On today’s episode we are talking about how you have control over your organization’s predictability and how that’s a measure of success. 

Luis Scott prides himself in growth. Whether it is in his personal life or professional life, he is always looking to find the slight edge that will put him ahead of the competition. An avid reader, he reads over 50 books per year on personal development. Luis believes this habit over the last 10 years has positioned him in multiple organizations to double and even triple their revenues. As the managing attorney of the firm, he manages over 150 employees and contractors around the state and has led the firm to be recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the fastest growing businesses in the State of Georgia.

Key Takeaways:

1. Predictability is the Ultimate Peace of Mind: Creating predictability in business operations, especially in finances and outcomes, leads to peace of mind for both individuals and organizations. It ensures that tomorrow is not a guessing game and that essential needs can be met.
2. Grit and Consistency: Achieving long-term predictability requires consistency and perseverance. Dr. Angela Duckworth’s concept of “grit” emphasizes the ability to perform monotonous tasks consistently over an extended period without losing enthusiasm.
3. Routine and Intentionality: Establishing a daily routine and adhering to it intentionally can contribute to personal and professional predictability. This routine can include habits like waking up early, regular exercise, and structured workdays.
4. Operational Predictability: Businesses should focus on creating efficient systems, policies, and procedures to maintain operational predictability. Standardization of processes and employee training are essential components.
5. Leadership’s Role: Effective leadership is crucial in translating the company’s vision and mission throughout all levels of the organization. Leaders should ensure that employees at every level understand and align with the organization’s goals to create a cohesive and predictable workforce.
6. Leadership and Intention Matter: Effective leadership and a clear intention are crucial for a company’s success. Leadership should prioritize the customer experience and be committed to building great people within the organization.
7. Details Matter: Paying attention to the details can make a significant difference in the success of a business. Neglecting details can lead to negative impacts on the company’s reputation and customer experience.
8. Maintain Identity and Differentiation: Companies should maintain their identity and focus on what makes them unique. Trying to compete on multiple fronts without a clear differentiator can lead to confusion and loss of market share.
9. Tribe-Like Culture: Building a strong company culture where employees feel connected and aligned with the company’s mission is essential. This sense of belonging and shared purpose can drive the company forward.
10. Long-Term Perspective: Both employees and employers should adopt a long-term perspective. Employees should aim to build expertise and meaning in their careers, and employers should invest in their employees for the long haul, as this can lead to more significant success and growth in the future.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Leadership is important. And everyone can be a leader. It’s just a matter of loving what you do and loving the people you serve. 
2. Look for meaning not just happiness. 
3. Companies grow when they dedicate themselves to growing people not just building profits. 

How to connect with Luis:

Website: https://luisscottjr.com/

On today’s episode we are talking about how to drive growth in your organization. 

Bocar Dia resides at the crossroads of investing and hands-on guidance for portfolio founders during the initial stages of development, encompassing go-to-market strategies, founder-driven sales, and fundraising. As a founding member of Hootsuite’s Enterprise product team, he was instrumental in propelling the business to surpass $150M+ in revenue and establish a workforce of 2,000+ within a swift seven years.

Top 10 Takeaways:

