Leadership Capacity with Hilani Ellis

Hilani Ellis
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

Leadership Capacity is a limited conversation series with founders, CEOs, and executives who know firsthand that as companies and teams grow, leadership has to grow with them.Hosted by Hilani Ellis, each conversation brings forward the experiences, decisions, challenges, and lessons that have shaped how accomplished leaders lead today. From building companies and developing teams to navigating change and preparing for what comes next, Leadership Capacity gives curious leaders a closer look at what leadership requires when responsibility grows.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    From Navy Commander to CEO: What Military Service Taught Chris Miller About Leadership (E: 005)

    What carries over when you move from military leadership into the CEO seat, and what do you have to learn differently? Chris Miller's military service in the U.S. Navy shaped how he thinks about leadership, responsibility, discipline, and developing people. Today, as CEO of Guzman Energy, he applies many of those lessons while also recognizing that leading a business requires a different approach. In this episode of the Leadership Capacity Show, Chris and I talk about what transferred from military service into business leadership, what he had to unlearn, why leaders can't save everyone, and what experience has taught him about building and trusting a high-performing team. We also get into one of the strongest themes of our conversation: trust. Chris shares why trust is foundational to leadership, why shared standards matter, and why who you put on your team may be one of the most important decisions you make. We discuss: • What military service taught Chris about leadership • The leadership belief he had to unlearn • Why employees have to meet leaders halfway • Moving from personally leading to developing other leaders • What Chris looks for in executive-level talent • Leading through gray areas and complex decisions • Why mission matters when hiring • How leaders earn—and lose—trust • Why high-performing teams depend on shared standards • What Chris would tell himself 15 years ago Chris Miller is CEO of Guzman Energy, a wholesale power company serving cooperatives, municipalities, tribes, and commercial customers. The Leadership Capacity Show explores how experienced leaders think, make decisions, develop people, and grow into what leadership asks of them next. 00:00 — Preview 00:37 — Meet Chris Miller: Navy Commander to CEO 01:21 — How the Navy Changed Chris's Life 03:04 — What the Military Teaches You About Leadership 05:03 — The Leadership Belief Chris Had to Unlearn 08:18 — Why People Have to Meet Leaders Halfway 10:11 — What Leadership Is Asking of Chris Now 12:34 — What Chris Looks for When Hiring Leaders 16:05 — The Mission Behind Guzman Energy 17:38 — What Chris Refuses to Compromise On 19:42 — Why You Won't Connect With Everyone You Lead 20:28 — Why Trust Is Essential to Leadership 22:14 — How High-Performing Teams Build Trust 24:14 — What Chris Would Tell Himself 15 Years Ago Guzman Energy: https://www.guzmanenergy.com/ Chris Miller on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-miller-52b15950/ Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage Subscribe to Leadership Insights: https://www.hilaniellis.com/ Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/

  2. Oct 13

    From Two Maxed-Out Credit Cards to Building a Firm: What Matt Fargo Learned About Leadership (E: 004)

    Matt Fargo started Kurtz Fargo in 2010 with two maxed-out credit cards, 400 square feet of office space, no clients and a belief that accounting could be done differently. Today, he leads a multi-office firm with more than 80 employees—but this conversation is about much more than accounting. In this episode of the Leadership Capacity Show, Matt and I talk about what he learned while building the firm, why copying the best companies in your industry can still leave you average, and what founders can learn by looking outside their own field for better ways to operate. We also get into professional-service pricing, why Kurtz Fargo moved away from traditional billable-hour thinking, what a home remodel taught Matt about client value, and how alignment, employee experience and failure have shaped the way he leads. In this conversation: How Matt accidentally found his way into accounting Starting Kurtz Fargo with two maxed-out credit cards and no clients Why he kept a list of everything he disliked about public accounting What businesses can learn from industries outside their own Rethinking billable hours and client value Building a culture around alignment and employee experience Why fear of failure can create mediocrity What Matt would tell himself 15 years after starting the firm Leadership Capacity is a conversation series with CEOs, founders and experienced leaders about what leadership has actually required of them—and what they've learned along the way. New conversations every Tuesday. #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork 00:00 — Preview 00:47 — Meet Matt Fargo 02:18 — How Matt Accidentally Chose Accounting 08:01 — Starting His Career at PwC 10:44 — Learning to Lead, Not Just Do the Work 13:37 — Why Matt Decided to Start an Accounting Firm 14:51 — Two Credit Cards, No Clients & a Big Idea 15:37 — What Exceptional Clients Taught the Firm 17:30 — Why Copying Your Industry Isn't Enough 19:28 — Rethinking Billable Hours & Client Value 22:34 — What Remodeling a House Taught Matt About Business 27:52 — Learning From Other Industries 32:48 — What Matters More to Matt Today 36:01 — Why Fear of Failure Creates Mediocrity 39:50 — What Matt Would Tell Himself 15 Years Ago Kurtz Fargo: https://kurtzfargo.com/ Matt Fargo on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-fargo-cpa-ab6b82a/ Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage Subscribe to Leadership Insights: https://www.hilaniellis.com/ Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/

