Path for Growth with Alex Judd

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How to Think Strategically with Path for Growth Coach Kyle Guemmer Nov 12, 2024

Clear strategic thinking is a vital skill for any leader, even if you’re someone who tends to gravitate more towards tactics. In this episode, Alex talks with Path for Growth one-on-one coach Kyle Guemmer about 6 actions you can take to grow in your strategic thinking. Whether you’re a seasoned strategic thinker or trying to learn how to build this skill for the first time, you’ll walk away with some new tactics you can try this week. And make sure to follow the podcast for more upcoming episodes on strategic thinking and growth!

Episode Recap:

Today we’re continuing our series on strategic growth with Path for Growth coach (1:03)
Your business survives when you work in it but grows when you work on it (1:36)
Most leaders are predisposed either to tactics or to strategy (4:30)
Today we’ll focus on 6 actions to help you think strategically (8:32)
1. Get clear on desired outcomes (11:49)
2. Understand the resources available to you (18:37)
3. Identify root causes and solve for them (28:57)
4. Expand your number of moves (32:39)
5. Listen to different perspectives (36:37)
6. Treat assumptions as assumptions (41:08)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

Sign up for our weekly Growth Guide

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

8 Principles for Strategic Planning and Growth Nov 05, 2024

Strategic planning looks beyond the current state of your organization and can help set you up for healthy growth. But what does it look like to plan wisely and then actually take action? In this episode, we discuss 8 principles of healthy strategic planning, including why it matters, what it entails, and how your organization will change as a result. This is our first episode in a new series on strategic growth, so make sure to follow the podcast for more!

Episode Recap:

We all know strategic planning is important, but what does a healthy version of it look like? (1:03)
Strategic vs. tactical work (3:46)
Good strategic thought will always result in planning and action (8:39)
1. Your business survives when you work in it but grows when you work on it (9:38)
2. There’s a difference between spending time and investing time (13:26)
3. The specificity of your strategy will never exceed the specificity of your vision (17:03)
4. It’s better to invite God in at the beginning than at the end (19:33)
5. A good strategy with wholehearted buy in is better than a great strategy with halfhearted buy in (22:57)
6. Effective strategic planning always results in decisions and actions (24:10)
7. Faithfulness is a commitment to doing God’s work, God’s way (25:46)
8. Wise strategy is rooted in healthy single mindedness (28:31)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

Sign up for our weekly Growth Guide

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

5 Indicators of a Healthy Business Oct 29, 2024

If you want to build and maintain a healthy organization, there are certain key areas you need to focus on. In this episode, Alex examines five of the most important indicators of organizational health, which impact everything from leadership to individual team members to profits. He also discusses the problem of employee engagement and shares a list of questions you can ask yourself to understand if your team is engaged in the work they are doing.

Episode Recap:

Impact-driven leaders know the health of their organization matters (1:20)
Growth for the sake of growth is death (6:08)
Today we’ll walk through 5 indicators of a healthy organization (7:37)
1. Team Engagement: 85% of people are not engaged at work (10:03)
Ask these questions to evaluate your team’s engagement (13:26)
2. Profitability: Your gross sales are meaningless in the conversation about your business’ health (19:18)
3. Consistency of Language: Language creates culture, so the words and phrases your team repeats matter (22:25)
4. Operational Excellence: Do you have a consistent system for never-ending improvement? (24:55)
5. Health of the Leader: Your spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational health matters (28:02)
What’s one area you can focus on this week? (37:06)

Resources:

Sign up for our weekly Growth Guide

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

5 Actions of Healthy High Achievers Oct 22, 2024

Just because you’re a high achiever doesn’t mean you’re pursuing healthy growth. In this episode, Alex breaks down 5 actions of a healthy high achiever, which will help you enjoy, sustain, and extend your achievement for greater long-term impact. He also shares some questions you can ask to help identify the right opportunities and discusses the examples set by healthy, high-achieving leaders in his life.

Episode Recap:

Achievement and fulfillment are not the same thing! (1:05)
How can we enjoy, sustain, and extend achievement? (5:48)
Today we’ll walk through 5 actions of a healthy high achiever (7:41)
1. Ignore: When you become successful, distractions show up everywhere (9:57)
Ask yourself these questions to separate distractions from opportunities (15:03)
2. Steward: Taking care of our things keeps us humble (23:36)
3. Amplify: Identify what’s working and invest in it (32:08)
4. Develop: Your effectiveness as a leader depends on your ability to make others effective (36:48)
5. Give: We were created for generosity (41:11)
3 questions to help you make the most of this episode (45:31)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

“Decision Making and the Will of God” by Garry Friesen

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7 Practical Conclusions from “Decision Making and the Will of God” Oct 15, 2024

Each of us has a freedom and a responsibility to make moral and wise decisions. But what does that decision making process actually look like? And how do we know if a certain path is wise? In this episode, Alex reflects on the framework outlined in Dr. Garry Friesen’s book, “Decision Making and the Will of God.” He also shares 7 practical conclusions that further explain how this framework applies to our daily lives. Make sure to listen to our previous episode with Dr. Friesen for more insights on this topic.

Episode Recap:

The quality of our decisions determines the quality of our life (1:12)
Are you putting off decisions out of faith, or out of fear? (7:07)
Everything that happens is God’s will, but not everything is moral or wise (14:10)
We have the freedom and the responsibility to make decisions (20:41)
7 practical conclusions from the “Decision Making and the Will of God” framework (24:47)
1. You aren’t going to screw up God’s will (25:00)
2. When decisions are not moral in nature, moral language is unhelpful (28:26)
3. Wisdom is exceptionally important (35:10)
4. Wisdom is found by those who seek it (37:08)
5. This framework empowers incredible freedom and demands outrageous responsibility (43:40)
6. Effective, God-honoring decisions are not a checklist, they’re a part of your identity (48:07)
7. Grace is available and necessary for when we make mistakes (50:08)

Resources:

Download our Growth Guide for Leaders

“Decision Making and the Will of God” by Garry Friesen

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Decision Making and the Will of God with Dr. Garry Friesen Oct 08, 2024

How do we know if the decisions we’re making align with God’s will? When Alex found himself asking this question, it led him to a book that changed his life: “Decision Making and the Will of God.” And in this episode, Alex talks with the book’s author, Dr. Garry Friesen. Dr. Friesen explains the two prevailing views of God’s will and unpacks his four-part framework for wise decision making. He also shares insights about how we can apply this framework as business leaders. This episode is full of so much wisdom; you won’t want to miss it!

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Garry Friesen about his book that changed Alex’s life: “Decision Making and the Will of God” (0:01:04)
What inspired you to write a book about God’s will and decision making? (0:03:34)
Can you explain the traditional view of God’s will? (0:09:34)
What happens when someone lives by the traditional view? (0:19:27)
What are the principles of wise decision making? (0:33:08)
How does decision making connect to servant leadership? (0:59:09)
What does it look like to empower others to make decisions? (1:05:47)
What is wisdom, and can contemplative prayer help us get it? (1:16:37)
What role do our desires play in understanding God’s will? (1:28:22)
How do we know when it’s time to leave the details up to God? (1:33:00)

Resources:

Donate to All the Bible in Community (ABC)

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

How to Build a Healthy Executive Presence - Part 2 Oct 01, 2024

When you’re looking to expand your influence as a leader, make sure to consider your executive presence. In this episode, Alex continues the conversation about building a healthy executive presence by discussing 4 more virtues that are vital for leaders. He also shares practical examples and habits to build for each of the virtues, and he explains why executive presence is the key to increasing your impact. Don’t forget to check out part 1 of this series if you haven’t already!

Episode Recap:

Growing in certain virtues can expand your influence as a leader (0:58)
Recapping the first 4 virtues (4:26)
5. Principles: Our reputations are made up of the messages we live and give (7:12)
6. Poor in Spirit: The more you lead, the more you need (14:31)
Ask genuine questions and communicate what you need (19:02)
7. Pace: Set your pace based on how far you want to go (21:45)
Hurry dilutes wisdom, diminishes perspective, and destroys peace (26:13)
8. Priority: Just because something is good doesn’t mean the timing is right (28:24)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

How to Build a Healthy Executive Presence - Part 1 Sep 24, 2024

If you’ve ever started to feel like you’re reaching the limits of your influence, this episode is for you! Alex kicks off a new, two-part series by explaining why executive presence is the key to growing your influence as a leader. He then breaks down the difference between healthy and unhealthy executive presence and shares 4 virtues you can focus on to develop a healthier executive presence. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss part 2!

Episode Recap:

Have you ever felt like your influence was capped? (1:03)
What is executive presence? (3:05)
An unhealthy executive presence asserts influence with toxicity (8:18)
Today we’ll talk about 4 of the virtues that make up a healthy executive (13:00)
1. Preparation: This is the prerequisite for confidence (14:38)
Plan on paper and have the meeting before the meeting (17:44)
2. Peace: The internal always leaks into the external (24:27)
Spend 12 minutes in silence and see where your mind goes (26:37)
3. Presence: Availability increases your influence (35:08)
Participate in meetings and make sure you’re responsive (36:57)
4. People-Centric: Focus on the people right in front of you (40:36)
Identify the people you’re responsible for, and then help them win (43:22)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Developing a Healthy Mind - Part 3 Sep 17, 2024

A healthy mind won’t just happen for you overnight; it needs to be cultivated, guarded, and sustained through daily habits. In this episode, Alex outlines 5 daily actions that directly impact the health of our minds. He also challenges us to choose one of these habits to try out this week and see how our mindsets begin to shift in the process. This is the final part of our series “Developing a Healthy Mind,” so make sure to catch up on the first two episodes if you haven't already!

Episode Recap:

Healthy minds need to be cultivated, guarded, and sustained (1:00)
Today we’ll talk through the habits that will help you develop a healthy mind (4:50)
Prayer: Focus on what you can control and pray for what you can’t (5:20)
Daily Habit: Set a 10-minute timer and focus on the acronym ACTS (9:53)
Silence: We are surrounded by noise, but quiet is valuable (15:42)
Daily Habit: Find time to sit in silence for 10 minutes (19:41)
Exercise: Introducing movement can transform your life (20:09)
Daily Habit: Add a 30-minute walk to your routine (25:01)
Writing: Journaling helps you notice the story unfolding around you (25:57)
Daily Habit: Try writing for 10 minutes about one of these prompts (27:28)
Gratitude: Focusing on gratitude decreases stress and increases humility (28:25)
Daily Habit: Write down or verbalize 3 things you’re grateful for (30:01)
Choose one of these five habits to apply this week (31:31)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Developing a Healthy Mind - Part 2 Sep 10, 2024

If you’re doing the right actions with the wrong mindset, you’ll ultimately get the wrong result. In this episode, Alex continues our series on developing a healthy mind by taking a close look at three common barriers to health: Underthinking, overthinking, and negative thinking. He also leads us through some exercises to help us identify our natural patterns and take steps to move toward health. Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you don’t miss the series’ next installment!

Episode Recap:

Impact-driven leaders need a healthy mind to lead well (1:00)
Today we’ll dig into 3 barriers to a healthy mind (3:09)
1. Underthinking: Are you giving decisions sufficient thought? (5:14)
What causes underthinking? (9:25)
Identify a time when you underthought a decision. Why did that happen? (19:06)
2. Overthinking: Are your thoughts useful and productive? (21:33)
Worry, anxiety, and stress almost always stem from fear (25:43)
Remember these realities about overthinking (33:26)
Identify a time when you overthought a decision. What would have helped? (39:01)
3. Negative thinking: Are you viewing circumstances with realistic optimism? (40:17)
Cultivating and sustaining a healthy mind requires intentional effort (44:30)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

“Winning Begins at Home” by Randy Gravitt

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

“Winning Begins at Home” with Randy Gravitt Sep 03, 2024

If you want to lead well in the workplace, you also need to lead well at home. In this episode, Alex talks with Randy Gravitt about his new book “Winning Begins at Home.” Randy is an author, speaker, executive coach, and Chief Encouragement Officer at Lead Every Day. He explains why he’s so passionate about helping leaders transform their home lives and shares words of wisdom for anyone who’s struggling to manage competing priorities. Randy also discusses some of the routines, rhythms, and boundaries that can help families build stronger relationships.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Randy Gravitt about his book, “Winning Begins at Home” (1:07)
Why is focusing on the home so important to you? (1:55)
Who did you write this book for? (3:50)
What would you say to someone who’s struggling with priorities? (8:28)
What can a healthy home life look like for leaders? (14:43)
Why is mentorship so powerful in this area? (18:33)
What does it look like to become a leader at home? (27:57)
Are there specific rhythms or boundaries that you’ve seen make a difference? (34:38)
What patterns do you see among effective leaders at work and home? (43:20)
What to expect from “Winning Begins at Home” (48:16)
Can you share some final words of encouragement for listeners? (50:13)

Resources:

Lead Every Day website

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Developing a Healthy Mind - Part 1 Aug 27, 2024

Too often, we overestimate the power of our abilities and underestimate the power of our minds. In this episode, Alex kicks off a new series about developing a healthy mind by sharing an experience during an Ironman triathlon that changed his perspective on the power of mindset. He then shares six characteristics of a healthy mind and reminds us that just like any other muscle, our minds get stronger when we work them. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss the rest of this series!

Episode Recap:

Mindset matters more than we realize in situations of stress or challenge (1:22)
We often overestimate the power of our abilities and underestimate the power of our minds (7:42)
Your mind is a muscle that grows the more you work it (10:53)
1. A healthy mind can envision (11:28)
2. A healthy mind can strategize (14:44)
3. A healthy mind can empathize (18:46)
4. A healthy mind can endure (21:02)
5. A healthy mind can learn (26:34)
6. A healthy mind can reflect (28:23)
Do you need new tactics, or do you need a new mindset? (30:15)

Resources:

Follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify

“The Party Crasher” by Joshua Ryan Butler

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Leading through Political Divides with Josh Butler Aug 20, 2024

How can we promote unity and understanding in our organizations when it feels like people are more divided than ever? In this episode, Alex talks with Josh Butler, a pastor, leader and author of the new book “The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems Our Partisan Divide.” Josh unpacks his framework for understanding the different political “regions” people fall into, reminding us that each leaning has its strengths, as long as we don’t make it an idol. He then shares practical advice and examples for leaders about what it might look like to engage with people in different political camps, make yourself accessible for questions and conversations, and create an environment that fosters unity.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Josh Butler about leading through political divides (0:00:56)
Why are you so passionate about the message of “The Party Crasher?” (0:02:50)
What are the four political religions, and why are they useful? (0:08:51)
The Modern Left: A religion of progress (0:11:39)
The Modern Right: A religion of responsibility (0:16:35)
The Postmodern Left: A religion of self-expression (0:20:38)
The Postmodern Right: A religion of security (0:27:03)
How have people responded to learning about these quadrants? (0:31:17)
What might it look like to embrace our leanings without bowing to them? (0:34:07)
Can you share advice for engaging with people you don’t agree with? (0:45:17)
How can leaders create an environment that fosters unity? (0:51:11)
How do you make yourself accessible without burning out? (0:57:26)
We have an opportunity to call people to transcend divisions (1:04:36)

Resources:

Redemption Tempe

Download the 10 Political Commitments

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Two Paths for Growth Aug 13, 2024

Growth for growth’s sake is not enough. If you want to build a healthy business, it matters how you approach that growth. In this episode, Alex breaks down the difference between toxic growth — which is frenzied, frantic, and fearful — and healthy growth — which is centered, stable, and strong. He explains why your approach to growth matters so much for the health of your business, and shares practical examples of what healthy growth actually looks like.

Episode Recap:

The way you grow makes all the difference for the health of your business (1:13)
Consistent, healthy growth requires commitment (4:05)
Toxic growth is emotion, problem, and reaction driven. Healthy growth is priority, plan and process driven. (5:50)
Toxic growth is plagued by comparison. Healthy growth is preoccupied with commitments. (8:23)
Toxic leaders are distracted. Healthy leaders are present. (11:22)
Toxic growth is uneasy with the person you’re becoming. Healthy growth likes the person you’re becoming. (15:29)
Toxic growth is frustrated with what the business is becoming. Healthy growth likes what the business is becoming. (18:52)
Toxic leaders obsess over the destination. Healthy growth enjoys the process. (21:30)
Toxic growth is haunted by never enough. Healthy growth is humbled by never enough. (25:32)
Toxic leaders are surrounded by followers. Healthy leaders are surrounded by other leaders. (29:42)
You have the opportunity to choose healthy growth every day (32:02)

Resources:

Connect with Trey on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

7-Step Framework to Level Up Your Marketing with Trey Sheneman Aug 06, 2024

If you want to see your business level up its marketing efforts, you need to understand where you stand today. In this episode, Trey Sheneman returns to the podcast to discuss his 7-step Compass Framework for auditing your brand and casting a strategic vision for the future. He breaks down each step of the framework, which will help you ensure you have the people, messaging, and customer experience you need to communicate and deliver on your value.

Episode Recap:

Today Trey Sheneman is sharing his 7-part framework for leveling up your marketing (0:01:24)
What is the Compass Framework, and why does it matter? (0:05:32)
1. Competitive Set Analysis: Where are others missing the mark? (0:11:27)
2. Online Experience: What is the end-to-end customer experience? (0:20:39)
3. Messaging (and Positioning) Review: Are we effectively communicating the benefits? (0:27:55)
4. Personnel Review: Who is going to execute the vision? (0:35:02)
5. Avatar Profiling: Who are we trying to reach, and how? (0:44:05)
6. SWOT Analysis by Channel: How is our current marketing serving us? (0:48:48)
7. Strategic Plan: What is your “how by when” and your “what by who?” (0:51:03)
What got you here won’t get you to where you want to go (0:54:50)
How to engage with Trey (1:00:53)

Resources:

Herald Website

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

10 Guiding Principles for Challenging Times Jul 30, 2024

Transitions and challenges can create opportunities for enormous growth. But that kind of leveling up won’t happen accidentally; it requires intentional, visionary leadership. In this episode, Alex shares 10 guiding principles for challenging times. He explains how these principles are helping him navigate a period of transition and shares practical insights for implementing these principles in your own business.

