What if the fastest path to better performance is not fixing people, but helping them do more of what they do best?I am Brandon Miller, Chairman and Founding Partner of 34 Strong, a consulting firm recognized as a leader in strengths based leadership and employee engagement. Over the past decade I have helped organizations move from low engagement and turnover to cultures marked by clarity, connection and high performance.I oversee a family of companies that serve leaders, teams and coaches around the world. This includes Churchill Leadership Group, our global executive coaching and leadership development firm. It includes CoachStrong, a new brand created to equip coaches with certifications, world class training content and a platform that elevates their work. I also oversee Incredible Family, which supports working parents inside organizations and strengthens families at home.Across these ventures I have partnered with billion dollar corporations, government agencies and multinational teams. My work is rooted in practical tools and data driven approaches such as Gallup’s CliftonStrengths and  Q12. LQ’s Echo Listening Profile, Be Heard Engagement Survey and Incredible Parent and Incredible Kid assessments. I help leaders build cultures where strengths thrive, communication strengthens and early career talent grows and stays.I am a husband to my high school sweetheart, a father of seven and a grateful grandfather. I am the co-author of two books on strengths based parenting, and I actively support education and outreach efforts in India, Uganda, Mexico and around the USA including my home town of Elk Grove, California. My leadership is grounded in my Christian faith and a simple calling. Build places where people feel valued, equipped and empowered to rise.If you lead an organization and want to develop stronger managers, healthier teams and a culture where people flourish, I would love to connect and learn about your goals.

Brandon Miller

After 17 years of building a people-first company, this is what surprised me most:

➡️ Culture doesn't show up in what you say.
It shows up in what you tolerate.

➡️ Every exception feels small.
But every one teaches people what really matters.

➡️ Most leaders think care and accountability compete.
They don't.
The best leaders hold both.
They tell the truth.
And they protect dignity.

Pause here!

➡️ Trust isn't built in big moments.
It's built quietly.
And lost fast when values bend under pressure.

➡️ Systems matter.
But they don't sustain people.
Relationships do!

➡️ And this is the part many learn too late:
People don't leave companies.
They leave environments where they stop being seen, heard or developed.

➡️ People-first leadership isn't soft.
It's disciplined.
Costly.

And worth it!

#Leadership #PeopleFirst #CompanyCulture #LeadWell

Advancing the Global Strengths Movement | Founder and Chairman 34 Strong | Chairman Churchill Leadership Group | Inc. 5000 and Best Place to Work | Podcast Host, Speaker and Author

We recently celebrated my wife's 50th birthday!

Friends.
Family.
A room full of people who love her.

Then three of our daughters stood up to toast their mom.
And everything shifted.

They didn't talk about accomplishments.
They talked about impact.

One moment stayed with me:

My daughter-in-law shared how, for more than 10 years, Analyn has loved her, accepted her and made her feel like one of her own.
Quietly.
Consistently.
Without conditions.

Watching that reminded me of something important.

The most meaningful influence isn't loud.
It's lived!

Grateful for my wife.
Grateful for our family.
And grateful for moments like this!

And thank you to our daughter, Ciera, for putting words to what so many of us feel.

Some lessons don't come from books or boardrooms.
They come from how we love.

#Family #Gratitude #Leadership #Presence #LifeMoments

This story actually started about 25 years ago:

Anthony and I met at church.
I was leading in ministry.
He was a teenager who showed up and kept showing up.

Over the years, I got to watch him grow.
Not just in skill, but in character.
The kind of growth you don’t rush and you definitely can't fake.

We ended up serving together on philanthropic boards. Having the same conversations about people, values and impact.

At some point, it just became obvious:
We were better together!

That decision led him into business with me.
First as a trusted partner.
Then as President.
And today, as CEO of 34 Strong, Inc.

And Jayne.
Jayne's story entered my life differently, but it matters just as much.

We met about 12 years ago as early Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches.
A small group of people who believed something that wasn't very popular at the time.

That strengths weren't soft.
They were strategic.

Jayne went on to build Churchill Leadership Group Inc., doing incredible work with leaders and teams around the world. Every conversation with her sharpened my thinking and stretched how I see leadership.

And the really interesting part?
What connects the three of us?

We're all #1 Maximizers.

None of us are satisfied with "good enough."
We're always asking how to make something excellent and how to make that excellence last.

Not just in results.
But in culture.

That's what this picture represents to me!
When Maximizers come together like that, leadership changes.

