Building Better Leaders at Work - and a Life You Can’t Wait to Wake Up To

Executive coach and author Chip Scholz shares practical wisdom on self-leadership, reducing workplace drama, using assessments wisely, letting go of ego, and building a life centered more on usefulness than status.

 

TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS

• 1. You cannot lead others well until you learn to lead yourself. Chip makes the point that leadership is a profession, not just the reward someone gets after being good at their technical job. Leaders have to shift from “doing” to “being” and learn how to guide people, not just keep proving their own expertise.
• 2. Drama grows when leaders avoid the conversation everyone already knows needs to happen. One of the strongest sections is Chip’s direct advice around the “one bad apple” problem. His first question is simple: “Is this person a keeper?” If they are, coach them honestly. If they are not, take appropriate action. Avoiding it usually damages trust across the whole team.
• 3. A meaningful life is built around usefulness, not performance. The through line in Chip’s books and stories is the shift from status, applause, and external validation toward usefulness, purpose, relationships, and peace. That theme ties beautifully into Wake Up Eager: work matters, but so does the life you are building around it.

 

KEY GUEST QUOTES

•    “Coaching is not about fixing people. It is about helping already good people get better.”
•    “The best cultures are people-oriented and performance-driven, in that order.”
•    “If you’ve got someone who is a problem on a team, everybody knows it.”
•    “Ask yourself first: is this person a keeper?”
•    “I don’t believe you can lead others until you lead yourself.”
•    “Most supervisors come from the land of super workers.”
•    “We have to go from a way of doing to a way of being.”
•    “Mindfulness is just about noticing.”
•    “You don’t force the cut.”
•    “I wanted to build a life less centered on status and more on usefulness.”
•    “Every dog has its day. Everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame, and everybody is going to die.”
•    “I can’t do much about world peace, but I can do something about peace for myself.”

 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

This week, look at one leadership situation you have been tolerating, avoiding, or overthinking. Ask yourself Chip’s question: “Is this person a keeper?” If yes, define the one core behavior that needs to change and prepare for a clear, respectful conversation. If no, decide what next responsible step is needed. Either way, remember that the rest of the team already feels the impact of your action or inaction.

For a personal reset, try Chip’s simple five-minute practice: breathe. Use box breathing - inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four - before you respond to a stressful email, meeting, or conversation.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Chip Scholz is an executive coach, author, and leadership advisor who works with CEOs, business owners, and leadership teams to build stronger businesses through coaching, assessments, strategic planning, and leadership development. His company, Scholz & Associates, describes his work as helping leaders gain clarity and focus on what matters most in work and life. Scholz & Associates

Chip is the author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts and Every Dog Has Its Day: Reflections on Life, Love, and the Lathe, and his upcoming book Handoffs focuses on leadership, succession, and family business transitions.

 

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