Episode Recap:

Transitions are challenging, but they’re also an opportunity to level up (1:18)
In this episode we’ll walk through 10 guiding principles for challenging times (3:23)
1. When in doubt, go to where the people are (4:27)
2. The best you can do is the best you can do (6:42)
3. Never underestimate the power of sweat (8:33)
4. “What will this look like?” is secondary, “What is right?” is primary (10:40)
5. Simplified priorities help navigate complex situations (12:55)
6. People are capable of remarkable things when their back is against the wall (15:55)
7. You can’t have leadership without relationship (18:16)
8. People don’t rally around facts, they rally around vision (20:23)
9. Fear suffocates creativity and crushes influence (22:21)
10. Complainers look downward, narcissists gaze inward, leaders put their eyes upward, outward, and forward (25:58)

Resources:

How to Operationalize Your Business Guide

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Get Your Operations in Order Jul 23, 2024

Is your business struggling with inconsistent outputs? Or do you find that you’re lacking the documentation and processes you need to maintain quality as you grow? It’s time to operationalize! In this episode, Alex shares 6 common signs that your business needs to focus on getting its operations in order. He then walks through a proven, four-step process for operationalizing a business, no matter its stage or size.

Episode Recap:

Here are 6 signs you need to operationalize your business (0:58)
It takes more time to create less value for customers (7:05)
Operationalizing makes excellence predictable and repeatable (8:06)
Don’t forget: Simplicity scales (13:58)
1. Standardize: Clarify benchmarks for success (16:04)
2. Document: Store success statements and processes in a clear, accessible manner (19:48)
3. Evaluate: Establish a rhythm for comparing performance to the standard (23:03)
4. Improve: Create a system for never-ending improvement on the process and success statements (27:28)

Resources:

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Navigating Outside Investors, Leveling Up Your Leadership, and Tackling the Smartphone Habit with Aro CEO Heath Wilson Jul 16, 2024

Heath Wilson understands how challenging it can be to save intentional time for family while building a company. So, after exiting the company he’d worked on for 18 years, he decided to launch Aro, a product designed to help families reduce their screen time and spend more time together. In this episode, Heath joins Alex to talk about the lessons he learned while growing his first company, from becoming a better leader to managing outside investors to knowing when it’s time to exit. Then, they talk about the way screen time is getting in the way of relationships, and Heath explains how Aro is tackling this problem head on.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Heath Wilson, founder and CEO of Aro (0:00:54)
Can you tell us how you became an entrepreneur? (0:02:02)
What steps should a new entrepreneur take when they see an opportunity? (0:10:05)
How do you hold onto your vision in the midst of outside expectations? (0:15:54)
What did it look like to level up your leadership as the business grew? (0:22:42)
How do you stay committed to learning? (0:35:16)
What was it like to exit a company you’d worked on for 18 years? (0:39:46)
Why did you decide to start Aro, and what problem does it solve? (0:47:18)
Can you share some success stories you’ve heard from Aro users? (0:58:37)
What does it look like to take the lead and be proactive about phone use? (1:08:45)

Helpful Links and Resources

Jonathan Haidt on the Joe Rogan podcast

Aro Website

How to Do Sales Properly - Part 1

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

What Do You Do When Your Business Stalls Out? Jul 09, 2024

In a market that’s constantly changing, you may find that what worked for you in the past no longer works today. So, what do you do when you realize your business has stalled? In this episode, Alex walks through a series of areas to focus on if you feel like your business is in a rut. From evaluating yourself, to evaluating your team, to casting a vision for the future, he lays out the most important questions you can ask to understand where your business is today and start moving forward into the future.

Continuing to do the same thing won’t always get you the same results (0:58)
When your business stalls out, look ahead (4:44)
Ask yourself these questions to understand where you are right now (10:05)
Are you asking your business to satisfy something it was never meant to satisfy? (11:55)
Do you believe that where you are going is worth it and possible? (17:14)
What are things you’re doing and not doing that are contributing to stagnation? (20:32)
Where are you getting in your own way? (22:22)
Do you know what it looks like to lead at a higher level than you are now? (24:55)
Ask these four questions to evaluate your team (26:48)
If your business is stalled, think strategically about the problem you’re solving (34:59)
Are your current customers pleased with the value you’re providing them? (37:09)
What is lacking in your marketing and messaging? (38:17)
What are we lacking systematically that’s failing to convert prospects into customers? (41:35)

Resources:

Global Leadership Podcast

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

5 Leadership Lessons from 25 Years of Business with Rusty Fulling Jul 02, 2024

Experience is often the best teacher when it comes to leadership, and today, Rusty Fulling is sharing the top 5 lessons he’s learned through his 25 years of business ownership. Rusty is the founder and CEO of Fulling Management and Accounting, a company helping business owners access financial clarity and peace of mind. He talks with Alex about five key insights for leaders and explains what each of them has looked like in practice in his business. You won’t want to miss this one!

Today Rusty Fulling is sharing 5 lessons he’s learned in 25 years of business (0:45)
How did you get started as a business owner? (3:09)
1. Be intentional: Take the time to define who you are and what you believe (6:56)
What does it look like to find your leadership voice? (12:45)
2. Be patient: Consistent deposits will start to earn interest (17:07)
What advice can you share for someone who struggles with patience? (21:25)
3. Be a difference maker: It’s not just about the balance sheet (22:45)
Why are service projects important for your team? (28:09)
How have you developed a healthy pace? (30:27)
4. Be a lifelong learner: Significance matters more than success (35:05)
What are you learning right now? (42:53)
5. Be still: Listen and seek clarity and counsel (44:40)
How do you help leaders steward their businesses’ resources? (49:41)

Helpful Links and Resources

The Way I Heard it Podcast

“Scarcity Brain” by Michael Easter

“Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant

Fulling Management and Accounting

Rusty Fulling website

Connect with Rusty on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Back to the Basics: 3 Foundational Questions for Leaders Jun 25, 2024

Don’t let yourself get so caught up in running your business that you forget about the foundations of good leadership. In this episode, Alex takes us back to the basics by answering three important questions: Who is a leader? What is leadership? And what makes a good leader? He explains why these foundational questions are so important to examine and shares insights that will apply to any leader, no matter what role you’re in or how many people are depending on you.

It’s easy to get distracted by complexity, but don’t forget the basics (1:03)
Who is a leader? If someone depends on you, then you are a leader (2:52)
What is leadership? Leadership is taking people from here to there (7:07)
You can’t just look at where you’re going, you have to define where you are (10:11)
Leadership is catching, casting, and coaching a vision (16:57)
What makes a leader good? Leadership is defined by our why, where, and way (22:19)

Resources:

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Training and Developing Leaders with Josh Etress Jun 18, 2024

The process you follow in a new hire’s first 30 days can have a dramatic impact on their success as an employee and a leader. This belief inspired Anchor Investments COO Josh Etress to develop 100x Leadership, a framework he uses for intentional onboarding. In this episode, Josh shares his 5 foundations for developing managers and talks through the process he uses with each new employee. He also explains why the first week and the first 30 days are so important and offers insights that will apply to any industry. If you haven’t already, make sure to listen to part 1 of Alex’s conversation with Josh about all things LinkedIn!

Today we’re continuing our conversation with Josh Etress about 100x leadership (0:58)
What is 100x leadership, and why does it matter? (1:44)
How do you teach new hires what to expect from your company? (4:23)
Make sure even the most obvious expectations are spoken (8:57)
Start small, then expand the box (12:57)
How has your ministry experience impacted your leadership? (17:11)
5 foundations for developing managers (18:37)
How did you narrow in on the 5 foundations? (21:46)

Helpful Links and Resources

Follow Josh on LinkedIn

Mission Hotels

Anchor Investments

“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

A LinkedIn Playbook for Leaders with Josh Etress Jun 11, 2024

Have you ever considered how LinkedIn can elevate your impact? In this episode, Alex talks with Josh Etress, COO of Anchor Investments and a leader who’s excelled at sharing quality, insightful content on LinkedIn. Josh shares his top advice for staying consistent on LinkedIn, using frameworks to make posting more efficient, and building habits and boundaries around your relationship with the platform. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss part 2 of the conversation with Josh!

Today we’re talking with Josh Etress, COO of Anchor Investments and LinkedIn aficionado (1:05)
When and why did you start engaging with LinkedIn? (5:25)
The value of LinkedIn: Wisdom, growth, talent attraction, reach (11:37)
How do you stay consistent on LinkedIn? (15:47)
When should a leader be on LinkedIn? (20:52)
What rhythm will help create results on LinkedIn? (26:46)
Can you share an example of a LinkedIn framework? (33:47)
What habits help you manage messages and comments? (43:21)
What pitfalls should leaders avoid? (48:41)
Where to learn more from Josh (55:44)

Helpful Links and Resources

LinkedIn “Exchange” Post

Follow Josh on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Accounts Josh Recommends:

Mission Hotels

Anchor Investments

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

6 Deficits that Kill Business Growth Jun 04, 2024

If you want your business to achieve different results, you need to take different actions. In this episode, Alex breaks down 6 of the most common deficits that keep businesses from growing beyond their current level. He also shares actionable steps you can take to overcome this deficit, so you can experience healthy growth and see your impact increase.

What got you here won’t get you there (0:40)
Today we’ll look at 6 common deficits that kill business growth (1:44)
1. Vision Deficit: Make it clear, compelling, comprehensive, and communicated (2:41)
2. Accountability Deficit: Develop role-based, results-oriented, and rhythmic accountability (9:55)
3. Leadership Team Deficit: Think strategically about the leaders you choose (18:08)
4. Distinguishing Factor Deficit: Know what makes you different from the rest (22:23)
5. Courage Deficit: True growth always requires courage (24:56)
6. Humility Deficit: Invite others into the process of creating lasting impact (28:44)

Resources:

Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Navigating Succession with Purpose and Clarity with Brooke Hodnefield May 28, 2024

You may not think your business needs a succession plan, but laying the groundwork early will allow your organization to thrive through periods of transitions, not just survive them. Slingshot Group VP Brooke Hodnefield is an expert at helping businesses navigate leadership succession, and today she’s joining Alex to share some of her wisdom. They discuss why it’s so important to think honestly and strategically about the concept of succession, whether you’re preparing to leave or plan to stay at your organization for years. Brooke then breaks down 3 different models of succession, including the benefits to each and the common pitfalls to avoid.

Succession can create massive rewards or massive challenges for your organization (0:00:40)
Why are you and your team so passionate about succession? (0:02:13)
What would you say to the leader who doesn’t want to think about succession? (0:09:33)
The Case for Stability: How do we weigh the cost of transitions? (0:14:01)
How can organizations approach this topic with honesty? (0:22:04)
Stop and Go Succession: Benefits and pitfalls to avoid (0:31:29)
Intentional Interim Succession: How to set the successor up for the future (0:40:17)
Overlap Succession: Keep an eye out for these traps if you choose to overlap (0:48:57)
Succession is tactical, but it’s also emotional (0:53:35)
What’s one action leaders can take today? (0:58:03)

Helpful Links and Resources

Slingshot Group Website

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Pursuing Healthy Growth while Leading Two Businesses with Dan Chapman May 21, 2024

Expanding any business will naturally come with growing pains, but that doesn’t mean your stress has to increase whenever your business grows. Dan Chapman is living proof that you can grow your business — or even multiple businesses — while still pursuing healthy growth and making marriage and faith a priority. He’s the founder and CEO of Redd Remedies and CEO of Sunrise Health Food Stores, and in this episode, Dan shares the lessons and practices that have helped him succeed at leading two businesses simultaneously. He also talks about the process of taking over a family business, stresses the importance of surrounding yourself with people whose strengths complement yours, and much more.

Today, Dan Chapman is back to talk about leading multiple businesses (0:00:49)
How did you get involved with the health food business? (0:01:40)
What differentiators helped make Sunrise Health Foods a success early on? (0:09:30)
Can you share what you’ve learned about transitioning ownership? (0:16:41)
What made you realize that you needed implementers around you? (0:24:16)
Why is opening a third location harder than a second? (0:35:41)
What inspired you to launch Redd Remedies? (0:47:54)
What would you do differently if you were starting a new business today? (0:56:43)
How do you divide up your day-to-day across the businesses? (1:03:08)

Helpful Links and Resources

Redd Remedies

Sunrise Health Foods

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Rules of Engagement for Marriage May 14, 2024

Business matters, but marriage matters more. In this episode, Alex explains why marriage should always be the top priority, and then unpacks the framework he and Aspen use in their marriage to navigate conflict in a healthy way. He defines the concept of “rules of engagement,” then shares his own 5 rules as an example for the kind of commitments you can establish with your own spouse.

Today we’re looking at some rules of engagement for a healthy marriage (0:57)
God, marriage, kids, work. In that order. (4:37)
Chaos is not the ideal time to make decision or establish boundaries (8:16)
Rules of Engagement: Write down 3-5 things you’re committed to always doing or not doing (12:10)
1. Communicate one thought at a time (15:06)
2. Communicate closure (19:15)
3. Tell the truth (21:12)
4. Return to core values and mission as common ground (22:54)
5. Never refuse a request to see a counselor or a pastor (24:53)
Take some time to establish your own rules of engagement for conflict (27:20)

Resources:

Connect with Trey on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Strategic Marketing for Impact-Driven Leaders with Trey Sheneman May 07, 2024

If you own or run a small business, you also need to be its chief marketer. To that end, Alex talks in this episode with Trey Sheneman about some of the foundational principles of marketing for small, impact-driven businesses. Trey is the founder of the brand strategy and growth firm Herald, and he’s especially passionate about helping entrepreneurs who want to make a kingdom impact. He shares practical tips for evaluating your marketing budget, approaching B2B versus D2C marketing, prioritizing the right channels, and much more.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Trey Sheneman about marketing for impact-driven leaders (0:00:52)
Why is marketing important for small businesses? (0:01:59)
Can you share examples of business owners who are doing marketing well? (0:06:48)
Why should businesses focus on excelling at one marketing channel? (0:12:26)
Where should we start when optimizing our marketing? (0:26:44)
How should B2B companies think about marketing? (0:31:11)
Can you share some tips for evaluating marketing expenditures? (0:41:02)
How should talking to customers shape your marketing strategy? (0:54:32)
What can Jesus teach us about messaging? (0:59:36)

Helpful Links and Resources

Herald Website

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

Connect with our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Get Your Life in Order with Redd Remedies CEO Dan Chapman Apr 30, 2024

If you want to get your business in order, you need to first get yourself in order. Dan Chapman is someone who exemplifies this principle, and as founder and CEO of the supplement company Redd Remedies, he’s helping others to do the same. In this episode, Dan talks with Alex about what it looks like to put your faith, marriage, and personal health in order. He explains why health in these areas is vital for business owners and leaders, and he also provides a quick crash course on using supplements to support your health. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss part two of the conversation with Dan!

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Dan Chapman about what it looks like to put your personal life in order (0:00:53)
Before we do anything else, we need to start with rest (0:03:33)
What have you learned from seasons where you felt out of order? (0:08:50)
Are there certain lies that block people from healthy relationships? (0:16:35)
Why are rest and dependence so important? (0:19:14)
Can you explain how supplements can support your health? (0:29:32)
What advice can you share for maintaining a healthy marriage? (0:40:08)
How do you and your wife approach decision making? (0:50:08)
Do you have any advice for parents of young children? (1:01:09)
How to get connected with Dan (1:06:35)

Helpful Links and Resources

Redd Remedies

dchapman@reddremedies.com

Sunrise Health Foods

“Teaching the Entrepreneurial Mindset” by Stephen Carter

Connect with Our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Think Like an Entrepreneur with Stephen Carter Apr 23, 2024

We all want people on our teams who are growth-minded and willing to think outside the box to solve problems. But how can we help our people develop these entrepreneurial traits? In this episode, Alex talks with Stephen Carter, author of “Teaching the Entrepreneurial Mindset.” Stephen shares the 4 key attributes of an entrepreneurial mindset, which he’s learned through years of teaching entrepreneurship to teens at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. He also outlines some practical actions leaders can take to foster these attributes in the people around them.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Stephen Carter about developing the entrepreneurial mindset in others (0:01:00)
What is the entrepreneurial mindset, and why does it matter? (0:02:18)
Why is your work with students relevant to business owners? (0:06:17)
How did you narrow in on 4 attributes for thinking like an entrepreneur? (0:10:11)
1. Growth Mindset: Effort trumps talent (0:12:14)
How do you approach teaching a growth mindset? (0:17:37)
Start by testing the waters with one small goal (0:28:48)
2. Grit: Passion and perseverance toward long-term goals (0:30:16)
How can leaders help their teams set and pursue goals? (0:36:06)
3. Redefining Failure: Growth stagnates when we begin to fear failure (0:43:03)
4. Opportunity Seeking: The desire to solve problems (0:52:21)
Fall in love with the problem, not the solution (0:56:56)
Where to learn more from Stephen (1:01:49)
How to get comfortable with discomfort (1:02:56)

Helpful Links and Resources

“The Four Disciplines of Execution” by Sean Covey

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Podcast

Connect with Our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

Business & Leadership Lessons with Path for Growth's Newest Coach Apr 16, 2024

Every Path for Growth coach has experience owning and leading a business, and Matt Aiken is no exception. In this episode, Matt joins the podcast to talk about the lessons from his career that inform his approach to coaching today. He reflects on the experience of working under a toxic leader, shares how he’s stayed committed to learning new skills, and explains why he decided to become a coach. Matt is the former CEO of Keymaster Games and has a strong background in finance, so he has valuable perspective to share with any growth-minded leader.

Today we’re introducing you to our newest team member Matt Aiken (0:00:57)
What did you learn from working in a toxic leadership situation? (0:02:03)
How can starting with the end in mind benefit your organization? (0:16:49)
Can you tell us about the progression of your career? (0:20:19)
How did working for a large organization prepare you for the future? (0:29:03)
What principles have you learned around decision making at a high level? (46:10)
How have you been intentional about acquiring new skills? (0:54:44)
Why did you want to become a Path for Growth coach? (1:03:50)
How to work with Matt (1:14:02)
What would you say to someone who feels like they’re in a funk? (1:20:14)

Helpful Links and Resources

Connect with Our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

10 Actions to Practice Effective Listening Apr 09, 2024

Effective listening is not just a useful skill to have; it’s a vital part of leading well. In this episode, Alex explains why listening is so important for leaders. Then, he breaks down ten practical actions that will help you become a more effective listener. With time and practice, you’ll find yourself listening better and see your leadership improve as a result.

