What does it take to be the kind of leader people want to follow—not just today, but over the long haul?

In this episode of The Leader Formula, we sit down with Ken Eslick—Tony Robbins trainer, executive recruiter, and host of The Leaders Lab Podcast. With decades of experience building and leading teams, Ken shares powerful, hard-won insights on identity, emotional intelligence, and the deeper work of leadership.

Whether you're running a business, leading a team, or just trying to lead yourself more effectively, this episode is packed with truth, challenge, and encouragement.

🎙️ About Ken Eslick: Ken is the Founder of The Leaders Lab, a C-Suite recruiting firm and podcast. He’s placed over 500 executives, led teams of 1000+, and helps leaders build organizations that last. He’s also a Tony Robbins trainer and a passionate advocate for values-driven leadership.

🧭 In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why your identity determines your leadership impact
• The mindset shift that changed everything for Ken
• How to know when to let go of a team member—and how ego gets in the way
• The cost of mediocre employees and the danger of hovering in the middle
• Why ownership can’t be demanded—it must be earned
• Using values as a leadership filter and decision-making compass
• How to turn your team’s personal goals into leadership leverage
• What it means to lead with humility without losing confidence
• How leaders go first—especially in hard conversations and crises

If this episode speaks to you, please leave a rating or review—and share it with a leader who needs to hear it.

Your business may reflect who you are—but it should never define your worth.

In this episode, Chris and Steve explore the connection between identity and leadership, and how doing the deep work of knowing yourself leads to healthier business decisions, stronger team culture, and a more sustainable approach to growth. From personality assessments and time audits to core values and the infamous “bag of mail,” this episode is full of stories, laughs, and practical tools to help you build a business that flows from your strengths—not your stress.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Why your identity should inform your business, not be entangled with it
• How to clarify your strengths and build around them
• What to do with the parts of your business that drain you
• The value of time audits, personality frameworks, and value pyramids
• Real-life examples of how identity drives culture, hiring, and boundaries

Takeaways:

• Self-awareness isn’t optional for leaders—it’s foundational
• You can’t delegate identity, but you can design around your strengths
• Clarity on values and energy helps prevent burnout and poor hires

Summary: In this powerful opening episode, Chris and Steve tackle a question every leader eventually faces: Who am I—apart from what I do? Drawing from personal stories, spiritual insights, and practical tools like the Enneagram, they explore how identity—not title or performance—shapes your leadership, your relationships, and your business outcomes. You’ll hear about the dangers of leading from ego, the healing that comes with authenticity, and how to begin discovering your core identity as a leader.

If you’ve ever felt like your business is running you—or you’re stuck performing a version of yourself just to survive—this conversation is for you.

⏱️ Time-Stamped Highlights (Top 7)

• [01:20] – Chris shares his identity journey and how authenticity as an Enneagram 4 has shaped his leadership
• [04:55] – Why identity matters more than performance—and how ego distorts leadership
• [06:30] – The “hands behind your back” visual: What unconscious leadership looks like and why it’s dangerous
• [08:00] – Where to start: Discovering your core values and differentiating between ego and essence
• [12:00] – How your values evolve over time—and why self-awareness must go deeper than surface-level insight
• [18:40] – Reacting vs. responding: How unprocessed identity shows up in your leadership during conflict and disappointment
• [32:45] – Define your leadership identity in one sentence—and how to use it to align your decisions and direction

🙌 Call to Action

If this conversation stirred something in you, don’t just listen—act.

1. Take 10 minutes to write out your top 5–10 core values.
2. Ask a trusted friend or colleague, “What’s one thing you think is core to who I am?”
3. And if you’d like our free Leadership Identity Audit Tool, message us—we’ll send it over.

Podcast Release Notes: Leader Formula – Episode 1

Episode Title: Defining Leadership: Starting from Within Hosts: Chris LaGarde & Steve Ciprani

Episode Summary

In this very first episode of The Leader Formula, Chris and Steve dive into one of leadership’s most foundational questions: What is leadership really? They explore personal definitions, where leadership begins (hint: it’s within you), and how your own self-awareness, purpose, and emotional intelligence shape the way you lead others. Expect honest conversation around the old debate of "are leaders born or made?", the importance of clarity and vision, and why leading yourself well is the first step to leading others effectively.

If you're a business owner, team leader, entrepreneur—or just someone passionate about leading with authenticity—you’ll find plenty to reflect on and apply.

Key Conversation Shifts & Timecodes

• [00:00] – Are Leaders Born or Made? Chris and Steve open with the classic leadership debate, exploring the nature vs. nurture question around leadership traits.
• [03:09] – How We Define Leadership Chris and Steve share and compare their personal definitions of leadership, referencing John Maxwell, Gary Keller, and Stephen Covey.
• [06:00] – Becoming a Better Leader: Where to Start They discuss how true leadership development begins internally, starting with reflection, clarity of purpose, and leading yourself first.
• [09:00] – The Emotional Reality of Leadership Chris and Steve talk about the humility, challenges, and emotional courage leadership demands—and how self-awareness becomes the most powerful leadership tool.
• [11:47] – Wrap-Up and Listener Reflection Chris and Steve encourage listeners to reflect: How do you define leadership, and how is your current definition shaping how you show up?

Call to Action

If this conversation sparked new insights or challenged the way you think about leadership, we’d love to hear from you! 👉 Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow leader who would benefit. Next episode, Chris and Steve explore the role of identity in leadership—you won’t want to miss it!