Leading From the Front!

Dr. Gary McGrath
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Monthly

Leading From The Front is a leadership podcast for executives, managers, and emerging leaders who want to build high-performing teams, strengthen company culture, and lead with clarity and accountability. Hosted by Dr. Gary McGrath, a leadership expert with over 40 years of experience, each episode breaks down real-world leadership challenges and delivers practical strategies you can apply immediately. From decision-making under pressure to managing difficult conversations, this show focuses on what it actually takes to lead effectively. Each conversation is designed to help you think more clearly, lead more decisively, and take ownership of the role you’re in. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!

  1. 4d ago

    The Leadership Mistake of Waiting Too Long

    Knowing someone needs to go is usually the easy part. Making the call on time is where leaders stall. Dr. Gary continues his solo series on Step Two: Choice, moving from emotional intelligence into decision-making. He explains why he believes there is no right decision, only effective ones, and traces most delays back to fear of getting it wrong. At the center is a coaching story about a new VP at a construction company who spent months putting off the termination of a project manager who broke company policy twice, while his crews and other managers already knew about the violations. He also shares a lesson from his first Army platoon, where letting seven mechanics go helped the remaining 28 outperform the original 35. If you've been calling a delay "being thoughtful," this one asks you to name what's behind the wait. Key Takeaways 00:00 There Is No Right Decision 00:58 The B And C Student Theory 02:14 The Fear Behind Overanalyzing 03:38 Never Make A Decision Before Its Time 06:44 Trust Starts With Admitting Limitations 07:38 The VP Who Kept Delaying A Firing 10:52 How Delay Costs Your Team's Trust 11:54 Seven Files On A Lieutenant's Desk 13:56 Why Accountability Needs Compassion Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath Listen Next: 🎧 The Trainable Skill That Separates Good Leaders from Great Ones 🎧 The Structure That Makes Creative Chaos Productive About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  2. Sep 17

    The Trainable Skill That Separates Good Leaders from Great Ones

    Losing your temper at work costs more than an awkward moment. It changes how your team's body responds to you. This episode is part of Dr. Gary's solo series on the Seven Steps of Intentional Leadership, covering emotional intelligence as the first component of Step Two: Choice. Using Daniel Goleman's model, Dr. Gary breaks down the biology behind emotional triggers, shares a coaching story about a construction company owner whose anger was read as a threat by his team, and explains the real cost in cortisol, adrenaline, heart rate, and blood pressure. He also draws the line between passion that motivates and passion that damages trust. There's a version of this skill that doesn't stay at the office. It follows you home, into your marriage, into how your kids experience you on your worst days. Dr. Gary doesn't just name that reality, he leaves you with the question of what your own reaction has been costing the people who can't just leave the room. Key Takeaways 00:00 Why Guys Only Have Two Feelings 00:46 Step Two, Choice: The Three Parts 01:20 Daniel Goleman's Model Of Emotional Intelligence 02:50 Why Your EQ Score Can Always Improve 03:44 The CEO Who Made His Team Shut Down 05:20 It's About The Problem, Not The Person 06:44 Using Emotion To Connect And Inspire 07:42 Next Up: Decision Making And Longevity Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 The One Thing You Must Do Before You Lead Anyone Else 🎧 The Structure That Makes Creative Chaos Productive About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level. emotional intelligence, leadership development, executive coaching, self awareness, leadership podcast, workplace stress, team dynamics, cortisol response, dr gary mcgrath, intentional leadership

