Can your team perform without you constantly refereeing the differences between them? That's the leadership trust question Alan, CEPA, and returning guest Melanie Palmer dig into in this episode.

Melanie Palmer of Melanie Palmer Consulting joins Alan again — and this time, they turned the tables and assessed each other. Alan took CliftonStrengths for the first time, Melanie took DISC for the first time, and they use their own results to unpack how personality and strengths assessments actually build (or break) trust on a team.

If you're a business owner or leader trying to build a team that runs well without you standing over it, this conversation gives you the language to do it.

🔔 New episodes every week. Subscribe if you're a business owner building a team, and a business, that can run without you.

⏱️ Chapters

0:22 – Welcome back, Melanie Palmer

1:03 – Melanie's CliftonStrengths results, revealed

2:15 – What CliftonStrengths actually measures

3:16 – Why "well-rounded" is a fallacy

4:21 – Melanie reads Alan's top strengths: Positivity & Individualization

5:49 – Where Individualization struggles — rigid rules and procedures

6:39 – Managing opposite strengths on the same team

7:36 – Why the owner-as-gap-bridge kills business value

8:21 – Building a strengths-based culture so you're not the referee

9:20 – Turning friction into a team asset (the "Deliberative" example)

12:15 – The sports analogy: playing people in their strength position

13:47 – Alan's DISC results — and why he and Melanie "resonate"

15:29 – Natural vs. Adaptive style, explained

17:46 – Mapping a team on the CliftonStrengths grid

18:47 – Case study: a statewide nonprofit team

21:22 – Building trust through connection and compassion

22:11 – Using assessments for conflict resolution

23:10 – The visionary/implementer partnership (Jobs & Ballmer)

24:10 – DISC clashes: high-D vs. high-S styles

25:22 – How people weaponize assessments — and how not to

30:12 – Why an outside facilitator sees what you can't

32:08 – Where to find Melanie Palmer

32:27 – Final takeaway: know yourself first

Connect with Melanie:

https://www.melaniepalmerconsulting.com/

Connect with Alan:

https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanbennettcepa/

#LeadershipTrust #CliftonStrengths #DISC #BusinessPodcast #TeamBuilding #BusinessOwner

Welcome back to The TrustBuilt Podcast! Host Alan Bennett sits down with culture expert Steve Blair for a deep dive into what it really takes to build and maintain a thriving organizational culture.

Steve Blair is a master at culture, people, and community who works alongside leaders and founders to create cultures where the best people can thrive. In this episode, Steve breaks down his powerful "culture stack" framework—revealing the four critical levels where culture either flourishes or falls apart.

Whether you're a founder, leader, or manager, this episode will change how you think about building culture in your organization.

👉 Learn more about how TrustBuilt helps business owners build trust-driven teams: https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

⏱️ Chapters

00:25 - Welcome & Meet Steve Blair

01:16 - Steve's Mission: Creating Cultures Where People Love Their Work

02:36 - Going Deep: The Art vs. Science of Building Culture

03:22 - Two Types of Leadership: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up

05:03 - Finding Leaders Who "Get It"

06:53 - Creating Heroes: The Power of Mentorship

09:50 - Why Culture Can't Be Left to Chance

11:12 - The Core Framework: Understanding Culture

13:45 - Defining Culture: Values, Behaviors, and Results

16:20 - The Anatomy of Culture: Breaking It Down

19:30 - The Culture Stack: Four Critical Levels

22:15 - Level 1: Vision & Leadership

24:40 - Level 2: Organizational Systems & Processes

27:10 - Level 3: Managers - The Linchpin of Culture

29:45 - Level 4: Teams & Daily Work

32:15 - Where Most Culture Initiatives Fail

33:18 - Leveraging Tools at the Right Level

34:28 - Communication Strategies Across Levels

36:17 - Connecting Individual Purpose to Organizational Purpose

37:21 - The Danger of Resource Gaps

38:33 - Culture You Design vs. Culture You Deserve

39:23 - What Resources Really Mean (It's Not Pizza Fridays)

40:09 - Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up

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Connect with Steve

💻 https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairsteve/

🌐 https://www.fulcrumcollective.com/

When your nonprofit board isn't functioning, everything suffers—fundraising stalls, strategy gets murky, and passionate leaders burn out trying to do it all.

In this episode of The TrustBuilt Podcast, host Alan Bennett sits down with Melanie Palmer, founder of M. Palmer Consulting, to explore how nonprofits can build high-performing boards that drive real impact. From victim services to arts organizations, Melanie shares powerful lessons on strategic planning, meaningful board engagement, and why clarity is the foundation of everything.

Together, they dig into how to recruit the right board members, the critical role of strategic planning, why CliftonStrengths assessments transform team dynamics, and how to align your board with your mission—not just fill seats.

👉 Whether you lead a startup nonprofit or manage a mature organization, this episode will help you see trust and strategic clarity as your ultimate competitive advantage.

Learn more about how TrustBuilt helps business owners build trust-driven teams:

https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

⏱️ Chapters

1:19 – Meet Melanie Palmer: From Victim Services to Nonprofit Consulting

4:38 – What It Really Means to Be on a Nonprofit Board

6:17 – The Non-Negotiable: Passion for Mission (Not Resume Building)

11:00 – The Three Questions Every Board Should Ask Before Recruiting

15:00 – How CliftonStrengths Unlocks Board Potential

22:00 – Why Nonprofits and For-Profits Have the Same Leadership Challenges

30:00 – The Hidden Gap: When No One Is Driving the Bus

35:00 – How a Strategic Plan Fixes Most Board Dysfunction

37:15 – The Fundraising Plan Most Organizations Forget to Create

45:13 – Starting with Assessment: Where Is Your Board Now?

47:24 – "It's Hard to Read the Label from Inside the Bottle"

48:05 – Connect with Melanie Palmer Consulting

Connect with M. Palmer Consulting

🌐 https://melaniepalmerconsulting.com

💼 Schedule a free consultation to assess your nonprofit's needs

Are you a business owner who is ready to break free from the day-to-day grind & build a self-sustaining company?

👉 Set up a time to talk to Alan

🔗 https://app.reclaim.ai/m/alan-trustbuiltsolutions/quick-meeting