What does it take to build a championship football program that shapes not just great athletes but exceptional leaders?

In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, host BJ Kraemer sits down with Frank DeLano, Head Football Coach at Haddonfield Memorial High School, to explore how to build a winning culture rooted in relationships, values, and community, and his leadership lessons from decades of success on and off the field.

Frank explains the origins of his “we” philosophy, the mission statement that guides his coaching, and how creating a sense of belonging for every player can change a team into a family. He delves into the challenges behind youth sports culture, the pitfalls of early specializations, and the importance of relationships, communication, and core values in a “me-first” world. He also shares how to cultivate team culture, develop leaders, and leave the game better than you found it.

Tune in to learn how to lead with purpose, passion, and humility with Frank DeLano.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Frank’s coaching mission statement and the values that shape his leadership.
• Why he chose to eliminate individual awards from his football program.
• Find out what his “we, not me” philosophy looks like on and off the field.
• Why relationships and communication are essential for meeting kids where they are.
• The benefits of multi-sport and the dangers of youth sports specialization.

Quotes:

“I have always loved the passion of the X and O part of football. I always knew that being a fan simply wasn’t good enough.” — Frank DeLano

“Rules are for people who don’t have discipline. Standards are for those who want to be elite.” — Frank DeLano

“[Coaches] didn’t invent [football] and our job is to make this game a little bit better than when we found it.” — Frank DeLano

“Clinic seasons are great; they’re also dangerous. Because you might sit in front of someone for 45 minutes, they’ve got this wonderful idea, and they never told you what went wrong.” — Frank DeLano

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Frank DeLano

Haddonfield Memorial High School

InSideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives

Do You Love Football?: Winning with Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep

Fearless: How an Underdog Becomes a Champion

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

It’s easy to assume that growth comes from adding more, but it often actually requires doing less with greater intention.

Today on the Leadership Blueprints Podcast, BJ sits down with Jeff Evenson, Scaling Strategist at Scaling.com, where he helps clients 10x their business in three years or less, which Jeff describes as the “impossible goal”. Tuning in, you’ll find out what it really means to grow a business strategically, including compressing timelines to sharpen decision-making, learning how to distinguish signal from noise, and setting clear boundaries around what not to pursue. Jeff introduces the concept of “frame, floor, focus,” and explains how simplifying priorities can unlock higher-impact opportunities. He also explores the identity shift required of leaders as their roles evolve, and why coaching and accountability are essential to sustaining progress.

Listen in for a grounded, practical perspective on leading and scaling with intention!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Using time as a tool to force better decisions and innovation.
• The concept of signal vs. noise in business decisions.
• Identifying which opportunities are distractions rather than true growth paths.
• Introducing “frame, floor, focus” as a scaling framework.
• Setting a floor to define what work and clients to say no to.

Quotes:

“The impossible goal is a 10x goal, but the more impossible piece of it is to collapse and use time as a tool.” — Jeff Evenson

“If we use time as a tool, we can force people to think differently and create innovative pathways to get to that 10x goal in a much shorter timeframe.” — Jeff Evenson

“That floor will indicate what things we can do, and, more importantly, what things we say no to.” — Jeff Evenson

“Personally, professionally, having somebody [who] is always in your corner, yet is also relatively rigorous with accountability, is a superpower.” — Jeff Evenson

“Our goals and our future self really shape who we are today.” — Jeff Evenson

“The goal is just a tool. We don't want it to be a cudgel or a punishment or anything like that. We want it to be a tool, a useful tool that challenges our thinking and really shapes our decision making now.” — Jeff Evenson

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jeff Evenson on LinkedIn

Jeff Evenson Email

Scaling.com

The Science of Scaling: Grow Your Business Bigger and Faster Than You Think Possible

Bill Watkins on LinkedIn

Dan Sullivan Books

Benjamin Hardy Books

Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork

10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less

Freddie Kim on LinkedIn

MILSPEC TALENT

Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

Setting priorities and staying aligned is essential in business. But without the right systems, it’s only a matter of time before you get caught up in day-to-day operations and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Since 2018, MCFA has been using quarterly reviews to set a 90-day cadence, allowing teams to align efforts, set priorities, and ensure clarity across teams. In this solo episode of Leadership Blueprints, BJ Kraemer discusses the importance of quarterly reviews and how they connect your long-term vision with your daily actions. He shares why setting up robust systems is essential for staying focused on larger targets, emphasizing the role of weekly check-ins and accountability in turning plans into meaningful progress. BJ also explores how you can apply quarterly thinking beyond work to your personal goals and growth.

Listen in for a practical framework to reset your focus and make the most of the next 90 days!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Using a 90-day cadence to align efforts, set priorities, and get clarity.
• The gap between annual reviews and reactive daily work.
• Using quarterly reviews to connect your long-term vision with your daily actions.
• Understanding your limitations and how to make trade-offs.
• The 90-day challenge: define priorities, build a plan, and track weekly progress.

Quotes:

“We are going to prioritize where we're going to invest our time, our energy, our creativity, and our focus for the next 90 days.” — BJ Kraemer

“This is our chance to synchronize everybody's efforts, get everybody back on the same page and make sure that we're really working on the hardest things.” — BJ Kraemer

“Even though I've been doing this for eight years, there are different parts of my life where I get out of sync with the discipline of a 90-day world.” — BJ Kraemer

“We can't do it all. – There is a limitation to what we can invest, whether that is our own time or reinvesting company profitability. There's always a limitation. So you have to really be good with understanding trade-offs.” — BJ Kraemer

“The quarter, [or] the 90-day world is short enough to create urgency, [and] long enough to actually give yourself time to create change.” — BJ Kraemer

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn