For You Leaders

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.” Abraham LincolnKirk is on vacation this week. He’s taking some time to “sharpen his axe” so he can be a healthier more productive husband, father, friend, and leader. It’s hard for any leader to disconnect, but it’s even harder to deal with the consequences of not taking time for true self-care. Learn and grow from 9 award-winning CEOs, esteemed journalists, and overall great people about how they think about slowing down to speed up in this special podcast we produced to help you.

“Ideas are great… but they are only as good as the people executing them.” Sean Spector, CEO + Founder Of Dropoff It’s almost a foregone conclusion - if you set the strategy and keep measuring it, it will all work out. However, a mediocre strategy with an amazing, aligned team will beat the brilliant strategy with a mediocre team almost every single time. The problem can be counterintuitive. We have all kinds of metrics and measurements to see how the business is performing, but we often neglect the most important metric to executing our strategy: how are our people doing (both personally and professionally)? That’s what today’s episode is all about: how to increase velocity by knowing how your people are doing through impactful 1-on-1s.

Working closely with leaders and their organizations, I hear a ton of myths around strategy. Many people have a strong opinion on what they think will (or will not) work when it comes to developing and executing their growth strategy. For example, “OKRs don’t work… We have to get everyone aligned to these goals… We need to set stretch goals... We have too many meetings... We need a 10-year vision...” The list goes on and on. Today, I’m not only going to dispel some common misunderstandings around developing and executing strategy, but I am also going to share the best practices learned from some of the world’s best strategists and CEOs.

The best gift you can give yourself, your team, your investors, your customers, and your organization is the ability to execute. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution of those ideas is where dimes turn into fortunes.

Today you’ll learn how other successful CEOs and their teams make sure their strategy comes alive through an unlikely process. You will see how to move your team beyond compliance to commitment (to the plan) with 1 key question. This 1 key question will drive clarity and desired alignment to execute in 2021.

What confidence level do you have in your 2021 strategy? Will it be executed with the quality, timeliness, and budget you have promised to your investors, customers, and team members? In the latest For You Leaders podcast series, “Call the Shot, Make the Shot,” I will share the best practices around strategy from some of the world’s fastest-growing companies, like Amazon, HomeAway, Dropoff, and many others.

It’s true. NOTHING KILLS FASTER THAN SUCCESS.That’s because success has a way of masking the issues that rob an organization of its full potential. Every healthy business matures through 3 distinct stages of growth with different characteristics and problems at each stage. If you are successful, you will grow yourself into problems. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to know which stage of growth your organization is in. You must be able to predict and prepare for the journey ahead so you don’t stall out - or worse.In the Velocity Vector Series’s final chapter, I will unpack exactly what happens as a company scales. I’ll also explain the two critical inflection points in every growing business and what you need to do as a leader to solve the crucial Warning Signs of Success that growth causes in every healthy organization.

The goal of the Velocity Vector is to provide you with a framework and the mindset needed to achieve Decision Velocity. Although Decision Velocity sounds provocative and like something you should have, what is Decision Velocity? More importantly, why is it the unspoken goal of every leader, yet so elusive?

As we approach Thanksgiving, we wanted to re-release one of our most popular podcasts ever. By any measure, 2020 has been a challenging year. That’s why it’s even more important than ever to focus on today’s subject: gratitude. It may sound tone-deaf, but gratitude is a healing tool with an incredible impact on my life and so many others. Furthermore, science proves an attitude of gratitude will literally rewire your brain for success - even in a year like 2020, and all the time. Listen to this special episode of The For You Leaders podcast all about how you can start this powerful practice in your life.

One of the top five things I’ve heard over the last 25 years when I start working with a CEO and their team is, “We are not aligned,” or “We want to be better aligned.” Why does it matter? More importantly, are you, your team, and the organization aligned? If you’re not as aligned as you want to be, what would be different? What problems would it solve or how would your life be improved? This episode of the For You Leaders podcast is all about alignment: why and how the healthiest organizations prioritize and achieve true alignment. Download the tools and graphics discussed in this episode at http://TheVelocityVector.com

Here is one thing experience taught me: your plan will never go 100% according to plan. It doesn’t matter how perfect you think your plan is or how sophisticated your plan is. It doesn’t even matter how much time, effort or energy you put into planning. However, in this episode, you’ll learn a framework to help your team think independently and adjust, even when your plan doesn’t go according to plan.

