The New Talent Playbook Podcast

Most businesses think marketing drives growth. Shawn Busse argues that it starts much earlier, with your culture. In this episode, Rob Levin sits down with the founder and CEO of Kinesis and author of Marketing From the Inside Out to discuss why brand and culture are inseparable, how a strong employer brand attracts better talent, and why mission, vision, and values should shape every hiring decis...

Rob Levin argues that small and midsize business owners need to act now: get hands-on with AI, intentionally improve culture, and carve out time to think strategically. He points to a growing economy with inflation pressure, a setup he describes as "profitless prosperity", and says the owners who win will be the ones who adapt faster.  Key Takeaways  AI is no longer optional. Owners should take a...

Scott Mesh explains how strong leadership starts with listening, solving the right problem, and building a culture where A players feel valued. He shares why appreciation, peer recognition, and treating remote or offshore teammates like full team members are essential for retention. He also introduces Opportunity Focus: a practical way to reframe problems as opportunities, surface blind spots, and...

Rob Levin breaks down key findings from SmarterX's 2026 State of AI for Business report and translates them into a practical roadmap for founders and SMB leaders. The big message: AI is no longer optional, and the companies that start building skills, workflows, and a culture of experimentation now will outpace those that wait. Key takeaways Most employees believe AI will eliminate more jobs than...

Most business owners are too busy working IN their business to ever work ON it. After 30 years running Frieda's Specialty Produce, Karen Caplan knows exactly what that costs. She now coaches CEOs and leaders of companies from $10M to $200M in revenue. In this episode, Karen breaks down the three patterns keeping business owners stuck, why really wanting a shift is non-negotiable, and the four coac...

Most business owners face a paralyzing choice: leap into AI or wait until it's proven. Rob Levin cuts through the false binary. The cost of waiting isn't just competitive lag, it's cultural stagnation and missed efficiency gains happening right now. In this solo episode, he walks you through a practical, risk-managed framework that separates owners who'll thrive from those who'll get crushed: star...

What separates leaders who scale from those who hit a ceiling? Damon Gersh, founder and former CEO of Maxsens Restorations, has navigated both, building a team that stayed calm and effective during 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, then evolving from operator to strategist. In this episode, he breaks down the counterintuitive moves that unlock growth: delegating authority before you need it, maintaining...

In this episode, Rob Levin breaks down nine foundational practices that separate thriving companies from stuck ones: from leveraging your unique strength to building accountability systems that empower rather than micromanage. If you're frustrated by growing your business but feeling drained in the process, this episode cuts through the noise to show you where the real leverage is. Episode Highlig...

Over 80% of business owners can't find qualified people. But 15–25% are thriving, hiring, retaining, and growing at the same time. The difference isn't luck or budget; it's strategy. Rob Levin breaks down the three fundamental shifts that separate winners from everyone else: designing culture instead of hoping for it, competing for talent with the same intensity you compete for customers, and expa...

Alan Pentz, AI investor and operator, cuts through AI hype with a clear framework: we're entering the era of "multiplayer AI," where individual productivity gains transform into company-wide business transformation. AI success isn't about replacing people—it's about shifting from doing work to managing AI agents. This structural change in how businesses operate will separate forward-moving founder...

Declining employee engagement is a warning signal for every small and mid-size business. Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace report shows engagement dropping across the board, but Rob Levin unpacks three critical takeaways that separate thriving companies from those fighting burnout. Discover why manager stress signals a crisis, why every seat counts more than you think, and concrete, cost...

Most companies treat AI as an efficiency play, bolt it onto existing workflows and hope for faster output. Rob Levin went deeper. After recognizing AI's potential in early 2023 and spending two years experimenting, he made a pivotal decision: transform WorkBetterNow into an AI-first company . This isn't about doing the same work faster; it's about redesigning workflows from the ground up where AI...

Most business owners are leaving $100,000+ on the table every year doing administrative work that costs $25/hour while their time is worth $200–$1,000+/hour. Rob Levin breaks down why an assistant is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity—and delivers a step-by-step playbook for hiring one, whether full-time, part-time, onshore, nearshore, or offshore. You'll learn to calculate your true hourly rate,...

