To find the right leaders for your team, you have to separate the true high performers from the pretenders who’ve been bobbing along in the high tide at other stellar companies. And to fill a key chair in your leadership team, you’ll also need to find candidates whose motivations and management styles fit with your company’s most pressing needs.
On today’s show, Gordon Forsythe discusses how to vet and hire talent who will succeed within your culture and execute the tasks that will make BIG happen for your firm.
It's easy for CEOs to get so caught up in taking care of their businesses that we neglect an even more important responsibility: taking care of ourselves. Poor diet and exercise habits get compounded by no sleep and an excess of stress until one day you look in the mirror and can't recognize the person looking back at you. If you're not that lucky, you might not realize that go go go is no way to run a business until you're waking up in a hospital bed.
Luis Vargas was 60 pounds overweight and running on empty when he decided he needed to make self-care a BIG priority. On today's show, Luis shares the five elements he says he needed to win in order to transform his body, his mind, his business, and his life.
Guest: Megan Couch, the Chief Experience Officer at Integrity Staffing Solutions.
Overview: The millions of jobs lost to the COVID-19 pandemic have created a problem that many companies weren't anticipating: as the world begins reopening, the absolute best displaced workers have lots of options. Your total value proposition has to encompass culture, leadership opportunities, hybrid work models, and, yes, a competitive comp structure if you want to attract top talent.
For the first time in history, a company's workforce could span four generations. Aligning a diverse group of employees with such a wide range of life experiences could be especially challenging if you're also trying to keep your WFH teams connected with in-person staff and salespeople.
But in any business challenge there's also opportunity. If you can connect tried-and-true values with a new, more connected worldview, your employees will continually learn from each other, gain new skills and perspectives, and move your company in exciting new directions.
On today's show, Lew Jaffe shares how to effectively manage a multigenerational workforce towards BIG.
All CEOs have to grow into their roles. But for Kerry Siggins, becoming a leader has been a lifelong process of learning how to maximize her strengths while overcoming weaknesses that nearly killed her.
On today's show, Kerry discusses how she conquered her struggles with substance abuse and started to make BIG happen in her life and work.
Effective annual planning may be the single biggest differentiator between companies that stay small and those that get BIG. But the very best CEOs understand that the building up to your planning session and maintaining your exit velocity afterwards are just as critical to growth.
On today's show, Greg Fricks explains how his company implemented the annual planning process, the lessons they learned, and how this ongoing process has set them up for continued success.
Guest: Rafael Paniagua, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Rafael is an experienced global leader and a longtime YPO member who is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Prior to becoming a coach, Rafael was a CEO and President in the power, automation, and manufacturing industries, where he led ABB Brazil for seven years. He also led several global businesses as Group Vice President, managing more than 5,000 employees, 14 factories, and operating in more than 30 countries.
Episode in a Tweet: Going global could jump start your trajectory towards BIG.
Quick Background: The smaller your business is, the more vulnerable it is -- to customer attrition, to supply chain disruption, to ambitious competitors, or to fallout from a global pandemic. Now that you've completed your digital pivot, the size of your potential customer base is limited only by the scope and quality of your sales strategy. A little extra bandwidth and an office in an emerging market stocked with triple-A talent might be all you need to grow your business into an international success.
On today's show, Rafael Paniagua shares 4 keys to running a global business and how to make BIG happen by expanding geographically.
Many entrepreneurs and C-suite executives think they're ready to take the BIG job as CEO. But until you've sat in that chair and felt the weight of an entire company -- and the well-being of all its employees -- resting on your shoulders, it's hard to appreciate the level of responsibility you're taking on or anticipate how you as a leader will react to that responsibility.
On today's show, Douglas DeBoer shares five things every first-time CEO should be prepared to do to set up their company, their team, and themselves for BIG success.
We've talked a lot in the past year about how moments of disruption can provide entrepreneurs with a BIG opportunity to start a new business. And in this current environment, nimble startups and aggressive existing companies can identify and fulfill customer needs that their larger competitors might be overlooking.
That is, as long as the CEO has a clearly defined plan and enough resilience to tackle whatever unforeseen problems are around the corner.
On today's show, CEO Coaching International's Jeff Bledsoe explains how he led his food processing startup through the fire -- literally -- to $200 million in revenue and a BIG exit.
Accelerating your company's growth rate involves much more than just improving the sales skills of your team. It takes a combination of truly listening to and understanding what your clients need and positioning your people, services, and products as the ideal, one-stop solution.
On today's show, John Giegerich shares five ways that businesses that have a solid foundation in place can take that next step and empower their sales force to deepen client relationships and generate BIG sales.
One of the toughest parts of being a CEO is all the distractions. Everybody wants a piece of your time. So how do the best CEOs manage to perform at their peak without getting burned out? How do you develop this personal and work mastery?
On today's show, Bruce Bowser shares the key steps entrepreneurs and CEOs can take to take back their time and develop personal and work mastery.
For every Zoom call or Slack message that quickly becomes part of your daily workflow, there's a CRM system that doesn't quite integrate right, a customer service platform that misfires, or an inventory management system that's too cumbersome. Separating tech that could improve your business from so-called "upgrades" that will only cause more problems is going to be key to completing and refining your digital pivot.
On today's show, Mike Klaus shares a five-step process for defining, planning, executing, and reviewing your tech investments to make sure they're giving your margins, service, and efficiency a BIG boost.
Guest: Rob Posner, CEO of NewDay USA, a leading mortgage company serving America’s veterans, service members, and their families.
Episode in a Tweet: This mortgage company's in-house "university" trains top talent to deliver pandemic-proof customer service.
Quick Background: A generation ago, why were aspiring communication pros desperate to work at CBS? Why was Ogilvy top of the list for young advertisers? Why did IBM and Hewlett-Packard hoard top talent in the tech and sales sectors?
These companies weren't just industry leaders. They were leaders because of their legendary training programs. The best college graduates knew that once they'd "graduated" from those programs, they'd have the skills to excel either in-house or just about anywhere else they wanted to work.
Of course, CEOs who make training central to their culture are the biggest beneficiaries of this kind of investment in talent-building. On today's show, Rob Posner explains how NewDay USA recruits, trains, and develops an exceptional workforce.
Guest: Rekha Skantharaja, the CEO of Tangram Insurance Services and a member of YPO.
Episode in a Tweet: Strong leaders draw on their feelings and experiences to "arrive ready" when faced with adversity.
Quick Background: As the calendar flips over to 2021, COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out across the U.S. It's looking more and more likely that life and business might start to feel normal again by the second half of next year.
So ... What's next?
Even if we are able to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror soon, experienced CEOs know that the next major roadblock is just around the corner. Is your business ready to pivot and accelerate through a coming disruption? Is your culture strong enough to absorb a sudden personnel change? Will you be able to lead your company effectively if a personal problem puts new demands on your time and emotional well-being?
On today's show, Rekha Skantharaja describes how she has learned to "arrive ready" for any challenge. She also talks about how being open about her personal challenges has helped her to develop into a more inspiring and relatable leader.
Guest: Geoff Goldwater, a founding member of Odell Studner, which is a fast-growing risk management and consulting company. Geoff is also an entrepreneur coaching client of CEO Coaching International.
Episode in a Tweet: Will a crisis break your business or open up a new path towards BIG?
Quick Background: The scale of Covid-19’s disruption to global life and business is unprecedented. But if you think back ten years, the experts were saying the same thing about the Great Recession. Go back another ten and we were coping with the fallout from 9/11 and the tech bubble bursting. A previous generation of leaders had to struggle through Black Monday, just as their predecessors had to deal with stagflation in the 1970s.
The pandemic environment may well be more daunting than these previous challenges. But good business is good business, no matter what the particulars are. Companies that are still struggling to regain their footing during Covid-19 can adapt strategies that helped CEOs win during previous crises to this difficult moment.
On today’s show, Geoff Goldwater shares the three-step process he used to reinvent his company after the Great Recession and lead it back to a fast growth path.
Growing your own company is challenging. Growing someone ELSE's company challenges CEOs to apply their skill sets in very different ways. Instead of building your own culture, you're inheriting the founder's. Instead of seeing your own vision of BIG, you have to make sure you and the founder see eye-to-eye. And while, at your own company, you might have struggled to hold yourself accountable, as a hired gun you won't be CEO for very long if you're not meeting the founder's expectations and maintaining a growth trajectory.
On today's show, Jeff Tennyson shares his three-step framework for stepping into a founder CEO's shoes while still making the job your own.
If you're in IT or supply chain management, you might have made a relatively smooth transition to WFH. High-touch businesses that depend on face-to-face client service and close-knit culture are having a tougher time adjusting to the pandemic environment. Keeping your team and customers safe while also safeguarding what's special about your company should be a priority item on your annual planning agenda.
On today's show, Kevin Hamilton discusses the five key adjustments his high-touch company made to keep its culture and its business thriving.
CEOs who kept their foot on the gas during the pandemic are seeing a lot of distressed but valuable assets in their rear-view mirrors. There are bountiful opportunities to snag top talent that's tired of waiting for their current employers to turn a corner. And companies that haven't regained their footing might make attractive acquisition targets. But buying a company isn't as simple as writing a check. In a business environment that's still very unsettled, you need to make sure an acquisition is going to drive growth that makes investing your time and your resources worthwhile.
On today's show, Luc Stang discusses a four-step process for bolt-on acquisitions that can make BIG happen with minimal risk and cash outlay.
Guest: Ryan Iwamoto, Co-Founder & President of 24 Hour Home Care, which has been on the Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest growing companies for eight consecutive years. Ryan is also an entrepreneur coaching client at CEO Coaching International.
Episode in a Tweet: These four tips will help your business to stop merely surviving and start thriving again.
Quick Background: Andy Grove, the former Chairman and CEO of Intel, famously said, "Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them."
Much like the 2008 recession, the pandemic is exposing structural inefficiencies and stagnant thinking that many businesses were blind to while the global economy was charging ahead. Companies that have merely survived Covid-19 so far need to turn a corner, start planning, and get back to growing before "holding steady" turns into flatlining.
