by David Quick
Candor over diplomacy is key in leadership
1 min 3 sec read
March 3, 2026
Candor over diplomacy is key in leadership
In this episode of The High Performance Herd, David Quick sits down with Matt Aston, CEO of GPRS, to discuss what it actually takes to build a team that performs at scale.
Matt shares how he grew a small utility locating business into an organization of nearly 1,000 employees - and why sustained growth required clear roles, direct communication, and difficult conversations most leaders avoid.
They discuss:
- Why hiring for character outperforms hiring for skill
- How trust is built through transparency and accountability
- The role of healthy conflict in driving execution
- Why scaling a business demands clarity, not consensus
- How vision and agility must translate into disciplined action
If you're leading a team and expect performance - not participation - this conversation is for you.
They discuss
- High performance comes from clarity of role and expectation
- Hiring for character strengthens long-term execution
- Accountability requires trust - and trust requires candor
- Healthy conflict improves decision-making and outcomes
- Growth demands conversations most leaders hesitate to have
- Vision without execution discipline limits scale
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Lead Boldy. Succeed Brilliantly.
Leadership is not just a role. It’s continuous journey of growth and impact.