  3. Sep 3

    The Structure That Makes Creative Chaos Productive

    Every leader running a team of talented people hits the same wall, where too little structure creates chaos and too much kills the very work that team exists to produce. My guest this episode is Victoria Wills, who spent 20 years building the operational and human side of creative organizations, rising from resource manager to partner at Rethink, one of Canada's most decorated independent agencies. She breaks down the Rethink Machine, the scheduled office-hours system built so creative directors could give direction without chasing their teams down, including how a resistant creative director became one of its strongest believers. She also shares a time the same structure failed at a different agency, installed without first addressing the founder's beliefs about creative collaboration, and why structure only holds when built on the beliefs already running an organization. Dr. Gary ties both stories to his coaching principles that boundaries create freedom and that leadership is a responsibility, not a position, plus the four real reasons a person stops performing, why leaders only control two of them, and Cy Wakeman's Reality-Based Leadership. The conversation lands on Victoria's own rewrite moment: her regret about spending her career building other founders' visions instead of her own, and how a talented person ends up handing their path to somebody else without ever deciding to. If you have spent years building someone else's vision, this episode will make you ask why. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Why Structure And Creativity Always Collide 02:00 Building A System Called The RETHINK Machine 04:24 Boundaries Create Freedom, Not Limits 07:04 A Good Idea That Failed Without Beliefs 09:34 Creating An Environment For People's Best Work 13:52 The Four Reasons People Underperform At Work 17:34 Why Simple Beats Complicated In Decision Making 19:54 Coaching Is The Most Important Leadership Skill 22:16 The Career Move Victoria Wishes She Made 24:52 One Relationship That Built An Entire Career Resources: 👉 Connect with Victoria Wills on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoriawills  👉 Visit Rethink: rethinkideas.com  👉 Visit SMC Communications: shelleymcarthur.com  Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 Why Scaling Teams Break: The Leadership Shift Most Founders Miss: open.spotify.com/episode/4zRLw8Wxl6CkTsp5zDrgjE  🎧 The One Thing You Must Do Before You Lead Anyone Else: open.spotify.com/episode/7gyKzBGnW0UoNYZ042Rx9g  About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  4. Aug 20

    The One Thing You Must Do Before You Lead Anyone Else

    Before you can lead anyone else, at work or at home, there's one exercise almost every leader skips. This episode is part of Dr. Gary McGrath's solo series on the Seven Steps of Intentional Leadership, built on his executive coaching framework and the LeaderStep7 program at Statarius, and it covers step one: Purpose. Dr. Gary explains why a personal mission statement works as a leader's anchor, especially in moments like being hit with a problem before saying good morning, when the more effective move is noticing the person before the issue. He connects Carol Dweck's research on fixed versus growth mindset to how leaders handle feedback, then closes with a simple framework called SPIES for checking balance across five areas of life, using physical health as a concrete example of how small changes add up. This episode is built for any leader, new or experienced, who wants a clear starting point before working on anything else. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Leadership Is A Responsibility Not A Position 00:28 Why Purpose Is Step One In Leadership 01:24 Your Personal Mission Statement Is Your North Star 03:12 Fixed Mindset Versus Growth Mindset Explained 04:14 Why Leaders Struggle To Give Honest Feedback 05:44 The SPIES Model For Life Balance 06:36 Awareness, Application, And Effectiveness Defined 07:10 Next Up: Emotional Intelligence And Decision Making Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 Why Scaling Teams Break: The Leadership Shift Most Founders Miss  🎧 How to Find Your Purpose: The Foundation of Leadership  About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  5. Aug 6

    Why Scaling Teams Break: The Leadership Shift Most Founders Miss

    The way you led at 10 people is rarely the way you lead at 100. Most leaders blame the team when scale exposes the cracks. The leadership has stopped scaling with the company. Alice Ko is the founder of Reframed Coaching and Consulting. She started her career as a CPA at KPMG and held finance roles across Louis Vuitton and Remy Martin before moving into marketing leadership at startups. After walking into a dysfunctional team with no manager training, she built her coaching practice around the leadership skills nobody trains operators to use. She now coaches founders and leadership teams through what scaling actually demands of them. The conversation moves through three case studies. A pleasant accounting culture where nobody wanted to give feedback, and resentment was building underneath the politeness. A people-pleaser supervisor with high empathy and harmony strengths who couldn't deliver hard feedback until she practiced it line by line. A senior hire who walked into a new company, announced her expertise, and lost the room on day one. Dr. Gary frames each story through his executive coaching framework. The five-second coaching formula that most managers turn into a five-minute apology. The four-domain breakdown of how strengths in strategic thinking, influencing, relationship building, and executing shift between supervisor, manager, and executive levels. The definition of leadership that has nothing to do with influence and everything to do with relationships and compassionate accountability. For founders, senior operators, aspiring CEOs, and new managers stepping into responsibility for the first time. Key Takeaways: 00:00 The Team That Got You Here 03:12 Inheriting A Dysfunctional Untrained Team 07:00 When A Strength Goes Overdrive 12:26 The VP Who Wouldn't Fire 14:54 Coaching Through A Hard Conversation 19:50 Boundaries Create Freedom, Not Restriction 20:44 Culture Is What You Tolerate 23:18 Clarity Creates Calm 24:26 Be Curious, Not Critical 34:36 Leadership Defined: Relationships Before Influence Resources: 👉 Connect with Alice Ko on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aliceko  👉 Visit Reframed Coaching and Consulting: reframedcoaching.com  Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 How To Find Your Purpose: The Foundation of Leadership 🎧 From Founder to Employee to CEO Again: The Year That Changed How He Leads About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  6. Jul 23

