Run Towards Pain? The Key to Influence with Global Leadership Expert Tommy Spaulding

Adam Hamilton sits down with leadership expert and bestselling author Tommy Spaulding for an honest conversation that bridges the gap between faith and leadership. What starts as a discussion about servant leadership quickly becomes a vulnerable exploration of forgiveness, relationships, and what it really means to live like Jesus in our everyday interactions. Tommy's transparency about his own struggles with forgiveness—despite being a global leadership expert—creates space for the kind of real, authentic conversation that speaks to anyone wrestling with life's hardest questions.The 80,000 Person Stadium: Your Life's True Measure Tommy shares a stunning statistic: the average person influences 2.8 people per day, totaling 80,000 people in a lifetime. He challenges listeners to imagine all these people gathered in a stadium at the end of their life—will they be cheering, booing, or sitting in silence? This powerful metaphor reframes how we think about our daily interactions and the legacy we're building one conversation at a time. "It's Not About You": The Leadership Tattoo Worth Getting Despite not being a tattoo fan, Tommy reveals the four words he'd permanently ink on his body if he could: "It's not about you." Adam explores this counterintuitive leadership principle that echoes Jesus's example of washing his disciples' feet—true leadership means serving others first, not filling your own cup. Running Toward Pain Instead of Celebration While we're quick to send congratulations and birthday cards, Tommy argues we avoid the moments that matter most—showing up when people are going through divorce, loss, depression, or other hardships. He shares the story of supporting a friend whose son died by suicide, illustrating how presence during pain creates the deepest bonds. The Forgiveness Audit: 35 People and Counting In a moment of raw honesty, Tommy admits he has "35 people" he needs to forgive, from childhood teachers who called him stupid to more serious wounds. Adam explores how forgiveness isn't about saying harm didn't matter, but about choosing to release the rocks we carry in our hearts—because love truly "keeps no record of wrongs." Jesus as Leadership Model, Not Just Savior Moving beyond seeing Jesus only as a spiritual figure, Tommy and Adam discuss embracing Christ as our leadership role model. This shift changes how we approach everything from marriage to politics to business, calling us to love and serve all people—even those who believe differently than we do.Whether you're leading a team, navigating difficult relationships, or simply trying to figure out what it means to live with purpose, this honest exploration of faith-centered leadership will challenge you to think differently about influence, forgiveness, and what it really means to follow Jesus in today's polarized world.