To lead is to listen (0:58)
1. Ask curious questions (6:30)
2. Practice non-verbal affirmation (7:56)
3. Seek out perspectives from those who haven’t spoken up (9:33)
4. Make eye contact (11:46)
5. Get your phone off the table (12:53)
6. Practice verbal affirmation (13:53)
7. Assume you don't understand the person’s perspective (15:24)
8. Use the phrase, “What I hear you saying is…” (16:38)
9. Cultivate the belief that all people are really interesting (18:32)
10. Get reps (20:01)

Resources:

Lessons in Leadership by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Connect with Our Founder Alex Judd on LinkedIn and Instagram

How to Run Like You Might Win with Zack Estes Apr 02, 2024

The Bible is full of insights for every aspect of our lives, and business is no exception. In this episode, Path for Growth COO Zack Estes joins the podcast to talk about a passage that has him excited right now: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Zack explains what these verses are teaching him about leadership, and then he and Alex discuss their approaches to reading the Bible in context and then applying it to their lives. They also share some practices for staying focused on what matters in the midst of competing goals and priorities.

Today we’re talking with Path for Growth COO Zack Estes about 1 Corinthians 9 (0:58)
The Bible is full of wisdom that directly applies to business (4:27)
Define your aim, then run toward it like you might one day win the race (5:24)
Context, application, and perception all matter when reading Scripture (11:53)
Try to win instead of just trying not to lose (14:48)
Is your ultimate reality something fleeting, or something that lasts? (24:25)
Practices for keeping what matters at the center (27:58)
Alignment happens when our actions are the slave of our aim (35:27)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Follow Zack on LinkedIn

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

How to Win in an Economic Downturn with Michael King Mar 26, 2024

Did you know you can go beyond just surviving today’s economy and find opportunities to set yourself up for long-term success? In this episode, Michael King returns to the podcast to share his “Movers’ Framework” for winning in 2024. He explains why each step is important and shares practical action items you can implement today if you find that you’re struggling in those areas. Michael is the Founder and CEO of the fractional CFO company KFE Solutions, where he helps businesses increase profits so they can grow their impacts. He also explains how you can know when it's time to hire your next financial professional.

Today we’re talking with Michael King about his framework for winning in 2024 (0:00:58)
M = Motivations (0:08:44)
If you’re wrestling with motivation, bring other people into the conversation (0:17:24)
O = Objectives (0:18:47)
What are the values and habits that help people focus on impact? (0:22:37)
If you’re struggling to set objectives, go back to the fundamentals (0:30:39)
V = Visionary Mindset (0:32:24)
What happens when you’re operating without a visionary mindset? (0:34:08)
If you’re missing a visionary mindset, zoom out on the impact of your decisions (0:44:19)
E = Empowered Evaluation (0:47:28)
How do you know who to hire and when? (0:52:42)
If you’re struggling with evaluation, start with your financial statements 0:58:54)
R = Rethink Expenses and Increase Investments (1:06:34)
How can leaders prepare to invest well during a downturn? (1:09:32)
Examine your P&L and how each item contributes to your goals (1:13:25)
S = Sniper Mode (1:16:07)
How can leaders balance patience and aggressive action? (1:21:56)
Where to learn more if you’re interested in a fractional CFO (1:24:03)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Listen to Michael’s episode on The Fundamentals of Financial Growth

KFE Solutions Website

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

5 Things That Keep CEOs Stuck Mar 19, 2024

Are you feeling stuck or like you’ve been in a rut for a while now? Getting stuck is a natural part of leadership, but it’s important to take action so you don’t end up staying there. In this episode, Alex shares five things that keep many CEOs stuck, along with a step or two you can take to solve each problem. Whether you’re struggling to grow your business without increasing your stress or feeling like you’ve lost momentum in your personal life, this episode has useful insights.

Getting stuck isn’t the problem, it’s staying stuck (1:05)
1. You’re being held hostage by your team (2:50)
Have a line in the sand moment (5:22)
2. You aren’t the CEO; you’re the CEB (10:24)
Take responsibility and focus on role clarity (12:50)
3. You haven’t been on an actual vacation (18:01)
Slow down, practice presence, and take a breath (21:19)
4. Your input stream is unhealthy, stale, or nonexistent (22:14)
If you don’t like your output, look at what you’re putting in (28:33)
5. You don’t have a vision for what unstuck is (29:03)
Surround yourself with CEOs who have done it (31:12)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

5 Pillars for Building and Stewarding Wealth with Jeff Socha Mar 12, 2024

If you want to get better at managing wealth in your business and your personal life, you won’t want to miss part 2 of our conversation with Jeff Socha! Jeff shares the five pillars of wealth building he recommends for business owners and leaders who want to learn to better steward their finances. He also provides one or two action items to go along with each pillar, and he explains his philosophy about putting your money toward the past, present, or future.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re continuing our wealth building conversation with Jeff Socha (0:53)

Money can be consumed now, paid back to the past, or invested for the future (1:44)

1. Organize and automate your cash flow (3:40)

2. Write a policy statement to direct your investment strategy (8:24)

3. Evaluate your risk and create a catastrophe plan (19:49)

4. Take proactive action with legal planning (23:35)

5. Work with a tax strategist (26:40)

How to work with Jeff (32:23)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Work with Jeff on tax strategy

Socha Capital website

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Unlocking the Mindset and Motive Behind Wealth with Jeff Socha Mar 05, 2024

Great business owners know that responsibly stewarding wealth is a key part of their job. But so many of us struggle to develop a healthy mindset toward finances. In this episode, Jeff Socha discusses the limiting beliefs, shame, and fear that hold many leaders back from building and stewarding true wealth. Jeff is the founder of Socha Capital, where he’s helping leaders and high-net-worth families preserve and manage their wealth. Make sure to check back next week for part 2, where Jeff will break down his 5 pillars of wealth building!

Today we’re talking with Jeff Socha about wealth management mindset for leaders (0:41)
Why are you so passionate about helping people steward wealth? (2:51)
What are some common misconceptions you see around wealth? (8:57)
What’s the difference between earning money and building wealth? (17:10)
How do shame and guilt impact our relationship to wealth? (31:14)
What advice do you have for those who want to give but feel like they can’t yet? (38:48)
Check back next week for part 2 on the 5 pillars of wealth building (42:46)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Socha Capital website

Get connected with Jeff

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

12 Takeaways from “Beyond Order” by Jordan Peterson Feb 27, 2024

If you want to turn the things you read into practical applications that impact your life, there’s enormous value in writing down and sharing the insights you learn. In this episode, Alex does just that with “Beyond Order” by Jordan Peterson. Alex shares his top 12 takeaways from the book and explains how they’ve transformed the way he thinks about leadership, marriage, following Jesus, and more.

Today Alex is sharing his 12 takeaways from Jordan Peterson’s “Beyond Order” (1:03)

1. Isolation will drive you mad (3:11)

2. If you want to learn, you need to admit you don’t know it all (6:45)

3. The treasure is always by the dragon (9:45)

4. Amputate the things that aren’t actually who you are (12:16)

5. To unlock people’s potential, choose to proactively trust them (16:21)

6. By outrageously skeptical of over-simplification (19:06)

7. Jesus was both a radical revolutionary and rooted in tradition (23:44)

8. Don’t discount beauty that speaks to your soul (28:12)

9. Memories are protection against repeating the past (31:35)

10. Be honest about everything (33:23)

11. Focus on changing yourself before trying to change the world (38:06)

12. It’s a miracle that we exist, don’t forget it (41:12)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

“Beyond Order” by Jordan Peterson

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

A Former Chick-fil-A VP Shares His Top Leadership Lessons Feb 20, 2024

Mark Miller’s whole life changed when he realized that becoming a leader would require him to never stop learning and growing. Mark is the former vice president of high performance leadership at Chick-fil-A and co-founder of the organization Lead Every Day. In this episode, he joins Alex to share his five fundamentals for uncommon leadership. He also reflects on some of the high-impact leadership lessons he learned from working with Truett Cathy and Chick-fil-A.

Today we’re talking with Mark Miller about developing leaders (0:00:52)
When did you learn that leadership was all about lifelong growth? (0:02:34)
How can we become leaders who change people’s trajectories? (0:08:11)
How have you balanced proven principles with innovation? (0:11:52)
How can leaders learn to “see the future?” (0:16:02)
Why are engagement and development vital for great leadership? (0:25:32)
How have you learned to focus on continuous reinvention? (0:30:52)
What does it look like to value both results and relationships? (0:41:15)
Why is leadership like an iceberg? (0:54:03)
What would happen if you tried to add value to every person you met? (0:57:38)
Where to learn more from Mark (1:00:30)
How can someone get started with learning every day? (1:01:45)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

“Uncommon Leadership” by Mark Miller

Get in touch with Mark: 678-612-8441 or mark@leadeveryday.com

Lead Every Day Website

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Leading from the Middle with Mikel Bowman Feb 13, 2024

Mikel Bowman believes personal growth is all about committing to a daily revolution, but he wasn’t always this way. After experiencing radical transformation in his own life, Mikel now helps other leaders and organizations build great cultures, leave lasting legacies, and develop more leaders. In this episode, Mikel joins Alex to talk about the life-changing work he’s doing at Bowman Legacies, the crucial connection between personal growth and leadership, and what it means to live a daily revolution. He also shares some traits that all effective leaders have in common and explains how you can get in the trenches while still working on the business.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Bowman Legacies Founder Mikel Bowman (0:00:42)
Can you share a story that shows why you’re so passionate about leadership? (0:02:13)
How did your journey lead you to where you are today? (0:06:54)
What were the beliefs that drove your old self, and how did they change? (0:15:03)
What habits or rhythms make up a life of daily revolution? (0:26:25)
Why is personal growth vital for effective leadership? (0:38:34)
How can leaders balance dedication with being in the trenches? (0:41:32)
What does it mean to link shields, and how can leaders ensure this happens? (0:48:37)
What do the most effective leaders have in common? (0:57:30)
Where to learn more from Mikel (1:04:43)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

“Lead from the Middle” by Mikel Bowman

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders with Jerold Nichols Feb 06, 2024

Taking over a business will always require a period of transition, and Jerold Nichols is a great example of someone who navigated that change effectively. As president of Amber Electrical, Jerold has had a significant impact on the company’s growth, operationalization, and commitment to workforce development. In this episode, he talks with Alex about how the EOS framework has transformed his approach to leadership, along with other lessons he’s learned from leaving his first business and then joining Amber. Jerold also shares his experience around working with family and explains why he’s so passionate about investing in the next generation of students and leaders.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Jerold Nichols, president of Amber Electrical (0:00:51)
How did you get involved with Amber Electrical? (0:01:37)
What did you gain from taking a break when you left your first business? (0:04:23)
How did you decide Amber Electrical was the next right step for you? (0:15:33)
What changes did you make when you joined the company? (0:22:47)
How do you engage with processes when that’s not your natural strength? (0:30:48)
What have you learned as a visionary working with an integrator? (0:37:40)
Can you tell us about your son’s “I get it moment” with coaching? (0:50:49)
Why are you so passionate about workforce development? (0:55:33)
What would you say to a group of young business owners? (1:08:37)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Amber Electrical Website

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

7 Mistakes Amateur Coaches Make - Part 2 Jan 30, 2024

If you want to be a great leader, you need to develop your coaching abilities. In this episode, Alex and Coaching Manager Olivia Graham continue their discussion of the 7 most common mistakes amateur coaches make. They remind us that a coach’s purpose is to serve and share important advice about setting expectations, focusing on limiting beliefs, and knowing your blind spots. Make sure to check out part 1 of the conversation if you haven't’ already!

Episode Recap:

Today we’re continuing our series on mistakes amateur coaches make (0:50)
Why do leaders need to be great coaches? (1:15)
4. Focusing on keeping more than serving: Great coaches focus on the client’s best interest (4:08)
People trust truthful people, not nice people (8:33)
5. Over-indexing on behavior change: Know that beliefs drive behavior (11:56)
When you’re conscious of your beliefs, you can take action and move forward (21:29)
6. Failing to align expectations: Unspoken expectations are front-loaded resentment (28:57)
When expectations are set, you can make deposits for the long-term relationship (39:35)
7. Falling for a delusional superiority complex: Your blind spots will often become your biggest weaknesses (40:17)
These mistakes create noise, distraction, and lack of trust (48:00)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Listen to Path for Growth’s “Great Leaders are Great Coaches” podcast series

“Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

7 Mistakes Amateur Coaches Make - Part 1 Jan 23, 2024

Effective leaders know how to coach their people, and great coaching is not a skill you can acquire overnight. In this episode, Alex and Coaching Manager Olivia Graham begin a conversation about the 7 most common mistakes they see amateur coaches making. They focus on the importance of coaching belief, building long term relationships, and prioritizing preparation. Alex and Olivia also share some steps you can take to start developing your coaching skills. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss part 2!

Episode Recap:

Effective leaders know how to be effective coaches (0:47)
Mistakes will happen, but it’s your job to course correct when they do (3:12)
1. Dogpile action items: Don’t only focus on behavior; focus on beliefs, too (5:23)
Don’t underestimate the power of restraint (13:03)
2. Trying to hit a grand slam with every meeting: Remember that you’re in it for the long haul (15:57)
3. Lack of preparation: Professional coaches don’t wing it (22:51)
How to start becoming a leader who coaches well (30:03)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Listen to Path for Growth’s “Great Leaders are Great Coaches” podcast series

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

The Leader that Prays Jan 16, 2024

Prayer isn’t just something we do because we should, it’s a vital practice for healthy leaders to commit to. In this episode, Alex shares a sermon he gave at Cornerstone Church about the fundamentals and framework of prayer. He explains why it’s so important to practice prayer like a professional, and he gives a helpful acronym you can use when you pray.

Healthy leaders need a vibrant, flourishing prayer life (0:55)
Are you focused on the outcome or the practice? (4:38)
When a professional practices, they are relentlessly focused on the fundamentals (9:38)
Jesus gave the fundamentals and framework for exactly how we should pray (12:02)
Practice prayer in a way that’s personal; it shouldn’t be performative (13:54)
Practice prayer in a way that's simple; it’s a conversation (17:05)
Practice prayer in a way that’s relational; this is a give and take (18:55)
Practice prayer in a way that’s biblical (22:29)
Focus on the acronym ACTS (26:12)
Adoration: Immerse yourself in the glory of who God is (27:07)
Confession: Acknowledge where you’ve messed up and receive His forgiveness (30:38)
Thanksgiving: Remember all the prayers God has already answered (34:52)
Supplication: Imagine a future that doesn’t exist yet, and then act like it does (39:08)
Prayer is always there (41:58)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Building a Faith-Based Business, Determining Your Aim, and Developing Confidence with Ben Steuart Jan 09, 2024

Ben Steuart has an incredible transformation story from struggling with drugs and alcohol to meeting Jesus and eventually becoming a successful business owner and leader. He’s the founder and CEO of the dietary supplement manufacturer Steuart Contract Packaging, and in this episode, he joins Alex talk to share his story and discuss some of the biggest leadership lessons he’s learned. Ben and Alex cover a wide variety of practical topics, including sticking to your aim, advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, bringing your values into hiring, engaging with disagreement, and much more.

Today we’re talking with Ben Steuart, founder and CEO of Steuart Contract Packaging (0:39)
How did you get involved in the supplement manufacturing business? (2:21)
Who were you before you got to know Jesus, and how have those traits been redirected since? (8:04)
How have you learned to use your story to help others? (18:06)
What motivated you to leave your dad’s business and start your own? (22:06)
How do you counsel young people who want to start a business? (29:37)
Can you share some tips for developing aim and maintaining a healthy mindset? (32:47)
Why was it important to you to put faith at the forefront of your business? (41:50)
How do you integrate your values into the hiring process? (46:55)
What have you done to limit shame and fear and build confidence? (49:45)
What’s one leadership lesson you had to learn the hard way? (57:50)
What’s your playbook for engaging with disagreement on your team? (1:00:58)
What keeps leaders stuck working in the business? (1:08:33)
Who is a leader you admire, and what have you learned from him? (1:15:06)
What are you learning right now, and what would you say to other leaders? (1:18:35)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Steuart Contract Packaging

Follow Ben on LinkedIn

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

A Higher Standard for the New Year (Repost) Jan 02, 2024

Are you happy about the new year that’s coming, or are you just tired of the old one? Whatever your answer, there’s good news: you have the ability to do something different this year. In today’s episode, Alex shares a motivational message about practicing healthy growth in 2024, from taking intentional action to having faith in the things we can’t control.

You have the ability to do something different this year (0:00)
Growth is methodical and intentional (3:04)
You don’t control it all, but you have access to the one who does (5:23)
What do you believe, and what are you going to do about it? (7:29)

Links and Resources

Apply for a 14-day Free Trial for Path for Growth's Community Coaching

Learn more about the 2024 Path for Growth Experience – A Higher Standard

Download Alex's Free Reading Guide

Download Free Lesson & Workbook: How to Operationalize Your Business

Leadership Lessons from the Beatitudes Dec 26, 2023

What does it mean to live a blessed life? In this episode, Alex walks through the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which outline the heart postures you need to live a joyful, blessed life. He explains how each of those statements apply to impact-driven leaders and encourages us to take the time to intentionally embrace these postures in our own lives.

The Beatitudes outline the heart postures you need to live a blessed life (0:39)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, who recognize just how much they need God (4:40)
Blessed are those who mourn, who are able to reckon with their own brokenness (8:20)
Blessed are the meek, who have strength that is under control (10:50)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who make every decision through the lens of what is right (12:35)
Blessed are the pure in heart, who take the time to look for God (15:09)
Blessed are the peacemakers, who act proactively in the face of conflict (17:45)
Blessed are those who are persecuted, who have their eyes on the big picture (19:57)
Blessed are you when you’re persecuted for your faith (23:07)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Fundamentals of Healthy Growth #8-12 Dec 19, 2023

Healthy growth won’t happen accidentally in your organization; it requires intentional effort from you as the leader. In this episode, Alex wraps up our “Fundamentals of Healthy Growth” series by talking through fundamentals 12 through 8: an organizational role chart, leadership team success statements, leadership team one-on-one meetings, team communication, and an organizational vision chart. With these fundamentals in place, you’ll find that you can grow your business without increasing your stress in the process.

