What if the most important shift you could make as a leader isn't learning more, but learning to hear what's already being said?

In this episode, Guy Legare, clinical psychologist, executive leadership coach at Inperium, and lifelong student of listening, shares one of the most quietly powerful stories you will ever hear on this podcast. It begins in 1990 in New Brunswick, Canada, with a man named James who had been admitted to a psychiatric facility 43 times in 25 years, and ends with a breakfast conversation about Kentucky Fried Chicken that changed the entire direction of Guy's career.

Guy has spent 45 years obsessed with one question: how do I recognize the impact I am having on people so I can change it as quickly as possible? From a chance encounter with psychologist Herb Lovett, to a four-day conversation with a woman named Beth who became his soul sister, to 22 years of partnership with Ryan Dewey Smith at Inperium, every pivotal moment in Guy's life has come through a relationship he couldn't have planned.

[00:04:00] What He Does and Who He Serves

Executive Director of Person Driven Clinical Solutions, retiring at the end of June 2026
Executive Leadership Coach at Inperium for 22 years
Dedicated 45 years to helping organizations build cultures of feedback and listening

[00:06:00] How He Got Here

Dreamed of becoming a chemist; dropped out when it turned out to be boring
Found a job supporting people with physical disabilities in Quebec City
Watched a psychologist reframe situations in a way that stopped everyone cold
Went back to school, became a psychologist, and never looked back

[00:10:40] James and the 3AM Epiphany

In 1990 was working with James, a man with 43 psychiatric admissions in 25 years
After six months, James was getting more frustrated; the team assumed he was getting sick again
Woke up at 3AM and realized the team might be the problem, not James
Showed up unannounced at 8AM and asked James if their efforts had been frustrating him

[00:15:40] "That Took You Long Enough to Figure It Out"

James leaned back, smiled, and said exactly that after six months of 70 to 90 hour weeks
His requests were simple, human, and completely outside the clinical framework
The frustration disappeared the moment they followed what James was actually asking for

[00:16:00] What Six Months of 90-Hour Weeks Actually Taught Him

Was working 70 to 90 hours a week; none of it was landing the way he thought
His belief that he was helping made it impossible to see that he wasn't
The same pattern repeated with 10 or 11 other people; the lesson became undeniable

[00:20:20] James's Two Requests

He didn't want the crisis line; calling it meant police, the ER, and months in a facility
He wanted Bob, a familiar face who could remind him they had been through it before
The psychiatric facility was closing; Bob could move into the community and keep doing the work he loved

[00:25:00] What Changed When They Finally Listened

The minute the team followed what James was asking for, the frustration stopped
He was still struggling with voices; what disappeared was his frustration with the helpers
Admissions got shorter and further apart; he stopped losing his apartment every time

[00:27:00] The Lesson That Never Left

No matter how certain you feel, check with the person you are trying to help
Helpers must systematically verify their impact; it is now an evidence-based practice
If someone tells you that you missed something, that feedback is a gift

[00:28:00] The Relationship That Changed Everything: Herb Lovett

Met Herb at a two-day training in New Brunswick in the early 1990s
Herb said: "The day I realized I was my client's biggest problem, they all started to do better"
That sentence has guided Guy's work for 45 years
Herb introduced him to Dr. Beth Bero in Pennsylvania, which changed everything again

[00:29:00] The Soul Sister: Dr. Beth Bero

Met Beth through Herb; described it as meeting a long-lost soul sister
They talked nonstop for four days about the work they were both passionate about
Everything Guy knows about conflict, group work, and team dynamics came from her
A one-year contract became two, then three; he met his wife and never left Pennsylvania

[00:33:20] The Thunderbird Framework at Inperium

Uses a leadership framework inspired by the USAF Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds fly within one inch of each other and debrief after every show without rank
Applying the same principle at Inperium: honest, rank-free debriefing to identify and correct drift
The goal is not blame; it is to keep inching closer to where the team needs to be

[00:35:40] Inperium's Vision and Guy's Role Going Forward

Inperium has grown from 8 organizations in one state to nearly 30 across 21 states
Guy articulates and practices the leadership framework across the full network
Runs the Inperium Leadership Series to build trust and alignment across affiliates
Everything the executive team learns is designed to be adapted by affiliate CEOs too

KEY QUOTES

"The day I realized as a psychologist I was my client's biggest problem, they all started to do a whole lot better." - Herb Lovett, as shared by Guy Legare

"If someone tells you that you missed something, the feedback they're giving me is a gift." - Guy Legare

CONNECT WITH GUY LEGARE

Website: https://www.inperium.org

Leadership Profile: https://www.inperium.org/leadership/guy-legare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-le...