5 Keys to Hiring & Leading a Team That Doesn’t Burn You Out
Only 26% of small business employees trust their leadership team.
That stat should shake any founder with a growing business.
If your team doesn’t trust you—or each other—you're scaling dysfunction. And for many agency owners and online entrepreneurs, the bottleneck isn’t the offer or the funnel. It's their leadership.
That’s exactly what Dr. William Attaway addresses.
A pastor turned leadership coach, William brings over 30 years of leadership wisdom into coaching high-level founders, executives, and agency owners. His client list includes Amazon execs, digital marketing CEOs, and the COO of a $29B company.
He’s built a life of dual calling—serving as a local church pastor while running a top-tier leadership coaching practice. His frameworks are biblical, practical, and battle-tested.
This episode is a masterclass on not just hiring—but leading in a way that builds trust, systems, and long-term results.
Why Founders Burn Out: The Hidden Leadership Gap
“If everything runs through you, then you’re the lid.”
William has coached hundreds of business owners who unknowingly sabotage their growth—not because of bad strategy, but because they haven’t developed the skill of leadership.
Many started out strong: building a business from scratch, landing clients, fulfilling the work. But when it’s time to hire?
They freeze.
Others hire fast, get burned by bad team members, then swear off growing a team ever again. That decision becomes the cap on their future.
According to William, the biggest silent killer in growing teams is a lack of trust. One agency owner he coached had team members lasting only weeks. Not months. Not years.
Why? Trust was absent—and without it, high churn was inevitable.
How to Build a Team That Stays and Performs
The 5 C’s of High-Trust Hiring
“There are a lot of places where you can do character reclamation. My team is not one of them.”
William breaks down his five-filter hiring process, which can be used whether you’re hiring a VA or a COO:
Character – Do they do what they say they’ll do? This is non-negotiable.
Commitment – Are they in for a season? You’re not training someone to quit next month.
Chemistry – Can they build trust with the team? Are they a relational fit?
Competency – Do they have—or can they grow—the skills for the role?
Culture – Do they align with how your team works and what it values?
“Most people hire for skill and hope they have good character. Reverse that.”
In his process, the team participates in the interviews to assess chemistry and culture fit. William also runs candidates through DISC and Working Genius assessments to understand their wiring and contribution style.
How to Run Trust-Building Meetings
“Who's doing what by when?”
That simple question, William says, solves 80% of trust breakdowns. He coaches leaders to end every team meeting with clarity:
Who owns which tasks?
What’s the deadline?
What’s being expected?
Trust erodes when team members don’t know expectations—and leaders assume things will get done.
William’s recommendation: document everything in one follow-up message after the meeting. That single system eliminates most miscommunications.
He also draws from Patrick Lencioni’s Death by Meeting—encouraging founders to avoid “meeting stew” and create clear rhythms with specific goals.
Why Most Entrepreneurs Resist Leadership—and How to Shift It
“Leadership is not just for people born with it. It’s a skill. And you only learn it by doing.”
William dismantles the myth that leadership is a personality trait. Most agency owners avoid leadership because of a bad past experience—a failed hire, a rough management job, or a comment like “maybe this isn’t your gift.”
But leadership is like riding a bike. You won’t be great at it the first time.
That’s why William emphasizes learning through action and coaching. A mentor helps you avoid ditches and go further, faster.
Without that? You stay stuck micromanaging, distrusting your team, and eventually burning out.
Why Writing a Book Still Works (And How to Finish One)
“Consistency is the mother of momentum.”
William doesn’t just coach—he writes, speaks, and leads a podcast that’s in the top 2% globally.
But he didn’t start there.
It took 19 months and over 100 podcast episodes before he saw any traction. His secret? He never missed a week.
That same mindset fueled his book writing strategy:
Write 500 words/day, six days/week
Don’t edit while you write
Use tools like Atticus to track progress
Expect to refine later, but build the momentum now
Books, for William, are not a revenue stream, but a reach vehicle. They get him on stages, attract coaching clients, and expand his impact beyond 1:1.
“If you’re thinking you should write a book, then yes—you probably should.”
How He Balances Church, Coaching, and Family Life
As a long-time pastor, husband of 28 years, and father of two daughters, William speaks candidly about prioritizing faith and family.
He teaches that God is first, then spouse, then kids—even if you work in ministry. Playing Jenga with those priorities, he says, will cost you dearly.
How does he do it all?
He builds teams in every area of life
He delegates aggressively
He says "not now" to good things that aren’t aligned with the current season
“My spouse is my first team. Everything else flows from that.”
How He’s Using AI (and What He’s Still Learning)
William is experimenting with AI to enhance—not replace—his coaching:
Researching book topics and citations
Using AI to draft frameworks
Exploring custom GPTs to scale his coaching insights
But he warns: AI should never replace your voice. It’s a tool, not the craftsman.
Apply This Week: 5 Leadership Shifts to Make Right Now
End every meeting with “Who’s doing what by when?”
Run all candidates through the 5 C’s + DISC or Working Genius
Start a consistent content cadence (podcast, writing, etc.)
Evaluate your top 3 time buckets—delegate one immediately
Invest in coaching or a mastermind aligned with your current season
Case Study: From Team Churn to Culture of Trust
One agency owner William coached was experiencing employee churn measured in weeks. After diagnosing the core issue—a lack of trust—they rebuilt how meetings were run, clarified ownership, and shifted how hiring was done.
The result?
3x increase in employee retention
Client churn dropped significantly
The owner reclaimed hours of time and stepped back from daily micromanagement
“Leadership is how you scale trust—and trust is how you scale the business.”
📚 Want to learn how to build a sales and media system that gives you time freedom?
👉 Access the free workshop + resources here: https://linkin.bio/nathannewberry
If you’ve been stuck in team frustration, burned by bad hires, or feel like you’re always the bottleneck—there’s a better way.
Leadership isn’t a personality trait. It’s a teachable skill. One that, if mastered, can free you from burnout and help your team thrive with or without you.
The cost of inaction is staying the lid.
Book a leadership clarity call with Nathan’s team to systemize your growth and scale your brand with peace.
→ Book your call now
"Working with Nathan changed how I lead my business and my team. Systems + faith = results." — Recent Client
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About the Author
Nathan Newberry helps elite business owners implement AI in sales, marketing, systems, and models to build rapidly successful brands. He specializes in helping founders implement Sell By Chat strategy to buy back their time and double their revenue within 6 months using his Elite Sales Model.
