It’s time to shift the spotlight.
If you are like us, you want to know what is happening in the real economy. Not the economy of derivatives trading, credit default swaps, politics, media or Silicon Valley. On Real Leadership, we spotlight the heroes at the helm of companies who make, move and process things. Leaders in a world that is more pragmatic than pretty, more steak than sizzle, more guts than glory. Discover with us what it takes to lead in that world.
– Real Leadership
Latest Episode
Your Host
Meet Jim Weaver
When he’s not hosting the Real Leadership Podcast, Jim is Chief Executive Officer of The Ōnin Group, one of the largest staffing companies in the United States.
Jim began his journey at Ōnin in 2001 as an account executive in Nashville, Tennessee, and has become integral to The Ōnin Group’s phenomenal growth. Under Jim’s guidance, Ōnin has become a leader in the staffing industry and is recognized as one of Staffing Industry Analysts’ fastest-growing and best places to work. As CEO, Jim’s focus lies in developing smart systems and a corporate culture that boosts employee performance and delights customers.
Meet our latest guest
Shawn Khan
CEO & President of Metropolitan Warehouse & Delivery Corp
Shawn Khan’s entrepreneurial journey started from the ground up in a way most founders never experience. He didn’t inherit a company, raise venture capital, or even understand the industry he was stepping into.Shawn bought a one-truck furniture delivery operation in New York City, rented the truck every morning, and learned the business by riding in the back making deliveries himself. Two years later, he was ready to shut it down. What changed everything wasn’t a new strategy. It was mentorship, perspective, and the willingness to stay in the fight long enough to evolve.
Today, Shawn leads Metropolitan Warehouse & Delivery, a company with 47 facilities nationwide, 3 million square feet of warehouse space, and partnerships with retailers like Costco, Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
In this episode, we cover:
How businesses actually scale.
Surviving the early years when the numbers don’t work.
Knowing when to expand and when expansion will hurt before it helps.
Shifting from being the operator to building the system.
Turning labor challenges into ownership opportunities.
Previous Real Leadership Guests Include:
Are You a Real Leader?
If you are a top executive in the real economy — like the manufacturing, logistics and food processing sectors — we’d love to talk.
Real Leadership is a platform for you to promote your business and amplify your leadership message as subscribers listen in on a meaningful conversation between our CEO and you. Our goal is to capture legacy career moments for our guests and high-quality, evergreen media content you can leverage for years to come.
We have a thorough guest evaluation process, and you will be joining a select group of world-class leaders.
Real Leadership is a great way to:
Build your personal brand
Promote your company across our listener base
Share your leadership message at a pivotal moment in our industry
Stay Tuned For Our Latest Episodes
Get notified when the latest episode of Real Leadership has been released.


























