Season 2, Episode 1: “The Partner”

Guest: Frederick Jones

About this episode

Every leader has someone who saw them before they could see themselves. For Michelle, that person is Frederick Jones, her husband and business partner. Fred built his career across three worlds: the military, the private sector at Boeing, and business ownership as co-owner of Entech Consulting Group. In this season opener, Michelle asks him about his own crossings.

In this episode

• Fred’s three careers, and what each one taught him about reading an organization’s culture before trying to change it
• The structured approach he used to improve a pay process at age 19, and how that way of deciding has held up across every world he’s worked in
• Identity, and why he believes it has to stand apart from job titles and money
• The contract Michelle and Fred walked away from rather than compromise their analytical approach, and what that decision cost and protected
• Leadership in a rapidly changing environment, and how to hold the main priorities while everything around them shifts

Fred’s three takeaways for decision-making

1. Keep the main thing the main thing.
2. Weigh the cost of any gain.
3. Make sure your decisions align with your values.

Lens Lab: three questions to sit with after you listen

1. What is the main thing in the decision you are facing right now, and what is pulling your attention away from it?
2. What would the gain cost you, not just in money but in what you value?
3. If you stripped away your title and your income, what would still be true about who you are?

Your next step

If you’re in an in-between of your own, get clear on your next move with the free Decision Snapshot:

https://alenseffect.com/decision-snapshot.html

Learn more at https://www.alenseffect.com