The Ed Eppley Experience

No executive with whom I've worked has ever admitted that they were a micro manager. Likewise, when I've told them I had evidence that they were micromamaging, each one doubted the feedback. Simply said, even if we are micro managers, chances are we don't think we are. In this minicast I explore what it looks like, feels like and how we can rationalize why it's in everyone's best interests when we micromanage. Even if you aren't a micromanager, this will be a great minicast to share with your managers!

If you think the last 24 months have been unusual, the next 12-14 months could be even harder to predict. Should you be cutting expenses? Should you be tightening up your supply chain? In this minicast I share what my clients are experiencing and doing to give your some additional perspective. Remember, one good thing about disruption of the status quo is that for many businesses, it creates significant opportunity.

Sound harsh? Then this mini cast is for you. A great leader takes literal responsibility for the performance of their people, especially when it's not what it should be. When we don't like the results a person gives us, do we assume it's their fault, or ours? This is five minutes to challenge how much of the marginal performance in your team is their fault, or yours.

There's no more important thing an executive team does than the meetings they hold. This is the 3rd of three podcasts designed to help your meetings produce even better results. And I can think of no organization other than Necco Foster Care to share their approach. That's because no client with whom I've worked has done more to change or improve their meetings than this executive team. Pam Priddy is their Chief Strategy Officer (and truth teller). You'll enjoy her insights about what they've learned after more than four years of working to perfect their meetings.

In my work I get to see all kinds of talented people, at all levels of an organization. It's given me the opportunity to see the consequence of having too little or too much confidence. In this minilog I discuss the consequnces of both in your own performance as well as the stress it can create. Every manager will face this challenge, with their people as well as their own performance. This minilog will help you have a plan for dealing with it!

Structure is how a business deploys all of its assets. Some of the most valuable assets of any business are the time of its executive team and the collective wisdom and thinking they bring to the business. Meetings are where truly great teams bring out the best in each other's thinking so that the business can advance. Sam and Dan Wiley, both time-proven executives and former guests on this podcast share what they have learned about running truly effective meetings. You'll love their "lessons learned"!

One of the biggest expenses in your business (if not the biggest) is the cost you have for the people you employ. Knowing that, it's amazing how many companies don't have a stratgey for their compensation. In this minilog I share some questions your compensation strategy should answer so your compesation creates the greatest engagement possible.

James Felton is one of The Table Group's top consultants. He's been working with executive teams longer than me. Which means he knows more than even I do about what it takes for teams to conduct great meetings. This is arguably one of my best podcasts because of the amount of practical and relevant information that you can put to work literally in your next meeting.

Part of every manager's job is to "grow their people". That means improving their personal productivity by 3-5% every year. And most of us unintentionally limit the growth of our people by failing to delegate enough, especially to our high potential people. Join me in this minlog as I share what other execs do to reduce the time it takes for their people to grow!

Not surprisingly, every group of people, be it a team, a business, or even a family has some dysfunction. What may surprise you is how dysfunctional a board can be. Especially a board of directors. In this minilog I explain why boards have this dysfunction and how you can help your board members better behave. And as a result, make it possible for them to better help you and your business. Remember, if your board is misbehaving, you owe it to them and yourself to help them be their best selves.

That's the question. The daily huddle is the least understood and as a result, most poorly utilized of all the different meetings you can conduct. In this minilog I describe what a huddle should be, how to conduct it and what the benefits should be for you and your team when you "huddle"! Looking for better results and less confusion in your business? Then listen to this minilog now!

Do you ever get tired of the problems your people bring to you? Wouldn't it be great if instead, they would solve those problems? This minilog shares a time-tested approach you can teach your people. Not only does this process work, most people appreciate the opportunity it gives them to help the business. Best of all, you won't believe how much more time you'll have to do your job. This is five minutes that can dramatically improve your business!

Consistent, exceptional results requires a high performance culture. Scott McComb, CEO of Heartland Bank inherited a culture that allowed mediocre performers to avoid accountability. (Ironically, it was created by his dad.) To change this culture. Scott instituted his Performance Culture model that helped reduce artificial harmony and identify internal terrorists. (They will be helped to find a better place to work!) Scott's practical and entertaining examples are a great reminder of what you can do to make your culture truly high performing!

Structure; it's the unicorn of every business. That's because trying to find the perfect structure for your business is like trying to find a unicorn. In this quick five minutes I share some reminders of some key factors that impact your structure, factors like company size, ownership, and location in the life & death cycle of the business. Remember, 50% or more of the problems in a business come from how it deploys its people, IP, equipment, money and time. Hope you listen!

