Love Wins: 5 Leadership Lessons From Ronda Conger of CBH Homes

“We are so glad you are here!” That heartfelt greeting was my first experience at a CBH Homes Sales Rally in 2018. As I stood in a room of energized employees—each one warmly connecting with their colleagues—I quickly realized that I wasn’t just observing a meeting; I was stepping into a culture unlike any other.

After delivering my keynote at that initial event, I found over a dozen handwritten notes waiting for me on my seat. Each one expressed gratitude for my time, words, and perspective. The simple yet powerful gesture left me in awe and marked the beginning of a deeply fulfilling relationship with CBH Homes and the dynamic leader behind that epic sales meeting, Ronda Conger.

Ronda is a powerhouse leader who balances compassion, competitiveness, and a relentless commitment to personal and professional growth. In her 20 year career, Ronda has built more than homes – she’s built a legacy of excellence and care, cementing CBH Homes as Idaho’s #1 home builder and a perennial “Best Place to Work.” She’s the author of several books, including Better Human and You Go First.

I had the privilege of returning to CBH Homes to speak at another event in this year, and I took advantage of that opportunity to sit down with Ronda for an in-depth conversation about her leadership philosophy.

“Love Wins” Makes for Serious Business 

In a recent moment that I consider one of the most rewarding of my career, I received a note from Ronda herself:

“You are one of our favorite humans and our honorary CBHer.”

Of course, Ronda signed that note like she signs every other I have received from her over the last 6 years: Love Wins. 

When Ronda says “Love Wins,” she means it in every aspect of her leadership. This philosophy starts with an essential prerequisite: self-love.

“Love wins means, first of all, you have to love yourself, right? So I want you to really love yourself, bring your strengths, bring all your abilities, bring everything you [have]. And love yourself, because I know when you love yourself, then you’ll be able to pour that out to everyone else.”

At CBH Homes, this mindset guides how employees, buyers, and the community are treated. “Our hope and prayer for everyone that works for us is that we’re going to pour as much as we can into you, so that we hope that you pour that much back into us as well, right? And that will win. You’ll pour it into our buyers, you’ll pour it back into the community.”

But don’t mistake this for a soft or complacent culture. “We are a highly competitive group. We want to win.”

Ronda explained how these values coexist in harmony in a culture of accountability. “You’ve heard the analogies that say, ‘Be careful. You’re not a family, you’re a professional sports team.’ I like to think we kind of blur that line a little bit, because we do all love each other…at the same time, you also understand that we are a highly competitive group.”

Be Worth Following

One of Ronda’s core beliefs as a leader is rooted in what I call Inner Work.  She constantly asks herself: “Am I worth following?”

“That, to me, that’s probably one of the most important questions you should ask yourself as a leader. Am I worth following? Like, am I a good leader? How is my attitude, my actions, my work ethic? Am I a good person? How’s my character?”

This question drives Ronda to model the values she wants to see in her team. CBH Homes uses tools like StrengthsFinder and Working Genius to help employees discover and leverage their strengths. “One of my things is maximize. So I look at humans and say, ‘How do I get you to be the best, the brightest? How do I get you to show me all your strengths, all [your] things?’”

Ronda’s philosophy is simple yet profound: “When you grow humans, they grow the business.”

Commit to Lifelong Learning

For Ronda, growth is not a phase; it’s a full-time job. “I always say I’m a student of two things: homebuilding and humans. I’ve been doing [homebuilding] for over 30 years. It’s a love, it’s a passion. But even more importantly, I’m a student of humans.”

This commitment extends to CBH’s culture, which Ronda describes as “all gas, no brakes.” Quarterly rallies, like the one I attended, are opportunities to pause, celebrate the team’s hard work, and refocus on their mission. “Hold on, let’s take a small break. Let’s make sure that we appreciate and honor everyone in the room that’s making this happen. Do not take that for granted.”

Her passion for lifelong learning also stems from her personal journey. “From zero to 18, life was not amazing … By all rights, I should have been the kid in the roadside ditch, but I’m not. And I think I’m not because I realized that it was all on me, and that if I wanted to have a better life. I had to go get it.”

Embrace Competition as a Catalyst

Ronda makes no apologies for CBH’s competitive edge. “I think for us, and who we are, and the type of people and the kind of company that we’ve built, to be competitive brings all 400 of us insane joy.”

This spirit is embedded in their hiring and workplace practices. “We love scoreboards, and we love getting through the finish line.”

That ambitious, high-performance mindset is on display as a bold motto in one of their office conference rooms: “F*** average, be legendary.” This statement reflects the company’s refusal to settle for mediocrity and its relentless drive to achieve extraordinary results. 

Ronda said, “If that statement doesn’t resonate with you, then you won’t like our competitiveness, and we embrace it, and we love it.”

Build a Culture of Connection

At CBH Homes, relationships matter. Ronda’s leadership emphasizes genuine care and connection. “You have to be vested in [your people]. You have to ask them more than, ‘How is your work going? How’s this project going?’ [Ask them] ‘How’s life, how’s your kids, how’s your wife, how’s your husband?’”

This practice has led to remarkable loyalty within CBH. Many employees have been with the company for decades, a testament to its culture of respect and recognition.

The Legacy of Love and Performance

Ronda’s leadership offers a powerful reminder that business success and human-centered leadership are not at odds. Under her guidance, CBH Homes has achieved record-breaking performance while fostering an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to excel.

“People might underestimate us because of how much love we pour into what we do,” Ronda said. “But that love is our strength. It fuels our competitive spirit and drives us to be the best.”

The results speak for themselves: CBH Homes isn’t just building homes; they’re building a culture that changes lives. And at the heart of it all is a leader who understands that the future of growth is human.

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