Not every leader gets to choose when growth arrives. David Corry, General Counsel for Liberty University, didn't choose the timing — but what he did with the opportunity is the real story.
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In this episode, David walks through what it felt like to receive anonymous feedback from fifteen or sixteen colleagues — some affirming, some difficult to hear — after nearly five decades in the workforce without this kind of opportunity before. He's candid about the instinct to get defensive and the discipline it took to keep listening month after month instead. His experience offers a practical model for leaders navigating growth they didn't set the timing for, and have to decide whether to engage fully or just go through the motions. This conversation reflects the same Leadership 360 process Best Christian Workplaces uses with its own team, giving leaders a firsthand look at how the tool works in practice.
02:57: Nearly five decades in the workforce — and his first time ever engaging in this kind of leadership assessment
09:34: The wrestling match beneath the decision — an "ebb and flow," not a single switch flipped
14:27: The two behaviors he chose to work on first — listening and collaboration, not a long list
21:10: How old, ingrained leadership habits get exposed — and why "good enough" stopped being good enough
28:19: His answer to any leader who's hesitant — wouldn't you rather know?
David Corry serves as General Counsel for Liberty University, where he leads a team of fourteen attorneys supporting the world's largest Christian university. Before Liberty, he was Senior Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel, focused on religious liberty and free speech, and earlier served as Chief Legal Officer for a top-30 national homebuilder. He serves on the board of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and is President-Elect of the Lynchburg Bar Association.
A full, word-for-word transcript of this episode is available here.
Listen to the full conversation and consider how you respond when change isn't optional. Share this episode with a leader who's been handed a mandate they didn't ask for — and subscribe so you don't miss future conversations on leading well.
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