Leadership Skills for Home Service Owners Who Want to Scale

Summary

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Service Business Mastery for Skilled Trades: HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Home Service

Episode Title: Leadership Skills for Home Service Owners Who Want to Scale
Release Date: April 15, 2026
Hosts: Tersh Blissett, Josh Crouch, and Christopher Hughes
Guest Expert: "Velocity Leader" – Leadership & Development Specialist

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the hosts and expert guest dive into the core leadership skills home service business owners need to develop if they want to successfully scale their business—especially as they move from technical roles to leadership and management. The discussion unpacks the challenges of transitioning star technicians into management, combating burnout, building internal leadership pipelines, and maintaining culture in remote or rapidly growing companies. They offer actionable strategies around self-awareness, communication, and fostering accountability, all delivered in a candid, lively podcast tone.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. Transitioning from Field/Technical Roles to Management

• Common Pitfall: Promoting top revenue-generators or technicians automatically into management often leads to frustration and poor outcomes if not paired with leadership training.
• “Velocity Leader”:

  “We kind of assume that if you did the technical side, naturally people are gonna wanna follow you. Well, that's only if you do the work on yourself.” (04:16)

• Importance of a clear transition conversation; too often people are put into management roles simply because they've been there longest.
• Host Reflection:

  “When I got taken out of the field—literally, I was the highest revenue generator... and I went to a position that I didn’t know anything about, literally had no formal training.” (05:05)

2. Self-Awareness and Internal Dialogue in Leadership

• Leaders often hold self-limiting beliefs about how their team perceives their absence from the field and their new responsibilities.
• Velocity Leader:

  “That’s the part where it starts with your inner dialogue, like your inner narrative... That’s the part of the behavior change.” (12:27)

• Strategies: Address and challenge internal narratives before trying to lead others.

3. Burnout: Recognition and Recovery

• Burnout is common and often ignored in skilled trades leadership—a key hurdle to scaling.
• Notable Quote:

  “On average, it was about five years. How long was it for you? Or do you think you feel like you’ve recovered completely from it?” —Christopher Hughes (17:24)

• Burnout can change your personality and takes deliberate recovery, not just “muscling through it”.

4. The Leadership “Above the Line/Below the Line” Model

• Assessing one’s mindset: “Above the line” is open, solution-oriented; “Below the line” is reactive, frustrated.
• Velocity Leader:

  “When I get that person that pops her head into my office... that makes me go [sigh], usually if that’s my reaction, I’m below the line.” (38:22)

• Introduces “trampolines”—simple routines or shifts like getting sunlight, music, movement, or gratitude—in order to shift from below to above the line quickly (39:38).

5. Leading Remotely & Maintaining Culture

• Not enough to simply “check in” via Slack or transactional messages—requires deliberate, regular 1-on-1s and shared agendas.
• Velocity Leader:

  “When I have a manager who has created time for me every single week, it makes me know that I'm a priority in that world; not just a nice to have.” (20:43)

• Sharing small wins and personal feedback is key to team engagement.

6. Sharing Financial and Sales Goals with Teams

• Debated how transparent to be with internal financials and sales data.
• Velocity Leader:

  “I feel like you share the vision as much as you can. And if it's me, if I'm hitting a goal, I want you to break that down for me so I know how I can win every single month.” (32:57)

• Caution not to overshare sensitive details but do break down goals so everyone can understand how their work contributes.

7. Building a Leadership Pipeline

• Don’t yank techs out of the truck into management without fostering soft leadership skills and self-management first.
• Develop awareness around giving and receiving feedback, influencing without authority, and managing friction (e.g., sales vs. install teams).
• “Practice influencing without authority” – start with peer feedback before formal promotion.

8. Communication, Feedback, and Ownership

• Critical to check your tone and intent; frame feedback and questions with curiosity and responsibility.
• Velocity Leader:

  “How can I be curious and not judgy? How can I be a learner instead of a judger?” (30:04)

• Repeating instructions often indicates a communication breakdown; own it as a leader.

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Celebrating Wins:

  “Wins are psychologically really important. And you taking the time to pause and reflect for you is going to be huge.” —Velocity Leader (22:29)

• On “Inner Voice” and Leadership:

  “We all have an inner roommate... that little voice is your ego, and it needs to be heard.” —Velocity Leader (43:36)

• Humorous Interludes:

  • “Kick the dog if you get mad...” (41:53)
    – Lighthearted banter about stress relief and the reality of managing difficult days.
  • “No, I don't have voices in my head. I had that squeak in my head.” —Host (43:29)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro to Leadership Challenge: 02:24–06:00
• Transitioning Techs to Management: 06:00–08:30
• Self-Awareness & Burnout Discussion: 12:27–19:10
• Maintaining Culture with Remote Teams: 19:30–22:00
• One-on-ones, Feedback, and Celebrating Wins: 21:13–23:27
• Above the Line/Below the Line & Trampolines: 38:20–41:34
• Open Books & Sharing Goals: 32:05–34:37
• Building Leadership Pipeline: 35:17–38:20

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Practical Tips & Takeaways

• Don’t promote based on tenure or revenue alone—invest in actual leadership training.
• Challenge your internal dialogue and self-limiting stories about management.
• Prioritize regular 1-on-1 check-ins; make your people know they’re a priority.
• Be transparent with vision and goals, but set appropriate boundaries on financial details.
• Learn and practice “above the line” leadership—have strategies ready to self-correct mindset.
• Foster leadership skills before formal promotion—esp. communication, accountability, and feedback.
• Small wins and regular feedback keep your team engaged and reinforce a positive culture.

