Sheer Clarity - podcast cover

Sheer Clarity

J. Kevin McHughsheerclarity.com
The podcast that helps you become a more confident, thoughtful, and successful leader. In under 30 minutes each week, you’ll get access to more than 25 years worth of conversations and coaching that have been shared with thousands of CEO’s in management retreats, small group sessions, intimate coaching engagements and more. This show will help you find your intersection of business acumen focused on results, self-awareness in the secular setting, and spiritual awakening for your meaning and purpose in this world. Many super-smart and, successful people wield power over others but struggle to eliminate the self-sabotaging behaviors which cause a loss of reputation and influence. So whether you think you’ve been on top of your game for 30+ years, or you’re just starting the long journey to get ahead, Kevin will guide you to be a more confident, thoughtful leader. These powerful stories and institutional experiences will help you get woke, with a healthy mix of emotional intelligence and experiential learning like drum beating, dancing, sweat lodges, and smudging ceremonies, but without the mess, extra noise, or boring corporate training models. These stories will help you connect with yourself and tap into the best you have to offer in order to excel.
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Episodes

Releasing Your Past and Leading with Love with Teresa Lindsey

Dealing with things that have happened in your past is not always easy, and the process is often viewed as weak. But what if, instead of toughening up, we chose to soften, sit with what we felt, and carry forward what serves us? Then, rather than being weighed down and shamed by our pasts, we know our heart story and can begin to more clearly see what is in other people’s hearts too. Today’s guest, Teresa Lindsey, CEO of Channel Products, a gas ignition components company, joins us to share her ...

May 27, 202150 minEp. 56

Diversity and Inclusion Part 3: The Power of Learning the Biggest Story

In the final part of our series on diversity and inclusion, we talk about the power of learning the biggest story of all: the story of humankind. While this might feel overwhelming, it is so important to understand who you are in a broader context because we do not exist in isolation. With more divisiveness than ever before, we need to open up our hearts and view the world with empathy and compassion in order to truly understand one another. In this episode, we hear about worldviews, how we cons...

May 20, 202126 minEp. 55

Diversity and Inclusion Part 2: The Power of Learning Another Person’s Heart Story

Today on Sheer Clarity, we continue our three-part series on diversity and inclusion with part two. In the last episode, we discussed the power of learning your heart story, and today we continue this discussion by talking about the power of learning another person’s heart story. Instead of taking a big global approach or national approach to addressing the problem of divisiveness and hatred, we’re taking an inside-out approach by focusing on the human heart. Kevin suggests that when you know yo...

May 13, 202131 minEp. 54

Diversity and Inclusion Series Part 1: The Power of Learning Your Heart Story

There is no doubt that societies are more divided and polarized than ever before. So many of us are torn when it comes to dealing with these hate-filled, angry times. While there are so many institutional approaches to tackling issues of diversity and inclusion, today, Kevin wants to offer a different approach; that of learning your heart story. This is the first of a three-part series around diversity and inclusion. By taking a heart-led approach, you have to dig deep within. What is it that yo...

May 06, 202129 minEp. 53

Leading from a Place of Love with Walt Rakowich

Walt Rakowich is the former CEO of Prologis, a New York Stock Exchange company and a member of the S&P 500. He is now a member of the Board of Trustees, has made countless media appearances and is also the author of the book Transfluence: How to Lead with Transformative Influence in Today's Climates of Change. In this episode, Walt talks about his early years and the impact of growing up in a loving household. Having parents that were devoted to others instilled in him the value of true lead...

Apr 29, 202142 minEp. 52

The Layers of Leadership with Brian Hayward

Today’s conversation is all about the nuances of personhood and leadership, and we couldn’t have a better guest than Brian Hayward, a man with no shortage of beautiful inner complexities. Brian has lived a winding life filled with pivots, learnings, and success in business, and he recently wrote The Great Chair , in which he explores the secret sauce of authentic board governance. Our conversation begins with Brian sharing his life’s story where he highlights the light and dark sides of his upbr...

