

Some of the values that you look in for people, because I have to assume that you're a lot like me, and I've never asked you this question before, but for me, I hire people and then the role will become the role. But if you're not the person fit, you will never leave the role. So I don't care what your accolades are. I don't care what your resume says. If you're not the right person as a human being, it's never going to work. So tell us a little bit about that.

[Jim Burns]

I think there's, there's two categories. When I'm looking at hiring different people, I think there's two categories. There's, there's very specific categories, like an HR person. I don't need a scientist to do that. You know, I need somebody that's got that emotional intelligence, and then it's motivational and everything like that. So you look for specific things. Accounting is another role. Like, you got to know the books, you got to know the rules. You got to do that so that you keep everybody else out of trouble. In, in my, in the development business that we've grown here, yeah, I like, I like people that have a breadth of knowledge. I like, you know, more of the Swiss army knife kind of folks that, that I can put in, in any situation.

And they'll figure it out. They always have me to come back to as a resource. I mean, we're talking about this, you know, we're doing annual reviews. And I, I, I think my job as a CEO here is, is to make sure that everybody has the tools they need to be successful. They have the skill sets to be successful in the projects that they get assigned. And then they know that they can always get to me. It might not be at a, at a normal time, you keep a busy schedule, but, but they can always get to me. And if there's roadblocks, I'm going to help them overcome those things. So I think there are specific instances where you're looking for really targeted areas of expertise. Yeah, but for the most part, those are the, those are the, you know, kind of the more administrative roles that you gotta have within a growing or organization of some size. And then for, for most of what we're doing here, man, you know, I need great project managers, and that's like the whole spectrum. That's not, that's not, hey, they're really good at this or this, this is, I can take the, I can give them a project no matter what it is, and they go and knock it out and add. So that's why I'm extremely blessed to have some great people that, that work with me, that have worked with me in different organizations and everything. And that's your success as a leader depends on how well you build up.

[Mick]

Everybody else totally agree. And you just brought up one of my favorite terms, which is something, it's actually a pillar of all of the companies that I have, which is emotional intelligence. We lead, we respect and we interact with emotional intelligence. But in 2025, and we're heading into 2026, I still see a lot of leaders, I see a lot of individuals talk the emotional intelligence game, but then when it's time to apply it in a real world scenario, they forget all those principles. Like my favorite one is self regulation. You get that tense moment and you just answer right away or you send that email often. Then when you meet with me, it's like, no, you're supposed to pause like five, 10 seconds, right. Or get up and walk around and then come back to it when you're calm. Why would, why are leaders one, not leading with emotional intelligence? And what are some things, what are some tips from you that leaders can do now to make sure that they're implementing emotional intelligence into what they do?

[Jim Burns]

Why are people doing it? I think it goes back to do you know who you are, number one, and what do you control?

[Mick]

Right.

[Jim Burns]

I'm a strong believer, whether it's a stoic virtue, what is a lot of different things. But as a leader, what can I control?

And I can control what I think, what I say and what I do. I can't control anybody else what they think, say or do. And so all I can do is be the example of what I expect from that. And so I think there, there is, it's way too easy to sit behind the computer and you get a bad email or something that upsets you and you're ready to fire something off. And I think that's what you got to know. I control what I say, what I do.

[Mick]

Okay.

[Jim Burns]

What you said is upsetting to me, but I'm not going to react immediately. And I'm like, I have a, I have a big, big decisions or something that really is upsetting. I say, we're not going to respond. We're asleep on it. We're going to come back tomorrow and we're going to have, have regulated and gotten through all the emotions. Right. You can't act on emotion. You, you act with the, whenever you act in anger, you're not going to come out. That's not going to be the best decision that you can be.

[Mick]

I love it. Yeah. With, you know, the world champion, six time world champion patriots we call controlling the controllables. I think Bill Belichick was the first to ever say that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Could be, could be, could be.

[Mick]

No, but you're spot on. So for that person that, that's listening, that's watching right now, that's like, yeah, I hear what Jim and Make are saying, but man, it's tough. What's some advice you get?

