The Uncommon Leader Podcast

Episode 200: Lifting the Lid - Scottie Pennington on Scaling to COO and 9-Figure Leadership

• John Gallagher • Episode 200

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What if your biggest breakthrough starts where you’ve been saying “can’t”? We celebrate episode 200 with Scottie Pennington, a COO who scaled operations across eight sites while proving that lean, faith, and relentless discipline can transform people and performance. From foundries and scrapyards to maintenance shops that used to be locked down, Scottie shows how 5S and clear communication can shift culture fast—especially when you win over the quiet influencer everyone trusts.

We dig into the shift from doing to developing, and how to avoid becoming the leadership lid as your scope expands. Scottie explains why multiplication beats control, how he built a bench of directors leading plant managers, and why intentionality and gemba rigor still matter when your calendar explodes. His lens is practical and people-first: build leaders who build leaders, and watch results follow. Along the way, he shares the foundations that still guide him—Maxwell’s laws, The Goal, 360 Leader—and how those principles anchor daily behavior.

• COO journey across multiple business lines and sites
• Lean and 5S implemented in foundries and maintenance
• Winning buy-in through communication and influencers
• Avoiding the leadership lid by growing leaders
• Intentionality, discipline, and gemba rigor
• Fitness as process: Spartan races, from if to when
• Family priorities, protected time, and boundaries
• Faith, integrity, trust, and using your gifts
• Practical advice: remove the can’t box and add yet

Then we go personal. Scottie quit alcohol, embraced Spartan races, and replaced motivation with discipline. He describes the “if to when” mindset, dropping 40 pounds, and crossing a Beast finish line wearing Philippians 4:13, a moment powered by faith and family. With six grandkids and a spouse who protects the schedule, he talks about saying no, honoring boundaries, and living integrity when no one is watching. If you’ve ever wondered how to integrate purpose, performance, and personal health without losing your soul, this conversation gives you a map—and a push.

Ready to grow leaders who multiply leaders, implement 5S where it’s hardest, and trade “can’t” for “yet”? Hit play, subscribe for more uncommon leadership stories, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: what habit will you turn from if to when today?

Connect with Scottie Pennington:
➡️ LinkedIn (primary): https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottie-pennington-mba-a4b3b129/overlay/contact-info/

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Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

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SPEAKER_00:

But what on earth are we here for? And and I do have a core belief, because of my faith, that one of my gifts that God's given me is the ability to guide, lead, influence, motivate people, and and really help people. My my favorite definition of coach is to help someone get to a place they might not have gotten to on their own. That's my favorite definition of a coach. And and again, I use that as a God-given gift, the the ability to do that.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey Uncommon Leaders, welcome back. This is the Uncommon Leader Podcast. I'm your host, John Gallagher. What a monumental episode we have today. It's episode 200 of the Uncommon Leader Podcast. And in honor of that, I brought back the person who has had the most downloaded episodes as a guest on the Uncommon Leader podcast. That's Scotty Pennington. It's been two and a half years since I've had him on here, and a lot's changed in him in two and a half years. And we're going to talk about that. Leaders, we're ultimately always on a continuous improvement journey. And Scotty's going to be able to talk about what that looks like in leadership for him at work and in life and a lot of other ways, too, that we're going to have a lot of fun talking about. So, Scotty Pennington, welcome back to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Thanks for being guest number 200. How you been doing, friend?

SPEAKER_00:

Wow, what a what a great introduction. That's quite an honor. I'm doing really well. I'm very blessed and super excited to be talking with you today.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's going to be really cool. And let's just jump right into it. Again, two and a half years since we had you on last. The most downloaded episodes of the Uncommon Leader podcast, the most listened to, which is really cool. What's been going on for you from a leadership standpoint the last two and a half years? I know I've watched your LinkedIn profile. You get at least two promotions. So I don't want to say that the Uncommon Leader podcast, you know, got you there, but what was it that got you there? Where you been, man, on your journey?