Apr 22, 202151 minEp. 51

The Central Role of Relationships for a Great Leader with Dale Dawson

There does not have to be a disparity between the calling of success in business, and a passion-driven, divinely inspired pursuit of meaning. These things can culminate by allowing a fulfilling career in the business to serve others and spread positivity and empowerment through the work. Dale Dawson joins us on the show today to share his story in business and non-governmental projects that have landed him as the Founder and CEO of Bridge2Rwanda, a powerful organization that is helping young Rwa...

Apr 15, 202145 minEp. 50

Communication, Risks, Kindness, and Persistence with Kim Riley, President at Hylant

Today’s guest is Kim Riley, President at Hylant, a full-service, family-owned insurance firm that stands out from the crowd. Kim is an outstanding leader, gifted speaker, and coach, and today we talk to her about the qualities that she manifests in herself to find the energy and deal with the responsibility of operating at such a high level. Our conversation kicks off with some information about Hylant and the challenges Kim is dealing with as a leader in this new remote working environment. She...

Apr 08, 202146 minEp. 49

Mark Scheinberg - Inspiring a values-based culture

Today’s guest is Mark Scheinberg, founder and president of Goodwin University. Mark is the first university founder to be on the show and a dear friend who I’ve known for over 20 years. No matter where we meet, one of the hallmarks of our friendship is that within two minutes, we're laughing at something. I couldn't be happier to have him here. As Peter Drucker put it, culture is “the way we do things around here.” At Goodwin University, their mission-centered culture doesn’t come from buzzwords...

Dec 17, 202042 minEp. 48

Chris Bello - The Millennial Leadership

Today’s episode is a little different than my recent interviews – we’re coming to you from the other side of the entrepreneurial journey. Where most of my previous guests have been around the halftime of their lives, Chris Bello is still in the first half of the game and looking to the future. I connected with Chris on his podcast and wanted to bring him onto my show so you could share in his insights and generosity. Chris Bello is a realtor, podcaster, and entrepreneur and at his young age is p...

Dec 03, 202049 minEp. 47

Gareth Vaughan - Building a Legacy with Humility (The Northeast Ohio Series)

Taking over the reins of a successful generational company as someone without the family name is a prospect most people would find daunting. Being responsible for carrying on that legacy could even be considered a burden. But that’s not the case for my guest today. For him, an obligation to the employees of the company, to the next generation of leadership, and the legacy of the Higley name is a responsibility he has happily taken on. Today we’re coming at you from right in my backyard in Northe...

Nov 19, 202042 minEp. 46

Mike Swiger - Developing Emotional Intelligence through Self-Reflection

Today’s interview is with a leader in a non-traditional category who I’ve known for years, Mike Swiger. Mike is the Executive Director of True Freedom Ministries, an evangelical, non-profit organization dedicated to reaching people locked in jails and prisons, the homeless, and those trapped in addiction across Ohio. While a student at Case Western Reserve University, Mike was convicted as an accomplice to a crime his older brother committed and ended up serving 17 years for involuntary manslaug...

Nov 12, 202039 minEp. 45

Keith Alper - Loving People and Loving What You Do

When we stop preening and performing, that’s when we open ourselves up to our people and the community around us and embrace the fact that a good leader is one who recognizes it’s not about them. If you’re still wondering what love has to do with leadership, this episode is for you. Keith Alper is the CEO and co-founder of CPG Agency and author of From Like to Love: Inspiring Emotional Commitment from Employees and Customers . With over 30 years of expertise in marketing, branding, business stra...

Oct 29, 202053 minEp. 44

Adversity Builds Strength

Today we visit with Rob Follows. Rob is the Chairman and CEO of STS Capital Partners. Rob helps people who are ready to sell their business, giving them the freedom to contribute their time, treasure and talent to make the world a better place. As leaders, we can create success from challenges in life. If we view adversity as a friend and teacher, there’s a potential for significant self-understanding. Listen as Rob shares his stories of adversity and the lessons he learned from it.He also expla...

