Growth Think Tank

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 th...

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 s...

Every business owner I know is under tremendous pressure right now. For some, it is the pressure to keep up with the new demand for their services and products. For many, it is how to navigate through a crisis. If you are like me, you believe there is an opportunity in times like this. Today we are looking at the benefits of an ownership culture through a crisis. My guests are Brian Brasch and Eri...

In a typical work environment, we are challenged to improve collaboration. With today's shelter in place and working from home, the need to improve collaboration is more critical than ever. If you want to improve collaboration, most leaders think about the technology and tools that make it all work. However, the real issue is what you do daily to improve collaboration. My guest today is Joe Blewit...

Recently, my team took a look at top leadership mistakes in a new training series. In this video, you can see what we choose as the #1 leadership mistake. It is common for leaders to think they are doing the RIGHT thing, but this leadership mistake is killing your growth. Tune in to this behind the scenes video on the top leadership mistake that is killing your business. Get the show notes for Thi...

We all have to commit to a path even under stress. Now more than ever do have to focus on decision making under pressure. Given the shifts in business over the last few months, leaders will have to make some hard choices. The skills of decision making under pressure can be learned. There is a formula for it. My guest today is Alec Torelli, a professional poker player, who has that formula for deci...

We find ourselves in a time of uncertainty. When you don't know what to do next, you have to develop a strong sense of leadership in uncertain times. You can't do what you have always done. You have to lead your team through this ordeal. My guest today is Joe Calloway, best selling author, speaker, and advisor to mid-market companies. Joe and I talk about the importance of the foundational element...

You know that investing in your people is important. Given the uncertainty that you are facing you may not want to focus on leadership development right now. I get it. If you are scrambling to save clients and preserve your cash, you can't even think about it. However, if you want to come out of COVID-19 stronger than ever before, leadership development is one of the best strategies that will allo...

Are you ready to lead through today's COVID-19 ordeal? There is no doubt that we are in a moment that requires crisis leadership. Today, we look at the shifts necessary for sales and marketing in this new economy. My guest today is Angelique Rewers, CEO of The Corporate Agent. Her company works with small, medium, and boutique firms to develop strategies to work with corporate clients. We dive int...

Getting your employees to innovate and create value means you are encouraging entrepreneurial thinking. Leaders that develop employees by embracing entrepreneurial thinking see a lift in loyalty and problem-solving. My guest today is Dane Maxwell, author of Start from Zero. We look at entrepreneurial thinking inside the organization. Discover how you can lead others to think like entrepreneurs. Ge...

When your people go beyond responsibility, they are taking ownership of their work. They take ownership of the client experience. Ownership is YES or NO. Ownership is black or white. Ownership is not grey like responsibility. As a leader, you can inspire employees into taking ownership without financial tools like options, shares, profit-sharing, or any money. Today, we look at how you can inspire...

Hiring the right people is essential to growth. You must be attracting talent to your company. I have talked with many leaders about the importance of attracting talent in today's tight job market. We are looking at every angle of culture as a competitive advantage. My guest today is Bryan Jackovcic, Founder and President of Fusion Health. His company was ranked #556 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Bry...

Many companies have avoided having remote teams. The recent shifts required with work from home make remote teams necessary. There are some subtle shifts to leading a remote team that most people don't know. Today, our guest is Peter Coppinger, Co-founder of Teamwork. Teamwork is a platform for companies to organize work and communicate effectively on projects. Peter's team has been made up of mor...

If you have been leading a virtual team for any period, you know the importance of setting up some guidelines to support the team and your leadership. Most of my days of leading a fast-growth company required my team to in the same office as me. However, my remote team started four years ago. I had to discover what works and what doesn't. There are coronavirus leadership challenges that I want you...

Grow requires you to take your leadership to a new level. The process of evolving as a leader requires you to be courageous. My work with amazing leaders that are founders and CEOs proves that great leaders are always learning. Adam Hirsen, who is the CEO of UpShow is our special guest. His company was ranked #174 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about the challenges of evolving as a leader. You...

There is an extraordinary power when a company has a story behind it that pulls at your heart. Many mission-driven cultures have stories that drive their success. It does take more than just a mission to grow fast. My guest today is Ben Harrison, CEO of Jonas Paul Eyewear. His company was ranked #166 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about forming a mission-driven culture from the beginning. We l...

Leading through tough circumstances is part of the job. When you have the right mindset and strategies, you can move forward and keep calm, no matter what you face. This behind the scenes episode is taken from a series of conversations I have been having with my clients to help them through COVID-19 leadership challenges. When I asked one of my clients what was on his mind, he responded by saying,...

Leaders must align employees to the mission so that they feel like owners in the company. A compelling mission is not a nice to have in business. It has become mandatory. When you align employees to something bigger than themselves, you get real loyalty. My guest today is Weston Lunsford, CEO of Dental Intelligence. His company was ranked #381 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Weston shares his journey o...

Whenever we try to change something, we often default to a particular approach: Pushing. Is the boss not listening to that new idea? Send them another PowerPoint deck. Client not buying the pitch? Remind them of all the reasons they should. Today we talk about removing what is blocking people from change. Jonah Berger, professor at Wharton Business School and best-selling author, talks about his n...

With decades of business experience and working with thousands of Founders, CEOs, and Entrepreneurs, I can say that your success comes down to one thing. This one thing is what is holding you back. When you think about what you want, if you don't get this one thing right, you will struggle to create what you desire. That one thing is YOU. It is your doubt. Fears. When you think about it, you are w...

One of the most critical aspects of company growth is a common understanding of the values and alignment to company core values. Many companies miss the alignment part of this, and what they need is values in action. My guest today is John Girard, CEO of Cience. His company was ranked #112 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Cience builds B2B pipelines. John's view on values drives his company to new level...