Exceptional Leadership Insights with John Ott (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 858)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews John Ott from Exceptional Leaders. Ott shares his journey into leadership coaching, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and understanding group dynamics, personal growth, and effective communication. He discusses the significance of being “inwardly sound” and “others focused” as key leadership qualities. John also highlights the importance of self-awareness and presents a 360-degree feedback tool to help leaders understand their strengths and areas for improvement. The episode concludes with John sharing success stories and offering insights into the holistic growth of leaders and their businesses.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
John Ott, Co-Founder & Executive Coach, Exceptional Leaders
Since 1999, John has led and developed hundreds of leaders in a variety of organizations: corporations, small businesses, startups, and non-profits. He is a co-founder and principal of Exceptional Leaders, LLC, a venture focused on guiding leaders and teams to achieve long-term, sustained excellence through advanced leadership development and integral coaching.
In the coaching context, John blends creative strategy with a deep understanding of human behavior and development. His approach is rooted in a long-standing curiosity around three questions:
How do people grow?
How do groups of people work together to accomplish amazing things?
How are ideas effectively communicated from one person or group to another?
John’s work consistently revolves around the alignment of people and resources with a unified mission. While portions of his time have been spent honing these skills in the non-profit sector, he has also actively consulted with a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations in the areas of strategic operations and leadership development.
John began his career on the staff of a church in Nashville, TN, where he gained exposure to a broad spectrum of leadership opportunities. He went on to help found an industry-leading, high-tech, audio-visual firm. After that firm had gained sufficient traction, John went back into the non-profit sector, eventually joining the staff of North Point Ministries—one of the largest and most influential churches in the country. While at North Point, John led the development of leader training and operational infrastructure accessed by more than 1500 volunteer leaders locally and thousands more globally. Prior to co-founding Exceptional Leaders, John was the president of a private capital group specializing in real estate development, residential construction, and cellular tower development.
John holds professional coaching credentials with New Ventures West and a Bachelors Degree in Biblical Studies with a minor in Greek from Lipscomb University. He currently lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, with his amazing wife and four children.
Connect with John Ott: Website | LinkedIn
Connect with Exceptional Leaders: Website
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
01:26 Meet John Ott: Exceptional Leaders
01:51 John Ott’s Journey to Coaching
02:20 The Role of Curiosity in Career Development
03:46 Taking the Leap: Starting a Business
06:23 The Importance of Leadership
08:16 Defining Leadership Effectiveness
11:58 Inwardly Sound and Others Focused
14:15 The Identity Crisis of Business Leaders
15:45 The Isolation at the Top
18:23 Navigating Leadership Challenges
19:57 Recognizing the Need for Coaching
25:40 Self-Awareness and Leadership
27:49 Success Stories and Outcomes
30:37 Connecting with John Ott
31:15 Final Thoughts and Gratitude
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 850 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