1. Gradual Market Penetration: Bocar outlines Hootsuite’s growth journey, transitioning from addressing acute pain points within innovative verticals to embracing more markets. They began by targeting sectors with pronounced social media needs and young demographics, such as media and entertainment, creating a core vertical foundation.
2. Core Vertical Strategy: Bocar stresses the importance of developing a “core vertical” playbook. This entails predictably building pipeline, converting prospects to customers, and ensuring successful customer experiences. The core vertical motion is focused and efficient, requiring a well-defined ICP, persona, and value proposition for consistent growth.
3. Scaling New Verticals: To enter new markets, the speaker emphasizes a meticulous approach. Instead of adapting the existing sales team, a “target team” is formed, consisting of individuals who validate the new vertical’s pain points and needs. The new team’s sole focus is understanding the new vertical’s challenges and building the right solution.
4. Market Validation before Scaling: Validation is critical. Before deploying resources to scale in a new vertical, the speaker emphasizes validating the market’s demand and readiness. The product is refined to meet vertical-specific requirements, and only after attaining around $1 million in sales does the speaker recommend expanding resources and integrating the new vertical into the core sales team.
5. Iterative Customer Development: Bocar emphasizes the importance of thoroughly understanding a new market before attempting to sell a new product or target a different vertical. Through customer development, validate market pain points, seek feedback, and partner with lighthouse accounts to refine the solution. This phase involves asking for feedback, not selling.
6. Partnership Approach for New Offerings: Instead of selling a non-existent product, the speaker suggests forming partnerships with potential clients in the early stages. Engage lighthouse accounts that have provided feedback to participate in a partnership for product development. This approach builds early customer relationships and validates the product’s viability.
7. Balancing Launch and Sales Optimization: After refining the product with initial partners, the speaker highlights the importance of a controlled launch, especially for enterprise products. Avoid a wide-open launch until the sales motion has been optimized and a predictable sales process has been established. Use waitlists to fine-tune prospecting and sales strategies.
8. Metrics and Unit Economics as Indicators: When evaluating the viability of a product, unit economics play a pivotal role. For venture-scale businesses, metrics like LTV to CAC ratio guide decision-making. Additionally, analyzing the customer feedback, market demand, and unit economics helps determine whether to pivot, refine, or scale a product. The competitive landscape matters, but the economics are central to the decision-making process.
9. Strategic Differentiation: In a saturated market, entering with a unique offering requires substantial differentiation, either through technical superiority or a distribution advantage. The speaker suggests that if the product advantage is significantly better than competitors, it can be the basis for differentiation. However, the advantage should be clear and tangible, ideally backed by data that demonstrates its superiority.
10. Quantifiable Value Proposition: To stand out in a crowded market, it’s crucial to provide a quantifiable value proposition that showcases the superiority of the product. Demonstrating a clear return on investment (ROI) is essential, whether it’s by being 2X, 3X, or even 10X better than existing solutions. In highly competitive markets, executives seek compelling ROI before committing to new products.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Check out the book series from Winning by Design. Lots of good topics related to different roles. 

2. If you’re building a company, look at the work of Mark Roberge who teaches at the Harvard Business School. His book, The Sales Acceleration Formula is a good place to start. 

3. If you’re leading an organization that is more self-serve motion on the customer side – check out the guides from OpenView Ventures

How to get in touch with Bocar:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bocardia/

To find out more about Forum Ventures: https://www.forumvc.com

On today’s episode we are talking about how to get your leadership team from good to great.

Over the past thirty-five years, Aneace Haddad has launched and built technology companies in the US, Europe, and Asia and has hired, mentored, or coached hundreds of senior executives and their teams. He is a former tech chairman and CEO who reinvented himself over a decade ago, after discovering a love for coaching and facilitation. Today, he helps leaders learn to inspire and motivate a diverse workforce, influence ever-changing internal and external stakeholders, and adapt to fast-changing markets and conditions. He believes change, transition, and reinvention give executives a priceless opportunity to grow, transform, and expand the definition of who they are.

Having lived in six countries across four continents, Aneace now resides in Singapore is with his wife and two stepchildren. 

Episode Highlights:

1. Going from Good to Great: Exploring the shift from being good to achieving greatness, especially post-COVID. Crucible moments prompt individuals and teams to reevaluate their commitment and purpose.
2. Power of Crucible Moments: Moments of pressure and change push teams towards transformative shifts in perspective, values, and priorities.
3. Team Alignment: Building trust, vulnerability, and authenticity within teams is key for transformation. Aligning on shared goals and must-win battles reveals differing perspectives.
4. Enterprise Mindset: Shifting from individual focus to an enterprise-wide mindset fosters high-performance by recognizing collective ownership.
5. Vulnerability Drives Growth: Encouraging vulnerability and authenticity accelerates change by connecting team members on a human level.
6. Conflict and Collaboration: Comfort with healthy conflict enhances decision-making, fostering better teamwork and problem-solving.
7. Time Management and Rigor: Punctuality and efficient time use reflect organizational rigor and a commitment to continuous improvement.
8. COVID Challenges and Alignment: Aligning teams during challenging times enhances cohesion and performance beyond mere survival.
9. Transformational Leadership: Personal growth parallels organizational transformation. Leaders embracing change, learning, and vulnerability lead teams to success.
10. Human-Centric Excellence: True greatness involves empathy and care, moving beyond metrics to connect on a deeper human level.

Top Takeaway:

Self-reflection is powerful. There is a huge amount of proven benefit by watching your own emotions and taking beginning to look at it as feedback so that it’s telling you what’s going on underneath and then you can start to separate from them. I don’t know how the brain can function in a very complex world if we’re busy, busy, busy all the time.