SPEAKER_00:

So so yeah, as you mentioned, things have been great, and and growing is a is an understatement. So for for almost a year and a half, uh I've been uh working as a chief operating officer. I'm still with the same company uh that I was uh working with the last time we spoke. So so that's exciting as well. Kind of helps me understand I must be doing something right. And so I uh as chief operating officer and and of a growing company. Since we've spoken last, we went from uh five locations with Metal Source up to eight facilities now. And so there's been some acquisitions, and I've had the the pleasure of of working with a group of people down in Alabama, uh, and even in southern Indiana now, we've got a couple of locations as well. And and working with those guys and you know, starting up facilities, working in, you know, due diligence processes and things. And then my favorite part of it really is you know evaluating the leadership team and and looking at at what kind of leaders, new leaders I get to work with next. And so that part of it's been really exciting. Uh a lot of of lean stuff. When people think of, you know, we operate a lot of foundries and and recycling yards. And the concept of lean and 5S has by and large been absent from from that type of an industry. And and that really has been the key to a lot of my success here with my boss, as he's truly fell in love with 5S and the and the things that that come along with it as far as the overall, not just the aesthetics of the organization, but the efficiencies and the and the workplace organization side of it. And so being able to implement those tools in a foundry or a scrapyard, not only is it challenging the the skills that I've been honing for 25 years, it's uh it's been exciting. I I will say this that you know, my boss will probably listen to this, I assume. One of the challenges that he's placed on me that is maintenance shops. And throughout the course of my career, 5S has been something where you start in production because that's where your money's made. And maybe you get to the maintenance area, or maybe you just put a better padlock on the door. And and so the the CEO doesn't see it. I love that. And one of the things that that that I love that my boss Ben has pushed me out of the box, out of the comfort zone, if you will, is we've got facilities where that's where he wanted to start was maintenance. And so one of his targets for me, if you will, is when I bring a customer or a visitor to this facility, we're gonna start our tour in the maintenance shop. Wow. No one does that. And you, John, you've been doing this a long time. No one does that.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. Yep. I've been doing it a long time, and you're exactly right. I think about that like maintenance. You're I love the the concept of putting a big bigger padlock on on the maintenance crib so that nobody goes in there because you know, those tend to be the guys you rely on so much in production as well. But they're like, hey, don't be coming into my house and messing with any of my tools. Absolutely. How'd you overcome that? How'd you overcome that feeling with the maintenance guys?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, really, it's uh it starts. I I really believe that any lean implementation or 5S implementation boils down to communication first and foremost. It's it's not a bad thing, but but checking that what's in it for me box for uh you know a 30-year maintenance guy is really important. And I need to make sure he understands that my job implementing 5S in this area isn't to take anything away from him, but in fact, it's to make sure that he always has the things he needs when he needs them, and he always knows where they're at. When you really get a maintenance guy to understand that that's my intention, that's my goal, and I get that one old stubborn guy on my side, and then I start bringing in some of the other guys, and that one old stubborn guy's on my side, then they follow him before they'll follow me. And then all of a sudden I got other people saying, Hey, when are you gonna do my area? And and that's that's I might use this term often in this this podcast, but that's winning. Absolutely. Coming up when they when they're pulling for it. When's it my turn? Yeah, yep. That's winning.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I love that. Even even in the recognition, okay, you mentioned communication, but even recognizing that within that group, there is an influencer. And it may be the the old stubborn guy, the old stubborn leader that's been there for 30 plus years that people continue to go to, maybe not necessarily because they are the strongest leader or the highest performer, but they know how to get stuff done and they know where, in essence, some of the bodies are buried, if you will, that they can find and make stuff happen. So if you can get that person bought in, folks, leadership on a journey, get that person that's been you know doing their thing a certain way for 30 years, it does. That momentum becomes so much easier to get started and you start getting other people engaged in the journey. That's really cool. You've had to maintain momentum in another area with regards to your own leadership development. So it's one thing to say, you know, I think we chatted last, you might have been a plant manager, uh director of ops or somehow, but you've gone ultimately up to the chief operating officer of a, you know, in essence, nine-figure business, okay? Huge business. You have had to avoid being the lid on the leaders uh inside of your organization. You talked about developing those people. How have you stayed out ahead? What are some specific things you've done to develop your own leadership skills to continue to stay out in front?

