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The Path of a Leader Writing Series.

A COLLECTION OF LEADERSHIP LESSONS, GROWTH INSIGHTS, AND STORIES
FROM THE TRENCHES OF MY OWN LEADERSHIP JOURNEY.

Leadership isn’t a title. It's conflict, pressure, ownership, and figuring it out in real time. Over the last two decades, I’ve built teams, turned around chaos, and led when the playbook didn’t exist. I've created and launched products, business, and global programs creating $3 Billion in impact. This writing series was my reflection on meaningful moments that mattered on my path to leadership - even if I didn't always realize the role it played in the bigger picture. The Path of a Leader is a collection of those insights: honest stories, simple frameworks, and hard-won lessons for leaders carrying real weight.

If you’ve ever thought,

“This is harder than I expected… but I’m not backing down,”

 this series is for you.

Explore The Path of a Leader Series

The Path of a Leader Writing Series.

A COLLECTION OF LEADERSHIP LESSONS, GROWTH INSIGHTS, AND STORIES FROM THE TRENCHES OF MY OWN LEADERSHIP JOURNEY.

Leadership isn’t a title. It's conflict, pressure, ownership, and figuring it out in real time. Over the last two decades, I’ve built teams, turned around chaos, and led when the playbook didn’t exist. I've created and launched products, business, and global programs creating $3 Billion in impact. This writing series was my reflection on meaningful moments that mattered on my path to leadership - even if I didn't always realize the role it played in the bigger picture. The Path of a Leader is a collection of those insights: honest stories, simple frameworks, and hard-won lessons for leaders carrying real weight.

If you’ve ever thought,

“This is harder than I expected… but I’m not backing down,”

 this series is for you.

Explore The Path of a Leader Series

Selected Articles

Selected Articles

Trust. Business Catalyst or Achilles’ Heel?

What if character and competence were the primary concern for building your business ...
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4 Types of Teams. Duct Tape Teams & 3 Others.

You know how some teams are like a finely tuned orchestra, each member in perfect harmony with the othe...
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SCARF: It's Like an X-Ray of the Team and What's Broken

What if character and competence were the primary concern for building your business ...
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Dream Killers, Status Quo, The Resistance and The Lizard Brain

What stops progress?
What hinders those that GSD?Dream Killers and Lovers of Status Quo. These are...
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Articles

Articles

Growth Planning Starts with AARD the path of a leader writing series Sep 06, 2023
Leadership begins with clarity about what truly drives growth. Businesses exist to get and keep customers — and leaders are responsible for building the alignment, focus, and momentum to make that happen. When we simpl...
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2003: From Near Failure to $1M in Online Sales in 10 Months the path of a leader writing series Sep 03, 2023
Leadership is forged in moments when failure feels imminent and clarity is scarce. When pressure rises, great leaders don’t panic — they create a plan, align the team, and innovate toward value. Ambiguity becomes momen...
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Alignment: An Answer When Things are Hard the path of a leader writing series Aug 31, 2023
Alignment is not a slogan — it is the evidence of mature leadership. When vision is clear, priorities are shared, and psychological safety is present, teams move in singular direction with confidence and conviction. Gr...
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1999: How I Went From Retail Newbie to Youngest Store Manager in $9B Company the path of a leader writing series Aug 28, 2023
Leadership is not granted by title — it is earned through ownership, initiative, and value creation. When you act like a leader before you are named one, performance becomes proof and opportunity follows. The path acce...
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Leadership is a Choice the path of a leader writing series Aug 25, 2023
Leadership is not a title — it is a decision. It begins with ownership, is sustained by integrity, and grows through helping others rise. When you choose responsibility over permission, you step onto The Path of a Lead...
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The Pyramid of Success the path of a leader writing series Aug 22, 2023
Sustainable success is built from the inside out. Character, discipline, and foundational habits shape the outcomes we celebrate later. Great leaders focus on the details that form the base of the pyramid—because champ...
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1996: How A Jellybean Fundraiser Inspired My First Product Launch the path of a leader writing series Aug 20, 2023
Every meaningful project begins as a rough idea held together by conviction. Leadership is not waiting for perfect clarity — it is turning vision into action, assembling the means, and learning through iteration. Creat...
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Imagine → Figure Out → Help. the path of a leader writing series Aug 17, 2023
A clear mission simplifies decisions and sharpens leadership. When your purpose is grounded in loving people and creating value, your work becomes service, your strategy becomes intentional, and your leadership becomes...
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SCARF: It's Like an X-Ray of the Team and What's Broken the path of a leader writing series Aug 15, 2023
High-performing teams are not accidental — they are understood. Leaders who can see beneath behaviors to the underlying drivers of motivation create environments where trust, clarity, and ownership thrive. When you und...
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1989: Solving the 7th Grade Bubble Gum Problem the path of a leader writing series Aug 12, 2023
Leadership often begins long before the title — when you notice unmet demand, take initiative, and act on opportunity. The pattern is simple: see the need, commit with intention, assemble the means, learn from the outc...
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Part 1. A Path to Our Greatest Potential. Unlocking Individual, Team, and Organizational Excellence the path of a leader writing series Aug 10, 2023
Leadership maturity is a progression — from individual confidence to shared accountability to organizational impact. When we move from “me” to “we” to “all of us,” we create the conditions for aligned teams, scalable g...
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Interviewed by BOUND, A Marketing Podcast the path of a leader writing series Aug 09, 2023
Growth is rarely a departmental effort — it is a cross-functional commitment to clarity, alignment, and disciplined execution. When sales, marketing, product, and leadership operate from a shared vision, complex challe...
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Love People. Create Value.
© 2026 Justin McCullough. All rights reserved.
Love People. Create Value.
Get Clarity Every Friday →
© 2026 Justin McCullough.
All rights reserved.