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This episode is packed with real-world wisdom, vulnerability, and a good dose of humor—making heavy leadership topics feel both actionable and approachable for today’s home service business owner eager to scale up thoughtfully.

Transcript

[Wayfair Narrator]

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[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Wayfair Every style, every home. I feel like you share the vision as much as you can. And if it's me, if I'm hitting a goal, I want you to break that down for me so I know how I can win every single month. I'm a high, highly driven, high performing person. So I want you to break that down for me so I understand month to month if I am winning or losing. And I'm thinking as a manager, men or women that are winning or losing on my team, I want to make sure that I can help them win. That is my job. I want to eliminate the roadblocks. I want to like, how can I help you in and if you're, if there's part of the sales process that you're not understanding, maybe we, I, I know sales managers that will go in there one on one and they will say, okay, let's talk about these few jobs. What part of the sales process broke down? Was it the objection? Was it the finance? How are you helping a new manager understand the P and L? That's part of the understanding the financials behind it and driving that apartment, but it's also the managing of people and what does that skill set look like? And how do I win?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Today's episode is brought to you by one of our show partners, upfrog.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

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[Podcast Outro Narrator]

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[Contractor/Owner Participant]

paid ads and have developed an entire system to drive those hard to find system replacement opportunities. Nurture the leads and book them into sold systems before your team arrives to

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

help you grow your business.

[Krista from Marketstorm]

Hey, I'm Krista with Marketstorm and we work with home service companies across the country. Quick question. If another H Vac or plumbing company in your area starts influencing homeowners before they ever hit Google, Google gets the first call. By the time someone searches plumber near me, they've already been researching the problem. We use AI to detect those early Intent signals and put your brand in front of them. So when they do search, your name already feels familiar. Visit Marketstorm AI or text us at 213-575-5448.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Hello everyone out there in podcast world who are having a wonderful day. You're listening to or watching Service Business Mastery Podcast and I am over here with this world famous leadership. What's the name of your company?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Velocity Leader.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I knew that. I was just testing you. Velocity Leader, share a little bit about yourself, your, Your background and, and why people really, I mean, they trust you with a lot when it comes to leadership. Like, because let's face it, not all of us are amazing leaders. We're not. Everybody's not born as amazing as I am.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

No, that takes skill practice, years of honing. Just like your technical ability. Yeah, exactly. So my background, if you can't tell from the nasally accent, I'm from Wisconsin. I was at a distributor for 10 years on the H VAC side. Worked my way through HR to sales and marketing to dealer development where I did all the dealer meetings and education and all that good stuff. And through that experience, the, the kind of the, the. I went to school to be a teacher, so that whole, like seeing the potential in somebody and. Yeah, that was, that was the.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Okay, like a little kids, you wanted to be around them.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Definitely not little kids because I remember substitute teaching in a kindergarten class, handing out worksheets and being like, okay, just get after it. And they're like, what does this say? I'm like, oh, shoot, you don't know how to read? Like, no, no, definitely not. 6th, 6th grade to 12th grade science. That was my. Yeah, so fun fact.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's what my mom did.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Oh, really?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah. And now she has her doctorate in education.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, I, I want a little different path that kind of like, you know, training was always the, you know, the education, the human resources, the, the human part.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Patience.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah, we'll get to that. I mean, it's more of the empathy, I think, than the patience. People are, I mean, inherently people are messy. Like, leading them, managing them like that is a different skill set than the technical side effects. Would you agree?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Right. So, like what I'm seeing and what I've seen, not just on the contractor side, on the distributor side as well, you know, we were. Promote the best branch manager or the best CSR to branch manager, warehouse, you know, manager to branch manager, contractor side, best technician to manager. And they don't always do well in those roles because we kind of assume that they like, they got it you did the technical side, you're gonna, naturally people are gonna wanna follow you. Well that's only if you do the work on yourself. Like are you, are you gonna be. So before I get down that road,

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I mean do you recommend that people do that or do you recommend that they like they keep the revenue producer in the field producing revenue?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

If it depends on their, their goals, if they want to grow their business then they may have to make those decisions. If, if everything's working like here's the thing, why would, why would you change

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

something if it's working in my, in my situation? The way it worked for me was I was a technician and I was a leading revenue generator very much into the automations and things like that. Really in shocked surprise, very efficient and all of that. But when I got taken out of the field literally I was the highest revenue generator, sold the most all of that. And I went to a position that I didn't know anything about, literally had no formal training. And being a service manager before, what

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

were the conversations that led into that?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

The old service manager quit and they're like hey, you've been here the longest, that's, you're doing the best job. You've been here for a year, you're going to be a service manager.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I mean at least they had a conversation with you. Do you know how often that just happens? And like hey, you're gonna be a manager now. And you're like wait, I didn't, I didn't ask for that. Like oh, I see it a lot where you just promote the guy who's been or girl who's been there the longest. Right? And you put them in a management role and they're like but I didn't, I don't actually want to do that. I, I wanted to keep doing the work. I didn't want to manage people like this is a hot mess. I don't really wanna. So that's why I say did they have a conversation with you?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

So I didn't know fully what managing other people would entail because my experience with managing people was in the Air force and if they didn't do what I said they had to do push ups and that what didn't work out so well whenever a service tech was like yeah, I'll be there when I get there. Like yeah, but we're having a meeting at 8 o' clock in the morning, the whole company is here and you scroll in at 8:30, the owner of the company's here. I can't tell them dropping it at 20.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

No, that's. I mean, did you try that?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That didn't work, but it doesn't work out. He. He had just retired from the army, so he. He didn't mind.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

