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

Ownership is not just something reserved for the founders, partners, and stockholders. Ownership is a state of mind that can be developed. I believe that the most potent technique available to leaders in developing leadership coaching skills. When you coach an employee, you are not telling them what to do. Leadership coaching skills are essential for getting people to feel like owners.

Do you want a culture of speed? In our changing world, you may think about getting your people to speed up and adapt quicker. It does take exceptional leadership to enable a culture of speed. My guest today is Ryan Margolis, CEO of Professional Hair Labs. His company was ranked #372 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Discover the secrets of a culture of speed with Ryan.

Many leaders across the world believe growth comes by putting customers first. However, fast-growth company leaders look at it another way. Employee first leadership is what drives growth. When employees feel valued, they are bought into the growth goals fo the company. My guest today is Josh Leslie, CEO of Cumulus Networks. His company was ranked #320 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Employee first leadership is a way to develop employees with a feeling of ownership.

Many people believe that the journey of success to significance must be linear. As in once you achieve success, you can create significance. I discovered that success to significance is more like a dance. Success and significance are best when they work together, much like partner dancing. Today, I am sharing some of the reasons why a linear approach of success to significance is wrong. I also share what you can do to create significance in your life by sharing my story of losing it all.

When leaders value innovation, they often have a value for a continuous improvement culture. If you look at the products and services of your company, they have evolved over time. You might want even more innovation. You can be intentional about creating a continuous improvement culture when you understand how others do it. My guest today is Johnny Owens, Founder of Owens Recovery Science. His company was ranked #136 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Johnny shares his wisdom about continuous improvement.

Mason Arnold is the Founder of CeCe's Veggie Noodle. His company was ranked #3 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Mason and I discuss the power of the ownership culture. We look at how it works inside of a fast-growth company and why it is essential. Discover how you can lead an organization that has an ownership culture.

Today's episode is what I like to call "behind the scenes" of my life. I share a personal story of a failure I had to endure. It was tough for me to share behind the scenes elements like this until I remember that being vulnerable is not a weakness. Showing your sensitive side is a sign of courage. This behind the scenes takes you right into the darkest time of my professional life. I share what happened to me and the questions I asked myself that helped me find my direction.

Embracing healthy conflict is hard to do. Often attempts at including healthy conflict within your culture fail. My guest today is Magdiel Rodriguez, CEO of Alivi. His company was ranked #300 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about what is healthy conflict. We look at the power of it. Discover the growth benefits of healthy conflict for your company.

Learning is a process of continuous improvement. Leaders are often looking for strategies that activate continuous improvement across their organizations. My guest today is Chris Jacob, CEO of Gateway Genomics. His company was ranked #236 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Continuous improvement is not just a mantra; it is a way of working. Their products have iterated over the years to create the innovation they have now. Discover how you can engage your team to higher levels of continuous improvement.

Have you ever experienced a failure to succeed journey in your life? This is my story from failure to success to significance. Ten years ago, I had to deal with a huge failure that changed everything for me. We have all had defining moments that have transformed us. The failure to success journey pushes us to change. This is a look behind the scenes of what made me become a coach to successful leaders.

Today, we talk about business core values. We talk about how to hire using your business core values. My guest today is Alex McKeown, CEO of Fusion Recruiting Labs. His company was ranked #223 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Alex shares the importance of business core values. He talks about how he uses those values to enhance culture. Your business core values are essential to the growth of your company.

The company's core values are more than just words on the wall. The company's core values define how you lead and make decisions. My guest today is Todd Olson, CEO of Pendo. His company was ranked #73 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about how to develop company core values. We also discuss how to use them as a leader. In this episode, you will learn the importance of company core values and how they drive growth.

Do you want to achieve your goals this year? Have you ever wanted to hit a target or make a goal, but you missed it. Today, I share with you a straight forward process to achieve your goals. Go behind the scenes with me as I set my goals for the year. I will share the simple tools which consist of three pieces of paper to help you achieve your goals. Please don't leave it to chance. I will also give you three power questions to will help you leverage all of yourself to achieve your goals.

When you develop employees, you must invest in their skills. If you want to speed up the time to effectiveness, you must be intentional to develop employees. My guest today is Tyler Convey, CEO of MDStaffers. His company was ranked #49 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list. We talk about how to develop employees. Tyler shares some mistakes he has made as a leader that you can learn from. Now is the time to be proactive to develop employees so they can help you drive the business forward.

When you hire top talent, you must also give them the environment to excel. Top talent needs space to have the autonomy, and they crave a challenge. All too often, we focus on strategies and techniques to drive the company forward. However, top talent requires different leadership. My guest today is Jared Kaplan, CEO of Opploans. His company was ranked #321 in the 2019 Inc 5000 list.