Tremendous Tracey

   This year, Tremendous Leadership celebrates its 60th anniversary—six decades of igniting lives with wisdom, wit, and the written word. As I reflect on this milestone, I am reminded of one of my father’s timeless writings from the 1980s, “A Sense of Urgency.”

   In it, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones wrote:

   “A sense of urgency is that feeling that lets you know yesterday is gone forever, and tomorrow never comes. TODAY is in your hands. Shirking today adds to wasted yesterdays, and postponing today’s work adds to tomorrow’s burden.”

Today, we are told that certain topics are "too toxic for public discourse." But when the truth itself becomes off-limits — when it's silenced because it "unleashes hate" — we are no longer protecting peace, we are revealing the condition of the human heart.

To blame Charlie Kirk's words for his murder is as twisted as blaming a firefighter for the burns he suffered while dragging someone out of a burning house, as if his courage caused the flames. Or blaming a doctor for catching a disease while treating a patient, as if healing were the problem.

Outstanding leadership isn’t about easing standards for comfort. It’s about calling people to more than they thought possible. It’s about standing firm when the easy way says, “Let it slide.”

Moses knew it. Machiavelli knew it. Steven Sample knew it. And deep down, we know it too. So let us never forget: when leaders soften the standard, organizations decay. But when leaders raise the bar, they ignite transformation.

   As a lifelong student—and teacher—of leadership, I’ve found that defining this incredible word is easier said than done. Leadership is one of the most studied, written-about, and aspired-to traits in all of human history. There are thousands of theories, models, and definitions floating around, from servant leadership to transformational leadership, from positional power to moral authority.

The phrase “A fish rots from the head down” is a blunt and timeless proverb that reminds us of a critical leadership truth: when an organization is in decline, the problem usually starts at the top—not with the staff, not with the systems, not with external conditions. The rot begins at the head.

As a lifelong student—and teacher—of leadership, I’ve found that defining this incredible word is easier said than done. Leadership is one of the most studied, written-about, and aspired-to traits in all of human history. There are thousands of theories, models, and definitions floating around, from servant leadership to transformational leadership, from positional power to moral authority.

And yet, every once in a while, you find a definition that hits the sweet spot.

Leaders are only effective when they foster a culture of ethical discernment and honest dialogue, rather than blind allegiance wrapped in emotional language, such as "non-interference" and "deference." If your team can't ask hard questions, your leadership has stopped being servant-hearted and started being self-serving.

Let us see this great nation as it is—not perfect, but profoundly united in purpose—a nation capable of confronting its past, reckoning with its flaws, and pushing forward with hope. Let us not be disillusioned by those who benefit from division—whether political activists, media outlets, or entertainment empires. Their goal is chaos; ours is covenant.

"That's the power of a book. Let me tell you about one book in particular: The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E. N. Gray. It's been my calling card for years. I don't hand out business cards. Do you know why? Because I'm sensitive—it hurts my feelings when people throw them away! So instead of a card, I give them this book."

That's the heart of Coaching Leadership—the frontier where we stop commanding from a distance and start walking beside people in development-driven relationships. Coaching isn't about giving orders. It's about giving ownership. It's about growing thinkers, not just followers. It's about aligning potential with purpose, not just performance with process.

Many of my friends are in this season, too, having recently lost a parent, and I crossed paths with one just this past week. As I comforted her, I shared something someone once said to me during my season of grief. At the time, it startled me, but it eventually brought deep peace. The woman said, "When you lose both your parents, you realize you are an orphan."

But before jumping to conclusions, leaders must pause and ask: Has this follower truly turned? Or have they simply lost that loving feeling? Just like in marriage counseling, where there's been alienation of affection, sometimes the real issue isn't betrayal—it's burnout, disengagement, and disappointment that can be restored.