Avoiding Bottlenecks: How to Keep Your Mission Moving | Savage Executive Podcast Ep. 13

In Episode 13 of the Savage Executive Podcast, host Steve Smith explores the challenges of bottlenecks in growing organizations. He discusses how complexity can kill clarity and provides strategies for leaders to identify, simplify, and prevent bottlenecks. Key insights include recognizing leadership habits that create delays, simplifying systems to serve the mission, and building a culture where leaders solve problems and move the mission forward. Tune in to learn how to maintain momentum by ensuring clarity in your organization.

00:00 Introduction to Avoiding Bottlenecks
00:33 The Savage Moment: Complexity Kills Clarity
02:24 Identifying Bottlenecks: Leadership Habits
03:46 Simplifying Systems for Efficiency
05:15 Building Leaders to Sustain Progress
06:36 Leadership Audit and Final Takeaways
07:52 Conclusion and Call to Action

Leading Up: How to Influence When You're Not in Charge | Savage Executive Podcast Ep. 12

Join Steve Smith on episode 12 of the Savage Executive Podcast as he delves into the art of 'leading up,' a crucial leadership skill for influencing others without being in charge. Discover key rules for building trust, presenting solutions, and respecting authority to enhance your impact within any organization. Don't miss this insightful guide on how upward influence can drive organizational success. Tune in for practical tips and real-life examples that will set you apart as a powerful, respected contributor.

00:00 Introduction to Leading Up
00:46 Personal Leadership Journey
01:34 The Importance of Upward Influence
02:29 Three Rules of Leading Up
05:25 Potential Pitfalls in Leading Up
07:12 Practical Tips for Effective Upward Leadership
07:58 Challenge and Conclusion

The Listening Leader: Transformative Leadership Through Active Listening | Savage Executive Podcast Ep. 11

In Episode 11 of the Savage Executive Podcast, host Steve Smith delves into the transformative power of listening as a core leadership skill. Dispelling the myth that listening is passive, Steve emphasizes that true leadership involves actively hearing, learning, and leading based on input from others. Drawing from personal experiences and practical examples, he outlines three levels of executive listening and provides actionable tips to integrate effective listening into leadership practices. Join us to learn how listening leaders multiply trust, expand vision, and make better decisions.

00:00 Introduction to the Savage Executive Podcast
00:32 The Power of Listening in Leadership
00:53 A Personal Story of Leadership Transformation
02:43 The Three Levels of Leadership Listening
08:33 Practical Tips for Building Listening Skills
10:42 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser

10 Steps to Legendary Leadership | Episode 10 Milestone Celebration

Welcome to the Savage Executive Podcast! In our milestone 10th episode, host Steve Smith reflects on the foundational leadership principles covered so far. Introducing 'The Savage Blueprint: 10 Steps to Legendary Leadership,' Steve reviews key topics such as leading with intention, creating space to win, thinking like a visionary, measuring what matters, and building an A-team. He also highlights the importance of turning setbacks into setups, leading for the long haul, cutting through the noise, delega-training to multiply leaders, and leaving a lasting legacy. Engage with these insights to bolster your leadership journey and ensure your impact lasts well into the future. Don't forget to subscribe and share your thoughts on which step has been most impactful for you!

Episode 9: Dela-train – Multiply Leaders, Multiply Impact

Delegation gives you relief. Dela-train gives you leaders.

In this episode of the Savage Executive Podcast, Steve Smith introduces the concept of Dela-train—delegating in a way that doesn’t just offload tasks, but raises up leaders. You’ll learn how to move beyond short-term relief to long-term multiplication, empowering your team to lead with vision and confidence.

Key takeaways:

• Don’t just delegate chores—delegate outcomes
• Use every handoff as a training opportunity
• Trust your people enough to let them own the result
• Build leaders while you build momentum

If you’re tired of carrying too much on your own, this episode will give you a framework to lighten your load while strengthening your team.

🎧 Listen now and start multiplying leaders where you lead.

Title: Casting Vision That Sticks

Description:

Too many leaders have a vision that looks great on paper but never makes it into the hearts of their people. In Episode 8 of the Savage Executive Podcast, we dive into the art of casting vision that is clear, compelling, and contagious. I’ll share the difference between visions that fizzle out and those that inspire lasting action—plus practical steps to bake vision into your meetings, systems, and everyday conversations.

Whether you lead a church, a business, or a team of two, you’ll learn how to create vision that doesn’t just live in a mission statement—it lives in the culture.

🎧 Listen in for:

• Why some vision statements fail before they start
• The three ingredients of a sticky vision
• How to weave vision into the rhythm of your leadership

📌 Subscribe to the Savage Executive Podcast on your favorite platform and never miss an episode.