He didn't mind. He was like, all right, challenge accepted, whatever.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I guess.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

So that's part of the whole idea with career pathing. And what does that look like? Like, if you. There's a different skill set to leading people and, and having the work. The work still has to get done. How do you do that through people? Is the. Is the big question mark. And part of it is, does the person want it? Do you want to be a manager? Because you want the title and you want the authority and you want to

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

pay raise, which I shouldn't be getting because I'm not skilled in this area anyways. So why am I getting a pay raise instead of getting a pay deduction?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

The other part I would say, to be fair to. To some of the industry, is that we haven't had great role models in terms of what good leadership looks like. What I see a lot more often.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

If you ever can't find a great role model, send them my way. Yeah, I'll show them a great pro model. Not me. I'll just point them at Chris.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Oh, that's nice.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Or else.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's good. Okay. All right. But I mean, that's, that's going back to that. That's. To me, that's the, the piece that we're missing is we haven't had good role models. We've seen a lot of firefighters, a lot of, I'm going to do all the things and wear all the hats and.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But isn't that natural? Because most business owners were technicians to start with, and they put out fires and then they just like, you know what? I'm really good at putting out buyers. Let's start a business.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Absolutely. I am married to that guy. My husband has had his own business for 11 years. He's a carpenter, and he went into it because he was sick of the sale. I will just be very blunt with you. The sales guy selling the job and then him having to figure it out and make it work in the install. He was like, f. This.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Isn't that what you're supposed to do?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, so my, My point to that was, okay, but, like, if that guy didn't sell that job, you wouldn't have anything to install. Like, I'm just saying.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Saying. Yeah, that's a good point. How. How does that conversation go? We don't cross the threshold So I have a rule at our house. When we cross the threshold of our bedroom, we do not talk work. Okay. But man, sometimes It'll be like 4 o' clock in the afternoon and I'll be like I told you so. And I run to the bedroom and she doesn't follow the rules. She follows me into the bedroom and she's like, you did not tell me so. No, I'm just kidding. She wouldn't dare that she punch me.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. See I'm still the wife. So the messenger gets lost. I can sit in all the classes and tell him all the things I'm still.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But if it's somebody else that told him the exact same thing, I have

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

more influence with people I'm not married to in leadership than I have my own. But that's the way it goes and that it's fine. I mean that's the, it's, it's, that's a, that's a different topic for another day. We don't have enough time to cover that right now. But that's a little bit of what I do in a very high level at Velocity Leader. And yeah, it's contractors, distributors. It's really the, it's the human piece of how do I lead myself? Well in order for people to want to follow me, not because they have to, because I'm going to get, you know may do push ups and shit but how, how do I get them to follow me without me having to like with them into submission to do it.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Okay.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You know real talk. We're just gonna.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yep, yep. Cause that's what I feel like I have to do sometimes. You got a question Chris? What you got? Yeah, go.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Oh. All right.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Okay. Chris has it. Christopher Hughes for those of you who are listening, this is the world famous Christopher Hughes.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

So I've heard a listening so far. Seems like you're doing leadership on the distributor side or is it both goals?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. And then. Yes.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Like a contractor side focused question. Okay so and I first I dealt with this as a company bros as tersh say I was a contractor slash accompanyer. I did the work, you know boss and just hired more people and trying to get myself out of the field. Sounds easy on paper.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Just go to give the keys away. Yeah.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

It's difficult because there's always this fear of like this is what goes through your head. As an owner if I go in the office and I do what needs to be done, I'm going to lose the respect of my guys in the field because they don't see me in field with them. It's a huge challenge. Yeah. I don't think a lot of people talk about.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

How do you manage that situation? How do you communicate to them that what you're doing is very important for the business? You're not going to see me on the field every year anymore. And it doesn't mean that I'm just living high on the hog. I'm actually doing real work. It's just cupo work or meeting with the CPA or trying to make the most out of the money we've made to make sure we don't pay oodles of money in taxes and, you know, everything that comes around the business.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

And sometimes we have to do that work in Mexico on the beach.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Sometimes.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Sometimes.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

So there's a, there's a, there's an issue I think every owner deals with when he goes from tech to owner where he feels like he has to be in the field to keep the respect of his team.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, sure. But he's. He. We'll say it's his team for now because it's a man who is saying that to us. It's fine. I know it's a predominantly male industry. Well aware. Thank you. But Chris, to answer so I would. I want to address first the, the perception that you said that you. Part of it is you have this perception that they're not going to respect you because you're in the office. You. I'm not. I'm. Did I hear you correctly when you said that? I don't want to put words in your mouth. Oh, I can't hear you now because

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

you're not miked up internal fear that you have. You're fear and that's what's going to happen.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