Does everything feel like it is moving too slow in your organization, including growth? Do you feel ready to accelerate into and throughout the new year? What are the stress levels for you, your team, your business, and at home? If you and your team are looking for ways to speed up growth and slow down stress, this podcast will show you the best practices used by some of the world's most successful leaders. This is not hyperbole, what we share represents the consolidation of 11,000 different conversations over 25+ years. *** Be sure to download the Velocity Vector + Velocity Vector Leadership Guide at http://TheVelocityVector.com ***

We continue our conversation with David Hassell, the CEO and Founder of 15Five. While 15Five is a software platform built to administer the 5-15 Framework, the secret to their success lies in building conditions of trust. We dive deep into the ways a simple framework (don’t worry, no software is required) is really a secret weapon to build trust and build physiological safety. This is especially important in today’s ever-changing environment.

Today we dive into a framework called “the most important 15 mins of any employees’ workweek” - the 5-15. Our guest, David Hassell, is the founder of 15Five. His company expanded the 5-15 concept to inspire greater performance within individuals, teams and organizations. In this episode, David explains the idea behind 5-15s, why they are so powerful and how you can start using the concepts today.15Five is offering its service for free until June 15, conditions apply. For more information, visit: http://foryouleaders.com/15five

Brett Hurt, co-founder and CEO of data.world, joins us on today’s episode. He provides his unique perspective on leading and communicating during difficult times. Brett has learned from both major breakthroughs as well as major breakdowns: from taking a company public (Bazaarvoice) to his experience in the middle of the dot-com but (Coremetrics). In this episode, Brett authentically shares his experience to help you become a better leader. Visit ForYouLeaders.com for links to all the resources shared.

This social episode was taken from a live Q&A we did in our Private Facebook Group for the executives we work with. Suzi Sosa, the founder and CEO of Verb, joined the group to explain her unique perspectives and approach to leadership - especially in this uncertain time. She covers a wide range of topics from how her leadership team has responded to how her customers (like Facebook, CHANEL, Bumble and Whole Foods) are responding to how she’s changed her focus from managing her time, to managing her energy.

For this special edition of the For You Leaders Podcast, we focus on another way you can improve your leadership and be a force multiplier, especially in this time of uncertainty. By studying the patterns of great leaders from the past, as well as working closely with thousands of leaders, we have identified a short list of priorities the most admired leaders have consistently used to navigate through difficult times. Today, Kirk is going to share the number one priority of every great leader, both past and present.

Today we bring you another special episode of The For You Leaders Podcast. Today Kirk is going to share a very simple, yet powerful, tool leaders use during uncertain times called “The Commander’s Intent.” It’s so simple, you can start using it today. Listen in as we discuss how to lead during uncertain times by using the power of Commander’s Intent.Don't miss the previous episode in this series where we discussed more about how to lead during uncertain times, as today’s world is changing and presenting challenges, globally, at a scale and pace greater than anything any of us has experienced - due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Are you a leader struggling or thinking about how to be leading during uncertain times with Coronavirus / COVID-19 ? If so, we wanted to hit pause and talk about what it means to be leading during uncertain times and the significance of being intentional and leading well. There’s no hype, just perspective on what we’re seeing with the CEOs we have the chance to work with on a daily basis. Let’s hit pause and talk about the importance of your leadership in this uncertain time.

Today, we continue the conversation around product development with Christopher O’Donnell, Chief Product Officer at Hubspot and Ash Devata, Head of Product at Duo Security. We cover a wide range of topics from how to creatively interview to ensure you get the right person in your next product management hire, including ways to pressure test for EQ and IQ to specific ways Hubspot and Duo Security develop and execute their product roadmap. We even dive into how CEOs should think about and influence product to deliver the best customer experience.

What the Heck Does A Product Person Do? Christopher O’Donnell, Chief Product Officer at Hubspot and Ash Devata, Head of Product at Duo Security share their incredible insights as product leaders. Before you brush off this podcast as something only for high-tech startups or product-centric companies, think again. This episode is full of important perspectives and tips for ANY company, even if you don’t have a "product person" in your business.

There are approximately 55 million meetings in the US every single day. Yes, you read that right. On top of that, executives said 72% of their meetings were unproductive. What side does your team fall on? Today, we are talking all about meetings. We provide you with several tips that do not cost you a dime and you can implement immediately.