[Jim Burns]

I think just that whenever something upsets you that much and before you act on something, take that breath. No, take that time and just know that like let that be a part that's ingrained in you to be a leader. People want in, in the face of, you know, you look at the Churchill right in the, in the face of what was almost imminent, he couldn't assure them that they were going to get through the winters and the things like that of World War II. But he, his just said, deserve victory. So I can't promise you that you're going to be victorious. I can't promise you. But if we prepare and we set our minds and say we're going to be victorious, we're going to deserve it. I'm not going to tell you we're going to be victorious, but we're going to deserve it. And I think that attitude, just having that attitude, I'm, I'm going to deserve, you know, you deserve what your actions say for you.

[Mick]

Right?

[Jim Burns]

And so what you think, say and do. And so I think that's, you know, take the, take the step back and you know, go, go back to the, the philosophies and the religious thing. Act as if, if it was you in that place, how would you want to be responded to?

[Mick]

Yeah, totally agree. You know, and for me again, I teach emotional intelligence. I'm a student of emotional intelligence, but I'm always working on it myself to you guys. So we talk about the five pillars. Self awareness, self regulation, motivation, social skills and empathy. Jim, I struggle with. Yeah, I'm a diehard entrepreneur, I'm a serial entrepreneur. I'm the person that, hey, put it on my shoulders, it's going to get done. And I drive hard myself, not my team, but I drive hard. I struggle and I can admit this, right, I'm human. I struggle to understand people that don't have that same mentality hey, I got to drive. I got to go make it happen. But I also understand that everybody doesn't have that. So I have to make sure that I work on empathy every day. And a lot of times people think empathy and sympathy are the same thing. No, empathy means I hear you and I understand. Right. I don't, I don't feel sorry for you, but I pray you and I understand it. If you were to look at emotional intelligence, what are you working on? What's, What's. I don't want to say a weakness, but what's the area for you to grow within those populars?

[Jim Burns]

I, I think it, without a doubt is.

That, that, that pulse that, you know, I think that some regulation and.

Everybody wants to be quick to react and because like you said, we're trying to get it done. And when somebody presents you with bad news or something that has gone wrong, then.

Are you going to take the time to figure out why it went wrong and how you can help that individual overcome it again? You're the leader, and your example sets the tone for the entire organization. And if you're very reactive, especially lashing out, then they're going to see that and say, that's the example that I have. So what I'm always preaching myself is like, okay, you know, all right, I might have to go back. Part of my morning routine is meditation. All right, man, I'm going to go back. I got to clear my mind. Because if your mind is clogged with negative thoughts, with retaliation, with whatever it is that you think I have to react to, this way, you're not making good decisions. That's not your best self. And so that is, that is without a doubt, like I. The empathy thing, I could, I could relate 100% with you, man, but it's. The empathy is one of those things where again, that's. I go back, I'm going to put myself in their shoes. And how do I do this?

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[Jim Burns]

Acting in a calm but decisive manner when you need to be decisive is, is. Is I think, the key to resolving those conflicts.

[Mick]

I like it. I like it. So you just talked about part of your morning routine. Yeah. What else is your morning routine?

[Jim Burns]

Oh, man, this, this. I'm not. I think my wife tolerates it. I'm not sure she's, you know, encourages it. But, but, but, but, you know, we, we get up and you know, the first thing I got to do, you know, I'll drink my protein shake or whatever. Get something. You get something. Get the, get my body stirred up a little bit. But then I sit down and meditate. I sit down, I got my daily calm app and, and okay. And I sit there with my, my good friend Tamara Levitt and, and she leads me through that 10 or 11 minutes every day. And it just, I really think that that centers me, that, that gives me that sense of calm, you know, that peace of mind. And then I go immediately from that into my devotionals or reading some kind of philosophical thing. I'm reading meditation, Marcus Aurelius of meditations right now. And, but some put. Once you, once you clear your mind, then fill it with something good. Yeah, fill it with something inspirational. Right? Read. I'm reading the Bible. I'm doing those meditations. I'm doing the. Marcus's meditation or several different books that, that I'll read a little bit from each time. And then, you know, once they, then you're feeling good and I clan, you know, we, we make sure that we got everything we need for the day, that I'm prepared for everything in the day. And then you're, you're all. Every once in a while I'll mix in some, you know, some exercise in there, but it depends on how much tie up. Like, you know, when you wake up, can you, do you, do you have that half an hour for some stretching or some doing something like that. But that's, that's generally it. You get, you get, you get ready and you go tackle the dead. You know, you feel like you're, you're ready to go?

