Happy Saturday morning!

I cannot believe we are turning the corner into the next six months of the year. The past month has been filled with incredible opportunities to serve faith-driven leaders, and I have spent many hours in the car visiting clients, friends, and building a deeper community of like-minded leaders.

I have been reflecting on my coaching journey from a part-time endeavor for six years to a full-time the last two years. I am grateful for every leader who has entrusted me to be their coach for a season. I realize the depth and breadth of the conversations I am having are incredible, with over 1500 hours in the coaching chair, I get a rare view inside organizations. Frequently, I will hear from leaders say something to this effect, "I sincerely do not know. You have insight into many other businesses, and I would love to know what they are doing."

From those conversations, I realize I have an unfair competitive advantage. Therefore, I am going to transfer coaching conversations into relevant insights for your leadership and share one with you per week.

Think of each newsletter as a free virtual coaching conversation that you can learn from and take action on. My clients pay thousands of dollars to spend time in deep strategic conversations, and now you can share in that wisdom.

Just like a coaching conversation, I will share:

• Calibration: The context of the challenge the leader is seeking clarity.
• Insight: The truth of what is happening inside the leader.
• Action: The reframe that creates momentum.

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Ready?

Let's get started.

I will start each session with a picture to ground you in a micro-gratitude moment. For example, what is a recent micro-gratitude you would share with me? The image below is from speaking to 100+ Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in Frisco. I am honored that I had lunch recently with Noel*, who helped me that day with a role-play scenario.

Calibrate: What happens when a "nice guy" leads?

You are the owner of a local business, and you recently returned from vacation, and to your surprise, the team was not performing at its highest standards. Your family was being served by your team, and your wife got frustrated and began doing the simple things in the business that would have only taken minutes for your team to notice. In that moment, you realized something needs to shift in your leadership.

Insight: “I’m tired of being the nice guy with my team.”

One thing I have noticed from my coaching conversations is how overachieving and high-performing Christian men tolerate this behavior in their lives. Men who run hard at work. Men who say yes to everything at church. And tolerate mediocrity in places in matters. Why? Because confessing the truth feels like a disconnection, and we lie to ourselves that it is easier to keep the peace the rock the boat at work or home. During our call together, he identified a team member whom he had been tolerating and knew he had to have a crucial conversation later in the week. Then he went on to say, "I'm tired of being the nice guy with my team." Your team my like you, but they do not respect you as you desired. This has led to mission drift and being an exhausted business owner on the inside.

Action: Learn to Receive

The owner was already developing a strong plan to meet with his team and own his lack of leadership. Yet, the tension of calling his team to higher standards was coming from a place of deep frustration, and as the coach, I was concerned that his team would pick up on his energy from a posture of self-serving versus self-emptying.

I invited the client into a posture of listening prayer. Through embracing the mind of Christ and the spirit of Christ and practicing deep contemplation, he was able to receive the Love that he needed first for himself and then for his team. "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" Psalm 104:5

Later that day, he called. He had made a bold move with his team member he was tolerating, and took action that same day. He moved from being anxious as the nice guy about this conversation to one with courage. Why? He was walking not as a nice guy, but in his true leadership identity that he received from the Father during our conversation together. He transitioned in one conversation from being liked to being respected.

In Your Corner: Apply to Your Business

1. Where are you showing up as the nice business owner?
2. What in your leadership are you tolerating?
3. Who do you need to have a crucial conversation with in July?
4. Where in your body does fear or anxiety hide?
5. Where are you showing up as a liked leader versus a respected leader?

In your next team meeting, take inventory of your leadership and notice if your body resists speaking up during crucial conversations.

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Be Strong, Lantz Howard

PS. Do you want to overcome the nice guy and most past your fears? I am doing a strategic reset with three leaders in July. We will meet in person for 3-4 hours and unlock your current business challenge, untangle the emotions, and get clarity on what is most important, and you will have transformational accountability for 90 days.

Do you want one of the sessions to have more peace and freedom in your business? Imagine the rest of the summer with your family being focused and present with those you love, with clear goals on how to scale your business without sacrificing your marriage. Use the contact form to get started or send me a text at 972-658-4936

This is what one leader said after our most recent strategic reset in Dallas, "Really enjoyed yesterday...I am excited to see where this journey takes me, my marriage, and my walk with the Lord."

Ready for your next growth phase? Let's talk. Talk to Lantz ​ Did a friend share this with you? Subscribe to get Lead Wholeheartedly directly to your email every week. ​ Get Lead Wholeheatedly Follow the Whole Hearted Leadership podcast on Apple or Spotify and follow Lantz on LinkedIn or Instagram. ​​​​