Every business owner I know is under tremendous pressure right now. For some, it is the pressure to keep up with the new demand for their services and products. For many, it is how to navigate through a crisis. If you are like me, you believe there is an opportunity in times like this. Today we are looking at the benefits of an ownership culture through a crisis. My guests are Brian Brasch and Erik Hopperstad at PRX Performance. Their company was ranked #189 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk ab...
Apr 20, 2020•25 min•Ep. 550
In a typical work environment, we are challenged to improve collaboration. With today's shelter in place and working from home, the need to improve collaboration is more critical than ever. If you want to improve collaboration, most leaders think about the technology and tools that make it all work. However, the real issue is what you do daily to improve collaboration. My guest today is Joe Blewitt, CEO of Epion Health. His company was ranked #276 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Joe shares his ritual...
Apr 16, 2020•27 min•Ep. 549
Recently, my team took a look at top leadership mistakes in a new training series. In this video, you can see what we choose as the #1 leadership mistake. It is common for leaders to think they are doing the RIGHT thing, but this leadership mistake is killing your growth. Tune in to this behind the scenes video on the top leadership mistake that is killing your business. Get the show notes for This Leadership Mistake Is So Common – Do you make it? – Behind The Scenes Click to Tweet: Listening to...
Apr 14, 2020•8 min•Ep. 548
We all have to commit to a path even under stress. Now more than ever do have to focus on decision making under pressure. Given the shifts in business over the last few months, leaders will have to make some hard choices. The skills of decision making under pressure can be learned. There is a formula for it. My guest today is Alec Torelli, a professional poker player, who has that formula for decision making under pressure. He has spent years in high stakes games and forced to make decisions wit...
Apr 13, 2020•28 min•Ep. 547
We find ourselves in a time of uncertainty. When you don't know what to do next, you have to develop a strong sense of leadership in uncertain times. You can't do what you have always done. You have to lead your team through this ordeal. My guest today is Joe Calloway, best selling author, speaker, and advisor to mid-market companies. Joe and I talk about the importance of the foundational elements of leadership, like mission, vision, and values. Leadership in uncertain times requires you to imp...
Apr 09, 2020•30 min•Ep. 546
You know that investing in your people is important. Given the uncertainty that you are facing you may not want to focus on leadership development right now. I get it. If you are scrambling to save clients and preserve your cash, you can't even think about it. However, if you want to come out of COVID-19 stronger than ever before, leadership development is one of the best strategies that will allow your people to contribute to the stability of the company now. Leadership development will also be...
Apr 07, 2020•6 min•Ep. 545
Are you ready to lead through today's COVID-19 ordeal? There is no doubt that we are in a moment that requires crisis leadership. Today, we look at the shifts necessary for sales and marketing in this new economy. My guest today is Angelique Rewers, CEO of The Corporate Agent. Her company works with small, medium, and boutique firms to develop strategies to work with corporate clients. We dive into the elements of crisis leadership that are different than other styles of leadership. Angelique sh...
Apr 06, 2020•28 min•Ep. 544
Getting your employees to innovate and create value means you are encouraging entrepreneurial thinking. Leaders that develop employees by embracing entrepreneurial thinking see a lift in loyalty and problem-solving. My guest today is Dane Maxwell, author of Start from Zero. We look at entrepreneurial thinking inside the organization. Discover how you can lead others to think like entrepreneurs. Get the show notes for Why We Must Encourage Entrepreneurial Thinking for Growth with Dane Maxwell Cli...
Apr 02, 2020•27 min•Ep. 543
When your people go beyond responsibility, they are taking ownership of their work. They take ownership of the client experience. Ownership is YES or NO. Ownership is black or white. Ownership is not grey like responsibility. As a leader, you can inspire employees into taking ownership without financial tools like options, shares, profit-sharing, or any money. Today, we look at how you can inspire employees to take ownership. We look at three moves in leadership that encourage people to take own...
Mar 31, 2020•7 min•Ep. 542
Hiring the right people is essential to growth. You must be attracting talent to your company. I have talked with many leaders about the importance of attracting talent in today's tight job market. We are looking at every angle of culture as a competitive advantage. My guest today is Bryan Jackovcic, Founder and President of Fusion Health. His company was ranked #556 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Bryan and I talk about the aspects of attracting talent beyond money. We look at how you can use your c...