So you're. That is, that's what I want to address is that's the part where it starts with your inner dialogue, like your inner narrative. I call it yourself talk track. Like that. We all have it. I don't know if you, I mean, when you're.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Okay, let's talk to myself. When I, When I, when we're sitting in silence, it's silence. There's no conversation going on.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Really? Really. So you could be not talking and you have thoughts going through your head. That doesn't happen for you?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Nope.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Okay, sure. That's not.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Does not happen to me. I'm a little weird.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I mean, I know you are. You're. Yeah, you're. You're. There's only one terse. I get mad. But that is, that is real. That is part of like that is our humanness coming through in that I have to give up something and I have this perception but I don't know if that's true. That's, that's what you're thinking. So I want to address that, that self limiting belief because that is, I feel like I can't do this or I not I can't, but if I do this then they're going to have less respect for me. Well, the messaging that you just gave me standing up there saying I'm going to do this because it's using my skills, talents, whatever to drive the business to do the things I need to do that I'm uniquely good at. There's nothing wrong with that messaging. Like I would encourage you to have. That would be the messaging I would say to the guys, hey, there's going to be a change. I'm not going to be in the field as much. Here's what I'm doing not to, not to defend or justify but to address that self limiting belief of well, shoot, I got to give something up in order to do this now. And how do I navigate that without feeling like I'm giving something up? You're giving it up because you're, you're utilizing your skill set in a different way. And you doing that allows somebody else to step into that role because if you continue to do it for them, then you rob them of the experience of learning and growth. That's, that's the stuff that we address. Like this is very like woo, deep dive inner leadership. But like this is the inner game stuff that we don't as an industry teach. We want to jump to how do I give feedback, how do I have a one on one, like all the outer stuff where I'm communicating with another person. But if I don't write the stuff that's happening in me and I don't address these like these stories, not for you because you don't have those. But the stories that happen in our heads, that's the part of the behavior change where it's like I want to make sure that I show up as the best version of me. But I can't jump to that until I sit with some of these, I call them mirror moments where you're going to look at that and be like, might be Taylor Swift, like hey, it's me, I'm the problem, it's me. You may have that, but if you, if you never want to look in the mirror.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I did not understand that reference at all.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

For you, it's okay Somebody out there got it. It's from Anti Hero. I use that all the time. And I don't care if you don't

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

know what is the Anti Hero.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

It's her song. So I'm gonna hold him a mirror, and I'm gonna be like, oh, shoot, maybe I'm the problem. But I can put that down and just pretend that that version of me doesn't exist. Right. But that is the per. That is the leader that you see who says one thing and does another. Who doesn't. The person that smashes the mirror and goes, ah, it's not that I don't have that. That's not my problem. That's your. That's this. You know, it's. They deflect. All of it is that somebody you respect want to follow any of that. Nobody respects that. And that's the part where I have. That's the part that I address head on. Because if we don't, then you're never going to be. Nobody's going to want to follow you, and you're not going to promote this environment of, like, becoming the best version of you, because that's the whole culture. You want to talk about culture that. It starts with that. Keep doing everything you're doing, and you're gonna burn out. And you're not gonna grow through intentionality. You're gonna grow through exhaustion, and it's gonna suck.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah. Do you know how long it takes to recover from burnout?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I don't. It depends. Like, Clint, any.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Five years on average, from the time you fully burn out, begin the recovery process. Because most of us don't actually go through the recovery process and the healing process of burnout. We just muscle through because we're guys, and that's what we do.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah, Just shove that down. Pretend doesn't exist. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's what I was. I was literally trained in the Air Force to just take some Tylenol and push that down.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

And I get that. And if you're literally in battle, I completely under.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Like, I'm in battle for my life when I'm running my business.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I mean, that's a little extreme compared to. No, just compared to actually being, like,

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

in war, where I've done both. It's not okay.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I don't have that experience. So, like. All right.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yes, sir. You're chomping at the.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Oh, look again. Hi, Chris.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

I told you.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Give me microphone. He ain't gonna shut up right here. Oh. Yep.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

What's the identifier for now?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

The identification of burnout. I don't know. I don't recall. Top of my head, burnt out. Life.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

In my life.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You have. It's like you physically burnt out physically.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Like I've mentally burnt out. On board. Twice I've had a breakdown from vaus. I know what it looks like, but I didn't know it when I was in it. So it's like, what's the early signs of Bernie?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

So I did. I did a lot of research. I actually wrote two papers on this. Um, but I don't recall. And I don't want to say it because I don't know the. I don't remember it a hundred percent factually. But I will tell you, I will find my paper and I'll. I'll show you. But I. It was real and I did. On average, it was about five years. How long was it for you? Or do you think you feel like you. You've recovered completely from it? Shove it out.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

But I would say, truthfully, the first was fast.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

He said, I've recovered now. But truthfully, the first one was bad. Oh, you don't think you fully recovered from the first one?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

It changed your personality. It potentially could change your personality.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yes.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Sick.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

And you had the second one. Then you moved to Korea.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Careers.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Careers.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Korea solves everything.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

We heard Japan's nice. Oh, is that a different place?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's a different. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Tomato tomorrow.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Suzuki Smith. That's what we learned in the break.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

What?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Suzuki Smith?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Tomato Smith.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I thought we were talking about Taylor Swift.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

No. When we moved on from that subject, remember, she just told us that Smith. Suzuki is.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yep.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Smith.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Smith is in Japan.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yep. Y' all learn something. A new fact.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Hey, we have somebody with a question.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You got a question?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

No. Come on. Yes.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

We're saving energy, right?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

We're saving energy.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Sure. For everything.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

You don't want to use massive energy.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Heat and cool. Do you want to be comfortable? How do you do it? Yeah. That's good stuff. Oh, thank you. You're welcome. Have a good day. Okay.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Leading yourself.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Burnout.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I'm not. Untruth.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Burnout.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Not a burnout expert.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, my bad.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's a different kind of burnout. Yeah, that's. That's accurate. You get all kinds in Vegas.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That was what? That's the identifier I get. I heard you. Now you're not very nice. Christopher Hughes.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Keep saying his first name and last name.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I like saying his full name. Okay, Christopher. I'm not touching that one. No, I have this. How do you maintain a culture whenever you have remote employees.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, I would go back to the. How often are you having check ins with them? And don't tell me, I talk to my people every day.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That is they send me a message on slack that I ignore.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Sweet. I feel super valued by you as an employee. Thank you.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I pay their paycheck.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That is a transactional relationship. And if you just want your employees to show up, do their job and do nothing else, then that is what you're going to get.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Hey, if they'll just do that, I'm happy.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

