The Leadership Lesson Every Business Owner Needs to Hear About Trust | Solomon Burchfield
Fri Jan 30 2026
In this episode, Alan Bennett sits down with Solomon Burchfield, founder of New Beginnings NWA, to explore what business leaders can learn about trust, accountability, purpose, and culture from an organization working with chronically homeless individuals.
While Solomon leads a nonprofit, the leadership lessons apply directly to business owners who want stronger teams, deeper buy-in, and a culture that doesn’t collapse without them.
⏱️Chapters
02:00 — Understanding Your “Customer”
04:20 — The Hidden Cost of Mistrust in Leadership
08:10 — Trauma, Behavior, and Why Rules Alone Don’t Work
11:15 — “You Don’t Become Homeless When You Run Out of Money”
14:45 — Building Trust Before Enforcing Accountability
17:00 — The ‘Pennies in the Cup’ Approach to Leadership
19:15 — Purpose Drives Engagement
22:40 — Compassionate Accountability That Actually Works
26:40 — Leadership as Gardening, Not Controlling
30:30 — Horizontal Accountability vs. Top-Down Control
34:15 — Recognition, Care, and Why It’s Free but Rare
38:25 — What Business Owners Can Learn from Nonprofit Leadership
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Connect with Solomon & New Beginnings NWA
💻 https://newbeginningsnwa.org/
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In this episode, Alan Bennett sits down with Solomon Burchfield, founder of New Beginnings NWA, to explore what business leaders can learn about trust, accountability, purpose, and culture from an organization working with chronically homeless individuals. While Solomon leads a nonprofit, the leadership lessons apply directly to business owners who want stronger teams, deeper buy-in, and a culture that doesn’t collapse without them. ⏱️Chapters 02:00 — Understanding Your “Customer” 04:20 — The Hidden Cost of Mistrust in Leadership 08:10 — Trauma, Behavior, and Why Rules Alone Don’t Work 11:15 — “You Don’t Become Homeless When You Run Out of Money” 14:45 — Building Trust Before Enforcing Accountability 17:00 — The ‘Pennies in the Cup’ Approach to Leadership 19:15 — Purpose Drives Engagement 22:40 — Compassionate Accountability That Actually Works 26:40 — Leadership as Gardening, Not Controlling 30:30 — Horizontal Accountability vs. Top-Down Control 34:15 — Recognition, Care, and Why It’s Free but Rare 38:25 — What Business Owners Can Learn from Nonprofit Leadership --- Connect with Solomon & New Beginnings NWA 💻 https://newbeginningsnwa.org/