Apr 08, 202045 minEp. 43

Putting Core Values Into Practice

Every organization has or should have core values in place. However, just writing them down and displaying them on a poster isn’t enough. The hard part comes in living them. Today, I’m talking with Buddy Teaster, CEO of Soles4Souls. Buddy talks about his organization, what they do and how their core values have been integral to Soles4Souls’ success. We go in depth about what it means as a leader to put your core values into practice and how that benefits not only your organization’s bottom line,...

Apr 01, 202054 minEp. 42

Unlocking Employee Potential with Ryan Niles of Niles Industrial Coatings and Niles Plant Services

In business, it’s important to not only make sure your executives, directors, and managers have the skills to lead, but it’s also crucial to help your employees unlock their own potential. Ryan Niles is the CEO of Niles Industrial Coatings and Niles Plant Services. It’s his purpose to help his employees be the best they can be in all facets of their lives. In this episode, Ryan opens up to Kevin McHugh about his moments of sheer clarity as a leader, the values and characteristics he believes hav...

Mar 25, 202039 minEp. 41

Investing in People with Annie Yoder of Rea & Associates

No matter how well trained and educated you are, it’s important to remember that who you are as a person can sometimes bring as much value to your team as your qualifications. This rings true for our guest on the show today, Annie Yoder, who is Director of Development at Rea & Associates, a 300+ employee accounting firm with a national footprint. Annie is a trained CPA, CFF, and CPE but significantly she does no accounting work at her firm, having rather moved into a position that is strictl...

Mar 18, 202041 minEp. 40

Liquidating Restaurant Equipment And Nurturing Relationships with Neal Sherman, Founder of TAGeX Brands

Neal Sherman is the Founder and President of TAGeX Brands, a company that liquidates restaurant equipment and other unused assets. Neal formed the company more than 30 years ago after seeing a lot of restaurant operators getting stuck without a paddle when it was time for them to shut down their businesses. Neal not only focuses on liquidation of assets but also the redeployment of assets and keeping equipment, furniture, and fixtures in the food industry out of landfills. He helps keep the worl...

Mar 11, 202050 minEp. 39

What Does "Leadership by Attraction" Mean?

Kevin McHugh is the President of JKM Management Development, a management consulting firm specializing in increasing organizational performance and coaching business leaders to develop emotional awareness, conflict resolution capabilities, and maximize executive effectiveness. Over the past twenty years, Kevin has traveled the world facilitating retreats and off-sites within North America, South Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe. McHugh has also served as an executive ...

Mar 04, 202020 minEp. 38

There Simply Is No Downside to Being Transparent and Owning Your Mistakes with Lisa Stein of Revolutions Inc.

Lisa Stein is the Founder and CEO of Revolutions Inc. She is a tech entrepreneur from Columbus, Ohio who previously worked in an industrial design firm and Cardinal Health. Lisa also founded a software company that was called ORIS Intelligence which was purchased in July last year by PriceSpider. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [01:19] Kevin McHugh introduces his guest, Lisa Stein [02:38] Lisa talks about her company, what she does, and what keeps her focused [06:09] Lisa reminisces on he...

Feb 26, 202047 minEp. 37

Why Leaders Must Move from Push to Pull Leadership

Toby LaVigne is the CEO of CleanMark Labels, a multinational label manufacturer headquartered in the pacific northwest. He and his team strive to live the word of God in everything they do in order to succeed not just as a business but to make prosperity possible for everyone involved. Toby feels a deep responsibility to help everyone he can in their hunt for purpose. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: [1:51] Kevin introduces his guest, Toby LaVigne [3:41] Toby talks about pursuing his passi...