    How to Find Your Purpose: The Foundation of Leadership

    Some days knock you flat enough that you forget what you're even living for. This episode is about the exercise that can bring it all back into focus. Dr. Gary McGrath has spent decades coaching CEOs, founders, and senior executives through his company, Statarius. In this first episode of a new solo series, he breaks down his own framework, the seven steps of intentional leadership, starting with the step he believes matters most: purpose. He traces the idea back to his years training with the Covey Leadership Center in the 1990s, where writing a personal mission statement first became part of his own practice. He walks through the exercise built around imagining your own retirement party, the same one that once led a man in his 40s to resign from his job the very next day after finally getting honest about how he wanted to live. Dr. Gary explains why he thinks of a personal mission statement as an anchor, something that keeps you oriented on the days life knocks you off center, when you get emotional, distracted, or simply forget what you're doing and why. He also gets specific about what this looks like at home, describing the moment a parent walks in the door still mentally at work, and what children notice even when a parent is physically present. This episode is for anyone who has built a career without ever stopping to write down the life they actually want. Key Takeaways: 00:00 The Moment That Redefined Dr. Gary's Life 00:42 The Boy Scout Story Behind Real Leadership 02:20 The One Word That Changed Everything 02:50 How The Seven Steps Model Was Born 03:44 Why Every Leadership Model Should Be Questioned 04:20 How A Tennis Pro Reshaped The Framework 06:04 Why Purpose Starts With A Mission Statement 07:02 The Employee Who Quit After Finding Purpose 08:18 Why Time Management Is Actually A Myth 10:46 Self-Awareness Is The Real Leadership Skill Resources: 📘 Get the full book, The CEO's Journey: statarius.com/resources  📝 Download the free Mission Statement Builder: statarius.com/mission-statement-builder  Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 From Founder to Employee to CEO Again: The Leadership Cost of Every Transition (Part 1): open.spotify.com/episode/0Y5et5FRXE25cLvdWc2OlC  🎧 Succession Planning: What Real Accountability Looks Like After the Transfer: open.spotify.com/episode/3x0suDOYTefePSeC1GdENA  About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  7. Jul 9

    From Founder to Employee to CEO Again: The Year That Changed How He Leads (Part 2)

