What's Keeping Your Wheels Northbound? - Organizational Leadership

In this episode of Northbound, Chris highlights the critical role of office assistants as organizational linchpins. He explores how assistants often run the culture, operations, and communication hubs of an organization—even more than some executives realize. This episode provides practical guidance for leaders on giving assistants authority, building trust, preventing burnout, providing fair compensation, and fostering a culture of respect. Discover why supporting your office staff isn't just kindness—it's essential leadership.

• Office assistants are organizational linchpins, keeping both culture and operations running smoothly.

• Authority, trust, and access are key: assistants must be empowered to lead within their roles.

• Effective communication from leadership is crucial for office staff to succeed.

• Monitoring burnout and providing proper compensation (monetary and cultural) protects your organization.

• Assistants set the tone of the office and influence loyalty and culture more than many leaders realize.

1. Respect and authority: Give assistants real authority and don't undermine them.

2. Trust and access: Allow assistants to act and provide them the tools they need.

3. Prevent burnout: Watch for stress absorbed from all directions and intervene early.

4. Compensation and value: Fair pay, benefits, and a positive culture reduce turnover and increase loyalty.

5. Culture and leadership: Assistants often enforce and reflect organizational values; they are vital to long-term success.

6. Ask yourself: If your assistant quit tomorrow, would your office survive?

Schedule a free consultation. Email me at Chris@Go-Northbound.com

The Emperor Has No Clothes - Leading So People Feel Safe to Disagree

Episode Topic: Encouraging healthy disagreement to strengthen leadership and team performance

Episode Description:
In this episode of Northbound, Chris explores how leaders can foster an environment where team members feel safe to disagree. Through personal stories—including a funny and unexpected example of an old recliner becoming a "feedback chair"—Chris illustrates the value of open dialogue and psychological safety in leadership. He explains why encouraging constructive dissent leads to better decisions, innovation, and stronger team buy-in, while also sharing actionable steps for leaders to normalize dissent and respond thoughtfully to differing perspectives.

Main Points:

• The value of disagreement – Why leaders should welcome challenges to ideas.

• Psychological safety – Creating an environment where people feel respected and comfortable speaking up.

• Leading with humility and openness – Encouraging feedback regardless of seniority or experience.

• Benefits of disagreement – Better decisions, innovation, and stronger buy-in from your team.

• How to encourage it –

  • Ask open-ended questions.

  • Invite alternate perspectives regularly.

  • Respond respectfully and thoughtfully to dissent.

• Personal anecdotes / examples – Stories of learning from unexpected sources, like a young team member offering invaluable feedback.

• Pitfalls to avoid – Overreacting, shutting down dissent, or displaying frustration.

• Actionable advice for leaders –

  • Normalize dissent as part of team culture.

  • Reward honest feedback and constructive challenges.

  • Model vulnerability by admitting when you're wrong or unsure.

Key Takeaways:

• Disagreement, when encouraged, strengthens both leadership and team performance.

• Psychological safety is essential for people to feel comfortable sharing different perspectives.

• Leaders must listen, respect, and thoughtfully respond to challenges and alternate ideas.

• Normalizing open communication fosters innovation and strong organizational collaboration.

• Small, creative actions—like creating spaces for feedback—can have a lasting impact on team culture.

Northbound Approach Community -- https://northbound-approach.circle.so/c/posts/

Empowerment Over "Face-Time" - How To Showcase Your People Naturally

Episode Description:
In this episode of Northbound, Chris dives into the misguided workplace concept of "FaceTime"—the idea that employees need to spend artificial time with higher-ups to get noticed. Chris shares personal experiences from his career where forced visibility felt awkward, transactional, and unproductive. Instead, he highlights how effective leadership empowers employees, creates natural opportunities to showcase abilities, and focuses on results rather than optics. Through stories and lessons, Chris shows leaders how to support their people while avoiding the pitfalls of superficial "FaceTime."

Talking Points:

• The myth of "FaceTime" – Why leaders often emphasize it and what it really means.

• The problem with forced visibility – How artificial "FaceTime" can feel awkward, transactional, or unproductive.

• Showcasing abilities naturally – Encouraging leaders to create opportunities for employees to demonstrate skill and value through meaningful work, projects, or outcomes.

• Trust over optics – Why leadership should focus on results and competence rather than constant physical presence or attention-seeking.

• Empowerment vs. permission – How giving autonomy and real responsibility allows people to shine without "FaceTime."

• Personal anecdotes / examples – Sharing moments where natural exposure worked better than forced face-to-face meetings.

• Actionable advice for leaders:

  • Delegate high-impact projects.

  • Recognize contributions in front of peers or leadership naturally.

  • Encourage proactive reporting rather than micromanagement.

Key Takeaways:

• Effective leadership is about creating meaningful visibility, not forcing "FaceTime."

• Employees shine best when given autonomy and real responsibility.

• Communication up the chain should focus on results and measurable impact.

• Recognition should feel organic, highlighting genuine contributions.

• Leaders who avoid superficial practices build trust, engagement, and a stronger team.

Email your host directly at Chris@Go-Northbound.com

From Inbox to Outbox - How Efficient Leaders Give Time Back

Episode Description:
In this episode of Northbound, Chris reflects on lessons learned from his grandfather and a particularly disciplined boss. From perfectly packed camping trips to an office inbox meticulously managed by priority, Chris explores how structure, efficiency, and clear expectations can transform the way we work and lead. He shares personal stories that show how great leaders value both results and the people achieving them, creating environments where teams can thrive without staying late unnecessarily.