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. And I I have to I have to go down a quick tangent. You mentioned the the lid. You know, my my favorite leadership author, and I have to say, thanks to you, it is Dr. Maxwell. The law of the lid is is one of the first 21 irrefutable laws. So so very cool quote. I I actually have in writing in a note for this podcast to talk about one of the laws. So I love everything. It has been, you know, leaders are learners. I strongly believe that. And and and there's so many little one-liners that you can throw out that have something to do with this, but just constantly working on learning myself. But for me to be able to make the transition that I have, the concept of growing leaders is really what I've had to embody deeper than anything. And with the multiple location, you know, with with the company that I work for, we not only operate the scrapyards, but we have a trucking company, we have a an MRO and a perishable business with retail storefront. Uh, we have a restaurant, we have a property management group on top of all of the recycling facilities. And I have to be able to have an army working with me to be able to lead these organizations. So I knew early on getting into this chief operating officer role that my ability to be hands-on in the plants as I had been the first couple of years was going to diminish. I needed to grow leaders to be able to do that hands-on work so I can focus on the strategic things to make sure we still get to do this tomorrow. And so that was a huge uh effort for me. And and but again, I say this, that was the most exciting part. The fact that I get to wake up every day and grow people and grow leaders, that's what gets me excited. That that's what gets me jazzed up to come in here, is you know, taking a guy that was a production manager or, you know, kind of a second-level guy uh a couple of years ago, and I have him as a director over four facilities now with four plant managers working for him, and and he is flourishing. And that's that's the kind of thing that makes me excited. The last time you and I talked about, you know, the greatest story ever told is you know, that legacy, another one of the laws, that legacy is that the people that are in positions today that that I have helped mentor and grow and lead and guide, and and and those people, you know, make no bones about it, have taught me so much. But I love that those people in these positions are leading this organization and are really the backbone of what's taking us to the next place. And it's people that that I've been able to put my arm around and mentor. And and I feel like a proud dad with some of these guys, you know, that at uh watching, you know, where they came from uh to where they are today. And and I I just told a man yesterday that he's one of my right hand men. I could not imagine me doing my job without what you do every day. And and and I I saw that guy light up. Yeah, what a great feeling.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that's really cool because again, recognizing that, John Maxwell. You know, you can look at the shelf behind me. It's got all kinds of books that that he's brought out and he's still writing them today. The guy's amazing. But the other thing you touched on, the greatest story ever told, ultimately, what I hear is the five levels of leadership that you go through. And you're at level four leadership with many of those, and probably level five, if they didn't say it to you today. But if someone else asked them who's made an impact on their life, they're going to talk about Scotty and what he's done to help them out. That level four is ultimately they're following you because of what you've done for them and you've been able to help them grow. So congratulations to you on that, Scotty. And again, so it's not just about how you've grown through the ranks, but you've also had to do that and bring folks along with you. I love the reference back to the law of the lid, the law of legacy. You and I could probably spend a couple hours just talking about each one of those laws and what that means to us. I actually wanted to ask because it's those new things that you learn on a regular basis, but it's also those foundational things that exist. Scotty, you and I worked together for 20 years, excuse me, 20 years ago for a few years. And I'm just curious, was there anything from back then from a learning standpoint that you still use today in your leadership that makes you successful as well?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. I one of my favorite things. What a great question. One of my favorite things to answer that with is that concept of intentionality. And and the folks that work with me here are used to that word, and my boss loves that word. You know, if we're going to do something, do it on purpose. Have a plan, be intentional. And that's one of the things from from 20 years ago, you working with you and and and some of your previous guests, Mr. Cheney and Mr. Carmazzi, some of those guys that that we, you know, that were my mentors. And at the time they didn't even know that, you know, they were they were at a level where I I was 20 years ago only wishing I would be. You know, it is on a side note, so surreal to think that that I'm playing around in that arena now. But, you know, it's the the discipline. One of my favorite words professionally is discipline. And and the discipline to be, you know, when it was time for a gimbal walk, you know, you were you uh Kim Cheney, were you were never late for the gimbal walk. You were always engaged for the gimbal walk. And that rigor to keep me uh prepared for that type of a thing and to show that kind of example, those were some of the foundational things. And I I still have a book that that Kim Cheney gave me with the uh with that he signed. It was the goal, you know. You guys introduced the concept of lean to me and and lean manufacturing and toyota production system. And I I have to say that I wouldn't be professionally and career-wise where I'm at today without that foundation. And so I s you know, still have books like that, and and and I still remember when you took me to see Mr. Maxwell Live and you know at a church in Fort Wayne Indiana.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And and the subject matter at that time was the 360 leader that I quent and saw. And so, you know, that's that's the foundation. And you talk about the story, the greatest story ever told. People ask me often, I, you know, having this this cool title, right? The COO, that's a cool title. And and being able to accomplish the things that I have, whether it be education or or professionally or personally, you know, man, you got so many things to be proud of. If you could pick one, what would that be? And it really is that story. It's it's it's the fact of people that would say I wouldn't be where I'm at today without Coach Scotty or without Scotty's leadership development, or I would have never thought this was possible without you know Scotty pushing me the way he did. And those are the kinds of things that that I'm super proud of. It's almost like a I can give back, you know, to like you and those guys that I've worked with so many years ago.