Episode Recap:

Healthy growth only occurs intentionally, never accidentally (0:42)
Recapping fundamentals 1-7 (2:30)
Fundamental #8: Organization’s role chart (4:34)
4 guiding principles for building a role chart (8:08)
Fundamental #9: Leadership team success statements (14:09)
Fundamental #10: Leadership team one-on-one meeting rhythm (17:38)
Fundamental #11: Team communication (21:42)
Fundamental #12: Organization’s vision chart (25:55)
Do you have the structure to keep you where your business takes you? (29:20)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Listen to our Series on Expansionary Vision

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Fundamentals of Healthy Growth #4-7 Dec 12, 2023

If you want to grow your business without increasing your stress, the 12 Fundamentals of Healthy Growth are a powerful tool for you. In this episode, Alex continues our healthy growth series by discussing fundamentals 4 through 7: an aspirational mission statement, immoveable core values, a product guide, and financial health metrics. Make sure to catch up on the first two episodes of the series if you haven’t already!

To escape the cycle of toxic growth, make sure you’re leading instead of reacting (0:48)
Recapping fundamentals 1-3 (1:55)
Fundamental #4: An aspirational mission statement (5:54)
If you want to motivate your team, make sure they know why you exist (10:57)
Fundamental #5: Immoveable core values (11:51)
When done right, core values make businesses more efficient and effective (17:30)
Fundamental #6: Product guide (20:44)
Fundamental #7: Financial health metrics of success (25:15)
5 success statements for creating financial health metrics (28:35)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Fundamentals of Healthy Growth #1-3 Dec 05, 2023

At Path for Growth, we’ve identified 12 fundamentals that will help leaders grow their businesses without increasing their stress. In this episode, Alex and Coaching Manager Olivia Graham dive into the first 3 fundamentals: a personal growth plan for the leader, leader success statements, and a leadership team that meets weekly. They explain why it’s so important to start with these 3 steps and share practical advice for implementing them in your own business. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss the rest of this series!

Episode Recap:

Today we’re breaking down the first 3 fundamentals of healthy growth (0:22)
The fundamentals provide a clear path to where you want to go (0:51)
Fundamental #1: Personal growth plan for a leader (4:31)
Simplicity scales, so start by creating order in your personal life (8:18)
Identify one high-return habit that you’ll do every single day (9:50)
Fundamental #2: The leader’s success statements (19:05)
The path to working on the business is not working in the business harder (21:58)
The CEOs job is not to be busy, it’s to be productive (26:49)
Fundamental #3: Create your leadership team and establish a weekly meeting (30:25)
Be strategic when selecting people for your leadership team (36:19)
A consistent meeting structure will compound your success (39:22)

Resources:

Try Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

12 Fundamentals of Healthy Growth Nov 28, 2023

What if there was a way to grow your business without increasing your stress? Our team set out to answer this question, and we found that there were 12 fundamentals all healthy businesses and leaders have in place. In this episode, Alex kicks off a new series on these 12 fundamentals of healthy growth. Make sure to follow the podcast for future episodes where we’ll break down each of these characteristics and explain how you can implement them in your own business.

Many leaders find that their stress grows proportionally to their business growth (0:23)
What if there was a healthy, sustainable way to grow? (5:10)
6 characteristics of toxic growth (6:57)
What is needed to build a business in such a way that the leader’s stress level decreases as the business grows? (9:36)
When you start to study healthy businesses, you’ll notice certain patterns (13:17)
We’ve identified 12 fundamentals of healthy growth (16:18)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Turning Your Vision Into an Actionable Plan Nov 21, 2023

Vision will define where your organization is headed, but without an actionable plan to get you there, vision will easily fall by the wayside. In this episode, Alex wraps up our series on expansionary vision by sharing the principles and practices that will help you consistently and strategically execute on your organization’s vision. He describes the importance of quarterly strategic planning meetings and weekly strategic accountability meetings and then breaks down the success statements that will help you make the most of those times.

Businesses that win have a clear, unified vision and a plan for executing on it (0:53)
Starting with strategy is reacting, starting with vision is leading (2:10)
The specificity of strategy never exceeds the specificity of vision (6:42)
Impact-driven leaders are stubborn on vision and flexible on strategy (9:34)
Strategy without consistency is just haphazard, ineffective brainstorming (14:39)
Establish quarterly strategic planning and weekly strategic accountability (17:46)
1. Be open and honest with reflection, feedback, and affirmation (21:32)
2. Discuss mission and values openly and honestly (23:19)
3. Evaluate your organization through the lens of your vision charter (25:31)
4. Document actionable and achievable strategic priorities (26:23)
5. Commit to ongoing accountability to evaluate progress and ensure focus (28:14)
How to hold a successful strategic accountability meeting (31:07)
Consistency compounds, so don’t give up on these rhythms (36:10)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Catch, Cast and Coach Vision Nov 14, 2023

One of the greatest responsibilities for leaders is to cast an expansionary vision, but the work doesn’t end there. In this episode, Alex continues our series on vision by explaining how impact leaders can catch, cast, and coach vision within their organizations. He also walks through Path for Growth’s 5 qualities of effective coaching, which you can use to develop your people and bring them into the mission you’re pursuing.

We all want to know where we are going (0:52)
While casting vision is vital, it’s not the only important thing (2:07)
Catch Vision: If you can’t see what God is doing, you’ll stumble over yourself (2:55)
Focus on the good, the right, the true, and the beautiful (8:10)
Cast Vision: Why does it matter, where are we now, and where are we going? (12:11)
Make sure to clearly communicate what the team can expect (19:42)
Coaching Vision: Engage with the 5 qualities of effective coaching (22:18)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

5 Steps for Creating Expansionary Vision Nov 07, 2023

How do you develop a vision that moves beyond survival and service and into expansion? In this episode, Alex continues our series on vision by breaking down 5 practical steps that will help you craft a compelling, expansionary vision for your organization. He also shares a valuable tool you can use to distill that vision down into a clear, actionable, and inspirational format. Make sure to listen to the end of the episode to learn how you can access this resource for free!

Aim is essential, and vision defines where you’re going (0:39)
The highest contribution of leadership is to cast a compelling, expansionary vision (4:27)
You have agency, and your calling matters (6:45)
Here’s how an expansionary vision benefits your team (8:09)
1. Define your nonnegotiables (11:51)
2. Choose the right stakeholders (15:44)
3. Change the scenery (24:43)
4. Unravel the dream (27:13)
5. Distill the vision (29:50)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

The Hierarchy of Vision Oct 31, 2023

If you want your business to succeed, you need to clearly define why it exists, what you stand for, and where you’re going. In this episode, Alex shares the Path for Growth definition of mission, core values and vision and explains why each is so important for impact-driven leaders. He then breaks down the three types of vision that leaders may fall into, demonstrating why expansionary vision should be your goal. Stay tuned for future episodes where we’ll discuss the process of moving from survival or service-based vision and into expansionary vision!

Businesses need to know why they exist, what they stand for, and where they’re going (0:42)
Your aspirational mission tells you why the business exists (1:24)
Your immoveable core values define what you stand for (2:53)
Your organization’s vision outlines where you’re going (6:03)
Humans are aim-seeking creatures; we need to know where we’re going (9:35)
Proverbs tells us that without vision, people perish (15:10)
Many businesses start off with survival-based vision (16:47)
Service-based vision looks good on paper, but it’s not the highest level (22:02)
When you don’t qualify success, you always feel like you’re failing (28:06)
Expansionary vision has the courage to be creative and audacious (31:08)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Building a 9-Figure Media Brand with Morning Brew Founder Alex Lieberman Oct 24, 2023

When Alex Lieberman realized that business school students like him lacked an engaging news source, he decided to create one himself. Today, Morning Brew is a wildly successful newsletter reaching millions of subscribers. Alex joins the Path for Growth podcast to talk about the experience of building Morning Brew from the ground up. He also shares his insights about the importance of finding co-founders and other partners with strengths that differ from his own. Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial or leadership journey, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you grow!

Today we’re talking with Alex Lieberman, executive chairman of Morning Brew (0:00:48)
How did Morning Brew get started? (0:01:30)
What early decisions set the foundation for your success? (0:08:02)
Where did you find the conviction to take risks and innovate? (0:16:40)
How do you maintain a rational perspective while taking risks? (0:22:00)
What does it look like to “choose a good quest?” (0:31:03)
How are you making marriage a priority? (0:35:47)
Can you tell us about the experience of growing Morning Brew? (0:42:01)
How did EOS change your business? (48:58)
How has having a great COO benefitted you? (0:50:58)
What are you outrageously excited about right now? (1:05:06)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Morning Brew

Follow Alex on LinkedIn

“Choose Good Quests”

“Dopamine Nation”

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

6 Enemies of Productivity - Part 2 Oct 17, 2023

If you want to be more productive, start by recognizing the barriers that get in your way. In this episode, Alex and Path for Growth Coach Kyle Guemmer continue their conversation about the six enemies of productivity, focusing on pride, exhaustion, and aimlessness. They explain how these things keep us from being productive and share practical strategies for combating them in your business and your personal life. Make sure to check out part 1 if you haven’t already!

Today we’re continuing our conversation on the 6 enemies of productivity (1:03)
Don’t just try to increase productivity; notice and focus on the blockers, too (1:40)
4. Pride: Overextension is pride on parade (8:09)
Next steps you can take when you’re overextending (12:27)
Extraordinary leadership often starts with an apology (19:16)
5. Exhaustion: We’re designed to operate best with sleep, rest, and consistency (20:36)
Tips for prioritizing Sabbath when you’re a parent (24:07)
6. Aimlessness: If your vision only includes your business, it’s too small (28:16)
Do you want to be an amateur, or do you want to practice like a professional? (33:10)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

6 Enemies of Productivity - Part 1 Oct 10, 2023

What stands in the way of our productivity, and how can we better manage those blockers? Today, Alex talks with Path for Growth Coach Kyle Guemmer about three of the most common enemies of productivity: Busyness, distraction, and friction. Alex and Kyle share tactical advice for how to fight these three enemies, with examples from their own lives and from their coaching conversations. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss part 2 of this conversation!

Today we’re talking about productivity with Path for Growth Coach Kyle Guemmer (0:54)
Why is it so important to recognize the things that inhibit productivity? (2:18)
Today we’ll talk through 6 of the biggest blockers to productivity (4:32)
1. Busyness: You can do a lot without getting a lot of results (5:05)
2. Distraction: Know where you’re spending your attention (12:37)
Tactics for fighting distraction and staying present (18:49)
3. Friction: Eliminate barriers to the things you want to do (26:31)
There will always be more fires to put out when working in the business (30:12)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer

Follow Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Answering Common Questions from Business Owners Oct 03, 2023

As more and more business owners are looking for community, spaces like Path for Growth’s Office Hours are a powerful avenue for problem solving. In this episode, Alex answers several of the questions that have come up in recent Office Hour conversations, covering topics like team culture, difficult transitions, the pace of growth, and more. He also explains how you can try out the Path for Growth membership for free, so make sure to listen until the end of the episode.

People want to solve problems through community, not courses (0:35)
Today we’ll answer some questions that have come up in recent office hours (3:34)
What are the best practices for creating meaningful team culture? (6:17)
How do you deal with waiting when your vision isn’t being implemented as quickly as you’d like? (12:58)
How do you manage the transition when key people leave the business? (23:36)
When should a business hire full-time administrative support? (27:47)
Try out the Path for Growth membership for yourself (33:31)

Resources:

Try the Path for Growth Community Coaching for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Follow Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

The Art of Clear Decision Making with Fighter Pilot Hasard Lee Sep 26, 2023

What can fighter pilots teach us about leadership and decision making? That’s the question Hasard Lee set out to answer with his book “The Art of Clear Thinking,” where he shares the principles he’s learned from serving as an F-35 fighter pilot and leading training at one of the world’s largest Air Force bases. In this episode, Hasard joins Alex to break down the “ACE” framework for decision making and to explain how you can build a team that excels at clear thinking and execution. You won’t want to miss this one!

Today we’re talking with fighter pilot and “The Art of Clear Thinking” author Hasard Lee (0:00:38)
What has being a fighter pilot taught you about decision making? (0:01:18)
Why is strong decision making so vital for today’s leaders? (0:04:32)
What does it look like to assess the problem before making a decision? (0:10:14)
Can you explain first, second, and third order consequences? (0:17:12)
Why did you want to write the book yourself? (0:26:26)
What advice do you have about becoming elite at something new? (0:30:55)
Why is the debrief so valuable? (0:41:14)
What is the “choose” phase of decision making? (0:48:31)
How do you effectively move from ideas to implementation? (0:55:44)
What lessons have you learned about training effective decision makers? (1:07:23)
How do you execute well on a decision? (1:12:01)
What tips do you have about getting quality sleep and rest? (1:19:00)
How to learn more from Hasard (1:25:53)

Helpful Links and Resources

Try the Path for Growth Membership for Free for 14 Days

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

“The Art of Clear Thinking” by Hasard Lee

Follow Hasard on YouTube and Instagram

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Ownership Mentality with the Path for Growth Team Sep 19, 2023

Ownership mentality isn’t just important for leaders; it’s a vital part of building a healthy company culture. In this episode, we share a conversation from one of our team meetings about what ownership mentality means, why it’s so important, and what gets in the way of developing it. The team also shares some practical applications of what taking ownership can look like in each of their roles.

Today we’re sharing a Path for Growth team session on ownership mentality (0:50)
What does ownership mentality mean to you? (2:14)
To delegate well, you need to give authority and responsibility (3:20)
Ownership mentality is especially vital for fast-growing teams (6:35)
What blocks us from taking ownership? (8:53)
One practical way you can start exercising ownership mentality (14:12)
Don’t shy away from self-control (19:33)

Resources:

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Try Out the Path for Growth Executive Membership

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

7 Reasons Accountability in Your Organization Might Suck Sep 12, 2023

Accountability has been a pressing topic in our Path for Growth community, so Alex and Coaching Manager Olivia Graham tackle it head-on in this episode. They explain why accountability is so important but also so challenging to implement. They then talk through seven reasons why your accountability might suck and share specific examples of their own experiences with practicing accountability.

Today we’re talking about accountability with Coaching Manager Olivia Graham (0:46)
Why is accountability top of mind for so many leaders? (2:08)
Leaders aren’t responsible for people, they’re responsible to people (7:04)
1. Your accountability is random and inconsistent (8:55)
2. Your accountability is reactive (16:01)
3. Your accountability is not role-based (22:12)
4. Your accountability is rooted in what’s wrong (29:10)
5. Your accountability is not written (31:04)
6. Your accountability is not relational (33:41)
7. You don’t really want accountability for yourself (37:14)
Start by creating a rhythm and structure for yourself to be held accountable (39:59)

Resources:

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Try Out the Path for Growth Executive Membership

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

How Sargent Is Building Leaders to Maximize Future Impact Sep 05, 2023

Herb Sargent is a leader who truly exemplifies what it means to run an impact-driven business. In this episode, Herb returns to the podcast to explain how he’s built Sargent Corporation into a business focused on “building people.” He shares how creating an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) has allowed him to focus on making sure this business outlives him, and he offers practical advice about developing leaders, avoiding siloing within a large company, and planning your exit strategy. To learn more from Herb, join us in Asheville for our “Leading Leaders” experience this October!

Today we’re talking with Herb Sargent, CEO of Sargent Corporation (0:35)
How has Path for Growth contributed to your own growth? (5:47)
What does it look like to have “building people” as your purpose? (13:57)
Why are you so passionate about building people? (23:39)
What is an ESOP, and why did you decide to set one up? (29:09)
How have you kept the company from being siloed? (38:02)
When and how should owners start thinking about their exit strategies? (42:05)
What kinds of businesses might be a good fit for an ESOP? (47:41)
Join the Path for Growth in-person experience to learn more from Herb (49:01)

Helpful Links and Resources

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Sargent Corporation Website

Sargent: On Track Podcast

Listen to Herb’s first Path for Growth Episode

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

What to Do When You Lack Momentum Aug 29, 2023

We’ve talked about how to make the most of the seasons when we have momentum, but what do you do when your momentum is lacking? In this episode, Alex shares some encouragement and advice for anyone who’s struggling with a loss of momentum. He then breaks down seven different areas you can audit to better understand why you’re lacking momentum and how you can continue to move forward even when progress feels slow.

When you don’t have momentum, things look worse than they actually are (0:44)
Respond to the things you can’t control with prayer, not complaining (4:52)
If you lack momentum, slow down enough to take an audit (9:05)
Audit your alignment: What do you choose to prioritize? (13:49)
Audit your attention: What are you engaging with? (19:25)
Audit your aim: Where are you going, and how much do you value that vision? (24:56)
Audit your actions: Do our acts line up with our aim? (32:58)
Audit your advice: Who is speaking into your life? (37:04)
Audit your attitude: How are you looking at the world? (42:36)
Audit your acceptance: Can you live with the things you can’t control? (44:55)

Resources:

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Try Out the Path for Growth Executive Membership

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Doing Hard Things and Committing to Continual Learning with Tracy Panase Aug 22, 2023

When Tracy Panase became a franchisee for the children’s consignment business, Just Between Friends, she had no idea she’d someday own the business. Now, Tracy is the CEO and owner of JBF, where she’s made incredible progress in growing the business and implementing a mission and values that stick. In this episode, Tracy shares some of the key ingredients that made her transition into ownership a success, along with practical tips for anyone preparing to buy or sell a business. She also talks about the importance of constant learning, the lessons she learned from franchising, and much more.

Today we’re talking with Tracy Panase, CEO of Just Between Friends (0:00:37)
What is JBF, and what made you want to get involved? (0:01:54)
What was JBF like when you started, and what did you learn from franchising? (0:8:27)
Why are you so passionate about doing hard things? (0:17:08)
How have you stayed committed to learning throughout your time with JBF? (0:19:43)
Why did you decide to buy JBF? (0:33:14)
What advice do you have for a successful transition of ownership? (0:40:35)
What are JBF’s mission and values, and how do they play out in the business? (1:02:20)
What rhythms have made the biggest difference for the company culture? (1:08:04)
How to connect with Tracy (1:17:49)

Helpful Links and Resources

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Just Between Friends Website

Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

What to Do When You Have Momentum Aug 15, 2023

Many of us squander our seasons of momentum because we don’t know what to do with it. In this episode, Alex talks through three ways we should respond when we notice we’re experiencing momentum. He also breaks down some questions to ask yourself and exercises to implement that will help you maximize your momentum.

