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 next guest

Chad Wiegand

EVP & Chief Risk Officer, Schreiber Foods

Before advising the C-suite of an $8 billion company, Chad Wiegand was asking himself a deeper question: “Is this really the impact I want to make?”

He started in pharmacy. Pivoted to law. And built a leadership career across some of the world’s top food companies, ultimately landing at Schreiber Foods, a global, employee-owned dairy powerhouse.

Today, Chad is EVP & Chief Risk Officer at Schreiber, where he leads legal, food safety, risk, audit, and culture across 30+ international operations. His leadership philosophy? Growth happens in the gray.

In this episode:

  • How to manage risk without being the “no” person

  • The debate model that neutralizes ego and sharpens strategy

  • The KPI that actually matters in legal (hint: it’s not a metric)

  • Why vulnerability may be a leader’s sharpest edge

This isn’t theory. It’s leadership in motion, from someone who’s lived it across industries, crises, and continents.

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

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