Season 4, Episode 255
Show Up and Be Credible (feat. DJ Hodge & Mike Sipple Jr.)
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DJ Hodge spent over 20 years running some of the biggest radio markets in the country before walking away from a safe, known role to help build the Cincinnati Crown Network from scratch. He tells Mike what changed the moment a mentor told him he was working too hard to establish credibility when he could just show up and be credible.
In this episode:
- Why "you're working so hard to establish credibility when you could just show up and be credible" changed how DJ leads
- The pivot point of being a terrible leader at 27, managing a team older than himself, before he'd ever heard the term imposter syndrome
- Why DJ tracks mentors, not mentees -- and the specific people (Joe Calabrese, Mike Wieder, Louis Kirkham) who altered his career path
- The daily non-negotiables that keep his battery full: protecting sleep, being in the office by 6:30 a.m., and rehearsing hard conversations on a six-mile Saturday walk
- How the Cincinnati Crown Network launched with 2.2 million social impressions in 4 hours against a goal of 500,000
- Why DJ said no to two safer job offers within eight days of a reorg to build something new with Anthony Breen instead
- His framework for leading through setbacks: separate what's real from what's fear, then lean into what you can control
- What "unconventional leadership" means to him: leading with your heart, not a textbook, and finding what motivates each individual person
Timecodes:
00:00 It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude
01:05 Introducing DJ Hodge and his 20+ year media career
04:00 The pivot point: a terrible first year as a leader at 27
06:29 Accountability is not a punishment
08:02 Launching the Cincinnati Crown Network
12:30 The John Woodhouse quote that changed his mindset in 1995
18:41 Daily habits and non-negotiables that keep him grounded
29:15 Leading a team through setbacks and hard seasons
53:17 Inside the Crown Network launch: 2.2 million impressions in 4 hours
1:00:03 What unconventional leadership means to DJ
Resources mentioned:
Cincinnati Crown Network
Centennial
Talent Magnet Institute
Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman
Links and Resources:
- Connect with DJ Hodge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dj-hodge-9666643/
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Connect with the Mike Sipple, Jr!
LinkTree: https://www.linktr.ee/mikesipplejr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesipplejr
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