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77. Five Steps to Effective Communication That Will Transform Your Leadership with Josh Parnell
Episode 7719th January 2026 • Redeeming Business Today • David Schmidt
00:00:00 00:33:47

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Poor communication isn't just annoying—it's expensive. It costs business owners 18% of total salaries paid out every year.

If you're paying a million dollars in salaries, poor communication could be costing you $180,000 annually—7.47 hours of lost time each week per employee, all because messages aren't getting through.

Today I'm talking with Josh Parnell, a leadership coach and host of the Limitless Leader podcast.

Josh left a corporate job he loved when God kept tugging on his heart to start his own thing. He fought it for months until God finally said, "Josh, trust me and I'll show you."

The greatest misconception about communication? That it's actually happening. That communication is actually happening.

When you're talking with someone, there are often four conversations happening at once.

Join us as Josh breaks down his five steps to effective communication that will transform how you lead.

In This Episode:

Five Steps to Effective Communication

  1. Assume positive intent
  2. Seek first to understand, then be understood
  3. Fall in love with asking questions
  4. Listen to understand, not to reply
  5. Stay positive

One challenge from today:

Stop assuming all your thoughts are true. Humans have 60,000 thoughts per day—80% are negative and 90% are repetitive. When something seems off, assume positive intent and go directly to the source instead of creating a false narrative.

Remember, meaningful growth often begins just outside your comfort zone.


More About Josh Parnell

Website: www.limitlessleadership.co

YouTube: @thebeardedleader

LinkedIn: @thebeardedleader


More About David Schmidt

Free E-Book: What God Says About Business: 5 Uncommon Truths for the Modern Business

Subscribe to the RBT Weekly Newsletter for weekly simple, practical, and Biblical steps to help you build a thriving business in a way that honors God.

Newsletter also comes with Bible verses for business success for you to read, apply, and be inspired by.

Book a call: Get Unstuck and Move Forward

Website: redeemingbusinesstoday.com

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Mentioned in this episode:

What God Says About Business: 5 Uncommon Truths for Modern Business

If you want to go deeper in your walk with God and integrate your faith and business this is the tool to make it happen. God has laid out the path to success without the regrets and emptiness that come with success the world's way. Download your FREE pdf resource today. A 10-minute investment of your time will return a lifetime of transformation.

What God Says About Business

Leadership GPS: Christian Business Coaching

Are you looking to integrate your faith and business but don't know where to start, book a time to discover if Christian business coaching and training might be right for you. If you are dissatisfied with your current rate of improvement, desire a clearer vision of what God says about business, or even what those first steps may look like, let's talk.

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Transcripts

David Schmidt (:

In 2014, I saw a new TV screen being installed in the break room where I was working. And the HR person just happened to be there, so I asked and said, hey, what's the new TV for? Because there's already a big screen TV in there. And they said that they had done a company-wide survey, and communication was one of the downfalls of the company. And so they put this TV up there for communication. I just had to chuckle because that was not the type of communication.

David Schmidt (:

that was wrong with the company. The communication was between engineers and people on the floor, not between HR and telling us when the next break is. So I just thought that was funny. But anyway, good communication is very important part of good culture. And while we have been communicating our entire lives, it's a skill that we still need to upgrade and learn from. And so today I brought on Josh Parnell, who is a leadership coach and host of the Limit.

David Schmidt (:

Limitless Leader podcast to talk about leadership, culture, communication. So Josh, welcome. And to start off, what is one way that you have found to honor God in your business?

Josh Parnell (:

Thank you for allowing me to be here. Such a privilege and an honor to be on your show. I love that you opened up with the communication piece. To answer your question directly, one way that I honor God in my business as a leadership coach, trainer and speaker that primarily serves the automotive repair industry. serve multiple industries, but the bulk of my clients come from that industry. It's a blue collar industry. I like to say that I'm a bright light in a dark world and it doesn't.

Josh Parnell (:

I'm not necessarily referring to the industry, just in general, that's who we are as, as believers and followers of Christ. And, a way that I honored God is on my coaching calls with every client that I work with, with their permission, I will pray for them at the end of every coaching session. And I say with their permission, because there have been some folks who don't want me to pray for them. And I, and I understand that and I respect that. And so whatever direction they'd like for me to go in, I will.

