Bootstrapping Success: Lessons in Leadership with Brian Kerlin

Execution Exchange with Jake Allen: Insights from Optitude CEO Brian Kerlin

In this episode of Execution Exchange, host Jake Allen dives into the essential habits, mindsets, and methods that successful leaders use to achieve significant results. Jake introduces the first guest of the series, Brian Kerlin, the founder and CEO of Optitude, www.optitude.co a consulting firm specializing in helping first-time B2B founders and CEOs build internal capacity and sales systems. Brian shares his journey from a blue-collar upbringing in Pittsburgh to leading teams at Fortune 500 companies like Johnson & Johnson and Stryker. He discusses the importance of trust in leadership, the lessons learned from managing remote sales teams, and the challenges and strategies involved in scaling businesses. This episode is packed with actionable insights for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone looking to sharpen their focus and accountability. Visit www.getmissiondriven.com to learn more about Mission-Driven Leadership and how it helps companies close the execution gap.

 

00:00 Building Trust as a Leader

00:37 Introduction to Execution Exchange

01:30 Meet Your Host: Jake Allen

02:05 Introducing Brian Kerlin

03:55 Brian's Early Life and Career

06:38 The Value of Hard Work and Sports

16:57 Transition to Healthcare Sales

18:53 Challenges in Sales Management

21:51 Building Trust in Remote Teams

26:02 Receiving Critical Feedback

26:54 Building Trust Through Actions

27:29 Empathy and Leadership

29:16 Aligning with the Company's Mission

32:35 Challenges of Scaling a Business

33:26 Importance of Goal Clarity

34:56 Execution Performance Index

35:41 The Importance of 'Why' in Business

43:56 Focusing on the Main Effort

47:50 Lessons from Stryker

51:15 Services Offered by Aptitude

54:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts