
Welcome to the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast. I interview blue-collar business owners who are building their leadership house. On this podcast as they share their insights into their lives and businesses. These 30-45 minute conversations are packed with fun stories, helpful insights, and more. I ask every guest to share one insight (or more, of course!) with my listeners that, when applied over time, the listener will experience massive change for their future! Tune in every Tuesday to learn powerful communication, leadership, and business insights. If you’re not careful, you might just become a SAGE Leader!
Episodes

17 hours ago
17 hours ago
On today's podcast, Kyle talks about SMART goals and the best way to create these goals so you can set yourself up to be successful. He encourages listeners to use a 12-week timeframe and discusses why this is the perfect amount of time. Contact information can be found at the bottom of the show notes if you’d like to connect with Kyle. He would love to chat with you about your business and how together you can accomplish your goals.
Notable quotes:
“Get that story [of why you’re doing what you are doing] dialed in your head. There is your compelling reason why you're pursuing this goal.”
“No matter what industry you're in, goals are extremely powerful to help you move forward in your business.”
Show notes:
00:00-00:42: Welcome to the podcast and brief summary of today’s topic.
00:43-01:25 Are you the type of person who hates goals or do you think goals are great?
01:26-03:51 Ask yourself where you are right now and define where it is that you want to be. Kyle talks about the importance of writing a compelling story behind why you are doing what you are doing.
03:52-5:06 Kyle talks about SMART goals and what a SMART goal is.
05:07-06:00 Kyle discusses breaking down your goal into a 12-week timeframe.
06:01-08:23 Kyle talks about how to measure your goals and the difference between lag measures and lead measures and how both apply to the goals you are making.
08:24-09:49 Kyle summarizes the steps to take in creating your goals in order to be successful.
09:50-10:59 Wrapping up the podcast, Kyle encourages listeners to reach out and connect with him via his website. Set up a discovery call with Kyle to discuss how he can help you achieve your goals. Please like and share this podcast.
Connect with Kyle at www.blueshirtcoaching.com, on LinkedIn.
#goals #howtoaccomplishyourgoals #SMARTgoals #accountability #thetwelveweekyear #professionaldevelopment #growingyourbusiness

Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Jerry Macnamara- Grow your Business and Still Make it Home for Dinner
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Today’s guest on the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast is Jerry Macnamara. For 25 years, Jerry’s fearlessly positive approach to business led to massive success. He’s led five companies in five different industries in B2B and B2C and in both products and services. Jerry has been selected as Business Journal’s Ultimate CEO and Business Journal’s 40 under 40. He runs Proven Chaos, a company driven to help CEO’s create compelling companies that outperform…and still make it home for dinner. His mission is to positively impact 5MM people in the next five years through better business.
On today’s podcast, Jerry Macnamara and Kyle discuss the importance of good communication in leadership, of listening well, and of looking at your employees as whole people. Jerry tells stories from his own experiences and encourages business owners to lead with intention, to set clear and realistic goals, and to invest in themselves as leaders.
Notable Quotes:
“The most important thing that I can do as a leader is send my people home on the weekends with clear minds and whole hearts to go be with their families.”
“If we recognize our people as whole people, if you're good at work, you have the potential to be great at home and if you were good at home, you have the potential to be great at work.”
“You have to live your life on your terms. That's the most important thing that you can do as a human being.”
“Patience comes from having a plan and then you have to take action.”
“Failure is simply feedback of what is working and what's not working.”
“There's no better investment than in yourself, because it allows you to invest in all of the people around you.”
“Treasure collaboration over conflict.”
00:00-01:15- Welcome to the podcast and brief description of the purpose of the podcast
01:16-02:12- Introduction of guest and summary of Jerry’s accomplishments and achievements
03:03-05:13-Jerry tells a story about regularly working 100hr weeks until he ended up in the hospital thinking he was having a heart attack at 26 yrs old, and he shares a revelation he had while laying there.
05:42-06:29-Learn from other people. You don’t have to learn all of life’s lessons yourself.
06:30-07:46- Jerry talks about doing what he’s doing because people should enjoy their work.
07:47-10:45 Jerry talks about how the people who are good at ‘doing’ often get promoted to positions of leadership but they aren’t always good leaders and what can be done to help them.
10:46-12:33 Jerry provides an example from his life about a time when he did not lead well, and how poor communication and poor leadership led to a vacation in Paris where he still had to report to work every day.
12:34-15:00 Jerry talks about the importance of communication in businesses and gives real-life examples of how this can be done.
15:01-16:29 Jerry makes the point that we are whole people, and being great at work can make you great at home and if you are great at home, you have the potential to be great at work.
18:37-21:04 Jerry and Kyle discuss how business owners can easily spiral out of control and the importance of conscious intention in leadership.
21:05-24:30 Jerry and Kyle discuss how to be patient in growing your business and how setting goals plays into business growth.
24:31-26:10 Jerry talks about failure as being feedback on what is working and what’s not working.
26:10-29:12 Jerry reminds listeners about the importance of listening to understand, as opposed to listening to respond.
29:12-31:09 Jerry talks about why he does what he does and what his primary goal is for his work.
31:10-33:00 Jerry reminds us that it is possible for our business to outgrow our skills and encourages business leaders to build a community around them to help them grow in their leadership.
Connect with Jerry at provenchaos.com or on Facebook and LinkedIn.
#leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptips #leadershipmatters #leadershipgoals #growthmindset #management #professionaldevelopment #realisticgoals #listenwell #buildcommunity #businessgrowth #consciousintention #entrepreneur

Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Bill Prater - How to Grow as an Entrepreneur
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
In today’s podcast, Kyle Gillette interviews Bill Prater, renowned for providing commendable services to business owners and emerging entrepreneurs that help them break free of inertia and accelerate their journey to accomplishing all their goals and ambitions. He is also the owner of Scaleology and the Business Mastery System, which both equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge needed to grow their business models. Let's hear his inspiring story!
Things ARE going to go wrong, but...
Key takeaways
#1 Seeking inspiration and coming up with a USP
When you start a new business, it's always best to seek inspiration from those at the very top in your niche, but once you reach that level, you don't settle there. Now you need to figure out your USP by putting innovative ideas to work so that you can differentiate yourself from the competitors and increase the market share of your business.
#2 Formulate a growth strategy
Growth is an essential part of any successful business, so make sure to formulate a growth strategy for your venture. Do the needed research, spend resources to the best of your ability, and keep moving forward. Remember it is a competitive advantage that can keep you going even during economic downfall and instability.
#3 Perfection is not the end goal
For many perfectionists, this must be a hard pill to swallow, but without it your life as an entrepreneur can become quite challenging. The thing about the business world is that it is dynamic and rapidly changing. Every day something new is coming up, whether it be in terms of technology or the launch of a competitor's business. To keep yourself in the market, therefore, you will need to experiment with different things, let it be altering your goals, strategies, plans, or whatever it takes to keep your business up to date! So, with all of this, perfection is next to impossible, and if you keep striving for that 100%, chances are your business will remain stagnant and experience very little growth. Therefore, be realistic, focus on giving your best, and watch how it improves your business!
Time Stamps
2:03-5:19
Bill takes us through his journey as an entrepreneur, right from when he began, sharing the process behind converting a business worth $0 to one worth quite a lot today.
5:37-12:07
Here Bill talks about an industry conference he attended and how it changed his views on entrepreneurship and developing a USP for his business. Further, he goes on to express the importance of learning from market leaders and introducing things they offer in their products and services in your business. He explains the characteristics of a super successful business with a vision strategy. He also presents this flipside and how emulation works only when done correctly.
12:36-13:29
Bill discusses the importance of focusing on growth in your business and on a personal level and how it can help give you a sense of direction and keep you better organized!
13:48-15:38
Have a business growth strategy that just isn't working out? This part of the podcast gives valuable advice on dealing with such problems. The two also discuss how to deal with economic uncertainties and dealing with the rapidly changing business environment.
15:59-18:49
Here Bill talks about the significance of planning things for your business and how it makes you better prepared to deal with upcoming situations and organize your resources efficiently. He also caters to the side of the company, which some would call ugly, and others would call exciting, the number of uncertainties you have to go through, and how to overcome challenges.
18:52-25:30
Establishing proper systems is incredibly important for managing businesses. Bill talks about this in detail and how this is one element many businesses often tend to compromise on. Further, he debunks some myths business owners have about the ‘ideal employee’.
26:03-34:14
Here we discuss the importance of having employees with a strong sense of accountability and how it keeps the business together and consistent with its decisions.
34:15-38:00
Bill wraps up the podcast with a wholesome story of his college experience, how he dropped out, got back again, and graduated with straight As.
"You don't get it right every time, but that doesn't matter because you can adjust and re-strategize as you notice that it is not working out. " - Bill Prater
“All the leaders of every nation have a growth strategy.” - Bill Prater
“Planning is making decisions about the future NOW.” - Bill Prater
About Guest Speaker

Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Jarrod Morgan - The Founder of ProctorU Shares His Leadership Insights
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Jarrod Morgan is the founder of ProctorU, the world's largest online testing company, and the host of the Slow-Smoked Business Podcast.
He is passionate about entrepreneurship, personal success, and helping others on their path. Jarrod shares his insights and stories about the importance of being genuine in your leadership, his "dangerous prayer, " and what he calls the Living Ledger.
Make sure to listen to the end to learn about this powerful process he uses for personal, professional, and spiritual growth.

Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Edward Sturm - Placing Bets on Your Commitments
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Tuesday Oct 11, 2022
Edward Sturm is co-founder of Commit Club, where you stake money on your ability to follow through with a daily challenge and make money from the people who don't stick with their challenges. Before this, he made viral videos with hundreds of millions of views and did SEO for Fortune 100 companies.
He's a self-development addict and world traveler and is recording this from Rome, Italy. In this episode, you learn more about his passion for growth and self-development, the challenges he's taken head-on, and some insightful advice to help you on your adventures. You can check out Commit Club by visiting commitclub.com.

Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Tuesday Aug 16, 2022
Have you cringed after saying something to someone on your team that didn't come out right? We can say things in a tone that we didn't mean or in such a way that we didn't notice is having a negative impact.
This can change with a few tweaks and paying attention to our tone.
Welcome to today's episode on the SAGE Mindset Podcast. Today we will focus on valuable tips, tricks, and insights on the importance of paying attention to how you speak in leadership.
Not just what you speak but how you speak. Don't miss out on the power of using your voice in your leadership.
Connect with me directly by visiting, sagemindset.com

Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
What can 100 executives and endurance athletes teach you about peak performance? In this podcast episode, you'll learn from Bryan Gillette the powerful answers to that question. After these top performers shared insights, Bryan interviewed 100 peak performers to write his book and discovered what he calls EPIC Performance.
Bryan shares the importance of creating a big vision 10-30 years out. To establish a finish line, strive for and keep this in front of you. He also encourages us to break down this big vision into pieces we can apply daily.
The EPIC framework will help you to Envision, Plan, Iterate, and Collaborate then Perform.To connect with Bryan and to purchase his book, visit https://summitinggroup.com/epic/

Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Logan Bloom - Being a Light in the Workplace
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Do you have anxieties, frustrations, or worries about your business? In this episode, I interview Logan Bloom, author of Praying God's Word for Your Business.
Logan shares insights about building a team of prayer partners, stories of God intervening in amazing ways in business, and a perspective on this generation I've never heard before.
If you want to be encouraged and let go of those anxieties, frustrations, and worries this episode will give you a process to help you get there.
To learn more about Logan and his ministry, please visit www.servantleadernetwork.org.

Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Jeff Cohen - Are you Count-On-Able?
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
This episode will make you question your perspective on accountability and communication among several other leadership challenges and pillars.
Jeff Cohen is my guest today and he is a founder of six businesses, has worked with 300 business leaders to develop and test his Count-On-Able method of leadership.
Jeff shares what effective communication really looks like, how saying what you are NOT count-on-able to is key to helping you thrive, and the importance of taking action on the lessons you learn.
To connect with Jeff and learn more about his method, visit www.countonable.com

Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Matt Davis, Esq. - How to Overcome Business Vulnerabilities
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
In today's episode, I speak with attorney Matt Davis. His law firm focuses on helping companies and entrepreneurs deal with the complex vulnerabilities they face in their problems and opportunities.
We discuss the importance of knowing your business' "word problem" and how this solves a lot of issues. Matt dives in with us on the importance of being bold in where you want to go and start building the plan and structures to get there.
As an Inc 5000 business, Matt understands the importance of knowing your vulnerabilities, numbers, and priorities. In this episode, we go into detail on is Strong Protected Business System and how you can overcome common vulnerabilities in your business.
Matt is available to talk with you and you can find him by visiting https://davisbusinesslaw.com/

Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Victoria Volk - Learning from Loss in Life and Leadership
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Recently a colleague of mine unexpectedly lost her dad. What do you say in moments like this? How does someone deal with grief in the workplace and personally?
Grief comes in many forms but it is fundamentally loss. Loss of a loved one, loss of an opportunity, loss of friendship, and many other things. In today's episode, we touch on a subject that all of us deal with in minor and major ways.
Victoria Volk is a self-published author, Advanced Cert. Grief Recovery Specialist®, Creator & Podcast Host of Grieving Voices, Reiki Master, Cert. YouMap® Coach and End-of-Life Doula. She aims to use her strengths and skills through various offerings to help those whose lives have been upended by grief and loss go from surviving to thriving.
As someone who experienced several significant losses between the ages of 6 to 12 but was unable to truly grieve these losses until her mid-thirties, Victoria is here to share part of her journey and the lessons she learned to help you as you work through your loss and grief.
SAGE Leaders realize the importance of helping people through the various kinds and intensity of loss in life. In this episode, Victoria will help you become a better leader through her experiences and skills.
To connect with Victoria, visit https://www.theunleashedheart.com

Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
In today's episode of the SAGE Mindset Podcast, Jonathan and Renee Harris teach us how to parent the passions of your kids. As parents of 9 kids and the creators of the Parent Their Passion approach to helping your kids have marketable skills for the business world, they share great insights on how this approach has changed their lives and the lives of their kids.
As you listen, you'll learn about the compound interest effect of this approach. They share insights on how to help your kids shift from consumers to producers along with a simple approach to helping your kids get the most out of their passions through blogging.
The husband & wife team, Jonathan & Renee Harris, have years of experience fine-tuning & developing a strategy now dubbed “Parent Their Passion” that can be used to create a compelling & irresistible unique portfolio of a child’s marketable talent. They now coach other parents through the step-by-step method that can be used with any child, of any type of personality.
To connect with them directly, visit https://parenttheirpassion.com/

Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
The author of Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact. Eddie is a speechwriter and public speaking coach with 10 years of experience in the field. He loves creating strong narrative-driven speeches that focus on balancing emotional and thought-leadership content. He has worked with executives, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and everyone in between.
In today's episode, Eddie shares with us some powerful tips on how to prepare for and give great speeches. One tip he shared is to write your key message in one sentence and center your speech around this message. Eddie suggests as you prepare for your speech and you deliver, imagine the audience is asking you great questions and you are responding to these in your speech.
Finally, find some stories in your life and take the mess from those stories and turn them into messages that will help your audience.
If you'd like to connect with Eddie, you can email him at eddie@ricespeechwriting.com or visit any of the online book retailers to purchase Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact.
Like what you saw? You can engage with the SAGE Community on Facebook. Join the SAGE Community today, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/sagemindsetgroup

Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
In today's episode, I talk about a tool in the leadership toolbelt that you can use every day and will bring powerful insights, new sales, less overwhelm, and a more enjoyable work experience to all! If this sounds too good to be true, you'll have to give the episode a listen to test out this tool.
The tool is the power of 2-20 minute coaching conversations in the workplace. Share with you what I call the ABC St. of coaching and how you can use this method to unlock more potential in your employees than you ever knew was possible.
This isn't an easy, simple hack but it works and will work for you IF you use coaching consistently.
Check out today's episode to get the 411 or the ABCs.
If you'd like to connect directly with me to learn more about how I help my clients use tools like this and unlock powerful mindsets and habits in their leadership, visit http://sagemindset.com/ and let's get on a call together.

Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Ryan Cote - Upgrading Your Morning Routine
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Welcome to another episode of the SAGE Mindset Podcast. Today's guest is the author of The Entrepreneur's Secret Weapon, a marketing expert, and morning routine guru. Ryan Cote shares with us what got him started on his journey to better mornings and how you can join him in the adventure.
In today's episode, Ryan shares the importance of keeping promises to yourself, the power of masterminds, and small daily habits are keys to personal growth. He shares if you can create 25-minutes to follow his morning routine, you can change your life.
Ryan makes it simple with a series of questions and tasks for you to follow to help you build the momentum you need for yourself. He says, "sometimes we need to take action, the behavior will create the feeling to keep going."
Ryan Cote is the Founder of Morning Upgrade, a business dedicated to raising awareness of morning routines and personal development. He is also co-owner of his family's marketing agency and a real estate investor. Ryan lives in New Jersey with his wife and 3 daughters.
Find more information on Ryan and his book by visiting https://morningupgrade.com/
Like what you saw? You can engage with the SAGE Community on Facebook.
Join the SAGE Community today, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/sagemindsetgroup