On this episode of Selling The Dream, Ken Jordan and co-host Joe Iredell sit down with Christopher Vester: COO of Hubert Vester Auto Group, leadership thinker, author of Answers From The Stairs, host of Answers From The Stairs Podcast, and a man whose approach to faith, family, and business has shaped thousands of lives.
From growing up on a tobacco farm, to working every role inside a dealership, to becoming a people-first executive, Chris shares a powerful and practical blueprint for leadership:
In this episode we discuss:


How growing up in a family business shaped Chris’s leadership philosophy


Building a leadership development company disguised as a car dealership


Why the best salespeople are often not the best leaders — and what to do about it


How to recruit great people using culture, values, and intentional influence


Why connection, name-recognition, and presence matter more than scripts


The real difference between attention to detail and executive function


How to stop “saving” people you lead… and start truly leading them


Chris’s nine-pillar blueprint for excellence: body, soul, mind, spirit, marriage, parenting, work, stewardship, and circle of genius


Bringing faith into leadership without forcing it — just living it


How to transition from “cop → coach → consultant” as your people grow


Why sometimes the right leadership move is letting someone fail


Chris and his wife both winning state bodybuilding titles (yes, really)


Plus… the guys guess Chris’s “Two Truths and a Lie,” dig into tattoos, childhood jobs, and the surprising way his podcast was born on a stair machine.
Timestamps
00:00 – Ken introduces episode & Joe’s black eye story 01:20 – Chris joins: family business origins & the early days 07:00 – Building people vs. selling cars: a leadership-first business 14:40 – Recruiting on culture: the PI test, avatars & top-performer traits 23:00 – Hyper-focus vs distraction in salespeople 28:00 – Influence, leadership & intentional impact 30:00 – Faith in business without apology 34:00 – Leading friends, boundaries & letting people fail 36:00 – Parenting models that also apply to employees 38:00 – Chris’s 9 areas of excellence (body, mind, spirit & more) 45:00 – Origin story of Answers From The Stairs podcast 50:45 – Two Truths and a Lie reveal
If you lead people, sell for a living, or want to grow into your calling — this episode is for you. Subscribe for weekly episodes that help you lead, sell, and build a business you’re proud of.
Chapters
(00:00:09) - Interviewing Jay Duran(00:02:02) - Sales from the Stairs(00:03:20) - Why I Became a Partner in My Dad's Car Business(00:08:32) - Owning a Car Dealership: Is It Similar to Franchising(00:12:12) - Two Truths and a Lie(00:12:48) - Three Truths You Can Tell About Yourself(00:14:11) - How to Build a Franchise: Following a Playbook(00:14:40) - How Did Your Dad's Passion for Cars Affect Your Own?(00:15:50) - Career pathways for automotive salespeople(00:17:53) - What Do You Look For In a Recruitment?(00:21:22) - What Makes a Salesperson So Successful?(00:26:10) - On Leadership and Creativity(00:28:39) - Exploring The Diffusion of Influence and Leadership(00:30:11) - Leadership in a Christian World(00:36:53) - Joe Biden on the Need for a Helicopter Parent(00:40:08) - A Workman and a Steward(00:43:59) - In The Elevator With Ken And Joe(00:44:18) - Chris Rock(00:45:13) - Answer From The Stairs(00:50:19) - In the Elevator With Podcasters(00:51:15) - Tom Cruise On His Overweight Superman Tattoo(00:56:08) - Selling The Dream: The Stairs Podcast

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