Follow The Brand Podcast with Host Grant McGaugh

From Caves to Corner Offices: Why Grant McGaugh’s “First Light” Breaks Every Rule of Business Literature

• Grant McGaugh CEO 5 STAR BDM • Season 1 • Episode 20

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Leadership today faces a crisis of trust and engagement. A staggering 70% of employees feel disconnected from their organization's mission, while only 24% trust their leaders—meaning three out of four employees have lost faith in leadership. With 63% of current leaders reporting burnout and likely to leave their positions within two years, we're witnessing unprecedented leadership instability.

My new book, "First Light: The Brave Path to Authentic Leadership," addresses this crisis through the BRAVE Blueprint Strategy—a framework designed to transform how we approach leadership in today's digital world. BRAVE stands for Beliefs, Results, Audience, Value, and Edge—essential components that form both mirror and guide for leadership transformation.

Your beliefs illuminate the path when vision fails, serving as the foundation for every decision. Results challenge you to own outcomes and measure meaningful transformation rather than just activity. Understanding your audience helps align your voice with those you're uniquely positioned to serve. Value articulation clarifies the specific transformation you create, while your Edge—often found in vulnerabilities or challenges—makes you memorable and distinctive as a leader.

This journey requires confronting your doubts directly rather than running from them, transforming fear into growth. Leadership isn't about avoiding challenges but converting them into wisdom and strength. The world hungers for authentic leaders who demonstrate genuine conviction rather than convenient positioning, vulnerability alongside strength, and the courage to stand for something meaningful.

Organizations led authentically outperform their competitors by three times in employee engagement and twice in customer loyalty. True leadership extends beyond financial metrics to enriching the human experience. The question isn't whether you can lead—it's whether you'll be brave enough to lead authentically.

Join me on this transformative journey. "First Light" will be available this September through 5StarBDM.com and Amazon. Beyond the book, I'll be hosting a free masterclass where we can navigate this leadership journey together. Because the world doesn't need more leaders with titles—it needs more leaders with light.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest marketing trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates from us, be sure to follow us at 5starbdm.com. See you next time on Follow The Brand!

Speaker 1:

Good day, good day business owners, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and corporations, and welcome to the Black Business Network. My name is Grant McGaugh, ceo of Five Star BDM and host of the award-winning Follow Brand podcast and TV series, and I am your business moderator for this day on the Black Business Network. The Black Business Network is a 24-hour business network showcasing Black businesses, business owners, entrepreneurs and thought leaders worldwide, and we have speakers from North Carolina, london, singapore, africa, japan and cities all over the United States, singapore, africa, japan and cities all over the United States. The Black Business Network is a global community sharing its business knowledge to empower, inspire and educate businesses about business, and I will be your speaker for this segment on the Black Business Network, and I want to introduce you to my new book that I've just released or will be released here in September, called First Light the Brave Path to Authentic Leadership, and this book is about igniting your leadership journey from a career perspective, and I made this as a narrative, this affectional narrative, but it's based in real world principles, because leadership today, I feel, is in a crisis, and this book is a way to get more light into leadership today so we know what the purpose can be and what you can do to actually dig in and become a greater leader for yourself.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people don't realize that today, about 70 percent 70 percent of our of employees today are disengaged, meaning they're disconnected from their organization's mission and their leadership, and 24% trust in leadership. This is kind of like what you call a historic low when it comes to how many people actually believe in the leadership of the business or organization that they're involved in. That means three out of four of your employees do not trust in your leadership. That should be a stark number. That's something that needs to have your attention. 63% of leaders report burnout and they're concerned leaving their positions within two years. So 63% of the leaders that are in position today will experience turnover. So if you're experiencing turnover and you don't have trust in the current leadership that's already in place and over 70% of the people that are employed in the organization are disengaged, that is a crisis.

