The Journey of Self-aware Leadership with Gene Hammett, Founder Coach
Release Date: 09/14/2026
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In this episode, Ben Hodson shares how AI is helping the engineering team deliver customer-facing work four times faster than six months ago. Ranked No. 1,884 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, JobNimbus continues to accelerate growth through technology, leadership, and innovation. He also discusses evolving company processes, strengthening cross-department communication, and building clearer documentation as the organization scales. Hodson reflects on his leadership journey from personally solving problems to empowering employees to take ownership, learn from mistakes, and embrace accountability....
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Accountability vs Ownership: The Shift That Frees CEOs
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Accountability vs. Ownership is the difference between a team you have to chase and a team that runs without you. Most founders say, "My team isn't accountable," then add more check-ins, more dashboards, and more follow-up. It feels like leadership. It is actually founder dependency in disguise. Every time you chase a deadline, you become the accountability engine, and the company stays wired through you. In this solo episode, Gene Hammett breaks down why accountability is pushed from the outside and ownership is pulled from the inside. You will learn the signs your leadership team is...
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Leading Change in the Age of AI with Mike Thompson at SVI
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In this episode, we sit down with Mike Thompson, founder of SVI, ranked No. 3,013 (2025) on Inc, and Learner Mobile, to explore how AI is transforming how frontline workers access critical information when they need it most. Mike shares why frontline employees are essential to business success, how SVI is breaking down barriers to learning and information, and how technology can help people work smarter, faster, and safer. We also discuss SVI’s evolution from a services-based company to a services-and-software model, along with the importance of culture, agility, continuous improvement, and...
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Avoid this Big Leadership Mistake for More Company Growth with Gene Hammett, Founder Coach
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In this episode, we explore the challenges founders face when their businesses become too dependent on them, creating bottlenecks in decision-making, execution, and growth. As companies scale, internal leadership must evolve alongside external priorities like hiring, sales, and new product development. We discuss how a founder’s leadership style can shape company culture and how reactive or misaligned behavior can create friction and push talented people away. We also highlight the value of having honest conversations with trusted advisors, mentors, or peers. Ultimately, we examine how...
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Leading During A Crisis with Henry J. Evans at Dynamic Results
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In this episode, we explore what it takes to lead effectively through crisis and why disruption is becoming faster, more complex, and more intense. We discuss why past experience alone isn’t enough when leaders face unfamiliar challenges, and why a practical crisis management system matters. We explore Henry J. Evans’s background in C-suite coaching and his business failure after 9/11, which shaped his approach to crisis leadership. Henry shares his framework for managing crisis, beginning with self-management and simple techniques like box breathing to help leaders stay calm and make...
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The Journey of Self-aware Leadership with Gene Hammett, Founder Coach
Growth Think Tank
In this episode, we discuss self-awareness in leadership and why it becomes important when old ways of leading no longer work. We talk about how founders can get stuck doing too much themselves and how that can affect alignment, focus, and team performance. We also look at the question of “Who am I being?” as a way to notice reactive or unfocused behaviors that may hold a leader back. We share a personal example from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to show how recognizing unhelpful traits can lead to more consistency, discipline, and intention, and we close by encouraging listeners to think about the...
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Stop Blaming Your Team Members and Lead More Powerfully with Gene Hammett
Growth Think Tank
What does powerful leadership look like when a business is growing and challenges arise? In this episode, we explore how founders, CEOs, and business leaders can take ownership instead of blaming employees. We discuss practical leadership strategies, including clear communication, active listening, empathy, feedback, accountability, and setting expectations. We also examine the people and culture challenges that come with growth, including employee performance, organizational chaos, and difficult conversations. Finally, we address when coaching and support aren’t enough and how leaders can...
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Breaking Founder Dependency and Building Leadership That Scales with Andrew Razumovsky with CANDA Solutions
Growth Think Tank
Featuring Andrew Razumovsky, co-founder of CANDA Solutions, this episode of *Growth Think Tank* explores what it takes to scale a company, develop leaders, and build an organization that can operate beyond the founders. Founded in 2008, CANDA Solutions has grown into an Inc. 5000 Rank No. 538 (2026) company serving federal government needs in vetting, adjudication, and investigations management. Andrew shares lessons from CANDA’s growth journey, including bringing in outside coaching to sharpen strategy, establish metrics, and strengthen leadership. He also discusses using AI to analyze data...
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Why Being Always Available Kills Employee Decision-Making
Growth Think Tank
Your team won't make decisions because you're always available to make them. Employee decision-making is the critical element that separates founder-dependent companies from team-driven ones. In this episode, Gene shares a breakthrough from one of his founder clients who discovered that strategic unavailability forces his team to think independently. By blocking off time and removing himself from the equation, his leadership team started making decisions without him and built the ownership and grit required to scale. You'll learn why your availability is the enemy of employee decision-making,...
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Better Alignment to Scaling Your Business
Growth Think Tank
As founders and CEOs work to scale their businesses, it’s easy to focus on external growth: hiring A-players, increasing sales, launching new products, and building better systems. But what if the biggest obstacle to growth is the founder themselves? In this solo episode, Gene Hammett explores why founder-dependent businesses often struggle to scale until their leaders are willing to look inward. He shares how reactive leadership, unresolved personal challenges, poor communication, and outdated beliefs about the founder’s role can undermine even the strongest teams and strategies. Gene...
info_outlineIn this episode, we discuss self-awareness in leadership and why it becomes important when old ways of leading no longer work. We talk about how founders can get stuck doing too much themselves and how that can affect alignment, focus, and team performance. We also look at the question of “Who am I being?” as a way to notice reactive or unfocused behaviors that may hold a leader back. We share a personal example from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to show how recognizing unhelpful traits can lead to more consistency, discipline, and intention, and we close by encouraging listeners to think about the kind of leader they need to become.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
0:11 Self-Awareness in Leadership
2:18 The Hero Complex Trap
4:07 Who Are You Being?
5:47 Lessons From Jiu Jitsu
7:58 Becoming a Better Leader
What You’ll Learn
✅Why self-awareness is essential for effective leadership and business growth.
✅How the habits that helped you succeed can eventually hold you back.
✅How the “hero complex” can keep founders too involved in the day-to-day.
✅The importance of asking, “Who am I being that is getting in the way of what I want?”
✅How to identify the qualities you need to develop to become the leader your company needs.
Resources & Next Steps
Ready to take your leadership energy to the next level?
Explore free training and resources at training.coreelevation.com and getfounderfreedom.com
to help you identify energy leaks, strengthen your leadership presence, and elevate your team’s performance.
🌐 Explore More: training.coreelevation.com
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