Real Leadership the Podcast - with Jim Weaver
Hosted by Jim Weaver
The CEO of a major industrial staffing firm interviews operations executives about leadership in the 'real economy' of making, moving, and processing things.
A long-form interview show that deliberately avoids Silicon Valley and finance to focus on the 'steak-and-sizzle' world of the real economy. Host Jim Weaver talks with COOs and executive directors from companies like HelloFresh and Cummins about supply chain complexity, lean manufacturing, and frontline workforce engagement. The conversations are deeply rooted in operational reality, exploring how leaders manage perishable goods, industrial kitchens, and global service teams.
“Its tight focus on the 'real economy'—companies that physically make and move things—sets it apart from the crowded field of tech and startup podcasts. The host's perspective as the CEO of a major staffing firm for these same industries provides a unique, grounded lens on the workforce and leadership challenges discussed.”
Who hosts this show
Jim Weaver is the CEO of The Ōnin Group, a large, privately-held staffing company based in Birmingham, Alabama. He hosts 'Real Leadership' to spotlight leaders from the industrial and manufacturing sectors, focusing on their practical, on-the-ground strategies. Weaver's own career at Ōnin began in 2001; he was promoted from COO to CEO in 2024, having started with the company as an out-of-work musician looking for a warehouse job 23 years prior.
Credentials & credits
- CEO of The Ōnin Group
- Former COO of The Ōnin Group
Other ventures
- The Ōnin Group (staffing brands: Ōnin Staffing, Excelsior Staffing, A3 Solutions, Fōcus)
- Mōmentum Capital Funding
- Mōmentum Equipment and Supply
- Woodhaven Custom Calls
- Ōnin Properties
- Pleasant Hill Timber
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Technicians Are Making $100K. The Word Just Hasn't Gotten Out Yet.Jun 24, 2026 · 2 min
- 02She Asks Kids What Car They Want. Then She Does the Math.Jun 23, 2026 · 1 min
- 03Her Best Friend Was Dying. Her Boss Said Four Words.Jun 22, 2026 · 2 min
- 04Why This Cummins Executive Still Walks the FloorJun 19, 2026 · 2 min
- 05You Can Be Busy All Day and Still Get Fired for ItJun 17, 2026 · 1 min
- 06
- 07I Skipped the Boardroom. I Went to the Floor.May 20, 2026 · 3 min
- 08Ask Your Frontline Workers. They Already Know What's Wrong (And How To Fix IT).May 19, 2026 · 49 min
Notable episodes
- 01Erica Baird, Executive Director of Global Sales and Service, Cummins, Real Leadership
The guest shares a powerful personal and professional story, from being the daughter of Muhammad Ali's bodyguard to navigating corporate life as a single mother and turning a career setback into a major opportunity.
- 02Ask Your Frontline Workers. They Already Know What's Wrong (And How To Fix IT).
Features HelloFresh's Global COO, Dan Seidel, detailing his 'undercover boss' approach to onboarding by working on the production line for two months to identify and solve core operational problems.
- 03Technicians Are Making $100K. The Word Just Hasn't Gotten Out Yet.
This clip highlights a core theme of the show: the surprising economic realities of the skilled labor market, revealing a significant pay increase and talent shortage in technical fields.
What you'll be asked on this show
Weaver opens with a meticulously researched, complimentary summary of the guest's professional journey. His first move is often to pivot from their current success to their personal origin story, asking about their upbringing or early career motivations to frame their leadership philosophy. He probes by asking for specific strategic priorities ('What were the big targets?') and about learning from failure. Weaver is a patient interviewer, often letting guests speak for long stretches without interruption, and he frequently connects their practical stories to established business concepts like 'Gemba' or 'Genchi Genbutsu'.
This is a respectful, long-form interview show. Weaver begins each episode with a detailed, formal biography of his guest's career. He then allows guests to give extensive, uninterrupted answers, guiding the conversation from high-level strategy to personal history and back to on-the-floor tactics.
Questions Jim Weaver keeps coming back to
9 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Jim Weaver reaches for it.
process
2- Q.01
“Can you give the audience a sense of the scale and scope of your company today?”
Often asked at the beginning to establish the context and complexity of the guest's operational world.
- Q.02
“What were your biggest priorities when you first started in this role/transition?”
Focuses on the guest's initial strategic plan for their first 90 days in a new leadership position.
origin
1- Q.01
“What was it about this opportunity that was attractive to you?”
Used to understand the guest's personal motivation for taking their current high-stakes role.
backstory
1- Q.01
“How did your upbringing shape your leadership philosophy?”
Connects the guest's personal history and formative values to their professional approach.
mindset
2- Q.01
“Was there a point where you were close to giving up or taking an easier path?”
Seeks to uncover stories of resilience and navigating significant career or personal challenges.
- Q.02
“Is there a failure that taught you a particularly profound lesson?”
Explores how the guest processes and learns from professional setbacks.
technique
1- Q.01
“How are you leveraging technology like automation and data?”
Asks about the practical role of technology in managing operational complexity and customer experience.
advice
1- Q.01
“What advice would you give to someone in a similar situation as you were?”
Elicits actionable advice for listeners based on the guest's specific experiences (e.g., as a single mother in a corporate career).
personal
1- Q.01
“Tell us about your [family member, e.g., father or mother].”
Probes into the guest's personal background to find formative influences on their character and work ethic.
Signature segments
- · Focus on the 'real economy'
- · Host's intro closing: 'Let's go.'
- · Host's use of the phrase 'get real'
- · Connecting guest stories to formal business concepts (e.g., Gemba)
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are senior operational executives, often with titles like Global COO or Executive Director, from large-scale companies in sectors such as industrial manufacturing (Cummins) and food supply chain (HelloFresh). They are hands-on leaders who have direct experience with the complexities of managing physical operations and large, distributed workforces.
- Erica Bairdon Erica Baird, Executive Director of Global Sales and Service, Cummins, Real Leadership
- Dan Seidelon Ask Your Frontline Workers. They Already Know What's Wrong (And How To Fix IT).
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors include The Ōnin Group and its subsidiary brands like Ōnin Flex and Excelsior Staffing. The angle is B2B, targeting the exact types of companies the guests lead—large industrial and logistics firms—that require significant workforce and staffing solutions.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Jim Weaver
People also ask
- Who is the host of Real Leadership?
- The host is Jim Weaver, the CEO of The Ōnin Group, a large US-based staffing and workforce solutions company.
- What is the podcast's main focus?
- The podcast focuses on leadership within the 'real economy'—companies involved in manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and other industrial sectors.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a long-form, one-on-one interview show where Jim Weaver speaks with a single executive guest each episode.
- Is the podcast still being produced?
- Yes, new full episodes and shorter clips are released on a weekly basis.
- What kind of guests appear on the show?
- Guests are typically high-level operational leaders, such as COOs and Executive Directors, from major industrial and supply-chain companies.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast and its clips are available on the 'Real Leadership the Podcast' YouTube channel.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Website | Real Leadership The Podcastrealleadershippodcast.com
- [02]The Ōnin Group names CEO, initiates ESOPwww2.staffingindustry.com
- [03]About Jim Weaver | Real Leadership Podcastrealleadershippodcast.com
- [04]A New Chapter of Shared Success: The Ōnin Group’s Leap into Employee Ownership with New CEOoninstaffing.com
- [05]How it all Began: A Staffing Company with a Storyoninstaffing.com
- [06]The Ōnin Group (Grand Prize Winner, 501-plus employees, 2021)www2.staffingindustry.com
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