Speaker 1:

To see how we can correlate and lessen that particular gap, and this is based on my trademark methodology the brave blueprint strategy. The brave blueprint strategy is for every leader, every leader and this is what I'm imploring them to do. You've got to meet where your shadow is. I just told you about it. It's a great shadow that's in the leadership today. This is what is being projected out into our world. It's a lot of clouded, dark entities that are just there, but they are not being authentic and they're not integrating true leadership principles into what they're looking to accomplish. So what you're going to find in the pages of First Light and this will come out within September, so be looking for it especially you'll find it on the Five-star BDM website. We'll have a masterclass around it as well but this framework becomes both your mirror and your guide to leadership transformation, because we all have room for growth. So BRAVE is an acronym. So brave is an acronym it's B-R-A-V-E. It's an acronym that I use a lot of different ways, whether it's become bold or it's become your brand identity.

Speaker 1:

In this case, we're talking about beliefs beliefs in the world of what do you stand for? What do you stand for right? What is your point of view in light of what you are leading in today, whether it's in your business or your career? What are your core values? What is the foundation for every decision, the foundation for every interaction, the foundation for the initiative that you are undertaking? I want you to think about that. A leader's beliefs are the first light that pierces the darkness of doubt, and they illuminate the path when vision fails. This is your belief, right when a healthcare CEO redefined her organization this is someone that I know personally from a cultural perspective they do so by clarifying the values and they look at that. When they clarify the values and then you have buy-in on both sides of the ball, you're going to see an increase in her particular cases, an increase in patient outcome. That's something they want to measure across all those metrics. But it all comes back to your beliefs. What is your beliefs? And are your beliefs drifting from the point of view or your passion of why you're doing things and truly take a look at that and see what the disconnect could be. And then you want to take a look at the results that you're getting right and you need to own your outcomes. It's so easy to blame someone else, blame something else, something external, but take a look at the outcomes that you're truly getting today. What are those outcomes? Because a leadership's impact is measured by transformation, not just activity.

Speaker 1:

Authentic leaders focus on meaningful change rather than motion. Just for motion to doing things, to be doing busy work, to say you're busy. It's about measuring actual transformation and change and embracing the accountability around, taking accountability for that transformation and that change. And you want to be able to measure what matters. Measure what matters to your employees or to your clients, that you're working with, your business partners and your customers. You want to be able to measure and be accountable for what that's about. So hold yourself to standards before you're holding others I think that's very, very important and then be able to track that quantitatively and make sure you're measuring the right things.

Speaker 1:

Now, when it comes to the aid that we just went through beliefs, we just talked about results. Now we're going to talk about the audience. You know who do you serve best. Now we're going to talk about the audience. You know who do you serve best. Look to align your voice with the right audience. That's going to maximize your influence.

Speaker 1:

Authentic leaders understand that their ideal audience isn't everyone. It's those that they're uniquely positioned to transform. So you have to understand the audience and the influence that you're trying to accomplish and if your leadership resonates, then it will address those specific needs rather than just general generic platitudes. And you see this a lot. I see this a lot, especially like in the political arenas and things like that is that they have very generic platitudes and you see this a lot. I see this a lot, especially like in the political arenas and things like that is that they have very generic platitudes. They say the same thing over and over again, probably for the last two or three decades. I don't see a lot of major change. But true leadership resonates because they are actually impacting change and they're taking accountability for that change and they're measured on that change and they can truly deliver on their message because their story has now become the current currency that reveals what the impact of whatever it was your product or your service, your department, what it is that you are delivering.

Speaker 1:

And if you can articulate that value proposition with clarity, you're going to be able to attract followers, true followers who genuinely need your specific wisdom and approach. You want to be clear with the audience, audience. Clarity is very important when it comes to leadership, so you define who most needs your unique perspective and leadership approach and you deliver value constantly. That's the next phase of this transformation that we're talking about, this blueprint strategy that I'm talking about, or my new book that is coming out. It's the value that it brings to you. You've got to find value in this Value definition. That's articulating a specific transformation that you create for those that you lead.