[Mick]

No, see, I need that. I need. When I'm home and not traveling, I have a long routine, but I travel enough so much that like, I make sure I have a few moments to myself every morning. I, you know, I make sure my phone is away and I can gather my thoughts and Try to plan what I'm doing, but I need to get a strict point.

[Jim Burns]

And I think, you know, Arthur Brooks, you know, Arthur Brooks. Arthur Brooks just came out with something about his morning routine. And he's like the six things that he does for an awesome morning or whatever. And I'm not, I haven't got all six of them.

[Mick]

Right.

[Jim Burns]

But I think it is. And it is a Never start, you know, Never start the day by picking up your phone.

[Mick]

Right, right, right.

[Jim Burns]

Leave the phone down, do your thing so that you do have your, your time, you know, And I think just that little bit of tranquility, that little bit of this bring. Brings that, you know. And we're all, we're on this quest for peace of mind as we go through our days and nights and everything. So how do you grab that at the very, very start of your day? I think is super important to me. And it's hard, but it's hard. It is. When you routine, when you're not where you usually are and your routine and all that, you're. You really kind of. It's throwing me off. So what. What's the best thing you could do there too?

[Mick]

I'm telling you, like, we're family. So I'll say this. I've been traveling so much as, you know. Yeah. Last week, man, I woke up and.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Had no idea where I was.

[Mick]

Literally. I get out of the hotel, I walk out of my room as that's traveling too much, man. I had to look to see what room number I was in because I was going to go charge breakfast to the room.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Right.

[Mick]

I was like, I don't, I don't know the room number I'm in. Right. Wait a second, where am I?

[Jim Burns]

Right.

[Mick]

Literally no idea where I was. So. Yeah, slow down.

[Jim Burns]

I get it. Yeah. But we get caught up in that, right. It's hard. And even if you're in your same house and everything like that, they might, the kid might come down or something happened or you got to get to work early or something. And I think it's just, you know, I read something that, you know, if you trade. Trade your last hour at night before you go to bed with the first hour in the morning. In other words, if you usually go to bed at 11, go to bed at 10, and if you usually get up at 6, get up at 5 and that you're gonna, you're gonna feel much more better. You're gonna feel better about what you accomplish from 5 to 6 than you do from 10 to 11.

I'm gonna tour it. Yeah, I haven't done it yet because I'm not a five o' clock in the morning person, but you know, I could be six.

[Mick]

I'm going to try it, Alex. I just do it.

[Jim Burns]

There you go. You talk.

[Mick]

Say I'm up. Okay, good. So you talked about family rope, right? Like one of the, one of the three Fs.

[Jim Burns]

Yeah.

[Mick]

Talk to me about how you balance all the things that you do from entrepreneur being CEO, being involved in the community like you are. How do you balance that to make sure that you're still husband and you're still dad and you're still son and uncle and all that. Jack.

[Jim Burns]

Well, let me, let me first of all say I got it wrong for a long time, you know, and he's like to, you have to, you have to again, you get that self awareness and I don't know what age it comes to us, but you know, thank, thank, thank goodness it came to me. And so I think they do. I don't. I think the term work life balance is a myth.

[Mick]

Totally right there.

[Jim Burns]

Integration is integration. Integration. How do you, you know, if you, if you don't love your work, if you're not enthusiastic about doing your job and going to work, then, then you're missing something. You're missing something in your life. He says there's, there's an innate part in all of us that says you want to be a part of being fulfilled is, is doing something that you believe is meaningful to society. Yeah. Right. And so I want to, while I want to teach that to my children. So I just got married in November. So coming up on one year between the both of us. Thank you. I completely locked out between the two of us. We have six kids, so we have, we have a full house, you know, and.

Five of them are out, one's a senior and we're enjoying every bit of the last year of the last son that we got. But, but, but I think, you know, you want to set an example, but then sometimes you just have to be there. I thought I'm very, for my, my two sons that were very big into basketball and I think I might have missed, of their entire career, I might have missed, you know, a handful of games.

[Mick]

Right?

[Jim Burns]

You're gonna, you're gonna be that coached many, many of those games and everything. And so it's something that's, well, those, those memories, they're, they're, they'll just continuously be cherished and probably more cherished than, but it's just, it's a, it's a myth that you, you can't, you can do everything.

[Mick]

Absolutely.

[Jim Burns]

So, so as I said, got it wrong. Got to prioritize. And priority number one is, is family.

[Mick]

Right?

