EP 407: Transformation Takes Time: Build Leaders, Not Titles

What makes Charles Heasley with Blue Lion Leadership a good neighbor?

Promotions often catapult great performers into leadership without a playbook. We sit down with Charles Heasley, founder of Blue Lion Leadership and former police sergeant, to unpack how “managers by accident” can become leaders by design through empathy, structure, and consistent practice. Charles shares the blunt feedback that shifted his career trajectory, how mental health training reshaped the way he sees people, and why de-escalation skills learned in law enforcement translate directly into everyday team leadership.

We explore the myth that a single seminar can fix leadership gaps and instead walk through a five-month development framework built for real behavior change. Charles explains why he focuses on high-stakes industries like construction—where internal promotions are common and the cost of weak leadership shows up in safety incidents, rework, blown budgets, and low morale. You’ll hear practical strategies for coaching instead of commanding, setting expectations that stick, and building feedback loops that improve performance without burning people out.

At the heart of the conversation is a powerful reminder: leadership is a different job than the one that earned the promotion. Charles discusses balancing confidence with humility, using empathy to uncover root causes, and creating a culture where people feel safe to speak up. He also shares how faith anchors his decisions and why daily habits matter when the pressure is high. Whether you’re a newly promoted supervisor, a seasoned manager, or a business owner scaling a team, you’ll walk away with a clearer blueprint for leading with trust and clarity.

If this conversation resonated, follow and share the show, leave a quick review, and pass this episode along to a new leader who could use practical tools and encouragement.

To learn more about Blue Lion Leadership go to: https://www.bluelionleadership.com/

Blue Lion Leadership

214-923-0204

Transcript

Meet Charles Of Blue Lion Leadership

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yuve.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a leadership coach? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Charles Keasley, with Blue Lion Leadership. Charles, how are you today?

SPEAKER_02 0:28

I'm doing great. How are you, Sophia?

From Accidental Manager To Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:30

I am also doing great. Now we are excited today to learn all about you and your business. Please start off by telling our listeners just a little bit more about your business and your background.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Sure, yeah. So the business is a leadership development company. We really work with leaders at all levels, but one of the biggest pain points we see in a lot of organizations, people get promoted because they're good at their job. And there's not really a system in place that's developing them internally. And so there's a gap there. And what we refer to them as managers by accident, people who get into leadership positions uh just because they're good at their job or have seniority. And um, and yeah, so we turned managers by accident into leaders by design. And I got into this because I was a manager by accident. Uh I was in the police department, I promoted to sergeant, and I was young, only five years into my career, and I didn't really want this conversation to happen. But uh somebody told me, you know, Charles, people are afraid to work for you. And that kind of shocked me a little bit. Uh, I didn't really know what I was doing wrong. Uh, but I but at that point I really decided I'm gonna take this leadership thing seriously. And I I became a lifelong student of leadership, uh, enrolled in a master's degree for executive leadership. I'm now nearing the completion of my doctorate. And, you know, when I was in law enforcement, I I was a sergeant about 10 years, uh, I'm sorry, six years. And um, you know, it just kind of got to a point where I I saw a lot of the same issues happening over and over again within law enforcement, but also in the corporate sector, the corporate world, and and I thought, you know, maybe there's a a space for me to help people that were just like me who are new to this and they didn't really know what they were getting themselves into. Um, but there's so much on the line. So that's that's why I do what I do.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

So, Charles, with your background in law enforcement, how does that play a role in how you treat people today?

SPEAKER_02 2:53

Yeah, so uh when I was in law enforcement, I was probably about four years into it, I took this course called the Mental Health Peace Officer Course. Now, at the time it was a voluntary course, but I'll tell you it changed the way that I saw people. Um I I hate to admit it, but I used to be that guy who thought, oh, you're depressed, get over it. And and it really opened my eyes to a whole world of people are dealing with serious things that we don't necessarily understand. And so I became very passionate about it. And once I promoted to sergeant, I got involved in teaching it. Um, so I taught thousands and thousands of people how to recognize signs of mental illness and how to de-escalate, uh, still do some de-escalation work to this day. Uh, but it really gave me a great perspective on people, empathy, uh, trying to get deeper into what is causing some of these behaviors. You know, if somebody's angry, it's not necessarily personal. And let's get curious and figure out what's going on and slow things down. Maybe we can help them. But it was a transformational uh experience for me.

Beyond One-Off Workshops

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Most certainly. It definitely sounds like it. Now, jumping back into your industry today, being a leadership coach, what is the number one misconception you come across on the day-to-day?

