Tim Stating the Obvious

In "The Fragility of Trust in Leadership," Timothy Staton delves into the critical role of trust within organizations. This episode explores how trust varies across different leadership levels, emphasizing its delicate nature as responsibilities increase. Key concepts include the "Goldilocks leadership" approach, which balances firmness and empathy. Staton discusses how trust is built on character and competence, and why emotional discipline and transparency are vital for leaders. This insightful episode is essential for understanding how trust shapes organizational culture and leadership effectiveness. Core Points: Trust diminishes as leadership responsibilities grow. Senior leaders have less room for mistakes due to broader consequences impacting entire organizations and external stakeholders. Leader behavior, even subtle actions or silence, is amplified at senior levels, directly shaping organizational culture and team confidence. Culture is defined by tolerated behaviors, not just stated values. Leaders who overlook substandard actions inadvertently set new, lower expectations. Effective leadership balances empathy and accountability. It requires both strong character and proven competence, with neither being sufficient alone. Leadership fit is crucial. Placing a technically skilled individual in a leadership role without considering their suitability for that specific context, team, and season can harm organizational culture. Connect With Tim Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b

What is Job Hugging with Nanci Appleman-Vassil In this powerful episode of leadership and personal development, The Human Side of Leadership with Nanci Appleman-Vassil, discover how human connection, self-awareness, resilience, and compassionate leadership are the true game-changers for career success and personal empowerment. Nanci Appleman-Vassil, CEO of APLS Group with over 25 years of experience, shares transformative insights on career transition, overcoming fear, and navigating today’s AI impact on the workforce. Nanci discusses practical strategies around how to recover from being laid off and how long it takes to recover from being laid off, drawing from her own experience of being laid off twice before launching her successful business. The conversation covers what to do after being fired from a job, including job outplacement services, job search outplacement, and job outplacement support that treats people with dignity. She stresses the importance of compassionate leadership during layoffs—offering real help like resume workshops and interview preparation instead of cold emails.   Listeners gain actionable advice on addressing low self-esteem, breaking free from “job hugging,” entrepreneurship, and building the courage to take risks. Nanci also explores her lifelong passion for human connection, the power of open-ended questions, and how self-awareness and resilience fuel both professional growth and personal fulfillment. Whether you’re facing a career transition, seeking empowerment after job loss, or wanting to become a more effective leader at work or home, this episode delivers heartfelt wisdom on overcoming fear and leading with humanity in an AI-driven world. Tune in to The Human Side of Leadership with Nanci Appleman-Vassil for inspiring stories, practical tools, and a refreshing focus on authentic human connection that drives real results. Perfect for anyone interested in leadership, personal development, and compassionate career guidance. Connect with Nanci Appleman-Vassil: Books: Website: https://aplsgroup.com/ LinkedIn: hhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nanciapplemanvassil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apls-group/   Connect With Tim Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b

In this conversation, Palm’s Up Leadership with Rich Plumery, Rich Plumery shares his journey from being a lost kid to becoming a successful leader. He discusses the importance of mentorship, the principles of servant leadership, and how to engage teams effectively. Rich emphasizes the need for humility in leadership and the significance of transferring wisdom to future leaders. He also highlights the role of parents in fostering servant leadership in their children, advocating for a collaborative and supportive approach in both professional and personal settings. Rich Plumery bio: As the Senior Vice President of Project Delivery for AECOM, the world’s largest and most admired architecture, engineering, and design firm, Rich leads project delivery for AECOM’s most significant and critical business—their Americas business with over 50,00 projects delivered per year. Rich Plumery is now the author of Palms Up Leadership: Developing Our Future Leaders, which discusses how his unique experiences have shaped his new approach to servant leadership. His Enable, Engage, and Embrace approach offers methods for addressing many of the current challenges in today’s workplace, including dealing with the loss of wisdom due to a rapidly retiring workforce and the disruption caused by emerging AI technologies. Rich’s journey included growing and selling multiple businesses, including a successful tactical supply company in partnership with elite members of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell, as well as a sports performance coaching business that served hundreds of professional athletes across the NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS. His center accommodated the world-famous Greg Roskopf’s first Muscle Activation Techniques clinic. www.muscleactivation.com Connect with Rich Plumery: website: www.palmsupleader.com Book: https://a.co/d/hsKlvMZ Tim Staton hosts conversations on leadership, entrepreneurship, ethical decision-making, and practical wisdom leaders can apply every day. Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b

What does it take to move from entrepreneur to super angel investor, and what can leaders learn from that journey? In this episode, The Leadership Toolkit with Dave Berkus, Tim Staton sits down with Dave Berkus, a pioneering entrepreneur, tech innovator, and investor with more than 200 startup investments, to unpack the lessons he has learned building companies, backing founders, and advising leaders. Dave shares how a teenage side business evolved into a public company, how he recognized opportunity during crisis, and how he built one of the earliest hospitality software systems, technology that helped shape modern hotel reservations and was adopted by Marriott International for decades. The conversation explores the evolution of angel investing and the story behind the renowned Berkus Method, Dave’s practical framework for valuing early-stage startups before revenue. He explains what he looks for in founders, the red flags that signal trouble, why coachability matters, and why disciplined investing is often about making money before you ever exit. Tim and Dave also dive into missed opportunities, including passing on Amazon, and why failures and near misses often become a leader’s greatest teachers. Dave offers candid insights on risk, diversification, internal rate of return, and why angel investing is not for the faint of heart. The discussion also turns to leadership through Dave’s book, The Leader's Toolkit, where he shares practical wisdom on decision-making, crisis leadership, governance, and building the right advisory board. From startup strategy to boardroom negotiations, this episode is packed with lessons on leadership, investing, and thinking long term. In this episode, we discuss: How Dave Berkus built and exited a pioneering software company The origins of the Berkus Method for startup valuation What separates investable founders from risky ones Lessons learned from missed opportunities and failed investments Why strong boards and governance can shape a company’s future Practical leadership principles from The Leader’s Toolkit If you are interested in entrepreneurship, leadership, investing, or building something that lasts, this conversation delivers wisdom earned through decades of experience. Listen in and discover why great leadership, like great investing, often comes down to judgment, relationships, and seeing opportunity before others do.