All right, cool. Well, just want to baseline establishment like we're. Do you have set one on ones with the people that report to you directly? I'm not talking the whole entire company. How come?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, I'm sorry, I do, Yes I do. On, on Wednesdays.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Like it's a whole day of meetings.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No, no, no.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Or one on ones.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, I only have a couple people that report directly to me. So it's three meetings that day.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Oh, not bad. Very doable. So that was what I would say

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

is that's how you would maintain the culture.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's how you maintain the one. Is that consistent? Here's the thing. When I have a manager, when I've had a manager who has created time for me every single week, it makes me know that I'm a priority in that world. Not just like a nice to have. When shit hits the fan, you call me like I want to, I want to have that time with you so I can, I can hold my issues potentially right for that meeting. But I also know that you're going to come to me with something like it's to be this exchange of Hey, I. I'm working on this. I need your help with prioritization cuz you will probably have a much bigger view of what's going on.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But do you, do you hold the things that you need completed until that time? Not, not like the minimal, the medial task but like if you have a project that you're thinking about starting up or something, do you wait till that meeting to do that? Or do you like preface that like on Monday if we're going to meet on Wednesday. Hey, I'm going to talk to you about this.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I always share the meeting agenda in advance and if there were talking points meaning agenda. I know, I know. I. Yeah, it doesn't need to be anything big. It can be like what was a win from the last week? What was something you think you're great at? Hey, where did. Where did I. How did I. Well, you have your again You're.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

We're not talking about me, but you

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

could write it down and, like, have a place to put that. No.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah, but it's like Christopher Hughes said. Like, I don't recognize the wins until I look back on them later. And sometimes I. So this is me as a person, not me as the industry. But I don't celebrate wins. And I know that's not good. It's not. It's not great.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I can tell by your face you're

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

like, I don't celebrate wins. Um, it's just a completed task, and now we're going to move to the next round.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

To the next one. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yep.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

So wins are psychologically really important. And you taking the time to pause and reflect for you is going to be huge. And if you can incorporate your employee in that win or even just get a throw to them, maybe I can

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

just let them win.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's fine. They can come with that. Because here's the thing. When you ask that question in a one on one, that's the first question I asked, by the way, what was a win of the last week? Tell me something you thought. Because I want to understand where they think they're the strongest. I can have my opinion on where I think that they are winning or the things that they're doing. But what if they bring in something that I'm like, oh, that's interesting. Like, you think that's like, okay, part of it is the self awareness piece of it.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You just did the exact same thing that I would do. And I cannot hide my expressions on my face. They're like, so I wanted this, this, this. I completed this task and that's a win. You sure about that? What are you sure about?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Is that what my face said? Because I was like.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Because you were like, are you sure that's how we won last week?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That what?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's the way it looks to me.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

All right, well, I'm sorry.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

For what? Is 9/10 of the law or is that possession? Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm right.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You are. This is your podcast. I'm not going to disagree with you.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

It is. So most of the times when I. If I ask that question, I have to be very, very, very conscious of what this is saying, even if I don't say it out loud.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah, that's fair. And so there's an awareness piece to it though, too. Like, and you also use the word conscious. How often are you, like, just running through on autopilot, being like, all right, I got to get this meeting done. I got to check this box.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Got to ask this question, like every. Done.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

So I've. I've had that in a one on one, and it's not a great feeling. It makes me feel like actually that you're like, well, I'm so. And I'm like, just a thing you have to do to get to the next meeting, even if you're not trying to.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I'm being blonde because I'm trying not to.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's not awesome.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No, no, no. I don't know.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I don't know if you're, like, being serious or being. You're kidding.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No. Yeah. No. And that's the. That's another problem. But. So whenever I'm sitting there and I'm. I'm talking to them and I'm sometimes. Let's just be honest. I really don't care. Like, there's sometimes that we start talking about things that I honestly zone out because there's bigger fish to fry in the real world. Do I sit here and talk to them for their allotted time frame? Because I could be doing something actually productive.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You need to address that.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Because if you go into the meeting with that attitude, this is. I want to just finish this thought before we jump to another one.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

All right.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I know that's how your. That's how your brain works, but I'm trying to be like very like, stream of consciousness for you right now. I got you. If that is the feeling that you're going into that meeting being like, I have all this other stuff, like, that's a. That, that vibe. That feeling is going to come across. And so just like, if you. I. I was curious to know if there was something like, how do you make sure that you aren't wandering off and you're like, whoop, hold on. I want to stay like, focused.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh. On the, on the topic at hand.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. And even if it is. I mean, truthfully, if it is, like, slightly boring, I don't actually need all these details. Okay, cool. But, like, I want you to.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No, I. If. If it is truly something that I need to be working on, focusing otherwise and my mind will wander, then I'll have to write it down. I just write it down and then put it off to the side right after the meeting.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. I think part of that is if you can. If you can tell yourself a different story going into that meeting, be like, I have time.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Sure.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

