Grow Great - A City Government Leadership Podcast

  Culture is what you won’t compromise. It’s not what you say or think it is. It’s what you do consistently. Actions matter! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, […] The post Culture Is What You Won’t Compromise appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I discuss this quote… Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcome. Thank you for watching and listening! The post The Situation Never Changed, The Leader Did appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  How do you lead during turbulent times? We all face storms that require more skillful sailing skills than when the waters are tranquil.  When the team is exhausted, and there is no immediate relief possible…what do you do? Today, Lisa and I discuss some things you may want to consider as you guide your […] The post How To Encourage Your Team Through The Storm appeared first on GROW GREAT.

    Randomness surrounds us. I don’t know anybody whose life or career has been a straight line of achievement. It’s more of a zig-zag, ranging from colossal failures to extraordinary accomplishments. On any given day, something “might” happen. It may be good or bad. But this much is true: our lives will be what […] The post Leading With Purpose And Intention Today appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  People commonly postpone, delay, and procrastinate in the name of preparation. Not now, later!  But it’s false. A lie we too often choose to believe.  The right time is now.  Count the cost.  Prepare for success.  Plan for failure. Then take action while you monitor what’s working versus what isn’t.  Failure precedes success.  So […] The post Being Ready Is A Myth appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Nuff said.  Happy New Year! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcome. Thank you for watching and listening! The post Happy New Year 2026 appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I wish you and your family a safe, merry holiday season! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcome. Thank you for watching […] The post Merry Christmas 2025 appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcome. Thank you for watching and listening! The post Project: YOU! appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  We came across this rule that Arnold Schwarzenegger had about complaining. It sparked the conversation. Hopefully, you can benefit from our discussion. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, […] The post No Complaining Zone (Solutions Only, Please!) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Thank you for watching or listening to our show. We wish you and your family (and your team at work) the happiest Thanksgiving Holiday ever! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. […] The post Happy Thanksgiving 2025 appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Leadership is: a. Influence b. A focus on others c. Doing for others what they can’t do for themselves It’s the belief in the power of one person to make a difference. For somebody. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect […] The post Making A Difference For Somebody appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. -Jim Rohn Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, […] The post Pick Your Pain: Discipline or Regret? appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Robert Hiett is the Executive Director of the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. He’s also an expert at helping municipalities leverage A.I.  Email: [email protected] https://substack.com/@roberthiett https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthiett  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you […] The post Artificial Intelligence In City Government appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Your normal day is someone’s dream…so be thankful every day! Gratitude is always the path forward.  Ships That Don’t Come In is a song Lisa mentions in today’s show. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We […] The post Be Thankful Every Day appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Micah Gaudet is the Deputy City Manager for the City of Maricopa, Arizona. He’s also an expert in the use of AI for municipal government. He joins us today to deepen our understanding of the potential of artificial intelligence in our daily work. Find Micah in Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahgaudet/  Here are the links to […] The post Micah Gaudet: Levering Artificial Intelligence appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Your greatest weapon is your mind. Train it to see opportunities, not obstacles. That quote prompted today’s conversation.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are […] The post See Opportunities, Not Obstacles appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa shares how Don, her husband, reminded her of one role leaders fulfill. Enjoy! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. Thank you for […] The post Leaders Are Complacency Disrupters appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  In this episode of Grow Great, we explore why self-care isn’t a luxury—it’s leadership fuel. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. Thank you […] The post Leading Well: The Power of Self-Care appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Goal setting, as Lisa and I define it, relies on crafting a plan, then executing it. Along the way, we have to make adjustments while remaining patient enough to be comfortable not knowing every step necessary. This is all part of the quest to be high performers.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check […] The post Goal Setting Your Way Toward High-Performance: What’s Your Ideal Outcome? appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa texted me this image the other day. It prompted us to have an offline conversation about leaders who create chaos instead of helping organizations better handle it. Eventually, we took the conversation to this recording. In our experience, great leaders instill a calmness—a trust and security—in the organization.  Be well. Do good. Grow […] The post The Calmness of Great Leadership appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I are regularly asked, “What should I do?” Rather than blurt out some pithy bit of wisdom, we both are prone to ask questions to help the questioner figure it out themselves. After all, it’s their life, their circumstance, and they better know the nuances. But a recent encounter Lisa had prompted […] The post Defining The Promise Of Your Leadership – Part Two appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I are regularly asked, “What should I do?” Rather than blurt out some pithy bit of wisdom, we both are prone to ask questions to help the questioner figure it out themselves. After all, it’s their life, their circumstance, and they better know the nuances. But a recent encounter Lisa had prompted […] The post Defining The Promise Of Your Leadership – Part One appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Let’s have some fun. We’ll leave you with a powerful leadership message at the end. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. Thank you […] The post Opposites Do Attract appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  It’s a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. And it serves as our topic of conversation today. Enjoy! Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. […] The post The Only Person You Are Destined To Become Is The Person You Decide To Be appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa got a text that prompted a conversation about what to do when failure appears to be the only option. Most of us have experienced situations and circumstances – sometimes beyond our control – that give us pause, making us wonder if there’s any way forward. Lisa and I discuss this, hoping to encourage […] The post When You’re Back Is Up Against The Wall, Move Forward appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Few things are more powerful than a mind made up.  I regularly ask audiences, “Raise your hand if you feel like you’ve mostly achieved what you set out to achieve.”  Almost every hand goes up.  I’ve never encountered an audience where that wasn’t the case.  Then I say, “It makes you wonder if we’re […] The post If You Don’t Know You Can’t, You Can appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Rosters change. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.  How do you navigate the loss of a great teammate? How do you handle the addition of a new teammate? Adaptability may be chief among the leadership skills needed in our organization. The faster you can figure out how to manage your team’s changes, the better.  […] The post Managing Changes In The Team appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I admit we had to learn this skill. In my 20s, 30s, and 40s, it was almost impossible to step away and recharge. Not because I felt indispensable, but because I was in full-chase mode. As an admitted stress junkie, I leaned heavily into the rush of being a leader and operator. […] The post Recharging Yourself appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Wrecking meetings happens daily. Probably hourly. Bosses often struggle to conduct effective meetings. Many people fail to put in the effort to improve their skills.  A disastrous meeting lacks an agenda, a clear purpose, a desired outcome, and adequate preparation. They’re not merely a waste of time, but they’re detrimental to culture and the […] The post Great Leaders Conduct Great Meetings appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  I saw this quote float through one of my social media feeds. I had to Google who said it, but no matter – I *mostly* agree with it. Be wise in what you’re running from. Be even wiser in what you’re running to. Be even wiser still in who you surround yourself with. Are […] The post 3 Things That Determine Your Life & Leadership appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  The headline is a quote from W. Edwards Deming. Let’s consider the powerful truth of this quote. Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and experiences are welcomed. […] The post A Bad System Will Beat A Good Person Every Time appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Foolish leaders make decisions in isolation.  Go to a live music concert. Every band member will have in-ear monitors to hear the part they play. If the lead singer isn’t monitoring his singing and getting feedback on how well he’s doing, he’ll be off-key and off the tempo.  Likewise, great leaders constantly foster feedback […] The post Leaders Can’t Perform Well Without Feedback appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  We’re at the end of this series. In part 7, Lisa and I discuss the seven dangerous enemies of leadership: the fear of losing authority.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page […] The post Fear Of Losing Authority (Part 7) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I discuss the seven dangerous enemies of leadership in part 6, the lack of self-development.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • […] The post Lack of Self-Development (Part 6) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I discuss the seven dangerous enemies of leadership in part 5, the need for control.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin • […] The post Need For Control (Part 5) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I discuss the seven dangerous enemies of leadership with part 4, ego.