SPEAKER_01:

Love that. And again, gosh, there's so many words that come into mind, right? That law of legacy. I mean, and I appreciate you giving that feedback because those foundational things, they really do stick with us. But there's always ways, you know, even today's world, if you want our leadership, we got to start thinking about how we can improve things uh and the way we do things via AI and what that means and how we use it to help us out. But it really goes back to those found the foundational things like discipline and 5S and you know, you know, lean and standard work and what that means. And when you have those things in place to build on those, uh, it can really be cool. Career is really cool. You've been doing some other things as well the past two and a half years. We got things that I know have been uh well aligned, although we haven't done this together. And that's your joy for Spartan races. So tell me about that and where you've been. And we love pointing out our little trophies if you're watching on YouTube, and I know you got your sitting there, our trifecta trophies that are there. But how has that been for you to kind of keep your physical health in line as well to make sure that you can continue to do what you do?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, this the the Spartan journey is is absolutely amazing. And man, I'm telling you, if turn back the clock 10 years, if somebody would have told me that that that's the path I would be on, or those those were things that were occupying my free time in 2025, I would have laughed in your face. I've always been I've always exercised by and large. I've always enjoyed weightlifting. It's it's it's an obsession. It's at that level. That's the right word. But doing distance things like a Spartan obstacle course race. So it it got started for me a few years ago when I decided to to stop drinking alcohol. And and I decided at my one year anniversary of not drinking alcohol, what's what's something that maybe I could do that I wouldn't have been able to do on that toxic path I was on. And that's what made me sign up for the first one over in on the outside of Lafayette, Indiana. And and I signed up for that one and and you know, and then and then COVID hit, and and so they put off the races for close to two years. But I one of the things that I was missing during that time, I was still exercising. I have what I felt was the right discipline with my exercise. I didn't have the right focus. And I was a wrestler all through school. I'm in the middle of my 22nd year consecutive coaching high school wrestling now. Um and love everything about that. And I and I kind of related back to that when I know there's a tournament on Saturday, I've got to work at this level, I've got to eat at this level, and I've got to do this to prepare for that tournament. So I went ahead and signed up for another one because I wanted to, I wanted that that goal, I wanted that thing to strive for, that finish line, and created that process. I'm preparing for this race, went and did the first race. And all of a sudden I found myself two weeks after the race, three weeks after the race, four, five, six, seven weeks. Nothing changed in my training. And I had, I didn't have anything else coming. And that's that real realization of falling in love with that process. And and that's where, you know, in my early 40s, it really hit me that that it's not about motivation, it's not about a goal, it's about that discipline. And and truly, you know, repeating the phrase, I fell in love with the process of training for these races. And so whether I have one or not scheduled, which now I kind of always do, I I'm always training for them. And and so whether that's you know, I had there's been a couple of of articles, even our local Anytime Fitness put a an article after my beast a couple months ago, you know, with speaking, saying words like an Scotty's an inspiration to them. And I'm like, what a blessing that is to read that, you know, that that unbeknownst to me, to people, that kind of information. I mean, I'm I'm pushing 50, I'm a grandpa of six, and next weekend I'm about to do my fifth Spartan this year. And and I should surpass 500 workouts at anytime fitness this year.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00:

It's I used that word obsessed a while ago. So I uh I fell in love with that process, and and it's not, you know, I use that term winning. And and when people ask me, how are you that motivated all the time to work on these? Well, I'm not. This morning in northern Indiana, it's minus one degrees, and it's oh bless your heart, man. 4 55 in the morning, and I'm getting ready to walk into this anytime fitness. The motive motivation level at that moment in my life wasn't fantastic, but I'm gonna do it. It's arm day. I'm gonna hit it. And and so I'm in there hitting it, and and it's that discipline. And so when when I I I do a lot of coaching on the side is a side hustle, I call it. And one of the things that I tell people when when they come to me for fitness advice, when it comes to the disciplines of working out, you win when it goes from if to when, oh yeah, if I'll work out today or when I'm going to work out today. And I really encourage people to get to that when not if moment for them. Because once they get to that, and and so now it's that way for me with Spartan races. It's not if I'm gonna do another one, it's when's your next one. People just randomly approach me throughout, you know, whether it's at work or at the gym or wherever we're at. Hey, when's your next one? Because they know that I have an answer for that. And so, you know, it's uh it's really exciting. And the Spartan races have pushed me into places that I that I never thought I'd get to. And and one of my favorite, you know, concepts is coaching people out of that word can't. And and you and I and nine million other people, that's what they coach people on is don't use the word can't. And it's about cliche as it gets, really. I mean, let's be honest. And you know, working on the concept of can if that's a big thing for us here where I work. And I used to say, I won't do the beast, I can't do it. I can't. You know, I I was running Spartan sprints, you know, at a body weight of around 280, you know, with with with a 450 plus bench press. I can't do a beast. That's 14 miles. And I've even said this lame phrase that painted my own self in a box. God made me to push stuff. Look at the way I'm built. God made me to push stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

She rationalized and used him to rationalize. Come on, man. You know better than that. We've even using the good Lord to rationalize.

