The Foundation That Shaped Me

I grew up on a Texas farm where problems were familiar companions. Something always needed fixing, adjusting, or figuring out. When you live that way, you learn early that good intentions alone do not fix broken equipment. You need clear thinking, steady hands, and practical solutions (and maybe a little duct tape). Those lessons stayed with me through West Point, through my engineering studies, and through every leadership role I have had since.

West Point deepened that discipline.  West Point was founded to develop engineers and leaders for a growing nation, and that legacy continues. One of its most lasting lessons is that strong teams are not held together by pressure, but by shared purpose. When you pair engineering discipline with a clear sense of direction, you develop a way of thinking that stays with you for life. It shapes how you solve problems, how you bring people together, and how you lead organizations toward meaningful results.

Engineering Thinking Creates Clarity

One of the things I love about engineering is that it forces you to define the problem before jumping into solutions. You do not guess and hope. You study, measure, and understand. You break large problems into smaller parts so the solution becomes manageable.

In business, this same kind of thinking brings clarity that teams desperately need. Too many companies get stuck because the team is not aligned on what they are solving. Everyone is working, but they are working in different directions. Precision brings alignment.

When I step into a company as a fractional leader, the first thing I do is help everyone see the same picture. What are we trying to do? Where are the bottlenecks? What does success look like? Once that clarity appears, people stop acting from confusion and start acting from purpose.

Process Creates Predictability and Predictability Creates Trust

Process is not about control. It is about consistency. In engineering, a good process helps you reproduce success. If something works, you document it so it can work again. If something fails, you track down the root cause and fix it.

Businesses thrive when they operate with the same mindset. Predictable processes free companies to innovate because they remove chaos from the day to day operations. When employees can trust that the system works, they can focus on doing great work instead of fighting through unclear expectations.

During my time with Run Specialty Group, we did not grow from one store to more than fifty because we got lucky. We grew because we built predictable systems. Inventory, staffing, customer experience, and community engagement all followed clear and repeatable frameworks. That consistency gave everyone confidence. When a store opened in or joined from a new community, the team knew what to do because the process was sound.

Predictability also builds trust inside the team. People trust leaders who show consistency. They trust systems that do not change every week. They trust themselves when they know what “right” looks like.

Purpose Gives the Work Its Meaning

Precision alone cannot build a strong company culture. You also need purpose. You need something that explains why the work matters. People want to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves.

My time as a leader and teammate taught me that purpose is what carries you through the hardest parts. You will not push through exhaustion just because someone told you to. You push because you understand the purpose and believe in it.

Organizations often struggle with accountability.  When a team understands the purpose clearly and sees how their work connects to it, they start taking ownership and accountability becomes a natural part of the team dynamics. They look for ways to improve instead of waiting to be told what to do. They care about intent and outcomes, not just tasks.

When we built RNK Running, our purpose was clear. We wanted to support the active lifestyle of our community. We wanted to be a hub for runners, families, and local schools. That purpose guided our decisions and kept us grounded. It shaped who we hired, how we served people, and how we showed up in the community.

Purpose alone might inspire people for a while, but without structure it fades. Precision alone might keep things efficient, but without meaning it becomes hollow. When precision meets purpose, a company becomes both stable and inspired.

Structured Decisions Strengthen Teams

People sometimes imagine structured decision making as slow or restrictive, but I see it as empowering. When decisions follow a clear process, people understand how choices are made. They see fairness and logic instead of guesswork. That transparency builds trust. And that trust allows people to confidently make decisions within their individual area of responsibility.  And that confidence allows organizations to grow sustainably beyond old borders. 

I often use simple engineering tools to guide decisions. Define the problem. Evaluate options. Measure impact. Plan the implementation. Review the results. Keep the lines of communication open. It might sound basic, but basic often works best. Teams appreciate structure because it removes uncertainty. It lets them focus on execution instead of guessing what leadership wants.

The result is a culture where decisions feel shared instead of dictated. People understand the reasoning behind the direction. They feel included. They trust the path forward.

Purpose Driven Teams Are Built, Not Found

Strong teams do not appear by accident. They are built through shared effort, clear direction, and consistent support. Precision helps everyone understand the process. Purpose helps everyone understand the mission. Together they create something powerful.

The best moments in my career have been when teams found that balance. People believed in the work and trusted the structure. They communicated openly, solved problems creatively, and stayed steady through difficult seasons. That is what happens when precision meets purpose.

It is not flashy. It is not dramatic. It is steady, reliable, and deeply effective.

Why This Matters

Every company chases growth, but not every company builds the foundation that allows growth to last. When leaders combine engineering discipline with purposeful mission building, they create organizations that stay strong through change, challenge, and opportunity.

Precision guides the steps. Purpose guides the heart. When those two forces work together, teams become resilient, results become predictable, and companies become places where people want to do their best work.

That is the kind of leadership I believe in, and it is the kind of leadership I try to bring to every organization I support.