It doesn't get louder.
It gets better.

And better lasts.

#StrengthsBasedLeadership #Maximizer #Leadership #Culture

This was from our 34 Strong, Inc. and Churchill Leadership Group Inc. holiday gathering.

Different time zones.
Different traditions.
One team choosing to show up together!

As this new year gets moving, this moment stayed with me.

It reminded me of something leadership coaching has taught me again and again how people feel on a team matters just as much as what they produce.

When people feel valued, they bring more of themselves.
When they feel respected, they stay engaged.
When they feel seen, they grow.

I’m grateful for this team and the way you show up for each other!
That’s the kind of leadership culture worth protecting.

Onward, together. 💪

#Leadership #TeamGratitude #PeopleFirst #StrengthsBased #2026

Someone asked me recently,
"Why did you step back from the CEO role?"

Fair question!

The simple answer is leadership maturity.

At this stage of life and business, my highest value just looks different.
It's no longer in running the day-to-day.
It's in vision.
Stewardship.
Relationships.
And preparing the organizations for what's next.

Great companies aren't built around one person.
They grow when leaders know when to lead from the front and when to lead from above.

That shift matters!

Healthy organizations are designed so leadership evolves without breaking the culture.

Stepping back creates space for others to fully step into their calling.
And it creates space for me to focus where I can add the most value: strategy, culture, partnerships and long-range impact.

So no, this wasn't a step away.
It's a step into the right seat!

#Leadership #ExecutiveLeadership #Succession #LeadWell

Most people overcomplicate strengths.
I have a simple formula that actually works.

Awareness.
Alignment.
Application.

Awareness comes first.
You have to know your strengths and understand how they show up, especially under pressure.

Then alignment.
Your role, expectations and environment have to fit how you're wired.
Strengths don't thrive in the wrong seat.

And finally, application.
Strengths only matter when they're intentionally used to serve others and solve real problems.

Miss one of these, and strengths stay theoretical.
Get all three, and performance changes.

Simple.
Not easy.
But it works!

#CliftonStrengths #Leadership #StrengthsBased #Performance #Culture

"I thought I had a motivation problem on my team. I was wrong."
That's literally how the conversation started.

He said it almost quietly, like he'd been carrying it for a while.

What he was seeing looked familiar.
Smart people, hard workers and good intentions.

And still:
Meetings felt heavy.
Feedback landed wrong.
Progress felt harder than it should.

And after a deep discussion we came to the point.
It was a strengths problem.

People were contributing in very different ways!
Without a shared language to understand those differences.

Speed clashed with precision.
Harmony clashed with urgency.
Big-picture thinking clashed with execution.

Once strengths entered the conversation, things shifted.

Feedback stopped feeling personal.
Roles became clearer.
Work started flowing again.

That's what strengths do on a team.

They don't lower standards.
They raise understanding.
And when understanding goes up, performance usually follows.

#Leadership #StrengthsBased #Teamwork #Culture

I was scrolling through old photos on my phone and this one stopped me.

Bpa and his first grandson.
A much younger version of both of us.

I remember the moment clearly and that slow pace as well.

No lesson here.
Just gratitude.

If you've got a photo that takes you back to a moment that mattered with your child, grandchild, parent or mentor drop it in the comments.

I'd love to see it!

#Grateful #Family #LeadershipMoments #familytime

I wore silly glasses to my granddaughter's birthday.
And it was exactly the right move.

This was her golden birthday, the kind of moment you don't get back. We love celebrating our kids and grandkids, but more than that we love being present.

Because presence has a way of spilling over!

How we show up for family shapes how we show up everywhere else.
At work.
With clients.
On teams.

Presence brings out the best.
In them.
And in us.

It's easy to underestimate how much this matters until you see it through a 6-year-old's eyes.

How are you showing up today?

#FamilyTime #Grandkids #Birthday #Leadership

There's one strength I've always said can't be taught:

#Strategic

You can teach skills.
You can teach frameworks.
But you can't teach the way some people see paths where others see roadblocks.

On this week's episode of #CoachToCoach, I'm joined by Lisa Cummings and Kathy Kersten to unpack what Strategic really looks like in practice.

The speed of decision-making, the love of possibility and the quiet confidence that says, "Give me a minute, there's another way."

Strategic doesn't force outcomes.
It finds them!

🎧 Full episode linked in the comments below.

#Leadership #DecisionMaking

Significance isn't about wanting attention.
It's about wanting impact!