Today, we are continuing our conversation with the award-winning CEO of Four Hands, Matt Briggs. In this episode, we cover a wide range of topics from goal-setting to acquisitions to reducing stress. If you missed the previous episode, don’t miss the chance to hear the way Four Hands operationalizes their core values. One topic to pay extra close attention to in this episode is how Matt and Four Hands set their company goals. In working with businesses around the world, it’s incredible how many companies struggle with goal setting that get (and keep) people focused. Do they set them so they are achievable or so they are more aspirational and very difficult to achieve? Matt does a great job sharing the unique perspective Four Hands has used to set goals to scale. Tune your ear to their approach and how it will help you and your business set goals and grow.

You might have heard CEOs talk about their core values and wondered: how do they practically live out the core values in the business? Furthermore, how do they use them to drive performance?Today, you’re going to hear from award-winning CEO, Matt Briggs of Four Hands, Four Hands is a home furnishing company based in Austin, TX. In this episode, Matt shares how they actually live out one of their most unique core values: Fun. You’ll be surprised by the many ways they live up to this core value, how it drives their culture, performance, customer empathy and more. It’s not just window dressing.Matt shares his unlikely journey from a self-proclaimed ski bum to the CEO of Four Hands, which will surpass $200m in revenue this year.

We continue our conversation with John James, the CEO of Engine. John dives into many of the how-to’s and “wish I would have knowns” from his deep experience.He candidly shares about the health scare that led to his resignation at Country Outfitter, how he thinks about his legacy and the principles he’s taken with him to his newest venture, Engine. He also provides the powerful and simple advice Alex Dillard, the President of Dillard’s Department Stores, gave him that totally changed the way he viewed being a leader - both at home and the office. Don’t miss this episode.

As a serial entrepreneur, John created several online companies that ultimately led to the creation of Country Outfitter, a giant in western wear eCommerce. Today, John shares the lessons he’s learned from being a medical doctor to scaling an eCommerce company. He candidly shares the story of how Country Outfitter ultimately failed and how he had to step down as CEO. However, that is not the end of the story, John is wildly successful again, both in business and life.

This is the final episode in our series of interviews with Duo Security co-founder, Dug Song. In this episode, we cover a variety of topics from managing the board to work-life balance. We also dive into how Duo Security actively operationalizes their values to ensure they come to life within the business. There are no cheesy inspirational posters in this episode, just real and raw tactics and advice you can start implementing today. Listen now:

As you scale a business, there’s no shortage of tactics and advice. But how do you decide what to do, when to do it and in what order? Today’s guest, Dug Song, will tell you: “Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. The list of all the things you could be doing are probably the right things to do….at some point in the company.” He warns that doing things “too early will literally kill you...you just can’t afford it when you’re small.”

You often hear the headlines like Cisco to Aquire Duo Security for $2.35b, and wonder - what’s the story behind the story? Today you’re going to hear part one of our interview with Dug Song, co-founder and General Manager of Duo Security at Cisco. Dug is a self-proclaimed hacker who humbly describes himself as a one-trick security pony. As you’ll learn today, Dug is an incredible leader that knew, in order to put a unique company together, like Duo, he needed to build it differently.Dug shares, candidly, the thought processes that drove him to build a business that was ultimately sold to Cisco for $2.35b. However, as Dug highlights, he can’t call the acquisition “an exit” - he’s still in the business. Listen now to learn from Dug’s humble beginnings at his father’s liquor store to how he built “the most loved company in security,” Duo Security.

Dirk Elmendorf, a co-founder of Rackspace, learned the hard way: interviewing is hard. It’s even more difficult when hiring for highly technical positions like engineers, that may not excel in a traditional interview. In this episode, Dirk explains his unique approach to hiring and provides tips you can use in your next interview. He discusses gut instinct vs. raw data, how to ask great questions and what you should be listening for in your next interview. Dirk also tells the deeply personal life event that changed the way he views work-life balance. Listen now!

Today we are talking to Dirk Elmendorf, Co-Founder of Rackspace. You’re going to hear the exceptional story behind how he started Rackspace in 1998 with two co-founders and how Rackspace got to be known for its fanatical customer support. Dirk provides simple solutions to make sure customers remain (or become) the center of your business. If you have a business that provides support for your product or service, you do not want to miss this episode.

How do busy executives handle the different demands of work and family life? What tips can you start implementing to be a more effective leader and husband/wife/father/mother? In this special episode of For You Leaders podcast, we take a compilation of advice, perspectives and guidance we have gathered over the years and combine it into one episode.

