The 84%

10/20/2026

I am grateful for the VOTES!!!

I am holding on to 4th place!! VOTES are free:

Will Rustie M be a guest on an episode of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, win $25,000, and lead a podcast produced by iHeartRadio?

10/20/2026

THE BS DETECTOR: WHAT’S REALLY BEHIND MICROMANAGEMENT?

What’s the root cause of micromanagement?

……….Control?

Sure.
But let’s dig deeper.

What’s driving that need for control?

💥Fear.

Fear of what?

💥Loss.

Loss of authority.

👉🏻Loss of financial security.

👉🏻Loss of the company they’ve built.

👉🏻Loss of recognition, accolades, or status.

👉🏻Loss of pride.

And perhaps the most uncomfortable one of all…

💡Loss of self.💡

Because when someone’s entire identity is wrapped around being in charge, the independence of others can begin to feel like a threat.

And what happens when a leader feels threatened?

👉🏻They tighten their grip.

👉🏻They question decisions.

👉🏻They insert themselves into processes that were working perfectly well without them.

👉🏻They mistake control for leadership.

….. But here’s the irony.

The very thing they’re afraid of losing is often the thing their behavior destroys.

They fear losing good employees, so they drive them away.

They fear losing respect, so they demand obedience.

They fear losing control, so they eliminate initiative.

They fear losing success, so they suffocate the people responsible for creating it.

AND……then they wonder why the organization is struggling.💯

Here’s a question worth asking:

Are you managing your employees, or are you managing your own fear through your employees?

Because those are 2 very different things.

Leadership requires accountability.

It does not require suffocating the people you’ve hired to help you succeed.🔥

Retention isn’t soft. It’s strategy.

Lead Forward™

10/20/2026

THE BS DETECTOR: WHAT’S REALLY BEHIND MICROMANAGEMENT?

What’s the root cause of micromanagement?

……….Control?

Sure.
But let’s dig deeper.

What’s driving that need for control?

💥Fear.

Fear of what?

💥Loss.

Loss of authority.

👉🏻Loss of financial security.

👉🏻Loss of the company they’ve built.

👉🏻Loss of recognition, accolades, or status.

👉🏻Loss of pride.

And perhaps the most uncomfortable one of all…

💡Loss of self.💡

Because when someone’s entire identity is wrapped around being in charge, the independence of others can begin to feel like a threat.

And what happens when a leader feels threatened?

👉🏻They tighten their grip.

👉🏻They question decisions.

👉🏻They insert themselves into processes that were working perfectly well without them.

👉🏻They mistake control for leadership.

….. But here’s the irony.

The very thing they’re afraid of losing is often the thing their behavior destroys.

They fear losing good employees, so they drive them away.

They fear losing respect, so they demand obedience.

They fear losing control, so they eliminate initiative.

They fear losing success, so they suffocate the people responsible for creating it.

AND……then they wonder why the organization is struggling.💯

Here’s a question worth asking:

Are you managing your employees, or are you managing your own fear through your employees?

Because those are 2 very different things.

Leadership requires accountability.

It does not require suffocating the people you’ve hired to help you succeed.🔥

Retention isn’t soft. It’s strategy.

Lead Forward™

10/19/2026

All the Responsibility……
None of the Authority to do it…

Funny thing about leadership…

Companies love giving people titles.

Manager.
Director.
Supervisor.

Oh, Pick one.
Sounds impressive, right?

Now THIS is where it gets interesting.

You’re responsible for the numbers, but you can’t CHANGE the process.

You’re responsible for your team, but you don’t get a say in decisions that AFFECT them.

You’re expected to fix what’s broken, but every time you reach for the toolbox, somebody TELLS you to put it down.

And somehow, when things don’t improve, everyone wants to know what YOU did wrong.

Well, that’s an interesting little arrangement, isn’t it? 🙄

We spend soooooo much time talking about accountability that we forget accountability has to go both ways.

You can’t hand someone the keys, tell them to drive, and then refuse to let them touch the steering wheel. 💯💯💯💯

That’s not leadership development. That’s setting someone up to take the blame.

If we really want better leaders, maybe we should start looking at the environments we’re asking them to lead in.

Because sometimes the problem isn’t the person behind the wheel.

It’s the person holding the brakes.🔥🔥

Lead Forward™
Retention isn’t soft. It’s strategy.

