Whistles and Wisdom: Life and Leadership Lessons with Chris Garner

The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce podcast, host Suzie Price sits down with Chris Garner, Chief Sales Officer and longtime SEC college football official, to explore the surprising parallels between sports and leadership. Drawing on decades of experience from the football field to the boardroom, Chris shares how preparation, feedback, and accountability drive success in high-stakes environments.

From the pressure of making split-second calls on the field to coaching sales teams toward peak performance, Suzie and Chris unpack what it means to lead with courage, clarity, and commitment. Through candid stories and actionable wisdom, they reveal how consistent preparation and intentional listening can turn even the toughest challenges into opportunities for growth.

If you're a leader striving for excellence or someone eager to boost performance and build stronger relationships, this episode will give you the practical mindset tools to lead with heart and results.

Read the transcript for Episode 130 below to discover how showing up prepared—and human—can transform your leadership impact.

Takeaways of Episode #130 ---

• Preparation Isn’t Optional—It’s Everything From college football officiating to consulting and sales leadership, excellence comes from consistent, intentional preparation. Whether it’s game film, client research, or daily practice, the takeaway is clear: the more you prepare, the more confident and effective you’ll be in high-pressure moments. Preparation often takes longer than expected but sets the foundation for success. “Every sales call is practice for the next one.” – Chris Garner.

• Leadership Begins with Listening and Empathy Chris’s officiating experience sharpened his ability to stay calm, listen deeply, and handle conflict. Those same skills translate powerfully to business. When team members feel heard and understood, stress decreases, engagement rises, and performance improves. “When people feel heard, the room changes.” – Chris Garner

• Gratitude and Accountability Create a Winning CultureStrong leaders own their outcomes and regularly show appreciation. Chris’s leadership philosophy combines taking responsibility with showing sincere gratitude—whether it's through feedback, journaling, or one-on-one acknowledgments. That combo builds trust, drives motivation, and uplifts entire teams. “Accountability without gratitude leads to burnout. Gratitude without accountability lacks direction. You need both.” – Suzie Price

Episode Recap:

Suzie Price sits down with Chris Garner, Vice President of Sales at TTI Success Insights, for a powerful conversation on authentic leadership, consistency, and what it takes to build a high-performance culture. Chris brings over two decades of leadership wisdom, and in this episode, he shares the core philosophies that have guided his approach to leading and developing others.

Through personal stories, practical insights, and what he calls his “Whistles of Wisdom,” Chris highlights the importance of trust, relationships, and emotional intelligence in leadership. He and Suzie explore how showing up with consistency, caring personally, and knowing your people can be the difference between managing and truly leading.

Listeners will walk away with actionable takeaways on communication, feedback, and why creating psychological safety within teams is a must in today’s fast-paced work environments. Chris shares how sales is not about being pushy—it’s about being human, being prepared, and building connection.

The episode wraps with a Wellbeing 2.0 segment featuring Douglas White, CEO of Soul-Integrated Athletics, who reflects on the role of identity and presence in leading from a place of wholeness. His message is clear: the strongest leaders are those who lead with heart and intention.

In this episode:

[00:06:15] Chris Garner: “Imagine if every business task you were working on was watched by 100,000 people with cameras from every angle. That’s what officiating feels like—it demands absolute preparation and presence.”

[00:13:13] Chris Garner: “The accountability is extremely high in what we do. That’s why I wrote the book—to share the leadership fundamentals we have to live every week when the world is watching.”

[00:19:57] Chris Garner: “Here’s what I’ve learned from getting yelled at by a coach—they don’t want me to change the call. They just want to be heard. And that’s what most people want, too.”

[01:01:09] Suzie Price: “When we're trying to create something bigger than where we are, we’re often in a fog. A good leader is the light at the edge—saying ‘keep going.’”

[01:07:02] Chris Garner: “When you become a leader, you step onto a platform where you're willing to take full accountability for the team’s success—or failure.”

[01:14:28] Douglas White: “Something as simple as journaling—just saying ‘I appreciated this today’—can completely shift your leadership and your life.”