Josh Parnell (:

But I'm very adamant about letting them know who I am, what I believe, where my faith lies. And I believe in the power of prayer. And I know what God has done for me in my life and my family and both personally and professionally. so of the hundred and hundred and fifty ish people I've coached in the last two and a half years, I think one hundred and forty five have all said, yeah, let's let's do it. And so I'm I even right now, every Wednesday I'm praying with praying for an atheist.

Josh Parnell (:

and he's good with it.

David Schmidt (:

very interesting. That's good, that's good. I've been starting to pray with my clients too at the end, and we don't always hit it every time, but sometimes it seems appropriate to say, we've talked about a lot, let's just learn a little bit. Josh, give us a little background of why are you at your place today where you are? What has God, the journey God has led you on?

Josh Parnell (:

Sure. So again, thanks for the opportunity, David. My journey into entrepreneurship began about three and a half years ago. I was working at a corporate job, working for a phenomenal company in a great industry, loving the role that I was in, loving the people that I was working with and working for. But God started putting something in me that I fought for months. There was a feeling that...

Josh Parnell (:

I was fighting and that was to leave the job that I was at and start my own thing. And logically it didn't make sense for all the reasons I just shared, but he kept tugging on my heart. He kept calling me out of this organization and unbeknownst to me, I didn't know what was next. I didn't fully understand or have the clarity and direction comfortable that I felt comfortable with to be able to make that move. But as a believer, you know, David, that when God

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah, it's really our job to be obedient. And, and for, for, for awhile, I kept saying, all right, God, if this is what you want me to do, whatever this is, then show me and I'll trust you. And after months of me having that discussion with him, finally, he flipped the switch to me and said, no, Josh, trust me and I'll show you. And so just like that, I was able to say, okay, you know what? I truly am going to let go and, and see where this thing goes. And,

Josh Parnell (:

So I remember the, one of the first people that I spoke, spoke about this was with my wife, of course. And I let her know what I felt like God was calling me to do. you know, her natural and understandable response was a what? No, that doesn't make, you know, like, why would we do that? you know, cause I'm talking about leaving this, the safety of a great job, a great organization, the security and the benefits and all the things that come with it to jump into this terrifying world of entrepreneurship. And, and I said, look, I understand how.

David Schmidt (:

So.

Josh Parnell (:

crazy this might sound. I feel so strongly about this, that if, God really wants me to do this, it means that you're also doing this with me. And, um, and if he's speaking this strongly to me, then he's going to do the same for you. And so I'm not, so I said, I'm not going to press the issue, but, um, I just want you to know what, what I'm feeling. And about a week later, she came to me and said, okay, let's do it. And so, um, about, about three weeks after that is when the move actually

Josh Parnell (:

Actually, was made. so, you know, that, that was about two and a half, almost three years ago, jumping into entrepreneurship as a full-time leadership coach, trainer and speaker. And, and God has allowed me the opportunities now to reach more people, to impact more people and build more leaders. Cause that's the mission that I'm on. And that's the, that's the work that I'm, that I've been doing and called to do. And, thankfully he is continuing to bless me with opportunity to do that.

David Schmidt (:

I totally resonate with that because sometimes it's like, it my idea or God's idea? But if it's fully God's idea, there's no failure. You move forward and He takes care of things. Although I have made many bad decisions and it probably wasn't of God, but I've learned from them and away you go.

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah, that's

Josh Parnell (:

I've learned

Josh Parnell (:

over the years, David, you know, like, cause I've also tried to force things. I think we all have. And what we know is that our plans can't be forced, but God's plans can't be stopped. And when, when I finally just decide, you know what, I'm going to just let, let God do the thing. Like, why am I, why do I continue to insert myself and get in the way of what he's doing? This is where obedience comes into play. And this is where obedience and further

Josh Parnell (:

Diligence, which is what you shared with me prior to us going live. And I appreciate you for sharing this diligence comes into play. Like how diligent are you in the work that you're doing that is unto the Lord? And this is where, you know, as long as we keep on being obedient, being diligent, he's going to keep on lighting our path. And we're going to take one step at a time and just keep on walking in faith.

