When the pressure’s on, most leaders default to speed—but moving fast without thinking clearly is what gets companies stuck. In this episode of The Growth Signal, Alyssa Nolte talks with Charles Browne, a seasoned executive and leadership coach, about the overlooked cost of rushing to solutions. Drawing from decades in the Navy, nuclear ops, and national labs, Charles shares a framework for slowing down strategically, aligning your values, and empowering your team to make better calls—faster. If you're leading a growth-stage org, this is your playbook for sustainable scale.

Guest Bio:
Charles Browne is a leadership expert and deputy director at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he leads complex, high-risk initiatives. With a background in nuclear operations, Six Sigma, and executive coaching, he specializes in helping technical leaders become high-impact decision-makers.

Main Topics Covered:

1. Why Speed Isn’t Strategy – How defaulting to action creates shallow solutions—and what to do instead.
2. Building a $2,000/Hour Leadership Mindset – The mental shift leaders need to stop doing $20/hour work and start building scalable systems.
3. Authenticity at Scale – How defining your values (and sticking to them) builds trust across teams and with customers.

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:15 Charles' Origin Story
02:24 Current Roles and Responsibilities
03:47 Common Leadership Blind Spots
12:00 Defining Core Values and Decision Making
16:32 Implementing Core Values in Business
19:15 The Pitfalls of Micromanagement
19:49 Defining Business Focus: Customer, Product, or Operations
20:38 Southwest Airlines: A Case Study in Operational Decisions
22:14 The Importance of Consistency in Leadership
25:41 Aligning Personal and Company Values
28:48 Serving the Customer with Integrity
30:45 Identifying and Serving Your Ideal Customer
33:09 Adapting to Change and Seizing Opportunities
34:34 Final Thoughts and Resources
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