Times are tough for many companies. It is more than the virus. It is more than working from home. There is a mood around us that requires a new approach. We don't need more managers. We need influential leaders that can guide your people to a shared vision. Leaders must also calm us as employees have fears of what is ahead and for their own safety. Check out this short video on why we don't need more managers. You will also learn why traditional training that we offer our employees does not crea...
Jun 30, 2020•3 min•Ep. 580
What happens when you shift the leadership model to serving your employees instead of believing they are here to help you. What I am talking about is why servant leadership drives growth. My guest today is Chase Mullin, CEO of Mullin Landscape. His company was ranked #3740 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We look at why servant leadership is essential in today's world. Chase and I dive into the aspects of being a servant to your team. We also look at why servant leadership has allowed him to be an eff...
Jun 29, 2020•26 min•Ep. 579
In today's challenging times, you have to go beyond the thinking of winning now. You also can't focus on just the future, either. Your business is likely in the midst of radical change that requires strong leadership and the ability to inspire your people through difficult times. My guest today is the former CEO of Honeywell International, David Cote. David recently wrote, "Winning Now, Winning Later." We talk about why leadership matters and how to lead beyond today's challenges. Winning now is...
Jun 25, 2020•29 min•Ep. 578
When you look at leaders that you admire, what do you see? Not how they are dressed, but the qualities of great leadership. Today, I'm sharing with you six qualities of great leadership. One way to use this list is to see where you stand with these qualities of great leadership. I am also announcing a partnership with a charity to give away $1000 to a hero on the front line of today's challenges with the virus and social justice. Join me for this special episode about the qualities of great lead...
Jun 23, 2020•17 min•Ep. 577
Many leaders believe that encouraging their employees to think like entrepreneurs is a dangerous move. This is not about them leaving the company to start their own business. When you are inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit that lives inside someone's soul, you invite them to create value, solve problems, and be resilient in service of something bigger than themselves. Today's guest on the podcast is Darin Anderson Chairman and CEO of Salas O'Brien. His company ranked #2747 on the 2019 Inc 5000...
Jun 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 576
You know effective communication is essential to your companies culture. One challenge that comes up is the belief that a company has effective communication right now. Today's guest on the podcast is Chris Vickers, President and CEO of Starc Systems. His company ranked #460 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Chris shares why effective communication is essential to growing fast. We look at the core elements of impeccable communication.
Jun 18, 2020•26 min•Ep. 575
There is a MYTH that comes with growing a company. This is one of those harmful myths. It is when you fail to put the team first. You create more layers of management to manage the people. Managers make sure the workflows, and they even improve effectiveness in small increments. However, managers don't put the team first. Managers have their place, but what we need in a time of new approaches and agile moves is more leaders that can adapt and lead their people to a new future. Here is a concept ...
Jun 16, 2020•4 min•Ep. 574
When a business changes as fast as it has recently, we need flexible employees. Creating a culture that is high on adaptability and able to shift proactively is the goal of many leaders. Hiring flexible employees is the start, but you also have to give them the space to grow. Today's guest on the podcast is Anthony Geraci, Managing Shareholder, and CEO of Geraci Law Firm. His company ranked #1861 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about the need for flexible employees in today's crazy world. Ant...
Jun 15, 2020•26 min•Ep. 573
We know the old saying that we "lead by example." The reason this has saying has been around for centuries is that it is so true. Another way to look at leadership is the art of influencing others. The best -- and only way -- to influence others is to lead by example. Today's guest on the podcast is Erin Hooley, Founder, and CEO of Bailey's Blossoms. Her company ranked #428 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We look at how leading by example has impacted her style and company growth. Erin explains her c...
Jun 11, 2020•26 min•Ep. 572
Do you want to align employees to the mission of the company? Getting people to buy-in to want to do the work is much easier when they are connected to the mission of the company. Fast-growth companies have a mission that aligns people together. Your mission is never just to make money. Your mission is always bigger than money. When people are ON mission, they have more fun working together. Get the show notes for Align Employees to the Mission – Behind The Scenes Click to Tweet: Listening to an...