Mar 30, 2020•26 min•Ep. 541
Many companies have avoided having remote teams. The recent shifts required with work from home make remote teams necessary. There are some subtle shifts to leading a remote team that most people don't know. Today, our guest is Peter Coppinger, Co-founder of Teamwork. Teamwork is a platform for companies to organize work and communicate effectively on projects. Peter's team has been made up of more than 30 percent of remote workers for more than a decade. We look at the keys to leading a remote ...
Mar 26, 2020•23 min•Ep. 540
If you have been leading a virtual team for any period, you know the importance of setting up some guidelines to support the team and your leadership. Most of my days of leading a fast-growth company required my team to in the same office as me. However, my remote team started four years ago. I had to discover what works and what doesn't. There are coronavirus leadership challenges that I want you to know about before you have to handle the issues. This is a time to be proactive when leading a v...
Mar 24, 2020•10 min•Ep. 539
Grow requires you to take your leadership to a new level. The process of evolving as a leader requires you to be courageous. My work with amazing leaders that are founders and CEOs proves that great leaders are always learning. Adam Hirsen, who is the CEO of UpShow is our special guest. His company was ranked #174 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about the challenges of evolving as a leader. You will get insight into how your ego often gets in the way. Discover the keys to taking your company ...
Mar 23, 2020•23 min•Ep. 538
There is an extraordinary power when a company has a story behind it that pulls at your heart. Many mission-driven cultures have stories that drive their success. It does take more than just a mission to grow fast. My guest today is Ben Harrison, CEO of Jonas Paul Eyewear. His company was ranked #166 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about forming a mission-driven culture from the beginning. We look at the benefits of this type of culture. Ben shares his experience with leading a mission-driven...
Mar 20, 2020•27 min•Ep. 537
Leading through tough circumstances is part of the job. When you have the right mindset and strategies, you can move forward and keep calm, no matter what you face. This behind the scenes episode is taken from a series of conversations I have been having with my clients to help them through COVID-19 leadership challenges. When I asked one of my clients what was on his mind, he responded by saying, "Calm minds prevail." I felt like this was ideal for strong leadership. Being calm will calm your e...
Mar 17, 2020•7 min•Ep. 536
Leaders must align employees to the mission so that they feel like owners in the company. A compelling mission is not a nice to have in business. It has become mandatory. When you align employees to something bigger than themselves, you get real loyalty. My guest today is Weston Lunsford, CEO of Dental Intelligence. His company was ranked #381 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Weston shares his journey of leadership and how the mission the company is referenced daily. He gives a straightforward tactic ...
Mar 16, 2020•26 min•Ep. 535
Whenever we try to change something, we often default to a particular approach: Pushing. Is the boss not listening to that new idea? Send them another PowerPoint deck. Client not buying the pitch? Remind them of all the reasons they should. Today we talk about removing what is blocking people from change. Jonah Berger, professor at Wharton Business School and best-selling author, talks about his new book The Catalyst. We look at the five barriers that prevent change and how to mitigate them. Jon...
Mar 12, 2020•22 min•Ep. 534
With decades of business experience and working with thousands of Founders, CEOs, and Entrepreneurs, I can say that your success comes down to one thing. This one thing is what is holding you back. When you think about what you want, if you don't get this one thing right, you will struggle to create what you desire. That one thing is YOU. It is your doubt. Fears. When you think about it, you are what keeps you from achieving what you want. Today, we look at 3 parts of this that allow you to tran...
Mar 10, 2020•5 min•Ep. 533
One of the most critical aspects of company growth is a common understanding of the values and alignment to company core values. Many companies miss the alignment part of this, and what they need is values in action. My guest today is John Girard, CEO of Cience. His company was ranked #112 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Cience builds B2B pipelines. John's view on values drives his company to new levels of growth. Specifically, it is the values in action that govern the day-to-day work, language, and...
Mar 09, 2020•24 min•Ep. 532
Every leader is called about to make tough decisions. When you want to grow fast, you must be a courageous leader. The fears that come up don't just go away unless you decide to face those challenges. You learn to push forward despite the fear. Being a courageous leader will give your team more courage too. My guest today is Michael Resnik, CEO of Trifold. His company was ranked #239 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. TriFold is a manufacturer of folding mobility products for everyday use. We talk about...
