🌟 While we no longer record the Q&A discussions during our Leadership Strategy Sessions, we continue to record the opening teaching. Enjoy a special preview of what we share about resetting your team’s rhythm for the season ahead. If you want to see the complete teaching and take part in upcoming sessions, consider upgrading to join us live next month.

August is a tale of two months. The first half feels like summer, but at some point in the month (maybe it already has), your end-of-year mode kicks in. You’re already three to six months ahead in your head, calculating what has to happen before December. Your team is going to need some time to catch up.

Recognize your team is still in gear-shifting mode and set your expectations for your team and yourself accordingly. Use August as a primer so everyone can ease into the faster pace that September will inevitably bring.

And as that pace picks up, so will the weight of what’s on your plate. This month’s Q&A brought up a few such challenges, including:

* Redirecting decisions and knowledge during a leadership transition, without waiting for a single handover meeting to cover it all

* Naming a dip in team readiness after a departure as normal, not a personal failing

* Framing covering work as a temporary hold from the start, so reintegration feels like a handoff instead of a negotiation

* Auditing what’s actually needed before recalibrating a role after someone returns from extended leave

* Weighing loyalty to one against team and organizational responsibility

* Building functional trust with a neurodivergent teammate without abandoning team-wide expectations

Our next Leadership Strategy Session will be on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. PDT.

Premium subscribers can watch the full opening teaching and access all related resources shared during the call. 👇🏽

Topics We Explored:

* Mo Bunnell’s new book Give to Grow and why it makes sense to focus on relationships and a giving mindset as the foundation for long-term business success.

* How to define business development and distinguish it from pure sales, as well as the importance of strategic helpfulness in developing a business or career.

* The logic behind providing value upfront through small projects or advice to build trust and increase the likelihood of future business and engagement.

* Strategies for making effective recommendations and managing client expectations, including the use of social proof and escalating commitments.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

* Mo Bunnell: Website | Podcast

* Give to Grow Supplemental Materials: Downloadable resources, including the Give to Grow Team Launch Guide, top lead generation methods worksheet, meeting prep questions, research citations, and an exclusive secret chapter.

* Find Your Business Flow: PF’s new cohort program to help entrepreneurs focus on (among other things) growth — building relationships, scaling your business, and winning the work that matters.

Perspectives like those in this episode can help you grow your business. By upgrading to a paid subscription, you gain access to exclusive content, monthly coaching calls & e-courses.

About Mo Bunnell:

Mo Bunnell helps complex organizations grow by scaling business development skills and creating a growth-oriented culture. He’s the founder of Bunnell Idea Group (BIG) and the author of The Snowball System. BIG has trained tens of thousands of professionals at hundreds of organizations. Mo lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Episode Timestamps

[0:01:46] Charlie Gilkey introduces Mo Bunnell and discusses why he's excited about the Give to Grow book.

[0:05:02] Discussion of the broader definition of business development and how it differs from sales.

[0:07:34] Mo Bunnell explains the importance of balancing altruistic and economic success in business.

[0:11:41] Importance of selling the problem and the solution, not just the expertise.

[0:13:26] Discussion of the differences between the skills needed for "doing the work" versus "winning the work".

[0:18:30] Explanation of the concept of "certainty" versus "possibility" in business development.

[0:22:05] Explanation of the "give to grow" strategy and providing value upfront to build trust.

[0:26:52] Discussion of how to make effective recommendations and manage client expectations.

[0:31:14] Advice on naming programs and offerings to focus on outcomes, not just processes.

[0:35:47] Importance of providing options and allowing clients to choose.

[0:41:44] Addressing the challenge of transitioning from free to paid content.

[0:47:59] Practical tips for committing to and testing new business development strategies.

[0:52:54] Discussion of the importance of casting possibility and helping clients see their best version.

[1:06:51] Final thoughts on the emotion and inspiration of winning the work.