It's we. We. I have this blocked. I have. You know, like, I just think that you. I know you would show up different.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I think we both get more value out of the, out of the conversation in general, whenever we go into the conversation. Not overwhelmed by exterior.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Because what you're also trying to do is you're trying to set that up for that employee that, like, yes, there's all. There's always stuff happening. There's noise, there's all this stuff happening. But, like, this is time that we carved out for us to have time to. You have your. Your list. I have my list, and we talk through that stuff. And then part of it is modeling that to them. Like, you're, You're. You're an employee. And my. My business is you. You. Your. My people, you know, and. And you conveying that is with the biggest commodity that you have, which is your time. That's why I always felt like the managers that made that put that on their calendar every week, I'd know that that was happening. Made me feel like a priority in their world.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Sure. And I don't disagree with that. But there's times where I've spent a lot more time than what I expected to or typically do during the regular work week answering the same questions that I get asked in that meeting. And so then it's repeating myself.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Or you call them out on that when you're on that.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah. But then I feel like a jerk because then they're like, oh, I'm a failure now. I'm like, yeah, you are so real nice. Because I probably shouldn't add that last part.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah, let's. We can. We can be like, I want, like, the realtors. Like, you don't have to give me, like, the puffed up, social media polished version.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I honestly am just like, normally, I'm very much like, whatever, don't worry about it. Let's just, let's go. Let's keep going. And it probably comes off as like, all right, I'm in a hurry. Let's go.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Probably. I mean, part of this is, like, the stuff that you already know. So I would. When you. When you say. And that's. I1. I wonder, like, that's an annoying as hell. If they're like, we already talked about. This is the third time. So the way you could do that without like, throwing that out there kind of be like, okay, maybe. Did I. Did I not explain something the first time? Like, just try. I always try to put it on.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

If I say it like that, they'll

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

be like, no, no, no, not that way. Like, okay, but like, I guess we are. I feel like we've already talked about it. What. What's unclear to you. Like, I'm trying to, like, did I not explain it correct? I'm trying to, like, I always try to put it on me so that I can be like, maybe I didn't communicate as clearly as I thought. Because, like, here's the thing. We. We. So.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

So did I hear you right? Okay, make sure I heard you correctly. If that happens. If, if something that I've already explained multiple times throughout the week gets brought back up in the Saint and the one on one meeting, then I had to take blame for this.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I would try to. I try to take it from the. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I didn't communicate something as clearly as I think I did. The reason I say that is on average, we talk at a rate of 150 words per minute and we listen at a rate of 350 words per minute. That's a pretty big gap. Like there you, you know, you listen to audiobooks or podcasts. You can do that. Like one and a half point five. Yeah, we listen at a much higher rate. So in between the talking, our brains are like, they're going all over the place. You think that if that happens to you, do you think it's happening to your employee while you're talking to them?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Nope. Cheap. Good.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. Oh, she's good. She's dialed in. She's okay.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

She's solid.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

But that's like a real human thing where you're like, even the way that you just asked me now, hey, did I hear you correctly? That is a way of you making sure that your brain is dialed in to actively listen to what I'm saying and to make sure that I'm not misunderstanding something. And that's where I try to put it on me. Because I don't want them to get defensive. And like, when I ask, did I. Did I not answer? Like, think about the tone, right? Did I not answer this for you already? Or like, what is complicated about, like, you just. You already get it, right? So I'm trying to go, maybe I didn't.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Are you dumb or something? Like, I done said this 12 times.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

And so in my head, before I even answer that, I'm already in my head going, okay, how can I be curious and not judgy? Like, how can I be a learner instead of a judger? Because our automatic reaction, I'm like, this is legit what I teach. Like, the automatic reaction is we go judger, we go shitty. And we like, what's wrong with them? Why are they so stupid? Like, all these questions pop up and it's automatic. And the only way we stop that is by pausing and being like, okay,

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

what if you did explain it properly, though?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

There's.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

And then did a video of it and then did a full on that's written out process for it.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Genuinely be curious. And I would say even. I've even said this. I'm not asking to be critical. I'm asking because I'm curious. I. I don't. Like, I don't understand. Help me understand. As a question I ask a lot because it's. It can, like, lower their shoulders and kind of make them feel like. I'm not saying you're. I'm not saying you're dumb, but like, there's legitimate reasons for why you communicate one way. And I hear it differently. Like, I teach disc that part of

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

it's because she only speaks in Spanish and I only speak in English.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Then there's like a literal, you know, translation. Yes. But sometimes it can feel like that where you're like, you hear like, how. How did. How do we not communicate? How do we. How is this always like, we're speaking a foreign language?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

This is how I feel every time I converse with my kids.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's supposed to use in language we don't. Yeah. My phone number ends in 67. My daughter loves staying at every grocery store. She's always like. She gets all excited and I'm like, yeah, go ahead, save.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You know, we'll be riding down the road and Addie will say, hey, look how fast we're going. I'm like, yep.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

For no. Now it's silent and they just do this.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But if I say it, it's gross. Gross.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's why I try to say it, because I'm trying to squash it to make it not cool. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Okay. You had a question?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yes, Christopher, do you remember your question?

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Do you share your sales goal with your team? You're sharing your sales, or should you open up your books to your team? What is like, is it worth the value?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's a great point. You and I have had this conversation in years past.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Like, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, and should it only be high level where you, like, it's the. The yearly mission target goal, or should it be broken down to the team to where you show them job sales? Like, hey, we. You know, this is what we did.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

The assumption is that you like, hey, we just sold a $12,000 job. The boss man just made $12,000.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

I disagree with showing them the breakdown. Right, sure. Like company net and all of that. Because I don't think they need to know all of them. That's kind of more personal. But how far you take it to the sales and what's the.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Unless the company's losing money, then by. See, look, look, we're losing ever wasted