Mar 05, 2020•21 min•Ep. 531
One method of identifying the character traits of great leaders is to look at the visionaries that you admire. For years, I have asked my clients who they admire in the world of business. I call this exercise, “The Hero Analysis.” They often select the greats like Musk and his peers: Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett. The character traits of great leaders drive the behaviors and rituals of success. The key is in the second question I propose to them. To key in on the character traits of...
Mar 03, 2020•4 min•Ep. 530
Company growth in times of change requires leaders to have a rock-solid foundation for your culture and leadership. Today, we keep the conversation going on living your values to align the team. Living your values starts with hiring people that have the same attitude to work and life as you. You can teach them skills, but hiring those that are living your values before they arrive at your company will make leading them easier. My guest today is Jeff Kingsley, CEO of IACT Health. We look at how l...
Mar 02, 2020•23 min•Ep. 528
After hundreds of interviews and my research with Founders and CEOs, I know the importance of living your core values when you want to create company growth. I can also say that many leaders believe they are living their core values because they have values printed on the walls at HQ or on their website. Let's talk about living your core values with my guest today, Shawn Lipman, who is the CEO of Feedonomics. His company was ranked #95 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We look at living your core value...
Feb 27, 2020•23 min•Ep. 528
Your time is valuable. But not all the time is the same. To increase your productivity and focus, you want to do your highest value work at a time when you are at your best. I get asked by people "how to increase productivity," and today's behind the scenes is what I tell them. Find the time each day when you feel your best and naturally have focus. This is the time when you don't need extra stimulants to feel energized. I call this time your "hours of genius." When you know the two to three hou...
Feb 25, 2020•4 min•Ep. 527
Experts with 40 years of experience are scarce. Today's guest is John Maxwell, New York Times best-selling author many times over. John Maxwell joins us to talk about his latest book: The Leader's Greatest Return. In this book, John Maxwell shares decades of insight on leadership. When I read The Leader's Greatest Return, I was able to connect the dots on my research with fast-growth companies to the heart of leadership. In this interview, John Maxwell shares why he believes leaders must put emp...
Feb 24, 2020•33 min•Ep. 526
Have you heard about the OKR methodology? This OKR methodology has taken the world of leadership by storm. My guest today is Ivan Osmak, Co-founder of GTMHub. This company has been in hypergrowth mode because of the demand to bridge the gap between strategy and operational execution. We talk about why OKRs are essential. We look beyond the traditional usage of OKR methodology. Ivan even shares the common mistakes with the OKR Methodology. Get the show notes for Beyond the OKR Methodology with Iv...
Feb 20, 2020•29 min•Ep. 525
One big challenge I see with leaders today is getting stuck in the day-to-day of the business. You tell me that they know they should go from Founder to CEO. You feel the need within the organization to improve your strategic leadership. Yet, you are covered up with day-to-day work. In this episode of behind the scenes, we look at four steps of going from Founder to CEO. You may feel triggered when you hear this episode. It challenges some deep-seated issues that keep you from Founder to CEO. I ...
Feb 18, 2020•6 min•Ep. 524
Leadership is not an easy endeavor. Because it involves other people makes it one of the hardest aspects of growing your company. I often get asked for the most crucial skill for a leader. After years of building my own companies and helping others to grow, I feel like empathetic leadership is the most crucial skill. The art of empathetic leadership provides the connection that your people crave as they are working the day-to-day. My guest today is Samantha Barnes, Founder, and CEO of Raddish Ki...
Feb 17, 2020•23 min•Ep. 523
You want a team that drives growth and overcomes any challenges the company faces. I get asked all the time about how to create great teams that can navigate the challenges of fast-growth. Inspiring teams to feel ownership of their work and the client experience is essential in today's agile work environments. My guest today is Todd Ehrlich, CEO of BAMFI. His company was ranked #121 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Todd and I discuss how to create great teams. We look at the small aspects that boost a...
Feb 13, 2020•25 min•Ep. 522
Leadership has changed. In 2020 and beyond, employees are hungry for connection to their work. They want to feel like what they are doing will improve their skills and increase their value. You must improve employee alignment by listening to your employees to understand them. I struggled with employee alignment as a leader until I discovered that they have goals too. I'm going to share with you a powerful approach called "Shared Goals" to improve employee alignment. You can use it immediately an...
Feb 11, 2020•3 min•Ep. 521
