Trust Your Instincts: How To Lead Under Pressure

Tim Keck — police chief turned threat management expert — breaks down what real mentorship looks like under pressure.In this episode of Visionary Leader, Jim Robinson and co-host Lori Prust sit down with Tim Keck, a bestselling author and court-certified threat management expert, to dig into the mentors who shaped his path from beat cop to executive coach and speaker. Tim shares how improv training made him a sharper leader, why laughter is essential in life-or-death work, and the two questions every leader should ask before they speak or act: does this create more clarity, and does this build more trust?⏱️ CHAPTERS0:22 – Meet Tim Keck: cop, SWAT leader, threat management expert2:48 – How improv training shaped Tim into a better leader and speaker6:06 – Balancing humor with heavy topics in threat management training7:56 – Tim's first mentors — his father and early law enforcement influences10:46 – Faith, empathy, and the first-grade teacher who started it all14:15 – Choosing mentors carefully: the "John Wayne vs. Dirty Harry" lesson19:44 – The mentor question — the mentor who taught Tim when to hold back25:48 – Meeting Bill: the mentor who moved Tim from policing into coaching32:28 – Coaching Bill through his final months40:10 – Guilty by association: choosing who surrounds you41:44 – Closing value bombs: trust your instincts, lead with clarity and trust---ABOUT TIM KECKTim Keck is a bestselling author, top-rated speaker, and court-certified expert in threat management. Over a career that spans police officer, SWAT leader, and chief of police, he's testified before Congress, led multinational undercover investigations, and provided protection for celebrities and organizations around the world. Today he trains leaders and teams on threat management, mentorship, and decision-making under pressure.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timkeck/Website: https://www.gobulletproof.com/---ABOUT VISIONARY LEADERLeadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership.Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOPConnect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/ Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/