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

be prices have to do better.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah, yeah. Answer that question.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I was going to defer to you. I want to hear what you had to say first on it because I mean I haven't, truthfully, I haven't lived that life. I feel like you share the vision as much as you can. And, and if it's me, if I'm hitting a goal, I want you to break that down for me so I know how I can win every single month. Because. But I'm a, I'm a high, highly driven, high performing person. So I want you to break that down for me so I understand month by month, week to week is a little bit much. Month to month. If I am winning or losing. And as, and I'm thinking as a manager, if I have guys or men or women that are winning or losing on my team, I want to make sure that I can help them win. That is my job. I want to eliminate the roadblocks. I want to like, how can I help you win? And if you're, if there's part of the sales process that you're not understanding, maybe we, I, I know sales managers that will go in and they're one on one and they will say, okay, you're. Let's talk about these few jobs. What part of the sales process broke down? Was it the, the objection? Was it.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

But part of it. You have to, I can't be on with, I can't be at all the sales calls, but I want to trust that you can get it right. And so if I either I can sit there and micromanage your ass and then I might as well do the job. Like if you hired them to do the job, trust them to do the job, will come alongside them to coach them to it.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But that goes into accountability as well. I mean this is a lot. A transition away from. We're completely ignoring his question.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Are we?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yes, we are.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I thought. Did I answer. I felt like I answered the question in terms of how much do you share it?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Did you understand the words that were coming out of her mouth? There's a conversation, sir, he was just getting. Thanks, Christopher.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, I think that's part of the gap, though. In. In going from the field to the office is. I.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's the part anymore.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I don't. I don't teach that part, but I talk to the. To the owners about how are you helping a new manager understand the P and L. How are you helping? I'm thinking of a service manager right now. That was. He was like, I've been in the truck for 20 years and I'm coming inside and I'm like, oh, I didn't know what I didn't know. Like, this is. That's part of the understanding the financials behind it and driving that. That department, but it's also the managing of people. And what does that skill set look like? And how do I win the.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

The. A certain amount of analysis paralysis. Once you get in there and you're like, you don't really know it, but then you're looking at a bunch of stuff and you're like, I don't know, Alex, what were you going to say?

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Wondering if you have any advice on building leadership skills before we drag that guy out of a truck and in and off.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, that'd be a smart move. I did that one time. And then he moved back home with mom. That was a waste of six months.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

But did you do it again for somebody else?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Good man.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

It was a waste too.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yes, but that. But it shouldn't stop you from doing it because that's still the spirit of you still want to be it. I'm glad that you didn't stop.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Thanks. I appreciate that. The.

[Contractor/Owner Participant]

Let's be honest.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I didn't want to do the work part of it.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You also can't be good at everything. Well, maybe you can because, you know, you're that unicorn that can just. All of it. To answer your question, Alex. Right. I get it.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Right. Okay.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

To answer your question, Alex, I think part of that transition is like, you're trying to figure out who wants to be in leadership or even how do they lead themselves.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Well, how do they train, though? Like. Like, I'm getting.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

My bad. I'm getting to it.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Biting my head over.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Part of that is I think of influencing without authority. They don't have the. The relate. They don't have the direct relationship. Like, I'm not their manager. Right. But if I'm holding myself to that higher standard, how do I influence others to lead at a level that I'm leading at? For me, I want to start by addressing that. I also want them to understand even how to give feedback to other people. Like they're. Ha. They have. Okay. So sales and installers, there's a natural friction point in that business. They are going to serve the customer, but come at it from very different angles. Right. Oh, you don't have that friction point in your business. That's not.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, yeah. My installers are like, you sold a what? And what addicts a what? Just because the customer wanted an extra half ton larger, it needs to be a half ton smaller. You're an idiot.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah, I'm like. And that's when you go, right. But if he didn't sell it, you didn't have anything to install. I'm just saying. So.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

But then his ticket price wouldn't be very high.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's a different. You're not. You're not wrong.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Sellers per mandate, gross dollars per mandate. Yeah, right. You definitely. Yeah, sure, sure.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That solves it all. That's what I. Those are some of the skills that I think about is how. How can they give feedback to their peers? How do they do that? Well, how do they give and receive it? What? Well, because that's the I.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

How do they do that without it turning into a.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Part of it is understanding. So again, judge or learner path, like, how can I ask myself some questions about that person to understand where they're coming from? I mean, I.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Were you always this way?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Was I always this way?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's what I asked him.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Oh, I got. That was me. I was like, what? Nah, I've been doing this for years.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You. You've always been this way or you made yourself this way? Just when you're around me.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Alex, does that answer your question? Did I give you enough to think about? Okay. Part of it is also the mindset. Like, where are you at? Are you. I use the. The terminology from conscious leadership group. Are you above the line or below the line? Yeah, because that's critical to know. Where am I at right now? If I have been.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Explain what that means to those that might be listening.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah. So if I'm above the line, the interactions I have with customers, peers, I'll. Even my team, I'll put myself in a manager role. Right. When I get that person that pops her head into my office or sends me that text message that makes me go, yeah, usually if that's my reaction, I'm below the line. That same. No, I'm saying for me, I'm saying

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

if I react that way, that means I'm below the line.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Maybe I'm below the line towards them.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Maybe. Well, part of it is the awareness piece. If you've never even knew what what you're like if you don't. So let me continue. Okay. So that's one. One way that I know I have there is your bodies are a great sense of wisdom if you actually slow down to, like, pay attention to them. I know you. You knew I was gonna go here. I did. I know I'm below the line when I feel a clenched jaw tightness in my chest and like, a. I almost. I talk with a little bit more, like, spice to my. That short, sweet, kind of like every day. Okay. When I'm above the line. When I'm above the line, I feel. This is, like, very such. You feel kind of. But like, I have this, like, lightness kind of above my head. And I know that, like, when a problem comes up, I'm much more inherently optimistic and. And solutions focused rather than looking for blame and wanting to win.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