We all know that people are the most important asset within the business. But how, exactly, do you empower your employees and hold them accountable at the same time?

Today’s guest is Gregg Kaplan, founder of RedBox. Gregg is an incredible leader with a great story. In today’s episode, Gregg shares the unique story of RedBox (for example, did you know that RedBox started as an idea within McDonalds?) and the lessons he learned on the path to scaling RedBox to over $2b in revenue.

For this special Halloween-themed episode of the For You Leaders Podcast, we’ll explore three huge fears of, even the best, CEOs. Obviously, most CEOs are concerned that their businesses will succeed, but today’s episode goes deeper to uncover why CEOs share these three very common, fears. You will also learn how to overcome these fears in your own life.

Today’s guest is Cody Friesen, CEO of Zero Mass Water. Their mission is lofty by any standard: Perfecting water for every person, every place.Today’s podcast is about a lot more than the incredible product Cody and Zero Mass Water are building. You will learn Cody’s innovative ideas bleed into Zero Mass Water’s culture and hiring.

Have you ever wondered how others would describe your leadership style? It does not matter what kind of leader you want to be, aspire to be or even believe you are. What matters is your real leadership style. Today’s For You leaders podcast is all about you and your leadership style.

We all have the same 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Why do some CEOs seem to get more accomplished than others? As you’ll learn today from a ground-breaking 12-year study from the Harvard Business Review, it all comes down to one word: intentionality.

Culture, Leverage and Getting Stuff Done: these might be the three most important topics for anyone starting a business. In today’s episode, Blake Garrett, CEO and Founder of Aceable and AceableAgent, tackles all three hot topics – challenging your perception with his unique views.

“Action expresses priorities." - Mahatma GandhiIf you are trying to manufacture your own luck, it might be time for you to start reflecting on a quote that greatly influenced today’s guest, Blake Garrett. Blake is the CEO and Founder of Aceable and AceableAgent, a hyper-growth startup based in Austin, TX. As you’ll hear today, the Aceable that exists now was not Blake’s original idea. In this episode, Blake tells the story of how he left Ernst and Young to follow his dreams of creating a company, the important reason why he wanted to start a company, and the major roadblocks along the way.You’ll learn the two-step process he used to hold himself accountable and get around roadblocks. You’ll also learn how you, too, can manufacture your own luck.Don’t miss the next episode with Blake we’ll dive into Culture, Leverage and Getting $#IT Done. Blake provides even more great advice and tactics on how to build the right culture and get the right stuff done.

If you missed the first episode with Anthony Bucci, co-founder and former CEO of RevZilla, be sure to listen now. He explains how he and his co-founders scaled RevZilla from an idea to over $140 million in revenue without raising any outside money.Anthony is a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to people issues. In this episode, he will challenge your thinking on hiring, leading and managing. He’ll give you a powerful concept we recommend our portfolio companies: the 5-15. Anthony mastered keeping signal strength throughout the business, and he explains in great detail how and why you should use a 5-15 with every direct report.Anthony also shares about how he debugs his own psychology by utilizing mentors, board members, and outside executive coaches. We spent over 2 hours with Anthony covering a wide variety of topics. To break down the episodes into digestible bites, we’ve broken up our interview into three parts:Episode 1: You’ll hear the process Anthony and his co-founders used to start and generate the idea for the company that became RevZilla. Anthony also goes into great detail about how they differentiated themselves and quickly scaled from $0 to over $140 million in annual revenues. Anthony shares why and how they achieved hyper-growth without raising money.Episode 2 (Today’s Episode): Anthony’s provides specific details of how they approached promoting and hiring, ahead of scale. He offers insights and lessons learned about how to scale people, processes and product - before everything breaks. He also shares what how he utilizes executive coaches, mentors and advisors. Episode 3: Anthony brings it all home by sharing his perspectives, experiences and journey of merging with another company, stepping down as the CEO and what it is like moving from the fast lane to the family lane.

