It doesn't take a genius.

Fascinating research from Decision Dynamics reveals why some employees seem to lose motivation after a while--and why great employees become mediocre managers. Are you leaking solid talent?  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. 

From their new book: Silence is golden--and awkward. But do it anyway! Mike and Mark explain why silence works, why it's hard to practice ... and how you can break through to using this key skill for the inquiring leader.  This episode is from Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader"--buy it here!  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. 

From their new book: Mike and Mark take aim at one of the biggest lies in leadership: "Great leaders are born, not built." Learn how to flex your leadership muscles of inquisitiveness in this episode. (Want more articles? Here are a scholarly explanation of dialogic leadership and a short piece from Mark explaining how slowing down leads to learning.) This episode is from Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader"--buy it here!  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. 

If your team always agrees with you--but never takes action--this episode's for you. It's time to stop settling for input ... and start asking for ownership. From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader"--buy it here!  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. 

From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" It's easier, more efficient, to be the Answer Guy--the leader who gives all the direction and tells people what to do. Or is it? There are limitations to directive leadership. ...  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. (And buy the book here!)

From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" A manager's "impossible choice" was solved with a powerful question. All four types of powerful questions help a leader clarify the situation, analyze what's really going on, gain awareness and plan for the future.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. (And buy the book here!)

From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" How five different leaders used questions—not counteroffers—to retain employees ready to resign. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. (And buy the book here!) How to retain employees without a raise Coaching conversations to reduce turnover Best questions to ask when someone wants to quit Employee retention through leadership Stop resignations with empathy and inquiry How to have powerful stay interviews Modern employee engagement strategies Leadership questions to build trust Culture-driven employee retention

From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" The real-world story of a general manager who slashed "time-to-line" from 38 days to 5—and saved $1.2 million—because of a single question. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. (And buy the book here!) Leadership questions that drive performance How to lead with questions Modern leadership styles Culture of curiosity at work Business coaching with questions How to reduce employee turnover Dealership management success stories Time to line improvement Leadership podcast for young managers

We conclude our series on fostering a culture of continuous improvement by talking about how it needs to be ... continuous! You need regular check-ins that look at progress through three different lenses. And there are pitfalls to avoid when you do that.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Champions: It's a corporate buzzword ... and it is a crucial element for anyone hoping to develop a culture of continuous improvement.  3M, Pixar and Intuit all have lessons for us to learn about how to--and how NOT to--engage champions for your initiatives. Are you punishing your champions?  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

There are four things you need to have for a pilot to be a success--even if it fails. In our ongoing series on creating a culture of continuous improvement, we discuss how to pilot your innovative ideas. Google, HubSpot and SpaceX have lessons for all of us.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

In our ongoing series on developing a culture of continuous improvement, it's time to start filtering all of those ideas you've collected. If you are overwhelmed, take a pruning lesson with this episode: There are many prioritization techniques and time management strategies, such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the MoSCoW method. Improve your strategic decision-making by focusing on high-impact activities to achieve long-term success. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

In our series on developing a culture of continuous improvement--as Seth Godin says, "being better at being better"--it's time to share how you FIND those improvements. How do you create an idea bucket ... with a tap? Mike has lots of experience getting teams to share their ideas.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

If talking about corporate values makes your eyes roll, this episode is for you. A culture of continuous improvement requires that you uncover your DNA: your values.  Defining them--and the stories behind them--lead to an organization that can live them out. The hosts share several exercises you can use to uncover those values.  Hat tip to "Co-Active Coaching," "Start with Why" and two-time guest Chris Hunsicker.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

If you want to "be better at being better," you need a vision. Mike and Mark share tools they use to help individuals and organizations develop a culture of continuous improvement. All you need is a penny, a blank sheet of paper and some crayons. ... Herb Mast's "Intentionality for Leaders."  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Are you improving your organization? Not good enough! You have to, as Seth Godin says, "be better at being better." Continuous improvement, kaizen, is the name of the game. We talk about the signs that you're settling for less than that--and habits to improve your continuous improvement culture.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Discovering and developing your strengths is the best path to reaching your potential--and there is a powerful way to use them with a team.  Mark's brother joins the podcast to explain CliftonStrengths, a.k.a. StrengthsFinder. Luke Ramsay was Gallup's third certified Strengths Coach in the state and has given more than a thousand assessments.  Email Luke here. Purchase "Born to Build" here.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

A high-school drop out who became a chemistry major ... who had a career in IT ... which led to a long, successful career in training and development? Meet Mark's dad, Martin Ramsay of CEATH Company.  Mike and Martin have a wide-ranging discussion about how Martin combined so many streams, found clients, used experiential learning, and traveled the globe using innovative tools that helped clients address systems, vision and people.  Interested in a free tool from Martin's collection? Email us for the "tennis ball exercise."  Martin's latest book: "The Possum Principles" Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The Gallup Q12, as it's commonly called, is a set of 12 questions designed to measure employee engagement. Not satisfaction. Engagement. Why is that distinction important? Because satisfaction is surface-level—think free snacks in the breakroom—but engagement digs deeper. It's about your team's emotional connection to their work and their belief in the purpose of what they're doing. These questions came from years of research by Gallup, particularly detailed in their book "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which examines what makes employees thrive. And guess what? Engaged employees don't just work harder—they work smarter, stay longer and bring their A-game to your organization every day. Part 4,  "Growth" - Questions 11 and 12: 11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress. 12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.   Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The Gallup Q12, as it's commonly called, is a set of 12 questions designed to measure employee engagement. Not satisfaction. Engagement. Why is that distinction important? Because satisfaction is surface-level—think free snacks in the breakroom—but engagement digs deeper. It's about your team's emotional connection to their work and their belief in the purpose of what they're doing. These questions came from years of research by Gallup, particularly detailed in their book "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which examines what makes employees thrive. And guess what? Engaged employees don't just work harder—they work smarter, stay longer and bring their A-game to your organization every day. Part 3,  "Belonging and the Greater Good" - Questions 8 to 10: 8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important. 9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work. 10. I have a best friend at work.   Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The Gallup Q12, as it's commonly called, is a set of 12 questions designed to measure employee engagement. Not satisfaction. Engagement. Why is that distinction important? Because satisfaction is surface-level—think free snacks in the breakroom—but engagement digs deeper. It's about your team's emotional connection to their work and their belief in the purpose of what they're doing. These questions came from years of research by Gallup, particularly detailed in their book "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which examines what makes employees thrive. And guess what? Engaged employees don't just work harder—they work smarter, stay longer and bring their A-game to your dealership every day. Part 2, Meeting "Basic Human Needs" - Questions 3 to 7: 3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. 4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. 5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person. 6. There is someone at work who encourages my development. 7. At work, my opinions seem to count.   Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The Gallup Q12, as it's commonly called, is a set of 12 questions designed to measure employee engagement. Not satisfaction. Engagement. Why is that distinction important? Because satisfaction is surface-level—think free snacks in the breakroom—but engagement digs deeper. It's about your team's emotional connection to their work and their belief in the purpose of what they're doing. These questions came from years of research by Gallup, particularly detailed in their book "First, Break All the Rules" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which examines what makes employees thrive. And guess what? Engaged employees don't just work harder—they work smarter, stay longer and bring their A-game to your dealership every day. Part 1, "Clarity and Resources" - Questions 1 and 2: 1. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right. 2. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.   Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

WARNING: This episode features physical and sexual child abuse, as well as suicide. She is a cherished wife and mother of four successful children. She owns her own cleaning business. She is usually the most positive person in the room. And yet she started life in an orphanage in Moldova, surviving years of some of the worst trauma. What was life like in Soviet and post-Soviet culture? What gave her the ability to overcome her challenges? How can we overcome ours? Learn the answers in this two-part episode. Resources mentioned: "Open Fields & Iron Curtains: Hope, Endurance, Suffering & Grace" by Lilia Klaczynski The Murray Method

WARNING: This episode features physical and sexual child abuse, as well as suicide. She is a cherished wife and mother of four successful children. She owns her own cleaning business. She is usually the most positive person in the room. And yet she started life in an orphanage in Moldova, surviving years of some of the worst trauma. What was life like in Soviet and post-Soviet culture? What gave her the ability to overcome her challenges? How can we overcome ours? Learn the answers in this two-part episode. Resources mentioned: "Open Fields & Iron Curtains: Hope, Endurance, Suffering & Grace" by Lilia Klaczynski The Murray Method

Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is something you've probably used, even if you can't name the seven habits. A core principle is this: At all times, you can focus on only one of two things. And that focus will determine your trajectory.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The man whose face launched a thousand memes (warning: language) figured out long ago the importance of reminders over instruction. Reminders help us maintain habits and practices. And stories are reminders on steroids. Stay tuned for wisdom from the Dr. Johnson.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Your boss was incredibly successful because he or she had you! What happens after you get promoted and the team you are now leading no longer has a "you?" Recreating yourself as a leader means shifting focus from personal achievement to team empowerment. Your new role is about creating opportunities for others to shine, building trust and independence. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Want a corporate culture as strong as Western Civilization itself? Find your stories.  Mark and Mike discuss the importance of stories in shaping culture and their potential impact on an organization. They discuss three kinds: "origin stories," "stories of bad times and lessons learned" and "stories of heroes and triumph." They can help you and your people not just understand but shape your culture. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Do the rules not apply to you? No, really: Have you ever been with a company that announced new rules that seemed completely unneeded? You might have been a part of LCD Management.  It happens to the best of us in leadership--and there are simple methods to avoid all the problems it causes.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Thought-provoking feedback from a listener inspired this followup episode about the two things that made Western culture so strong and long-lasting: Dignity and Excellence. Excellence has evolved over the millennia ... and Dignity is a relative upstart. If they work for growing culture ... could they work for growing you?  (Check out this episode on our YouTube channel to see the graphics.) Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Want more on time management and delegation?  There is even more to glean from Harvard Business Review's second-most popular article. We covered 1-3-1 last episode ... now it's time to address the rules for monkeys that allow you to tackle gorillas.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Discover how to stop getting bogged down by your team's challenges and start empowering them to solve problems on their own. In this episode, Mark and Mike introduce the powerful 1-3-1 delegation method, a game-changing approach for managers who want to stay focused on leadership without being drawn into every issue. They also dive into why it's crucial for employees to show up with solutions instead of waiting for direction and how fostering a culture of problem-solving and continuous growth can transform your team. If you're ready to level up your leadership and reclaim your time, this episode is a must-listen! Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Do you strive for Excellence? Do you honor Dignity? If you don't have both, you're missing out on what made the West so successful. Enjoy some ideas from Mark's upcoming book, "The Lost Tools of Business."  (Mark's podcast interview on Refining Rhetoric is found here.) Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mike and Mark kept meaning to record an episode on DiSC, and Mark had a request for the very same thing after a recent speaking engagement.  Two questions! That's all it takes to tap into a system used to describe and make use of our differences for, literally, millennia. (If you'd like to take Wylie's excellent DiSC assessments, drop us a line.)  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mike has been noticing a trend ... and after some research, he has realized: We are all doomed. The Customer Experience Death Spiral® has come. (Unless we break out of it, that is--listen in for some tips.) Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Introducing our new series on memes that are going viral with employees--and have something to say about their engagement and your leadership. How informed are your workers? If they are not proactive about getting informed ... are you the reason?  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Are you too arrogant to delegate? "One of our two listeners" had a great follow-up to Mike's story about the managers who weren't interested in winning. And Mike has a follow-up to what happened with that client.   (FYI, Dow leads an amazing dojo called The Way Karate ... so clearly he gets our "Dow-ist"/Taoist joke.)  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Sales training: It's never too early! Mark shares how his kids prepared for the 4-H Country Ham Project. Roleplaying cold calls helped them earn big money. But there is a bigger agenda at play ... are you making use of it in your training?  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Do you suffer from Mood-Dependent Excellence? Do you know why your back-to-basics meeting won't solve your problems? Do you understand the difference between training and coaching?  Chris Hunsicker joins Mike again to unpack a chapter of his book, "Unstoppable Culture: A Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Relentless, Results-Driven, High-Performing Team."  Grab a pen--lots of practical tips in this episode!  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Our friend and mentor, Chris Hunsicker, travels the globe helping clients transform organizational culture and leadership. And he just published a book that captures many of the principles and tools he shares: "Unstoppable Culture: A Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Relentless, Results-Driven, High-Performing Team" Chris shares how he wrote it--and how you can use the process (structure, tiny habits and more) to accomplish anything.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

The CDK shutdown: A crisis so big it impacted the GDP. Mike and Mark watched a firm not just survive but thrive, thanks to five key behaviors.  And it turns out there is a plot twist involved.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

We are always online, always stimulated. Apps that attempt authentic experience fail ... but your phone can alert you to gamble on Dave & Buster's games. (You read that correctly.)  How can your employee experience engage such online, overly stimulated workers? There are four keys. ...  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

"You know, we're just not reaching that guy." -Gary Larson's The Far Side Mike shares the story of a client who had a huge opportunity to take sales and performance to the next level. He did all the right things ... why weren't his people doing the right things? Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

A classic American novel spells out the philosophy that many have in the workplace. If your workplace struggles with politics, retaliations and victimhood, Mike and Mark have a reset.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mike and Mark have heard it before: "We're always coaching around here." What if we told you that talking isn't necessarily coaching? And that there are five different types of talks you must have in order to drive performance? Your hosts reveal Gallup's clear findings in this episode.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mark's kids experience that rite of passage for swimmers everywhere: the DQ judge. It's a reminder that "clarity is kindness." It is too late when your people are facing the judge. If you don't hold your people to the standards, the judge will.  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mike learns the long history of a quote often attributed to George Carlin. There are lessons here for anybody who judges. (Hint: That's you and me. We're all judging. So do it well!)  Want more? See this Forbes article and "The Art of Powerful Questions: Catalyzing Insight, Innovation, and Action" (it's out of print--read it here).    Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Have you ever found yourself torn between two options? Whether it's goals, priorities, paths, values or something else, maybe you need to stop choosing and start living in the tension! Mike and Mark share success stories from individual clients all the way up to global corporations who manage tension. Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.

Mike asked our AI overlords, "What advice would you give a new manager?" Do the answers line up with Mike and Mark's coaching?  Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark. 

Mark shares the story of what happened when an intern opened up to a room full of professionals. Are you willing to say you don't have it figured out? Your future growth--and success--may depend on it.  We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.