How do you get above the line?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

If you're below the line, There are. I love that you asked that question. There are strategies called trampolines. Trampolines that can bounce you from below the line. First you have to recognize that you're there, and you go, ah, crap, I'm. It's kind of like that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed feeling where you're like, shoot every day. What do I do about it? That's okay. I like my entire. We'll get to this later maybe, but, like, my entire morning routine is to set me up to not be an asshole for the rest of the day.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Just saying I need that routine.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

But trampolines are one of those things that you can. It's a strategy that you can use to bounce yourself from below the line, recognizing I'm there to go above the line. For me, it. That sunlight is one of them. Music is huge. Like, I have probably 12 different playlists, no joke. From, like, everything from Eminem to Matthew west, like, all. It's a big gamut, right?

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I don't know Matthew west, but cool.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Christian, it's fine.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Got it.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

And so that for me, music is a huge redirect where I can go, all right, I'm. I recognize that I am not in the best head space or mindset. And so I use that going for a walk outside, just a 10 minute. Like, I know some managers, like owners that they'll be like, I just walk the warehouse. Like, I go find a task that I know that I can do and get, like, a quick hit to be like, okay, cool.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Dopamine rush.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Well, it's. It's kind of to like, springboard you back up to that and, and some. One. One guy shared. I find somebody to give gratitude to. Something like I try to look for something positive. Because you can't be pissed off and GR and be living in gratitude at the same point. Nope, you can not. Sure. I pro. I promise you.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No, I know some people who will purposely every single morning write a letter of gratitude to someone there.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That's. There's a ton of psychology around gratitude. That's. It's part of my morning routine as well. But that's where that. Those are things that you can do to flip that. That it's in your mind. I'm trying to think of other ones than people have said. I mean like, you sure working out. But that's not like I'm not just going to leave the office and be like, f this, I'm out. I'm going to go take a, you know, go work out for a half hour.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Some people do, but.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Okay. I don't know that that's totally realistic for everybody else though. But that would be. Those are some trampolines that I can think about. For me that, that really helped me to, to bounce back. And so you know me. I said, well, what were you thinking? What would be a trampoline that you can think about? Do you have like a dog in the office or something? Those are always some nice.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Like they're great to kick.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

If you get mad, kick. You agreed. You said. Yeah, yeah. She agreed, didn't she?

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Okay, sure. You're a terrible human.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Wouldn't dare. Only cats.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Okay. That's. I'm kind of on board with actually I'm allergic to both. So they're really, you know, gotta take. I gotta decide which ones I want in my environment.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

For me, I'll be honest, I do not like it have. I despise it actually. But affection from Julie, my wife, like a hug embracement. And then she's like, you need a hug. I'm like, no, I don't. I need you to go away. And she's like, come here, give me a hug. I'm like, fine. And then it's better.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

So your love language is physical touch.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No, it's actually not. No words of affirmation.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Mine too.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Just tell me I'm crazy. Tell me I'm smart.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah. Julie's is affection. It is a touch. And so I'm like, you know, you need a hug. So you're coming over here in my space hugging me. Maybe she's like, we'll both bend a bit then.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

There, there Is also science around that. If you hug for 20 seconds, it, like, changes the whole.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah, yeah. And she won't let go. I'm like, get off of me. My youngest son. My youngest son literally is the same exact way he. Mom, go away.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Seem to me. I'm like, challenge accepting. I'm not letting go. And then I sit there and I count down.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's him. That's Memphis. Yep.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I love that name. It's awesome.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I don't have voices in my head. I had that squeak in my head. Talk about voices in your head. That's weird.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

We all have an inner roommate. Actually, there's a really small percent of the population that doesn't. Very small. I don't know the percentage. I'm just gonna say it's a small percentage. But that's why when you said that, that doesn't have, like, the inner voice, the inner roommate.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I don't have that.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I think that's what I'm saying. You might be that. I'm just going to unicorn. There you go.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Yeah. You're not serious. Like, you just sit there and have a conversation with yourself without opening your mouth.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Yes. Thousand percent.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

No. That's weird.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Okay, anybody else. Show of hands. Anybody else have that? You aren't talking, but you have something. Like, you have stories, like, starting in your head.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

I feel like that might be a psychological disorder.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Correct. He is the. He is the anomaly.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Ignore her.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You may. You just compartmentalize that. Maybe you shut that voice off a long time ago.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

That's probably it. It got hardened. It's hardened and dead. I'm dead on the inside.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

That little voice is your ego, and it needs to be heard. And as much as we want to

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

shove that down, Go away, little ego. Go away.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Someday you'll, you know, live your fully authentic self.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Oh, nope.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

Nope.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

Probably not.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

No. Too scary.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

It's gone. Cool.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

I'm just going to see how many uncomfortable conversations I can put you in.

[Podcast Host (Christopher Hughes)]

You won't put me in the uncomfortable conversation. I thrive in uncomfortable conversations. That's why I host podcasts. Thanks for hanging out with me.

[Leadership Expert (Velocity Leader)]

You're welcome. Thank you for the invitation. Actually, I get invited myself, but it's fine.

[Podcast Outro Narrator]

Thank you for listening to this episode of Service Business Mastery. Now that you are equipped with essential business advice from this impactful conversation, you are one step closer to becoming the successful owner of your dreams. If this episode has been helpful to your business journey, don't forget to subscribe to the show, leave a rating, and share it with other owners as well. Visit servicebusinessmastery.com to learn more.

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