Speaker 1:

It's very, very important to understand the values that you are bringing to the table, and if you have not defined it for yourself, it's very difficult to define it for someone else, or you're taking that out of someone else's playbook and not your own playbook. This particular book is going to take you through a journey. It's a journey through self, a journey of facing in your true fears that you may have and also the true gaps that you have in your own character, that you may not want to face, but you have to come face to face with it and by doing so, you find a new foundation of identity that you draw strength from, that you draw power from, that you're able to protect and serve in your leadership style and the capacity to create change. It's so, so important to get the passion that it takes and to lead from a position of power within your own self. This is going to give you the edge, which is the last part of what I'm talking about now in the brave framework Edge. You got to be able to execute on this. Why do people remember you. Your edge is what makes you memorable and distinctive as a leader, and it often is found in unexpected places, like in your vulnerabilities or in your challenges and your unique perspectives. Your edge is often the scar that you've been hiding.

Speaker 1:

If you look at onto my website and you see certain things in my about section in the story that I'm telling, you see where I became very vulnerable through an episode with my own father and actually seeing his tragic death before my own eyes in relation to a healthcare delivery system in which I felt that failed him, you know, for something as simple as a broken leg that then develops into a blood clot, which just develops into a death. That was a vulnerable point for myself, but it became the challenge that I said hmm, am I just going to sit here and take this and, just you know, overcome or have to live with it without doing anything about that? Or can I take a unique perspective, like you know what? This is not right and what can I do to write that scale for someone else? How can I then take my origin story, the origin of when I became First Light right, the origin story of yourself, to then help others?

Speaker 1:

That is the purpose of personal branding, in my particular definition, is that you're taking your skillset and you're utilizing it for the purpose of serving others. This is what I'm doing right now with all of you, and I'm hoping that this new book, as it's come out, becomes a masterclass for others when it comes to authentic leadership and what it takes to lead in a digital society, a digital society where anyone could almost become anything that they want through video, through audio, through text, photography. But are they authentic in what they are saying and what they are doing, and is there a proof point to that? Let's hold everyone accountable when it comes to these types of things, and it's okay not to know everything. What is not okay is to not be authentic in what you are saying and what you are doing and what your true beliefs are.

Speaker 1:

And if you're looking at the true results, what are you really measuring as impact? Because if we look at these numbers, we always boast. You always hear, especially in the US, they boast about financial gain or you know the financial report, the P&L. But when you look at these numbers, if your employees are saying I'm disconnected from you, 70%, that's a number. 70% of the workers feel disconnected. So these numbers. What are you measuring? 24% don't believe in the leadership that you have. 24% of all the workers in the United States don't believe in the leadership that's taken them to that work.

Speaker 1:

If the only thing that you're reporting on is the numbers, the only thing that you're reporting on is the numbers. The only thing that you're reporting on is what's in your wallet. Is that the only thing that's important? And then you look at. Every time I look around, there's a new leader saying pretty much the same thing 63% of leaders. There's a turnover. The new executive usually say the same thing we made X amount of billions of dollars.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's great and fine, but what did you do with it? That's what I'm saying. All right, great, you made a lot of money. What did you do with that? Because that money comes from people, that money comes from resources on this earth. What are you doing to put those resources back into play?

Speaker 1:

And if your only measurement is to make more money, I question you on that, on your leadership. I question you on that about what is it that you're really doing? What are you doing for the human drama, the human dilemma? How are you enhancing the human experience if your only point of measurement is the money in your own wallet? I question that because I look to the end of the day of the measurement of people, my true resource, my true human intelligence, my true HI component. Because if I'm not enriching everybody in my society, what am I doing, especially those that are enriching me? If I am being enriched, if I go out and anybody goes out and they buy a bottle of Coca-Cola in any city in the United States, how are they being enriched by that same corporation? Are they just taking that resource that you've freely given them for an exchange for flavor and not enriching their education, not enriching their job opportunities, not enriching their healthcare, not enriching anything about what they truly believe in? Are you enriching their beliefs? That's a question, isn't it? I feel it is.

