The Workaround by Bob Gilbreath Podcast

We humans love personality tests. We keep doing these tests, searching for…something. We spend a significant amount of money on them and are increasingly subjecting our employees to them. But why? Is it working? Could there be a better path? I found something that works much better for me. It’s also free and represents a model that you can use to change your personality for the better. SelfStages...

Smart public investors seek uncommon insights about the CEOs of companies to make better buy, hold, and sell decisions. Even smarter public investors look for diverse insights on what makes a great leader from other people who assess leaders for a living, such as executive recruiters, pro sports psychologists, and startup founders like me!  My friends Pip and Brynne recently invited me on their po...

“Funny how we have to come all the way out here to meet.” That’s what my friend, Jack, says as we sit down for breakfast on a beautiful, sunny morning at an outdoor cafe across from the ocean. His observation is one that we’ve all heard a hundred times in conferences around the world. It never gets old to hear this self-owning joke because it’s so true and so strange . But no one goes past the obs...

I’m excited to share the next podcast episode in my series of conversations with interesting people on topics where business and life intersect. My discussion partner this week, Joe Hovde , is a data scientist who has worked in retail media, the venture capital industry, and now the podcast+broadcast business at Spotify. We worked at the same company for a few months years ago, but never met until...

Recently, a brilliant young founder came to me with a startup idea. In this case, “young” = high school. Junior year. Instead of judging his idea or spouting off a lifetime of advice, I told him the cautionary tale of another young founder who rose to great heights with potential, yet eventually lost it all. I followed this story for over a decade, and I’m still learning from it. Now it’s your tur...

One of the interesting things about being an entrepreneur is discovering how many other people would like to follow in your footsteps—and are hungry for advice. Years ago, I would fill a half-hour conversation with my assessment of the idea, keys to success, and watchouts. However, I’ve finally realized that my evaluation of an idea is essentially meaningless. I’ve seen so many “great ideas” of my...

Twenty-seven years ago this month, one of my first managers, Ann, shared something with me that changed my career and life for the better… In coaching me on how to work with my agency, she said: “They don’t work for you, you work for them.” It blew my mind at the time, but eventually it made sense. I used it to great success and continued to find new ways to be a servant leader throughout my caree...

I wasn’t planning on posting this week. The long Memorial Day weekend is coming up in the U.S., and I know from previous years that open, listen, watch, and engagement rates plummet starting now. But about ten different synchronicities—including from people close to me—suggest that people are really struggling out there. Welcome to the challenge of our generations. It sucks, it’s not fair, it’s be...

Do you know why people buy your company’s brand and category? Are you really sure? Often we’re fooling ourselves…or at least not digging deep enough to understand how these crazy people called “customers” actually make decisions. It takes lots of curiosity—and usually getting personally embedded in a business—to see how things really work. Here I share the lesson I first learned from my friends on...

Why do good people work for raging a-holes? Several friends of mine still work for a CEO known in the industry as The Monster. There are a lot of CEO monsters out there. I have spent many hours wondering why people suffer under their abusive ways. This episode is an exploration of the reasons, a lot of warnings, and, of course, a turn of the mirror back on myself. This is a public episode. If you...

Is there anything in the business world more celebrated than an IPO? After many years of skill, luck, and grinding, your company name goes up in lights— with its own ticker symbol —and people worldwide can own a piece of the magic you and your team made. 1 Of course, a lot of cash comes along with it, too. Some access it before others, of course… An IPO is a game-changer for a company’s founders,...

My discussion partner this week, Marc Stoiber , is a Founder, Consultant, and Strategist who (re)invents leading brands for a living. I first got to work with Marc when he was Executive Creative Director for the Grey advertising agency. Together, our teams turned around the iconic Mr. Clean brand. Marc told me he was building a one-person strategy+creative agency…with the help of an army of AIs. T...

Re-orgs…Is there a more dreaded hyphenated word in business-speak? You’ve been there: The surprise all-hands meeting. The admission of challenges from within and without. The syrupy faux excitement for the future. The release of new org charts with fresh reporting relationships. And the inevitable departure of trusted colleagues. Businesses and organizations must evolve. But does it have to be thi...