SPEAKER_00:

And I had, you know, we all have these light bulb moments of these epiphanies. I was down in Florida doing a race, and I just so happened to sign up for a Saturday morning sprint. Simultaneously, some folks were doing beast. And at that moment, I saw people older than me. I saw people in less physical shape, worse physical condition than me. They crossed the finish line and got the green medal. I'm like, wait a minute, where's this camp coming from? And and I started in the January 1st of 225. I'm going to work on some calories. I'm going to work on my body weight. I'm going to hit those pull-ups before late spring. I dropped 40 pounds and was able to run a full 5k. And man, I hit that beast and and and I but I first hit a super down over in Cleveland.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And was able to run the entire race. There jogged the entire race. I'm like, holy cow, I'm going to do a beast and signed up for that thing. And man, it was one of the greatest experiences. I I I put my first personal post on LinkedIn when I did that. I've never done it. I'm super active on LinkedIn, but never posted anything personal. But I have to put that on there because I'm not afraid to admit it. You know, I had a shirt on that Philippians 4 13 and had a big dumbbell on it. Not my strength, but his. And my wife's got a picture of me crossing the finish line, you know, pointing up and and again being willing to be a little bit vulnerable. I crossed that finish line and I grabbed my wife, I laid my head on my shoulder and I went to tears. I mean, that that woman's stronger than me. My wife is stronger than anything I've been able to accomplish. And the way she supports me is beyond any anything that I could ever comprehend. But it was such an emotional moment. And I know you've recently felt that the emotion of accomplishing something that for so many years I absolutely use the word can't. Man, what a feeling. It is what a feeling. And can't wait to talk about my goals for Nith for 26, even.

SPEAKER_01:

So are you tired of being tired? I know I was. That's when I was glad to find own it coaching. Now my resting heart rate's down 20%. Sleep quality up 300%. You know, I just ran my first Spartan rage at age 56. I feel better than I ever have. So if you're ready to stop settling and start owning your own health, go to coachjohngallagher.com forward slash own it and set up a free call with the ownit coaching team. That's coachjohngallagher.com forward slash own it. Now let's get back to the episode. I can't wait to talk with you about them as well because I mean I had I have not signed up for one in 2026. Our group has been talking about like, what do we do next? Are we going to do something different? I kind of healed my body up a little bit uh after the the beast was completed. Uh but I I just I love this moving from if to when. Like I really think that's a a great statement from a mindset standpoint. I often talk about, you know, even in exercise, you mentioned 455 in the morning, that motivation wanes. Uh, and it's that word inspiration that people are starting to say you're an inspiration to them. And there's no doubt you're inspiration to the people that are listening on this podcast. But it's, you know, I hate doing the work. I love having done it. You mentioned loving the process. It's not about loving the reps because they're hard as heck. I mean, we know that. There's something, but it's the when you're done and that feeling you said, that crossing the finish line and raising your hand up to the one who made it possible for you, and ultimately the emotion that just runs through you to say, you know, that that is something that tells you I can do all things, but it takes him to help me. But I can do hard things as well as a leader. And how can you expect someone else on your team to grow or in your family to grow or in your friend circle to grow if you are constantly saying, I can't do that? I mean, it's just it's something that is really powerful. I'm proud of you, Scotty, for what you have done there to get ready and to push through that mindset. The one that I've heard recently in a book that I read by a former Marine, Dr. Jill Shulman, on the bravery effect. She talks about you can say you haven't done it, but then there's the three dots yet. It's like adding just adding yet to the end of that can be really powerful. It's like I haven't done it yet. And that's something that you can shoot for and make that happen. So to hear, I'm looking forward to hearing what might be possible for you in 2026. And shoot, we ought to sit here today. I made that proclamation with her when she was on my podcast that I was gonna run my first stad on as well, which was a week before the beast, which was a lot of fun. But we ought to run one together. Let's run one together in 2026. Let's find a place and and run one together. So let's just make that proclamation right now, okay?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Deal. Gosh, my wife's gonna kill me. But I said it now. I said it on the podcast. It's in writing. You in? I'm in. Let's do it. All right, let's figure it out. You're going to Florida. You're driving or you're flying the floor, whatever it is. You're taking your boss with you. I ain't ready for Florida this weekend, although you're definitely going to be warmer than minus one or minus two down in Florida. Scotty, look, so two new pants. And now we're through this phase of, you know, there's many different areas of life. The greatest story ever told talks about being successful, not at work, but and in life as well. So you've got kind of this career, this bearing fruit, this vocation that's going really well. You've made tremendous strides in the past two and a half years with regards to your fitness and what you're doing to achieve hard things inside of that space. Let's talk about family because you sneak something in there, two years old, six grandchildren. That's changed for you in the last couple of years as well in terms of growth. How have you found a way to, and I don't want to say balance, but how have you found a way to manage your priorities in such a way that you can take care of your work, you can take care of yourself in a fitness standpoint. You're doing this work with Big Ten Wrestling, your high school wrestling coach. Oh, by the way, you have a family and six grandchildren. How's that impacted you?

SPEAKER_00:

It definitely, it is a balancing act might be an understatement, but but I always, you know, I have to give so much credit. And I did last time, you know, to my wife, she's the rock of this family. And I'm, you know, okay, I'll take it. I'm in that patriarch role. I am. You know, the family really truly looks to me for that guidance and leadership. And, you know, my kids really are super blessed. My kids are all grown. They're 20, uh, 24 to 28, are my kids' age. And they're all working adults and a couple married and you know, uh owning homes. And I couldn't be more proud of my children. They're all doing really well. And but my wife is that glue that holds it all together. She keeps me balanced, keeps me aligned, and and I use that term, that she's stronger than me. And I couldn't facilitate it all without her. So she will make it possible that I'm around those grandbabies, and she'll call me and say, Hey, we're we're gonna have dinner with one of the kids tonight. And she really does kind of hold that. And I'll and bless her heart, I'll come home and and I'm in the mood that sometimes you get into being COO of a company, you know, standing boss, and and and she just she fixes me. And it's been a really it's a really powerful thing. And I couldn't do it without her. I couldn't. Having the stability at home, having somebody to handle the home and handle things, and knowing, you know, uh, I my oldest daughter just had twins uh three weeks ago. And at 6 30 this morning, with that temperature I just mentioned, my wife's jumps in her SUV with her Grammy lysin plate on the back, and she's headed over there at 6 30 this morning to help my daughter with her two sets of twins that she's gonna be.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness, two sets of twins.

SPEAKER_00:

Two sets of twins. And so, you know, she's like I said, she really is a rock that holds that family together. But I'm so blessed. You know, I've got a three and a half-year-old grandson, and he thinks Papa is just one notch above Superman. So I have uh I have a some things that I build at my house. I have a large barn, and I can do 12 Spartan obstacles in my barn. Oh my goodness. Yeah, and so I built some things in my barn. I have, you know, monkey bars and I have the bender obstacle that you just did in the beast. I built in my barn. I have I have the multi-rig rope. I mean, I have lots of things in my barn, six foot wall. Uh and my three and a half-year-old grandson, he will tell people that his papa has big muscles. And we will go in that arena, and part of my training is he'll point to one, and then I gotta go do that. Okay. And so I'm I'm pretty excited to get him in a in a couple of years, maybe into one of those Spartan kids. But yeah, he's his little sister, you know, it's Stevie Grace. What a what a beautiful name. She's a jewel. And then I've got the four twins, and I'm so blessed, so blessed to have these babies. And my kids, like I said, are doing super well.

SPEAKER_01:

And I I love how you drive a stake in the ground ultimately to say it is your spouse, that partner that you have. And she basically says, um, here's where we're going to be today. And it's not like you get really a chance to ask a question. Uh, you're trusting, again, even from a leadership perspective, whether it's a spouse or whether it's a tremendous assistant. I had this conversation with a leader yesterday, you know, that who can own, help you own and protect your schedule, protect your time like no one else can. Like you can, cannot do that on your own. Look, I I know that you and I have some similar tendencies in that we don't like to say no to people. And so if they ask us directly, for me, if I own that, if I somebody asks me directly to do something, it's gonna be very difficult for me to say no. It's just a tendency that I have to always want to please and help other people. But if they yeah, help, right? That's the key word is help. That's a bad word when it comes to some of that time. And, you know, recognize that now I even have a virtual assistant myself that says, we're gonna push that reschedule over to my virtual assistant to help because she's gonna protect my schedule and keep me out of the muck of saying yes too many times. Because anytime you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. We know that, and that's one of the things that I've learned before. And in your case with six grandchildren, coaching high school, tremendous job as a COO, all those things, you've got to learn to say no to things, or it just will not be possible. And look, I mean, it brings us to the fourth thing as we kind of go through our time here that I wanted to talk about today, is that, and this is not something that's been new to you in the past two and a half years, but your faith has always been important to you on this journey. But ultimately, what's the discipline still that you could share with uh the listeners of the podcast of what you do to help ensure that you keep God in the front first for you and the disciplines that you have to make sure that occurs as well?