David Schmidt (:

and that's a thing, it's walking the pace. So we're gonna talk about culture just a little bit and what are the top, I'm gonna just ask, what are the top few things that you've viewed that is important in culture? I mean, obviously lots of things are important in culture.

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah, think, you know, culture is something that is certainly taught. It can be caught. Sorry, it is caught. It can be taught. So you want to teach it to some degree, but it's going to be something that's going to be caught more than anything because culture is your core values plus your behaviors. So if when I can properly define

Josh Parnell (:

what my core values are as an organization and the behaviors that follow suit. you know, your core values were going to drive your behaviors, but ultimately your behaviors also drive your core values because your core values are who you are. Core is Latin for heart. So core is who we are. So it's not necessarily aspirational. It's not like what I aspire to be, what I want to be. Like I want to be, um, I don't know. trying to think of something that maybe I'm not like, I'm not naturally an extrovert. Uh, I'm not naturally outgoing, although as a leadership.

Josh Parnell (:

Speaker primarily and trainer, you know, I, I know how to turn it on and I do turn it on, but being an introvert that I am when it's all said and done, I definitely need to recharge. That's right. But like on my own, mean, like there it's, it's exhausting for me in a good way though. I love what I do. I love being able to speak in front of audiences. I love being able to, really impact a room. because I feed off of that energy, but

Josh Parnell (:

core values is who we are. So if I'm going to say, want, know, like we are, outgoing and like tons of fun, you know, like, I mean, I, jokingly tell it, like my family will be like, man, you're kind of boring. And I mean, they say it in the nice, in a nice way possible, but I'm like, I mean, I go to sleep at eight o'clock, David, like I'm now I'm up early, but I'm, you know, I don't stay up late. Like I, I don't love big crowds, you know, unless I'm speaking there or training. but you know, I'm just,

David Schmidt (:

Sure.

Josh Parnell (:

That's just how I'm wired. And I've always been that way. so if we have a core value of fun, I need to know, like, look, I'm going to play my role in this, but this is more like aspirational than anything. And so when I think about core values, it's like, well, who am I? Like I am a man of integrity. I am a man of faith. You know, I am someone who, who, trying to think of the right way to say it. I'll just say it like I despise bullying, absolutely despise bullying. so

Josh Parnell (:

We want to be kind at all times and, and being clear is also being kind. So even when you're leading people, there's a way to be kind. doesn't mean that you're, you're a people pleaser or that you are constantly going to be a yes, man or yes woman, but we want to be kind at all times. mean, it's like being mean gets you nowhere. so I know I'm kind of going off on a tangent, but I think to, to, to further, to circle back to your question, being able to,

Josh Parnell (:

to live your core values into, into who you are, who your organization is, that kind of culture is caught. And if the people who are onboarding onto your team and getting hired and, and, and trained accordingly, if they're, if they're jumping on your team, on your bus, they're gonna likely weed themselves out because it's, if that's not who they are, it's, it's going to be an obvious, culture fit that is, that's not going to work.

Josh Parnell (:

So that's one way to answer it. think being able to, um, exercise key practices and principles like communication to protect the culture at all costs, I think is, is, um, is something that, that I'm mindful of. I like that you opened up with communication. What we know is that poor communication costs business owners, 18 % of total salaries paid out on an annual basis. So to put this into perspective, if you're a business owner paying

Josh Parnell (:

For math purposes, a million dollars in salary across an annual calendar year. Poor communication could actually be creating sunk costs in the amount of $180,000 every single year, which also equates to 7.47 hours of lost time, all because of poor communication. Because when there's a breakdown in communication, voids get created and negativity tends to fill those voids. So being able to implement key practices like effective communication, understanding what proper delegation looks like.

Josh Parnell (:

These are things that play, play a massive role in culture, but we've got to make the time to do all these things.

David Schmidt (:

Going back to what you started with, as far as more caught than taught, I know that's what my mom always said. I've listened to a speaker who said, you know, parenting is like a three-legged stool. You need to teach it, you need to model it, you need to pray for your kids. And I think that's similar to what we as Christian business owners need to do is model it, teach it, and pray for our employees too, that they would model this core values in that. But let's dig little deeper into communication because

Josh Parnell (:

Mm-hmm.

Josh Parnell (:

Mmm, that's good.

