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 b...

When pressure comes, we don’t rise to the level of our values — we fall to the level of our standards. In this deeply personal episode, Jim Huling shares the story of a leader who discovered the powerful difference between what we believe and how we live. Through real-world lessons and hard-won insights, Jim reveals why values alone aren’t enough to shape culture — and how clear, consistent standards become the true anchors of leadership. You’ll learn: The life-changing distinction between...

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 ab...

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. ...

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...

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 deep...