TruGreen CEO Kurt Kane says: To elevate your game, stop protecting your spot and start improving it.

Kurt Kane, CEO of True Green, delivers a masterclass in leadership rooted in the relentless pursuit of self-improvement and the courage to challenge the status quo. Drawing from his time as a walk-on tennis player at West Point—where he had to fight daily to keep his spot—he reveals a pivotal moment when a senior teammate told him: 'You're not getting any better at practice. You're just holding on.' That truth, delivered with kindness and conviction, transformed Kane’s mindset: stop protecting your position and start improving it. This lesson became the foundation of his leadership philosophy, driving him to embrace discomfort, simplify complex challenges, and relentlessly focus on what truly matters. He applies this today at True Green, where he champions a culture of psychological safety, results-driven storytelling, and the radical idea that every leader should 'fire themselves every afternoon' to stay sharp. The episode is a powerful reminder that true leadership isn't about maintaining your seat—it's about earning it every single day through growth, vulnerability, and the courage to be uncomfortable.