10/19/2026

All the Responsibility……
None of the Authority to do it…

Funny thing about leadership…

Companies love giving people titles.

Manager.
Director.
Supervisor.

Oh, Pick one.
Sounds impressive, right?

Now THIS is where it gets interesting.

You’re responsible for the numbers, but you can’t CHANGE the process.

You’re responsible for your team, but you don’t get a say in decisions that AFFECT them.

You’re expected to fix what’s broken, but every time you reach for the toolbox, somebody TELLS you to put it down.

And somehow, when things don’t improve, everyone wants to know what YOU did wrong.

Well, that’s an interesting little arrangement, isn’t it? 🙄

We spend soooooo much time talking about accountability that we forget accountability has to go both ways.

You can’t hand someone the keys, tell them to drive, and then refuse to let them touch the steering wheel. 💯💯💯💯

That’s not leadership development. That’s setting someone up to take the blame.

If we really want better leaders, maybe we should start looking at the environments we’re asking them to lead in.

Because sometimes the problem isn’t the person behind the wheel.

It’s the person holding the brakes.🔥🔥

Lead Forward™
Retention isn’t soft. It’s strategy.

10/18/2026

Retention Isn’t an Exit Interview……💣

Let’s talk about something that drives me a little bonkers.

Companies spend time, money, and resources recruiting employees.

Then spend the next several months wondering why those same employees leave.

And THEN ask them what went wrong.

Then? Meetings for days…..

Seriously? 🙃

What if we changed the conversation?

What if retention started on day one?

Not with a mountain of paperwork and a cheerful welcome email, but with an actual effort to HELP someone feel they belong.

What if we paired NEWBIES with experienced team members who could help them navigate the culture?

What if we checked in regularly?

Not just “ Hey, hows it going?”

Not just about performance, but about processes, challenges, ideas, and opportunities to grow.

What if leadership actually showed up, listened, and followed through?🤯

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years:

People can be held accountable and still feel valued.

We can expect results without creating environments built around fear.💯

We can embrace different personalities without sacrificing shared values.

And we can recognize that sometimes the person questioning the process isn’t the problem……..

Maybe they’re noticing something we’ve stopped seeing.

Now, will every employee stay? Of course not.

But perhaps we should spend a little less time asking why people leave and a little more time understanding what makes them want to stay.

Retention doesn’t begin when someone considers leaving. It begins when they first wonder whether they belong.

And that, my friends, is where leadership has an opportunity to change the conversation.

Lead Forward™

Retention isn’t soft — it’s strategy.

10/18/2026

Life is a funny thing……

As kids, we can’t wait to grow up. Sooooo badly!

Adults are bossy, make all the rules, and tell us what to do.🙄

Then WE become adults and suddenly …..we’d give anything for a summer off, someone else to cook dinner, AND a house that cleans itself.

🧐Funny how that works.🧐

We spend most of our lives working. Some jobs we love, some we hate, and others we take because the bills don’t care about our happiness.👈🏼💯💯💯💯

Somewhere between work and sleep, we build a life.

Partners, children, pets, friendships, family responsibilities, and hopefully a little fun.

But work has a funny way of spilling into whatever time remains.

For many, one job isn’t enough. And the sacrifices begin.
Missed dinners…
……birthdays
…..friendships and family moments.

And perhaps the biggest sacrifice of all?

💣Ourselves.💣

Our health. Our emotional and spiritual growth. Our curiosity. The things that once made us excited to get out of bed.

⏳Time keeps moving.⌛️

At 18, we knew absolutely everything. Nobody could tell us a thing. Not 1!

By 45, we’re searching for our keys while holding them in our hand, forgetting why we walked into a room, and wondering when getting off the couch started requiring sound effects.

Then suddenly, we’re 50.

We have snapshots of the years between, but sometimes it feels like we were so busy meeting life’s demands that we forgot to experience it.

We keep promising ourselves that someday, when things settle down, we’ll finally enjoy life.

But what if things never settle down?

Take the walk.
Watch the movie.
Call the friend.
Laugh.
Learn.
Rest.

Not everything needs to be productive, and joy shouldn’t be something we have to earn.

Life is short.
And it’s not a spectator sport.

Don’t spend the whole game waiting for permission to play.

Lead Forward™ 💜

10/18/2026

Life is a funny thing……

As kids, we can’t wait to grow up. Sooooo badly!