People with this strength don't just want to do good work. They want their work to matter.

On this week's episode of #CoachToCoach, I'm joined by Kelly Flynn and Lela Meinke to talk about what Significance really looks like in leadership:
🔹 The drive to make a difference
🔹 The tension between contribution and recognition
🔹 And what happens when this strength is misunderstood

When leaders understand #Significance, they stop labeling it as ego. And start seeing it as a deep desire to do meaningful work!

🎧 Full episode linked in the comments.

#Leadership #CliftonStrengths #WorkplaceCulture

WOO is one of the most misunderstood strengths and one of the most polarizing.

#WOO moves first.
It opens doors, starts conversations and generates momentum before comfort shows up.

On this week's episode of #CoachToCoach, I teamed up with Angela Steel and Sarah Collins to get to the heart of WOO. People tend to have strong reactions to it, but teams need it more than they realize!

It's not about approval or surface-level charm.
It's about creating momentum where there was hesitation and connection where there was none. When it's developed and aimed well, it becomes a powerful asset for teams and leaders.

🎧 Full episode linked in the comments.

Every week our house fills up with 30 to 40 young adults.
Every room, every couch, every corner.

And honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way!

This week, we did something a little different.
Each of them took a CliftonStrengths assessment and we spent time talking about God-given talents.

We talked about what happens when you actually understand how you're wired.

How clarity replaces confusion.
How confidence grows without becoming pride.
How maturity shows up instead of comparison and striving.

These young adults, ages 18 to 25, are all in different seasons.

Some are in school.
Some are working.
Some are still figuring out what's next.

But every one of them is trying to walk faithfully and live with purpose.

Their questions.
Their curiosity.
Their hunger to grow.

That's the part that gets me.

Few things bring me more joy than helping the next generation see how uniquely God has shaped them for His purposes.

Grateful for nights like this!

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I'm a big believer in #Significance because of what it does when it's healthy.
It looks for excellence.
The best of the best.

Because if something is worth doing, it's worth doing BIG.
In a way that has impact.
In a way that resonates!

That's what Significance brings.

🎙️ Full episode linked in the comments.

#Leadership #CliftonStrengths #CoachToCoach

Some people don't analyze. They see.
That's #Strategic.

I've always associated Strategic with instinct.
Not guessing. Not reacting.
But with seeing the path.  Often before you can fully explain how you got there!

What I've learned over time is that Strategic leaders don't need more permission to think, they need permission to trust what they're already seeing.

When that instinct is named and coached, confidence grows quickly. And outcomes tend to follow.

Strategic isn't loud. It's intuitive. 
And when it's developed, it moves teams forward faster than most people realize.

🎧 Full episode linked in the comments.

#Leadership #CliftonStrengths #CoachToCoach

Paying attention is not the same as listening.

Most leaders confuse the two and it costs them better decisions every day.

You can be fully present and still miss what matters.

Why
Because we all listen through filters
What we notice
What we value
What we tune out

So even when everyone is engaged, they are not hearing the same thing.

That gap is what Listening Intelligence closes.

Not by listening harder
By listening with awareness.

Knowing your default
Recognizing what you might be missing
Adjusting how you listen based on the person, the moment, and the outcome you want.

When leaders do this, everything improves
Questions
Clarity
Decisions

#ListeningIntelligence #Leadership #DecisionMaking #Communication #Culture

Most people think they understand WOO.
"Winning others over" seems simple.

But there's more depth here than most people realize.

People with WOO want to be understood, not just liked.
They want to know how what they bring adds value, how their presence makes a difference.

They like being useful.
They like being leveraged well.
They want their strength to matter!

That's why it's worth taking time to really understand WOO especially if you lead one, work with one or serve one as a client.

🎧 Full episode linked in the comments!

#Leadership #CliftonStrengths #WOO #CoachToCoach

This photo wasn't taken between board meetings!

It was taken while serving local leaders in Uganda.
Showing up.
Listening first.
Using strengths to serve real people.

Sometimes leadership looks like strategy.
Sometimes it looks like service.

Grateful for this experience and for the people I get to do this work with!

#34Strong #GlobalImpact #Leadership #Service #StrengthsBased

This isn't a church photo.

It's strengths in action around the world.
Young people discovering their natural talents and growing into their God-given callings.

That's what global impact actually looks like.

#StrengthsBased #GlobalImpact #Leadership #Purpose #34Strong

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