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah, that's good.

David Schmidt (:

Right now I work full-time job and I'm seeing the communication thing too and even, hey, there's a change in what we've done and that communication has not been made and so people are continuing doing things the old way versus the new way and it just, the problem is just snowball from there. So what can we do to, as leaders, as business owners or whatever, to communicate better?

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah.

Josh Parnell (:

I'm going to share five steps to effective communication. before I do, I'll share that whenever we're communicating with someone, there's often multiple conversations happening for the one that's actually happening. And what I mean by this is it's the conversation that I'm having, it's the conversation that you're having, it's the one that I think that we're having and the one that you think that we're having. That's why the greatest misconception about communication is the fact that it's actually happening. So when we can implement

Josh Parnell (:

What I call the five steps to effective communication. We're going to start seeing less voids be created. Cause as I, as I shared, when there's a breakdown in communication, voids get created, negativity fills those voids. So I think anyone listening or watching this episode can attest to the fact that they can relate to the silos that are being created. Even amongst a small organization, there's multiple silos that often get popped up because of the breakdowns of communication. So if we're walking through the five steps, I'm going to begin with assuming positive intent. We're always going to assume positive intent.

Josh Parnell (:

We know that we are humans and humans make mistakes and we're not perfect. only perfect being out there is God. Perfection is unattainable. So we have to expect not only the unexpected, but also expect mistakes to occur at times. We need to expect failures to occur. And that's fine because when we fail at something, it doesn't make us a failure. Just like if we lose, doesn't make us a loser. These actions don't become our identity. So we as leaders get to create these safe spaces, places, and platforms to allow

Josh Parnell (:

for growth and we're, know that mistakes are going to happen. know that there's going to be some failures along the way, but we're going to assume positive intent in all things that we do. So when someone does something that we weren't expecting them to do or make some mistake, the easy thing for us to do as leaders is to go and point fingers and say, you didn't do this. You didn't do that. Or, you know, what's your deal and, know, and really, verbally attack them. And that's probably a harsh way of saying it.

Josh Parnell (:

But what we can also do is to assume positive intent because we're building this foundational, we, we're creating a firm foundation. We're laying the groundwork. So we all assume positive intent and we can also seek first to understand, then be understood, which is the second step. So if I'm seeking first to understand, then be understood, which by the way, is one of the seven habits of highly effective people, great book by Steven Covey, then I'm no longer immediately going to them.

Josh Parnell (:

For the sake of being understood and saying, well, David, you should have done like this. can't believe X, Y, or Z. I'm going to say, Hey, David, help me understand. Um, you know, what you're thinking here, help me understand your thought process, help me understand why this occurred. Um, it is, it's more palatable for you to receive. Uh, I'm not, I'm not coming, uh, uh, coming at you in a way where you, you might take it defensively. Keep in mind, if I've already built this foundational, um, uh, relationship with you, when I, when I approach you in a place to understand.

Josh Parnell (:

versus be understood, you're going to be okay with this. You know, you know that my feedback or my questions are coming from a good place. And I'm pointing to my heart for a reason, because I care about you and people don't care how much you know until they know much you care. So we, as leaders get to create safety and trust so that we can provide clarity and direction. So when we assume positive intent, can set the second step is we can seek first to understand, then be understood. We can do this in the form of the third step, falling love, falling in love with asking questions.

Josh Parnell (:

So we are great as leaders. We're great at providing directive after directive after directive, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're providing that clarity and direction that I just referenced. can provide clarity and direction through questions, asking questions. And then when we think we're done asking questions, we ask more questions. And this is what I call, like, I use this roots to results coaching method in my own coaching. And that is when we ask a question and regardless of the response that I receive,

Josh Parnell (:

The second step of that three-step Roots to Results method is to say, tell me more. Great. David, tell me more. You're going to tell me more because I'm asking for it. then regardless of what, what your response is, I'm going to ask the AW question, a W E and what else and what else David I'll say, man, this is the one of one of, if not the most powerful questions any coach or leader should be asking their team. What else when they ask what else there is undoubtedly always something else.