Today's guest, Ryan Iwamoto, has successfully navigated both the Great Recession and Covid-19. He co-founded 24 Hour Home Care in 2008--during the heart of the Great Recession--with a $160,000 investment. Thanks to his decisive leadership throughout 2020, the company is on track to do over $115 million in revenue this year, despite operating in an industry that's been hit hard by the pandemic.
Guest: Jamil Nizam is the CEO of Waldom Electronics and Chris Lauret is the COO. Jamil is also an entrepreneur coaching client at CEO Coaching International.
Episode in a Tweet: A first-class onboarding process will make a BIG first impression on your new team member.
Quick Background: Most companies have it backward. They celebrate when someone leaves the company instead of when they join.
On today's show, Jamil Nizam explains how his first-class onboarding process eased new COO Chris Lauret into his responsibilities while also giving him a new perspective on just what kind of company he was working for. Chris and Jamil also discuss how they coordinate and execute key tasks remotely so that BIG keeps happening, even at a distance.
When he started out in the restaurant business, Chris Gannon's goal was to open one great restaurant at a time. His mix of incredible flavors, first-class hospitality, and high nutritional value was such a success that in only four years Bolay expanded to 15 locations.
And then Covid-19 hit. With indoor dining suddenly off the menu, Chris and his team had to make a major pivot that would allow them to sustain the business through the pandemic while also laying the groundwork for a successful future.
On today's show, Chris Gannon explains how transparent leadership, all-hands-on-deck teamwork, and a commitment to community building have kept Bolay on track to make BIG happen.
Guest: Fiona Kesby, the CEO of Go-VA, which is a company that provides outsourcing services to firms around the world. She’s also an entrepreneur coaching client at CEO Coaching International.
Episode in a Tweet: Strong culture and a commitment to BIG values can keep your business growing through the pandemic.
Quick Background: CEOs have discovered that the culture they created before Covid-19 is playing a BIG role in how well their companies are moving through the pandemic environment. Rearranging the nuts and bolts of what you do is a heck of a lot easier if you have a clear vision of why you’re doing it, as well as strong values supporting every person and process.
On today’s show, Fiona Kesby discusses how her principles have guided her virtual assistant firm through not just a Covid-19 disruption, but a full military lockdown by the Philippine government that’s one of the longest quarantines in the whole world.
Guest: Kurt Wilkin, the Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of HireBetter, a company that "harnesses the power of talent to solve business challenges." Kurt is also an active member and officer of YPO.
Episode in a Tweet: Covid-19 disruption has created a richer than usual talent pool. Take advantage and upgrade your team where you need it the most.
Quick Background: At the beginning of the year, CEOs were exploring every available option to find top talent during a very tight labor market. The workplace disruption that Covid-19 caused has changed that. If you need to fill an important leadership position in your company right now, the pool of available talent is deeper than it's been in quite some time. But don’t think that means making a key hire is going to be easier. On the contrary, CEOs have to be even more careful that they’re not letting sterling resumes and shiny smiles distract them from what’s most important: hiring someone who is going to buy into your vision, enhance your culture, and help your company make BIG happen.
On today’s show, Kurt Wilkin discusses effective strategies for sourcing talent and the key considerations CEOs need to make when weighing short-term needs versus long-term goals.
Guest: CEO Coaching International’s Stephen Bebis. Stephen held a variety of senior merchandising roles at Home Depot before being named the VP General Merchandise Manager for the Mid-South Division. He also founded Aikenhead's Improvement Warehouse and built it to $1 billion in sales before selling it to Home Depot. After the acquisition, Stephen served as President and CEO of Home Depot Canada and chairman of the Aikenhead/Home Depot Partnership Board. Stephen also founded Golf Town, built it to 65 stores, and took the company public.
Episode in a Tweet: There's always a crisis somewhere. The best leaders have a continuous planning process and the right people to execute it.
Quick Background: When Stephen Bebis joined Home Depot in 1984 the company had just 14 stores. When he left in 1990, he was running a $20 billion division as a head merchant and was the VP of the southern part of the country. And while some might look back on the ’80s and early ‘90s as a booming time for business, think about everything that happened during the 6 years that Stephen helped Home Depot grow. Two presidential elections. Black Monday, 1987. Tumult in the Middle East, including Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan. Not to mention annual hurricane seasons and other unpredictable disasters.
No, running a business isn’t easy during Covid-19. But as Stephen discusses on today’s show, CEOs always have to be prepared to adjust to unforeseen circumstances and refocus their efforts on how to satisfy and grow their customer base.
We all want our customers to be happy. But what happens when they’re not?
No matter how delighted your customers are when your products and services deliver as advertised, at some point, a shipment will get buried in a blizzard, software will crash, a green employee will say the wrong thing at the worst time … or a global pandemic will disrupt your supply chain.
According to customer service expert Matt Dixon, how your company addresses those bumps in the road is far more critical to generating customer loyalty than all those perfect, positive experiences the customer might be taking for granted.
On today’s episode, Matt discusses some insights from his book “The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty" that will help you refocus your customer service on what really creates lasting repeat business: quick problem solving and ease of use.