The EntreLeadership Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: I’m Going to Be the New CEO (Will the Old One Be a Problem?)
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Dave Ramsey
Podcast: The EntreLeadership Podcast (Ramsey Network)

Overview

This episode centers on critical challenges in leadership transitions, defining clear organizational roles, addressing recurring managerial issues, and staying connected to growing teams. Dave Ramsey fields real-time coaching calls from business leaders wrestling with difficult handoffs of authority, sanctioned incompetence, and maintaining strong company culture as organizations scale. The episode is rich with actionable advice − blending Dave's signature direct, practical, and occasionally humorous tone with deeply personal insights drawn from decades of leadership.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Defining CEO vs. Owner Roles During a Leadership Transition

(00:51 – 09:17)

• Caller: Roscoe (Charleston, SC) is moving into the CEO role at a 12-person IT company, while the founder remains as owner.
• Roscoe’s Main Concern: Clarifying boundaries between CEO and owner to ensure operational autonomy without interference.

Dave Ramsey’s Guidance:

• Recounts his experience keeping “owner” and “CEO” hats separate, emphasizing consensus-driven leadership with the leadership team.

• Key Quote:
  “I generally do not play the trump card...of owner and say, 'You will do what I say because I’m the daddy.'"
  (02:07 – Dave Ramsey)

• The owner stepping down “must be operationally out” – not involved in day-to-day decisions like hiring, product choices, or office supply purchases.

• Importance of “clear lanes” (written or otherwise) to avoid blurred roles and honor the founding owner.

  • Dave’s Process:
    “Let’s make a clear written agreement...what the lanes are. This is out of bounds. This is not out of bounds. If you step back but you don’t step back, then you’re not stepping back.”
    (04:03 – Dave Ramsey)

• Risks of unclear boundaries:

  • Team members may “run to daddy and run to mommy,” playing one leader against another.
    Key analogy:
    “If it walks and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” (06:29 – Dave Ramsey)

• Advice: Have a retreat or offsite to map out explicit boundaries, then pressure-test them for the first several months.

  • “Y'all need to do an off site and just sit with yellow pads and whiteboards and just fill them up and then gel them down...then the first two or three months you're doing it, you need to test against that document.” (08:23 – Dave Ramsey)

2. Addressing 'Sanctioned Incompetence' on a Leadership Team

(10:19 – 18:01)

• Caller: Nick (New Zealand) leads ops at an industrial equipment business. He's frustrated by a peer department leader’s chronic tardiness, which is tolerated by the owner and fuels jokes that erode workplace respect.
• Issue: How to productively address incompetence tolerated by ownership.

Dave’s Insights:

• Labels the issue as “sanctioned incompetence” (term coined by John Maxwell): If leadership knowingly allows a subpar behavior, the company “gets what you allow.”
  • Key Quote:
    “The owner being a wuss and not doing anything about it is also disrespectful.” (12:43 – Dave Ramsey)
• Jokes and disrespectful culture are “a natural byproduct...because the guy is a joke.”
• If the owner won’t act, your hands are tied beyond escalating the problem and expressing its broader morale impact.
  • “You’re not in a position to fix this...ask the leader, how can I help? Do you want help or do you want me... to shut up and leave it alone?” (15:31 – Dave Ramsey)
• Consequences of ignoring the problem:
  “When you demoralize the place, the thoroughbreds don’t stick around...your owner's getting ready to lose a thoroughbred because he won’t deal with a donkey.” (16:26 – Dave Ramsey)
• “Behavior is a language. And if you say this is okay, then by not dealing with it, then it’s okay.”

3. Staying Engaged as a Leader When Your Company Outgrows Your Direct Reach

(19:26 – 25:50)

• Listener Question: Daniel (Houston) asks how to remain engaged when his team has grown to 70 people, and he no longer has personal relationships with every team member.