SPEAKER_00:

The the thing I love about leading by faith is an honor for me is when I know that people trust me. That's very important. I want people to be able to trust me as their leader. People cannot or will not follow a leader that they don't trust. And living a life of integrity is a big start of earning trust. I've got a sign on my desk that says integrity means doing the right thing even when nobody's looking. And that's my favorite definition of integrity, you know. And there's lots of great definitions, but that's my favorite. And and I love that people know that they can trust me. They know that I'm gonna be honest, you know. I the Christian, Christ-like, you know, that definition. People, four years I've worked in this office and they know that I'm not gonna say a cuss word. And that's you know, that's just the lifestyle that I want to live. And it it always makes me feel good inside when I see people potentially behaving a little differently around me because they see the type of person that I am. And sometimes I it's such a silly concept, but that concept of osmosis, maybe almost you've talked about that, you know, the law of the inner circle. There we go. Back to the loss. You're as good as the people around you and the people you surround yourself with. And I love that magnetic tendency that when there's a leader you trust, a people, a leader that's inspiring, people gravitate to that leader. It's a magnetic tendency. And I love that. My wife has said a lot of where wherever we go, you're gonna either be at the front of the room or the center of the room, one or the other, wherever we go. That magnetic tendency that I have, and I think faith's a big part of that. It's you know, it's that positive, you know, outlook that I have, maybe that energy, if you will. And just being honest, being trustworthy, I think that's a big part of leading by faith. You know, I Rick Warren has that book, Purpose Driven Life, and I've read that multiple times as a spiritual gut check. And so what on earth are we here for? And I do have a core belief because of my faith that one of my gifts that God's given me is the ability to guide, lead, influence, motivate people, and really help people. My favorite definition of coach is to help someone get to a place they might not have gotten to on their own. That's my favorite definition of a coach. And again, I use that as a God-given gift, the ability to do that. And one of the things Mr. Warren talks about in that book is when God wants us to give back, it's not always that he wants us to get our wallet out on Sunday morning. That's not the whole concept of giving back. It's what gifts are we given? Some people are given a musical gift, some people are given a vocal gift, some people are given, you know, a supporting gift. We all need those people in the church that support and things. We all have gifts, and how can we give those back? And if I can take a 16-year-old on the wrestling team and help him become a better young man, whether it's by faith or just by living a life of integrity, or, you know, if I can help, you know, a person that wants to get their health in check, and I can help them, you know, live a more fulfilling life because they're a healthier grandpa, you know, in 10 years based on some health advice I give them, or I inspired them in the gym. You know, people approach me and then hey, can you help me on this? And that's really what my faith has done for me, whether it be professionally, personally, you know, athletically, it's helping me understand that I have those gifts and I need to share them with people.

SPEAKER_01:

Love that. And I as you say that, you know, it's kingdom impact uh as you start to talk about that. And it is scriptural as well as you go through that journey. It's something that I have used as a barometer or as an assessment of such. It's 1 Peter 4, 8 through 10. He talks about three criteria really that we're called to as leaders. Uh, the first of them being how much love do we show for others? The second one is how much hospitality do we show with regards to our treatment. And the third one that you just touched on is have we used the gifts that we've been given? Not just the financial, as you talk about, have we used the gifts that we've been given to make an impact for others and frankly to make an impact for him? Because we were called, the the uh Great Commission is very simple. We were called to make disciples of all nations, not kind of keep it in our family or something like that. And so if we can use that metric, uh, love, hospitality, and utilizing our gifts, I think as leaders, we can't go wrong. And I'm so proud, really, Scotty, of how you've used that over your career. Let's bring it on the bottom shelf for those who are new in this. They may be in a role that are listening that you were in 20 years ago. What's and it's gonna be unfair, what's one piece of advice for you that you would give them today to get started, to give them the hope, you know, some years from now, they could continue to grow the way you've grown over the last 20 years.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I wouldn't call it unfair, but that's a good one. Man, there's lots, lots and lots of advice. Just the integrity side of it's huge. You know, being honest, having integrity, you know, I I have to say, if you make me pick one gun to head, it has to be don't paint yourself in that can't box. That has to be it. I mean, I want to throw out integrity, I want to throw out you know, having difficult conversations, being willing, but but I it has to be don't paint yourself in that can't box because real growth, real growth happens out of the comfort zone where it happens, whether that be faith, whether that be professional, whether that be this beast that you and I, that endeavor we were just on, real growth happens in that comfort zone. I would have never felt that emotion that I felt hugging my wife at the finish line of the beast, or you know, or the excitement of being a COO. Because admittedly, that surpassed the career goals that I set for myself at 19 years old. But never been able to feel that rush of the accomplishment and and what do I get to do now in this role if I would have painted myself in that can't box.