Feb 19, 202043 minEp. 36

We Learn Best Through Painful Failure

Dave Maney is a national economic and financial writer and commentator. He's also the executive chair and co-founder of Deke Digital, a digital media company that combines their deep knowledge of industry segments and their understanding of the ever-changing media landscape. Deke Digital uses knowledge and experience of the complex world of digital marketing to create innovative and highly effective marketing programs and solutions. Dave has written a number of publications and columns for natio...

Feb 12, 202050 minEp. 35

Welcome to the Next Stage of Sheer Clarity

The Sheer Clarity podcast is getting ready to evolve. Moving forward, episodes of Sheer Clarity are going to feature interviews with business leaders from companies of every shape and size, sharing how they are putting their leadership skills and practices to use in the world. We'll talk about what they have learned as leaders by attraction, what mistakes they have made, and what lessons they want to sheer with you as you strive to become a leader by attraction. Look out for the first new interv...

Feb 05, 20204 min

Managing vs Leading

If I aspire to be in a leadership role, how can I get there? What should I do to get myself to be identified and placed in such a role? How do I communicate my ambitions and experiences when I’ve taken on leadership responsibilities but don’t have the title to show for it? If you find yourself asking these questions, this is the episode for you. As an ambitious high achiever, you have probably taken on more than your share of responsibilities at work. At first glance, the terms management and le...

Jan 29, 202027 minEp. 34

Compassion in Crisis

If someone who works for you is having serious challenges at home, do you believe that they would confide in you? Being compassionate towards your team is one thing but how do you handle a situation where you are the one who is going through personal issues? In becoming the consummate leader by attraction, compassion in crisis is one of the toughest lessons we have to learn. In previous episodes, we’ve spoken about the importance of creating a culture of caring and in difficult situations like t...

Jan 22, 202022 minEp. 33

No Time To Care

Picture this: You know how valuable it is for people to care about each other, so you organized a team-building retreat. The retreat is a success but within a few weeks of returning to work it all fades away and it’s back to the status quo. What happened? Most work environments are completely counter to this idea of peace, patience, and kindness. The incredibly fast-paced nature of the corporate world has us focused on productivity and performance metrics and in all likelihood, there is no time ...

Jan 15, 202023 minEp. 32

The Problem with Retreats

If you’re using retreats as a catch-all for everything you want to get done in your company, then this episode is for you. As leaders, we have to have a long-term focus but that same focus can cause us to skip over the essentials which need to be in place before strategic planning can happen. Without connection, your team is just a workgroup that is not equipped to adapt and succeed when plans go awry. To build that connection, team building should be your priority. To help with that I’m sharing...

Jan 08, 202031 minEp. 31

Top 5 Themes of Sheer Clarity in 2019

Happy New Year! Around this time of year you’re bound to be getting a lot of countdowns and “Best of” lists so we thought, let's join the party. Following the conventions, we’re giving you the top five themes of Sheer Clarity in 2019. As a bonus, we’re also sharing a sneak peek at how the show is going to evolve in 2020 and the exciting changes we have in store for you. In this episode, Mathew and I share the most popular themes from the show in 2019 and discuss our takeaways. We talk about how ...

Jan 01, 202042 minEp. 30

Opening the Listener Mailbag

Happy Holidays! Whatever it is that you celebrate at this time of year, as long as you do it with love and kindness, we hope that you are having a great celebration. In this season of gift-giving, we want to highlight the gifts we’ve received from you, our listeners and give you some things to think about as you're getting ready to start 2020 with a bang. In this episode, Mathew and I review your feedback and answer questions from our listener mailbag. We talk about being thankful for the gifts ...

Dec 25, 201928 minEp. 29

Managing Your Internal Head Space

In our last episode, we started to explore how our brains talk to us through our inner voices. Now we’re shifting gears and looking at the practical side of things and what you can do to manage your headspace as a leader. To be a super leader by attraction, you have to exhibit a level of calm and control that causes people to have confidence in you. And that outward expression of being present and engaged only comes from emotional intelligence developed through reflection and self-awareness. By ...

Dec 18, 201924 minEp. 28
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