Growth Think Tank

Do you think about creating your dream team as your company grows? Great leaders know that people are essential to scaling up. It takes more than a great idea and perfect timing. You have to lead your people to be the dream team. Today's guest is Mike Zani, CEO of Predictive Index. Mike is a co-author of The Science of Dream Teams. He shares his innovative ideas on the future of HR with me. Mike t...

Every leader must have difficult conversations. It is the nature of the role. In m conversations with successful founders and CEOs, they often share with me running a business is easy, but lead people is hard. Difficult conversations are a part of life as you ask people to do new things and challenge them to grow. Today's behind-the-scenes video shows how you can improve in delivering difficult co...

Confidence comes up in all parts of leadership. However, leaders trust themselves because they have to believe they will overcome challenges in front of them. If you are uncertain of the future, the worst thing you can do is sit in doubt. Today's guest is Aaron Anders, a co-founder at Woo Tungsten. Inc Magazine ranked his company #235 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Woo Tungsten is an innovative e-comm...

Every company faces the need to stay ahead of the competition. Our job as leaders is leading innovation even when we are ahead of our peers. My research in fast-growth companies has revealed the constant drive of leading innovation. Today's guest is Jonathan Propper, Founder & CEO at Dropps. Inc Magazine ranked his company #289 on the 2020, No. 1031 (2019) Inc 5000 list. Dropps is an innovative re...

Every organization has challenges that get in the way of growth. When you are leading your people through conflict resolution, you must understand the people first. I know you want the people to get the work done and get along. However, conflict resolution is part of the process. In today's behind the scene, you will discover the essential elements to addressing conflict resolution. We look at wha...

Behind every great company is an excellent group of people. Forming a fast-growth team requires you to understand people. You have to study other companies to learn from their mistakes. Today's guest is Christian Ranke, CEO at Tridata Inc. TriData Inc provides proven lean solutions in support of financial institutions and service providers globally. Their team of industry-leading professionals lev...

People are the heart of every company. Technology, strategy, finance, and other business aspects are driven by crafting a powerful culture. The culture you have defines your ability to attract and maintain talented people. Today's guest is Stephan Aarstol, Founder & CEO of Tower Paddle Boards. Tower Paddle Boards is direct to market paddleboard brand that has experienced significant growth since i...

Grow in revenue requires skills in scaling the business. I've taken several companies from zero to multi-millions. In today's behind the scenes, we look at the dynamics of scaling the business. You can't be too complex in your strategies, so let me share a simple formula for scaling the business. You will understand this formula right away, but its application is more complex. When you are scaling...

Growth is the goal of many driven, hungry entrepreneurial leaders. I have been researching fast-growing companies to see the patterns. In this episode, we look at my work and ability to codify the phases of growth. Today's guest is Jesse Kaufman, CEO at ShippingTree. Inc Magazine ranked his company #212 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. ShippingTree is the complete e-commerce fulfillment solution for con...

Leadership is an inside-out process. All great leaders have the skill of growing others through mindset. To change someone's thinking, you have to be able to shift the way they see their world. Today's guest is Kathik Ganesh, CEO at EmpiRx Health. Inc Magazine ranked his company #712 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. EmpiRx Health is built on the idea that the time has come for value-based care in the ph...

The best way to get your people to open up to you and share what is going on is to lead by example. Getting employees to be vulnerable is a powerful skill that can improve the way you lead. In today's behind the scenes, I share with you some tools that will help you. I give you some examples to help you in getting employees to be vulnerable. You will improve your communication skills when you unde...

Leadership is often challenging. Leading people requires you to understand yourself. Being a self-aware leader will help you know your limits. It is also essential as you lead others to be self-aware. Today's guest is Charles Rath, President and CEO at RS21 Inc Magazine ranked his company #485 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. RS21 is a global data science company that uses artificial intelligence, desig...