Speaker 1:

So that's why I have come out with this book, because I believe that we need to enrich the human experience and we use our resources, like money, in order to do that. But you first have got to get back to your roots and your purpose of who you are and what you stand for in true light. Who you are and what you stand for, and what is the purpose in which you feel you're on this earth and what is that purpose for? And are you delivering on that purpose? Are you delivering on the results? Are you delivering on the outcomes? Are you finding like? This is who I am. This is why I'm on this earth and this is what I am delivering.

Speaker 1:

Because if you're not, then we need to make a reset about what your true values are and how is true value measured and what is that true value all about? Because I want to see advancement in human culture. I want to see human culture extend and exceed from where it is right now and get above just the physicality of life, get into the emotional, mental and spiritual realities of what we all live in and dwell in, because we're not just a collection of data. And the more that we understand that, we understand what our world can deliver for us, meaning from a technological standpoint, from AI, you will find out that artificial intelligence, which is an extension of human intelligence, delivers on data that is a reaction or a mirror of human life. It's not human life of itself. So the true value is in the human life, correct? Yes, yes, it is.

Speaker 1:

And the more that we can reflect and see on that like okay, I now have more clarity around what it is that I'm looking to accomplish, that I am the true value in the equation of life. I am the true value in the equation of life. I am the true value and when I create activity and there's a reaction to that activity, I need to be accountable for that right and I need to drive it to a differentiated experience that enriches my environment. That applies to everyone. It doesn't matter how you want to look in the different political landscapes or leadership landscapes, or the corporate America or entrepreneurial world or individuals or education. There is a purpose in which you must take on the challenge of achieving that goal. And when you start looking at, you know the purpose of in the political world is to help others and to actually maintain the community as a whole and to lead people to a higher goal.

Speaker 1:

And if it's not doing that, that's a problem. So you need to look at your own self and say, well, what am I doing to enrich my community? What am I doing to enrich my family? What am I doing to enrich myself? And what I'm doing as you look in the past, is there a disconnect between what you truly believe in and what you're actually doing? We need to be accountable for that right and if we look at the results that we have, we have to question what are our true beliefs? Because, ultimately, the results that you get form from your real beliefs, not what you're telling yourself, what you're telling others. It is what it is and that's why I always challenge corporate America and their beliefs. What is the social impact goal that you should have for yourself, not just your financials? Your financials are definitely important. It's a part of the equation, but it's not the goal. What is the true goal? Who is your true audience? Is it just a few people that benefit from that limited belief that you might have, or can you get a greater value? I think right now, life is showing the human world that we can have a greater value for ourselves and how we can arrive at a different result if we truly hone into our true beliefs about ourselves and what we stand for and what we're about.

Speaker 1:

I don't want to be on a soapbox today, but I truly want you to understand what this journey of first light is all about and what my book is truly all about Understanding your self-doubt, understanding the challenges of leadership and identity. By facing your doubts directly rather than running from them, you can transform fear into growth. You can use it as fuel. Let's talk about the mountain of resilience, which is a central journey in first life that follows the ascent through adversity, and all of you most people I know in the human drama have some type of adversity, some type of challenge that you're dealing with and is with you every day, and it begs you to overcome it. That is resilience. Every step upward builds leadership capacity and perspective, turning your challenges into opportunities for transformation and change.

Speaker 1:

Purpose and we always stand on the ridge, the cliffhanger, the ridge of transformation the moment when leaders, they catch their first glimpse of higher possibility, and this vantage point reveals the landscape of potential that was previously hidden by limited thinking and self-doubt. Purpose is king. If we have a society led by purpose and that purpose is built upon true beliefs, you will get better outcomes and better results. Better outcomes and better results. Now, these are just categories. These are mirrors that I put together in a fantastic journey that's fictional but yet, as you've heard me state, they're rooted in reality and they're about real struggles that every authentic leader must navigate.