Josh Parnell (:

And so the more questions we can ask, the more we can help empower our team members to discover the answers from within, because we're, we're getting to the root of something and you will see people physically in front of you have this light bulb moment. They have this epiphany while you're asking them questions, because they discover the answer from within. are responsible for pulling it out of them because the questions that you asked. So the fourth step after we ask questions is of course, to listen. If we're going to ask questions, we need to make sure that we're listening.

Josh Parnell (:

And there's a difference between hearing someone and listening to someone. If we're hearing someone, we're simply waiting for them to stop talking so we can tell them what we want to say. But if we're listening, we're receiving information, we're processing information, and we're utilizing that information to best serve that person. And we're doing so empathetically and empathizing with someone doesn't necessarily mean that we need to experience the same situation as that person, but it does mean that we can imagine their circumstances.

Josh Parnell (:

and accept their feelings without invalidating them. And many of us are inadvertently and unintentionally invalidating those that we're leading or serving. And we have no idea that we're doing it. So we get to listen and empathize with them and show that we understand and, and truly process what's being shared before we say what we want to say, which means that we're listening to understand. We're not listening to reply. And then the fifth and final step, and by the way, speaking of listening,

Josh Parnell (:

I appreciate you listening and allowing me to share all five of these steps. You've been awesome. so as we get into the fifth and final step, that is to stay positive, which is not naive leadership, staying positive, like positive leadership is not naive leadership. We know that there's going be tough times. know there's going to be obstacles and challenges that we're going to have to, pivot through and, and, and adapt and overcome. But when we can stay positive, we have to remember that we're, we're the ones who our team members are.

David Schmidt (:

you

Josh Parnell (:

feeding off of in terms of our influence and our energy. So the question I'd ask everyone to ask themselves is does my team feel the weight of my title or the influence of my leadership? Because if you're staying positive amidst the tough times recognizing that, look, I'm to be very transparent with my team within reason and share them, share with them what's going on, the tough things, the obstacles, the challenges, but I'm going to stay positive through it. And there's a three piece combo on how to stay positive. Number one, we go directly to the source. So I'm going go directly to you. If.

David Schmidt (:

Thanks for watching.

Josh Parnell (:

If there's an issue that I, you know, I'll throw issue in air quotes. If there's an issue that I feel like maybe David's upset with me, maybe David said something and, I took it the wrong way because I didn't assume positive intent. So I'm starting to feel these feelings because of the thoughts that I'm having. want to go directly to David rather than me going to someone else and say, Hey, did you guys see what David, know, did you see David come in? And, so it's this water cooler talk. It's this gossip that gets introduced and your border, your, you're starting to, um,

David Schmidt (:

Mm.

Josh Parnell (:

Kind of, kind of, uh, walk a fine line between complaining and the second piece is to implement the no complaining rules. This is three piece combo underneath the state positive, um, step is to assume positive intent, implement the no complaining rule, which is exactly what it sounds like here. We're not going to complain. There's no, there's no place for it. Um, all we're doing is allowing and introducing negativity, which like quicksand to get out of. And then the third thing, the third combo piece, if you will, is to.

Josh Parnell (:

Um, uh, bring a solution with a problem. So if you're going to bring a problem to the table, then pair that with a solution. Now I'm, I'm, I'm almost done. I appreciate you giving me this time. All of the things I just shared, the beauty in this is that they not only apply at work, they also apply at home because if you're listening or watching and you're married or you're in a relationship, you know, that communication is, is arguably the greatest challenge in your relationship as well. So when we can introduce.

Josh Parnell (:

a, so we can do all these things that I talk about. They apply at work and at home with the exception of one, which is the very last thing I shared folks as a married man. have learned that sometimes when my wife brings a problem to me or she wants to vent or share what's going on, that's a negative thing for her. I'm thinking, Hey, you know what? I'm getting ready to make her day. Cause I'm going to give her a solution. I'm getting ready to solve her problem. But I think we all know sometimes our spouses.

David Schmidt (:

That was true.

Josh Parnell (:

just want

Josh Parnell (:

us to listen. Right. So, so anyway, just to kind of put a bow on this, I appreciate you giving me the time, David, but, at home it's, it's hit or miss. Do we want to provide a solution with every problem I've learned? That's not the case. And that's why my wife and I will ask each other the question of, you me to listen or reply that tells each other how we want each other to show up in that specific moment.