  3. Oct 6

    From Five-Time Founder to Community Builder: What Erik Mitisek Learned About Leadership (E:003)

    Erik Mitisek has spent 25 years building companies, teams and entrepreneurial communities. He's been a founder or worked alongside founders across five businesses, served as Colorado's Chief Innovation Officer, led the Colorado Technology Association, and helped create what is now Colorado Startup Week. But the thread running through Erik's career isn't any one company or title. It's people. In this episode of the Leadership Capacity Show, Erik and I talk about what he's learned from building businesses and communities, why he believes human relationships are fundamental to growing a company, and what changes when your success can no longer depend only on how hard you personally work. We also get into trust—something that has now surfaced in several of these conversations. Erik believes leaders should begin with default trust rather than making people slowly earn it, and he explains why giving capable people more autonomy can produce better outcomes. And because we're talking about the future of work, we couldn't avoid AI. Erik shares why leaders shouldn't pursue AI simply for efficiency, but should think about how it can support and strengthen what their people already do well. In this conversation: Erik's path from early-stage startups to becoming a five-time founder How Colorado Startup Week helped connect Colorado's entrepreneurial community What changes when an individual contributor becomes a leader Why Erik believes businesses are fundamentally human relationships How founders can adopt AI without forgetting the human side of work Why “default trust” is Erik's starting point as a leader What autonomy can do for capable employees How feedback and high standards work alongside trust Why relationships compound across an entire career The legacy Erik hopes to leave through the people he's encountered One of my favorite ideas from this conversation comes near the end: businesses will be built, grown and sold, but the relationships developed along the way can remain for decades. Erik talks about still knowing founders he worked with 25 years ago and later building businesses with people he'd known for years. Leadership Capacity is a conversation series with CEOs, founders and experienced leaders about what leadership has actually required of them—and what they've learned along the way. New conversations every Tuesday. #Leadership #FutureOfWork #Entrepreneurship 00:00 — Preview 00:38 — Meet Erik Mitisek 01:40 — Five Companies, Colorado Startup Week & Building Community 03:39 — Building Colorado's Startup Community 06:27 — Erik's First Experience Building a Startup 09:50 — From Individual Contributor to Leading People 12:15 — How Should Leaders Think About AI and People? 15:12 — Why Erik Starts With Default Trust 18:43 — What Employees Should Do With That Trust 20:27 — High Standards, Feedback & Trust 22:34 — The Relationships That Shape a Career Erik Mitisek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitisek/ Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage Subscribe to Leadership Insights: https://www.hilaniellis.com/ Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/

  4. Sep 29

    From Building a Law Firm to Advising Founders: What Shawn Stigler Learned About Leadership (E: 002)