[Jim Burns]

And then, then you, you've got everything else that falls after that. And so you want to show the example of what, what hard and smart work can accomplish. And you also want to show them that, you know, all the kids, I know that when they need me, I'm going to be.

[Mick]

I love that, dude. And you're right. I had to learn it too. I mean, for me. Well, my kids never said this. Right. I feel like I have three of the best kids on planet. I'm argue with you about that. What we'll let us see is. I bought that. I bought that. Hey, kid, we'll just do this. If Uncle Jun gives you a better Christmas gift and that does, then there you go. But what I didn't ever want my kids to say, and it took a moment for me to realize this, was that I never wanted them to say, dad, you're so present and available for your clients, for your team.

For your peers, for prospects. I never wanted them to feel like anything else. I couldn't be as present for, for them. And so I had to work on making sure I was present. And a lot of times, present doesn't mean physically being there. I mean, my kids are all out of college. I have one left in college. But picking up the phone, even though they don't talk on the phone, but making sure I do that, sending them a text message, checking in on the.

Just reminding them of little things and them reminding me of little things. So for everybody that's watching or listening, especially for the leaders and entrepreneurs where you're putting in 60, 70, 80 hours a week, remember to be present. Right. And again, present always is a physical. You can emotionally be present for someone. You can spiritually be present for someone. So for me, I had to learn that and take a moment and say, gotta be present.

[Jim Burns]

And I think, yeah, I, I, I really like that. I think the.

Not only is being present mean a lot of different things, but I, I just remember like, you, you sometimes you need to be there when they need you to be there.

[Mick]

Yeah.

[Jim Burns]

And then there's times when they're like, okay, I'll need you. You know, I don't need. Yeah, yeah.

[Mick]

You know, all right, that's good.

[Jim Burns]

And some of the greatest, you know, thoughts that you look, that you just evoked was my daughter is in law school and she's doing great. She's up in Washington, D.C. and she, she. There was one period of time, there was like a month, and every, Every day she called because she had moved into her own place that wasn't, you know, and it was like, dad, the dishwasher is not working, and there's a. In the garbage disposal. This. And she's calling me, and I'm like, oh, my gosh. You know that time when your kids realize, dad's not a dumb ass.

[Mick]

You breastfed? Great.

[Jim Burns]

I'm going to call him and see if he could help me on this. And that was. And she even said one time, she goes, I know I've called you, like, every day. And I'm like, it's been best. Best two weeks of my life. You just, you just keep doing it. You keep calling me anytime, anytime you need something. And I think that's the, you know, you don't. You can't push. You got to give them the space and let them kind of come to you from time to time, but they always know that you're there and you're ready to pick up, you know, at the drop of a hat.

[Mick]

Absolutely. Absolutely. So, Jim, I want to. Before I get to my quick five, I want to talk to you about this and give you kudos for this, too. So most of you know, I born and raised Greenville, South Carolina, or the Upstate, but just moved back, like, last year. And when I moved back, everybody was asking me, do you know Jim Burns? Do you know? I go to chamber meetings? You know Jim Burns. I had events. Do you know Jim Burns? I'm like, all right, let me get to know Jim Burns. But kudos to you for being involved in the community on so many levels. I would love for you to talk to the leader and the entrepreneur that's watching or listening specifically right now. Why is community involvement so key to being a leader and being a part of what you do as an entrepreneur?

[Jim Burns]

Well, all right, so in my, my personal situation, what I saw, I. I have a. An architecture degree and a political science degree. And I was like, all right, what am I going to do with this? And, and when I got out of school, and so I helped run people's campaigns, and it finally got to the point where there was an opportunity for me to run myself.

[Mick]

Okay?

[Jim Burns]

And so I was always interested in making sure we put good people in, in positions of authority, in the public. There's, there's. I can tell you, you know, your, your congressmen and your senators, they, they, they work hard for you. And, and, you know, we, we have some Good ones. And then, but the way the rubber reads the road, you know, is, is your, your local city councils and your county councils and your school wards and everything because, you know, nobody gets more upset than if they don't believe their child is getting right. Nobody gets more upset than, than, you know, with things in your community aren't going bright. And so that was, it was another area where I thought, you know, we, we need some leadership. We need some, some things where people can believe in the people and the message that they're saying. And I was just, you know, lucky enough to fool, you know, 51% of the people for a few elections here to, to continue to serve for. And I think, you know, it is, it is a difficult thing. It is one of the most, you know, I tell people when they say I served 12 years on Greenville County Council, and I said, I, I decided to leave after those three terms because there's only so much, so many times you can beat your head against the wall and, and want to come back for more, you know, And I also think, you know, I got this. Theoretically, I think, you know, we should be able to elect the right person as long as we want to. And granted, and how practically it doesn't work. You know, the, you know, so from a theoretical standpoint, I don't like term limits from the practicality thing and seeing people, that, that becomes their identity and they don't know how to live and meet who they are without being that.

