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🎙 How Comparison Hijacks Growth—and Steals Your Momentum

In this episode of the Elite Leader Insights™ Podcast, Donald C. Kunkel Jr. takes on one of the most overlooked leadership traps: comparison.

It doesn’t just distract—it distorts. And when left unchecked, it slowly pulls even the most driven leaders off track.

From subtle self-doubt to unhealthy competition, comparison can quietly erode confidence, authenticity, and clarity. Drawing from his own experience as a competitive leader—and grounded in the TECCA™ Influence System—Donald explores what it really costs us to lead by someone else’s scoreboard.

This episode is a mindset reset for anyone who’s ever thought, “I should be further by now.”

You’ll learn:

• Why comparison impacts decision-making more than we realize
• How to spot when competition becomes misaligned
• Three powerful shifts to reclaim your focus and momentum
• Why identity-based goals lead to sustainable growth and influence

Resources Mentioned:

• The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire
• TECCA™ Influence Assessment and Power Profile™
• Elite Leader Insights™ Newsletter

Final Thought:
Your timeline isn’t broken. But the lens you’re using might be.
You don’t need to catch up—you need to realign.
Because influence doesn’t come from chasing others. It comes from becoming more of who you are.

Elite Leader Insights™ is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center™, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire, and creator of the TECCA™ Influence System.

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Read this week's article and take you TECCA Influence Assessment by visiting us at www.EliteLeadershipCenter.com

Elite Leader Insights is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead and Inspire, and creator of the TECCA Influence System

🌐 Connect with Us: LinkTree | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)

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🎙 You Can’t Teach Initiative: Why Effort Still Matters

In this episode of the Elite Leader Insights™ Podcast, Donald C. Kunkel Jr. unpacks one of the hardest truths in leadership: you can teach almost anything — but you can’t teach initiative.

Whether you're leading a team, mentoring others, or building a high-performance culture, effort is the silent driver of results. Drawing from leadership experience, core principles of the TECCA™ Influence System, and practical coaching insights, this episode explores how to spot initiative, how to cultivate it, and what to do when it’s missing.

This is a wake-up call for leaders who are exhausted from carrying the team alone — and a challenge to stop pouring energy into people who aren’t ready to own their growth.

You’ll learn:

• Why initiative is a mindset, not a skillset
• How to distinguish potential from performance
• What to do when you’re leading people who aren’t meeting you halfway
• A coaching-based strategy to redirect your leadership energy where it counts

Resources Mentioned:

• The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire
• TECCA™ Influence Assessment and Power Profile™
• Elite Leader Insights™ Newsletter

Final Thought:
Initiative can’t be taught — but it can be rewarded, modeled, and expected. Don’t confuse coaching with carrying. Influence is how we lead — in life and leadership.

Elite Leader Insights™ is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center™, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire, and creator of the TECCA™ Influence System.

🌐 Connect with Us: LinkTree | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)

Elite Leader Insights is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead and Inspire, and creator of the TECCA Influence System

🌐 Connect with Us: LinkTree | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)

🎙 The Power of Trust: The Cornerstone of Influence

Trust isn’t soft — it’s foundational. In this first episode of the Elite Leader Insights Podcast, Donald C. Kunkel Jr.explores why trust is the most essential trait in any leadership role — and how it directly impacts your ability to influence, inspire, and lead with impact.

Pulling from neuroscience, real-world case studies, and core concepts from The Foundations of Influence, this episode breaks down the mindset and methods of high-trust leaders — and offers three actionable strategies you can use today to grow your influence by building trust.

Whether you’re leading a team, raising a family, or mentoring others, trust is the thread that holds influence together.

You’ll learn:

• Why trust is the foundation of all influence — not authority
• What neuroscience reveals about trust and team performance
• How leaders like Luis Urzúa used trust to lead in crisis
• Three research-backed strategies to build trust in any setting

Resources Mentioned:

• The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire
• TECCA Influence Assessment™ and Power Profile™
• Elite Leader Insights™ Newsletter

Final Thought:

Trust is your greatest currency. It multiplies influence, and influence is how we lead — in life and leadership.

Elite Leader Insights is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire, and creator of the TECCA Influence System™.

🌐 Connect with Us: LinkTree | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)

Elite Leader Insights is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead and Inspire, and creator of the TECCA Influence System

🌐 Connect with Us: LinkTree | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter (X)