Leadership Blueprints

BJ Kraemer, MCFA
  • 5.0 (36)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Leadership Blueprints is a podcast dedicated to helping leaders align teams, navigate chaos, and accomplish the mission. Hosted by BJ Kraemer—West Point graduate, combat veteran, and President & CEO of MCFA—this show dives into the principles, stories, and strategies behind effective leadership. With a background in military service and experience leading teams in business, infrastructure, and complex projects, BJ understands that success comes down to execution, adaptability, and leading people well. Through in-depth interviews with accomplished leaders across business, sports, the military, and beyond, Leadership Blueprints will help you bring your vision to reality on projects that shape communities and industries. Whether you’re leading in the boardroom, on the field, in the military, or within your own organization, this podcast is designed to provide the tools and mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. Subscribe now and start building your Leadership Blueprint.

  1. 5d ago

    The Leadership Lesson Hidden in America's Story

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  The story of America is the story of getting punched in the face and choosing to come back stronger. That is not just history. That is leadership. As the country turns 250, BJ sits down with Army Colonel Steve Messenger to unpack what that actually demands of you. Steve teaches a class called Failing with the Stoics and has spent his career building leaders inside the military's deliberate, hierarchical, brutal development system. In this episode, Steve and BJ get into the BRAG framework for servant leadership, why solid citizens and learners need totally different things from you, the three ropes every leader has to bounce off of, the moment a major stepped into a combatives ring and got slammed in the face, and the identity lie most leaders quietly believe. The line that stuck with BJ: chase people, not badges. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Reagan, freedom, and the 250th birthday setup 01:13 - Why America's story is the story of getting back up 07:25 - Doing your best when life has split priorities 10:07 - The Failing with the Stoics class 11:04 - Solid citizens vs learners and what each one needs 14:01 - The BRAG framework for servant leadership 19:00 - The major who stepped into the combatives ring 24:29 - Jack Hughes and the gold medal goal that says it all 27:11 - The three ropes every leader needs to bounce off of 35:02 - The identity lie most leaders quietly believe Connect with Stephen Messenger: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-messenger-866136a5/ Website: https://themaximumstandard.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenmessenger19/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069227347214&locale=es_LA Connect with BJ Kraemer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/ Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224 Books mentioned: Why Not the Best by Jimmy CarterMeditations by Marcus AureliusNo Rules Rules by Reed HastingsAntifragile by Nassim Taleb This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

    37 min

  2. Jun 24

    Your Project Managers Are CEOs in Training. Are You Developing Them Like It?

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most firms send their project managers to a bootcamp once a year, hand them a certificate, and call it development. Anthony Fasano says that's not even close. PMs are running your client relationships, your budgets, your teams. They are CEOs of their projects. If you are not building them like CEOs, you are capping your own growth. Anthony just released Beyond PM Training, and his ecosystem approach is a wake up call for any firm that thinks a seminar is a strategy. In this episode, Anthony and BJ break down the four phases of real PM development, why 90 percent of firms cannot even tell you how many PMs they have, the abundance mindset most of the industry is missing, and the line BJ keeps coming back to. Systems beat seminars. If you run a firm or you are a PM trying to develop yourself, this one is the blueprint. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why PM development is the real growth lever02:33 - PM development is an ecosystem, not a class04:01 - The four phases of the development ecosystem05:07 - Why 90 percent of firms cannot even count their PMs06:18 - Why you have to assess PMs before you train them10:14 - Getting senior PMs speaking the same language17:14 - PMs have to advocate for themselves too19:10 - The abundance mindset that lifts the whole industry21:19 - Why systems beat seminars23:11 - How to micro dose PM development Connect with Anthony Fasano: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjfasano/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringManagementInstitute/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/engineeringmanagementinstitute/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@engmgtinstituteX: https://x.com/EngMgtInstituteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@EngineeringManagementWebsite:https://engineeringmanagementinstitute.org/ Connect with BJ Kraemer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742eeApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