Jun 09, 2020•3 min•Ep. 571
Have a culture of innovation. Leadership that inspires new thinking takes a does of self-awareness and courage. A culture of innovation allows you to go beyond the traditional. Today's guest on the podcast is Chris Anderson, Founder, and CEO of Ledge Loungers. His company ranked 1154 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Chris talks about the need to embrace failure if you want a culture of innovation. We talk about developing people and leadership that inspires ownership thinking. Discover how you can cre...
Jun 08, 2020•23 min•Ep. 570
Founders and CEOs understand the relationship between humility and leadership is important. However, for most, it is an afterthought. Humility and leadership must be intentional. It has to be proactive to make an impact. Humility in your culture also starts in the hiring process. My guest for today's episode is Manny Dureja, Founder of AirTower. AirTower owners and enterprise customers a future-proof 5G wireless services. They also were ranked #415 on the 2019 Inc 5000 List. Manny shares why hum...
Jun 04, 2020•22 min•Ep. 569
When you have talented employees take ownership of their work, it creates a feeling inside them. There is a corresponding feeling that leaders experience when employees take ownership. Tune in to this short video to see why that feeling is "relief." This is a behind the scenes of my coaching work that shares the feeling that leaders experience when employees take ownership. Discover how you can increase your frequency of feeling relief. Get the show notes for Behind the Scenes: What is the Feeli...
Jun 02, 2020•3 min•Ep. 568
Leaders must set the direction for the team. Part of that is casting a vision that alights the people to work. Casting vision will pull the people to overcome the challenges, add value to the company, and activate growth. My guest today is Alexander Johnson, Co-founder of Mixt Solutions. His company was ranked #260 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Discover why casting vision is essential to the culture. We look at how to effect a change in course as the company grows and shifts strategy. Alexander sha...
Jun 01, 2020•23 min•Ep. 567
When your people have the systems of integrity and accountability, you have a team aligned to the right work. Creating a culture with integrity and accountability requires new approaches to leadership. My guest today is Robert Davis, CEO of Stealth ISS Group. His company was ranked #368 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Robert shares how integrity and accountability have been an essential part of company growth. Discover new practices that allow your team to increase their alignment and productivity. G...
May 28, 2020•23 min•Ep. 566
As a leader, you will need to have difficult conversations. The critical part of difficult conversations is to give them enough time of planning that allows you to prepare what you need to say. Also, you want to make sure you don't take too much time and avoid them either. Today, I share with you three aspects of the conversation that you must consider before having a difficult conversation. I also give you insight into what often gets in the way of having effective conversations about a difficu...
May 26, 2020•5 min•Ep. 565
Fast growth companies do one thing entirely different than those companies that don't grow as fast. I have analyzed hundreds of companies to find that one thing. It is the concept of putting employees first, customers second. Leaders that are willing to put employees first, customers second are prevalent with the companies on the Inc 5000. Today's guest is Steve Burke, Founder of Texadia Systems. This company was ranked #2897 on the 2019 Inc List. The company operates in the residential and comm...
May 25, 2020•26 min•Ep. 564
People want to be aligned with a purpose to drive impact. Another way to look at this is a mission-driven culture drives growth. You may believe that your mission as a leader is to increase the bottom-line or you may think that you have to develop your team for growth. Both of these are important to company success. Being a leader of a mission-driven culture is one way to make all of this easier. My guest today is Vernon Green, CEO of G Cubed Enterprises. This company was ranked #386 in the 2019...
May 21, 2020•27 min•Ep. 563
When you get to a certain point in your business growth, you will face a series of decisions about letting go of the day-to-day work. Another way to look at growing your company is that you will need to fire yourself. I have operated many businesses past the $5 million marks in revenue. I had to wrestle with letting go of the work that I became good at to keep the growth going. Today's behind the scene video takes a look at firing yourself and letting go of your current work to activate more gro...
May 19, 2020•3 min•Ep. 562
Often the easiest and quickest thing to do is to give some your advice. However, there is something called "the advice trap" that keeps people from growing in their role. If they fail to grow, you are limited on the impact a person can make to the growth of the organization. My guest today is the best-selling author, Michael Bungay Stainer. His new book is "The Advice Trap." Tune in today to get tools to avoid the advice trap in your journey as a leader. Get the show notes for Interview with the...
