With Purpose

Stepping out from the safety of the shade can be daunting, but what if there was something more waiting on the other side? In this episode, Ben closes out the Art of Leadership series by reflecting on Wichita’s Keeper of the Plains and a powerful quote from Amanda Gorman about stepping out of the shade and becoming the light. True leadership calls us to be brave enough to see the good, pursue it, and even become it for others.Where in your life are you allowing too much negativity to shape your perspective, and where do you need to be braver this week? Reflect and plan your week ahead using this episode’s planner — linked here.

Playing small might feel safe, but what if it was preventing the world from benefiting from the things only you have to offer? When we hide our gifts, ideas and unique perspective, everyone loses. In this episode, Ben reflects on a two-part mural inspired by a quote from Marianne Williamson and the idea that our greatest fear may not be inadequacy, but the courage required to fully step into who we were created to be.Where are you playing small when it’s time to let your gifts and talents shine? Reflect and consider how you can step into your unique contributions using this week’s planner – linked here.

Great leaders don’t just accomplish important work, they create space for others to lead after them. In this episode, Ben reflects on a mural inspired by George Washington and one of the most remarkable leadership decisions in history: stepping aside when he could have seized more power. Washington’s legacy wasn’t built solely on what he achieved, but on the people he empowered and the example he set.Where in your life does leadership look like preparing someone else to step forward? Reflect and plan your week ahead using this week’s planner – linked here.

Great ideas rarely begin with credentials, consensus, or approval - they begin with someone willing to take the first step. In this episode, Ben reflects on the story of the Wright brothers and the lesson behind the Wright Flyer mural on Hutton’s Wichita campus. The Wright brothers changed the world not because they had permission, but because they pursued an idea with persistence and conviction.What dream, project, or calling have you dismissed simply because no one has told you that you can? Take some time to dream and reflect using this week’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

What kind of future are you building with the plans you have today? In this episode, we kick off a new five-week series on the Art of Leadership with a mural inspired by Daniel Burnham and his challenge to “make no little plans.” Big plans have a way of pulling us forward, inspiring others, and creating impact that outlives us. Thinking too small may be limiting what’s possible and some ideas are just too important to keep to yourself.Where are you settling for a smaller vision when it might be time to aim higher? Reflect and make big plans using this week’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

Bloat: the thing slowing your organization down due to the cumulative effect of too many helpful additions. Most bloat doesn’t appear all at once, it builds gradually until the system becomes heavier, slower, and more complicated than it needs to be. In this episode, we talk about how the extra meetings, approval layers, stakeholders, and processes slowly pile up – eventually creating friction everywhere.Reflect and take time to eliminate bloat and test for simpler processes using this week’s planner – linked here.

What if work isn’t something to avoid but instead something woven into the fabric that gives life purpose? Somewhere along the way, we started treating work like a burden instead of recognizing the dignity and joy that can come from doing meaningful things well. In this episode, we close our series on work with a poem from Edgar Albert Guest and a challenge to rethink the way we talk about “hard work.”The work that shapes us most is rarely easy but it’s often the work we value most deeply. Take some time to reflect and consider how you think of work using this week’s planner – linked here.

What if being constantly busy isn’t a sign of success but a distraction from it? In this episode, we talk about the danger of hustle culture and why celebrating the grind itself might be causing us to measure work the wrong way. The goal isn’t to glorify the work, it’s to pursue meaningful outcomes with purpose.What are you actually measuring: the impact of your work or just the amount of it? Reflect and consider your relationship to hustle culture using this week’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

Not all hard work is the same: some work gives us purpose, but some slowly drains it away. Hard work isn’t a problem, but it becomes toilsome when we can’t see why it matters anymore. In this episode, we explore the difference between hard work and toil and a few strategies to manage toil when we encounter it.What’s one thing in your life that keeps exhausting you because it feels like it has no enduring value? Take time to reflect on your work and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner — linked here.

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of talent but a lack of willingness to keep flapping your wings? In this week’s episode, we kick off a four-week series on hard work by examining the work ethic of hummingbirds. These little birds teach us that sometimes success doesn’t come from natural gifting or perfect conditions, it comes from good old fashioned hard work.Where in your life is the answer less about talent and more about effort? Take time to reflect and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner — linked here.