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy […] The post Ego (Part 4) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Let’s continue our discussions on the seven dangerous enemies of leadership. Today, in part 3, Lisa and I discuss poor understanding of people.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our […] The post Poor Understanding of People (Part 3) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Let’s continue our discussions on the seven dangerous enemies of leadership. Today, in part 2, we’ll wrestle with hesitation.  This 7-part series is based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this chart.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa […] The post He Who Hesitates Is Lost (Part 2) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Today’s show title is a line from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The Mad Hatter uttered the line, and he was right.  Lisa and I saw the following chart on social media some weeks back.  We’re embarking on a short, 7-part series based on this chart. Victoria Repa is the one we saw share this […] The post If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road Will Get You There (Part 1) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Lisa and I wish all of you the happiest of holidays. Thank you for letting us share our leadership insights.  Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa On Linkedin •  Connect With Randy On Linkedin We encourage you to contact us. Feedback, suggestions, criticisms, insights, and […] The post Do You Have Any Holiday Traditions? appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Everybody is battling something.  The holiday season is especially vexing for some. Personally. Professionally.  Today, Lisa and I discuss how we handle our moments of adversity. We hope to encourage you and caringly challenge you to keep at it. Press on. The adage I love is, “I may quit. But not today!” Be well. […] The post Handling Moments Of Adversity appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Happy Thanksgiving To All Of You From Both Of Us When I started this podcast, I had no idea I’d mostly serve city government leaders some years later. I’m a business guy and an operator. However, thanks to a single opportunity to serve a local city manager and her leadership team, I was “at […] The post Happy Thanksgiving 2024 appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Today we’re coming to you “live” from The Epic in Grand Prairie, Texas. At the invitation of Deputy City Manager Megan Mahan, we utilized the Podcast Booth at The Epic. It’s a wonderful facility with a wide array of activities and services. We owe a special shout-out to Daniel Cauthen, Assistant Manager who produced […] The post Leading Through Bad News appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”            — Robert Collier Every high-performing organization I’ve encountered embraces innovation and improvement. They find a way to execute their strategies better. Always better!  The maxim is true: “You’ll either find a way or make an excuse.”  Great teams […] The post High Performance Organizations Embrace A.I. (Always Improving) appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  “What do I know? Who needs to know? Have I told them?” — Jim Mattis, Call Sign Chaos NOTE: James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is an American veteran and former government official who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense from January 2017 through December 2018. A retired United States Marine […] The post 3 Important Questions For Improved Team Communications appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  As an executive/leadership coach, I hear clients devote an extraordinary amount of time sharing their experiences with low-performing team members. It makes sense. These people are responsible for considerable headaches to leaders. Today, I’m going to suggest leaders devote more time to the high-performers by embracing a few common components of high-performing organizations: High […] The post Pay More Attention To High-Performers appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  High performers tend to take on more and more…because they have a high degree of willingness, they want more responsibility and we know they’ll get it done. Leaders must be mindful of over-burdening star players simply because we know they’ll “get it done.” Great leaders are highly aware of what their team members are […] The post Mindful Leadership: Don’t Over-Burden Your High-Performers appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Legacy. What will yours be? Every great leader quickly recognizes people who make a difference in their lives. Maybe it was a school teacher. Or a sports coach. It may have been a parent or grandparent. Each of us is standing on the shoulders of somebody who came before us. Who will stand on […] The post The Legacy of Great Leadership: Who Will Stand On Your Shoulders? appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  Author Brad Meltzer said… “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” Today, we’re pulling back the curtain to demonstrate Meltzer’s quote is correct. The point? Compassion. “A focus on others.” Be well. Do good. Grow great! Check out the Hosts page for our profiles. Connect With Lisa […] The post Everyone You Meet Is Fighting A Battle appeared first on GROW GREAT.

  You’ll either find a way…or an excuse. Lisa and I were discussing understanding. Mostly, we were considering this quote from an unknown author… If only we fought just as hard to understand as we do to disagree. It morphed into a conversation about the difference between high and low performers. Not that there’s only […] The post No Excuses Leadership appeared first on GROW GREAT.