The Crossroad Podcast: Redefining Effective Leadership: Recent Episodes
Joey and Kylie Willis
Life consists of two significant pathways. Individual character and our opportunity to influence those around us. All of us are searching for meaning along these two paths. Day by day, moment by moment, choice by choice, we find ourselves in the intersection of personal character and community influence. The Crossroad Podcast discusses life in this intersection. Join us as we explore redefining effective leadership, how to live well and making the most of our opportunity to influence.
Building a healthy organizational culture is hard work. You have to crawl before you can walk. And walk before you can run. In today’s episode, we talk about life along the path. The daily grind is complicated and challenging. It requires us to learn and to adapt. It invites us to pursue our grand vision in small and intentional ways. When we set goals, milestones and strategies in alignment with our Transcendent vision, we will find ourselves participating in meaningful culture.
In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to steward your influence. There are lots of different kinds of influence, some more effective than others. All can be used for good or for ill. Building an effective organizational culture begins with individual character and the choices we make. We are all leaders, influencing the people around us. How do we steward that opportunity well? How do we open ourselves to learn and accept the leadership of others? In a healthy culture, each of us will teach and learn. We will influence and be influenced.
There is nothing more vital to building an organizational culture than effective communication. Although we are constantly sending and receiving messages, people are rarely as intentional as they ought to be. This results in divisive and confused organizations. How can we overcome the barriers of communication and unlock the key to organizational culture?
In this episode, we talk about the importance of human emotion. How can we steward our emotions well, giving them their proper due - no more and no less? People are emotional creatures. Although each person is responsible for stewarding their own emotions, organizations formulate mental models that serve as a framework or a template for how emotion is treated within the culture. With intention, we can build a framework that honors people and serves as a catalyst for healthy cultures and effective pursuit of our There.
In this episode, we address one of the most fundamental elements to building an effective organizational culture: seeking and sharing the truth. Truth is an acquired taste and when we seek it together, conflict is inevitable. But conflict is neutral, neither positive or negative. It is an opportunity. How we approach conflict and the path we take to resolve it can be a vital tool toward achieving the mission of our organizations.
In this episode, we discuss the nature of boundaries and consequences. How does boundary setting enhance freedom? It creates walls that keep us from actions inconsistent with our character. And, by doing so, boundaries create pathways that help funnel us toward mission, values, and productivity. Consequences are not an eternal indictment; they are a way to get us back on track, to re-align with the kind of life, organization, and mission that truly matter to us.
In this episode, we talk about blame. Most organizations develop a certain kind of dynamic - one in which all of the participants are competing with one another for the titles and the spoils rather than working together to collaborate toward a mission. What causes us to make enemies out of one another? What perspective, structures, and messaging can we adopt to help turn our organizations into places where teammates thrive? Join us as we discuss the transformational power of focusing on what you can control.
In this episode, we talk about the power of perseverance. The only thing that empowers us to push past obstacles, setbacks, and sorrow is a vision we believe in. If we want to establish a healthy organizational culture, our mental model around failing will play an integral part. Chasing after meaning is complicated and messy. We will make mistakes along the way. We will fall short. One of the key structures in organizational development is learning when to quit and when to see these setbacks as an opportunity to learn and grow.
In this episode, we examine the role of vision in an organizational culture. How do we determine a vision? Not just one that looks good or sounds impressive, but one that is true. Vision setting begins with analyzing what we value. The heart of a dysfunctional organization is the prevalence of competing visions. A clear and unified mission is the bedrock of a healthy organization.
In this episode, we talk about one of the most talked about, but ill-defined aspects of human society: culture. Although, to some degree, we know it when we see it, it is difficult for most to say exactly what culture is. We see the effects of a toxic culture and the benefits of a good one. How do we strip culture down to its core in order to be intentional about building it up into what we want it to be?
In this episode, we begin to discuss the importance of community in the human experience. We need one another in order to live a life of purpose. We need something bigger than ourselves, where we can test our abilities, learn from others, and chase after visions too big for any one of us. We form organizations in order to achieve these kinds of purposes. Participating in groups is a key component of life. To make the most of it, we need to be intentional about what kind of organization we are building.