Are you making life harder by waiting when you don’t have to? In this episode, Ben examines a simple idea from a recent travel experience to rethink how we approach decisions, timing, and risk. Waiting might feel like it gives you more control, but often it creates more friction, fewer options, and bigger problems when things go wrong.Where in your life or work are you choosing the “late flight” and paying for it? Take time to reflect and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner — linked here.

When was the last time you gave yourself space to really think? We’re busy, and it’s crowding out the very clarity we’re looking for when we make decisions. In this episode, Ben discusses “thinking about your thinking” and why the best ideas often show up when we finally slow down. Stop leaving those moments to chance and start creating them on purpose.What might surface if you gave your mind the space it’s been missing? Take time to reflect and plan your week With Purpose using this episode’s planner – linked here.

When you lead an organization, firing clients is an unfortunate inevitability. How do you know when it’s time to walk away from a client and how do you do it well? In this episode, Ben talks through ending client relationships in a way that reflects who you are as a leader and the integrity of the culture you are building. It’s never enjoyable, but with some thoughtful work there is a way for you do it with care, clarity, and purpose.Take time to reflect and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner - ⁠linked here⁠.

The average adult in America makes roughly 35,000 decisions a day. Some decisions need time and weight, others you can simply test, adjust, and move forward. In this episode, Ben breaks down two simple tools for better decision making.Where might you be rushing your decisions or where are you overthinking?Take some time to reflect and plan your week using this week’s With Purpose planner – ⁠linked here⁠.

If your current metric for success is based on fried chicken, consider yourself on the right track. In this week’s episode, Ben reflects on a line from Zac Brown Band’s Chicken Fried and the deeper questions it raises: Are the most meaningful things in life the things we can easily measure? Where have you let others define success for you and what would it look like to measure it differently?Listen in, reflect, and plan your week using this episode’s With Purpose planner — linked here.

How often do we commit to something good, only to realize that it pulls us away from what matters most? In this episode Ben explores William Ury’s Power of a Positive No, a simple way to say no with clarity, confidence, and respect by grounding your “no” in the things you’ve already said yes to. What could the Power of a Positive No unlock for you and your decision making? Set some time aside to reflect and map out your biggest yes items using this week’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

When you lead, people will let you down. Knowing how to respond is important but knowing who you're dealing with makes all the difference. The Wise, the Foolish, and the Evil is a framework from executive coach Henry Cloud that sorts people into these three categories based on how they respond to feedback. Knowing which type you're dealing with changes everything about how you lead them.Let us know what you think of today’s episode, and don't forget to download the With Purpose planner — ⁠linked here⁠. You can also find the Henry Cloud video — ⁠linked here.

We are trained to think of overhead as a bad thing, but what if overhead isn’t an anchor that holds you? What if we viewed overhead as an enabler for seeing your purpose and values actualized in your work? Investing in training, benefits, and technology isn't waste. That kind of overhead is the engine that makes everything else possible. Download this week's With Purpose planner and reflect on where smarter overhead could change everything — linked here.

We've gotten good at protecting our attention, but are we good at protecting our energy? If you’re showing up to your most important moments worn out, it means you're probably not performing at your best. Think of it like an electric car: You can't start a journey without charging the battery first. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about how to manage your energy. Let us know what you think of today’s episode, and don't forget to download the With Purpose planner — linked here.

What signals does your organization send, and how can you be more intentional about sending them? In this week’s episode, Ben explores a decision he recently made: using pricier solid core doors on a project vs. installing cheaper, hollow ones. Every decision you make communicates more than you think. Are you aware of the messages your decisions are sending?   This week, Ben challenges leaders to take an honest look at the signals, intentional or not, that their organizations send every day. And don’t forget to download this episode’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

How can we make future plans when sometimes, even the experts don’t know what’s next? In this week’s episode, Ben draws a connection between meteorologists, economists, and the way we set goals. When we let outside predictions dictate our actions, are we handing over our agency? Don’t let the forecast determine your future. You make your own weather. Plan your week and take control of it using this episode's With Purpose planner — linked here.