May 18, 2020•31 min•Ep. 561
Do you want to discover how to drive growth? Leaders that are committed to growth know the importance of company foundational elements like mission, vision, and values. Today, we look at how to drive growth. My guest today is Greg Ott, CEO of Nav. This company was ranked #623 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Nav is a marketplace for loans - matching lenders with borrowers. Greg shares how to drive growth with effective company core values that are part of everyday work. If you want to learn how to dri...
May 14, 2020•26 min•Ep. 560
Sometimes you might feel guilt for needing to re-charge. I believe leaders need to learn to rest, not quit when they are tired. Today, I share with you some reason why you want to learn to rest, not quit. We also look at letting go of the guilt that often comes with resting. Discover why you must learn to rest, not quit. Relaxing is part of the journey. Get the show notes for Leaders Learn to Rest, Not Quit – Behind the Scenes Click to Tweet: Listening to an amazing episode on Growth Think Tank ...
May 12, 2020•2 min•Ep. 559
Growth is more manageable when you a solid foundation that guides the company, the people, and the decisions. One element of that is having a values-driven organization. The company's core values allow people to make decisions and coordinate action for a shared future. When you have a values-driven organization, you have guides for the people to operate with limited oversight. My guest today is Kurt Luidhardt, Co-founder of Prosper Group. His company was ranked #466 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Ku...
May 11, 2020•23 min•Ep. 558
Eventually, you wonder how you can stop feeling overwhelmed. I have struggled with his for years in my leadership of a fast-growth company. I discovered that it is better to change how you approach your work and not just keep putting in more hours. In short, stop feeling overwhelmed with this super simple productivity hack. Today, I share with you a story about time-blocking that I was reminded when I did a home project. You may wonder how installing a garden hose holder relates to leadership. T...
May 05, 2020•5 min•Ep. 557
Many people avoid transparent communication. Some think that they are transparent enough. When you value transparent communication, you are open and honest to a fault. You dare to share more than most feel comfortable. Your team begins to trust you because you have transparent communication. My guest today is Saint Hung, CEO of Universal Processing. His company was ranked #500 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about the importance of transparent communication and what it means to share everythi...
May 04, 2020•22 min•Ep. 556
Let's start with a fact: servant leadership is more than a buzzword. Servant leadership is more than a leadership strategy. I believe the core of servant leadership is the mindset. Leaders that are willing to put their employees first and serve them takes confidence and courage. My guest today is Dwight Hunt, President, and CEO of B3 Group. We look at the power of servant leadership. Dwight shared how servant leadership has allowed for the growth of B3 Group. They reached #109 on the 2019 Inc 50...
Apr 30, 2020•28 min•Ep. 555
During this challenging time, we have to get used to new ways of operating our companies and living our lives. Leadership now is essential and requires new approaches. You can't do what you have always done. The challenges of working remotely and preparing for work beyond the initial pressure that COVID-19 has caused us to re-think how we engage with our teams. Leadership now is best when you vary how you lead to match the moment and the person. Today, I look at using the right tool, which is mo...
Apr 28, 2020•2 min•Ep. 554
A big part of your growth is the ability to stay curious. When you think you know it all, you close off new ideas. Your arrogance can get the best of you. Staying curious is what top performs do. Today's guest is Molly Fletcher, who is a female motivational speaker, keynote speaker, and former sports agent. We talk about the power of staying curious. We look at why that is important in leadership and also in negotiation too. Molly shares her insights on staying curious as a way to keep growing a...
Apr 27, 2020•25 min•Ep. 553
Attracting the right people is vital to your success and company growth. Today, we look at how to hire based on core values. The hiring steps are often a trial and error process. My guest today is David Wright, Co-founder of Pattern. His company was ranked #404 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We look at the foundational elements of how to hire based on core values. Tune-in to our conversation to get the steps he had learned work for their company. Get the show notes for How to Hire Based on Core Valu...
Apr 23, 2020•21 min•Ep. 552
The period of COVID-19 has forced many of us to slow down, even if it is just less travel and no wasted time commuting. When your goal is growing as a leader, you often want to have a quick chat with your team and get to work executing. However, there is a question I often use with my clients that goes like this "Have you seen a benefit in slowing down to speed up?" I get a 100% yes to this. yet so many people focused on growing as a leader don't actually adhere to this mantra. It is quite inter...
Apr 21, 2020•4 min•Ep. 551