In this season finale of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss how decision making impacts our ability to lead. The consequences of our choices do not just affect us. With every decision we make, our ability to influence others is either growing or shrinking. We should not make decisions solely for the influence it gets us - that is manipulation. But as we make decisions in alignment with our true character, we also steward an increased ability to lead.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss boundary setting. The very act of choosing establishes a boundary. That is one of the reasons it is so tough for us. As we endeavor to make better choices, an awareness and intention around the role of boundaries will serve us well. We need to set boundaries for ourselves, honor the boundaries of others, and recognize when setting boundaries is appropriate and when it is not. Good boundaries provide healthy parameters for our decision making, cultivating an atmosphere in which they can thrive.
When we encounter a choice, we often rush through it, grabbing a decision too quickly. Just as often, we wait too long, lingering and avoiding, hoping the right decision will fall into our laps. In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss how to find the sweet spot in between these pitfalls. How do we take careful consideration but not overthink? How do we weigh the options without being buried by them? Learning to operate within your sweet spot is an essential key to making good decisions.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss what to do after a bad choice. There are so many decisions to be made. We will inevitably, eventually, make a bad one. How do we even know what is a bad decision and what is a good one? And, once we identify we have indeed made a bad choice, how should we proceed. Recovering from a bad choice takes awareness and intention. With a consistent eye on our values and a commitment to truth, we can avoid being defined by our poor choices. And use the mistakes that come as an opportunity to learn and improve.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie are joined by special guest Serena Tuomi. We continue our discussion on avoiding choices, focusing on how to proceed and grow in decision-making capability. Covering Enneagram tendencies, boundary setting, time management, and a host of other categories, the team at Crossroad share stories and tips about making courageous choices.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss the temptation to avoid choices. Sometimes we just want to pull the cover over our heads and punt to another day. Unfortunately, decision making is not that easy. Even delaying a choice is a choice. Our decisions follow us and they all have consequences. Joey and Kylie discuss why we try to avoid choices, the consequences of doing so, and ways we can learn to make our choices with grace and courage.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie are joined by Tim Dunn as they talk about the fear of imaginary negative consequences. You have heard of FOMO. What is FOINC-ing and how does it affect our ability to decide? Our ability to foresee potential outcomes can be one of our greatest assets. It can also be one of our greatest sources of deceit. Recognizing this reality and its influence on us can help us to make better decisions.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey talks about one of the most difficult realties humans have to face: uncertainty. There is no perfect formula for decision making. Life is complex. What do we do when potential consequences are heavy and certainty elusive? We do not need certainty to make choices, but we do need courage. In this episode, we explore the implications of what it looks like to be a courageous, if uncertain, decision-maker.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie get into the heart of good decision-making. Understanding our values is the key to making consistent choices. All of our decisions are a byproduct of a value proposition. If we are not clear about our deepest and truest values, we will borrow what others say is important, what the popular culture deems worthy, or some superficial/short-term manifestation of what matters most. Naming values, truly, can help give confidence, clarity, and consistency to our decision-making.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss one of the most popular coping mechanisms we introduced in the last episode - borrowing choices. To avoid our own decisions, we often try to take on the choices of others. It is safer, the consequences are a little further away. Joey and Kylie will discuss the three things you can control and the difficult but vital practice of focusing on your own choices.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk about the prevalence of choices and some of the ways we cope with this incessant reality in our lives. Many of the times, we make our decisions without even knowing why (or that we are making them!). Other times, we hide or run from choices, enacting any number of coping mechanisms to try to avoid the power and responsibility that comes from making a decision. Yet, even avoidance is a choice. How can we begin to face choices with courage and intention?
