"Necessary Endings" is a self-help book written by Dr. Henry Cloud. It explores the concept of embracing and initiating endings in various aspects of life, such as relationships, careers, and personal growth, in order to create a positive and fulfilling future. The book emphasises that endings are a natural part of life and are necessary for personal and professional growth.  While endings are a natural part of business and life, we often experience them with a sense of hesitation, sadness,...

There is an entire industry and philosophy surrounding why you should sell your business, but it doesn’t need to be that way.  There are many reasons why people choose to sell their businesses and really the reasons can be broken down into two different things.  1. Long Term Goal To Exit: A strategic decision because their plan all along was to sell their business and they have something else more desirable to do with their time (besides golf). 2. Looking for an Exit strategy after...

Without effective discipline around decision making we can end up making decisions we later might call dumb. To avoid this one of the tools we use is the sandbox. Where we play. Our sandbox is where we have proven that we can win and earn the right to be a viable option for our customers. And the principle helps us to keep sand in the box. What we sell, Who we sell it to and where we sell it. Like any principle creates focus and guardrails for our thinking and decisions. When going...

Executives are often more driven than the average person. We run hard all the time, and it usually works. And then, it doesn't work. We persist and push harder than the average person, and that's why we win. But it's also why we can crash harder and sometimes even put everything at risk.  This week we talk about executive burnout in the second of two episodes. What it means, what to look out for in both yourself and your team, and when it might be time to go get some help.       ----- ...

Executives are often more driven than the average person. We run hard all the time, and it usually works. And then, it doesn't work. We persist and push harder than the average person, and that's why we win. But it's also why we can crash harder and sometimes even put everything at risk.  This week we talk about executive burnout. What it means, what to look out for in both yourself and your team, and when it might be time to go get some help.     ----- * Do you love The Growth...

Jim Collins book Good to Great is one of the all-time business classics due to the size and quality of the research that underpins the principles that he identified in the research about companies that endured and achieved great performance, relative to their peer companies who only achieved good performance.  In Good to Great, Jim Collins identified seven core principles that great companies excelled at. In this part two of two episodes, we dig into the seven principles from Good to Great...

Jim Collins book Good to Great is one of the all-time business classics due to the size and quality of the research that underpins the principles that he identified in the research about companies that endured and achieved great performance, relative to their peer companies who only achieved good performance.  In Good to Great, Jim Collins identified seven core principles that great companies excelled at. In this part one of two episodes, we dig into the seven principles from Good to Great...

What if the most important number and predictor of long-term success was also a number that you didn't measure or even manage decisions based on it? Unfortunately, it's a situation that is quite common today. The accumulation of many seemingly small (and large) investment decisions that leaders make leads to the primary measure of a CEO - return on invested capital. How much capital has been invested in your business, and what's the return on that? Some of the most successful CEOs of all...

Some parts of your role give you energy, and some parts drain your energy. Often, the parts that drain your energy can be unsustainable. When you were younger, you probably had jobs that drained your energy, and you quit those jobs, getting better jobs over time. But that's often not possible if you're a business owner, CEO or executive.  Over time we want to give more time to things that give us energy and less time to those parts that drain energy. This way we're able to work hard and...

How do you know if you have the right people in the right seats? We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘get the right people in the right seats on the bus’. It talks about ensuring that team members are aligned and committed to success. However, Jim Collins has a very specific definition of the ‘right people’, and when you’re considering if you have the right people in the right seats, this includes six key characteristics that might help to understand what 'right' actually means.  This week we're...

Hiring can be expensive.  It's expensive in terms of time for leaders to commit to an effective hiring process, it's expensive in terms of recruitment fees or costs, and it's expensive in terms of productivity. And that's when you get it right! Sometimes we can make mistakes when hiring, and this can be even more expensive. Perhaps busy executives are skipping steps or they might not know what things to avoid. This week we talk about five expensive hiring mistakes you should avoid.    ...

Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. - Harry S. Truman. As leaders, we are avid learners and readers.  And some of the best insights come from getting different perspectives whether it be from biographies of great leaders from the past or present or research that relates to our industries or completely divergent learning that enhance our perspectives of the world.   Aside from travel, reading is one of the most impactful things we can spend time on to enhance the...