[Mick]

That.

[Jim Burns]

That's not the right basis of, of our motivation to be an elected official. So. But I would encourage everybody, you know, we gotta have good people in our local governments too, because we're only as good as those people. We're only making as good decisions as those people that we put into those offices. So I look at it as. It was just a way to be involved, to be a part of the growth of Grenville and the trajectory.

We all stand on the shoulders of giants, right? But.

I found Greenville when I became an adult, came back from college and was here and it was this growing and wonderful place. But then we had areas where we weren't getting it done. And so I said, okay, it's time to. It's time to, you know, put my money where my mouth is and, and my time and effort into it. And so that's why I went, I served on that like you said, and it's okay to get out of being elected official too. So I've been able to serve on, on several boards and chaired some of these. The Economic Development Board here for the county has, has been just a real big, big part of what I've wanted to accomplish because I believe the rising tide lifts all boats. We can have reasonable growth and it preserves the quality of life that we have and we could do it in the right way. And so I think, and you know, that all ties in with being entrepreneurial, I think to, to your question is sometimes you got, you've got, you're solving problems. As an entrepreneur, I look at all these entrepreneurs as the ultimate problem solvers because they could solve problems, not only their product problems or how to get to where, you know, the product they want or the service they want, but they've got to solve everything else that goes along with that. And, and I think Greenville has such an amazing ecosystem for entrepreneurs here. And, and I, I think it's not as well known as some of the other ones, but, but the resources that we have here, they continue to grow, they continue to get better, and it's just a great place for entrepreneurs. And what we know about Griegal in the upstate is what made us, what got us to this level of success, at least in Greenville county, is we pivoted from textiles to manufacturing and we did an amazing job. And those are the giants that, whose shoulders were standing on. But what we realize now is that won't get. Maintain the level of success that we've enjoyed. And so we have to pivot. We have to go after headquarters, we have to go after the entrepreneurs, we have to go after research and development and take these, these amazing manufacturers that are here and try to get why heads are here, why not you? And that's something that motivates me. You know, that's, that's connecting with people, that's, that's leading, you know, the, the, you know, it's a development, right? It's, it's a, it's. How do we find the right spot for them? How do we show them that Greenville has everything that, you know, that company needs to be successful? That, that is, to me is, is incredibly exciting and it leaves a lasting impression on the community.

[Mick]

I love it. And I need you to know this, okay? You talked about, you know, the giants and the shoulders that we're standing on. Brother, you now are a part of those shoulders too. I want you to know that I mean that because again, when I moved back here, I heard your name more than anyone else seen name, and that.

[Jim Burns]

Kind of worries me.

[Mick]

All right, Joe, I know how busy you are. I'm going to get you out of Here. Appreciate quick five and because we're at the harness hotel and this segment is going to be sponsored by harness hotel.

[Jim Burns]

There you go.

[Mick]

So you're trying to see and scrolling right now. There's going to be some information. The harness hotel, an amazing restaurant. Patterson right over here as well too. One of the best properties in the upstate. Something that I truly support especially, you know, you're coming from out of town. A lot of visitors who have been here are huge. College of the show. It's close to the airport. You feel like you're in your own world over here doing amazing job of putting about.

[Jim Burns]

Thank you, man.

[Mick]

Take it.

[Jim Burns]

Great team effort, great family. The Hardness family. It's just been amazing to work with and it is, it's a, it's a. You know, I've been blessed to work on a lot of different projects and developments in, in my, in my career. And some of them, you know, when you get to the end, you know, it's kind of like that's, that's not exactly what we thought we were getting or. No, this one, this one knocked it out of the park and just in, in so many ways. And we're just, we're just extremely, extremely excited for what it's become and excited for the future of what it's going to become as well.

[Mick]

Love it. Love it. All right, here's a quick five. All right. I won't even bash you on the Steelers vs. Katrius and who's better because we know it's the Patriots. No, you're dealer of all time is Franco Harris.