Momentum is like having a tailwind (0:47)
Sometimes things within and outside of your control come together to multiply your performance (4:17)
Momentum is momentary, and it can be micro or macro (7:46)
Momentum is not wholly mystical or wholly methodical (11:07)
What do you do when you have momentum? (14:28)
1. Respond to momentum with hustle (15:34)
Ask these questions for sustaining momentum (18:46)
2. Respond to momentum with humility (24:36)
Share credit, grow in gratitude, and give glory (30:42)
3. Respond to momentum with health (39:19)
If you’re not in a season of momentum, know that there’s hope! (44:49)

Resources:

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

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Discerning God's Calling as a Business Leader with Brandon Lindsey Aug 08, 2023

Brandon Lindsey has such a powerful story of following God’s calling to pursue a new direction. He’s the VP of operations at Hoopaugh Grading Company and the founder and CEO of Dream on 3, a non-profit dedicated to enriching the lives of kids with life-altering conditions. In this episode, Brandon explains how he knew God was calling him to something new and what he did in response. He also talks about his experience of growing into a leadership role and shares how Hoopaugh Grading is changing the game when it comes to training and equipping their employees.

Episode Recap:

Today we’re talking with Brandon Lindsey of Hoopaugh Grading Company and Dream on 3 (0:00:43)
What was a moment when you were challenged to level up as a leader? (0:02:14)
How have you seen the next generation step up to lead? (0:09:53)
Can you tell us about the career path that led to where you are today? (0:12:58)
How did you discern that God was calling you to something new? (0:25:07)
What is the mission behind Dream On 3? (0:31:32)
Why did you decide to work at Hoopaugh Grading? (0:41:18)
What advice do you have about attracting high caliber people and building a business that sustains itself? (0:48:19)
Can you tell us about your first year at Hoopaugh? (0:55:42)
How do you balance big visions with wise plans? (1:02:43)
What is the Hoopaugh training academy? (1:05:46)
How to connect with Brandon (1:14:04)
What is the biggest lesson you’re learning right now? (1:15:56)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Dream on 3 Website

Hoopaugh Grading Company

Give us the Dirt podcast

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6 Questions About Your Attention Aug 01, 2023

Our attention is one of the most valuable resources we have, but too many of us don’t treat it that way. In this episode, Alex leads us through six questions to help us determine where we’re spending our limited attention, and how we can sustainably move in a healthy direction. Take some time to reflect on these questions on your own, or share them with your team!

Your attention is one of your most valuable resources (0:51)
What we choose to look at matters (3:22)
Today we’ll walk through 6 questions to reflect on what you’re paying attention to (6:10)
1. When do you feel most rushed, and what step can you take to reduce that? (6:55)
2. How is your relationship with your phone, and what would a healthy relationship look like? (9:16)
3. What is your relationship with social media, and how can you sustainably move in a healthy direction? (12:04)
4. When are you most productive, creative, and energized? Are you spending or investing that time? (15:44)
5. What is one activity that adds value to your day, and are you doing it every day? (20:21)
6. What do you want for your time, and have you written that down? (24:53)

Resources:

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Creating Community-First Success: Embracing Healthy Growth with Naftali Tessler Jul 25, 2023

In this episode, we’re talking with someone who exemplifies the value of healthy growth: Naftali Tessler. Naftali is the chief of staff for Hamaspik of Kings County and a member of the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York. He joins Alex for a conversation about how personal growth impacts your leadership, his passion for helping his community practice health growth, and the benefits he’s seen from working with Path for Growth. This episode is packed with powerful principles and insights, so you won’t want to miss it!

Today we’re talking with Naftali Tessler, chief of staff for Hamaspik of Kings County (0:00:47)
Why are you so passionate about having a personal mission statement? (0:02:23)
How does developing a personal mission statement benefit others? (0:10:18)
What does “connect deeply” mean to you? (0:14:20)
Can you tell us what you’ve learned about boundaries and priority setting? (0:22:29)
What is one area where you’ve seen outrageous personal growth? (0:31:52)
How has improving your health impacted your leadership? (0:40:12)
Can you tell us about your experience with the 5-5-5 challenge? (0:46:57)
Why are you passionate about bringing healthy growth to the Orthodox Jewish community? (0:50:59)
What have you gained from Path for Growth office hours calls? (1:03:27)
How has one-on-one coaching been beneficial for you? (1:08:02)
Join us at the Path for Growth In-Person Experience (1:09:42)

Helpful Links and Resources

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Hamaspik of Kings County

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The Listening Leader with Pastor John Crawford Jul 18, 2023

Taking time to listen can sometimes feel inefficient, but it’s actually one of the most important practices we can implement as a leader. In this episode, Pastor John Crawford from Redemption Church Tempe teaches a session about the value of effective listening for leaders. He explains why listening is so beneficial, shares powerful stories of how listening has transformed his own leadership and relationships, and breaks down practical tips for developing the skill of listening.

Today we’re sharing a talk from Pastor John Crawford about effective listening (0:55)
All of us want to be known and listened to (1:58)
People are lonelier now than they ever have been (6:10)
Listening is a powerful way to love other people (8:36)
Listening creates empathy through presence (16:31)
Proximity creates empathy, but distance creates suspicion (25:15)
Listening is a means of peacemaking (27:08)
In business, listening can help with retention and development of new leaders (32:42)
Listening is a choice we make (37:32)
How to get better at listening (40:14)

Helpful Links and Resources

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How to Level-Up In Your Leadership Jul 11, 2023

We all have moments where we find ourselves dramatically leveling up as a leader. But what causes those experiences, and how can we make the most of them? In this episode, Alex talks with Zack Estes and Olivia Graham about the situations where they’ve felt themselves level up, and the lessons they’ve learned in the process. Zack, Alex, and Olivia also talk through a practical example of what it looks like to lean on your team and lead a business through a difficult season.

Today we’re talking about what it looks like to level up as a leader (0:00:40)
Why is it so valuable for leaders to think about leveling up? (0:03:36)
How do you identify the moments where you’ve leveled up? (0:08:35)
Olivia’s leveling up moment: Every problem is solvable (0:15:14)
Factors for leveling up: Urgency, advice, and understanding your runway (0:19:16)
Zack’s leveling up moment: Maximizing your resources in service of others (0:33:54)
Identify the unique value only you can bring (0:41:17)
Path for Growth’s leveling up moment: Leading through crises and mistakes (0:43:46)
When you invite your team into a hardship, you may be surprised how they respond (0:53:54)
Winter is coming, so make sure you’re surrounded by people you trust (1:04:13)
Set expectations based on the season you’re in (1:10:43)
Maintain a heart posture of dependence (1:14:10)
You can’t manufacture a level up, but you can walk consistently on the path (1:17:47)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Corporate Turnaround Artistry

8 Types of Waste – Part 2 Jul 04, 2023

Waste can take many forms in an organization, and you have to be able to recognize it in order to reduce it. In this episode, Alex and Zack wrap up their four-part series on operational excellence by breaking down 5 additional types of waste within a business. They share practical tips for utilizing talent to maximize value, reducing unnecessary commitments, and producing the right amount of inventory.

Today we’re wrapping up our 4-part series on value and waste with our COO Zack (0:47)
When you name waste, it’s much easier to categorize and then reduce it (1:14)
The first three types of waste are defect, overproduction, and waiting (2:24)
4. Non-utilized talent (4:34)
Plan for things to go wrong and build a culture where people know how to respond (9:54)
5. Transportation (16:01)
6. Inventory (24:11)
7. Motion (30:38)
8. Excess processing (38:32)
Be strategic about the commitments you make (43:12)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Nick Huber's Practical Approach to Business Jun 27, 2023

If you’re an entrepreneur interested in managing people more effectively, reducing waste, and growing your business, you won’t want to miss this conversation! In this episode, Path for Growth COO Zack Estes talks with Nick Huber of The Sweaty Startup. Nick is an impact-driven leader and entrepreneur who leads more than 175 team members all over the world, supporting 8 different businesses. He shares some of the key principles that have helped him succeed in business and practical examples of how he’s reduced waste and found new growth opportunities.

Episode Recap:

Today our COO Zack is talking with Nick Huber (0:36)
Why are some of the ideas you talk about so controversial? (1:45)
How did you become an entrepreneur? (5:40)
Who do you take advice from? (13:32)
What does it look like to win at business? (19:59)
How have you worked to reduce waste in your businesses? (25:55)
Can you tell us about your experience hiring overseas talent? (31:08)
What are you most excited about right now? (44:12)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Sign up for the Sweaty Startup Newsletter

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Follow Nick on LinkedIn and Twitter

Shepherd website

8 Types of Waste – Part 1 Jun 20, 2023

If you want to reduce waste in your business, you need to practice identifying and naming that waste. In this episode, we continue our series with Path for Growth COO Zack Estes about operational excellence. Alex and Zack break down the first 3 of 8 types of waste. They also share some valuable insights about maintaining a healthy attitude toward waste and continuing to stay focused on service.

Today we’re continuing our series on operational excellence with our COO Zack (0:41)
Waste is much easier to fix if you know what to look for (1:52)
If it’s not efficient, then it’s not effective (2:34)
Continuous improvement and respect for people are 2 reins you need to balance (6:43)
The 8 types of waste are represented by the acronym “DOWNTIME” (8:21)
Why is it valuable to understand the types of waste?
How to maintain a healthy attitude toward waste (11:19)
1. Defects (20:36)
2. Overproduction (24:25)
3. Waiting (30:24)
Focus on service and delivering value (40:37)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Learn, Write, Share, Grow Jun 13, 2023

To help build a practice and a rhythm of healthy growth, focus on learning, writing, sharing, and growing. In this episode, Alex explains why these four actions are vital for growth. He then takes a journey back through his notes app to share some practical examples of lessons he’s learned, written down, and now shared.

If you apply these actions consistently, you can create a rhythm of healthy growth (0:51)
1. Learn: What you take in will inform who you become (1:32)
2. Write: Clear writing is a reflection of clear thinking (4:05)
3. Share: To turn a good idea into a great idea, put it in front of the right people (5:59)
4. Grow: Information doesn’t create growth, action does (9:28)
If you want to get results, focus on systemizing and incentivizing referrals (11:00)
Don’t become a slave to your audience (14:00)
10 lessons from ten marathons (15:49)
Remember the importance of rest (19:01)
Don’t chase a vision you’ve never taken time to refine (22:15)
Real service takes courage, risk, discipline, care, and humanity (25:20)
Learn, write, share, and grow (28:03)

Helpful Links and Resources

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IN, ON, & OUT of Your Business with Path for Growth COO Zack Estes Jun 06, 2023

Are you working in, on, or out of your business? Which role do you want to have? In this episode, Alex and Path for Growth COO Zack Estes continue their series on operational excellence by talking about the difference of working in, on, and out of a business. They break down the difference between each of these roles and share practical advice for leaders and owners who want to make better use of their time and energy.

Today we’re continuing our series on operational excellence with our COO Zack (0:40)
Are you working in, on, or out of the business? (1:33)
The transition from working in the business doesn’t happen overnight (7:25)
Every person on your team should know their specific role (10:12)
Remember what your customers are paying for (17:30)
What is the role of a CEO? (20:00)
1. CEOs should focus on vision (24:46)
2. CEOs should prioritize culture (30:28)
3. CEOs should focus on the results that matter most at this moment (32:19)
Owner and CEO are two different roles: Owners work out of the business (34:18)
Find someone who’s working out of their business and learn from them (42:27)
To work on our out of your business, focus on leading leaders (47:23)

Helpful Links and Resources

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How to Amplify Value and Banish Waste with Path for Growth COO Zack Estes May 30, 2023

Value is what your customer is paying for, and everything else is waste. In this episode, Alex and Path for Growth COO Zack Estes kick off a new series on operationalizing excellence with a conversation about increasing value and reducing waste. Zack explains why it’s so important to make waste reduction and value a central part of your company culture. He also shares some practical examples of how waste can creep up in your business and what you can do about it.

Today we’re starting a new series on operationalizing excellence (0:57)
The airplane analogy: Think about the value you deliver and your capacity to sell it (1:37)
How do you define volume and capacity? (6:48)
Why is it so important to set standards and values from the beginning? (14:02)
Value is what the customer pays for; waste is everything else (17:27)
Make sure you know what the customer is actually paying for (21:05)
What holds leaders back from reducing waste? (25:07)
Unintentional vs. intentional waste (30:27)
What’s the biblical justification for reducing waste? (35:10)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Faith at Work – Part 5 May 23, 2023

If you want to glorify God through your work, start by depending on Him. In this episode, Alex continues our “Faith at Work” series by answering three questions about depending on God in our businesses. He also reminds us that our biggest responsibilities as leaders are to love God, love people, and be wise.

Dependence is one of our biggest responsibilities and opportunities as a leader (1:00)
If you want to lead for God, you have to lean on God (5:15)
Dependence means living in accordance with who God is (8:35)
Leaders fail when they try to be God (11:06)
God is ready and waiting for us to depend on him (16:48)
Love God, love people, be wise, and trust that that’s enough (17:49)
If you want to gain wisdom, start by loving God (23:45)
If you’re too busy to love God, love people, and be wise, then you’re too busy (26:42)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Sustainable Leadership with Carey Nieuwhof May 16, 2023

How do we distinguish between healthy growth and growth that leads to burnout? In this episode, Alex talks with Carey Nieuwhof about the signs and symptoms of burnout and the practices Carey has implemented in his own life to recover from and prevent future burnout. Carey is an author and thought leader who helps churches and other impact-driven leaders grow their organizations. He explains how you can make sure you’re doing the most important work as a leader, stresses the importance of vision, and reflects on the lessons Jesus can teach us about productivity.

Today Alex is talking with Carey Nieuwhof about leader burnout (0:00:58)
What are some of the clues that point to burnout? (0:03:17)
Why do so many people get stuck in periods of burnout? (0:14:22)
When does a desire for growth become unhealthy? (0:22:17)
How did you recognize you were burnt out, and what did you do next? (0:39:13)
What practices help you maintain the right heart toward work? (0:45:43)
How can leaders make sure they’re doing the work that matters most? (0:53:25)
Why is vision so important for leaders and for teams? (0:59:39)
What would you do if you knew you would fail? (1:05:49)
What advice do you have for leaders who need a vision reboot? (1:11:58)
What can Jesus’ example teach us about productivity? (1:15:23)

Helpful Links and Resources

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“At Your Best” by Carey Nieuwhof

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The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

The Fundamentals of Financial Growth with Michael King May 09, 2023

Even if finances aren’t a strength for you, you need to put certain fundamentals in place. In this episode, Alex talks with Michael King, founder of KFE Solutions. Michael shares the four finance fundamentals every business needs and talks through specific action steps for business owners at different stages of growth. He also explains how fractional CFO services — which KFE Solutions provides — can transform a business’ finances.

Today Alex is talking with KFE Solutions Founder Michael King (0:00:47)
What was your career background that inspired KFE Solutions? (00:01:34)
Can you give us the elevator pitch for KFE Solutions? (00:09:43)
Why do so many business owners shy away from finances? (00:13:51)
What are the foundations of finance, and what holds people back? (00:20:30)
How should businesses approach evaluating finances? (00:27:43)
Do you see the “sophistication bias” holding people back? (00:36:28)
What steps should new business owners take first? (00:41:34)
When should a business move beyond working with a bookkeeper? (00:49:27)
What makes a great fractional CFO? (00:55:52)
What encouragement can you give to someone who’s struggling with finances? (1:05:50)

Helpful Links and Resources

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KFE Solutions Website

Faith at Work — Part 4 May 02, 2023

What does it mean to practice faithful obedience, and how can doing so reveal our faith? In this episode, Alex shares 3 important truths about obedience, which stand in contrast to some of the misconceptions people have about what it looks like to obey God. He also examines the different ways God has spoken and is still speaking to each of us, from the people around us, to Scripture, to creation.

We can reveal our faith at work through excellence, countenance, confidence, obedience, and dependence (0:38)
Today we’ll examine 3 truths about faithful obedience (1:32)
1. Obedience is a response to a loving God, not an angry God (4:12)
2. Obedience is attentive listening, not ignorant rule following (11:25)
God is speaking and has spoken to us through His word, creation, and example (14:41)
How do we apply Jesus’ example to our daily circumstances? (22:26)
God speaks to us through His people, so seek out wise counsel (29:05)
God is speaking to us through His Spirit (37:03)
3. Obedience is a pathway to freedom, not an obstacle to freedom (43:38)

Helpful Links and Resources

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Listen to the introduction to the Faith at Work series

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“Gentle and Lowly” by Dane C. Ortlund

“Breathing Under Water” by Richard Rohr

Leading Through Multiplication with Michelle Myers Apr 25, 2023

Healthy growth happens when you learn to lead through multiplication instead of addition. In this episode, Alex talks about this concept with Michelle Myers, founder of She Works HIS Way. Michelle shares the biggest lessons she’s learned through her own leadership experience, and she draws some powerful leadership lessons from Acts and from the ministry of Jesus. Michelle also offers some practical advice to moms about what to do when you feel overextended.

Today Alex is talking with Michelle Mullins, founder of She Works HIS Way (0:52)
What does it mean to lead through multiplication instead of addition? (2:42)
What were the symptoms when you realized you were becoming a bottleneck? (6:45)
What can Acts teach us about healthy growth? (13:40)
How have you practiced dependence with other people and with Jesus? (21:40)
What do you do in the mornings to set up your day? (32:50)
What’s the difference between adversity and absurdity? (40:14)
Can you share some advice for the leader who feels overextended? (44:14)
How does your family approach extracurricular activities? (52:38)
What can we learn from Jesus about leading through multiplication? (58:15)
Why are wisdom, understanding, and experience so important? (1:08:07)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

“Leading on Empty” by Wayne Cordeiro

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She Works HIS Way Website

Conversational Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Conversational Commentary on Acts

Faith at Work — Part 3 Apr 18, 2023

The difference between confidence and arrogance lies in who we put our trust in: God our ourselves. In this episode, Alex breaks down the story of David and Goliath and discusses the lessons it can teach us about revealing our faith through healthy, faithful confidence. He also shares 5 principles for practicing confidence in your business, no matter who you are or where you work.

