Growth Think Tank

In our series on time, we aim to improve how you spend your time. One of the most significant issues I see with CEOs in my work is the struggle to create the space to be visionary. It is straightforward for leaders to focus on optimizing the time to get more things done. However, many are not making the space to be the most effective leader the company needs. Today's guest on the podcast is Chris...

Just as your strategy changes and your target client gets better, your culture shifts as the company grow. There are defined inflection points that will help you anticipate the culture shifts as your company grows. My guest today is Todd Olson, CEO of Pendo. His company was ranked #73 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about the main inflection points as a company grows to 500 employees. In this e...

Many leaders I talk to have a pattern that gets in the way of their next level of growth. This pattern is overthinking a big decision. When you stop overthinking, you can connect to beliefs that allow you to trust yourself. I had to learn to stop overthinking as my company was growing from zero to multiple millions. Discover a simple framework that will help you trust yourself to a deeper level. I...

You know delegating is essential to managing more and more work. You want a simple and easy way to empower your leaders. Using a delegation framework will make it consistent every time you need to get support from others. 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 gives you h...

CEOs around the world struggle in letting go of the day-to-day. They ask me how CEOs become visionary leaders. This interview kicks off a new series just for CEOs who know they have to move beyond where they are today. Today's guest is Horst Schultze, co-founder of The Ritz Carlton and founder of the Capella Hotel Group. These brand names are in the top tier of hospitality and rated excellent by t...

Years of working with very successful leaders and entrepreneurs have allowed me to see what works for extraordinary results. Today, I will give you the extremely simple formula that drives successful people. You can learn what is missing if you keep working toward a goal that is evading you. Sometimes it is just taking longer than you wanted. This formula for extraordinary results will give you th...

Every company that wants to scale fast juggles many projects so they can move forward with speed. It is prevalent to put many projects before culture. In this episode, we look at why culture starts early. Today's guest is Marc Randolph, one of the co-founders of Netflix. He was the first CEO at Netflix too. Marc had many other successes besides Netflix too. He is an investor and mentor to many leg...

A seven-year journey to get here. We reached 700 episodes and this very special one is just me. You get a summary of the not-so-obvious lessons from the Inc 5000 founders and CEOs. These lessons will challenge you and what you think to be right. I'm fine with pushing you to see a new perspective. You will discover lessons from proven leaders that have been in the top 1 percent in terms of revenue...

Getting your message out into the world has been getting more difficult for years now. The amount of content is causing noise across all channels. Some people are slightly better at the hype of influence. There are some that so powerful in the hype strategies that they are hard to ignore. Our guest today is Michael Schein, author of The Hype Handbook. This book looks at the strategies that propaga...

Mastering the art of developing your executive leadership team requires many skills. The leaders that you hire to support you in the journey to growth are usually competent and full of experience. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage. Developing your executive leadership team the right way is essential if you want to reach the company's potential. Today's guest is Jeff Hilimire, CEO and co-f...

Every great company has some employee training provided. There are many reasons for employee training, but one of the most essential is because employees want to work in a place where they are growing. Employee training is expensive, but it is often cited that not having employee training is more costly in the long run. Today's guest is Nick Smarrelli, CEO at Gadelnet Consulting. Inc Magazine rank...

Leaders often talk about why transparency is important. However, the absolute truth is that each leader has a "transparency line," which is how much openness they are comfortable with. In my hundreds of interviews with fast-growth companies, you will see a typical pattern in companies that make transparency a central part of their culture. Our guest is Todd Ablowitz, Co-CEO, and Co-founder of Infi...

When starting a new enterprise, many decisions must be made. Some are urgent now, and others can be pushed off until the future. One big question is what kind of company do you want to be? This question is interpreted in many ways. But strong companies that know employees are essential to the organization's success know the importance of putting people first. My guest today is Brad Casper at Heart...

Leadership is more than just getting the job done. We have to be Activator to lead our employees beyond what they believe is possible. Dr. Jason Jones is our special guest today. Dr. Jason Jones is the author of Activator, which is about understanding the brain science in unlocking high-performance leadership. We look at the core elements of activating others. Dr. Jason Jones shows us simple ways...

Every business has to balance the right perks and profitability. Today we look at the power of offering parental leave and the impact it has on company growth. Parental leave is more than just time off to adjust to having a new child joining a family. Our special guest is Debbie Millin, COO at Globalization Partners. This company was 6th in the 2016 Inc 5000 list. Globalization Partners helps comp...

Leaders who can do most tasks in their company seem to struggle in one central area. It is learning to delegate the right way. The main reason is they know how to do the thing. They also know how they want it done. However, great leaders know how to delegate the right way. The art of delegation can help you be the best leader you can be. Our guest is Jordan Erksine, President of Dynamic Blending....

Fast-growth companies are fast mainly because the CEO can remove themselves from being the bottleneck. My research into fast-growth companies revealed the importance of getting employees to take ownership. When they feel like owners, they can act like owners. My guest today is Pete Maldonado, Founder of Chomps. His company was ranked #22 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Chomps are located at major retai...

Communication is a cornerstone in the skills of leadership. This does not mean you have to do all the talking. Actually, there is power in talking less and leading better. When you understand that listening is essential to leadership that aligns people. Our guest is Jory Schwach, CEO of Andium. His company was #200 on the 2020 Inc 500 list. Andium is an enterprise internet of things ecosystem that...

You have likely heard the phrase "Eat the frog." It comes from the iconic Brian Tracy. It means that you have to keep doing the hard stuff every day. This means can't procrastinate the problematic things. Leadership is a constant battle of being uncomfortable when you do the hard stuff. Today we talk about doing the hard stuff with Johnny Owens, founder of Owens Recovery Science. His company is #1...

Growing fast requires you to have to be an intentional leader. Pushing yourself and challenging your team members is a regular part of any CEO's work. One aspect of being very deliberate in how CEOs spend their time is knowing the most valuable projects. Today's guest is Bill Kerr, CEO of Avalon Healthcare Solutions. His company was ranked #4 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Bill begins by sharing his t...

Everything evolves. Great leaders are intentional about it. Once your company stabilizes from a growth phase, you may be thinking about what is next. In other words, you have to identify your next role in leadership. When you intentionally focus on how you are evolving, you will be seen as a stronger leader. Today's guest is Aaron Grossman, CEO of The Talent Launch Network. His company was ranked...

Back-to-back meetings may sound optimal in how you approach your schedule. However, don't overlook the power of making time to think. If you want to see around corners and create a new future, you have to give yourself space. It may be a walk outside or even scheduling a day away from the office. Find your best strategy of making time to think. Our guest is Bryan Jakovcic, President and Owner of F...

Improving leadership communication does not have the mindshare of many leaders like operational strategies. However, communication is an essential element that many employees often say needs improvement, even when the company is growing fast. In fact, improving leadership communication is critical in an agile work environment. Our guest is Mike Gentile, CEO of Cisoshare. Cisoshare was #88 on the 2...

Many leaders feel that they have to make the most of every minute of the day. They optimize their schedules to get the most out of their time. However, many times they are not creating time to think. I see this quite often in my work and eventually, it catches up with these leaders. Today, we see how creating time to think is more productive than a packed calendar. Our guest is Kurt Luidhardt, co-...

Don't overlook the need to think about the future, innovation, and potential threats. Yet too many CEOs are overscheduled. I get asked all the time. "How to create more white space to think?" As leaders, we have to learn the balance of everyday work and thinking about the vision we are creating. Our guest is Matt Kueker, CEO of Kenway Consulting. Kenway Consulting was #4495 on the 2019 Inc 5000 li...