Lead People: Mindset, Mission, and Momentum with Jordan Modiano

🔥 Excerpt
"You do not manage people, you lead people."

⚡ TL;DR
Jordan Modiano and I talk about what it means to lead people while running multiple missions at once. We break down fear versus anxiety, how values guide decisions when the answer is not obvious, and why clear communication protects teams from speculation. Jordan also shares how his daughter inspired Races for Autism and why founders have to build support systems that keep the plates spinning without losing themselves.

📄 Show Notes
Lead people. That is the thread Jordan Modiano kept pulling on, whether we were talking business, nonprofit work, or raising a daughter on the autism spectrum. For founders, this is not theory. It is how culture gets built in the middle of real constraints, real responsibility, and real emotion.

Jordan draws a clean line between fear and anxiety. Fear is tied to something present and real. Anxiety grows in imagined outcomes. When founders treat anxiety like a fact, they start making smaller decisions than their mission requires. His practice is simple and grounded: name the worst case, decide what you will do if it happens, then move.

We also spent time on leadership versus management. You manage processes, schedules, finances, and inventory. You lead people with communication, accountability, and trust. Jordan described what he calls insane communication because silence creates speculation, and speculation turns negative fast. When people know the why, they stop waiting to be told and start thinking for themselves.

One story stayed with me. A team member was working through the details to secure a van so associates could get to a one-day job site. Jordan could have taken over. Instead, he coached her through the process and later showed her the impact she created. That is how you lead people without turning them into task runners.

Jordan’s values are not wall art. They are decision tools. Doing the right thing even when nobody is looking protects trust inside the team. It also becomes the standard your people carry into their next chapter. If you want to lead people at scale, you have to teach judgment, not just execution.

✅ Key Takeaways
• Lead people by teaching the why, not only the what
• Treat anxiety as a signal, not a verdict
• Use clear communication to remove speculation
• Build accountability that feels fair and consistent
• Develop people through ownership, coaching, and reflection
• Let values guide decisions when the contract answer feels incomplete
• Practice kindness before judgment, especially with invisible challenges

👤 Bio
Jordan Modiano is a business owner, leadership speaker, and nonprofit founder focused on helping people find purpose, strengthen teams, and build momentum through values-driven leadership. He supports employers and job seekers through Express Employment Professionals and leads Races for Autism.

👑 Host Info
Rick Meekins (https://rickmeekins.com) is a serial entrepreneur, strategic business disruption advisor, podcast guest, and host of The Relentless Pursuit of Winning Podcast, where he explores what it actually takes to build, lead, and sustain meaningful businesses. With over 30 years of experience working alongside founders and leadership teams, Rick focuses on helping companies develop and implement disruptive advantages and developing platforms to explore and distribute human insight.

Interested in working together, having Rick speak, or partnering with the show?

Start here: https://rpowpodcast.com/contact/

🧭 Chapters
00:00 Fear versus anxiety and why it matters
01:51 Who Jordan is and how he helps people
03:15 Racing, autism advocacy, and building Races for Autism
05:00 Starting before you feel ready and learning fast
07:10 Naming the worst case and moving with clarity
09:51 Legacy thinking and leaving the place changed
11:46 Compassion, autism, and reframing challenges
15:44 Priorities, self-care, and having good people
18:37 Leadership versus management and communication standards
20:41 Developing people through ownership and coaching
28:27 Integrity, values, and doing the right thing
33:14 Closing message on judgment and kindness

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