How to get in touch with Aneace:

Website: www.aneace.com

Buy his book: The Eagle That Drank Hummingbird Nectar: A Novel About Personal Transformation in Business Leaders

Carla Fowler, MD PhD is the Founder and Managing Director of THAXA. Carla graduated from Brown University magna cum laude, earned her MD and PhD at the University of Washington, and completed her internship in general surgery at Stanford University.

She founded THAXA to share her passion for performance science, where the fields of strategy, productivity, and psychology intersect.

Outside of THAXA, Carla is an angel investor specializing in medtech and biotech with a portfolio of over a dozen investments. She is also an active member of Social Venture Partners, Rotary, Washington Women’s Foundation, Alliance of Angels, and Keiretsu.

Key Takeaways:

1. Performance Science Definition: Performance science is a multidisciplinary field that explores how human beings achieve their best results in various domains, including athletics, business, and the military.
2. Impact of Clarity: Lack of clarity inhibits success. Creating explicit goals and recognizing achievements motivates teams and helps them understand their roles in the bigger picture.
3. Importance of Taking Time to Think: Setting aside time for reflection and strategic thinking is vital for clarifying objectives and making informed decisions.
4. Creating Space for Clarity: Engaging in activities like journaling, meditation, or walks provides space for creative insights and clarity.
5. Uninterrupted Thinking Time: Allocating quiet and uninterrupted time for thinking allows for focused reflection and strategic planning.
6. Using Prompts for Productive Thinking: Thought-provoking prompts guide the thinking process and prevent stagnation.
7. Embracing Uncertainty: Leaders foster an attitude of embracing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth and learning, enhancing adaptability.
8. Running Good Experiments: Approaching uncertainty with experiments helps teams learn from outcomes and make better decisions.
9. Balanced Problem-Solving Approach: Listing potential solutions, evaluating against criteria, and conducting small tests before committing fully helps in effective decision-making.
10. Impact of Sleep and Nutrition: Adequate sleep and proper nutrition are essential for mental and emotional performance, leading to better decision-making and reduced stress.

Top Three Takeaways:

1. Clarity: Ensure clear objectives, focused priorities, and effective communication both upward and downward in the chain of command.
2. Embrace Uncertainty: Foster a culture that embraces uncertainty and trains teams to be comfortable with it. Encourage running good experiments to learn from outcomes and make better decisions.
3. Combat Disengagement: Provide growth opportunities and visibility for both teams and leaders to prevent boredom and stagnation, enhancing overall engagement and performance.

For resources discussed in this episode: https://www.thaxa.com/p/corporate-cpr

How to Connect with Carla:

Website: https://www.thaxa.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-fowler/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrCarlaFowler

On today’s episode, we discuss why organizations need to adapt or die.

Angela Johnson is a “professional people geek” with over 25+ years of experience working with teams and leaders in both project management and Agile environments. As a Scrum Master, she found her passion in helping teams and leaders work together more effectively. In 2010, she founded Collaborative Leadership Team, offering Agile education and coaching services to start-ups, Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Angela’s expertise extends beyond Scrum to include Kanban, eXtreme Programming, Facilitation, and Organizational Change. She is a Certified Scrum Trainer® and Certified LeSS Practitioner with a background in Communication and Management. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Angela is a proud mom, wife, and teammate. 

Key Takeaways:

1. Agile and Scrum methodologies were developed to address challenges in delivering value faster and reducing rework. They have become popular in the technology world for their ability to adapt to changing needs.
2. Agile frameworks like Scrum promote transparency, making work visible and breaking down silos. This enhances communication, avoids misunderstandings, and minimizes wasted time and rework.
3. Agile emphasizes breaking work into smaller, manageable chunks, allowing for faster feedback loops and early issue identification. This enables quicker value delivery and eliminates the need for lengthy development cycles.
4. Agile and Scrum enable organizations to adapt quickly to market changes. By pivoting based on real-time feedback, organizations reduce the risk of delivering products or services that no longer meet market demands.
5. Agile and Scrum value effective communication and collaboration, while still emphasizing the importance of documenting shared understanding and agreements.
6. Agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s important to assess whether Agile methodologies align with the specific business problem and context. Instead of blindly following Agile methods, organizations should identify their actual problem and goals, ensuring the chosen approach serves their purpose.
7. Agile principles, such as transparency, iteration, and daily check-ins, can benefit various organizational contexts beyond software development, improving communication and efficiency.
8. Limiting work in progress and prioritizing tasks effectively enhances productivity and value delivery, avoiding the scenario where everything is a priority, but nothing gets done effectively.
9. Empowering teams and fostering shared knowledge leads to higher engagement and productivity. Cross-training and trust reduce dependency on individual expertise and prevent bottlenecks.
10. Transparency and adaptability are crucial in times of change and challenge. By being transparent, exploring options, and adapting together, organizations can successfully navigate obstacles and ensure their survival and success.
11. Transparency and adaptability are crucial in times of change and challenge. By being transparent, exploring options, and adapting together, organizations can successfully navigate obstacles and ensure their survival and success.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. If everything is “priority”, nothing is. Pick one thing that’s going to get you focused and you’re going to see more productivity.