How do we reveal our faith in the work we do every day? (0:47)
1 Samuel 17 can teach us so much about healthy, faithful confidence (2:20)
Confidence is believing God will do something great, arrogance is believing I will do something great (5:23)
Pride with momentum is often celebrated (6:15)
Our fear of God should always supercede our fear of man (13:08)
Confidence is experienced when you’re stewarding your current responsibility (15:01)
Your faithfulness today will prepare you for the next season (27:05)
You won’t feel confident if you’re trying to be someone else (31:37)
If you want to do God’s work, you need to align with God’s purpose (38:17)
Don’t let confidence transform into arrogance (45:23)
5 principles for practicing faithful confidence (49:45)
1. Discern what God is doing and get in on that (40:56)
2. Dare to play a different game (52:12)
3. Fear God, not man (54:10)
4. Trust in that which is trustworthy (55:06)
5. Be humble or be humbled (57:32)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Listen to the introduction to the Faith at Work series

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Q&A | What Are Success Statements? Apr 11, 2023

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Success statements are a valuable tool for establishing aim for your organization. In this episode, we share a conversation from a recent office hours call with members of the Path for Growth community. They discuss the process of creating, optimizing, and implementing success statements across your business. They also work through questions about helping your team buy into these practices, operationalizing around role success statements, and more.

Aim is essential, and success statements are a key way to establish it (0:39)
What should success statements focus on? (2:42)
Start writing your success statements, knowing you can tweak them later (6:27)
How do you evaluate your success statements after the fact? (8:19)
What does it look like to operationalize around success statements? (10:31)
Be intentional about the order in which you implement role success statements (15:14)
What have you learned from implementing success statements? (21:05)
How do you create success statements for meetings? (24:24)
How can you help your team understand the importance of success statements? (34:41)
Two actions you can take this week (39:54)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Listen to our episode with Michael Hyatt

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Faith at Work — Part 2 Apr 04, 2023

One of the simplest ways to reveal our faith at work is by having a positive countenance. And if you want to have a cheerful face, you need to invest in a happy heart. In this episode, Alex tells the story of the moment he realized his countenance was so important. He also talks through 4 habits you can implement to help cultivate a happy heart.

Work is an opportunity for our faith to be revealed (0:40)
5 ways we can reveal our faith at work (2:38)
Our countenance can reveal our faith at work (3:00)
We shouldn’t smile just because we feel like we “need to” or “should” (7:25)
If you want a cheerful face, invest in a happy heart (9:58)
4 habits of a happy heart (13:47)
1. Remember God’s faithfulness (15:07)
2. Invite God into your emotions (20:45)
3. Experience God’s presence (29:21)
4. Allow other people to speak life into you (36:45)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Listen to the introduction to the Faith at Work series

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Principle-Based Leadership with Path for Growth Coach Kyle Guemmer Mar 28, 2023

At Path for Growth, all of our coaches are practitioners who have firsthand experience with leading a business. In this episode, Alex talks with one of our one-on-one coaches, Kyle Guemmer. Kyle shares some of the biggest lessons he learned from leading an impact-driven organization in the construction industry. He breaks down some practical examples of what it looks like to establish and implement a mission statement and core values, and he talks through some of the biggest principles and lessons that guide his coaching today.

Today Alex is talking with Path for Growth Coach Guemmer Kyle Guemmer (0:00:48)
Get to know Kyle with rapid-fire questions (0:03:01)
Can you tell us about the business you were leading before Path for Growth? (0:14:13)
Why is a clear mission statement important, and how do you implement it? (19:58)
What would you say to the introvert who thinks they can’t lead with passion? (26:56)
What advice do you have for leaders in the service industry? (29:36)
How do core values impact an organization? (34:56)
What lessons did you learn while growing from 7 to 20 million? (39:04)
Where did the principle “Clarity creates action” come from? (51:30)
Can you talk about the 12 fundamentals for healthy growth? (58:44)
Do you have a customer story that you’re especially excited about right now? (1:14:06)
Who is Path for Growth coaching for? (1:23:24)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”

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Schedule a coaching call

Faith at Work – Part 1 Mar 21, 2023

If you want to represent God at work, you need to pursue excellence. In this episode, Alex explains why excellence is the first of five actions we’ll cover in this series to help you reveal your faith at work. He then breaks down 3 actions you can take to pursue excellence, no matter where you work or what position you’re in.

Work is one of our greatest opportunities for ministry (0:48)
We’ll talk about ways to reveal your faith at work that anyone can do (2:22)
Today we’ll talk about the first of 5 ways to reveal your faith at work: Excellence (6:15)
As children of God, our work should be a representation of God (6:37)
3 actions you can apply to practice excellence in your work (10:42)
1. Viewing work as worship - Quality is a testimony (11:07)
There’s a difference between viewing work as worship and worshiping work (19:32)
2. Stewarding today’s responsibility by doing it right (21:07)
If you’re not trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (34:41)
3. Living as though grace is real (36:21)
A prayer for excellence in work (46:48)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Listen to the introduction to the Faith at Work series

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Plurality of Leadership with Jim Mullins Mar 14, 2023

In this episode, Alex talks with one of the leaders of an organization he deeply admires: Redemption Church Tempe’s co-lead pastor Jim Mullins. Jim shares how he’s learned to establish organizational discipline in his own life, especially around evaluating and communicating ideas. He also discusses the importance of story and explains how and why you can begin to create a plurality of leadership in your organization. No matter what type of organization you lead, this episode is packed with valuable insights for you.

Today Alex is talking with Jim Mullins, co-lead pastor at Redemption Church (0:55)
Get to know Jim Mullins (2:47)
What motivated you to change your organizational tendencies? (11:56)
How do you evaluate and communicate ideas? (16:12)
What tactics and postures have helped you implement organizational discipline? (21:05)
What does all of life, all for Jesus mean? (31:05)
How can leaders help people recognize they’re part of something bigger? (35:48)
Why is story so important, and how can you implement it as a leader? (40:35)
Can you tell us about the meaning of 2073? (46:21)
What is a plurality of leadership, and what does that look like in practice? (58:03)
Is there a common trait you look for in members of your leadership team? (1:05:52)
Can you share some advice for beginning to create a plurality of leadership? (1:11:08)
How to connect with Jim (1:14:55)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

“Visions of Vocation” by Steven Garber

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“The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership” by Steven Sample

“The Skeletons in God’s Closet” by Josh Butler

All of Life Podcast

Redemption Church Tempe

“The Symphony of Mission” by Jim Mullins

Faith at Work – Introduction Mar 07, 2023

Work is not a place for faith to be concealed, it’s an opportunity for our faith to be revealed. In this episode, Alex kicks off a new series on faith at work. He starts by talking through four different heart postures we can have towards work, explaining why it’s so important for us to view work as ministry. He also shares five ways you can bring your faith to the marketplace, which we’ll dive deeper into over the course of this series.

What is your heart towards work? (0:48)
Today we’ll walk through four heart postures we can have toward work (3:39)
1. Work as obligation (4:13)
2. Work as transaction (7:10)
3. Work as opportunity (9:23)
4. Work as ministry (13:34)
If your heart towards work isn’t ministry, you’ll lack meaning, substance and sustainability (17:17)
Work is an opportunity for our faith to be revealed (23:13)
In this series we’ll cover 5 ways you can bring your faith to the marketplace (25:00)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

On Leadership with Scott Miller Feb 28, 2023

As leaders, it’s vital that we learn to receive criticism and learn from our mistakes. Scott Miller is someone who exemplifies both these things, and in this episode, Alex talks with him about how he’s developed those skills. Scott is the executive vice president of thought leadership at FranklinCovey and host of the On Leadership podcast. He also discusses some of the biggest lessons he’s learned from hosting the podcast, the importance of an abundance mindset, and the role his faith plays in his leadership and mentality.

Today Alex is talking with Scott Miller, host of the “On Leadership” podcast (0:57)
Why is an abundance mindset so important to you? (2:28)
How does the idea of “earned and given” shape your mindset? (9:12)
How do you learn from mistakes and avoid being paralyzed by them? (12:51)
How do you handle receiving criticism without losing your joy? (19:02)
Where have you gotten your confidence to fail in front of others? (27:08)
How does your relationship with God shape your mentality? (29:14)
What does it look like to accept the gray areas in life? (38:36)
Can you share the biggest lessons you’ve learned from hosting your podcast? (46:19)
What have you learned about the art and practice of interviewing people? (51:37)
Who is a leader you respect, and what have you learned from them? (54:53)
Where to learn more from Scott (59:17)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

“Master Mentors Vol. 2” by Scott Miller

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FranklinCovey On Leadership with Scott Miller

Scott’s Website

5 Practices for Leading Leaders Feb 21, 2023

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Have questions about the experience? Jump on a phone call with Alex!

Great leaders aren’t content to lead followers, they focus on leading leaders. In this episode, Alex explains why this one principle is absolutely vital for impact-driven leaders, and he shares two key investments that will help you lead leaders who lead leaders. Then, Alex shares five practical, actionable practices for leading leaders in your organization.

The goal is not to lead followers, it’s to lead more leaders (0:48)
There’s a difference between self-improvement and selfish improvement (1:55)
Impact-driven leaders want three things (7:20)
1. A business that grows while their stress level decreases (9:30)
2. To provide enjoyable work for people they enjoy (11:52)
3. To build a business that helps people become who they were created to be (13:09)
Are you leading leaders, or followers? (15:04)
Are your leaders equipped to develop more leaders? (16:40)
These two investments are vital for healthy growth (19:35)
Five practices for leading leaders (25:00)
1. Codify what matters most, and communicate it in a compelling way (25:36)
2. Cast a grander vision (29:58)
3. Clarify desired outcomes (32:47)
4. Challenge and affirm (34:34)
5. Celebrate growth (37:12)

Helpful Links and Resources

Watch the 5 Practices for Leading Leaders Video Course

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

How to Do Sales Properly Part 2 Feb 14, 2023

When done correctly, sales is a service. But what does that principle actually look like in practice? In this episode, Alex shares a simple, four-step sales process that will help you and your team find and convert the right customers. He also shares practical examples of how he’s seen these steps play out within Path for Growth and in other businesses.

Today we’ll walk through a 4-step process for sales (0:53)
Remember these sales principles (2:04)
These four steps will help you and your team sell (10:05)
1. Clarity: Who is your product or service built for? (11:34)
So many people try to sell to people who will never be customers (16:50)
2. Curiosity: Ask questions to help them understand that you understand (18:19)
3. Connection: How does your product meet the customer’s specific need? (24:19)
4. Close: Ask them to make the decision (33:12)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Listen to our coaching episode on Curiosity

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Reducing Waste with Path for Growth COO Zack Estes Feb 07, 2023

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If you’re not adding value for the customer, you’re creating waste. In this episode, Path for Growth COO Zack Estes breaks down the difference between value and waste, including planned and unplanned waste. He explains how you can start reducing waste in your business and create a culture that gets the whole team on board with your efforts.

As a business, it’s important to reduce waste and increase value (0:38)
What is value, and why is it so important to keep in mind? (2:14)
What is not value, or “waste?” (10:28)
How can unintentional waste creep into a business? (15:59)
How are planned and unplanned downtime different? (18:35)
What might it look like to build a culture of reducing waste for the whole team? (23:46)
Are there organizations that exemplify this concept? (30:46)
What does it mean to make work visible? (33:05)
Can you share some examples of unintentional waste? (43:52)
What’s the difference between service and showmanship? (52:03)
Why is overwork a type of waste? (59:16)
What is the one thing everyone should know about value and waste? (1:03:09)
How does reducing waste connect to operationalization? (1:06:47)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

How to Do Sales Properly Part 1 Jan 31, 2023

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Are you a leader who feels uncomfortable with the idea of sales? This episode is for you! Alex unpacks three principles to help you view sales differently, three things to never sacrifice in pursuit of a sale, and three qualities that make someone a great salesperson. This episode is part one of a two-part series, so make sure to catch the next episode about building an effective sales process.

Many leaders are uncomfortable with sales, but it doesn’t need to be this way (0:40)
Three principles to change your approach to sales (1:52)
1. Sales, done properly, is service (2:36)
2. Relational sales focus on what the customer wants and needs (3:40)
3. The best sales strategy is effectively solving a legitimate problem (7:26)
Integrity matters more than a sale (9:59)
Don’t sacrifice the customer’s dignity (14:41)
Don’t sell unless you believe your product will actually serve them (16:26)
Three qualities of a great salesperson (18:27)
1. Earned confidence (18:58)
2. Empathy (23:42)
3. Trustworthiness (25:54)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity: Time Jan 24, 2023

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

If you want your business to experience healthy growth, you need to make sure you’re prioritizing your own sanity. In this episode, Alex wraps up our series on “Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity” with a conversation about time. He shares 11 simple strategies you can implement to start maximizing your time, and he explains why sustainable, consistent action is the most effective way to experience the benefits.

If you want to put your business in order, start by putting yourself in order (0:55)
Time is a gift we can optimize in service of others (1:45)
Today we’ll walk through 11 tactics you can use to maximize your time (3:02)
1. Clarify and document your big three for each day (3:35)
2. Engage in distraction-free work once a day (9:04)
3. Clarify the priorities for the season you’re in (11:17)
4. Hire an executive assistant to own your calendar (13:09)
5. Schedule margin (16:21)
6. Experience margin (17:56)
7. Guard a weekly Sabbath (19:54)
8. Proactively prune (25:49)
9. Schedule vacations in advance (30:59)
10. Remove social media from your phone (36:12)
11. Love God and love people (37:52)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

The Practice of Presence with Will Mooney Jan 17, 2023

If you want to get your business in order, you need to get yourself in order. In this episode, Alex talks with someone who has played a key role in helping him grow personally so that he can lead more effectively: his counselor, Will Mooney. Will shares some practical insight about why it’s so important for leaders to stay present, what gets in the way of practicing presents, and how to prioritize your own growth. He also talks through his morning routine, discusses some key things he wished people knew about listening, and much more.

Today Alex is talking to his counselor, Will Mooney (0:37)
Why do you love the work you do? (2:58)
Why is your own personal growth so important for your work? (4:38)
What does it mean to be present, and why does that matter for leaders? (9:15)
Why is it wrong to try to make other people “okay?” (14:08)
What blocks us from being present, and how can we grow in these areas? (18:13)
How do you set yourself up for success in the morning? (33:51)
What do you wish more people knew about listening? (39:30)
How do you stay present when switching between different hats? (44:52)
Why are the questions “What do you want, and what would that give you?” important? (50:51)
What common challenges do you see keeping people from growing? (1:00:18)
How to connect with Will (1:04:35)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you own or run a business and are committed to making excellence predictable, this workshop is for you. Click the link below to register for Operationalize Your Business on Monday, February 13th, 2023 — 1:00-2:30 PM CST.

Register for the 90-minute Operationalize Your Business Workshop

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Made and Matter Counseling

Get connected with Made and Matter Counseling:

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What You Should Read Next with Olivia Graham Jan 10, 2023

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

In this episode, we’re answering one of your most asked questions: “What books do you recommend? Path for Growth Coaching Manager Olivia Graham interviews Alex about the list of 101 books he chose to include in the Path for Growth reading guide. Alex shares some of his top takeaways from these books, along with tips for becoming a reader and getting the maximum amount of value from the books you read.

Today Olivia Graham will talk with Alex about Path for Growth’s new reading guide (0:36)
Why did you want to become a reader? (2:21)
Can you tell us about your journey of becoming a reader? (7:26)
How have you intentionally consumed books in order to get more value? (12:28)
Why were “The Road to Character” and “Second Mountain” so impactful for you? (18:18)
What are some treasured things in your life that came from challenging yourself? (27:25)
How do you draw a distinction between discomfort and fear? (32:51)
How did “How to Measure Your Life” change your view of success? (36:48)
Can you walk us through your approach to decision making? (45:24)
What have order and chaos looked like for you as a business owner? (53:04)
What are the 4 stages of anything new? (58:19)
What are some examples of decisions leaders can make at the highest possible level? Why is this so important? (1:05:10)
What does it mean to create a shared pool of meaning in conversations? (1:12:20)
Why is “There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon” valuable? (1:17:47)
How do you recommend people interact with this list? (1:22:52)

Helpful Links and Resources

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Happy New Year? Jan 03, 2023

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Are you happy about the new year that’s coming, or are you just tired of the old one? Whatever your answer, there’s good news: you have the ability to do something different this year. In today’s episode, Alex shares a motivational message about practicing healthy growth in 2023, from taking intentional action to having faith for the things we can’t control.

You have the ability to do something different this year (0:00)
Growth is methodical and intentional (3:04)
You don’t control it all, but you have access to the one who does (5:23)
What do you believe, and what are you going to do about it? (7:29)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

What Did You Learn in 2022? Dec 27, 2022

When you take time for intentional and specific reflection, it can transform your leadership and your business. In today’s episode, Alex gives you time to reflect on 5 personal questions and 6 organizational questions as we close out 2022 and head into the new year. He also shares a few principles for cultivating creative curiosity and explains how these can help you make the most of your reflection time.

Wisdom and transformation come from reflection (0:56)
Reflection is most effective when you focus on creative curiosity (3:55)
The most powerful questions are often the ones you ask and answer yourself (4:25)
The quality of your answers will never exceed the quality of your questions (6:21)
Specific questions yield specific answers (9:04)
We’ll share 5 questions to reflect on personally at the end of 2022 (10:37)
1. What are 3 specific experiences that you are grateful you had in 2022? (11:13)
2. What are 3 positive leadership qualities you consistently practiced this year, and how can you amplify those? (14:22)
3. What are 3 leadership weaknesses that were exposed to you about yourself this year? (16:44)
4. What is one area where you grew in 2022? (20:09)
5. What personal lesson or principle do you want to ensure you take with you into next year? (22:45)
We’ll also share 6 questions for organizational reflection (25:08)
1. If the past year were a book about your business, what would it be titled and why? (26:03)
2. What were the 3 biggest victories for your organization this year? (27:38)
3. What were the 3 biggest lessons the organization had to learn this year? (29:26)
4. What is one specific value or quality your organization exemplified this year, and what caused that? (31:13)
5. What is one specific quality or value your organization lacked this year, and what caused that? (32:43)
6. What is one thing you want your team to hear from you about 2022 as you head into 2023? (34:11)
Deliberate, intentional reflection can transform your leadership (38:25)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

Strategy is a Team Sport Dec 20, 2022

For a small business to experience healthy growth, it requires team members to operate as both strategists and tacticians. In this episode, Alex shares an excerpt from a Path for Growth team meeting where he leads a conversation about strategic thinking. He explains why strategy is so important as you’re trying to achieve your vision, and he shares practical steps for implementing strategic thinking in your day-to-day activity.

