The Executive Appeal with Alex D. Tremble

If you’re leading a $10M–$25M, multi-location, operations-heavy business, you’ve likely felt it: revenue slows down unless you step in and push.In this episode, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Lara Shackelford, CEO of Hawksmoor.ai, where she architects AI-driven go-to-market systems for enterprise and mid-market companies. With deep experience across Oracle, Microsoft, and high-growth environments, Lara breaks down why most teams fail to act on the signals right in front of them and how that creates hidden bottlenecks at the top.This conversation focuses on a core issue many operators face: a lack of proactive ownership across teams, leading to slow execution, misalignment, and too many decisions rolling back to the CEO.You’ll learn:How to get your leaders to own revenue, not just their functionWhy sales, marketing, and operations must act as one coordinated systemHow to use real-time signals to trigger action without waiting for directionWhat it takes to build teams that move faster without constant oversightHow better alignment reduces decision fatigue and execution delaysThis episode is for you if:You’re still the one pushing revenue forward every weekYour teams are smart, but not acting fast enough without youExecution across locations or departments feels unevenTake the free Executive Leadership Diagnostic here: https://gpsleadership.org/diagnostic/Listen now to learn how to build a business that moves without everything running through you.

If you’re leading a $10M–$25M, multi-location, operations-heavy business, you’ve likely seen it: your team aligns in the meeting… then decisions get questioned, reshaped, or quietly undermined afterward.In this episode, Alex Tremble sits down with Laurie J. Fitzmaurice, Independent Board Member and Consultant, who brings 30+ years of experience building and leading $7.5B+ in energy infrastructure projects across the U.S. and Latin America. She’s led companies, sat on 8 boards, and currently serves on the board of Saavi Energía, the largest private power generator in Mexico.This conversation gets real about trust breakdowns at the leadership level—and how CEOs unintentionally create them.You’ll learn:Why executive teams say “yes” in the room but disagree in the hallwayHow side conversations and small-group alignment quietly erode trustHow to force productive disagreement in the room, not after the factPractical ways to build transparency so decisions actually stickHow to structure communication so your team owns decisions without you re-stepping inThis is for you if:You feel like decisions don’t hold once the meeting endsYour leadership team is strong—but not fully alignedYou’re still the one reconciling conflicts and re-making decisionsThere’s more politics or hesitation than you’d like at the topThis episode will help you build the kind of trust that speeds up execution—and gets decisions to stick the first time.Listen now and share this with another operator who’s tired of carrying every decision.Take the free Executive Leadership Diagnostic here: www.gpsleadership.org/diagnostic

If you’re leading a $10M–$25M, multi-location, operations-heavy organization, you likely have a strong team but still feel like too many decisions come back to you.In this episode, Alex sits down with Suzanne Devenport, CEO of Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and lifelong advocate for rural and Indigenous communities. Suzanne has spent decades building organizations that bridge resources to underserved communities across 45 states and now leads a 275-person team serving 13 Western states.The conversation goes beyond nonprofit leadership and into a challenge every CEO faces: how your own leadership habits can quietly create bottlenecks and slow execution.Suzanne breaks down how even highly experienced leaders can unintentionally limit team ownership by trying to solve too many problems themselves, over-optimizing, or stepping in before their leaders have fully thought things through.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why seeing yourself as a steward, not just a CEO, changes how your team respondsHow “strategic optimism” helps you focus on what you can control without reacting to every challengeThe link between professional maturity and building trust in your leadership teamHow lessons from rural culture—and even rodeo life—can sharpen leadership and decision-makingWhy showing up authentically for your team and community accelerates impactThis is for you if:You still feel like the final decision-maker on too many issuesYour leaders bring problems, but not fully thought-out solutionsExecution slows down because everything routes back through youIf you want a team that thinks, owns, and executes without constant oversight, this episode will show you where to start.Take the free Executive Leadership Diagnostic here: www.gpsleadership.org/diagnostic

If you’re leading a $10M–$25M, multi-location, operations-heavy business, you likely have a strong team but still feel like too many decisions come back to you.In this episode, Alex sits down with Court Lorenzini, Founder & CEO of FounderNexus and a serial entrepreneur behind companies like DocuSign, who has raised over $300M and built multiple startups across decades.The conversation goes beyond startup success and into a problem every operator CEO faces: how your own leadership habits can quietly reduce ownership on your team.Court breaks down how even high-performing CEOs unintentionally limit proactivity by solving too quickly, optimizing too early, or stepping in before their leaders fully think things through.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why “being the smartest problem-solver in the room” reduces team ownershipHow to identify your leadership superpower and its hidden downsideA simple mental pause that increases team contribution and initiativeHow to structure roles around strengths to drive better executionWhy the right community accelerates better decisions (and reduces costly mistakes)This is for you if:You still feel like the final decision-maker on too many issuesYour leaders bring problems, but not fully thought-out solutionsExecution slows down because everything routes back through youIf you want a team that thinks, owns, and executes without constant oversight, this episode will show you where to start.Listen now and share this with another CEO who’s ready to step out of the bottleneck and build a team that runs faster without them.Take the free Executive Leadership Diagnostic here: www.gpsleadership.org/diagnostic

Strong communication isn’t about saying things clearly. It’s about being understood the way you intend.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Darrin Kayser, Executive Vice President at Edelman, the world’s largest communications firm. With over 30 years of experience across government, military, and global organizations, Darrin shares what most executives misunderstand about communication at the highest levels.Together, they unpack why communication failures, not capability, are often the root cause of misalignment, resistance, and slow execution inside executive teams.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why communication must be two way, not just top downHow empathy and listening build trust across stakeholdersWhy misalignment often comes from how messages are receivedHow to structure communication that actually drives actionWhy avoiding hard conversations creates bigger execution problemsThis episode is for you if:Your executive team is capable but not fully alignedConversations feel harder than they shouldYou’re still clarifying decisions after meetingsMiscommunication is slowing execution across your organizationIf you want to better understand where trust, proactivity, and productivity may be breaking down on your team, take the free executive leadership diagnostic at gpsleadership.org/diagnostic.Listen now to learn how strategic communication builds trust, reduces friction, and helps your executive team move faster without everything rolling up to you.Follow and share this episode with another senior leader working to align their team.