Every headline screams that AI will transform your business overnight. Most SMB leaders find themselves caught between two extremes: either diving recklessly into every new tool, or staying frozen on the sidelines. Ryan Paugh, publisher of Senior Executive and co-founder of Community.co, cuts through the noise with a pragmatic framework that works for small and mid-size businesses. Rather than cha...

Culture isn't a recruitment tactic, it's your competitive advantage. In this solo episode, Rob Levin reveals seven concrete practices that transformed WorkBetterNow into a fast-growing company. You'll walk away with immediately actionable systems: peer-driven recognition that reinforces values and clarity frameworks that eliminate "mutual mystification" (that silent killer of remote teams). Rob dr...

Innovation isn't the exclusive domain of tech startups, it's the competitive edge every small and mid-size business must build into their DNA. But most owners centralize innovation within themselves, missing their biggest advantage: the ability to move faster than corporations. JL Heather reveals why innovation is fundamentally a cultural challenge, not a structural one. You'll learn concrete step...

Traditional annual reviews fail because they focus on output alone, leaving companies wondering why growth stalls. Rob Levin interviews leadership coach Mike Goldman on a practical alternative: the Talent Density framework—treating people growth as profit growth's true driver. Learn to evaluate performance beyond theater, separate real results from "busy," and implement a quarterly leadership cade...

In this episode, Rob Levin (Founder of Work Better Now and author of The New Talent Playbook ) distills the biggest concepts from the book into one clear framework, and introduces a key reframe: this isn't a temporary "talent crisis," it's a permanent  talent shift . Rob breaks down what the top ~15% of companies do differently to attract and retain great people, why culture and core values are th...

In this episode, Rob Levin sits down with Andrew Schenkel, founder of Double Play Marketing and Sales, to explore what it really takes to scale a marketing agency through intentional team design, systems, and leadership. Andrew shares how his approach to talent has evolved since launching the business in 2020, why EOS and DISC became foundational tools, and how nearshore talent and AI are shaping...

In this episode, Rob sits down with Jonathan B. Smith, Expert EOS Implementer® and negotiation strategist with The Black Swan Group, to explore how Tactical Empathy® can transform leadership, communication, and team health. Jonathan breaks down why self-awareness is a leader's greatest advantage, how every conversation is a negotiation, and why great systems (like EOS) reduce emotional fires so te...

In this episode, Rob talks with Joe Romano, founder of Romano & Associates, a tax planning and preparation firm with 19 full-time employees and more than 1,500 clients. Joe shares how his team stays sane during tax season, the deliberate choices he's made to reduce burnout, and why offshore talent has become essential to both client satisfaction and employee wellbeing. He also breaks down the ROI...

In this powerful conversation, mindset transformation coach Curtis McCullom breaks down the hidden patterns that quietly limit a leader's success—no matter how accomplished they are on paper. Curtis explains why subconscious beliefs formed early in life can sabotage performance, stall growth, and affect how leaders show up at home and at work. He also walks through his LGET Mindset™ framework (Lea...

In this episode, Rob sits down with David Goldstein, founder of TeamBonding, North America's leading team building company built around the "power of play." David shares how team building has evolved, why culture and connection matter more than ever, and how consistent, intentional experiences can strengthen collaboration, engagement, and retention. He also breaks down how companies can integrate...

In this episode, Rob sits down with LeiLani Quiray, Founder and CEO of be the change HR, to explore what it really means to build workplaces that are both high-performing and deeply human. With over 20 years of HR experience, LeiLani shares how shifting HR from a compliance function to a growth driver can transform a business from the inside out. She also reveals how her company's social mission—d...

In this episode, Rob Levin sits down with Alex Kunz, CEO of OP2 Labs, a company providing innovative collagen-based nutrition and a five-time Inc. 5000 fastest-growing business. A former U.S. Navy SEAL turned multi-industry leader, Alex shares what he's learned about building high-performing, self-sustaining teams—and why the best companies can function without their founders. He opens up about th...