Creating Strength in Chaos with Kevin Black
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
Release Date: 12/24/2025
Creating Strength in Chaos with Kevin Black
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
Is chaos something to fear or something we can leverage? Kevin sits down with Kevin Black to discuss why chaos isn’t inherently good or bad and how leaders can prepare to succeed in it. Kevin Black explains how natural behaviors, deeply rooted in our personality and life experiences, influence our reactions to chaos and shape team dynamics. He shares his chaos model, which features a taxonomy of control outcomes, from anarchy to deliberate resistance, and how leaders can identify and respond to each stage. They also discuss the four components of constructive chaos and how mishandling these...
info_outline
Would You Like to Be More Insightful?
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
Would you like to be more insightful? Insight is one of those leadership qualities we admire in others—but rarely think about as a skill we can develop. In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry shares a practical blueprint for becoming more insightful as a leader and as a human being. You’ll learn: Why insight comes from slowing down—not speeding up How reflection turns experience into learning The power of asking better questions (of yourself and others) How making connections leads to better decisions Why “what if” thinking builds empathy and understanding How...
info_outline
The Laughter Factor for Leaders with Adam Christing
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
How can laughter become one of your most powerful leadership tools? In this episode, Kevin welcomes Adam Christing to explore how humor can foster trust, connection, and engagement in the workplace. Adam shares practical strategies for leaders, including his framework of five "laugh languages": self-effacing humor that builds authenticity, the art of poking fun without causing harm, in-jokes that strengthen team bonds, and techniques like amplification and wordplay that enhance storytelling and communication. Adam emphasizes the importance of “planned spontaneity,” the idea that...
info_outline
Why Would You Say You Are Getting Old? - Thoughts from Kevin
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
We are all getting older. That part is unavoidable. But getting old is not the same thing. In this episode of Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast, I challenge a phrase many people say without thinking I am getting old It sounds harmless, but it often becomes an excuse that limits our mindset, our curiosity, and our growth. What if getting old is not something that happens to us, but something we choose through the way we think and talk about ourselves? Let me ask you this While it is true that you are getting older, is getting old the choice you want to make? Get our free...
info_outline
Breaking Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential with Muriel Wilkins
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
What if the biggest barrier to your leadership success isn’t your skills, but your beliefs? In this episode, Kevin sits down with Muriel Wilkins to discuss how deeply held beliefs can limit our growth and impact as leaders. Muriel shares how many high-performing leaders unconsciously operate from outdated or misaligned beliefs; beliefs that may have once served them but now hinder their effectiveness. They also talk about how these “blocking beliefs” develop, why they are so hard to recognize, and how to reframe them to align with who we are becoming as leaders. Muriel's...
info_outline
These Two Words Can Make You Smarter - Thoughts from Kevin
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
What two words can make you smarter? In this episode of Remarkable TV, I share the surprisingly simple phrase that helps leaders think more clearly, make better decisions, and avoid the trap of automatic responses. These two words invite us into curiosity, reflection, and wiser choices—and they can change the way you lead starting today. When we say “It depends,” we pause long enough to consider context, challenge our biases, and explore new solutions. And when we do that consistently, we become more flexible… and smarter. If you want to navigate uncertainty with clarity and...
info_outline
Motivating the Unmotivated with Matt Granados
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
What if motivation isn’t something people are born with, but something that can be influenced, shaped, and sustained? In this episode, Kevin is joined by Matt Granados to challenge common leadership myths about motivation. Matt reveals a powerful formula for creating sustainable motivation through personal connection, structured systems, and self-awareness. He explores the critical distinction between love-based and fear-based leadership, explains how three simple weekly questions can transform team engagement, and helps leaders identify individual motivation catalysts, including freedom,...
info_outline
How Do I Coach Someone Who Does the Bare Minimum?
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
How do you coach someone who only seems to do the bare minimum… even when you know they’re capable of so much more? In this episode of Remarkable TV and The Remarkable Leadership Podcast, I share seven practical steps to help you coach, support, and clarify expectations for team members who may be meeting the minimum — but could be achieving more. You’ll learn: ✔ Why expectations are almost always misunderstood ✔ How to explore their perspective before offering your perspective ✔ Why “minimum” might not mean what you think ✔ How to help people see the potential you see in...
info_outline
BioHacking Leadership with Scott Hutcheson
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
What if the key to more effective leadership lies not in a new strategy, but in understanding your own biology? In this episode, Kevin speaks with Dr. Scott Hutcheson about an unconventional approach to leadership: biohacking. Dr. Hutcheson shares his behavioral leadership model, built around three biodynamic channels: warmth, competence, and gravitas. He identifies specific, observable behaviors within each channel that send powerful signals to teams, signals that either inspire connection and confidence or lead to disengagement. They also discuss how everyday actions like being punctual,...
info_outline
Want to Be More Productive? Do This! - Thoughts from Kevin
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
Do you want to be more productive—at work and at home? In this episode of Remarkable TV, I share the first and most important step to improving your productivity. It’s simple, powerful, and often overlooked: deciding what to say no to. We talk about: ✔ Why your to-do list will never be empty ✔ The difference between priority and “priorities” ✔ How clarity creates focus ✔ Why self-confidence matters when saying no ✔ How saying no to the good lets you say yes to the great If you’re overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or simply want to get better at choosing the work that matters...
info_outlineIs chaos something to fear or something we can leverage? Kevin sits down with Kevin Black to discuss why chaos isn’t inherently good or bad and how leaders can prepare to succeed in it. Kevin Black explains how natural behaviors, deeply rooted in our personality and life experiences, influence our reactions to chaos and shape team dynamics. He shares his chaos model, which features a taxonomy of control outcomes, from anarchy to deliberate resistance, and how leaders can identify and respond to each stage. They also discuss the four components of constructive chaos and how mishandling these can lead a team into destructive chaos.
Listen For
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Chaos can be used to your advantage
01:16 How to join the podcast live
01:59 Guest introduction: Kevin Black
02:50 Definition of chaos
03:35 Chaos comes from the perception of losing control
04:20 People experience chaos differently based on natural behaviors
05:18 Big idea of the book
07:07 Why Kevin Black wrote the book
07:56 Natural behaviors drive chaos
09:07 How natural behaviors affect reactions to chaos
10:17 Chaos dynamic explained
12:17 Control as the source of chaos
14:32 Control continuum overview
15:04 Anarchy
15:46 Undisciplined initiative
16:35 Disciplined initiative
17:11 Mechanical compliance
17:36 Malicious compliance
18:25 Deliberate resistance
19:57 Constructive vs. destructive chaos
21:01 Unity as the first requirement
22:21 Forward integration
26:00 Mission command
27:47 Trust as the highest level
28:36 Strength in chaos
29:27 Where leaders should start
30:13 Team is the measure of success
31:14 What Kevin Black does for fun
31:32 What he is reading
32:15 Where to connect with Kevin Black
33:24 Closing and Kevin’s “Now what?” challenge
Kevin's Story: Kevin Black is the author of Strength in Chaos: The Ultimate Leadership Blueprint for Mastering the Uncontrollable, the first book to measure chaos at the leader and team level. He is a veteran U.S. Army officer, strategic advisor, author, and founder of Chaos Studies in Leadership, a new domain exploring how leaders, strategies, and behaviors intersect under pressure. Known for his innovative use of computer wargaming and behavioral profiling, he helps organizations craft flexible strategies and build high-performing teams that thrive under pressure. Kevin’s been published in Forbes and USA Today and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his two Australian Cattle Dogs and an American Dingo.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinblack1999
https://www.youtube.com/c/blackmarketleadership
This Episode is brought to you by...
Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.