Dave’s Perspective:

• It’s natural, even inevitable, as the organization grows. Dave shares his own experience at Ramsey Solutions (now 1,100 employees).
  • “I don’t even know everyone’s name that works here now...I used to know everyone’s name, their spouse’s name and their dog’s name...That’s impossible when there’s 1,100.” (20:38 – Dave Ramsey)
• Focus shifts to ensuring direct managers maintain those close relationships.
  • “You make sure that the leaders are doing that. Their direct leaders, and you have to make sure your leaders are leading the direct leaders to do that, however many layers of leadership you have.” (24:32 – Dave Ramsey)
• The cultural expectation at Ramsey Solutions:
  “It is a condition to be a leader here, that you love your team and that you know what’s going on with your team. That’s how we do it.” (25:32 – Dave Ramsey)

4. Hiring for Performance and Motivation in Small, Growing Teams

(27:19 – 36:54)

• Caller: Jeff (Salt Lake City) owns a 5-person handyman business but struggles with new hires not matching his pace or commitment.

Dave’s Advice:

• Employees either “don’t care enough” or “don’t know how” (competency).
• You can’t motivate people who fundamentally don’t want to do the work:
  “How do you motivate your people? I don’t. I hire motivated people.” (30:36 – Dave Ramsey)
• Don’t beg people to join the team; interview with strength and clarity about expectations.
• On training: Accept slower learning curves but expect steady growth toward parity.
  • “If you’ve not done a bunch of trim work...you can expect that person to be half the speed of you initially, but in a year, they ought to be about, you know, 80% of you.” (33:36 – Dave Ramsey)
• Key expectation: “I have an expectation that they’re gonna catch me or we got a problem. And it’s not like I’m slowing down for them to catch me.” (36:54 – Dave Ramsey)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Once we wrestle it enough...I led the group discussion without manipulation to get to the best answer, not to what I wanted.” (01:57 – Dave Ramsey)
• “If you step back, but you don’t step back, then you’re not stepping back.” (04:03 – Dave Ramsey)
• “If you’re not real careful here...the team is going to run to daddy and to mommy and try to play one of you against the other one.” (06:12 – Dave Ramsey)
• “The jokes are a natural byproduct. Because the guy is a joke.” (13:32 – Dave Ramsey)
• “If you allow mediocre performance and you sanction incompetence...by God, they mean it.” (16:55 – Dave Ramsey)
• “You teach people to love inside the organization.” (25:32 – Dave Ramsey)
• “We go for touchdowns here, not for field goals.” (29:28 – Dave Ramsey)
• “If it walks and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.” (06:29 – Dave Ramsey)
• “I’m not trying to beg everybody to come to work here. You don’t need to be here if you don’t need to be here.” (36:54 – Dave Ramsey)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:51: Roscoe’s CEO transition dilemma
• 01:12 – 02:44: How Dave separates CEO/owner roles
• 04:03 – 08:23: Establishing written and verbal boundaries post-transition
• 10:19: Nick calls about a peer leader’s chronic tardiness
• 12:43: Term “sanctioned incompetence” explained
• 16:26: Long-term risks of ignoring poor leadership
• 19:26 – 25:32: Staying engaged and shaping culture as a company grows
• 27:19: Jeff calls about hiring and expectations in a small team
• 30:36: Hire motivated people, don’t try to “motivate” the unmotivated
• 33:36 – 36:54: Coaching new employees toward performance parity

Episode Takeaways

• Role clarity is vital during transitions—define who does what (in writing), and overcommunicate those lines.
• Lead with strength but humility: Seek to “honor and serve,” not just claim authority.
• Don't tolerate ‘sanctioned incompetence’—what’s allowed becomes the culture.
• As you scale, prioritize culture via layers of leadership, not personal acquaintance.
• Reality-based hiring: Hire people who care and who can (eventually) match your performance.

Throughout, Dave’s advice is candid: leadership is a journey of clarity, courage, accountability, and care—regardless of your organization's size or stage.