SPEAKER_01:

Love that. I think that is great. That's I mean, and believe me, folks, that's a great piece of advice. That when you hear yourself saying, whether it's in your mind or you actually uh proclaim it out loud that I can't do something, check yourself right there from an awareness standpoint and change that around, that it moves from an if or a can't uh to a when I do these things. Absolutely, and having that positive mindset. I love that, Scotty. Hey, what's up? Two and a half years from now, we're gonna do this again because this one's gonna double the downloads and make all that stuff up. What are we gonna talk about two and a half years from now? Where are you gonna be then? What are you gonna be doing?

SPEAKER_00:

So, what I'm gonna be doing two and a half years from now, awesome question. So it this position that I'm in now has given me a unique perspective. So for 25, nearly 30 years of working, you know, in ops leadership, which is the only thing I've ever done, I've always been looking for what's that next growth opportunity, what's that next promotion? And I'm for the first time really in my professional life, the position I have now, I'm not looking at what's next. Love that. What I'm working on now is how am I gonna be a better leader tomorrow than I am today? Not because there's a line to gain, because that's what I want for me, and that's what I want for the people that work with me, for me, and above me is what's the next thing that I want to learn or that I want to perfect and get better at. So two and a half years from now, I've got stronger leaders under me. Two and a half years from now, two levels down from them. You know, I the two of the directors that report to me now, you know, goals for them is I told a guy the other day, make me another Corey in 2026.

SPEAKER_01:

There you go.

SPEAKER_00:

That's what I want for you. And the thing for me is getting the next level folks below me to understand that law of multiplication that really to grow, you have to grow leaders and not grow your followers. And so that's professionally wise, that's the next thing for me. And you know, then I kind of have some crazy athletic goals or Spartan goals in 26. So Okay. All right. You ready to proclaim those or not?

SPEAKER_01:

Another trifecta?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm ready. I'm gonna hit two of them. All right, two trifectas, two trifectas next year, brother.

SPEAKER_01:

That is some good stuff. That is some bold proclamation right there. You heard it here, folks. First, I don't know if he shared that with anybody else yet, but you heard Scotty coming out with two trifectas. That's gonna be pretty awesome. So I can't wait to see those trophies. Absolutely. There's a special I really love the so I love that specific goal from a fitness standpoint, and I think that can be a fun journey for you. But I love the uh Essence behind what you're talking about, growing other leaders. I mean, that's the spirit behind uh how growing champions was created. That we grow champions, we are champions who grow other champions, and ultimately we're growing those champions to make a bigger kingdom impact. And I know that you see that as well in your work, Scotty. Again, I'm excited. I'm glad that I get a chance to watch and observe that journey from a certain uh standpoint, whether that's on LinkedIn or through our conversations that we have. But I'm looking forward to doing this again, maybe a little bit shorter time period. We don't have to wait two and a half years, but doing this again about what that means. I wish you the best in your fitness goals. I wish you the best in you and your wife and your family and your relationship with God. And certainly as an uncommon leader, I appreciate you sharing with the listeners of the podcast today. I wish you the best. Okay, Scotty.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you very much, sir. Great talking to you.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Hey folks, listen. Yeah, they will get that race on the calendar. Before we uh get through this end of this year, we're gonna have it on the calendar. Here's what I want you folks to do that are listening. If you made it this far, you obviously have heard something that's made an impact on you, whether it's the journey you're on as a leader or whether it's someone else you want to impact on that journey. I would encourage you to share this podcast with them. Let them hear that message. That's how we get Scotty to be the number one in downloads, is that you share it and get it into the hands or ears of many other listeners that need to hear this message. I also would encourage you to follow Scotty on social media and see what his Trifecta journey is going to be like, as well as his leadership growth journey that he's going to be sharing more of. I certainly hope that you'll leave a review on this episode. Again, those reviews help us to get it in the hands of so many other people. So until next time, go and grow champions.

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