Who are your real friends, and who are your deal friends? In this week’s episode, Ben explores a concept from Arthur Brooks about the difference between relationships rooted in commitment and those built around transaction. Deal friends aren’t bad, but confusion happens when we expect them to show up like real friends when they were never meant to. Watch this episode to reflect on how to recognize the difference and how to invest intentionally in the few relationships that matter most. Don’t forget to download this episode’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

Do you know how gold is refined? It’s a messy but necessary process of heating, washing, and reheating the raw gold ore again and again. This process allows gold to become more of itself, despite the harshness of the journey. In this week’s episode, Ben reflects on that process and how it mirrors the way adversity shapes leaders. It’s often in the most uncomfortable moments that real growth begins.Is there a challenge in your life you could reframe as a refining opportunity? Plan your week and reflect on it using this episode’s With Purpose planner – linked here.

Conflict is inevitable, but carrying it with us isn’t doing us any favors. In this episode, Ben talks about the idea of “keeping short accounts” in our relationships by addressing misunderstandings quickly instead of letting them compound. Watch this episode to unpack why we avoid hard conversations, how discomfort tricks us into delay, and what actually builds trust when things go wrong.Is there a conversation you’ve been putting off? Plan your week and take one small step toward it using this episode’s With Purpose planner – ⁠linked here⁠.

How do you measure progress when you’re chasing something big? Too often, we measure progress by how far we still have to go – and then move the goalposts when we finally get there. Isn’t there a better way? This week on With Purpose, we challenge listeners to stop measuring the gap and start measuring the gain. How far have you already come? What obstacles have you already overcome? And how might that shift change the way you lead, plan, and keep going?Don’t forget to use this week’s planner to reflect on last week’s progress and plan your week ahead – ⁠linked here⁠.

Have you ever played Bandu? It’s a stacking game from the 90s with oddly shaped pieces and a handful of beans. In this episode, Ben explains how the strategy of this game can be seen as a metaphor for life – because it’s difficult to build a stable tower if you say yes to everything. Stability, both in the game and in life is about choosing the right pieces to accept and the right ones to let go.What have you stacked that’s making your tower unstable? And what would you give up to protect its strength? Reflect and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner – ⁠linked here⁠.

Buffaloes don’t avoid storms – they run straight into them. In this episode, we explore what that mindset can teach us about leadership and life. Avoidance feels easier in the moment, but it often makes challenges last longer. Charging forward shortens the storm and builds resilience. What would it look like to stop dodging hard conversations and start moving through them? Grab this week’s planner, reflect on the storms ahead, and plan with purpose – linked here.

What does Tetris have to do with leadership? In this episode, we’re talking about the Tetris Effect and how it connects to confirmation bias – the way our brains filter the world through what we expect to see. From Shawn Achor’s research in The Happiness Advantage to practical ideas for reframing your perspective, this conversation will challenge you to notice your biases and even use them for good. How can you create positive patterns in your own life? Listen in, reflect and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner – linked here.

Happy New Year! Today's episode is about hitting the reset button after a hard day –  or maybe even a hard year. How do you reset when something throws you off? Let's talk about rituals – small, intentional actions that help us recenter and move forward. From research on how a quick laugh can boost performance to examples of leaders using physical reminders to overcome fear, this conversation is all about practical ways to stay grounded when life gets messy.What’s your go-to reset? Share your ideas in the comments, and plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner. 

Merry Christmas everyone! Put your phones down, and spend some time with your friends and family!

Big plans and big goals are exciting, but what about the ordinary moments in between? In this episode, Ben reflects on Mary Jean Irion’s quote about the “normal day” and why the small, unplanned moments often hold the most meaning. Can we create space for those moments of normalcy? Even in our roles of leadership? Today, we talk about some practical ideas for leaving room in your schedule and being where your feet are. Download this week’s With Purpose planner and plan your week with intention. Linked here.

Social media is designed to keep your attention, not deepen your understanding. In this episode, Ben breaks down how algorithms shape what we see, what we believe, and how we lead. If we want to grow in wisdom, we have to step outside the echo chamber. Ben challenges listeners to become more aware of what’s capturing their attention, and to intentionally seek out deeper learning and alternative viewpoints. Download this week’s planner and reflect on where your attention is going. Linked here.

“To everything (turn, turn, turn), there is a season…” -The Byrds. This week, Ben reflects on the cycles of leadership and life—how different seasons call for different kinds of action, presence, and purpose. Drawing from The Fourth Turning by Neil Howe and a gardening analogy from Ryan Bond (listen to his podcast here), Ben explores how leaders can better understand the moment they’re in and lead accordingly. Whether you're in a season of planting, tending, harvesting, or rest, this episode will help you align your leadership with the time and purpose at hand. Download this week’s planner and reflect on your current season. Linked here.

