Episode 71 - Nathan Crankfield | Seeking Excellence: Daily Strategies for Living and Leading a Life of Excellence

Do you struggle to live and lead in alignment with your priorities? Are you looking for clarity on who you are as a leader? Are you committed to living and leading an integrated life? Our special guest Nathan Crankfield is here to answer these and many other questions about what it takes to live and lead an integrated life.

Nathan Crankfield was baptized Lutheran, but entered the Catholic Church at age 13, becoming the first Catholic in his family. He graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University. After graduation, Nathan was commissioned and trained as an Infantry officer, where he completed U.S. Army Airborne School, Ranger School and then served in the 82nd Airborne Division.

After a deployment to Afghanistan, Nathan knew it was time to pursue his love for evangelization. Throughout his life, Nathan has cultivated a deep passion for encouraging others to fulfill their potential and purpose. After the Army he served with the Dynamic Catholic Institute, where he helped parish priests and leaders grow their leadership. Nathan now serves as a Resident Director at Benedictine College.

Most important, during COVID Nathan launched his passion organization, Seeking Excellence, which was created to live this mission:

“We want to inspire you to take responsibility for every area of your life. We want to push you to reach your full potential as the person you were created to be. … Our commitment is to get you to move in the direction that leads to your fulfilled potential.

Listen in as Nathan shares his wisdom and experience on seeking and achieving excellence in every part of your life.

The Impact Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera, the leadership development eco-system that helps you grow your people, grow your business and grow your life.

Show Notes

Episode highlights…

Leadership lessons from the military
Breakdowns in leadership when leaders fail to walk their talk
The importance of assessing where you are and strategically plotting a course to your desired objectives
Impactful leadership and culture lessons from R.O.T.C.
Strategies and leadership for building great teams
Understanding that having and creating fun is an important leadership skill
What it means to lead by going first for others to follow
Leaders must constantly assess how well they’re living their own talk and stay aligned with their talk
Leadership is not about perfection but a deeply held conviction and commitment to excellence
The vital role of vulnerability in all forms of leadership
The reality that people will judge you either way – whether you’re vulnerable or not (let them judge you for your most authentic self)
Vulnerability builds credibility and followership
The importance of getting clear on your priorities and then living and leading in alignment with those priorities
What is means to live a prioritized life focused on what and who you serve
Living and leading an integrated life (living as a renaissance man)
The Seven Pillars of Excellence – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, professional and social
Plan your day and week (and assess your day and week) in alignment with your Seven Pillars of Excellence
Life leadership lessons from family challenges
Leaders face the danger or chaos by running towards God and themselves