Episode 258: The Hidden Work - What Separates High Performers from Underachievers with Weston Kieschnick

Weston Kieschnick has been in the work for a long time—as a classroom teacher, coach, author, and speaker—and this conversation feels like two colleagues reconnecting around what actually drives performance.

We dig into Weston’s newest work and the idea that the gap between high performers and underachievers usually isn’t talent. It’s behavior—especially in the moments when adversity hits.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Why “hidden work” is the difference-maker when no one is watching
2. The four performance pitfalls that derail people at every level:
3. Blame
4. Excuses
5. Self-deception
6. Giving up
7. The flips that top performers lean into instead:
8. Ownership
9. Solutions
10. Truth
11. Grit
12. A Shark Tank green-room story with Barbara Corcoran that perfectly frames ownership vs. blame
13. Why feedback is the raw material for performance—and how self-deception blocks growth
14. Weston’s take on “growability” and why self-awareness matters more than skill level
15. How Weston is leaning into leadership right now: staying a learner, and learning from great leaders in every space

Key takeaway

When life gets hard, your default matters. You don’t rise to the level of your goals—you fall to the level of your patterns. This episode is a gut-check and a playbook.

Connect with Weston

Find Weston at WestonKieschnick.com and connect with him on social media to follow his work (and his “10-second truth” videos).

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at: https://heytutor.com/?utm_source=RTA&utm_medium=RTA&utm_campaign=RTA

This episode is also sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to https://www.digicoach.com/ and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.