How do you keep a successful company like Nationwide Insurance healthy and growing? You recruit and hire high potential people who have a great potential and then keep an "unfair share" of them! Mark Howard is the Chief Legal Officer at Nationwide insurance is no stranger to the Ed Eppley Experience. In this episode he shares his approach (and Nationwide's) to the development of their high performing talent. As you'll hear, Mark shares some practical and easily duplicated discplines that you can use to make your business even more "high performing"!

Roger Levenduski is the VP of Finance for Steamboat Ski & Resort Company. He learned many of his managerial skills during his time with the Four Seasons Hotel organizations. It serves him well. Of all the finance execs I've seen he's the most people focused. In this episode he shares key concepts like People First, Then Produce, Then Profit. Great ideas like, if I work for him and I hear something in a performance review that I've never heard before, I need to stop the performance review and tell him. Most importantly, you want the employee to leave the experience more engaged and invested in the business. If you want to develop all your talent, not just your high potentials, this episode is for you!

"Most people want to do well at their job and managers owe it to their employees to detail it for them." That's what David Besse, the managing partner for the 415 Group's IT Division believes. This is the first in a podcast series dedicated to sharing what executives I admire do to provide effective performance discussions with their people. David shares some very practical and easily replicated approaches for those of you looking for ways to improve your performance reviews and help your people develop.

Join me for our first Episode in a series on Developing Your High Potential Talent. Alan Crookes is the former CEO of BMW Financial Services for AisiaPac. No one in my career has successfully developed more high potential talent than Alan. As you'll learn It was no accident. Alan shares the different tools he used that you can adopt if developing and retaining high potential talent is crucial to your business success. This is an episode that every business owner and exec needs to hear!

This Minolog is to remind us that too often we waste time in meetings debating and dialoguing about the wrong things. It's a quick reminder that an important part of your job to make your meetings more effective is to make sure the real issue has been identified before you and your team try to solve it.

Too late in my career, I came to the realization that I spent too much of my time working towards satisfaction instead of working to achieve true transformation. There's never been a time when your high performing people have been more vulnerable to paching by other organziations. If we want them to stay fully engaged, they need to know we are committed to their success. True high performers want to be their best selves. Transformation is the key to keeping them engaged.

If you want highly engaged people on your team, this is the minilog for you!. There is seldom a discussion I have about management or leadership that Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs doesn't come up. In this time of uncertainty your job is to know at which level of the hierarchy your direct reports operate. In this Minilog I also share the three things that cause your people to disengage.

In all the formal education I've attended, I can't remember any classes that were focused on listening. In this Minilog I remind listeners of why effective listening can be so difficult. More importantly, I share some of the consequences to us as leaders when we don't listen like we should. If you want to be a better leader, become a better listener!

This is epsiode #2 of three about develping the capacity of your organization to set expectations for your people. Rex Brice is the CEO of Rex's Family of Restaurants in Steamboat Springs, CO. He's come on the full journey from not knowing what a performance appriasal was to knowing that they are one of the most powerful levers to keep good people engaged and growing. You'll like Rex's practical approach that he's developed, something that's critical if you expect your managers to do this well. Listen to this podcast and compare what your doing performance management process looks like to someone who does it better than most!

If you believe people deserve to know the expectations for their performance, this is the podcast for you! Beau Necco, CEO of Necco Foster Care and Rob Goodwin, Necco's Chief People Officer join me to in this first of three podcasts on setting expectations with our people and how they use this process to help their managers "grow people". Of all of my clients, Necco has put the most work into making this discipline a true competitive advantage. You'll enjoy learning about the journey they have been on and the things they have learned.

Peter Drucker said companies literally struggle ending the life of formally valuable products or services. Often these products (or services) were crucial to the company's past success. As a result, they hold a special place in the owner's heart. What most of us miss is how selling these products robs the organization of the investment it needs to make in the products that are the future of the company. Listen to this minilog and learn your options to avoid this trap well-hidden!

Every meeting should have a clear objective or outcome. And most don't. In this Minilog I introduce the Meeting Matrix® which is a simple, clear list of the different kinds of meetings you conduct and the outcomes they should produce. Not only does it serve as a great "north star", it also helps you diagnose why your current meetings may be less effective than you want.

In this Minilog I explain the difference between training and education and how most training is not designed to change someone's behavior or skill. Education is certainly important but the key to improving someone's productivity is seldom that they need to be smarter about their job. These five minutes will help you understand your options and what's most important when it comes to developing your people.