There’s a reason why nothing kills faster than success: everything breaks at scale.Today’s guest is Anthony Bucci, the co-founder and former CEO of the incredibly successful company, RevZilla. As CEO, Anthony navigated RevZilla doubling in revenue almost every year – without raising any outside money.Anthony provides a unique retrospective on today’s podcast. He’s had a chance to reflect on his experiences inside the rocketship company. He now wants to help normalize the journey for anyone listening to this podcast.We spent over 2 hours with Anthony covering a wide variety of topics. To break down the episodes into digestible bites, we’ve broken up our interview in three parts:Episode 1 (Today’s Episode): You’ll hear the process Anthony and his co-founders used to start and generate the idea for the company that became RevZilla. Anthony also goes into great detail about how they differentiated themselves and quickly scaled from $0 to over $140 million in annual revenues. Anthony shares why and how they achieved hyper-growth without raising money.Episode 2: Anthony’s provides specific details of how they approached promoting and hiring, ahead of scale. He offers insights and lessons learned about how to scale people, processes and product – before everything breaks. He also shares what how he utilizes executive coaches, mentors and advisors.Episode 3: Anthony brings it all home by sharing his perspectives, experiences and journey of merging with another company, stepping down as the CEO and what it is like moving from the fast lane to the family lane.Be sure to subscribe on iTunes (or Spotify or Overcast) to make sure you don’t miss one of these compelling episodes.Other topics from today’s episode include:The process Anthony and his co-founders used to generate the idea for RevZillaWhy RevZilla didn’t raise any money and how it helped (and hurt) themIf you have raised growth capital, the lessons you can learn from a company that never raised moneyHow everything breaks at scale and what Anthony and the Revzilla team did to predict and prepare (as opposed to seeing and solving) for explosive growthHow to evolve from Founder to Maker to Manager to Executive to Servant LeaderThe advice he gives to other entrepreneurs about raising moneyHow to get smart money’s advice without raising any moneyThe obstacles RevZilla faced scaling the businessThe concept of Strategic Pillars and the specific pillars RevZilla used to get and keep people focusedHow RevZilla differentiated between other online stores, like Amazon

Today, we’re continuing our conversation with serial entrepreneur, Brett Hurt. If you missed the first episode, make sure to listen to learn the resources Brett uses to scale, how to communicate with investors and a lot more.This episode is jam-packed with insights and actionable advice from Brett. We spend a lot of time talking about exactly HOW to create a thriving culture. Brett shares a unique but powerful way to develop your company’s values so they stick and are memorable. Brett’s built amazing cultures in his previous businesses (including Bazaarvoice, where they won best place to work as a small, medium and large business) and his current company, data.world.Brett also dives deep into the role of the CEO. His unique perspective will cause you to rethink and possibly redefine the role of the CEO.Topics include:The most valuable conference Brett makes sure to attend every single yearThe criteria Brett uses when deciding whether to invest in a company or fund (currently Hurt Family Investments is invested in 55 companies and 12 funds)When is the right time to create your core values in a companies growthHow to create values that reflect your company’s personalityHow to get your teams involved in creating your core valuesWhy the founders of data.world chose to make data.world a B Corporation and why you should consider creating a B CorpWhat does passion have to do with creating a business?What is the role of a CEO?What to do when you have a bad day as a CEOHow being fully present where you are is more important than work/life balanceThe out of office message Brett uses to let people know he is not availableMore Leadership Podcasts from Dando.

Today we’re talking to serial entrepreneur, Brett Hurt.He’s a co-founder and the CEO of data.world and a founder of Coremetrics and Bazaarvoice. Brett also owns Hurt Family Investments with his wife, Debra. They’re now invested in 55 startups and 12 VC funds.Brett’s had the privilege, both firsthand and through his investments, to see the practices that work (and don’t) for scaling a business. In Part One of our interview with Brett, he shares two practices he wishes more CEOs would utilize: investor communication and continual learning. He shares the exact way he communicates to his investors and the resources he personally uses to learn on a daily basis.Dive in to hear more about how you can start these simple, but impactful practices today.Other topics include:The role his daughter had in creating data.worldWhy Brett joined forces with his co-founders and created data.world.The ambitious hopes for data.worldA surprising talk he had to give to iconic leaders - and the resultsHow and why to communicate with investorsResources that Brett uses to learn, grow and pay it forwardWhat Brett wishes all the CEO’s he’s invested in would do consistentlyA lot more

Happy Valentine's Day! In this short podcast, we discuss the powerful concept of gratitude and how you can use it to upgrade your leadership. We also introduce the Leadership Gratitude Journal. You can download or buy a physical version of the Leadership Gratitude Journal here.