2. Schedule more frequent check-ins. Be more transparent. 

3. Team = we, not me. If you deem yourself an expert in something you should be able to teach.

How to connect with Angela:

Website: https://thescrummasterfiles.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelajohnsonscrumtrainer/

On today’s show we talk about how to drive hypergrowth within organizations.

Kurt Uhlir is a globally recognized marketer, operator, and speaker. With extensive speaking experience, he has delivered dynamic speeches across the US and Europe, including notable events like PPAI, GDC, and the White House. Kurt advises leaders, from startup founders to CEOs and even the US President. He is a popular commentator, having appeared on national TV shows and in publications such as Wired, TechCrunch, and USA Today. Kurt’s accomplishments include building multimillion-dollar businesses, leading IPOs, and engaging in acquisitions. He is known for his ability to develop early-stage initiatives into successful enterprises through the power of B2B storytelling. Outside of work, Kurt is dedicated to mentoring and coaching individuals and groups, aiming to create supportive environments for personal growth.

1. Hypergrowth: Hypergrowth refers to a significant increase in revenue within a short period, such as 10x or even 50x or 100x growth. It involves scaling a business rapidly and requires careful planning and preparation.
2. Assessing scalability: Companies need to assess whether they have the potential to scale their operations. This assessment involves identifying potential bottlenecks or areas that would break if there was a massive inflow of customers or revenue. It often requires an external perspective to guide the evaluation.
3. Customer success as a starting point: When preparing for hypergrowth, it is important to prioritize customer success. Evaluating and improving customer success processes, such as account management and training, can lay the foundation for scaling the business effectively. By making existing customers happy, companies can create opportunities for growth.
4. Infrastructure and support: Scaling a business requires a solid infrastructure to support the increased demand. This includes considerations such as supply chain, customer support, banking relationships, and automation. Companies need to identify potential pitfalls and address them proactively.
5. Employee retention and development: Hypergrowth can lead to attrition and employee burnout if not managed properly. Investing in employee growth and development, including training and leadership programs, is crucial to retain and support the existing team. Sharing the growth journey with employees and creating a positive work environment is essential for sustainable expansion.
6. Undervaluing products/services: The conversation highlights the importance of not undervaluing what you offer, especially for small companies. The idea of continuously raising prices until people no longer buy can be a strategy to test the perceived value of your product.
7. Cultivating diverse perspectives: Having peers or team members with different backgrounds and experiences can provide valuable insights and help identify blind spots in your business. By sharing knowledge and learning from others, you can gain a fresh perspective and improve your operations.
8. Adapting culture for growth: Larger organizations may face challenges in achieving hypergrowth if they have a culture of micromanagement and lack a permission structure for trying new things. To unlock hypergrowth, such companies may need to undergo a significant culture change, which often requires a change in leadership.
9. Vision alignment and individual meaning: To ensure everyone is aligned and committed to achieving hypergrowth, leaders must communicate the company’s vision and help individuals identify their personal reasons for being part of the organization. Connecting personal meaning to the business goals can motivate employees to go beyond their regular tasks and contribute more.
10. Balancing structure and agility: Having structured processes and systems is important for scaling and managing rapid growth. However, maintaining agility and responsiveness is also crucial. Balancing the two requires hiring individuals with complementary skills, such as those who excel in documentation and process-building, as well as those who embrace agile approaches and adapt quickly to change.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. Adopt a high achieving servant leadership approach. 

2.  Start netweaving over networking.

3. Do for one what you wish you could do for many. 

Connect with Kurt:
Website: www.kurtuhlir.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kurtuhlir