This is the third in a series of conversations with successful business execs to hear their input about the importance of getting the right structure in your business. Dave Hunter is the VP of Operations at Steamboat Ski & Resort Company. In this episode he shares key ideas like not confusing the symptoms being created by what in reality is the real structural problem. He explains how Steamboat intentionally reviews their structure annually and why he thinks every business should. And my favorite, you need to spend far more time on Why you are changing your structure than What the change may be. (Ultimately, it's all about the culture!)

Your Structure Needs to be Aligned With Your Strategy - If you've listened to my podcast, you know I believe that more than 50% of the problems in a company are caused by something that's wrong in the company's structure. (How it deploys its resources.) Denny Freudeman has spent his career working in and leading healthcare organizations. Some large and some very large. Denny shares how he learned that people want to be managed, but not micromanaged. He's also learned how important it is to have your structure and culture designed and aligned to support your strategy. This episode is filled with practical advice about what executives need to consider when they are trying to get the ideal structure.

Recently I've been reminded about the importance of friends. In this minlog I share a thoughts a good friend sent to me in an email. If you like short podcasts, this is one my of my shortest! (And already one of my favorites!) See if it impacts you like it did me!!

With more work on your plates than ever, and uncertainty in your supply chain and ability to fully staff your business, the ability of your team to have open and honest dialogue is more critical than ever. Vulnrability-based trust requires the boss to model the honesty and willingess to admist the she or he has doubts, fears or concerns. The team will never be more vulnerable than their boss!

Over time companies find themselves doing work that used to be valuable but is no longer. The manager's job is to identify and eliminate that leass valuable work. In this minilog I share the process of "pushing down" the work to force people at lower levels to create the desired dilemma of having too much to do. Embrace this approach and your people will thank you for making their jobs simpler and more likely to produce the results you both want!

Your job as a manager and leader is to make sure your people are able to focus. If you and your executive team don't get absolute clarity about your priorities, you make it almost impossible for your people to be as effective and productive as you want. In this minlog I review the fundamentals you can use to declare your "most important thing"!

Structure is one of the biggest causes of problems in our businesses. But those problems look like poor performing people, unhappy customers and supply chain issues, not the structural issues that are the root cause. Bill Hutter is the first of our experts on how your structure needs to keep pace with your strategy. He's watched literally hundreds of companies work to change their ineffective structures to match their strategies. You'll enjoy learning from Bill's insight and expertise!

Most executives don't understand the size or kind of "shadow" that they cast on the organization or their team. As a result, they don't always understand the impact of their words and behavior on others. The great news is these "blind spots" can be uncovered. Chris Helsel, the Chief Technology Officer and SVP of Global Ops for Goodyear is this week's guest. He shares how he's learned how to create a feedback loop from the "truth teller" in your organization is indispensable to your ability to know what's really happening. This episode is filled with practical and proven tips that can make you an even better exec!

In this episode of the Ed Eppley Experience we visit with Kirk Cordill, Dealer Principal for BMW and Jaguar/Land Rover and former CEO for BMW Financial Services in China. Kirk shares his international perspective about managing and leading people. You'll enjoy hearing about the differences in doing those things in countries like China and Germany. And what he's learned when his money is on the line. Kirk's tip for running a more sustainable company is also unique... he actually thinks that it should be different depending on the size and scope of the business.

What things do you celebrate in your company? Some companies don't think about the impact of what they celebrate... what they "make a fuss over." As a result, some things we celebrate may unintentionally send the wrong message. In this Minilog I share some things you might want to celebrate with your people. (And some you don't!)

If we are committed to getting better, who is going to help us? Do I need a coach, a mentor or even a counselor? In this Minilog I explain the difference between these valuable resources as well as how you would know which one might be right for you. Getting the right person to help you in your development is crucial. This four minutes can make your decision more simple.

What Have I Done in The Last 90 Days To Be A Significantly Better Manager or Leader?" This is the final of the 3 Critical Questions.... The first two are, "Who Have I Held Accountable Beside or Above Me by Entering Into a Dangerous Conversation?" and "What Disruptive Breakthrough That Would Be Hard for Me or The Organization, Have I Considered?" This one focuses on the tremendous leverage we can produce for the company when we improve as a manager and leader. Managers and executives must remember that our skill is not the number of years of experience we have. If I was going to be arrested for getting better at my job in the last year, would there be enough evidence to convict me?

The best leaders have high levels of self-awareness and the capacity to be courageous. (The ability to act when we're afraid.) Effective leaders have the ability to be courageous in appropriate ways and at appropriate times. Mike Neatherton, former COO of the Betty Ford Clinic shares his perspectives about how many execs are truly self-aware. (Far fewer than you think!) And he discusses how the greatest courage is the execs ability to make themselves truly vulnerable to their teams. (FYI - Lyndsay Knox, our Business Manager at The Eppley Group says this is our best podcast ever!)