David Schmidt (:

Yeah, as far as the solution, generally what it's, I found the rule is if you're bringing a problem to somebody, you come with the solution. Not if they're bringing a problem to you, but if you're bringing a problem to your supervisor, it's good to bring at least one solution. Cause that shows that you've thought things through. And ideally it's like, I have both of these, which would you rather me do? And then he can coach you through versus you just coming to him and telling you what to do.

Josh Parnell (:

That's right.

Josh Parnell (:

I appreciate the fact that you'd, sorry, I was gonna say, David, I appreciate the fact that you differentiated the two just now, because I think that's important. One of the things that I coach folks on is the one, three, one rule where if you bring a problem, then prepare three viable solutions and then make a determination on of which of those three that you're gonna act on. And you can have your leader or manager help you with that as well.

David Schmidt (:

Yeah.

David Schmidt (:

Yeah, and a previous guest, and I'm using it at work now too, he's like, we like to apply water to the fire, not gasoline. It's just a visual aid of showing water on the gasoline. And so some of the guys who work with me is like, how about a little oil? I'm just trying to bring back, because I continue to remind them, water, don't stir the pot. We're here to make peace. And that's the peacemakers. All that stuff you said was really good.

Josh Parnell (:

yeah, that's good.

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah.

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah.

David Schmidt (:

Can you give me a story or example? Because here's the thing, you said all these things, how do we apply this? how do we simply apply this in a situation? Because we're at work and people come to us, we talk, we run, we do this and that. It's just busy. How do we stop the busyness and still communicate effectively?

Josh Parnell (:

Yeah, I mean, it's, um, I don't want to say it's a loaded question, David, but I'll say this, we have to make the time. mean, a lot of us are going to say that we don't have the time. Um, but respectfully, I'm going to encourage everyone to make the time. The example I give in relation to what I just shared is something that I often share in a training and keep in mind the, the, the bulk of my audience that I primarily serve is in the automotive repair industry. So, um, imagine if you are walking into an automotive repair shop and you have the front service, uh, counter there.

Josh Parnell (:

And you have your service manager and service advisor who are behind the, behind the counter. have your technicians who are in the bays working on vehicles. And when I present this analogy to my audience, it's typically folks who are in that industry. And so this is the example I give. So in terms of how to apply it, I'm to give you the actual example I provide, but also how to apply the five steps. David, let's say you're the owner, you're the shop owner and I'm the manager. And so I'm already at the shop. Let's say we open at seven 30 and I get there.

Josh Parnell (:

You know, before we open, get the lights on, I go through the day to day operations and we're rolling. Right. mean, so, so I got, I have guests that are coming in and I'm serving guests and we're fixing cars and I'm on the counter and I'm doing my job. And then owner David rolls in around nine o'clock. so David comes in and he makes a beeline for his office. Doesn't say hi, no hugs, handshakes, high fives like David normally does. you know, normally I see David and David is.

Josh Parnell (:

Pretty jovial. He's positive. He's a, he's a great leader. I enjoy working for him and working with him. And David comes in today. He doesn't make eye contact, doesn't even say good morning. Just makes a beeline for his office. So naturally I'm starting to think, man, what's wrong with David? Is he upset with me? Did I do something? am I in trouble? And I started thinking these thoughts and

Josh Parnell (:

One of the greatest mistakes any of us can make is assuming all of our thoughts are actually true. What we know is that humans have up to 60,000 thoughts per day and studies show that 80 % of our thoughts are negative and 90 % of our thoughts are repetitive. So it's no wonder why we regularly experience stress and doubt and concern and anxiety and fear, but fear is simply false evidence appearing real. And we will always find evidence in the things that we believe. But again, one of the greatest mistakes we can make is assuming all of our thoughts or beliefs in this case,

Josh Parnell (:

are true because we do operate under limiting beliefs, unfortunately. So I start thinking, you know what? David's upset with me. David's going to fire me. I'm not, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm just not feeling very confident all of a sudden, which, which dictate, which are dictated from my thoughts because our thoughts dictate feelings, our feelings dictate actions and our actions dictate results. So keep in mind, I start thinking something that may be inaccurate. start feeling something based on those thoughts. I start feeling.