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie introduce our Season Two topic: choices. We are all decision-making entities. We make thousands, if not millions, of choices every day. Setting up for the rest of Season Two, Joey and Kylie talk about the power of choices, how they shape and mold our character, and how they impact our ability to lead, influence others, and affect the world around us.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie quickly recap the tools and ideas from season one, with special attention to how they intertwine and work together. Communication is the great connector, the arteries for life and leadership, that allow us to share understanding and synergize effort. The tools for effective leadership are with us and in us, but it is up to each individual to do the hard work of putting them into use.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss the practical methods by which we live out the framework of life. These practicalities nest within one another to help propel us further toward our ultimate vision. Through goal setting, reaching milestones, and intentional strategizing, we make our Transcendent There more accessible. It all begins with just one intentional step.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk about one of the most important elements of leading yourself and influencing others: the proper use of emotions. Our patterns of thought and behavior are working hard to reinforce themselves. But this is not always the best course. By learning how to acknowledge and address our emotions without giving them ultimate authority in our lives, we can better work towards the visions we have established.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss the different ways we can approach, handle, and resolve conflict. When we are seeking truth together, conflict is inevitable. That is not a bad thing, just a reality we have to navigate. What are the different ways we can resolve conflict and when it is best to use each? How can conflict actually be a helpful and productive experience? What does it look like to truly “win” a conflict? Join our hosts as they explore these questions and more.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk through the difficult process of seeking and sharing the truth. Whether you are leading yourself or others, a commitment to the truth must be your guiding light. Seeking and sharing truth allows us to be individuals pursuing a shared mission together. In this episode, we explore what motivates us and what keeps us from fully exploring the truth together.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss perspective and control. The only way to escape victim mentality is to change one of the three things you can control. Although we try hard to control the choices of others and the circumstances around us, the truth is there are only three things we can control. By taking ownership of these, no more and no less, we step into a life of intention, freedom, and purpose.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss one of the most important and difficult aspects of leading well. There are two key postures we can take toward life - we can either focus on how things affect me or how I can affect the things around me. Our focus, perspective, and mentality concerning who has authority in our own lives determines how we think and what we do. Taking ownership of our own life rather than blaming others is foundational for living and leading well.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk about the journey of leading. The path of all of our human endeavors follows the same basic shape. The journey, from the fall of expectations to the development of intimacy, tests our commitment to our vision and gives us the opportunity to progress through perseverance. There are no shortcuts. The shape of The Mood Curve is a reality for us to acknowledge and navigate as effectively as possible.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie are joined by Kate Goehler, squad mentor with The World Race. Kate shares her stories, insights, and experiences leading young adults through the challenging terrain of boundaries and consequences. The Freedom V has practical implications for all walks of life. Kate has witnessed first hand the difference a little shared understanding can bring to individuals and organizations.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk through the practical implications of boundaries and how they allow us to lead well. What are natural boundaries and internal boundaries? How do the two work together? What is the value of boundaries and what happens when we go beyond them? Using the structure of the Freedom V, we can develop healthier boundaries and help lead others into doing the same.
Joey and Kylie discuss the surprising challenges that come with trying to name reality. There are so many competing voices, false internal narratives, and false starts we have to navigate. But if we cannot name where we are, we cannot get where we are going. Leading well includes a candid and intentional process of naming reality not as we want it but as it truly is.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie talk about the framework of life. How does life work and how can we be intentional about operating within this framework? We will introduce a vision-centered process that includes motivation, taking true inventory, and setting well-aimed goals. The Framework of Life is a key mental model for learning how to lead ourselves and influence others.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie are joined by David Kuhnert, Army veteran and oil business manager. Dave shares his experience in redefining effective leadership and how it has transformed all aspects of his life. Everyone can be a leader because leadership is about learning how to influence others. Dave talks about the different ways in which we can influence the people around us, including modeling what it looks like to live with intention.
In this episode of The Crossroad Podcast, Joey and Kylie discuss the value and purpose of life. We are all standing at an intersection, trying to be who we are and operate within a community. We are both individual characters and social creatures. Effective leadership is about standing in this crossroads boldly and with intention. How does this view of leadership differ from popular narratives? How can we begin to turn our perspective to seeing life and leadership in a better, more effective, truer way?