Kris Yagel didn’t expect to wake up one day leading one of 200 food banks in the United States. After decades of praying for the right leadership opportunity, he figured he’d end up running a manufacturing operation somewhere, helping teams make widgets. Instead, God surprised him with something far weightier: interim CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, an organization tackling the 35% food insecurity in the Borderplex region.
That’s double the rate of similar Texas cities. That means that one-third of El Paso’s population isn’t sure where their next meal is coming from.
As a military veteran, leadership consultant, and founder of Diligent Plans, Kris brings an uncommon mix of grit and grace to the role. His West Point training taught him discipline and structure. His consulting years taught him how to develop teams. But it’s what he learned in the broken places, the times when leadership cost him everything, that shapes how he leads today.
This isn’t a story about distance, polish, or control. It’s about presence, humility, and showing up when it matters most.
The Real Cost of Leadership
Most people see the highlight reel. The leader on the hill, victorious, having overcome impossible odds. Kris sees something different. During his TED talk at West Point, he made a point that cuts against every Hollywood depiction of leadership: “It is the small things that you do in the shadows that make a real difference.”
The things no one sees. The things that may never get recognized or celebrated. The developmental conversation that changes someone’s trajectory. The hard decision that costs you sleep. The decision to stay when it would be easier to walk away.
Kris put it plainly during our conversation: “The amount of suck in real leadership does not devalue the calling.” Leadership is depleting. It’s sacrificial by nature. It’s supposed to be hard, because it mirrors the way Jesus led: “You are here to serve, not to be served.”
If you’re crying at 3:00 a.m. in the shower from time to time, Kris says you might actually be doing it right.
That level of honesty is rare. Most leadership content glosses over the cost. Kris doesn’t. He knows what it’s like to feel lost, alone, and overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility. And he knows that acknowledging the weight doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.
People Aren’t Assets
One conversation changed the trajectory of Kris’s leadership forever. Early in his military career, a young specialist pulled him aside during training at Fort Bragg. The advice was simple but profound: “Remember, we’re people. We’re not soldiers. We’re not assets.
We’re not tools. We’re people.”
That specialist saw what many leaders miss: the person standing in front of you has a whole life outside of what you need them to do. They have a family waiting at home. A water heater that exploded at 3:00 a.m. A sick child. A dog that got out. And if they bring that to work with them, because of course they do, your leadership has to account for the wholeness of their life.
This is where Kris’s approach to culture restoration begins. When he stepped into El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, the board’s first charge was clear: stabilize the culture, take care of the inner team, and set a new course. The mission matters. Feeding the hungry is biblical. But it should never come at the expense of the people doing the work.
Kris grounded his leadership in a philosophy document he put in front of the entire organization. At the top: “I believe in God and I do my best to live a Kristian life.” He didn’t hide it. He didn’t soften it. He put that seed out there and then led by example.
It’s the kind of transparency found throughout Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, Paul became “all things to all people” to advance the gospel. He adapted his approach, met people where they were, and led with humility and care. Kris is doing the same, recognizing that each person on his team processes differently, thrives under different conditions, and needs a leader who’s paying attention.
The Military Taught Him Orders, Not Empathy
Transitioning from military to civilian leadership has required Kris to unlearn as much as he’s learned. In the Army, you give orders and people follow them. You walk into a building as a commander and everyone stands at attention. That environment feeds the ego in a way that can be dangerous if you’re not careful.
“I can’t rely on the position to get things done or to inspire people,” Kris explained. “I really had to understand what challenges they had, how I could develop them, how I could meet them with their needs.”
That’s situational leadership in real time. It’s meeting your team where they are rather than demanding they rise to meet you. Some people are long processors who need time to think. Others make quick decisions and want to move fast. Some are energized by being around people. Others find it depleting.
Kris is learning to round out his leadership practice, and he’s open about the fact that it’s a work in progress. That openness, that willingness to admit he doesn’t have all the answers, is itself a form of leadership. It creates space for others to grow, to challenge ideas, and to bring their best thinking to the table.
Feeding People Today, Equipping Them for Tomorrow
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger operates with a two-fold mission. The first is immediate: meet the hunger crisis head-on. With 35% food insecurity in the region, that’s not optional. People need to eat today.
But Kris isn’t stopping there. The second part of the mission is transformational: “Give them fish now. Then give them tools to be able to fish in the future for themselves and to not be in that line again.”
It’s the difference between relief and restoration. Both matter. Both are biblical. But restoration requires thinking beyond the immediate crisis to address the systems, skills, and support structures that lead to long-term change.
That same principle applies to how Kris leads his team. He’s not just managing tasks. He’s developing people. He’s creating an environment where they can grow, where mistakes are part of the learning process, and where the culture reflects the mission without burning people out.
It’s the kind of stewardship Jesus described in Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents. God entrusts resources to leaders, and leaders are accountable for how they develop those resources. Whether it’s food for the hungry or people on a team, the calling is the same: increase value, create flourishing, and honor what’s been entrusted to you.
What God Is Teaching Him Now
Kris is honest about where he is: learning, adapting, being stretched. After 20 years away from formal leadership at this scale, stepping into the CEO role has required humility and a willingness to admit he’s still figuring some things out.
“I had to realize that I can’t rely on the position,” he said. “I really had to understand how I could develop them, how I could meet them with their needs.”
That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.
God has a way of using transition seasons to refine leaders. Kris is being shaped in real time, learning to lead without the authority structure of the military, learning to navigate a nonprofit culture, and learning to trust that the same God who called him to this role will equip him for it.
The vision is clear: a hunger-free El Paso region. The path to get there? That’s still unfolding. But Kris is showing up every day, doing the small things in the shadows, trusting that faithfulness in the unseen moments is what builds something lasting.
If You’re Feeling Lost or Alone
Near the end of our conversation, Kris offered a word for leaders who are exhausted, disconnected, or questioning whether they’re on the right path. His advice? You might be exactly where you need to be.
“If you’re not crying at 3:00 a.m. in the shower from time to time, you might not be doing it right,” he said. “You are in the right place. You are going the right way. And someday if you continue on this path, you will hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.'”
That’s the encouragement leaders need to hear more often. The hard seasons don’t disqualify you. The tears don’t mean you’re failing. The weight of leadership is real, and acknowledging it doesn’t diminish the calling.
Kris knows this from experience. He’s walked through seasons of brokenness and restoration. He’s led when it cost him everything. And he’s learning, again, what it means to lead well in a new context with new challenges and a mission that matters deeply.
The glamour of leadership is a myth. The truth is messier, harder, and more costly than most people realize. But the truth is also more beautiful, because it’s in those unseen moments, the 3:00 a.m. decisions and the quiet acts of service, that real transformation happens.
Additional Resources
If Kris’s story resonated with you, here are a few resources to go deeper on servant leadership, people-first culture, and leading with humility:
Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby – A practical guide to leading with the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13. Manby breaks down how patience, kindness, trustworthiness, and other character qualities transform workplace culture.
Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender – An honest look at how brokenness shapes better leaders. Allender argues that acknowledging weakness, failure, and struggle is what makes leadership authentic and effective.
The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni – Lencioni makes the case that organizational health is the ultimate competitive advantage. This book is full of practical frameworks for building cohesive, high-functioning teams.
Caring for Employees During Financial Hardships – C12 Business Forums offers guidance on implementing care funds, support systems, and ministry initiatives that honor employees as whole people. Learn more at C12Borderplex.com.
Learn More About Kris Yagel
Kris Yagel currently serves as interim CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, where he’s working to address the food insecurity crisis in the El Paso region. He’s also the founder of Diligent Plans, a consulting firm focused on leadership and team development.
Website: elpasoansfightinghunger.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/el-pasoans-fighting-hunger
Instagram: @epfightinghunger
Twitter: @EPFightHunger
If you’re interested in volunteering, joining the giving family, or learning more about the work El Pasoans Fighting Hunger is doing, visit their website. Sixty percent of their funding comes from government support, which means the other 40% depends on individual donors and community partners.
Listen to the Full Conversation
This conversation barely scratches the surface of Kris’s journey. To hear the full story, including his path from West Point to El Paso, the lessons he’s learned through brokenness and restoration, and what it means to lead with courage in uncertain seasons, listen to the complete episode at 323podcast.com.
You’ll walk away with a clearer picture of what servant leadership actually looks like when it’s lived out in real time, in a real organization, with real challenges. Kris doesn’t offer platitudes. He offers hard-won wisdom from someone who’s still in the middle of the fight, still learning, and still showing up.