Every company acquisition has many moving parts. Many people don't look at the culture when acquiring companies. However, given that the "people" part of any merger is often the most challenging part, the culture when acquiring companies is essential. Today's guest is Claude Zdanow, Founder and CEO at Stadium Red Group. Inc Magazine ranked his company #84 on the 2020 and #718 on the 2019 Inc 5000...

On any journey, you need a map. The phases of leadership growth are a map to help you see what is next. I have studied leadership for the last decade and spent more than a decade before growing my companies. Now, as an executive coach, I help fast-growth companies continue to grow. When I use the phases of leadership growth, they can see the journey they are on. Discover where you are on the five...

Today's guest is Tyson Smith, CEO at Reading Horizons. Inc Magazine ranked his company #4161 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Reading Horizons provides a dynamic, successful way for people to reach beyond their limitations and discover new horizons by learning to read. Accordingly, Reading Horizons is dedicated specifically to helping people learn to read so they can be better prepared to accomplish rea...

Every leader is looking for an edge or advantage. Powerful leaders can shift their mindset by understanding what it is. I had struggled at times with my mindset, especially when I was not aware of its impact on everything we do. In my journey to serve powerful leaders, I use mindset shifts to help them transform from the inside. Today, our guest is Vanessa Shaw. She is a fellow coach and works in...

Many leaders love to focus on getting the work done. So many gurus talk about taking action and getting it done. However, leaders that look for an edge over the competition or just looking for more leverage over what they are doing know the power of a mindset shift. When you can change your perspective or core beliefs, you are performing a mindset shift. My work as an executive coach is grounded i...

Defining a culture early may not seem important with all the tasks of an early-stage start-up. Many other things may seem more important than defining a culture early. However, when you have a solid base to build on, it is easier. One big reason is that each person you hire is essential at the beginning of any company — you want to make sure you get it right. Today's guest is Erin Willet, a Managi...

As your company grows, you have to unlearn leadership strategies that don't work anymore. In the start-up phases of companies, the leadership is quite different than a more mature company. As you add people, you have to unlearn leadership that gets to the next level of growth. Today's guest is Ryan Hogan, CEO at Hunt a Killer. Inc Magazine ranked his company #6 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Hunt a Ki...

Getting your employees to be a self-managing team is the goal for many leaders. I hear these words all the time. Let me share with you a story about a high-performing, self-managing team. Inside this short video, I want to give you three things that get in the way of this dream. When you decide to stop micro-managing, making decisions, and getting involved, you have a chance to develop your organi...

Running a business is more than just the right strategy and getting the work done. Leaders must have the correct thinking to create a team that feels empowered. The mindset of a leader includes the way they see themselves and see the world. It is all about the beliefs of leadership. Today's guest is Sam Frank, Partner at Four Twelve Roofing. Inc Magazine ranked his company #122 on the 2020 Inc 500...

Every company is going to navigate change. Leadership through a strategic pivot is more than just sharing the vision. When employees are expected to adapt, you want to be an intentional leader. Today's guest is Brandon Hurd, Founder of BHRS Companies. Inc Magazine ranked his company #161 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. BHRS Companies provides commercial realty services, construction management, contrac...

Every organization that is hungry to be the top provider in their industry must address the things that get in the way of growth. After years of talking to founders and CEOs from the fastest-growing, privately held companies, I have seen common mistakes that stand in your way of more revenue and impact. In this short video, we look at three things that get in the way of growth. You may not like wh...

Communication is the backbone of every organization. In fast-growth companies, we can easily dismiss the importance of improving employee communication. However, my claim is that teams that aim to move fast need to enhance employee communication constantly. Today's guest is David Danzig, CEO at Cosset Inc. Inc Magazine ranked his company #262 on the 2020 and #391 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Cosset...

Ups and downs are a part of the entrepreneur's journey. One critical skill in leadership is knowing when to grip tight on your current strategy and when to let go. In this episode, we look at the importance of tenacity. Tenacity is the art of being determined and holding on tight. Today's guest is Bryan Gerber, Co-founder and CEO at BHR Companies Inc. Inc Magazine ranked his company #604 on the 20...