Adults are bossy, make all the rules, and tell us what to do.🙄

Then WE become adults and suddenly …..we’d give anything for a summer off, someone else to cook dinner, AND a house that cleans itself.

🧐Funny how that works.🧐

We spend most of our lives working. Some jobs we love, some we hate, and others we take because the bills don’t care about our happiness.👈🏼💯💯💯💯

Somewhere between work and sleep, we build a life.

Partners, children, pets, friendships, family responsibilities, and hopefully a little fun.

But work has a funny way of spilling into whatever time remains.

For many, one job isn’t enough. And the sacrifices begin.
Missed dinners…
……birthdays
…..friendships and family moments.

And perhaps the biggest sacrifice of all?

💣Ourselves.💣

Our health. Our emotional and spiritual growth. Our curiosity. The things that once made us excited to get out of bed.

⏳Time keeps moving.⌛️

At 18, we knew absolutely everything. Nobody could tell us a thing. Not 1!

By 45, we’re searching for our keys while holding them in our hand, forgetting why we walked into a room, and wondering when getting off the couch started requiring sound effects.

Then suddenly, we’re 50.

We have snapshots of the years between, but sometimes it feels like we were so busy meeting life’s demands that we forgot to experience it.

We keep promising ourselves that someday, when things settle down, we’ll finally enjoy life.

But what if things never settle down?

Take the walk.
Watch the movie.
Call the friend.
Laugh.
Learn.
Rest.

Not everything needs to be productive, and joy shouldn’t be something we have to earn.

Life is short.
And it’s not a spectator sport.

Don’t spend the whole game waiting for permission to play.

Lead Forward™ 💜

10/17/2026

The Things Employees Don’t Say in Meetings… 💣

Ever been in a meeting where everyone nods, agrees, smiles, and walks away?

Then you find out later that half the room had concerns nobody mentioned.

🤣Imagine that. 😂

Here’s the thing about communication.

Just because you’ve created an opportunity for people to speak doesn’t mean you’ve created an environment where they feel comfortable doing it.

There’s a difference.

I believe in regular group meetings. I believe in individual check-ins. Both have tremendous value when they’re done with purpose.

But I also believe some of the most important conversations happen outside those meetings.

Over a cup of coffee.
Between customers.
During an ordinary Tuesday when nobody’s expecting a visit from leadership.

People have opinions.
Ooooh boy do they ever!

But also:

They have suggestions.
They see things that never make it into a spreadsheet.

And sometimes they’re just waiting for someone to genuinely listen.👈🏼

A quiet room doesn’t always mean a happy room.

And a full meeting agenda doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve had a meaningful conversation.💯💯💯💯( read twice)

So here’s a question worth asking:

Are your employees comfortable telling you what you NEED to hear, or have they learned to tell you what you WANT to hear?🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Ouch.
That one might sting a little. 😉

Next up?
Let’s talk about why retention begins long before someone hands in their notice…..

Lead Forward™
Regulated leaders build regulated cultures.

10/17/2026

My hardest lesson to date:

Not Everything That Breaks Is Yours to Rebuild.

I’ve spent a huge portion of my life rebuilding.

Businesses.
Teams.
Relationships.

💡Myself.💡

Sometimes with a plan.

And? Sometimes with an arm in a sling, a black eye, three weeks without sleep, and absolutely no idea what the hell comes next.💯👈🏼

BUT? I kept building.

I’ve always been good at seeing potential in things other people have given up on. Finding the missing pieces. Connecting the dots. Reminding people what they’re capable of.

THIS is my super power…..

It’s both a gift and a spectacular pain in the ass.

Because somewhere along the way, I confused being capable of fixing something with being RESPONSIBLE for fixing everything.

And there IS a difference.

Resilience doesn’t mean volunteering to be repeatedly run over by the same damn truck.

I’ve learned that some things are worth fighting for. Others are held together by the sheer exhaustion of the people who refuse to let them collapse.

🔥I’ve been both.🔥

I don’t regret what I’ve built. Even the things that didn’t last.

But I’m learning to look a little harder at the foundation before I pick up another hammer.

Because sometimes rebuilding means walking away from the rubble and starting somewhere new.

Still standing..….

………Slightly dented.

🔥Coffee always required.🔥

And this time, I’m building something worth standing on.

Lead Forward™ 💜