Execution Insights Podcast
Joy Isn't the Reward — Its the Way

In this deeply personal episode, Jim explores one of the most overlooked but essential elements of great leadership: joy.

Not the quick burst of happiness that comes and goes, but the steady, inner joy that tells you you’re doing work that matters… work that aligns with your purpose… work that brings life to you and the people you lead.

Jim shares the story of reaching the height of his career as a CEO, celebrated on the outside yet feeling unexpectedly empty on the inside. That experience led him to a profound realization: external success can never fill an internal void. Fulfillment grows from the inside out, and joy is the compass that guides the journey.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why joy is not the reward for success, but the source of sustainable success
• The three moments in leadership where joy shows up most powerfully
• The difference between executing for results and leading for impact
• How to use joy as a practical tool for making better decisions
• Three simple actions you can take today to lead with more authenticity, clarity, and purpose

If you’ve ever felt the tension between achievement and fulfillment, or if you’re a leader looking to reconnect with what truly matters, this episode may speak to you in a meaningful way.

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Thank you for listening, and thank you for leading with heart, courage, and joy.

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

When pressure rises, even the best leaders can react before they truly understand.

In this episode of Execution Insights™, Jim Huling shares a true coaching story that reveals how empathy can transform leadership — not as a soft skill, but as a strategic advantage.

You’ll hear how one leader’s painful realization became a turning point, and why empathy often begins with a single act of restraint — the pause before you respond.

Listen as Jim explores:
• How empathy deepens trust and strengthens performance
• A simple way to pause before reacting — even under pressure
• What great leaders do to stay grounded and connected when stakes are high

If you’ve ever wished you could lead with more understanding — and less reaction — this episode is for you.

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🎙️ Learn more about Jim and his work at jimuling.com

#leadership #4DX #coaching #execution

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

If you lead a team — any team — there is a truth you need to hear:

Breakthroughs don’t come from the top.
They come from the middle.

In this episode, Jim shares a powerful true story from a major hospital system where performance problems were putting patients at risk — and no amount of policies, incentives, or executive focus could fix it.

Until someone finally asked the people closest to the work.

What happened next changed everything — not because of a senior leader’s strategy, but because of a middle manager with the courage to speak truth… and save lives.

You’ll discover:

• Why middle managers are the most valuable leaders in your organization
• What they see that others don’t — and why it matters
• How to protect and empower them so insights rise instead of disappear
• Three practical actions you can take today to unlock better execution

Whether you’re leading from the top or from the middle, this episode will remind you of something essential:

You are not alone. Your leadership matters more than you know.

Welcome to Execution Insights™ — where we lead with courage, humility, and heart.

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

Every leader eventually faces a moment when the storm hits —
when pressure rises, mistakes come to light, and everyone’s watching to see what you’ll do.

In those moments, the easiest thing to do is protect yourself.
But leadership doesn’t ask for protection.
It asks for presence.

In this episode, Jim Huling shares one of the hardest storms of his career — a moment that tested his courage, integrity, and the quiet voice inside that said, “Step forward.”

This is not a story about success.
It’s a story about choice — and what it means to stand firm when every instinct says to step back.

You’ll learn how:

• True leadership begins with showing up when it’s hardest.
• Calm isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the discipline of steadiness.
• Presence and commitment can rebuild trust faster than perfection ever could.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of leading through crisis — when people look to you for clarity you don’t yet have — this episode is for you.

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

Claiming the Gap: The Leader’s Power of Patience

Most leaders think of patience as waiting. But in leadership, patience is something far more powerful.

In this episode of Execution Insights™, Jim Huling shares the story of a senior executive under intense pressure—facing doubt from her team, her CEO, and even herself. Quick reactions were leaving scars, and her career was at risk.

What turned it around wasn’t speed, strategy, or spreadsheets. It was discovering the discipline of patience.

You’ll learn:

• Why patience isn’t passive waiting, but a discipline of readiness, timing, and commitment
• How Viktor Frankl’s famous insight—“Between stimulus and response, there is a space”—can transform your leadership
• Why rushing into decisions undermines trust, while claiming the gap builds clarity and steadiness

Three reflection questions you can use this week to put patience into practice

Patience isn’t weakness. It’s one of the strongest disciplines a leader can develop.

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#Leadership #ExecutionInsights #Patience #Coaching

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

What do you do when the path ahead isn’t clear, the data isn’t complete, and the outcome isn’t guaranteed?

In this episode of Execution Insights™: The Podcast, Jim Huling explores one of the most underestimated forces in leadership: faith expressed as belief.

Drawing inspiration from the unforgettable “bridge of faith” scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jim shares how belief transforms the way leaders show up in uncertain times:

• Belief in your team ignites performance and resilience.
• Belief in your purpose steadies you when plans fall apart.
• Belief in yourself creates the confidence your people need most.

Through powerful stories—including a leader’s dramatic turnaround and Jim’s own leap from technology to the CEO role—you’ll discover why belief is the most transformative tool a leader can wield.

If you’ve ever faced the weight of leading without all the answers, this conversation will remind you of a simple, life-changing truth: The bridge doesn’t just appear when you step—it appears because you step.

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!

In this inaugural episode of Execution Insights™: The Podcast, Jim Huling invites listeners into a different kind of leadership conversation—one that doesn’t begin with strategies, spreadsheets, or performance metrics, but with something far more lasting: the inner life of a leader.

Every leader knows the demands of the outer life—delivering results, hitting deadlines, producing outcomes. These things matter. But what truly sustains leaders—and what their teams remember most—comes from a deeper place inside.

To illustrate this, Jim shares a deeply personal story from his time as a CIO. Nearly two decades ago, he wrote a short handwritten note of encouragement to a young woman on his team. Eighteen years later, in a chance encounter, she walked up to him and said, “I still have the note you wrote me.” That simple act of presence and belief had stayed with her through different jobs and different seasons of life—not because it was a clever strategy, but because it spoke to her heart.

This is the essence of the inner life of leadership.

In this episode, listeners will discover three foundational dimensions that shape the leader they become:

• Faith – Not necessarily religious faith, but the trust leaders place in their vision, in their people, and in a future they can’t yet see.
• Humility – The quiet strength that puts the mission and the team above ego, creating space for others to thrive.
• Presence – The rare but transformative gift of giving someone full attention in a world that constantly pulls everyone toward distraction.

Jim doesn’t present these qualities as abstract ideals, but as the everyday practices that make the difference between leadership that is temporary and leadership that lasts.

Throughout the conversation, listeners are invited to reflect on powerful questions:

• What sustains you when the pressure mounts?
• What practices keep your inner life strong?
• What will people remember as the lasting impact of being led by you?

The Inner Life of a Leader is more than an introduction to a podcast. It is a call to slow down, to look inward, and to cultivate the qualities that make leadership not just effective, but unforgettable.

If you’ve ever wondered what separates leaders who leave a legacy from those who simply produce results, this episode will give you both the answer and the inspiration to begin building it in your own life.

Enjoyed the episode? Have questions or a personal story to relate? Send a text!