[Jim Burns]

Okay, Franco legend Franco Harris. Yeah, man. He just talk about giving back to this community and everything like that.

[Mick]

I think he just set the, he.

[Jim Burns]

Set the standard as a, as a gentleman, you know, as a, as a rugged, rugged player. It was always trying to, trying to do everything he could for the team. But then, you know, at the end of his playing career, then he really turned into a supporter of the Dionyman and a beloved figure in Jen Pittsburgh.

[Mick]

My loner, My loner. Second question. Is Clemson ever going to be good again at football?

[Jim Burns]

So I got a son that's a junior. Josh is a junior over there and he said, he said that hope springs eternal over there on campus. So I'm going to go with his and say, yeah, we're. We're going to be back next year.

[Mick]

Okay. All right. Yeah.

[Podcast Advertiser]

So, you know, as parents, we're not.

[Mick]

Supposed to have favorite children, but who's yours?

[Jim Burns]

You know, there. You can't, you can't ever do that. But I just tell you, as a dad, you know, you're just enormously proud of, you know, I'm enormously proud of the three kids that I have and Kathleen, now my wife's three sons that she has too. So it's, they just, you know, when you get to this point, right, it's kind of like, this is the good fun.

Now we just get to sit back and watch all the things that they accomplish and, and continue to just enjoy all the fruits of the hard work that we put into it and creating those, you know, helping to mold those individuals. And so, man, I just think they're, they're all just a blessing.

[Mick]

Love it. I used to ask my grandfather that. He would say, the one that asked me for the least of my body, I'm waiting to get to that stage. As I say, that's going to be.

[Jim Burns]

I'm not sure if that would be. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Mick]

All right. So when you need to escape, or you not even escape, you want to go somewhere nice, you and your wife and your family, like, what's a good destination for you when it's not the upstate? Where do you like vacationing or traveling.

[Jim Burns]

To when it's not the upstate? Well, I will tell you.

We just got back, you know, we did our honeymoon over in Italy, right. And, and I tell you, I just, I love everything about, I have Italian heritage, and I just love everything about it. It's, it's amazing how you reconnect with it. So I think that, that, you know, for the, for the grand, the grand one, you know, getting over to Italy, so rest, you know, finding a place in Tuscany and just, you know, enjoying the small village or whatever, wherever you're staying. And then, but closer to home here, you know, down, going down to the beach, going down to one of the islands, Charleston Hilton, Head frip. You know, all those great places where you just, you get a sense of calm and, and, you know, understand that there's a, there's a higher power at work and just the beauty of, of everything that's natural down there.

[Mick]

All right, last one like this. We're writing the story of John Box, who you are and all the amazing things that you do. When that story, the last synapse is this. What do you want that legacy to be? What do you want people to remember and know about genders?

[Jim Burns]

Yeah, it's funny, you know, I, I, I heard a, a sermon recently that was about the eulogy. Virtues, Right. And so if somebody's giving you a eulogy, what, what do you, what do you think that would be the most important?

I think humility. I think I. I would love to. To be known as someone that you know, to. To let last sentence get written that it continues to learn, continues to.

Strives to help, you know, and someone with just amazing peace of mind and calm. As we get older, you know, I find that I want things to. To bother me less. All the. When the things that are in your 20s and 30s that you get riled up about and then you realize, you know, it's really not those things and those imagined problems. Right. Don't suffer as a stoic virtue. Right. Don't suffer imagined problems. And so I think just.

I want to live to a ripe all day. So I want to be great granddad and have all of the children running around and grandchildren and everybody. And so.

I think if people think of me as a humble man who continued to grow.

And loved his family, that's a life well lived right there.

[Mick]

That's amazing. Ladies and gentlemen, this is very. My good friend Jim, very Sam. I appreciate you both.

[Jim Burns]

Thank you, man.

[Mick]

Thank you. It's been a lot of fun. Absolutely all the viewers and listeners remember your because is your superhour. Go unleashed.

[Rudy Rush]

That's another powerful conversation on Mick Unplugged. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark and leave a review so more people can find there because I'm Rudy Rush and until next time, stay driven, stay focused and stay unplugged.

[Jim Burns]

And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds of with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu.

[Mick]

Is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera.

[Jim Burns]

They see us. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings. Very unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance company and affiliates.

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