Growth Think Tank (fka "Leaders in the Trenches")

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.

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 decision making under pressure.

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 elements of leadership, like mission, vision, and values.

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 allow your people to contribute to the stability of the company now.

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 into the elements of crisis leadership that are different than other styles of leadership.

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.

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 employees to take ownership.

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. Bryan and I talk about the aspects of attracting talent beyond money.

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 more than 30 percent of remote workers for more than a decade.

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 to know about before you have to handle the issues. This is a time to be proactive when leading a virtual team.

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 will get insight into how your ego often gets in the way.

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 look at the benefits of this type of culture.

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, "Calm minds prevail." I felt like this was ideal for strong leadership.

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 of leadership and how the mission the company is referenced daily.

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 new book The Catalyst. We look at the five barriers that prevent change and how to mitigate them.