Today we’re sharing an excerpt from our team meeting on strategic thinking (0:47)
Every healthy business needs to be able to answer these three questions (1:42)
Once you know where you’re going, the immediate next question is “how?” (5:53)
To answer “how?” you need both strategy and tactics (9:18)
Amplify your strengths and shore up your weaknesses (12:20)
The specificity of your strategy will never exceed the specificity of your vision (14:54)
Take responsibility for capturing and communicating what the win is (16:25)
Effective strategists have more awareness of the moves available to them in the present (18:39)
Take inventory of the moves you know and where you got them from (22:05)
Pursue opportunities to rhythmically increase your moves (23:10)
Team takeaways(24:48)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content.

5 Lessons for Life and Business with Path for Growth Coach Kelly Kreger Dec 13, 2022

From becoming one of Path for Growth’s earliest clients to joining the team as a one-on-one coach, Kelly Kreger has played an instrumental role in the success of Path for Growth. In this episode, Kelly shares five of the biggest things she’s been learning this year, including the value of principle-based thinking, new time management strategies, and practical tips for developing a healthier relationship with social media. You won’t want to miss this episode!

Get to know Kelly Kreger (3:26)
What motivated you to focus on principle based thinking? (12:08)
How did you approach learning about principle based thinking? (16:25)
What are some of the principles you keep coming back to? (22:21)
How can leaders set clear expectations that help the whole team win? (32:38)
What have you learned about time management in the past year? (46:01)
Why is reflection and finding takeaways so important for you? (1:00:39)
What have you done to develop a healthier relationship with social media? (1:09:52)
What is the one challenge you want to give leaders? (1:23:15)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

Learn more about the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders

Join us for the 2023 Path for Growth Experience – Leading Leaders. This Experience exists to help you grow as a Leadership Team. The entire schedule has been designed for you to grow as an owner while simultaneously investing in your organization’s top leaders.

Looking for some direction on what to read next? Alex recently compiled a list of 101 book recommendations for Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, Leadership Growth, and Business Growth. Click the link below to get Alex’s Reading Guide.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Register for Operationalize Your Business — February 13, 2023

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Pursuing Operational Excellence with Andy Reith Dec 06, 2022

In this episode, we share a conversation between Path for Growth COO Zack Estes and Origin Footwear COO Andy Reith about what it means to pursue operational excellence. Andy shares some of the biggest lessons he learned from working at Toyota for ten years, and he explains how he’s grown as a leader since taking on his role at Origin. Andy also shares practical insight about communicating your mission to customers, balancing the tension of serving customers with staying true to your values, and incorporating Lean principles into a service-based business.

Can you tell us about your experience working at Toyota for 10 years? (4:05)
What’s the biggest lesson you learned early in your career? (8:18)
What inspired you to focus on American manufacturing and join Origin? (13:16)
What challenges have you encountered while teaching principle-based thinking? (19:01)
Why is it so important to make work/information visible? (23:37)
What’s the difference between value add activity and waste? (26:26)
How do you encourage innovation while also determining what’s valuable? (29:00)
Is there tension between serving the customer and manufacturing in America? (30:29)
How do you communicate your mission to customers? (37:24)
What have you learned about communication from working at Origin? (41:43)
How do you keep up with maintenance without spreading yourself too thin? (45:49)
What sets Origin apart when it comes to your mission? (51:49)
How can a service-based business pursue Lean ideas? (55:33)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

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Links Andy Mentioned

Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity: Relationships Nov 29, 2022

If you want to experience healthy growth in your life and business, you need to invest in your relationships. In this episode, Alex continues our series “Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity” by sharing five strategies that can help you invest in consistent, lasting relationships. He explains why loving people well is the most important thing a leader can do and shares specific examples of how he’s implemented these tactics in his daily life.

Putting yourself is the first step to creating healthy growth (0:52)
People and connection are what matters most (2:48)
You become what you follow, so become someone people admire relationally (5:00)
1. Establish relational rhythms (6:23)
It’s important to define who matters most so you can really invest in them (13:12)
2. Meet consistently with a counselor (14:03)
3. Pray before meals (18:28)
4. Keep your phone off the table at meals and in meetings (22:29)
5. Ask questions that prompt real conversation (26:02)
Try asking these questions of the people in your life(29:40)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

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Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity: Sleep Nov 22, 2022

In order for your business to experience healthy growth, you need to find ways to create and maintain your sanity. In this episode, Alex kicks off a new series on “Tactics for Entrepreneurial Sanity” by discussing five strategies for improving your quality of sleep. He challenges listeners to spend more time paying attention to and investing in their sleep and shares some specific ways he’s seen these strategies play out in his own life.

Leadership requires you to create and maintain your own sanity (0:55)
In this series, we’ll talk about sleep, relationships, and time (6:23)
We all sleep, but most of us don’t pay enough attention to how we do it (7:05)
1. Set a standard wake-up time (8:09)
Sustained consistency is better than occasional extravagance (9:28)
2. Minimize or eliminate alcohol intake during the week (13:02)
3. Apply the 20-minute rule (19:26)
4. Invest in conditions for better sleep (24:00)
5. Write down your open loops (28:56)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain, and Health

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Links Mentioned in the Episode

The Knowledge Project Podcast

5 Lies that Limit Growth Nov 15, 2022

If you don’t believe that where you’re going matters, and that it’s possible for you to get there, you won’t be able to grow. In this episode, Alex shares five popular lies that can warp leaders’ mindsets in a way that limits their growth. He breaks down each of these lies and counters each one with a truth to focus on in order to start practicing healthy, sustainable growth.

Effort never sustainably exceeds belief (0:51)
There are certain lies that inform many leaders’ perspectives and limit their growth (4:28)
Lie: Growth is mythical. Truth: Growth is methodical (7:05)
Lie: Growth is about what you could do. Truth: Growth is what you would do (15:41)
Lie: Growth occurs inevitably. Truth: Growth occurs intentionally (23:24)
Lie: The goal is to be grown. Truth: The goal is to be growing (28:37)
Lie: Sustained growth comes from sustained extension. Truth: Sustained growth comes from extension for a season (36:50)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

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Get On Offense Part 2 Nov 08, 2022

Getting on offense allows you to stop living as a victim and start actively participating in the creation of the life and business you want to have. In this episode, Alex continues the conversation about getting on offense by sharing six blockers that hold us back from this type of active participation. He also shares examples of the actions and mindset shifts that can help you confront these blockers head-on.

Do you happen to life, or does life happen to you? Maybe there’s a third option (0:45)
The “middle voice” between passive and active is about active participation (2:52)
There are three actions you can take to get on offense (6:55)
If you don’t deal with these 6 blockers, you won’t be able to get on offense (8:39)
1. A scarcity mindset (9:49)
2. Unrealistic expectations (20:49)
3. Willful blindness (25:23)
4. Improper fear (27:46)
5. Lack of preparedness (31:34)
6. Identity issues (33:28)
Each of us can choose to be a victim or an active participant (38:58)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

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“The Pastor” by Eugene Peterson

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Links Mentioned in the Episode

“The Contemplative Pastor” by Eugene Peterson

“Get On Offense Part 1”

Proverbs 3:21-27

Scaling Excellence with Patric Yumul Nov 01, 2022

As president of the MINA Group, Patric Yumul excels at scaling excellence across locations, cities, and teams. MINA Group owns and operates more than 30 restaurants around the U.S. and internationally, and in this episode, Patric shares some of the key principles that have helped him partner with Michael Mina to grow the business. Patric also explains how vulnerability has transformed his leadership and gives practical advice to listeners who are looking for a great business partner.

Patric Yumul has learned how to scale excellence (0:44)
Can you tell us about your career path that led you into the restaurant industry? (4:37)
What made you good at your first leadership role, and what did you learn? (8:22)
What are the key principles for turning around an organization? (15:25)
How did you get to know Michael Mina? (18:04)
What sets Michael apart as a leader? (22:52)
Can you explain your role with MINA Group and why you and Michael clicked? (29:57)
What advice do you have for others looking for a business partner? (34:00)
What are the biggest strengths and skills you bring to the table? (40:09)
What are the weaknesses you’re always trying to pay attention to? (51:51)
How do you incorporate vulnerability into your leadership? (58:11)
What is Table One, and why did you decide to build it? (1:02:27)
What is one meal you’d want anyone listening to have? (1:07:22)
What’s one principle from the restaurant industry that other businesses could benefit from? (1:11:02)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

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Links Mentioned

Bourbon Steak Nashville

MINA Group website

TableOne Hospitality

2 Paths for Growth Oct 25, 2022

Healthy growth doesn’t happen by accident, and it requires you to choose the second of two paths for growth. In this episode, Alex shares 11 dichotomies that demonstrate the difference between those two paths. The first path is fragile, feeble, frantic, and weak, and the second path is healthy, centered, stable, and strong. If you want to be intentional about practicing healthy growth in your business and your personal life, this episode is full of applicable insight.

Healthy growth is possible, but it doesn’t happen accidentally (0:59)
There are 11 dichotomies that represent the two paths for growth (2:31)
1. Emotion, problem, and reaction driven vs. priority, plan, and process driven (7:39)
2. Plagued by comparison vs. preoccupied with commitments (10:43)
3. Distracted vs. present (15:54)
4. Disliking the person you’re becoming vs. liking the person you’re becoming (18:38)
5. Frustrated by what the organization is becoming vs. liking what the organization is becoming (21:05)
6. Obsessed with the destination vs. enjoying the process (24:49)
7. Stressed about underachievement vs. experiencing contentment (28:51)
8. Striving for freedom in the future vs. knowing freedom is possible today (31:34)
9. Haunted by the idea that they’re never enough vs. humbled by the idea that they’re never enough (36:40)
10. Surrounded by followers vs. surrounded with leaders (38:56)
11. Consumed by what matters now vs. focused on what matters most (40:44)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

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4 Reasonable Requests Oct 18, 2022

Do you hesitate to make certain requests of your team because you feel like they’re unreasonable? Some of the requests leaders feel most uncomfortable asking are completely justified and important for the success of the business. In this episode, Alex shares six common blockers that hold leaders back from making reasonable requests. He also breaks down four examples of requests that are reasonable to ask of your team, given the right environment.

Many leaders think certain requests are unreasonable because of six blockers (0:50)
They can’t envision it because they’ve never seen it (2:48)
They don’t properly define, document, and communicate what they want (4:45)
They are deluded by pride (6:06)
They don’t trust enough to share the information necessary (7:09)
They have a team that’s overworked and under-organized (7:59)
They lack a team with understanding, ability, and willingness to own outcomes (9:42)
These four requests are reasonable to ask for, given the right environment (11:49)
1. A dashboard that shows what matters and the story it tells (13:52)
2. An executive assistant who manages your personal tasks, email and calendar (18:17)
3. A meeting where they present 3 options and a recommended course of action (23:22)
4. A written, 90-day plan for how to get from here to there (26:45)
When you learn to make these requests, your business can grow while your stress level decreases (29:37)

Helpful Links and Resources

If you're an impact-driven leader looking for accountability and guidance on achieving healthy growth, get perspective, direction, and training from our community of impact-driven leaders and the Path for Growth Coaching Team. Learn more about our Executive Membership at the link below.

If you are a business leader, owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to determine a path for healthy growth in your life both professionally and personally, get insight, guidance, and accountability in the context of a trusted relationship. Learn more about Path for Growth One-on-One Coaching at the link below.

Most email isn't worth it. This one is. Each week, you'll have a principle worth learning, a question worth answering, and a recommendation worth taking delivered to your mailbox each Wednesday morning. Sign up below. It's worth it.

Join Path for Growth on Instagram for more content

Lead From a Place of Health with Pastor Todd Mullins Oct 11, 2022

As the leader of Christ Fellowship Church, Pastor Todd Mullins has built healthy growth into the fabric of the church. And you can feel it when you visit the church, from the enthusiasm of the volunteers to the friendliness of the congregation. In this episode, Pastor Todd explains why a healthy ministry always starts with a healthy soul, and he shares some of his best tips for taking care of your own health as a leader. He also gives some practical examples of how he teaches core values and other important ideas to his team, and he offers advice for leaders who are transitioning out of or into a role.

Can you explain why a healthy ministry always comes from a healthy soul? (4:04)
Why do so many of us neglect our own health? (7:28)
How do you know if you’re healthy, and what habits make the biggest difference? (9:54)
How have you created a culture where you prioritize your team’s health? (15:23)
What does success look like for your weekly meetings? (21:09)
Can you explain what you mean by “creating environments that are full of it?” (25:48)
How do you effectively teach key values and messages? (34:13)
Who are your communication role models? (40:13)
How did your dad prepare for you to succeed him as pastor? (45:17)
What advice can you give about bringing your faith into the workplace? (56:28)

Join Christ Fellowship Church online

Christ Fellowship Church

Nexus Leadership Podcast

Made for Mondays Sermon Series

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Get On Offense Oct 04, 2022

If you want to win the game, you have to eventually stop playing defense and get on offense. In this episode, Alex shares five reasons why it’s important for leaders to get on offense in their businesses and relationships. He also breaks down three actions you can implement today to start playing offense instead of only reacting to circumstances after they happen.

You can delay losing on defense, but winning requires you to get on offense (0:47)
Responsible leaders strategically moderate between recklessness and risk avoidance (3:40)
There are five reasons why it’s wise for a leader to get on offense (8:49)
1. Opportunity: Understand why your business exists (9:20)
2. Risk: The risk of not moving at all is greater than the risk of moving forward (10:54)
3. Struggle: When you push yourself, you can uncover meaning (11:56)
4. Creativity: Constraints are the breeding ground for creativity (14:37)
5. Faith: Your greatest testimony often overlaps with your greatest challenge (17:51)
Instill a routine that stewards the things you can control (19:48)
Pay attention (22:38)
Make and test predictions (25:28)

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Purpose is in Your People with Herb Sargent Sep 27, 2022

Herb Sargent is someone who truly exemplifies what it means to be an impact-driven leader. As the President and CEO of Sargent Corporation, he’s dedicated his career to not just building great infrastructure, but also building people. In this episode, Herb shares the incredible story of re-acquiring his family’s business 17 years after it had been sold to a larger company. He explains what he learned from growing up working at the family business and then working for other corporations, and he offers encouragement to leaders who feel like they’re stuck in survival mode. Herb also shares practical insight about preparing for a recession, making creativity and caring a part of your culture, and involving your team in strategy and vision casting.

Can you tell us about your grandfather and the business he built? (2:08)
What was it like to work your way up from the bottom in a family business? (10:28)
What did you learn from working for another company and then starting your own? (14:04)
How did you end up acquiring the former family business? (24:46)
What is your mindset toward risk, and has that changed throughout your career? (28:28)
Is there anything you wish you’d done sooner to get out of survival mode? (33:15)
What did survival mode feel like for you? (35:32)
How did you prepare for the 2008 recession so that you were able to grow? (41:30)
Who on your team do you make sure to involve in strategic conversations? (46:43)
How have you made creativity a core part of your culture? (52:44)
How have you created and sustained an “undercurrent of caring?”(1:05:35)
What are you most excited about right now? (1:17:58)

Sargent Corporation Website

Sargent: On Track Podcast

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7 Practices for Healthy Business Relationships Sep 20, 2022

The health of your relationships will often determine the health of your business. In this episode, Alex explains how you can identify the key relationships that are especially vital for your business’ overall health. He then walks through 7 practices you can implement to help ensure those relationships stay healthy, and to better equip each other to practice healthy growth in your own lives and leadership.

As goes certain key relationships, so goes the business (0:49)
1. Codify Common Ground: Why do we exist, what do we stand for, where are we going? (7:28)
2. Clarify Roles: What are the top areas where each of us need to win? (9:55)
3. Create a Cadence of Communication: Set aside time each week (12:33)
4. Call Out When It’s Weird: Get to the bottom of it and then move forward (16:42)
5. Compliment: Say nice things that are also real (22:52)
6. Commit to Ownership: Be ruthlessly responsible for the things you can control (28:56)
7. Cast Vision for Each Other: Let people borrow your belief in them (31:34)
How to put these practices into action (34:56)

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Success is Solving Problems with Nick Carrier Sep 13, 2022

If you want your business to succeed, you need to continually find ways to solve the problems that your customers are experiencing. In this episode, Nick Carrier returns to the podcast to discuss this idea and several other lessons he’s been learning about personal growth, leadership, and building a scalable business. He also talks about the importance of each one of the six human needs and explains how that framework impacts both his business and his personal growth. Nick is the founder and owner of Best You and leader of the 10 Week Transformation program, where he teaches people how to form healthy habits that transform your body and your life.

Rapid-fire questions: Get to know Nick Carrier (1:58)
How can people break the habit of hitting “Snooze?” (5:34)
What are you most excited about within your business right now? (9:53)
What does it look like to solve the problems your business creates? (13:28)
How have you changed your mindset to focus on scalability? (25:15)
What are the 3 components of self-identity, and why are they important for growth? (28:48)
Why is it important to work toward something and away from something else? (42:39)
How have you built a business that fulfills the six human needs? (54:52)
How does the six needs framework impact your personal growth? (1:03:30)
What have you been learning about order and chaos? (1:10:04)

Best You

10-Week Transformation

The Best You Podcast

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6 Human Needs

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7 Strategies for Attracting the Right People Sep 06, 2022

Just because someone is great doesn’t mean they’re the right person for your organization. To find the right people, you need to look beyond your hiring process and make sure you’re actively working to attract people who fit into your business’ mission, vision, and values. In this episode, Alex breaks down 7 different strategies you can use to prioritize attracting the right people. He also shares practical advice for leaders about making the most of LinkedIn, improving your employee benefits, and more.