It’s not a secret, people and their issues are a huge part of any leader’s life. It can be the best and worst part about being a leader. The good news is today’s episode is full of simple, actionable frameworks around developing and leading people. We talk about how to hire, how to fire, how to develop and why people are such a big issue in the first place. We also highlight the one question all great leaders ask, at least once a quarter, about every one of their employees.Our guest today wrote an excellent book on people. Trevor Throness recently wrote, The Power of People Skills. He shares his unique experiences and practical advice he’s learned working with leaders of scaling businessesThis podcast is full of application, including a powerful tactic that’s changed the way thousands of companies think about people. Listen now:Topics include:Why people issues are so hardWhy we get hiring right about a third of the time, wrong about a third of the time and just so-so another third of the timeWhat to do about the mediocre hiresHow to identify the four types of performers in your businessThe one question you should ask yourself about every employeeWhy we make people issues harder than they need to beHow small changes can result in massive results within a businessHow to attract vs. recruit the right people to your businessAdvice Trevor and Kirk wish everyone would takeWhy leaders are judged in a vacuumMuch moreFor You Leaders Podcast

Sports analogies are overdone in business. Don’t let that get in the way of hearing the powerful messages from today’s podcast guest, Clint Gresham. Clint is a former NFL Player, Super Bowl Champion and author of Becoming. Today’s podcast is rich with raw and real information on what it means to be a work in progress in business and life.The Super Bowl means many things to different people. You might think of the brilliant (or not-so-brilliant) ads in the commercial break. Or you look forward to the halftime show. Or you maybe you actually want to watch the two best teams in the NFL play each other.But if you play football, your ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. It’s a clear goal you either meet or you don’t.But what happens when you reach your ultimate goal? Do you feel like you’ve “made it?” Do your insecurities disappear? Do you suddenly feel fulfilled?As Clint, will tell you - the answer is no. That may seem obvious, however, Clint’s vulnerability in what he shares about being a work in progress, the false gods we create in our life and how to live an authentic life will inspire you. People on the outside looking in at success probably think you’ve got it all figured out. It doesn’t matter who you are, you’re still a work in progress. It’s what Clint’s new book, Becoming, is all about. In this episode, we dive into how top athletes and the best coaches like Pete Carroll, Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban take a unique approach to setting goals that consistently deliver success. You will love the message and more importantly be able to take the ideas Clint and I discuss and make them actionable in your life today.

If you missed the last episode of the For You Leaders Podcast, make sure you listen to it first. Our guests, Matt Laessig, COO & co-founder at data.world and Bryon Jacob, CTO & co-founder at data.world, explained the powerful concept of Strategic Pillars. If your business does any sort of strategic planning, make sure you listen to the previous episode. Today, we continue our conversation with Matt and Bryon. They tackle several critical topics: meetings, how leadership should show up in meetings and how they manage raising young families at the same time they are building a startup. While meetings may sound like an unsexy topic, they are incredibly important. First, most communication and therefore execution (or the lack thereof) happens within meetings. Second, there is a large amount of salary sitting in meetings every day, in any organization. In this episode, we’ll explain how to calculate exactly how much money you are spending in meetings every year. You owe it to yourself to at least have a passing grade on the massive investment you’re making each week, month and year. Matt and Bryon share how to make sure you get a positive ROI on your meetings within your business. Other topics in this episode include: The Rafa Rule How to decide: Is it ok for people to be on their technology during meetings? Why leaders need to be present in meetings. The consequences of not “showing up” in meetings as a leader. How data.world evaluates their meetings. The easy steps you can take to make your meetings suck less. How one company had a huge financial turnaround thanks in a large part to paying attention to their investment in meetings. How these two tech founders approach family, work, and life in general.  The power of simply being intentional in everything you do. Be sure to also check out: 10 Steps to Make Your Meetings Suck Less  Do you have a question about scaling up or strategy we can answer? Shoot us an email at questions {@} ForYouLeaders.com. We’ll answer the questions in an upcoming episode.

