#768: Building Leaders Who Build Leaders with Tina Caul

Episode Overview

In this episode, John sits down with Tina Caul for an honest and transformational conversation about leadership growth, emotional intelligence, and building an organization that scales beyond the founder.

Tina shares how she hit a leadership ceiling after building one of the top-performing teams at eXp—closing 700–800 deals annually—only to realize the real bottleneck wasn't systems or talent… it was her own leadership lid.

This episode dives deep into what it really takes to evolve from leading buyers and sellers to leading leaders. From unpacking personal triggers to implementing structured leadership frameworks like the Pathway of Personal Responsibility, the EQ Matrix, and the Kairos Circle, Tina opens up about the uncomfortable—but necessary—work required to scale to the next level.

If you've ever felt stuck at a growth plateau, frustrated with people problems, or unsure how to elevate your organization beyond your own capacity, this conversation will challenge and equip you to level up.

Key Topics Covered The Leadership Lid

• Why every business problem is ultimately a leadership problem

• Recognizing when you've hit your leadership ceiling

• Why what got you here won't get you there
  
  

From Top Producer to True Leader

• The shift from selling homes to leading people

• The dangers of "high support, low challenge" environments

• Why vulnerability builds trust inside organizations
  
  

Emotional Intelligence & Self-Awareness

• The EQ Matrix: self-awareness and others-awareness

• Why leaders must master emotional regulation

• How unresolved childhood patterns impact leadership decisions
  
  

The Pathway of Personal Responsibility

• Understanding triggers and avoiding emotional "pinball" reactions

• Learning to pause, breathe, and respond instead of react

• Extreme ownership in leadership
  
  

The Kairos Circle Framework

• Turning conflict into growth conversations

• Creating safe, structured ways to unpack misunderstandings

• How to prevent resentment from compounding over time
  
  

Scaling Beyond Yourself

• Why leaders must build leaders who build leaders

• The importance of unified language and shared frameworks

• Moving from checkers to chess as your organization grows
  
  

Resources & Mentions

• Leadership Gravitas by Eric Pfeiffer

• Empower Coaching Podcast

• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

• Headspace App (mindfulness practice)

• Concepts discussed: Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Developmental Square, Pathway of Personal Responsibility, Kairos Circle
  
  

Final Takeaway

If your organization has plateaued, it's not a market problem. It's not a talent problem. It's a leadership growth opportunity.

The size of your business will always reflect the size of your leadership capacity. And scaling requires more than tactics—it demands self-awareness, emotional maturity, and the courage to confront what's holding you back.

Leadership isn't about control. It's about clarity, responsibility, and building leaders who multiply impact beyond you.

"Every business problem is a leadership problem."

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