ChairLife Podcast

Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert breaks down a simple, repeatable framework for one of the most consequential things a chair does: selecting members. Get selection right and the group gets stronger and everything gets easier; get it wrong and you can spend years managing the consequences. Tom walks through his five "Make Its" and the deliberate, candidate-friendly process behind them. In the seco...

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert shares how a single definition from Vistage speaker Eric Coryell reignited his focus on group purpose. A real issue is any issue that affects the team's ability to achieve purpose. Using that as his foundation, Tom walks through how he recently rebuilt his group's purpose statement, ideal member profile, shared fate framework, and his personal com...

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert introduces the one productivity metric he believes every Chair should be tracking: income per hour. Tom walks through how to calculate it, why it matters more than total income or member count, and the five specific levers he has pulled over the past ten years to more than quadruple his number while working fewer hours. This is not a conversation...

ChairLife Podcast: Episode 45 (101) Master the Art of No: Why Vistage Chairs Must Say It Clearly and Often In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert makes the case for why no is one of the most powerful words in a Chair's vocabulary. Drawing from William Ury's book The Power of a Positive No, Tom walks through a practical framework for saying no in a way that protects your priorities, gua...

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert breaks down why businesses fail and what Vistage Chairs can do to help their members avoid it. Tom walks through the brutal statistics behind business survival rates, the five major reasons companies fail, and seven specific areas Chairs should focus on in their one-to-ones to help members build stronger, more resilient businesses. The conversatio...

Tom Cuthbert discusses the Dunning-Kruger wake-up call for overconfident CEOs and explores ditching Zoom for the 93% communication secret in real breakthroughs. Show Notes Quote on Overconfidence: Don Moore on delusional CEOs. The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Bias of overestimating abilities; Chairs provide feedback. Stats on Overconfidence: 18% more R&D with higher failures; 3-4% profitable AI use. His...

Tom Cuthbert explores high-performing behavior number eleven on never missing 1:1 or mentor meetings, and discusses the number one skill CEOs must master—effective 1:1s—and how to coach it. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income. High-Performing Behavior Number 11: High-performing members never miss 1...

Tom Cuthbert explores high-performing behaviors from chaos to ChairLife magic with two roles that changed everything, and advises CEOs to stop filling gaps to build independence. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income. Introduction: Welcome back for 2026; focus on time management. Quote on Time: Peter...

Description for ChairLife Podcast: Episode 37 (101) Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number eleven on never missing 1:1 or mentor meetings, and discusses the number one skill CEOs must master—effective 1:1s—and how to coach it. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Details two sessions Tom is teaching in...

Tom Cuthbert discusses transitioning from chaos to ChairLife magic with two key roles that changed everything, and advises CEOs to stop filling gaps to build team independence. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income. Introduction: Welcome back for 2026; focus on time management and getting time back....

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom concludes the high-performing behaviors series with number twelve on members making the group better, and discusses the power of saying things out loud. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Details two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income. High-Performing...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number eleven on never missing 1:1 or mentor meetings, and discusses the number one skill CEOs must master—effective 1:1s—and how to coach it. Show Notes Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Details two sessions Tom is teaching in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and...

Tom Cuthbert explores high-performing behavior number nine on setting and achieving goals, sharing personal strategies and accountability team best practices for Vistage Chairs. Show Notes Introduction: Announces Chair World sessions and quotes James Clear on systems over goals. High-Performing Behavior Number 9: High-performing members set and achieve goals through community accountability. Why S...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number eight on investing in yourself and others, sharing his 10 personal investments, and discusses why every company needs two CEOs with Vistage Key Groups as the CEO factory. Show Notes Introduction: Tom announces Chair World sessions and quotes Buffett on self-investment. High...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number eight on investing in yourself and others, sharing his 10 personal investments, and discusses why every company needs two CEOs with Vistage Key Groups as the CEO factory. Show Notes Introduction: Tom announces Chair World sessions and quotes Buffett on self-investment. High...

Welcome to the ChairLife podcast with Tom Cuthbert. As a CEO, coach, and Vistage Master Chair, Tom shares insights, strategies, and tools to help you build a successful Chair practice where mission and purpose intersect with a balanced work life. This is your guide to leading with impact while living with intention. In this episode, Tom explores high-performing behavior number seven on embracing a...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number six on guarding time and using it wisely, and shares productivity hacks from Atomic Habits. Show Notes Introduction: Tom quotes Covey on investing time; emphasizes modeling time management in meetings. The Power of Guarding Time: Time is finite; poor management costs 20% pr...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number four on presence and focus, and shares AI tools for prospecting in Vistage Chair practice. Show Notes Introduction: Tom discusses behavior four: High-performing members are present, focused, and intentional. The Importance of Presence: Quotes Covey on listening; Vistage as...

Welcome to the ChairLife podcast with Tom Cuthbert. As a CEO, coach, and Vistage Master Chair, Tom shares insights, strategies, and tools to help you build a successful Chair practice where mission and purpose intersect with a balanced work life. This is your guide to leading with impact while living with intention. In this episode, Tom discusses high-performing behavior number four on being prese...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom introduces the “mediocrity shield” to protect Vistage groups from complacency, offering strategies to maintain excellence while honoring his father's legacy. He also shares how a binder organizes member data to enhance meetings and one-to-ones. This episode equips Vistage Chairs with tools to foster high-performin...

Welcome to the ChairLife podcast with Tom Cuthbert. As a CEO, coach, and Vistage Master Chair, Tom shares insights, strategies, and tools to help you build a successful Chair practice where mission and purpose intersect with a balanced work life. This is your guide to leading with impact while living with intention. In this episode, Tom continues the series on high-performing behaviors, focusing o...

Welcome to the ChairLife podcast with Tom Cuthbert. As a CEO, coach, and Vistage Master Chair, Tom shares insights, strategies, and tools to help you build a successful Chair practice where mission and purpose intersect with a balanced work life. This is your guide to leading with impact while living with intention. In this episode, Tom kicks off a 12-week series on high-performing behaviors, focu...

Welcome to the ChairLife podcast with Tom Cuthbert. As a CEO, coach, and Vistage Master Chair, Tom shares insights, strategies, and tools to help you build a successful Chair practice where mission and purpose intersect with a balanced work life. This is your guide to leading with impact while living with intention. In this episode, Tom discusses bullet journal power for demanding chaos and shares...

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom narrates unique brand stories for Chairs in Part 3 of the branding series, focusing on articulating attributes and leveraging touchpoints. He also shares longevity insights from Jessica Pierce to sustain practice vitality. Show Notes Introduction: Tom welcomes listeners and outlines Part 3 on branding narration an...

Tom Cuthbert aligns brand attributes with actions in Part 2 of branding series, using StoryBrand framework, and introduces Wispr Flow for efficient communication. Show Notes Introduction: Tom emphasizes aligning brand story for trust and referrals. Aligning Actions with Your Brand Story: Systematize attributes via touchpoints like website and introductions. Core Elements of Brand Story: Hero (CEO)...