Last week, I wrote a fictional story for this newsletter. Aside from a few startup pitch decks with optimistic projections, this was my first fiction since high school. Writing fiction was hard . I couldn’t rely on historical happenings and real-world personalities to guide me. I worried that people would dislike my work. Visions of unsubscribes filled my head as I ploddingly invented characters a...

“I’ve gotta tell you about this AI experiment we tried…” My old friend, Dave, dropped this on me just as we sat down to catch up over drinks in Las Vegas last week. He proceeded to share a jaw-dropping story of what happened when he invited an AI tool into his Executive Leadership Team meeting. Thankfully he gave me permission to share the saga—with several disguises to protect his company and his...

I’ve met with +300 people in each of the past two years. Many of these meetings involved requests for advice…and one trend stands out: The more specific people are in the questions they ask, the better the perspective I can provide. It’s a lesson that my new friend Jodi exemplified when she used ChatGPT to get the basics before we met. Listen to get the full story, tips for diving deeper, and a po...

I’m excited to share the next podcast episode in my series of conversations with interesting people on topics where business and life intersect. My discussion partner this week, Meredith Meyer, is CEO and Lead Consultant of Infinite Potential, LLC, where she provides strategy and talent consulting services. I first met Meredith over 20 years ago, when we were both assistant brand managers on Tide...

Almost every company, of nearly any size, has at least one employee who makes life miserable for everyone around them. We all know they are a problem—up to and including the CEO—yet nothing is done about their behavior. It’s like we’re all being held hostage… I was one of those leaders who let such a problem fester. But I finally overcame my fears and did the right thing. I hope this story motivat...

“You should create content” This is becoming the go-to advice for college job seekers, small business owners, and mid-career layoff victims. But it’s not for everyone… And if you don’t love your work, it won’t be great and won’t lead to your heart’s desire. Read, listen, or watch if you dare to fall in love with the creative process. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

Recently, I had the chance to join John Warrillow on his podcast, Built to Sell . He’s the best in the business at pulling stories and success tips from sellers. In preparing for my discussion with John, I wondered what I could bring to the table that would be different than the other 479 guests he has spoken with. But I kept thinking back to a surprising consistency I’ve heard in John’s interview...

I’ll bet there’s a German or Japanese word for the sudden pop of a long-forgotten, meaningful memory that suddenly comes back like a strike of lightning. I had one of those “memory pops” last week when reading Paul Fisher’s post,  “You Can Learn Anything from Anyone .” In it, Paul shares the story of a steelworker who was proud to point at a skyscraper and tell his children that he was responsible...

There’s no certification course needed to become a CEO. One day, you find yourself in that position and must figure it out on your own. Everyone is waiting to see what you’ll do first. No pressure, of course… Everyone who has been in this role has a unique story to share. This week, I sat down with Rob Reinfeld , the Co-founder and CEO of  A2 Influence , a  content development  agency that helps l...

Lots of people I know are waiting for their exit. They don’t love their jobs and dream of doing something else with their lives. But the promise of life-changing money keeps them in their seats. Some are waiting for the IPO or their Private Equity owners to sell the company. Others wait for the options to vest or for the commission checks to be paid. I see and feel for their suffering—because I’ve...

Life is full of little phrases that make us flinch… “We’re still waiting for our flight crew to arrive.” “Due to an accident overnight, the bridge is closed for repair until further notice.” “I saw something that concerns me, and I’d like to run more tests.” They bring immediate annoyance and the worrying prospect of more pain. Leading a business gives you many other opportunities to listen for an...

“I’d love to start a business, but I think my ego is holding me back from giving up my current position.” “I can’t share this idea until it’s perfect. My ego is getting in the way.” “I’m afraid this will fail, and I’ll look like an idiot in front of my peers. I guess it’s my ego again.” These quotes are a sample of what people said to me last month—just like the month before and the one before tha...