Speaker 1:

The journey isn't about avoiding challenges leader must navigate. The journey isn't about avoiding challenges, but transforming them into sources of wisdom and strength. So people ask me, why now? Why this matters now? Because leadership isn't positional, it's very, very personal and in today's digital, distracted and disrupted world, authenticity cuts through the noise and people are hungry for leaders who demonstrate genuine conviction rather than a convenient positioning. Convenient positioning, vulnerability alongside strength, consistent values across all contexts and the courage to stand for something meaningful. Organizations with authentic leadership outperform their competitors by 3x in employee engagement and 2x in customer loyalty. We all get better together when we have true leadership and that leadership is cascaded throughout the organization, that everybody takes accountability for their point of leadership, their point of view, their beliefs, the results that they're getting. Everybody has buy-in, not one person right.

Speaker 1:

So where does your brave journey begin? What does that look like for you? Because the world doesn't need more leaders with titles, it needs more leaders with light. And First Light is more than a book. It is your guide, your mirror, your moment to transform your leadership journey. And I implore you to read the book and it'll be out in September and you just go to 5 Star BDM that's 5 Star BDM B for brand D for developer infomasterscom, and you will see the links to get the book. It'll also be available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. Read the book, begin your transformation and complete the brave framework within it.

Speaker 1:

I want you to apply the blueprint to your own life. Use the brave assessment to identify your leadership strengths and then join the community. I will have a community. There'll be a free masterclass that you can join that we're going to take this leadership journey together, right? So the question isn't whether you can lead. It's whether you'll be brave enough to lead authentically, if that is your choice. If you've listened to what I've said today, you'll see that I'm just not talking about myself. I'm talking about yourself, in which you need to do the hard work and take a look and take some time Truly, take some time especially we got a long weekend Take some time and reflect on the results of your own life to this point.

Speaker 1:

Are these the results that you were looking for? And if they are not, what are the beliefs that you have? What are your beliefs that have led to these results? What are the activities that stem from your beliefs that get you to the results, and are you authentic in those beliefs? And I'm not talking about your religious beliefs, your spiritual beliefs and things like that. Those are external for the most part. How do you relate to that? What are your authentic beliefs? How do you believe these things will turn out for you when you take a leap of faith in what you are doing and be honest with it and you have to say to yourself you know what that's on me. I got these results. I am accountable for where I am and if I'm going to make a change, am I going to get to the North Star, the goal that I want to champion for myself? These are the goal that I want to champion for myself. These are the things that I need to start putting into my life and these are the things I need to start taking out of my life.

Speaker 1:

You have plenty of examples of true leadership. Some of them have been in the past. Some of them are in the present. You have plenty of examples of poor leadership. As was stated in what I stated earlier, we have many examples of poor leadership 70% employee disengagement. 24% don't trust, or only trust, in the leadership that is in today. 63% of the leaders always turn over new faces. Somebody has to step up. You need to step up in your own life, because when you can rule your own life, then you can help others, whether it's your friends or your families, the business and the peers that you work with but you have to become accountable for who you are.

Speaker 1:

I want to thank the Black Business Network for having me on today and I truly appreciate that. I want to remind everyone that this is a fundraiser for high school students going to college or K-12 entrepreneurs. It's Expo as a fundraiser for students and you may go to wwwblackbusinessexpousacom to donate to the scholarship fund. I use the Cash App that's on the screen below. That is $BBXUSA. Our goal is to give laptops up to $5,000 to 10 students and students. You can register online at wwwblackbusinessexpousacom. Every dollar counts, so we want to remind you to donate to the scholarship fund and we want to thank our Black Business Expo USA sponsors for August 2025. They include NC100, moody Capital Partners, suede Soul, lotus for Safe Coaching and Training.

Speaker 1:

Carolina, virginia Minority Supplier Development Council. Step Management, the Hello LLC. Barbara H Smith LLC. Margie McLean Foundation Incorporated. Genius is Common Earth Essentials. Milani County Global. Five Star BDM Media Banks LLC. Executive Women's Success Institute. The Quality Coaching Company. Superwoman Business Services. Creative Force Studios. Lee Entertainment Artistic App Design. Black Business Expo USA Genius is coming and I'll see you on the other side.