Leadership Is Coaching I Craig Hunt

Leadership is more than managing people. It's about coaching them to grow. In this episode of 40 % Better, Bill Lennan sits down with Craig Hunt, Chief Technology Officer at Sagecrest Solutions, to discuss what separates great leaders from average managers. Craig shares how early leadership failures shaped his career, why leadership should be taught before someone gets promoted, and how coaching, ownership, transparency, and succession planning create high-performing teams. The conversation also explores AI in leadership, employee engagement, company culture, startup growth, and why investing in people delivers long-term business success. Whether you're a CTO, engineering manager, founder, team lead, or aspiring leader, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately. In this episode: • How Craig Hunt became a leader after an early failure • Why leadership is a skill that must be developed • Building future leaders before they get management titles • Creating a culture of ownership and accountability • Why coaching is the foundation of leadership • Employee engagement and retention strategies • Leadership lessons for startups and growing tech companies • The role of AI in software engineering and leadership • Succession planning and developing high-performing teams • Why curiosity and communication make better leaders Guest: Craig Hunt Chief Technology Officer Sagecrest Solutions Host: Bill Lennan About 40 % Better: 40 % Better is a leadership podcast hosted by Bill Lennan, featuring conversations with technology leaders, executives, founders, and innovators who share practical lessons on leadership, management, career growth, and building successful teams. Subscribe for more conversations with industry leaders. Connect with Craig Hunt on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hcraighunt/ #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #CraigHunt #Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #TechnologyLeadership #CTO #EngineeringLeadership #EngineeringManager #SoftwareEngineering #Management #PeopleLeadership #CareerGrowth #EmployeeEngagement #Coaching #TeamLeadership #CompanyCulture #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #SagecrestSolutions #Podcast I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast team Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/ Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams, improve team productivity, and achieve sustainable success in business through a focus on human-centered systems. #technologyleadership #productmanagement #engineeringleadership #leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #podcast