MCFA podcast
LEADERSHIP BLUEPRINTS
Leadership Blueprints is a podcast dedicated to helping leaders align teams, navigate chaos, and accomplish the mission. Hosted by BJ Kraemer—West Point graduate, combat veteran, and President & CEO of MCFA—this show dives into the principles, stories, and strategies behind effective leadership.
With a background in military service and experience leading teams in business, infrastructure, and complex projects, BJ understands that success comes down to execution, adaptability, and leading people well. Through in-depth interviews with accomplished leaders across business, sports, the military, and beyond, Leadership Blueprints will help you bring your vision to reality on projects that shape communities and industries.
Whether you’re leading in the boardroom, on the field, in the military, or within your own organization, this podcast is designed to provide the tools and mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. Subscribe now and start building your Leadership Blueprint.
All leaders are readers. That’s why we’re kicking off a three-part series on the books and stories that have influenced our leadership philosophy.
Whether you’re a reader or an audiobook listener, this series is packed with recommendations that contain essential wisdom you can apply to your life. To kick off our series, BJ shares his thoughts on why you should read, what you should read, and the books that have shaped his life. Tune in to learn why self-study is such a key part of personal development, how to begin with the end in mind, and how to take control of each day, starting with your morning routine.
Our conversation covers plenty of books and principles you can take from them that will revolutionize your day-to-day. In closing, BJ provides you with three action steps you can take today. Thanks for listening!
Key Points From This Episode:
• The importance of reading and stories in building a leadership philosophy.
• How Pat Croce’s work impacted BJ’s life.
• Why self-study is so important.
• How reading helped BJ to move beyond reactivity and build momentum.
• Taking reading from consumption to impact.
• Why you should initiate an uncomfortable conversation today.
Quotes:
“The ideal here is to consume wisdom and then be able to synthesize and apply it to your life. I think that’s why we read. It gives you a lot of perspective.” — BJ Kraemer
“Self-study is a very critical part of personal development.” — BJ Kraemer
“Both the morning routine at home and the morning routine at work are critical building blocks of your day.” — BJ Kraemer
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
The Obstacle Is The Way
Father Mike Schmitz on Instagram
The Miracle Morning
James Clear
Napoleon Hill on Amazon
Dale Carnegie on Amazon
Tim Ferris
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead
Paradigm Shifting Books
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People