Winning teams are lead by leaders who learn from their mistakes, lead by example, and inspire everyone on their team to perform at higher levels.

My guest today, Greg Heeres, is a coach, speaker, and author of 5 books (soon to be 6). Greg candidly shares what he’s learned and mistakes he’s made as he’s grown and built successful teams over the years.

Timestamps
(00:20): Introduction.
(01:02): About Greg Heeres
(02:11): What makes Greg and Maximize Leadership unique.
(03:01): Greg’s career path.
(04:54): Greg’s job with the insurance company.
(07:27): Greg’s positive lessons learned.
(09:34): The “one hour a month” plan.
(14:42): Greg’s negative lessons learned.
(18:31): Being responsible for people.
(21:12): Learning by seeing the warnings.
(22:39): The Detroit Lions as an example of leadership.
(32:22): Keys to retention.
(35:13): Greg’s advice for leaders.
(40:00): Connecting with Greg.
(42:24): Wrapup.

Episode quotes
“I have an abundance mindset … I don't think there's scarcity out there. Maybe there's a scarcity of something, but I just don't believe in it.”

“I found each person had a different motivating lever, and my job was to find those levers and make sure that we put them in a spot where they could be successful.

“It isn't just the Hall of Fame player that might be on your roster. It's everyone, and there's going to be another Hall of Fame person coming up the ranks. So, I believe in developing people.”

“I think word of mouth opens the door and then the culture really cements it when they get in.”

“Be honest. If you break trust, you'll not have a lot of retention, and recruiting will be difficult.”

Recommended reading

• “Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding thee Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty” by Patrick Lencioni
• “Sage Advice: Listen to Wisdom or Learn the Hard Way” by Greg Heeres
• “The Business Baton: How to Solve the Owner's Dilemma and Exit with Clarity and Confidence” by Greg Heeres
• “The Shawn Effect” by Greg Heeres
• “Are Your Customers Doing the Rave?” by Greg Heeres
• “Creative Power: Releasing Your Innovative Potential” by Greg Heeres

Recommended listening

• The Craig and Greg Show with Craig Owens and Greg Heeres

Connecting with Greg Heeres

• Phone: 616-570-4888
• Email: gregheeres@gmail.com
• Website: MaximizeLeadership.com
• Greg Heeres on LinkedIn

If you've recently started or are thinking about starting a business you probably have a ton of questions and are looking for answers from others who are in the trenches like you are.

This week Ryan Atkinson, the founder of Spacebar Visuals and the the host of the UpFlip Podcast joins us to discuss his experience starting and building a successful business and what he's learned from interviewing dozens of entrepreneurs.

Timestamps
(00:20): Introduction.
(01:04): About Spacebar Visuals.
(02:05): What makes Spacebar Visuals unique.
(03:11): Ryan Atkinson’s background.
(06:53): Finding a co-founder.
(10:51): Who Spacebar Visuals sells to.
(11:36): About the Spacebar team.
(12:57): The hiring process.
(15:21): Lessons learned while growing the team.
(20:30): What does BDR stand for?
(22:23): About the UpFlip podcast
(25:03): How Ryan became the host.
(28:20): Lessons learned from interviewing guests.
(29:55): Ryan’s recommended reading and listening.
(32:00): Ken Trupke’s recommendations.
(33:40): How to connect with Ryan Atkinson.
(34:46): Wrapup.

Episode Quotes
“I'm a very opportunistic person, so if I see an opportunity, I'm going to run with the opportunity.”

“I'm only 25 years old, so I am not perfect by any means … I'm the farthest thing from perfect, so I'm learning every day.”

“If you are wanting to start a business, think about those specific criteria that you want to go after and who the end user is.”

“Hiring has been the most unexpected challenge I've had as a CEO and founder. It is so hard to find good talent and then also retain them and also set them up for success.”

“I've always loved entrepreneurship, I love reading books about entrepreneurs. I just love the whole entrepreneurship thing.”

“A lot of these companies that have scaled have put a company culture in place. They have their core values and they actually live by them.”

Recommended Reading

• “Walt Disney: The Biography” by Neal Gabler
• “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.” by Ron Chernow
• “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson
• “Hangry: A Startup Journey” by Mike Evans
• “Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike” by Phil Knight
• “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson
• “Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson

Recommended Listening and Viewing

• UpFlip podcast with Ryan Atkinson
• UpFlip YouTube Channel
• TechGuide podcast with Ryan Atkinson

Follow/Connect with Ryan Atkinson

• Spacebar Visuals company website
• UpFlip Academy
• Ryan Atkinson on LinkedIn

If you're a leader who struggles to get the results you need from your team, but you’re uncomfortable having conversation around accountability or consequences, then today’s show might help you see things differently.

My guest this week is Hamish Knox of Sandler Training. Hamish has written a book on accountability and has a framework for making it a positive thing that helps you and your team achieve your team goals and their individual goals.

Timestamps

(00:20): Introduction.
(01:03): About Sandler.
(02:14): Expanding beyond sales training.
(03:45): Hamish Knox’s background.
(07:57): Accountability.
(11:04): Keeping team meetings short.
(20:52): Veteran team members need accountability, too.
(25:24): Hamish’s approach to coaching.
(32:05): Establishing buy-in.
(36:45): The lead dog sets the pace.
(38:50): What Hamish is reading and listening to.
(44:25): Connecting with Hamish.
(46:26): Wrap-up.

Episode Quotes
“Communication is our single most powerful driver of real value, internally and externally.”

“Oh, I sent 5,000 emails today, boss. Oh great. What kind of response did you get? Well, 4,990 unsubscribes.”

“The fact of the matter is that in order for us to successfully scale, everybody needs to be following the same program.”

“It does not matter what we say, it matters what they hear.”

“If we don't have data to build an accountability program with, we're really just flying by the seat of our pants. Accountability needs real data, real clarity, and real consequences.”

“Your culture is the behavior approved implicitly or explicitly. That's it.”

Recommended Reading

• “Accountability The Sandler Way” by Hamish Knox
• “Change The Sandler Way” by Hamish Knox
• “How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs” by Guy Raz
• “Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time” by Keith Ferrazzi
• “Your Brain at Work” by David Rock
• “What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
• “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck

Recommended Listening

• Full Funnel Freedom podcast with Hamish Knox
• How I Built This podcast with Guy Raz
• The Brainy Business podcast with Melina Palmer

Follow/Connect with Hamish Knox

• Email: hamish@sandler.com
• Hamish Knox’s website
• Hamish Knox on LinkedIn