Main Points:

• How structured processes and prioritization improve performance.

• The importance of leaders modeling efficiency before expecting it from others.

• The impact of valuing employees' time on morale and productivity.

Key Takeaways:

• Well-designed processes give teams clarity and freedom to excel.

• Efficient leadership prevents unnecessary overtime and stress.

• Leaders who value their people's time foster loyalty, engagement, and better results.

• Time management is not just about business efficiency—it's about respecting people's lives outside of work.

Follow along and join our team at:

www.Go-Northbound.com

Episode Title: The Greater Shackleton -

In this episode of the Northbound Podcast, Chris contrasts two legendary Antarctic explorers—Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton—to reveal a timeless leadership lesson. While Scott's obsession with being first to the South Pole led to tragedy and loss, Shackleton's leadership focused on the people around him, their well-being, and shared success along the journey.

Through Shackleton's example, Chris highlights how authentic leadership—grounded in truth, compassion, and clear purpose—can turn even the most extreme challenges into victories for the team. This episode shows that true success isn't just reaching a destination, but how we guide, support, and care for the people alongside us.

• Scott pushed his team toward a goal at all costs—leading to death and disappointment.

• Shackleton, in contrast, prioritized his team's safety, morale, and shared purpose.

• Communicated clear purpose and "the why" to his team.

• Led with compassion and authenticity, modeling every challenge he asked others to face.

• Encouraged team morale with recreation, shared meals, and mutual support.

• Maintained honesty about risks and difficulties.

• Shackleton's ship was crushed by ice, yet he safely relocated his team.

• He undertook a 14-day, 780-mile open-sea journey, followed by a 25-mile mountain crossing, to rescue men stranded on Elephant Island.

• Despite extreme danger, not a single member of his team perished.

• Success isn't only measured by reaching a goal.

• Real success lies in the challenges overcome, the people supported, and the lessons learned along the journey.

• Leadership is remembered not for ambition alone, but for how we care for and inspire those we lead.

• People-first leadership saves lives and builds loyalty.

• Success is found along the journey, not just at the destination.

• Authenticity, compassion, and communication are critical traits for effective leadership.

• Leaders are remembered for how they treat their people, not the accolades they achieve.

• Extreme circumstances reveal the true character of a leader.

Join and follow the Northbound Team at:

www.Go-Northbound.com

Great Scott - A Case Study in Poor Priorities

In this episode of the Northbound Podcast, Chris unpacks the tragic Antarctic expedition of Robert Falcon Scott and reveals how a leader's obsession with reaching the summit or South Pole in this case—literally and figuratively—can destroy the very people they're called to guide. Through Scott's story, Chris highlights the dangers of prioritizing mission over people and challenges leaders to evaluate whether their strategy truly supports the teams they rely on.

With a Christ-centered lens, Chris explores the importance of aligning goals, vision, and mission with the needs of your people—because success achieved the wrong way isn't success at all. This powerful case study sets the stage for a contrasting, more effective leadership example coming in the next episode.

• Leaders often have strong mission, vision, and goals—but those mean little if the strategy ignores the people tasked with accomplishing them.

• Early naval training built his discipline and courage.

• His first Antarctic expedition made him a national hero.

• His desire for more adventure and recognition consumed him.

• Poorly chosen equipment, inadequate supplies, and harsh conditions slowed the team.

• Scott neglected critical planning elements—especially the needs and limits of his crew.

• When Scott's team reached the South Pole, they discovered Norway's Roald Amundsen had beaten them.

• The return journey became deadly—men died from exposure, exhaustion, and starvation.

• Scott overloaded his men instead of using dogs.

• Decisions lacked flexibility, wisdom, and support for the team.

• His focus on personal achievement overshadowed the well-being of the people he led.

• A strategic plan must integrate mission + people.

• True leadership aligns ambition with human limits and needs.

• Christ-centered leadership models how to honor people above personal glory.

• Elevate your team through Christ-centered leadership.

• Grow, get promoted, and lead well—without sacrificing people in the pursuit of success.

• Mission without people-centered strategy leads to failure.

• Your team is not a resource to burn; they're the heart of your success.

• Leadership requires wisdom, planning, and care—not just drive and ambition.

• Jesus models a leadership style that values people first.

• Your goals matter, but your people matter more.

In this episode of the Northbound Podcast, Chris unpacks a powerful leadership lesson inspired by an Eagle Scout whose life embodied humility, vigilance, focus, and decisive action—Neil Armstrong. As the Apollo 11 lunar module descended toward its marked landing zone, Armstrong recognized that the planned site was covered with dangerous boulders and debris. With fuel running low and no time to abort, he took manual control and guided the spacecraft to safety.

This moment becomes a vivid metaphor for leadership today: organizations need strategic roadmaps and vision, but the best leaders must also recognize when it's time to take the controls and adjust course. Drawing from his own heritage as a third-generation Eagle Scout, Chris reflects on how the lessons learned in scouting—and embodied by Armstrong—shape leaders who are prepared, steady, and ready to act.

This episode dives deep into how leaders balance direction with adaptability, and why the courage to course-correct is essential for mission success.

• Neil Armstrong's leadership during the Apollo 11 descent shows the power of decisive action when conditions change.

• Strategic roadmaps are essential—but they must allow room for course correction.

• Great leaders know when to trust the process and when to grab the controls.

• Course correction is not failure; it's stewardship, responsibility, and leadership.

• Communication, alignment, and clarity form the foundation that enables healthy adaptation.

• A strong, consistent mission anchors an organization even when methods must shift.

• People—the team carrying out the mission—are always the most important factor.