Smooth Operator Podcast

Running a business can be incredibly noisy. There’s so many ideas and shiny objects to consider for your next steps. Practicing contemplation and thoughtful silence is a power tool that can help to bring a lot of clarity and direction. Take some time today to sit in silent contemplation so you can get that direction. Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Apply today for a chance to work 1-1 wit...

Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Apply today for a chance to work 1-1 with me and learn the skills to take your business to the next level: https://www.adamliette.com/beta

There are many different ways to bring operational support onto your team. If you’re like more small businesses, you need someone immersed in the day-to-day of the company. Someone to directly take tasks off the CEOs desk and lead the team. That’s where an Operator can really help you. I noticed that many are being recommended to look for fractional COOs or fractional Integrators for their busines...

What does it mean to be truly committed to an outcome? To fully dedicate yourself to the end result? It’s far too easy to swing around to whatever shiny objects we come across rather than follow through on our plans. But when it’s all over, the results that we achieve are ours to own. If you’re not happy with your results, review your commitment to achieving them. Learn more at https://www.adamlie...

The biggest mistake that I’ve seen from leadership is listing out a laundry list of their priorities. How many actually get accomplished? Typically…. None! Today we’ll go into some psychology being goal setting and how to best optimize our life by having a greater focus on fewer priorities. And how’s there’s a particular magic number that’s been proven to give you the best chance of success. Learn...

Companies are organic and always changing. You’ll need to be implementing new things along the way to provide organization and communication flow to the company But, we are in the people business and it’s not as easy as just mandating that someone follow a new process as we would like. This often leads to frustration for team leaders and uncertainty for the rest of the team. Fortunately, there are...

The end of the week can bring mixed emotions for many team leaders. Too often we are left with uncertainty about everything that went on during the week. This results in many team leaders being unable to relax during their time off as they may be preoccupied with trying to plan the next week. Enter in Weekly Reports. This is an incredibly simple process that can be a huge difference maker for your...

We all encounter problems and various things during our working relationships and flow of the day. It’s often tempting to jump straight into action, working to fix the problem without taking the time to do a full analysis on what’s actually occurring. Unfortunately, this can result in us getting treed by a chihuahua (listen to discover what that means) Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Appl...

A SITREP is a cornerstone to how tactical military units keep their chain of command informed on what’s going on during battle. And while this may not seem like something that’s needed inside of an online business, there are so many advantages to having regular reported within your own team. When done correctly, it can actually decrease the pressure, stress, and uncertainty that is all too common...

Have you ever had a project continue to grow, well beyond the original expectations of the project? We call this mission creep and it should be closely guarded against in your own business. Learn how to spot mission creep and effective ways to minimize its impact on your business in this episode. Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Apply today for a chance to work 1-1 with me and learn the sk...

Don’t you love it when a good plan comes together? Recently I was working on some projects outside of the office and found so much satisfaction having a blueprint to work from. It got me thinking about how much I appreciate working from a plan. How that will free you up to be creative and work through the difficult times. How can you build these plans for yourself and your team? Learn more at http...

Eventually you’ll have to encounter a team member that’s no longer performing at the level that’s expected of them. It’s inevitable because we are ultimately in the PEOPLE business. The team members around us are not robots and may at some point need some intervention. While some offenses are fireable, performance is a tricky area as it’s part of our jobs to provide training for team members. And...

Everyone loves public speaking, right? Not so much. But in our jobs, our voice is often critical to getting our message across, leading our teams, and converting prospects into customers. And there are some key disciplines we can use to get better at this skill. The bottom line is you NEED to practice. Like performing an instrument, playing a sport, or acting in a play, practice is the way to get...

If you’re feeling the pressure and strain from running your business, you owe it to yourself and your team to find solutions. To ease the stress and micro-management that often accompanies rapid growth. In this episode, I’ll be discussing my own journey and how I came to create this system. Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Sign up for my new Beta Program here: www.adamliette.com/beta &nbsp...

You’ve likely experienced how much more effective you can be when avoiding context shifting in your own work. (and if you haven’t, I highly recommend that you do so immediately) But what about your team members? In this episode we discuss methods that I’ve used to actively avoid context shifting with my own team and how this has resulted in employees that are more productive and happier. Learn mor...

What in your business is making you uncomfortable? Discomfort is an inevitable part of developing yourself and creating a thriving business. And while no one truly likes to be uncomfortable, there’s so much that we can gain from learning to thrive in discomfort. Learn more in today’s episode: Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Discover the 5 secrets to run your business like a Special Operat...

Earlier this week I was transitioning out a role that I’ve had for some time and got the opportunity to hear how my team members felt about me. The team member that replaced my day-to-day duties had some particularly insightful things to say about the role and what she found when transitioning into it. It got me thinking about the various roles that operators have to play within their team, often...

Your workspace can be a tremendous source of strength and inspiration throughout the work day. I firmly believe that if you set up your space with intention, going to work will be inspiring and something that gives you energy. I’ve worked to create a space that gives me creativity, allows me to stay in a positive place, and to unplug when necessary. What should you all include in your workspace? L...

Every day is a new opportunity for excellence. To put ourselves in the best position possible to tackle the challenges of the day with enthusiasm and from a place of strength. While there’s no “right way” to do daily planning, there are a couple of things that I’ve put in place this year that have made a huge difference. Learn more at https://www.adamliette.com Discover the 5 secrets to run your b...

“If you want to make an Operator super uncomfortable, start praising them.” My mentor told me this the first time I attended one of his virtual summits and it’s 100% true. Operators are by very nature more rigid in how we work and some of the least likely to truly show our emotions. That’s just not who we are. But recently, some changes in my life required me to accept praise with gratitude. That’...

One of the biggest mistakes that I see entrepreneurs make when they start working remotely is that they start to think that they need to be available all the time. They allow themselves to work around the clock and have no boundaries to when they’re willing to be available to their team and company. Worse yet, far too many business owners and managers end up extending that same expectation to thei...

Running a business, it’s critical that you have a sense of what’s going on in the company both with your team members and your customers. This will enable decision making and critical thinking at the right time so you can respond to a crisis in short order or be able to proactively shift strategies to get in front of what’s happening on the ground. Up to about a million in revenue, this is pretty...

A business coach of mine once told me that he could predict your success by looking at the habits that you keep. In fact, if we want to change the outcomes that we’re getting in our life and business, the best way to do this is to change our own habits. Because it’s good habits that will enable us to have the best experience within our business and get the results we’re aiming to achieve. So how c...

The blank page, the empty project. These are my least favorite things that I encounter in my daily business life. I’ve noticed that I have to completely segregate my business activities so that I can be the best at all times. My brain operates with different functions and it’s important I separate these activities through as many controls as possible. By having templates that I’m working from, I h...

If you’re not capturing your work and processes, you’re only setting yourself up for massive pain in the future as you try to explain your process to anyone else that’s on your team. This leads to stress and anxiety, even apprehension about the sheer possibility of taking work off your desk of offloading it to another team member. You are far less likely to follow through with offloading and will...