Leadership Questions
Brad Jurgensmeier, Maintenance Services Superintendent
2026-06-18
I had a previous discussion with Brad about his career/leadership lessons in January. I took some hand notes (i’ll add them at the bottom) but since I’m trying to hit as many leaders as I can this summer, I wanted to circle back and ask him some more questions.
Brad,
This summer, I’m trying to interview different leaders about how they think about/show leadership and what lessons I can gleam
I’d love to sit down with you and discuss what you’ve learned so far in your career.
I know we’ve already discussed a bunch so here’s some additional questions that should be new ground. But we can go over whatever you’d like to discus
What’s something you wish you knew early in your career?
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Is there a favorite failure you’re willing to share?
What’s something that’s underestimated by others that you think is important?
How do you make “big decisions” in life/work? Who do you talk to, what do you weigh, how do you think about them?
-Nagle
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!!What’s something you wish you knew early in your career?
The importance of a network/getting mentors. Brad assumed if he kept his nose to the grindstone and he’d get noticed and recommended. And while he did succeed in his career, it’s harder to make your name known. It’s not bragging or broadcasting but highlighting your successes. It’s to help create recognition for folks who don’t work with you. Especially letting more people on a higher level of the organization know about you and what you do. You attach your name to good things in their mind. Brad also mentioned being okay not nothing the complete full answer. Being willing to speak up and ask, “dumb questions”.
!!How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Is there a favorite failure you’re willing to share?
People often are scared it’s gotta impact their career or EOY rating. Brad takes a more sympathetic approach where “if you don't fail, you're not trying.” He mentioned the freeze in 2021, when his was the 1092 Utilities Superintendent. The freeze preparation wasn’t sufficient and caused the entire site to shut down. It taught him you gotta trust that people are gonna do their job, but you also gotta have assurances on the back end, aka “trust but verify”.
!!What’s something that’s underestimated by others that you think is important?
Brad mentioned 7 habits of highly effective people, specifically “seek first to understand”. Reach across the aisle and build relationships with people. It’s easier to have tough conversations with someone you know vs someone you never met/talked to. He mentioned how oftentimes you get a request that’s not exactly your immediate responsibility but acting on it can build a relationship with that individual. These "micro-engagements" of just saying I’ll look into that, show you care and can foster a relationship that you could use in the future.
!!How do you make “big decisions” in life/work? Who do you talk to, what do you weigh, how do you think about them?
Brad will bounce ideas off people above, below, and peers. For good peers you must have build that network of trust.
!!How to not become over procedural/how to reduce the red tape?
You can make any process too cumbersome. The approach needs to be ensuring it’s easy to use and simple. Always ask yourself “are you actually solving a problem?” The last thing Brad mentioned was too often we say something doesn’t work and instead of making iterations and changes we scrap it and try to create something new. That can be extremely hard to integrate and get buy-in from the team. Cedar often has too much red tape, lots of approval signatures required for small things. Brad talked about how leadership creates that weather, the people in the chairs are willing to empower the people below them to make good decisions, you can reduce much of the excessive work.
!!building self-confidence in others
Two major things: positive affirmation and giving autonomy. Recognize the small success and highlight them. If you give them responsibility and make sure they have full authority over it. Say 'I’m here for roadblocks, you got full autonomy over it’s execution’.
We ended up chatting about career decisions and Brad mentioned "don't do stupid" when it comes to making a career decision. He also talked about "being consistent and doing the day to day". Consistency compounds and can make the biggest difference in the long run.
##I did like how he mentioned when a lead of the process group, he was the expert and would approach the role in a more Socratic way to guide people to the right answer. In different roles he was less familiar with, it’s more “dumb questions” and relying on the expertise of your team.
end of convo————
Original 1on1 Discussion Notes from 2026-01-07
Here’s some more of my questions. If you get any time, I’d love to know your thoughts.
When Ops superintendent, people are always asking for your approval on a million different things.
How do you ensure you get enough information to be confident in your decision?
When you are in a meeting or seeking input from your team, what has been the best way to get honesty/candor from your employees?
What has been the hardest “leadership skill” for you to develop in yourself? How did you go about it?
What level of the org did you feel the most power to change the “culture” in a positive way?
How can I make good changes at my level without upsetting the apple cart?
How to influence without “authority”’
Who do you look to as a great leader? What about them do you admire/want to imitate?
More selfish/personal questions:
What do you see as my growth opportunities? What can I do to improve blind spots and move from a good engineer to great engineer?
How do you stay diligent with executing long term projects? This is one of my weaker skills to stay motivated and make continuous progress
My notes:
He mentioned “Sharpen the Saw” from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Focusing on getting better and being curious.
have people come up with their own goals, make 4-6 to achieve in the year
make leadership more democratic & Socratic
good vs bad employees:
bad - lack of output, not doing what you say
good - they come up with solutions & fix problems
how to get people to speak up in meetings?
-speak last
-notice if someone is being quiet and pull them in
how to build relationships: get to know on a personal level, share and be curious about them. This is something Brad has to work actively on.
Brad feels the level with the most impact is Superintendent. You get to see how the managers are thinking but still get personal interaction with front line workers.
How to influence without authority:
stakeholder buy-in
relationship building
Explain, Explain, Explain
Great Leaders
Jon Fleener
John Karlson
Clay Falcon
Ron Bradford
Brad did mention that reading leadership books/listening to podcasts is not always learning new things. Sometimes it’s affirming what you already do.
Podcast recommendations:
John Maxwell - Maxwell Leadership Podcast, especially on Emotional Intelligence
Michael Hyatt - Focus on This
I asked about