    Shawn Stigler has spent more than 25 years working alongside founders, executives and investors through some of the most important moments in building and growing companies. But Shawn hasn't only advised business owners. He's been one. After starting and growing his own law firm, Shawn eventually joined Michael Best, where he now serves as Managing Partner in Colorado. That combination has given him an unusual perspective: he's experienced the responsibility of building a business himself while also having a front-row seat to hundreds of other founders navigating growth, people, risk and change. In this episode of the Leadership Capacity Show, I sit down with Shawn to talk about the patterns he's noticed along the way. We explore what actually builds trust, why reputation matters, the difference between being excellent at your craft and leading people, and what founders often experience as their companies grow beyond the early stages. We also get into the future of professional work. Shawn shares how AI is already changing the legal profession, what he believes young lawyers should be learning now, and why he sees AI as a leverage tool while human judgment and conversation continue to matter. In this conversation: Building a law firm and learning the business behind the profession What 25 years around founders teaches you about recognizing patterns Why reputation and trust remain so important The shift from being great at your craft to leading other people What leaders are really optimizing for when making decisions How AI is already changing legal work Why young professionals should become students of AI What Shawn is seeing from today's founders and startups The inflection points that change what a growing business needs from its founder What Shawn would tell his younger self about taking chances Leadership Capacity is a conversation series with CEOs, founders and experienced leaders about what leadership has actually required of them—and what they've learned along the way. New conversations every Tuesday. #Leadership #FutureOfWork 00:00 — Preview 00:42 — Meet Shawn Stigler 01:55 — Shawn's Path Into Law & Entrepreneurship 05:37 — Building a Law Firm & Learning From Founders 10:12 — What Actually Builds Trust 17:06 — Being Great at Your Craft vs. Leading People 22:46 — How AI Is Changing the Legal Profession 25:34 — Is There Still a Future in Law? 27:37 — What Shawn Is Seeing From Founders Right Now 31:11 — The Patterns Founders Repeat as Companies Grow 34:30 — When Growth Changes the Founder's Job 35:32 — What Shawn Would Tell His Younger Self Michael Best: https://www.michaelbest.com/people/shawn-stigler/ Shawn Stigler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnstigler/ Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage Subscribe to Leadership Insights: https://www.hilaniellis.com/ Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/

  5. Sep 22

    From Founder to Franchisor: What 15 Years of Building Taught Erin Fletter About Leadership (E: 001)

    What does it take to build a business for 15 years, and keep expanding your own capacity to lead it? In this episode of Leadership Capacity, I sit down with Erin Fletter, founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking, to talk about the side of entrepreneurship that rarely makes the highlight reel. Erin started with three schools and an idea: give children the opportunity to learn how to cook. Fifteen years later, Sticky Fingers Cooking has grown across the country, expanded into franchising, developed its own proprietary technology, published five children's cookbooks, and created opportunities for other entrepreneurs to build businesses of their own. But getting there wasn't a straight line. We talk about why perfection can paralyze a founder, the years Erin spent being "the engine" of the business, the pressure of bootstrapping, the moment she nearly sold her wedding ring to make payroll, and why she believes it can take ten years of chaos to truly build a company. We also explore what changed when Erin's job became less about doing the work herself and more about developing other leaders, creating systems, trusting her team, and helping franchise owners succeed. And after 15 years of building? Erin shares what she would tell the younger version of herself if they could sit across the table today. In this conversation: Why founders can't afford to be everything to everyone Moving from doing the work to building the people and systems that carry it What bootstrapping really demands from a founder Why Sticky Fingers Cooking eventually chose franchising Building trust across a growing organization Self-awareness as a leadership responsibility Creating opportunities for other business owners What 15 years of entrepreneurship taught Erin about pressure, instinct, and endurance Leadership Capacity brings experienced executives and founders into conversations about what leadership asks of us as our companies, teams, and responsibilities grow. 00:00 — Preview 00:39 — Meet Erin Fletter: Founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking 01:38 — From Employee to Entrepreneur 03:53 — What Matters Most in the First Year of Business 08:11 — When Building a Business Becomes Leading People 09:39 — Learning to Let Other People Build With You 13:10 — Bootstrapping a Business & Almost Pawning Her Wedding Ring 14:18 — Why Sticky Fingers Cooking Became a Franchise 16:15 — What It Really Takes to Build a Business 19:17 — Why Franchising Became the Path to Growth 22:22 — What Leadership Requires as a Business Scales 24:36 — Developing Franchise Owners as Leaders 28:26 — What Erin Would Tell Herself 15 Years Ago Sticky Fingers Cooking: https://stickyfingerscooking.com/ Erin Fletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-fletter-74b24454/ Grab the Leadership Book: https://www.hilaniellis.com/hilani-ellis-capacity-the-new-advantage Subscribe to Leadership Insights: https://www.hilaniellis.com/ Follow along on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaniellis/ Ikigai: https://amzn.to/4wVGM0U

  • 5 Episodes

About

Leadership Capacity is a limited conversation series with founders, CEOs, and executives who know firsthand that as companies and teams grow, leadership has to grow with them.Hosted by Hilani Ellis, each conversation brings forward the experiences, decisions, challenges, and lessons that have shaped how accomplished leaders lead today. From building companies and developing teams to navigating change and preparing for what comes next, Leadership Capacity gives curious leaders a closer look at what leadership requires when responsibility grows.

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