If you’ve ever wondered why good relationships quietly fade, this conversation will change how you lead, sell, and show up. We sit down with speaker and author Barb Betts to unpack a simple truth: relationships don’t fail overnight—they drift when we stop being intentional. Starting with the inner game, Barb reframes self-doubt and imposter syndrome as signs you’re stretching into growth, not proof that you’re a fraud. By 85, you’ll spend roughly 44 million minutes with yourself; the way you speak to you becomes the template for every other connection.

We move from mindset to method with Barb’s VVR factor: visibility, vulnerability, and relatability. Show up consistently, be human without oversharing, and find a real point of common ground. Then apply a Relationship Operating System that ranks your most important people, sets a contact cadence, and uses the five by five method—five genuine, no-ask messages to five people a day—to prevent drift. Barb shares a personal story of nearly losing a 24-year friendship and how simple, consistent touchpoints would have saved months of hurt.

• redefining self-doubt and imposter syndrome as growth signals
• VVR factor: visibility, vulnerability, relatability
• preventing drift with a relationship operating system
• five by five daily outreach method with no asks
• ranking relationships and setting contact frequency
• why everyone is in sales because sales is influence
• building trust accounts and making deposits before withdrawals
• making people feel known, not just counted
• where AI helps and where it can’t
• practical tools: CRM, sheets, top 100 list

Sales leaders will appreciate her broader frame: sales is influence, and everyone sells. The goal isn’t how many people you know; it’s how many feel known by you. That shift boosts referrals, deepens trust, and turns your name on someone’s phone into a call they can’t wait to answer. We also get practical about tools—CRMs, Google Sheets, even AI for drafting and organizing—while drawing a hard line where tech can’t replace a voice note, phone call, or handwritten card.

If you’re ready to stop relying on “let’s get together soon” and start building relationships before you need them, this episode offers a playbook you can use today. If it resonates, follow Barb, send those five messages, and tell us who you’re reconnecting with. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs this nudge, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Barb Betts:👇
➡️ 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 (primary): https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbbetts/
➡️ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞: https://www.youtube.com/@BarbBetts
➡️ 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://www.barbbetts.com/
➡️ 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: https://www.barbbetts.com/book-barb

Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.

Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)

Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

Connect with me

What if the missing piece in your leadership isn’t a new tactic but a new identity? Coach and author Quinn Harwood joins us to unpack the Power of You, a practical path for zillennial leaders who crave meaning, impact, and confidence that lasts. We dig into his coaching fable, Growth Time, where each stop on a life journey mirrors a growth zone leaders must face, from escaping Uville’s ego traps to choosing a weekly mindset that actually moves your mission.

Quinn doesn’t preach from the podium; he shares from the trenches. He opens up about the highs of pro basketball and the lows of losing a long-time role and walking through a painful divorce. Out of that life quake came structure, purpose, and a mantra he now coaches every week: mindset changes behavior. You’ll hear how Monday Movers, his free mindset ritual, helps leaders replace doom scrolling with deliberate focus, turn confidence into a practice, and show up for hard conversations with clarity and conviction.

We also explore how faith, service, and legacy shape uncommon leadership. Quinn carries his father’s charge—help others help others—into every chapter of his work, translating purpose into daily habits: early training sessions to prime the mind, simple commitments that stick, and consistent shots taken when the game gets tight. If you’re a mission-driven professional who wants more than metrics, this conversation offers a clear, doable roadmap to build real confidence, align ambition with values, and lead with impact.

Subscribe now, share this with a friend who needs Monday momentum, and leave a quick review so more mission movers can find the show. Then tell us: what mindset will you commit to this week?

🎁 Special Offer: Quinn is giving away signed/prayed-over books to the first 3 listeners who join his Monday Movers Mindset at mygrowthtime.com.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Quinn Harwood:👇
➡️ 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 (primary): https://www.linkedin.com/in/quinn-harwood-455517108/
➡️ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZE_USSrrHNVpIcpEqkScnQ
➡️ 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://coachqharwood.com/
➡️ 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Quinn-Harwood/author/B0F1G7BR2G?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.

Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)

Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

Connect with me

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/

Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.

Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)

Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

Connect with me