Let Go of the Need to Be Liked Tough leaders don’t seek approval—they seek results. Matt Hunter • June 3, 2025 We all want to be liked. You, me, and pretty much everyone else you know. To seek social approval is just about the most human thing there is—but it can get us into trouble, especially as leaders. I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: Chasing likability is a trap for leaders. And it’s one that I’ve seen too many fall right into. The problem with trying to get everyone to like you is...
28 days ago • 3 min read
Ego Isn't the Enemy Stop trying to kill your ego. If you want to be a great leader, you need a strong one. Matt Hunter • May 20, 2025 "Bring your egos in. If we’re going to win, we will need your egos. Just make sure they are all under the same umbrella." - Coach K, Legendary Duke Basketball Coach. These days, the ego gets a bad rap. We hear people say that “ego is the enemy,” that our sense of self is a barrier to our purpose and goals. We see high-performers chasing “ego death” through...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Can You 'Therapize' Your Way Out of Greatness? How to take care of your mental health without killing your ambition in the process. Matt Hunter • May 6, 2025 The best leaders have an insatiable drive—one that keeps them moving forward long after others would stop. But that kind of drive doesn’t always square with our ideas of well-being and mental health. To keep their drive alive, great leaders often go to incredible lengths to prevent the complacency that comes with success. Some get...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Pick Up the Damn Phone Evaporate drama from your life by going direct. Image by Chat GPT Imagine this scenario: You pick up your phone to find a lengthy (and frustrating) text, Slack, or email. Whatever it is, it creates a jolt in your system—the information is unexpected and unwelcome, you find it hurtful or insensitive, or maybe you just disagree and think the person is wrong. So you start crafting your own lengthy reply laying out your position. If I could pause and interject, here’s what...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
When Dealing with Difficult Situations, Don’t Cancel Out Conflicting Emotions In complicated situations, it’s easy for conflicting emotions to get canceled out. But we’ve gotta make space to integrate both sides of what we’re feeling. Photo by Kyle Kesterson One of my clients had a big offsite coming up for his leadership team that he’d been planning for months. It was the year's most important event, and everyone needed to be there. Sure enough, 10 days before the offsite, one of his leaders...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Tough Enough: The Journey Begins We landed a book deal! Here's what’s next for our leadership playbook. Photo by John Baird 🎉 Big news! My mentor John Baird and I are thrilled to announce that we’ve officially signed a book deal with Hachette Book Group to publish our upcoming book, Tough Enough (working title). Partnering with Emily Taber at Basic Books, we’re targeting a Fall 2026 release. Last week, we spent a couple of productive days in the Bay Area mapping out the structure and vision...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Is This The Worst Productivity Hack? Most emails are other people’s agendas, not yours. Don’t let the religion of Inbox Zero keep you from prioritizing your own goals. Image by Superhuman As an executive coach and former entrepreneur, I’m the target audience for productivity hacks and trends. I’ve seen many come and go—good ones, bad ones, and weird ones. The one that keeps crossing my radar with friends and clients lately is Inbox Zero. This one inspires strong feelings: Some people love it,...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Emotions, Candor & The Enneagram: 4 Questions for Kaley Klemp Kaley explores how to put Conscious Leadership into action. Today’s interview is with Kaley Klemp, someone who has fundamentally shaped how I think about leadership and self-awareness. Kaley’s work in conscious leadership is a masterclass in leading with intention and integrity, and her insights might just challenge how you approach your growth and collaboration. KALEY WARNER KLEMP is a sought-after speaker, YPO and executive team...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The Paradoxical Secret to Peak Performance How to master the art of caring while not caring. Photo by Kyle Kesterson Last weekend, I hit the courts with my friend Gareth Hermann to play a few games of pickup basketball. It wasn’t our best day—we played three games and lost all of them. I was missing shots and layups left and right, and feeling frustrated with my performance. As we cooked brunch afterward, this sparked a long conversation about how we show up on the basketball court and in...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read