Growth Think Tank

Safety has always been essential. Security has moved up in importance, given the concern we have in the world today. Are you 100% certain that an employee can't be duped to sharing their password to an outsider? Creating a culture of safety means that you are intentional about preparing your organization for anything that is a threat. Today's guest on the podcast is Derek Harp, Founder of Cambios....

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 m...

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...

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 La...

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 w...

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 podcas...

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 elemen...

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...

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...

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 li...

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 t...

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 ta...

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-pr...

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 in...

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....

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...

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 als...

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....

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....

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...

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 t...

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 growt...

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...

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 Ku...

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 wh...