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August 20th, 2018, is marked in my OneNote as the first podcast note. It’s got a list of equipment needed, links to articles, and possible interviews. At that point, we had nothing but an idea that Patrick and I had. In 2023, we have a business surrounding the podcast and over 140 episodes on most major platforms. That feels good.   I’ve been the podcast host for over 5 years. I’ve poured 100s of hours into it over those years. Initially, I booked the interviews, wrote the questions, interviewed the guests, and edited the audio. It was terrible. And wonderful.   Now, I do all that is the podcast minus editing (thank God for Nico!).   My point: this has been a major passion project for an extended period of time.   And I’m taking a step back in 2024. That feels weird.   There are moments when you have to practice something you know is true, and it’s pretty uncomfortable. This is one of those moments for me. I’ve never been here before.   And it’s the right move.   Here’s the deal: The Impact of Leadership Podcast has brought hundreds of listeners dozens of hours of valuable content. It’s a good thing.   But I have a better thing in front of me that needs my attention.   I’ve been chosen to take over the Marketing department at my full-time job with CCB Technology. (I’ll still be over the Sales team, too, folding in the Marketing department) This is a huge opportunity; I can’t have my time and attention divided. So, I had to make a choice. Saying no to this good thing to fulfill a better thing.   Melody Bernhardt has been the VP of Marketing for over 12 years and is retiring. She’s helped establish CCB Technology’s presence in our industry. The Marketing team has built momentum, and I need to keep that momentum going. (Olivia & Ashley, I promise I won't mess it all up...right away)   At this point, I can imagine you’re thinking something like “this is an easy decision, it’s a huge promotion so don’t mess it up.”   Love clouds clear decision-making. At least it does for me. I do this with my wife and kids all the time. Others can see areas where I need to tighten up how I’m parenting or caring for my wife. When you’re in it, you need perspective.   To gain perspective, I asked people that I trust what I should do.   I know, mind-blowing. It’s another “practice what you preach” moment. Each of the people I met with had insightful questions and advice. The feedback pointed to me pausing my involvement with The Impact of Leadership for 2024.   So, I’ll be wrapping up a few last podcasts, and this will be my last blog post for the next year.   I will fully focus on the transition into VP of Sales and Marketing in 2024. CCB Technology has been in business for over 30 years; there’s a lot riding on this going well.   And we know no one drifts into excellence—success won’t just happen.   IOL (Patrick) will push out social media posts and publish podcasts and blogs, so keep following us, giving feedback, and sharing your stories. You fuel IOL to keep going.   Thanks for the encouragement over these last several years; it’s meant more than you know.   If you think of me, pray that I don’t mess this up 😊.   Talk to you again soon, Steve

Producing one podcast for The Impact of Leadership takes about 5 hours (at a minimum).   Booking the interview, researching guests, creating an outline, doing the interview, recording the intro/outro, editing audio (Nico does this), editing headshots, uploading to WordPress...it all adds up. Then there’s the audiograms/social media kit.   We’ve published over 130 podcasts since January of 2019. That’s a lot of hours put in.   Patrick and I launched the IOL Community in September of 2021 to bring more value to more leaders.   All these efforts have been fueled by a passion to equip, connect and grow leaders while having fun.   And that is still the case.   But I need a break.     Unplug, Untangle In episode 114, Dr. Michalea O’Donnell told us we can’t do it all. She speaks directly to symptoms of burnout and uses an analogy of traveling with her kids.   “When we’re in the car, and my kids are trying to watch a show on their tablets, often their headphone cord gets all twisted up. And there’s not really a good way to sort it out unless you unplug and then untangle it. It’s the same with leaders.”   “First, you unplug. Then you untangle.”   Since recording her episode, that phrase has stuck with me over the last few months.   All of the mental space I had for creativity and brainstorming was occupied by thoughts of the next steps.   Plus, I have a full-time job with CCB Technology, where I lead a team of thirteen.   IOL is a startup with only two employees—me and Patrick. It’s not that easy to leave and get coverage.   So, what do you do? Keep running until you either have more help or die. For me, there was a third option.   Prep, Step Back, Rejoin Patrick saw it coming and said, “I’d rather have you take a break now and come back than burn out and walk away.”   Good leadership.     But how? I do everything for the podcast, minus editing. Every other week I publish a blog. Emails daily come in about guests for the podcast and new members.   “It FEELS like this thing we’ve built will come to a screeching halt if I step back.”   Not true. The house won’t fall if I go for a walk.     There’s a lot of prep work to take a step back, though. Here’s what we did. ·         We met multiple times about “who’s doing what and when.” ·         Dates were established for my break ·         I outlined every step for producing a podcast in case Patrick wants to jump in o   Roughly twenty steps, eight follow-along videos, and seven email attachments ·         All the necessary re-releases are uploaded and scheduled for publishing   Those four bullet points were about 20-25 hours of work. And the regular stuff still had to be completed.   It’s been worth it. Patrick has what he needs, and he knows I’m not disappearing.     The prep has been done. The step-back part is next. So that I can rejoin with renewed vision and energy.     You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have My encouragement to you as a leader is to step back and get some oxygen if you feel the fire shrinking.   You might have to get creative and also put in 2x the hours upfront to pause.   Not doing it will have worse ramifications than powering through.   If you have thoughts or questions about this blog, hit me up. I’m easy to find on LinkedIn.   I’d be happy to expand on my mental state, goals, things I was beginning to slip on...etc.   It might take a few weeks for me to get back to you, though 😊   NEED MORE?  Hire us to speak at your next event Check out our library of 125+ podcasts aid in your growth as a leader! Go to our YouTube and LinkedIn pages for more encouraging content.