SPEAKER_02 4:25

I think one of the biggest ones is that um leadership can be a one-time experience. Uh a lot of times, organizations will send people to a conference or bring in a speaker for a seminar, or they'll send them to a one-day workshop or whatever. That's not leadership transformation. True transformation takes time. And so while I do keynote speeches and while I do one-day workshops, what I really invest most of my time in is a five-month experience where I can take people through a series of workshops to really change behavior. But the number one myth is that transformation can happen in a one-time event.

Who He Serves And Why Construction

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Now, I would definitely agree with that one there. But getting deeper into your business. Now, marketing is the heart of every business. So, today, who are some of your most common customers or audience, any specific industries you work with? Let's get deeper into that and how you stay front and center in front of them.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Yeah, good question. Uh, worked with a lot of municipalities, state associations. Um, but I made the decision last year to focus my efforts on the private sector. And I talked about earlier the concept of managers by accident. Uh, I wanted to figure out what industries could I serve that high that promote people in those positions where a lot of risk is on the line, and we're talking about real financial risk. Uh so I was looking for what where can I make an even bigger impact? And so now I almost exclusively prospect in the construction industry. Uh I've got a program coming up, starting with uh Texo, the construction association, starting on Friday with them. Um, but any kind of industry that's service-based, that's growing. I also work with uh I still work a little bit with some municipalities, but mostly mostly targeting construction right now.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

So, Charles, you have a lot of great information to share with us today. Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast to extend your mission?

SPEAKER_02 6:58

Yeah, uh actually, I you can still find me. It's called the Leader Link Podcast, Leader Link all one word. Uh started it with my then business partner Josh. Uh, he's since become a senior pastor, doesn't have time for the podcast right now, and I've thought about resurrecting it. Uh I I want to get back into the podcast space, more specifically, the video podcast space. And so, yeah, I'm tempted.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Now, shifting gears back to your family and your business outside of work, what do you and your family like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 7:44

Yeah, so my wife is a uh is a wedding planner and she stays pretty busy with that. So we have to be really intentional about the time we spend together. You know, we like to go to nice restaurants, uh, we like to travel. Uh, but if I'm in town, my relaxation, you're either going to find me smoking a cigar or on the golf course or a combination thereof.

What True Leadership Requires

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Now, back to your business specifically. For our listeners today who may be in these leadership positions themselves, you know, what is the biggest thing you would like to take away from learning about your business and what it takes to be a true leader?

SPEAKER_02 8:37

Well, I think to be a true leader, you have to be a lifelong learner. You have to realize that even as competent as you were at whatever task that to led to that promotion, that's great. But leadership is a whole new game. You're not you're not doing the work anymore, you're leading the people doing the work. And it's a different skill set, and it's not one that we typically train for. So I would encourage you to uh really tap into your humility, your you know, ego is necessary in leadership to a certain extent. We have to be strong and and we have to uh make decisions, sometimes difficult decisions, but really checking that with empathy and humility and realizing that there's so much more to learn. And I would encourage you if if you're well, whether you use somebody like me or somebody else, uh there's there's a plethora of information out there. I would say just commit yourself to becoming a student of leadership and and finding some sort of program that that works for your agency or or your department or your uh organization or wherever you work, and realize that it is not a one-time event.

Faith As A Leadership North Star

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Amazing. And one other question for you today. It sounds like you are a faith-based man. So what scale do you put having faith and being a leader on being in the industry that you're in?

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Good question. Um you know whatever faith you you are, um I I think it's important to have a North Star. I personally am a follower of Christ and and and I am not ashamed of that. For me, when I was going through really difficult leadership challenges, it's easy to feel like you're alone sometimes. And even if you have peer leaders or people that you report to, sometimes as you as you grow through the ranks, you you you get to higher levels of the organization, it can feel lonely. And and so for me, having that guiding North Star was always critical. And I I have a uh a leadership handbook that was it's physic biblically based, it's it's basically a devotional, but I read every day. I it's from the book, and then it directs you to the Bible. We take that into our leadership, and so every morning before I start my day, I ground myself in the word. Uh, and and I don't know that I could do it without that.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Finally, Charles, where can our listeners go to learn more about blue lion leadership?

SPEAKER_02 11:56

So blue lionleadership.com is is the best way to go. Uh, we also just released our speaking website, charlesheasley.com, and then finding me should be pretty easy on LinkedIn or YouTube.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

Well, Charles, amen. And I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.