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Jim Carlough

What Makes Leadership Matter? Six Pillars of Effective Leadership with Jim Carlough Ep 256 – The Global Discussion

Jim Carlough, Chief Sales Officer at mPulse, is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in healthcare and technology. With a proven track record of empowering leaders and launching his new book, Six Pillars of Effective Leadership, Jim joins Simon Hodgkins to unpack how integrity, empathy, and laughter can define outstanding leadership in today's world.

From Healthcare Tech to Leadership Mentor

Jim began his career in health insurance before shifting to healthcare technology in the late 1990s. Driven by a desire to help others, he transitioned from corporate leadership to mentoring rising professionals. Two years ago, he authored "Six Pillars of Effective Leadership: A Roadmap to Success," designed to guide individuals toward higher-impact roles, and it's resonating beyond business, reaching educators, parents, and community leaders alike.

The Six Pillars: Core Leadership Foundations

Jim structured his book around six essential pillars:

  1. Integrity - The bedrock of trust. Without it, teams won't believe in your vision or empathy.

  2. Compassion & Empathy - Two distinct yet complementary qualities, both essential to leader-team connection.

  3. Stability & Focus - Amid the chaos, leaders must be the unwavering guide. Jim cites Jeff Bezos's early Amazon focus as a model.

  4. Humor - Used thoughtfully, humor humanizes leaders, defuses tension, and re-energizes teams.

Navigating Distraction & Remote Leadership

Jim cautions against multitasking in digital meetings, advocating for single-screen focus to avoid missing cues. In remote management, he insists on regular Zoom meetings, with video, to maintain the human connection that even AI can't replicate.

Mentorship & Lifelong Learning

True leadership never stops. Jim embraces continual evolution in his own style and across generations. He both mentors and seeks mentors, noting external guidance helps tackle blind spots. He lives by the idea that leaders "sign up for life," and so should their growth mindset.

Prioritizing Well-Being

Spotting early signs of burnout is critical. Jim shares a powerful anecdote: recognizing a team member's exhaustion, he proactively gave her time off, not as PTO, but as compensation for lost personal moments. Leadership, he affirms, includes safeguarding people's lives outside work.

A Vision for the Future

Jim views coaching as the next step. He believes as politics and noise settle, we'll head into a more stable and better decade.


About The Global Discussion

The podcast features carefully curated guests from an exciting cross-section of creatives, leaders, and thinkers. New episodes are available on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcasts and several leading podcast platforms. You can listen to and watch the episodes on our dedicated YouTube channel and the website.

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