Rick Packer from Pat Lencioni's Table Group joins me in this episode of The Ed Eppley Experience to share his thinking and experiences in how leaders can become more self aware. (Hint - It helps to be open to feedback.) In his work with hundreds of execs and CEO's, he's learned that the best execs focus on doing what their role demands rather than what is pleasing. And you'll love Rick's comments about "uncommunicated expectations" and "the messy middle"!

This episode of TEEE, isn't about professional management or leadership. It's about the crazy and ever changing world of business travel. Most people know I travel a great deal. (I'm over a million miles with Delta.) I often get asked for recommendations about travel. No matter what advice I might offer, I always suggest they subscribe to Joe Sent Me. For almost 20 years, Joe Brancatelli has been offering up great business travel advice. No one, and I mean no one knows more about the best way to spend your business travel dollars. Business travel isn't always enjoyable. Sometimes it stinks. Listen to this episode and learn from the best expert. Also, if you decide to subscribe to Joe's monthly service, mention that you heard about this from Ed Eppley and he'll reduce the annual rate from $149 to $99!

I shared in an earlier minilog how 2021 has been the real year of Covid. It's also why now more than ever, leaders need to be be capable of thinking in disruptive ways. With all the uncertainty and difficulty in supply chains and finding people, this might be the time when you need to consider new and different alliances and partnerships. Maybe even different kinds of customers or suppliers. Listen and be prepared to consider options you would have never considered in the past!

Great leaders have courage along with the ability to act despite fear. In this minilog, I explain why managers may find it hard to act when there is danger present, and dive into the consequences that come from not acting. You are sure to like the model I offer that can let you "enter the danger" with greater confidence.

Rob Connelly is the CEO of Henny Penny. They make the equipment that makes the food for companies like McDonald's, Wendy's and yes, Chick-fil-A. Rob shares what it's like to lead a company that promises their customers they will make more money by spending more for Henny Penny's equipment. If you've ever wondered about having an ESOP company, Rob explains how their employees and fellow owners have greater interest in the company's financial results. And you'll enjoy hearing how Henny Penny always takes "the long view" in their decision making.

Kevin Hickey, COO of All 4 Environmental is obsessed with coaching. From youth basketball to Villanova University to his own company, Kevin eats, sleeps and works daily to master this critical aspect of management. He offers a refreshingly optimistic attitude about your talents' ability to get better and move to higher levels of performance. You'll appreciate how much the coaching he's received from others as impacted how he coaches his own people. Plus he offers you the opportunity to get a copy of All 4's Coaching The All 4 Way manual. This is GREAT stuff!

If you have a board, are on a board or are thinking about being on a board you need to listen to this podcast! Jim Brown, from Strive!, is one of the foremost experts on all kinds of boards. In this episode of The Ed Eppley Experience, Jim shares tremendous insights like: Why you want an Advisory Council (Not a Board of Advisors); why you don't want to be on a board of directors; why greeters at Walmart are better prepared for their jobs than most board members; and the number #1 reason why most business owners don't have a board. This is an episode you will want to listen to more than once!

Ever wonder why it's so hard to execute your startegic initiatives? It's because trying to fundametally change the business while keeping it operating is tremendously hard. It's messy and it can be complex. To give yourself a real chance at success, you need to think about how you keep your strategic imperatives in front of you, in the right way, at the right time. If you have trouble getting your strategy executed, don't miss this minilog!!

Bill Hutter has observed literally hundreds of business owners run their companies. Few people have seen the financial results of more entrepreneurs and been able to witness firsthand the impact of their decisions and behavior. In this wonderful episode of The Ed Eppley Experience, Bill shares the three things business owners do that holds them back. He also has some great practical advice about how to make it simpler to scale your business. Like all great ideas, this one is simple and practical. Listen to Bill and learn!

Hindsight always offers a different perspective and it's certainly true when we look back at 2020. Some companies were savaged last year, while a great many actually thrived. And strangely, many of these same businesses find their roles reversed. I offer up some observations of why it still may be too soon to know how much your business will be changed because of the pandemic.

After 40+ years of developing people and executives, I've earned the right to share why most training programs fail. This minilog episode of the Ed Eppley Experience helps you understand the difference between education and training, why the boss telling you to do better in certain areas doesn't always work, and the single biggest factor that people retain from any training program. If you are a manager or an executive, this is five minutes you won't want to miss!