Scaling a company is rarely about doing more work yourself. It’s about building the right people, partnerships, and systems that allow the business to grow without everything depending on you.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, host Alex D. Tremble, founder of GPS Leadership Solutions, sits down with Stephen Hightower, Chairman and CEO of Hightower EV Solutions and President and CEO of Hightowers Petroleum Co. Stephen built his company from a small family business into a nationwide operation serving major enterprise customers across the United States.Together they explore what it really takes to scale a company over decades while navigating market shifts, supply chain challenges, and the pressure of leading at the top.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why great companies are built on high performing teams, not individual effortHow trusted industry relationships create scalable supply chainsWhy executives must learn to work on the business instead of inside itHow to build resilience when markets, economies, and industries shiftWhy leaders must continuously pursue new opportunities while protecting existing customersThis episode is for you if:You’re still the primary problem solver in your organizationGrowth feels limited by your own time and attentionYour team is capable but not fully owning outcomes yetYou want to scale your company without increasing your personal workloadListen now to learn how strong teams, trusted relationships, and strategic supply chains help executives build organizations that grow far beyond the leader.Follow and share this episode with another senior leader navigating the challenge of scaling their organization.

You can be clear. Logical. Strategic. Ethical.And still lose influence.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble, executive coach and founder of GPS Leadership Solutions, breaks down a hard truth for senior leaders: at the executive level, perception is the operating system of influence.In $50M to $750M organizations, leaders often believe communication is about clarity and authority. But if stakeholders do not trust your intent or misunderstand your positioning, execution slows, resistance rises, and decisions require more effort than they should.In this episode, you will learn:- Why perception, not intent, determines trust at the executive level- How misalignment quietly increases political friction- How to reduce resistance before major decisions- When to leverage allies instead of presenting ideas yourself- Why 360 perception awareness is critical to faster executionThis episode is for you if:- You are still the primary problem solver for your executive team- Conversations feel heavier than they should- Smart ideas face unnecessary resistance- You sense political tension but cannot pinpoint whyIf you want more trust, faster alignment, and fewer decisions rolling up to you, this episode will reshape how you approach executive communication.Listen now and share with another senior leader who values influence over noise.

Hard work doesn’t always lead to results. And for many executive leaders, that’s the real frustration.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Jim Iyoob, President of ETS Labs and Chief Revenue Officer at Etech Global Services. Jim shares how mentorship, servant leadership, and real execution—not just effort—are what truly develop high-performing teams.Starting his career as a call center agent and growing into a global executive, Jim explains how great leaders identify will over skill, invest in the right people, and create systems that drive behavior change at scale.You’ll learn:Why will and hunger matter more than raw skill in leadership developmentHow to mentor without overextending your time and energyThe importance of discovery before solving team problemsWhy effort and intelligence don’t automatically produce resultsHow servant leadership builds long-term loyalty and performanceThis episode is for you if:Your team is working hard but outcomes feel inconsistentYou’re mentoring leaders who say they want growth but don’t executeYou want to build a self-driven, accountable leadership pipelineYou’re scaling teams across cultures or global environmentsListen now to learn how disciplined mentorship and discovery create teams that execute, not just stay busy.

Senior executives face unprecedented challenges: AI-driven processes, multi-generational teams, and constant change can make leadership feel overwhelming.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Alejandra Castillo, Senior Fellow for Economic Development at Purdue University NW and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Alejandra shares her decades of leadership experience across three presidential administrations and explains how human-centered leadership drives alignment, innovation, and team performance.You’ll learn:- How to quiet your mind and lead with clarity under pressure- Strategies for aligning multi-generational, AI-impacted teams- Why empathy and human connection accelerate performance- How to empower your team without over-relying on technology- When to push forward and when to allow space for others to catch upThis episode is for you if:- You’re managing teams across generations or tech disruption- Your team struggles with alignment or communication- You want to maintain humanity in an AI-influenced workplace- You want to drive results while reducing burnout and frictionListen now to discover how human leadership is your most powerful strategic advantage.

Senior executives don’t struggle because they lack intelligence. They struggle because growth still depends too heavily on them.In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Jason Monczka, Head Honcho, Jr. (Rainmaker) at Pomeroy Group. Jason has built a career around long-term, trust-driven relationship building that has generated hundreds of millions in opportunity flow without transactional networking.Together, they unpack what real trust looks like in business and why most executives misunderstand networking entirely.You’ll learn:Why trust is built over time, not through short term tacticsHow intentional relationship building creates predictable revenueThe difference between fishing in the right pond versus wasting effortHow empowering others reduces decision load at the topWhy embracing struggle builds credibility and long term leverageThis episode is for you if:You feel like deals still rely on your personal effort Your network feels wide but not deep Opportunities seem inconsistent You want growth without adding more to your calendarListen now to learn how trust, built intentionally over time, becomes your greatest strategic advantage.Follow and share with another senior leader who’s tired of chasing growth alone.