Josh Parnell (:

a level of inadequacy, a level of maybe a lack of confidence. And the actions I take are indicative of those feelings. start saying, you know what? I'm not really as motivated as I was an hour ago. I'm not really feeling that great about things today. And I'm not necessarily as enthusiastic as I was when the last guest came in, because all of a sudden I'm thinking something and feeling something based on those thoughts. So the actions I take is actually kind of a, I kind of sink back and say, you know, I'm just going to kind of lay low today.

Josh Parnell (:

You know, I'm not really as, as much of a go getter as I was because of all these thoughts and subsequent feelings. And of course the results that I get are indicative of all the things that came before it. Now, what I could have done is I could have gone directly to David immediately and, ask and start asking questions. I'm going to first and foremost, I'm going to assume positive intent because David and I have already built that relationship. So I can assume positive intent. So when I go to David and say, Hey, David, you came in and this is what I witnessed. Help me understand. Seek first to understand the meter stood. Right.

Josh Parnell (:

Help me understand how you doing, how are things going? What can I do to serve you? What can I do to help you today? I'm asking questions in an effort to understand. And then it's, it's very likely in a lot of cases that David's going to say, Josh, I'm so sorry. I, you know, I didn't even realize I, I was, I had a call that I had to get to. was running late because of something happened at home, blah, blah, blah. Right. So all the while I am thanking something that's not true and you're just trying to get to a phone call and, and.

Josh Parnell (:

You're you're fine. Everything's fine. I'm fine. I didn't know that because I was telling myself a narrative that's not even true. And I think a lot of us can relate to something like this, where there's some kind of interaction that occurs that is not necessarily the norm. So we start thinking something based on this exception to the rule. But if we can always assume positive intent, if we can always create a firm foundation, then we can then go directly to the source and start seeking to understand.

David Schmidt (:

with.

Josh Parnell (:

asking questions, listening, and staying positive amidst it all.

David Schmidt (:

No, that's absolutely true. do tell ourselves stories that aren't always true. so that beginning with positive intent is huge because there are so many times we tell ourselves lies and stories, make things up. And if you go ask the person, they never thought of any of that stuff. Absolutely true. I've experienced that tons of times in my life. So very good. You have said a lot of great things today. Do you have one final word?

Josh Parnell (:

Mm-hmm.

Josh Parnell (:

Mm-hmm.

David Schmidt (:

of inspiration or challenge to my audience that you like to leave them with.

Josh Parnell (:

Josh Parnell (:

When is this gonna air?

David Schmidt (:

Probably January.

Josh Parnell (:

Okay. Now's the good time then it's January is 2026. We have an opportunity to really level up and sharpen your acts and work on yourself spiritually, physically, emotionally, academically, financially. We're going to find reasons or excuses, depending on the perspective, we're going to find reasons why we won't do something. I'm going to challenge everyone who's listening or watching this episode to make 2026.

Josh Parnell (:

Your best year yet. The sky is not the limit. The sky is your starting point. So we're, we're going to go from this in this year, we're to go from blue to black. We're going to start in the sky in the blue and we're going to go to black. We're going to go to a rare air. We're going go to a place that most people never even imagine because it's far beyond their wildest dreams, but you're going to choose to do things differently this year. You're going to choose to be uncomfortable this year because growth and comfort can't coexist.

Josh Parnell (:

So this year, my challenge to you is to go from blue to black and to recognize that there is actually a day in the year called quitters day, which falls on the second Friday in January, because statistically speaking, over 50 % of people who create a new year's resolution will have already quit by quitters day. And this year in January, it's January 10th, January 10th is officially quitters day, but don't make January 10th. The day for you don't quit, keep going, keep pressing on, keep moving forward and go from blue to black in 2026.

David Schmidt (:

Never heard of Quarters Day, but anyway, thank you very much. That's an interesting thing. And yes, I encourage you, don't quit, just keep moving forward. Josh, thank you so much for your time and encouragement today. I talked about culture and communication and how to communicate better. And so friends, if you're looking to go deeper to learn more about Josh and his work, check out the show notes and the sites and free resources and all that. And remember, your business represents the great God you serve. So build a business, worthy of God's name.

Josh Parnell (:

Mm-hmm.

David Schmidt (:

and in a way that honors him.

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