Annual strategy meetings are a necessary part of every organisation. And they can be very expensive, with decisions made affecting the organisation for a year or more. Ensuring you maximise the value from these meetings and avoid mistakes to set the company up to win next year and into the future. This week we share seven mistakes we’ve found leaders make at annual strategy meetings, and what you can do to avoid these mistakes.    ----- * Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see...

Liz Wiseman is an ex oracle executive who wrote an amazing book about how we all have moments as leaders where we accidentally diminish team members and 'shut down' their smarts, making our people less capable. What makes it worse, is that our intent is usually to be helpful and supportive, and yet it has the opposite impact.   She breaks out the difference between the behaviours we have that multiply the intelligence of our team (and potentially family members too) and those that diminish...

It's been said that people join companies and leave managers. Almost everyone can't stand a boss who is a micromanager. But what if you might be a micromanager? You know you are a micromanager if the weight of responsibility along with the thinking and planning related to it, ultimately sits with you. You will know this is true if the problems, thinking and decisions come to you. To avoid micromanagement and instead achieve leadership one must transfer the responsibility and coach the...

For many leaders hiring their first COO or President can be a big change. Perhaps they've been running the business for a long time with 6 or 7 direct reports, and need to move to the next level, or begin transitioning toward succession. No matter how or why hiring your first COO or hiring your first president can be a big change, and comes with a set of unique challenges.   This week we talk about this unique issue, and what to do if you're hiring your first COO or President. ----- * Do...

It can be quite common for leaders to be not satisfied with an executive or key employee. However, it's important not to allow that frustration to remain, but to understand why you are feeling this way. This means becoming clear on the gaps between your expectations, and actual performance, and then having a conversation with them so they are aware and have an opportunity to recalibrate and meet your expectations. The failure of many leaders is experiencing this frustration, but keeping it...

Gross margin is one of the most important numbers in your business. Gross Margin (percentage) is a good indicator that your business is healthy: Both on the selling/strategy end indicating your customer is willing to pay you well for what you offer, and on the operations end demonstrating that you can efficiently produce what the customer wants. The trend of this number over time can tell quite the story. When it starts to fade, as it often can, it is a reason for concern.  This week we...

Price increases are a bit of a dirty word in business - and they have become a critical success factor for companies in 2023 with incredibly high price inflation affecting input costs; Enduring companies that have been around for many decades have mastered this discipline, whereas newer companies have not necessarily had to learn this lesson yet, and it hurts. Big, experienced companies were making price increases fast and early - and profiting from it; Smaller, nicer companies waited,...

In team meetings, leaders often need a simple code of conduct through which to operate. If you have the 'right people on the bus', they will be self-motivated and don’t require constant coercing toward a compelling vision. In order to effectively delegate responsibility and accountability and create a high-performing team, leaders should follow Jim Collin's three rules of engagement for healthy teams. In this episode, we discuss Jim Collin's three rules, what they are and why each of them...

Are you looking to become a more effective leader? In this episode of the "Growth Whisperers" podcast, we explore the importance of goal obsession in successful leadership. Discover why the greatest leaders are driven by a deep sense of purpose and relentless determination to achieve their goals, no matter the challenges that come their way. Learn how to set and achieve ambitious goals that will set you apart and allow you to make a lasting impact.  It’s not enough to have big goals. Great...

Are you struggling to prioritize tasks and maximize your productivity? The Time Management Matrix, created by Stephen Covey, could be the solution you've been looking for. In this podcast, we'll teach you how to effectively use the matrix to set goals and achieve success in both your personal and professional life. Through real-life examples, you'll learn how to manage your time in each of the matrix's four quadrants. We all have limited time and exactly 24 hours in a day, and yet, some...

What cash decisions do you need to make to win in 2023?  2023 looks to have major challenges that are slowly developing. And this is especially so when considering your cash and how it might be impacted by the changing environment. One of the most important questions to answer to best prepare for 2023 is how can I maintain consistent financial performance if my customer's needs or spending changes? Notable quotes from the episode. "Profit is an opinion, but cash is a fact" "How can you...

What execution decisions do you need to make to win in 2023?  2023 looks to have major challenges that are slowly developing. And this is especially so when considering your strategy and how it might be impacted by the changing environment. One of the most important questions to answer to best prepare for 2023 is how can I maintain consistent financial performance if my customer's needs or spending changes? "People are always excited about the games in sports, but it is all the discipline...