Most businesses have a great strategy that isn’t executed or a poor strategy that isn’t corrected quick enough. It doesn’t have to be that way. As our guests today explain, the key to executing the right strategy starts with the powerful concept of Strategic Pillars. Strategic Pillars are simply the 3-5 strategic battlefields your business has to win to be successful. Today’s guests are Matt Laessig, COO & co-founder at data.world and Bryon Jacob, CTO & co-founder at data.world. They both have a highly-accomplished resume with stints at HomeAway, where they learned, hands-on, the power of strategic pillars. You’ll even hear the story about how HomeAway made a drastic change to their business using Strategic Pillars. If your business has a strategy, this is a must listen to episode. It’s full of practical, real-world advice to ensure you develop the right strategic pillars - and how to use the strategic pillars to drive alignment, agreement and acceleration  - for your business. Other topics in this episode include: The lesson of Strategic Pillars: What are they? How do other companies, like Amazon, use Strategic Pillars? Why do they use this concept? How it replaces the traditional business plan. What are some examples of Strategic Pillars? How the simple concept can drive lasting results. How often should you change the strategic pillars? What happens when you do change the pillars? When to create your strategic pillars. How to create your strategic pillars with your team. Do you have a question about strategy that we can answer? Shoot us an email at questions @ ForYouLeaders.com We’ll answer the questions in an upcoming episode. Dando Leadership Podcast

Restaurants have a notoriously high failure rate and the ones that survive often have razor thin margins. 60 percent of restaurants close or change ownership in the first year of business, 80 percent fail within five years. The fact that Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin, Texas serves food is almost where the similarities end between Kerbey Lane and most other restaurants. For over 25 years, they’ve done business differently: from hiring to training everyone (down to the table bussers) how their role contributes to the company’s EBITA goal. Today we are talking to Mason Ayer, the CEO of this unique business. He explains how this family-owned restaurant chain, started by his parents, has always seen their business as more than merely serving food. That passion made Kerbey Lane Cafe an Austin Icon with seven unique locations. Mason, the recent winner of the Best CEO award by the Austin Business Journal, shares the insight he’s learned from running the business from a genuinely open book and a big heart. You’ll hear the victories - and struggles - they encountered on the way. You’ll also hear how their leadership style made it all possible. This episode of the For You Leaders Podcast covers a lot of ground, some of the highlights include: The advice Mason shares with people on the verge of making a significant change in their life. The secret sauce Mason attributes to Kerbey Lane Cafe’s continued growth and success and how you can apply these same principles in your business. How Kerbey Lane Cafe uses Open Book Management to empower employees with financial information to help meet the goals of the business. Why Kerbey Lane Cafe gives every hourly employee financial education, even when Mason knows that most employees will not stay at Kerbey Lane Cafe. Mason’s journey from pivoting in a career as an attorney to becoming the CEO of the family business. How Mason intentionally got out of his comfort zone to be an incredible, For You Leader. The way he views work/life balance with his wife as the controller of the business. Mason’s favorite restaurants (besides Kerbey Lane Cafe!) The one job he recommends everyone have at least once in their life. The impact of having ESPN College Gameday at your business 

What comes to mind when you hear human resources? A lot of us think about rule enforcers, 401k administration or resolving vacation time issues. HR can - and should- be so much more. Human resources can be an asset to drive the company's goals. HR can be a true strategic partner and asset within the C-Suite. Does that sound like your HR team? Today’s podcast is a short interview that reminds us of the powerful possibilities of a different type of HR. Our guest is Ryan Robinson, the Chief People Officer (CPO) of Bazaarvoice. Ryan is unlike any other HR professional you’ve ever met (his title doesn’t even have “HR” in it). Just like a salesperson has a clear thought process and strategy around sales, or a product manager thinks about how they manage product, Ryan has a very clear process around how approaches people. He’ll share his Pillars of People Performance in this episode and you’ll quickly see he approaches people in a unique way. Compare this to your HR team. If you shared this interview with them - what would their response be? While Ryan is obviously a rare find, your HR team can step up and approach people in a similar fashion.   Today’s Topics Include:   The Pillars of People Performance Ryan uses at Bazaarvoice. How HR should always circle back to company performance. How overall organizational performance involves coaching CEOs and other senior team leaders. Employee culture/engagement: How Ryan focuses the business on creating the employee culture to drive organizational performance. How to pay attention and develop the talent already within the organization.   The importance of earning the trust of the team around you.   How to approach confidentiality as an HR executive. The importance of compensation and benefits. How to approach incentivizing and equity to find and retain top talent.    Takeaways:   Having someone like Ryan on your team is incredibly valuable. He is obsessed with having the goals of Bazaarvoice on the forefront of everything that he does. People are our most valuable asset. If you don’t have someone to align people to your strategies, it may be time to take a step back and look at your process.   We hope you are enjoying the For You Leaders podcast. We’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below or on iTunes. dando  More leadership resources Leadership Podcast