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What if your biggest leadership mistake wasn't the decisions you made, but the mental model you were carrying when you made them?

Leadership coach Kurt Bush started out believing leaders had to have all the answers. Spoiler: it nearly cost him the room. What he discovered instead, through mentorship, a pandemic, and a lot of curiosity, reshaped how he shows up in every room, every conversation, every crisis.

In this episode, Lauri and Kurt dive into one of the clearest lessons to come out of high-pressure seasons like the pandemic: how we do things matters more than what we do. From pastoring in 2020 to leading volunteer teams and cultures, Kurt shares why he aims to be the least anxious presence in the room and how curiosity supports that. They explore curiosity as a leadership skill, and why being present is often the first step toward better decisions, stronger relationships, and healthier conflict.

Plus, the brimstone butterfly, a ropes course story, a physicist around a fire pit, and why the best pastor in town might have 10 people in the pews.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The mental model you carry into leadership shapes everything, including whether people actually follow you.

2. Trying to hide that you don't have all the answers never works. People always know.

3. How we do things is even more important than what we do.

4. Curiosity and presence are linked: it's nearly impossible to be genuinely curious without being present at the same time.

5. Anxiety in leadership often comes from an outdated model: needing to be right, in control, having answers. Curiosity dissolves it.

6. "Do you want to say more about that?" is a question that creates space, buys processing time, and invites deeper thinking. 75% of the time, people work themselves to a more grounded place.

7. The room takes on the leader's personality. What energy are you bringing in?

8. A leader is simply someone with people following them — everything else works itself out from there.

9. The best leaders may be the quietest ones, leading closely with a few, not loudly with many.

Soul Sucker Quiz

Take the Soul Sucker Quiz to learn which Soul Sucker screams the loudest in your mind so you can release them from being in charge and set your voice free!

https://voice-matters.com/soul-sucker-quiz/

The Speaker Alter Ego Quiz

Take the Speaker Alter Ego quiz to find out which protective mask hides your natural radiance so you can learn how to get present, connect deeply, and share your vision when it matters most!

https://voice-matters.com/speaker-alter-ego-quiz/

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Thank you so much for listening!

Take the free Speaker Alter Ego Quiz to find out which protective mask is hiding your wild, untamed radiance.
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