    The exit is the easy part to talk about. What comes after is where leadership actually gets tested. In Part 2 of this conversation, Dr. Gary McGrath continues with his son Mike McGrath, picking up at the moment Mike walked away from a deal everyone wanted him to stay for and what the following twelve months demanded of him as a leader. Mike acquired new companies in an unfamiliar industry, inherited teams that didn't choose him, and spent the first six months doing everything right: building rapport, respecting the culture, earning trust. He'd tell you now he waited too long to make changes. Dr. Gary frames it through one of the most consistent patterns he sees in his coaching work: almost all humble and caring leaders will wait too long. The timing is where leaders get into trouble, not the intention. The conversation moves into Dr. Gary's four-reason framework for diagnosing why someone on your team is struggling. It also covers what it looks like when a team member is stuck and won't move, and how to help them see what staying is actually costing them. It closes on Mike's Rewrite: two specific moments he'll never forget, and the leadership principle he took from each one. This episode is for anyone who has ever led through a transition and wished someone had told them what to actually watch for. Key Takeaways: 00:00 The Humility It Takes To Sell Your Company 01:14 Why Your Old Playbook Stops Working Overnight 07:23 Acquiring A Company Means Starting Trust At Zero 08:24 The Real Cost Of Waiting Too Long To Change 10:24 Why Every Leader Needs A Written Plan First 11:16 The Four Real Reasons Employees Actually Fail 13:54 Why Not Firing Someone Is The Bigger Risk 16:06 Getting The Right People In The Right Seats 19:48 Mike's Leadership Rewrite: Staying Regulated Under Pressure 21:34 Why Broken Core Values Get Zero Second Chances Resources: 👉 Connect with Mike McGrath on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mikemcgrath7  👉 Visit Market Better: marketbetter.xyz  Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 Succession Planning: What Real Accountability Looks Like After the Transfer 🎧 From Founder to Employee to CEO Again: The Leadership Cost of Every Transition (Part 1) About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

  8. Jun 25

    From Founder to Employee to CEO Again: The Leadership Cost of Every Transition (Part 1)

    Everyone talks about the exit. Nobody talks about what comes after: who you are when it's done, and how you lead when you're still working that out. Mike McGrath built the Charge Group from scratch, sold it to a Philadelphia-area healthcare company in 2019, and spent five years leading growth and acquisitions from the inside. When a second acquisition came, he walked away and started over, acquiring Legacy Media in 2024. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Dr. Gary McGrath uses Mike's story to examine what transitions actually cost a leader. The conversation covers how Mike's wife delivered a hard message that changed his career path, and what it reveals about how leaders give and receive difficult news. Dr. Gary frames it through his sowing seeds principle: a message delivered once isn't leadership communication. It's an announcement. From there, the episode gets into what Mike learned scaling a team of 25 practitioners, and the decision-making framework Dr. Gary uses with every executive facing a high-stakes call. Humility runs through all of it, not as a trait you develop once, but as something you keep getting tested on. The episode closes on a Jay Wright quote Mike says changed his life: "You're either humble, or you will be humbled." This episode is for founders, operators, and executives navigating what comes after the deal. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Why founders sell before they're ready 00:33 What leadership costs after an acquisition 01:20 How a spouse's hard truth saved a business 06:54 Why leaders don't give people time to process 07:17 The "sowing seeds" principle in leadership communication 08:44 Indecisiveness is the top reason executives get fired 20:52 Making the best decision in the moment 21:33 How to set a real deadline for a hard decision 23:26 Why humility is the first thing to look for in a CEO 26:30 "You're either humble or you will be humbled" Resources: 👉 Connect with Mike McGrath on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mikemcgrath7  👉 Visit Market Better: marketbetter.xyz  Connect with Dr. Gary McGrath: 🌐 Website: statarius.com  💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drgarymcgrath  Listen Next: 🎧 Succession Planning: What Real Accountability Looks Like After the Transfer 🎧 Storytelling Is the Leadership Skill Nobody Teaches, with Jen Moss About the Host Dr. Gary McGrath is the founder of Statarius, a leadership development firm focused on helping organizations turn good bosses into great leaders through compassionate accountability. Over a 40-year career spanning Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, and leadership consulting, he has trained and coached thousands of leaders across business and nonprofit organizations. His work centers on developing practical leadership frameworks that help organizations build stronger cultures and more effective leaders at every level.

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5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Leading From The Front is a leadership podcast for executives, managers, and emerging leaders who want to build high-performing teams, strengthen company culture, and lead with clarity and accountability. Hosted by Dr. Gary McGrath, a leadership expert with over 40 years of experience, each episode breaks down real-world leadership challenges and delivers practical strategies you can apply immediately. From decision-making under pressure to managing difficult conversations, this show focuses on what it actually takes to lead effectively. Each conversation is designed to help you think more clearly, lead more decisively, and take ownership of the role you’re in. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Gary McGrath
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 Stratarius
  • Show Website
    Leading From the Front!