    27 min

  3. Jun 17

    How to Be the Parent Your Young Athlete Actually Needs

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most parents think they're doing right by their kid in youth sports. They show up. They invest. They mean well. But Jonathan Carone says two hidden emotions are quietly driving most of the bad sideline calls. Self love and self glory. Once you can name them, the whole thing changes. Jonathan runs Healthy Sports Parents and helps moms, dads, and coaches build the kind of relationship with their kid that makes the sport actually mean something. In this episode, Jonathan and BJ get into the youth sports arms race, why kids are quitting before high school, the fun map study that puts winning at 40th on the list of things kids actually find fun, and the 5 to 10 ratio every parent and coach should know. The line that stuck: methods are many, principles are few. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Welcome and why this topic matters01:17 - What kids actually need from the adults around them03:33 - The two hidden emotions driving every sports parent06:15 - BJ's real time dilemma with his nine year old11:20 - If you're meant to get there, you're going to get there22:20 - The fun map study and where winning actually ranks23:01 - The 5 to 10 ratio every parent and coach should know26:34 - Why you need love deposits before criticism28:52 - The Kobe Bryant moment that reframes coaching kids31:09 - I'm dad. Then I'm coach. Connect with Jonathan Carone: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-carone-52145778/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthySportsParents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents\TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healthysportsparentsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthySportsParentsWebsite: https://healthysportsparents.com/ Connect with BJ Kraemer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742eeApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

    37 min

  4. Jun 10

    The Question Every Business Owner Should Be Asking Themselves

    Most business owners can rattle off their revenue, their pipeline, and their biggest headaches. Almost none can answer this one. What is the business actually doing to serve you in your life? Krystn Macomber asks her clients that before anything else. She's a fractional Chief Growth Officer who helps small government contractors stop chasing every shiny opportunity and actually build a strategy. In this episode, Krystn and BJ get into the BD curse of always saying "maybe we can win this," why the first year of her own business was the easy one, where AI actually helps in marketing and where it falls flat, and the rule she made about saying yes to the scary stuff. If you run a business or you're sitting in corporate thinking about leaving, this one has something you can use this week. Topics discussed: 00:00 - What fractional growth support actually is01:46 - Who Krystn says no to as a client05:15 - The business development curse08:01 - How chasing everything burns out your best people10:12 - Where AI helps in BD and where it falls flat14:16 - Why the first year of business was the easy one15:27 - The LinkedIn highlight reel needs to go20:10 - Promoted to manage 25 people overnight24:01 - The rule she made about saying yes to scary things31:08 - The question every business owner should ask themselves Connect with Krystn Macomber: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystnmacomber/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitstrategywins/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summitstrategywins/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6BGAiN7JAN_RvI6K9mzAzAWebsite: https://www.summitstrategywins.com/ Connect with BJ Kraemer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742eeApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

    34 min

  5. Jun 3

    The 2 Words Every Leader Should Say More Often

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Most leaders shut down ideas without realizing it. A "yeah but" in a meeting. A quick correction before someone finishes. The team quietly learns to stop bringing anything new. Will Dennis runs Unscripted Productions, an applied improv studio that trains Fortune 500s, hospitals, and schools on the fix. It comes back to two words. Yes, and. In this episode, Will and BJ unpack why "yes, and" is the most underrated leadership tool out there. What Nick Sirianni was secretly doing all Super Bowl run. Why one company tests emerging leaders on whether they hold the spotlight or stand in it. And the hardest line to sit with: a leader's real job is to work themselves out of one. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why we're talking about improv, not AI 02:00 - Improv as the safest place to fail 05:00 - How "yes, and" turns down the heat in any room 14:18 - What Nick Sirianni was secretly doing all season 19:03 - The hidden test for who actually gets into the leadership program 24:23 - The most powerful sentence you can hear in a locker room 24:47 - A leader's real job is to work themselves out of one 29:24 - A boardroom hack any leader can steal tomorrow 34:27 - Rapid fire: books, the word sonder, and dinner with Adam Grant 38:55 - Why improv is not the thing you think it is Connect with Will Dennis: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamjdennis/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unscriptedproductionsWebsite: https://www.unscriptedproductions.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unscriptedprod Connect with BJ Kraemer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742eeApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

    41 min

  6. May 27

    Championship Coach: Your Team Is Only as Good as Your Least Committed Person

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Every leader has that one person on the team. The one showing up halfway. The one quietly setting the ceiling for everyone else. And most leaders tolerate it longer than they should. Matt Crispino refused to. After taking over the Princeton men's swim team, he inherited what his assistant called an opt-in culture, where the committed thrived and the disengaged got to coast. Matt blew it up. He made the team write their own core values, told the roster it was all in or out, and just won his second straight Ivy League championship doing it. In this conversation, Matt and BJ get into what it actually takes to raise the standard without losing your people. Why he had to coach against his own instincts to let the team have fun. How relationship building, not X's and O's, is the real work. And why the best coaches are the last line of defense for what sports are supposed to teach. If you lead anything, a team, a company, a family, this one is going to hit. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Why your least committed person sets the ceiling 01:00 - Launching the Friendly Strife Foundation segment 07:00 - Coaching at West Point in the shadow of war 10:00 - Realizing the job is bigger than coaching swimming 13:00 - Why sports is the most powerful leadership classroom 17:00 - Recruiting for culture not just talent 18:00 - Shifting Princeton from opt-in to all-in 20:00 - The five core values the team built together 24:00 - Why fun became their unlock for winning 26:00 - Coaching against your own instincts 27:00 - Trust and inspire over command and control 30:00 - How NIL and the transfer portal are reshaping coaching 32:00 - Why failure has to be a safe place to land 37:00 - Why they will not come to you if you have not built the relationship 43:00 - The legacy of a coach who cared Connect with Matt Crispino: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mattcrispino/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-crispino-a26b5239/

    45 min

  7. May 20

    The Leader Whose Impact Is Still Growing 20 Years After His Death

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  Every Memorial Day, BJ replays this episode to reset how he thinks about what it means to lead. Dennis Zilinski was his West Point classmate, swim teammate, and one of his best friends. Dennis was killed in action on November 19, 2005, at 23 years old. In this conversation, BJ sits down with Dennis's mother, Marion Zilinski (Mama Z), to talk about who Dennis was, how he led, and how his leadership continues to make an impact 20 years after his death. From his early instinct to serve and protect, to his decision to stay at West Point after 9/11, to the legacy his family built in his name, this episode is a reminder that real leadership shows up long before the title does. And its impact outlives the leader. Topics discussed: 00:00 - What leadership costs when stakes are life and death 01:00 - Reading the foreword from The Strong Gray Line 03:00 - Why this conversation matters for Memorial Day 07:00 - Dennis the protector and the young volunteer 09:00 - Handling failure with maturity beyond his years 12:00 - The decision to go to West Point 14:00 - Why Dennis refused to leave after 9/11 17:00 - Leading among 4,000 future leaders at West Point 20:00 - Choosing church over the party on post night 23:00 - The generosity Dennis built into his will 28:00 - The night of the knock at the door 39:00 - Building the Dennis Zilinski Fun 40:00 - Dennis's promise to go meet the parents 48:00 - How service dogs are saving veteran lives  55:00 - What Memorial Day is really about Connect with Marion Zilinski: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-zilinski

    1 hr

  8. May 13

    She Had 4 Coaches in 5 Years. Here’s What They Taught Her About Leadership

    Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter  95% of women executives and 95% of Fortune 500 CEOs were athletes. Yet, most kids leave sports before they even get to high school. This episode breaks down why more kids are walking away and how parents and coaches can work together to change it. Katie Lee, founder of All American AIM, has placed girls at college programs including West Point by coaching the whole kid, not just the athlete. She shares what good coaching actually looks like, why she's concerned about where youth sports is headed, and her advice for parents and coaches navigating it. Topics discussed: 00:00 - Introduction03:34 - What coaches look for in tryouts05:51 - Communicating with families08:53 - Recruiting coaches that care12:48 - The fine line between pushing hard and burnout16:50 - Why athletes should play other sports22:40 - Mental health on and off the field25:09 - Youth sports infiltrated by big business27:13 - The weight of being a coach30:09 - All American Aim’s origin story33:57 - The moments that make it all worth it37:44 - Advice for new or aspiring coaches40:56 - Mind Gym and mental skills training44:29 - Katie’s mantra Connect with Katie Lee:https://allamericanaim.com/

    48 min
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5
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Leadership Blueprints is a podcast dedicated to helping leaders align teams, navigate chaos, and accomplish the mission. Hosted by BJ Kraemer—West Point graduate, combat veteran, and President & CEO of MCFA—this show dives into the principles, stories, and strategies behind effective leadership. With a background in military service and experience leading teams in business, infrastructure, and complex projects, BJ understands that success comes down to execution, adaptability, and leading people well. Through in-depth interviews with accomplished leaders across business, sports, the military, and beyond, Leadership Blueprints will help you bring your vision to reality on projects that shape communities and industries. Whether you’re leading in the boardroom, on the field, in the military, or within your own organization, this podcast is designed to provide the tools and mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. Subscribe now and start building your Leadership Blueprint.

Information

  • Creator
    BJ Kraemer, MCFA
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    264
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © MCFA
  • Show Website
    Leadership Blueprints

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