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In this episode of the Action Lab Leadership Podcast, Danny sits down with Jim Lewis, owner of Area 254 and president of 12 different companies. Jim provides an unfiltered look at leading through failure, drawing from his experience as a competitive BMX racer to explain how leaders can find the limits of their skills without letting a “crash” define them.
The Responsibility of Leading Through Failure
For Jim, leadership isn’t just a title—it’s a heavy responsibility that requires humility and integrity. He discusses the reality of being the “final call” on major decisions and how to maintain the confidence to lead even when you feel the weight of your own mistakes.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
- The BMX Metaphor: Why you haven’t found your true speed until you’ve experienced a crash.
- The “Adolescent Brain”: Dealing with the gap between your internal thoughts and your public leadership role.
- Managing 12 Companies: Tactical advice on mentally resetting and shifting gears between different business entities.
- Rules vs. Guidelines: How a healthy “disrespect” for the rules can lead to greater innovation and freedom.
- The Power of Curiosity: Why being endlessly curious is a leader’s most valuable asset.
- Recovering from “Survey of One”: Learning to understand the market instead of just trusting your own biases.
- Presence Over Productivity: The struggle of giving your family your full attention when your mind is still at work.
Resilience and the “Even Keeled” Leader
Jim explains that while failure hurts, it is rarely permanent. By staying “even keeled”—not getting too high in the wins or too low in the losses—leaders can build the resilience necessary to manage complex organizations and multiple teams.
