Welcome to “The Horse’s Mouth” with Tom McManus, live from Lynch’s Irish Pub. Sponsored by All Dry Services of SE Jacksonville, The Horse’s Mouth is a unique talk show where Tom’s guests sidle up to his bar to discuss the intersection of sports, business, and life. On today’s show, Tom talks with Tony Davis.
Narrator (Intro)
From Studio Three at Buzz TV… it’s The Horse’s Mouth with Tom McManus!
Tom McManus
I welcome you to The Horse’s Mouth here at Lynch’s Irish Pub in Jacksonville Beach — much love to our good friends at All Dry Services of Southeast Jacksonville. Great to have them on board. We appreciate all their support.
We’ve got a little one-on-one time here at the bar, which I always love — up close and personal. Tony Davis is my guest. He’s a return guest, he’s an entrepreneur, he’s got a new thing happening, and we’re going to talk all about leadership — which I love. So let’s get into it with Tony Davis.
Tony Davis
Hey Tom.
Tom McManus
Yeah, it’s been a few years.
Tony Davis
And it has been great.
Tom McManus
We had a couple of companies we started, built, sold. You guys…
Tony Davis
Well, thank you very much.
Tom McManus
It’s not easy being an entrepreneur.
Tony Davis
It’s not. You’ve got to have resilience. You’ve got to have mental agility, emotional intelligence, for sure.
Tom McManus
Know how to pivot if you have to.
Tony Davis
Absolutely.
Tom McManus
Emotionally strong.
Tony Davis
For sure.
Tom McManus
A lot goes into it. People think, “Oh yeah…” But how many successful entrepreneurs have you talked to that said, “Yeah, but you should’ve seen my losses”? You know, there are always ideas that don’t work out — but those that do…
Tony Davis
A lot of grit. Most entrepreneurs have a nice hard exterior… but inside, they’re a mess. No doubt. And that’s where my new franchise comes in.
Tom McManus
Yeah — tell us what it is. CrestCom Leadership?
Tony Davis
CrestCom Leadership Development.
Tom McManus
Development — okay, great.
Tony Davis
So I work with companies here in Northeast Florida, across all industries, all shapes and sizes — and I help transform their management teams into more effective leaders.
Tom McManus
Okay, how do you do that? What’s the foundation of the process?
Tony Davis
Well, the great thing about it is — our approach to leadership development is unique. We define success by changing behavior. Because if we don’t change behavior, there’s no leadership. Right? It’s just an exercise in futility.
So everything we do is focused on changing behavior. And at the core of how we do it… is accountability.
Tony Davis
Because Tom, how many times have you or anybody gone to training and the owner says, “Okay, I expect you to be a better manager when you get back”? And then what happens when you get back?
Tom McManus
Nothing.
Tony Davis
Nothing! Right? So our programs are unique. It’s a 12-month development program — just four hours a month. During that time, I train them on two, two-hour modules on two different leadership skills. And then we have monthly accountability meetings in between, where we talk about takeaways and how we’re applying those lessons at work.
Tom McManus
Yeah. The best leaders I’ve had — consistent, honest.
Tony Davis
Honest.
Tom McManus
Fair.
Tony Davis
Absolutely.
Tom McManus
Other than that, you can be hard. You can be anything in between. But I need those things out of a leader if I’m going to follow them. Is that fair?
Tony Davis
That’s absolutely right. And here’s the thing, Tom — leadership starts with self.
Tom McManus
Totally.
Tony Davis
If you can’t lead yourself…
Tom McManus
…how are you going to lead others?
Tony Davis
Exactly. And I tell the people I train and develop: leadership skills transcend the four walls of the workplace. It makes us better husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, citizens, and soldiers. Because whether we manage people or not, we’re all leaders. It’s all about mindset — how we view ourselves.
If I have problems holding myself accountable, I’ll struggle being accountable to others — and I won’t know how to hold them accountable either.
Tom McManus
And that applies to business life, home life — whether you’re the father of a family or a team leader.
Tony Davis
Exactly. And when you put it in terms of a team, everybody should be able to hold everybody accountable.
Tom McManus
So Tony, how do people not have that? Like — it’s ingrained in me. It’s ingrained in you. Right? Did they not learn it? Was it never instilled?
Tony Davis
It’s the difference between having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.
You’d be surprised how many business owners I call here in Jacksonville and they say on the phone, “Nah, we’re good.”
Tom McManus
Right?
Tony Davis
Yeah — what does that even mean? You don’t need leadership development for your people? Or for yourself?
“No, we’ve got everything under control.”
That’s a fixed mindset. And it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do — we all need a growth mindset, because nobody corners the market on leadership.
Tom McManus
No.
Tony Davis
We can all be better.
Tom McManus
Without a doubt. You’ve got to be open-minded. You stall otherwise. Like, “I’ve never done it that way, and I never will…” — that’s a problem.
Tony Davis
Yeah. And you ask some of the most prominent leaders in the world what makes them great, and they’ll tell you: “I’m always learning. I’m always curious. I’m always trying to be better.”
Here’s a quote I love: “Every day, we get better or we get worse — we never stay the same.”
Tom McManus
Yeah.
Tony Davis
And that’s a choice. A choice we make.
Tom McManus
I’ll give you one if I may — I interviewed Dick Vermeil at the Super Bowl.
Tony Davis
Ex-Chiefs — yep.
Tom McManus
He had this leadership framework — “7 Steps to Great Leadership.” I don’t remember 2 through 7, but number one was this: Let them know you care about them.
Tony Davis
Absolutely.
Tom McManus
And if you show that — I don’t care if it’s sports or business — if they know you care about them, you’re not just the boss, not just some leader, but someone who wants them to succeed… you can lead anybody.
Tony Davis
Absolutely.
Tom McManus
Think about your family.
Tony Davis
You care about them.
Tom McManus
My girls know their dad loves them. I’ll do anything for them. They know. It’s got to be that way.
Tony Davis
Look at the best coaches in the NFL — they care. They show that they care about the person.
Andy Reid. Dick Vermeil. Tony Dungy.
Tom McManus
Liam Cohen here locally — I think he’s showing that.
Tony Davis
Exactly. And that’s the difference between a manager and a leader.
Managers get people to do what they need by any means necessary. Leaders — people want to do the work for them, because they’re seen as an asset, not a pawn. And because they care.
Tom McManus
Message to leaders: Don’t be an act.
Tony Davis
Exactly.
Tom McManus
Don’t put on a show. Be who you are every day — and if it’s good, people will follow.
Tony Davis
You’re exactly right. Be real. And you know what — it’s okay to be vulnerable. Your humility precedes trust.
Tom McManus
That’s right.
Tony Davis
And when you have the trust of your people — they’ll go through battles for you.
Tom McManus
No doubt. That’s great.
Tony, great to have you back, man. Keep up the great work.
Tony Davis
Appreciate it.
Tom McManus
Where can people find you?
Tony Davis
They can find me at crestcom.com. And on LinkedIn. I’m active there too.
Tom McManus
You’re on the profile too — we’ll link you up, man. Great to have you.
Tony Davis
Thank you.
Tom McManus
Appreciate your work. That’ll do it for us this time around.
Make sure you check out Tony’s profile. This conversation — and I know, years and years of conversations at the bar — it’s the best. I tell you, I absolutely love it.
You’ll see it right there at DailyNewsNetwork.com.
Till next time
Todd Marshall
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