Happy Thanksgiving! Tell someone you love how much you appreciate them. See you next Thursday.

What are you uniquely gifted to do? In this episode, Ben reflects on Romans 12 and the idea that we all have different strengths—and that leadership gets better when we lean into them. Ben shares a personal story about the years he spent working outside his strengths and how discovering his true gifts changed everything. This episode is a reminder that knowing yourself isn’t prideful—it’s powerful. Download the planner and take time to reflect on your own unique gifts. Linked here.

Jim Collins’s concept of the “20-Mile March” isn’t just for companies—it’s a mindset for life and leadership. In this episode, Ben shares the story of his 418-mile bike ride across Kansas and how the rhythm of 20-mile segments helped his team stay focused and finish strong. What does it look like to build consistency into your own life or organization? How can you set goals that are both ambitious and sustainable? Join Ben as he unpacks the characteristics of a great 20-Mile March and challenges you to define your own. Plan your week with purpose using this episode’s planner—download it here.

In today's episode, Ben shares the story behind a sculpture called Folding Planes by Kevin Box, and how its seven folds represent the process of becoming. Big visions and unlimited potential are exciting, but it’s the intentional steps in between that make them real. Join Ben as he reflects on what this means for leadership and how you can apply it to your own life and work. Like we do every week, download this week's With Purpose Planner and plan your week alongside Ben. We've linked it here for you. 

What’s the difference between service and hospitality? In this episode, Ben explores the concept of unreasonable hospitality from Will Guidara’s book and why it matters for leaders and organizations. From a frustrating airport experience to a coffee shop owner who went above and beyond, Ben shares stories that illustrate how small gestures can transform relationships. Plus, hear the legendary hot dog story that changed the dining experience at one of the world’s best restaurants.Follow along and plan your week with the With Purpose planner—linked ⁠here.

Today's episode is about the title of the podcast: the words "With" and "Purpose." What is Purpose? What does it mean to plan our weeks With it? When we're doing everything with purpose, whether it's leading, planning, or living our daily lives, Ben believes we will notice a major transformation. Can you try living this week with purpose? Plan your week alongside Ben by using this personalized planner. Download it here.

Although none of us are making the types of decisions that Abraham Lincoln was making during his presidency, his leadership style is more applicable to us than you might think. Can you embrace a dissenting voice in your leadership circle like Lincoln did? That's this week's challenge. As always, follow along and plan your week alongside Ben with your own With Purpose planner. Linked here. 

What happens when we outsource our thinking to AI? When the ideas we have and the solutions we create are separated from the human element entirely? Well, studies show it may actually be making us dumber. But we all know AI isn't going anywhere, so how can we utilize AI responsibly? Ben has some ideas. Follow along after the lesson with your own personal With Purpose planner. Linked here. 

Simon Sinek is one of Ben's favorite authors and speakers, and in his book The Infinite Game, he talks about how the game of business is never over. And a constant of that game is the idea of rivals. There are competitors who annoy us and competitors who challenge us - those are the worthy rivals. In today's episode, Ben breaks down that definition, and he challenges listeners to think about who their worthy rivals are. As always, you can follow along on your own planning journey by downloading the With Purpose planner at this link.

Jim Collins's Great By Choice (and much of his other works) has helped Ben define and understand leadership for as long as he's been leading. In today's podcast, we're diving into Great By Choice (a favorite of Ben's) to break down how much control we have in our own greatness. Are people who end up great merely lucky? Does our potential for greatness disappear because of our environment? Listen to this podcast to see what Ben thinks of that.  Don't forget to follow along with your own personal With Purpose Planner at the link below.With Purpose Planner: https://shorturl.at/KpYiWJim Collins' work: https://www.jimcollins.com/books.html

Ben Hutton plans for the week ahead on Thursdays. It's the perfect day to plan because it allows him to finish a week strong on Friday, it puts the weekend in the middle (to make time for the most important thing - his friends and family), and it ensures a strong start the following Monday. In this podcast, Ben asks listeners to join him in planning their week ahead. This podcast will help listeners prioritize their To Do's while listening to a few lessons in leadership along the way.