Attracting the right people is especially important in a recession or downturn (1:00)
Employees have leverage right now, so A players have options (2:36)
The quality of your business will never exceed the quality of its people (4:48)
Hiring should look for culture fit, competency, character, and chemistry (6:51)
Just because someone’s great doesn’t mean they’re right for your organization (8:27)
1. Be clear about who you are and what you offer, distinctively and specifically (10:28)
2. Talk about who you are, what you’re looking for, and what you offer incessantly (15:06)
3. Amplify what works (19:23)
4. Incentivize referrals (23:03)
5. Market your workplace (26:31)
6. Leverage LinkedIn by creating, commenting, and connecting (30:12)
7. Bolster your benefits (36:15)

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Lessons from Endurance Racing Part 2 Aug 30, 2022

If you want to learn something new, try pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and seeing what you learn along the way. In this episode, Alex shares seven more lessons he’s learned from endurance racing and explains how they apply to leadership and personal growth. He also shares some examples of how experiential learning has made an impact in his own life and in the lives of others.

New experiences lead to new insights (0:50)
If there’s a pattern, there’s a principle (3:06)
Strong principles can help you communicate and teach more effectively (12:42)
Compounded strain creates strength (15:14)
Real rest demands intentionality (22:01)
Experiential learning is irreplaceable (27:50)
Voluntary struggle is part of healthy growth (36:22)
Shared struggle creates community (38:55)
Patience pays (42:15)
Remembering the reason is hard but necessary (49:59)

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Principles for Strength Amidst Uncertainty with Jeremy Stalnecker Aug 23, 2022

Lately, change seems to happen by the day. Navigating this uncertainty as leaders is a process that constantly calls us to lead with strength, truth, and adaptability. In this episode, Jeremy Stalnecker discusses the key principles he learned from his experience serving as a Marine in Baghdad and how they apply to his everyday life today. Jeremy also examines how these lessons influence his leadership as CEO of The Mighty Oaks Foundation, incorporating his perspective as a former pastor to see how our faith guides our leadership and helps us step into the leadership that God designed us for.

Where did your experience with leadership start? (2:25)
The biggest battles happen when you least expect them. (7:04)
Success in any area of life is directly related to how well you handle change (10:31)
Let God be God and do what you can do (15:25)
Your decision to move impacts you AND others around you (16:23)
The power of testimony (20:42)
What does proper and appropriate vulnerability and transparency look like? (26:50)
How do we prepare for the future in our personal lives and our organizations? (31:50)
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from organizational communication to many different perspectives and locations? (34:19)
How do you go about properly setting expectations for your team? (36:04)
How do you and your organization decide which issues to stand on and which to move on? (39:51)
What is the value of drawing your lines before you need to enforce them? (46:20)
How do you navigate culturally sensitive social issues such as sexuality and gender identity? (48:41)
What is the gospel-centered opportunity for leaders in this season? (53:04)
How do you guard against arrogance and humility? (55:23)
What are some important principles to understand about trauma? (58:53)
The Four Be's (1:03:33)
Where do we draw a line between caring for those on our team experiencing trauma and making sure we don't allow chronic underperformance? (1:05:10)
What's something that you're learning or excited about right now from a personal or leadership experience? (1:11:57)
How can people stay connected to you? (1:13:36)
What challenge or thought would you give to someone that feels stagnated? (1:14:25)

Leadership By Design by Jeremy Stalnecker

The Mighty Oaks Foundation Website

The Mighty Oaks Foundation Linktree

The Might Oaks Foundation Instagram

Jeremy Stalnecker's Website

Lessons from Endurance Racing Part 1 Aug 16, 2022

Episode Description: When you go further than you thought you could go, you learn lessons you never knew you could learn. In this episode, Alex shares seven of the biggest lessons he’s learned from endurance racing that are also applicable for any business owner or leader. Whether you’re feeling burnt out and aren’t sure if you can keep moving forward, or you’re struggling to see the results you want in your business and don’t know why, this conversation has something for you!

Episode Recap:

When you go further than you thought you could go, you learn lessons you never knew you could learn (0:50)
There’s no substitute for experiential learning (4:15)
Endurance is an exercise in expectation setting (6:14)
Those who endure plan for their plan to fail (11:01)
Effort never sustainably exceeds belief (17:07)
The results everyone wants come from the routine nobody sees (21:53)
Coaching makes effort efficient (25:44)
Detachment is a difference maker (29:23)

Resources:

“Awareness” by Anthony DeMello

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Preparing for Recession Part 2 Aug 09, 2022

Good leaders respond to a crisis, but great leaders prepare for it. In this episode, we continue our conversation about preparing for a recession by talking through 5 more actions you can take to prepare yourself and your business for periods of recession. We also discuss three things to avoid in order to stay agile, and then close out the conversation with a reminder of what it means to renew your mind and fill yourself up with truth.

In today’s episode we’ll discuss the final five actions leaders can take to prepare for recession (0:51)
6. Position yourself and your business to be agile (3:22)
Bureaucracy is an enemy of agility (4:32)
Improper expectations within your team will slow you down in times of turbulence (6:54)
Fear is not inherently bad, as long as it doesn’t lead to paranoia or rage (12:30)
7. Test assumptions quickly, aggressively, and often (19:05)
8. Remember what matters and double down on that (26:37)
9. Prepare to get on offense (32:08)
10. Renew your mind daily (35:16)

Listen to “Preparing for a Recession Part 1”

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Multitasking is Dead with Thatcher Wine Aug 02, 2022

Any time we choose to pay attention to something, there’s naturally a cost. And if we’re not intentional about where we’re placing our focus, we’re probably wasting time. In this episode, Thatcher Wine shares some of the key principles from his book, “The 12 Monotasks.” Thatcher explains why multitasking is not worthwhile and shares practical steps for leaders and entrepreneurs about improving your sleep, listening better, appreciating the value of silence, and creating a work culture that prioritizes monotasking.

Why are you so passionate about the topic of monotasks? (2:10)
Why is monotasking especially important when you think you don’t have time? (6:34)
What are the key principles about attention that you wish everyone knew? (12:49)
How can monotasking uniquely benefit entrepreneurs? (15:45)
Why are you focused on sleep right now, and what does that look like for you? (21:12)
Can you share some tips for parents about creating a great evening routine? (27:40)
How do you “close the loop” when you’re tempted to shift your attention? (30:59)
How do you track your sleep? (35:34)
Why is treating listening as a monotask so valuable for leaders? (40:47)
How have you built a culture that incentivizes and promotes monotasking? (46:49)
What does thinking look like as a monotask, and why is that so important? (51:09)
How have you found a form of structure that works for you? (57:47)

The 12 Monotasks

Thatcher Wine’s Website

Juniper Books

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Preparing for Recession Part 1 Jul 26, 2022

Since recessions are a natural part of the economy’s ups and downs, the question isn’t if we’ll go into a recession; it’s when. And while there’s no way to fully “recession-proof” your business, there are plenty of things you can do to prepare as a business and as a leader. In part one of this conversation, we begin to talk through three principles and ten actions that will help you better prepare your team and yourself for periods of recession.

It’s not always possible to “recession-proof your business,” but you can prepare (0:43)
Good leaders respond to crisis, great leaders prepare for it (4:46)
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity (7:29)
You can’t be strategic if you’re just trying to survive (9:05)
There are ten actions that you can focus on to prepare for recession (13:27)
1. Get your house in order (13:58)
2. Reinforce, amplify, and publicize culture (20:42)
3. Understand and minimize risk (26:35)
4. Consistently assess the landscape of reality (31:37)
5. Play the role of narrator (36:14)
Check back for part 2 where we’ll discuss the final five actions (41:41)
Lead from a spirit of love, power, and self-control, not fear (42:25)

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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Building in Public #3: Alex (CEO) & Olivia Graham (Coaching Manager) Jul 19, 2022

One of the most important decisions a leader can make is finding the next right person to join their leadership team. In this episode, Alex talks with Path for Growth Coaching Manager Olivia Graham about the lessons she’s learned in the first 6 months of her role. Olivia shares several principles she’s discovered while working to operationalize Path for Growth’s coaching program to better develop and support effective coaches. She and Alex also discuss the lessons they’ve learned about setting expectations around the overlap of friendship and business.

Get to know Path for Growth Coaching Manager Olivia Graham (2:55)
Can you tell us about your transition from contractor to coaching manager? (10:06)
What did you learn from interviewing with people you already knew? (16:20)
What are some principles you’ve learned in your time at Path for Growth? (22:30)
1. Leaders should balance creating systems with paying attention to individuals (23:01)
Why is it so important to catalog best practices? (32:40)
2. Context and trust are the most important thing in your first 30 days (34:10)
What tactics have you learned for becoming a better listener? (38:18)
How have we learned to set expectations around business and friendship? (41:48)
3. Start with the end in mind. Have a clear idea of what winning looks like (54:06)
What do you say to leaders who think they can’t communicate their vision (1:01:40)
4. Set your standard for the season you’re in (1:07:25)
5. Freedom is not something you earn, it’s something you experience (1:18:09)
What are you most excited about right now? (1:21:24)

"4 Responsibilities for Leading 300+ Person Teams" Part 1 Episode

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4 Responsibilities for Leading 300+ Person Teams Part 2 Jul 12, 2022

The strategies that help an organization grow to 300 people will not be effective in getting it to 1,000 people. In this episode, we continue our conversation about the four biggest things leaders of 300+ person teams should focus on: communication rhythms, leadership development, executive reinvention, and a culture of decentralized improvement. We also discuss the traits a leadership team needs in order to pursue reinvention, and the different relationship buckets every leader should try to fill.

When any team hits 300 people, the same things tend to happen (0:44)
There are four things that leaders of 300+ person teams should focus on (3:27)
Leaders of large organizations need to commit to executive reinvention (6:31)
If you’re unwilling to look like a fool, you’ll never become a master (10:10)
Teams leading large organizations need four things to pursue reinvention (12:54)
1. Stability: While pursuing reinvention, you need a level of stability elsewhere (13:25)
2. Humility: When you see yourself accurately, you can grow (16:36)
3. Courage: Reinvention requires you to wade into the unknown (18:26)
4. Relationships: There are several relationship buckets leaders should try to fill (20:17)
Find people who will challenge you (21:06)
Seek out people who can encourage you (22:47)
Look for people who model leadership for you (24:12)
Spend time with people who inspire you (25:35)
Build relationships that develop you (27:07)
Find people who will just be with you (28:50)
3 questions you can ask yourself to spur the reinvention process (31:18)
Large organizations need a culture of decentralized improvement (35:44)
Operationalization is the key (41:31)

“It’s Time to Operationalize Your Business” Episode

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Working in an Uncertain World with Mike Valiton Jul 05, 2022

Uncertainty is not something we can avoid, but there are steps we can take to better prepare ourselves and our businesses for the unknown. In this episode, Mike Valiton shares his insight into leading a business during seasons of uncertainty, as well as preparing for and navigating storms in our personal lives. Mike unpacks the routine that helps him stay grounded no matter what’s going on in the world around him, and he offers advice to leaders on managing finance, communicating honestly with team members, hiring in periods of growth, and much more.

How do you maintain a strong foundation when things around you feel uncertain? (5:23)
What are the routines and habits that help you stay centered? (9:22)
Why is it so important to define success based on the season you’re in? (18:14)
Can you explain how you pay attention to the news without being immersed in it? (21:40)
How do you hold your plans with a loose grip? (24:31)
What should people do now to make sure they’re financially healthy and secure? (34:15)
What advice do you have for leaders at large organizations? (39:59)
How can leaders best communicate with their teams in uncertain times? (46:49)
What does it practically look like for leaders to plan instead of worrying? (56:28)
Where have you seen constraints lead to creativity? (1:06:02)
How can leaders live their testimonies during this time? (1:14:23)

Sargent: On-Track Podcast

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4 Responsibilities for Leading 300+ Person Teams Jun 28, 2022

As businesses grow, the things that once worked well for them will inevitably stop working — especially once an organization grows to 300 people or more. For our 100th episode of the Path for Growth podcast, we talk through the most common mistakes leaders make when they hit the 300-person mark. We also discuss 7 communication rhythms that can help your business navigate growth more smoothly and explain why it’s so important to develop leaders who lead leaders instead of followers.

Reflecting on 100 episodes of Path for Growth (0:27)
Anytime your team hits a multiple of 3 or 10, everything breaks (6:38)
Leaders with 300 or more people tend to make the same 3 mistakes (11:15)
1. They’re still operating the same way they did with 100 people (11:23)
2. They aren’t aware that the change they’re seeing is normal (11:54)
3. They don’t have what it takes to make it to 1,000 (13:10)
Our brains respond differently when we engage with struggle voluntarily (14:34)
Not preparing for the shift leads to burnout, division, disorganization, and waste (16:02)
There are 7 important communication rhythms for large organizations (23:22)
1. One-on-one relationship communication (26:07)
2. One-on-one accountability (28:39)
3. Team unity (30:33)
4. Departmental work-related communication (37:05)
5. Strategic planning (38:20)
6. Strategic accountability (39:32)
7. Development (40:22)
Focus on developing leaders who lead leaders (42:45)

Connect with Ron Pereira on LinkedIn

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The 10 Commandments of Continuous Improvement with Ron Pereira Jun 21, 2022

No matter how strong your business’ processes and systems seem, there is always room for refinement. In this episode, Ron Pereira unpacks the 10 Commandments of Continuous Improvement that can help leaders increase productivity while also caring for their people. Ron has extensive experience in manufacturing, supply chain, and process engineering, and he’s also committed to training other leaders and organizations as a co-founder of Gemba Academy. He explains why lean engineering is so important and shares some valuable real-world examples of how he’s seen companies transformed by these principles.

How can continuous improvement transform a business? (2:15)
Why are you so passionate about processes and systems? (5:05)
How do these concepts help leaders increase both productivity and humanity? (7:20)
Why are lean processes important even if your business is going well? (9:19)
What is the problem that you help customers solve, and what does that look like in a large organization? (17:24)
Can you tell us about the 10 commandments of never-ending improvement? (25:03)
1. Open your mind to change (26:29)
2. Think “yes we can if _” (34:19)
3. Always attack processes, not people (42:37)
4. Seek simple solutions (50:57)
5. If it’s broken, stop and fix it (54:49)
6. Use creativity, not capital (1:03:07)
7. Problems are opportunities in disguise (1:05:56)
8. Fix the root cause (1:11:03)
9. The wisdom of many is better than the knowledge of one (1:13:33)
10. There is no final destination on the improvement journey (1:15:27)

Gemba Academy Website

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What I've Learned From the Strongest Leaders I Know Jun 14, 2022

One of the best ways to grow as a leader is to surround yourself with other great leaders and pay attention to what they’re doing differently. In this episode, we talk through five fundamental lessons I’ve learned from the strongest leaders in my life. We also discuss the importance of taking time to evaluate and reflect in order to get the most out of our experiences.

To get value from an experience, we have to evaluate and reflect (0:47)
Today we’ll talk through 5 lessons about what it means to be an effective leader (3:01)
1. Don’t let your mood dictate your effort (4:39)
2. Be yourself. People can smell a fake from a mile away (7:21)
3. It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing (15:15)
4. Take the risk of truly caring (24:17)
5. Good leaders hold people accountable to the standard of others; great leaders hold people accountable to the standard of their potential (28:11)

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It's Time to Operationalize Your Business Jun 07, 2022

Many people assume that starting a business will require them to hustle relentlessly for 3-5 years, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Through operationalization, leaders can delegate and continue to grow without sacrificing quality or increasing their stress levels. In this episode, we walk through the 4 foundational things you need to have in place in order to start operationalizing, as well as the four-step process for operationalization.

Operationalizing helps impact-driven leaders grow without burning out (0:47)
What are the highest return responsibilities of a leader? (6:17)
How do you simultaneously increase productivity and humanity? (7:04)
There are 4 prerequisites you need to have before you start operationalizing (11:01)
1. An aspirational mission (11:31)
2. Immoveable core values (13:27)
3. A compelling, documented vision (14:02)
4. A predictable revenue model (15:25)
Stress will increase at the rate your business grows, unless you operationalize (18:20)
Operationalizing helps you delegate, practice healthy growth, and make a sustainable impact (19:29)
Operationalized processes are measurable, accessible, repeatable, and iterable (22:13)
There are four key elements of operationalizing (23:14)
1. Standardize: Clarify what success looks like (25:18)
2. Document: Outline benchmarks for success and the process to achieve them (30:19)
3. Evaluate: Establish a system for ongoing evaluation (33:57)
4. Improve: Create a culture where the best practice can always be made better (38:40)
Start with one specific area of your business (41:50)

Listen to “Building in Public #2: Alex Judd (CEO) and Zack Estes (COO)”

Trainual

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7 Lessons From the Orthodox Jewish Community May 31, 2022

One of the keys to practicing healthy growth is the ability to focus on and prioritize the things that matter most. The Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York exemplifies this, and in this episode, we talk through seven lessons that Alex has learned while working with members of that community. Alex also shares some practical ways that we can all add more community, ritual, and generosity to our daily lives.

When something resonates with people, take time to think about why it’s working (3:28)
There are 7 key lessons we can take away from the Orthodox Jewish Community (6:18)
1. Rest requires discipline (7:27)
2. Generosity can be cultural (13:13)
3. Connection is crucial (17:12)
4. Don’t avoid differences, embrace them (19:40)
5. Humility is a prerequisite for growth (22:52)
6. Community is king (26:08)
7. Ritual is essential (31:10)

Alex’s LinkedIn Post

“Convos with Clay” Podcast

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How to Begin, Beat Challenges, and Build Culture with Clay Steves May 24, 2022

The best leaders aren’t always the people who excel from the start, but rather those who stay committed to always growing. Clay Steves, owner and CEO of Habakkuk Health, is someone who exemplifies this as a leader and communicator. In this episode, Clay describes how he built a successful business without prior leadership experience, including some of the challenges he faced and the steps he took to build a healthier culture. Clay also talks about the importance of rest for leaders and their families, and he discusses the ways he’s worked to ensure that feedback and healthy conflict are welcome at his company.

Get to know Clay with rapid-fire questions (2:46)
Why do you take issue with the term “servant leadership?” (6:18)
What motivated you to start Habakkuk Health? (7:55)
What was the tipping point that turned your idea into action? (11:40)
How do you view failure as a business owner? (13:45)
What podcasts, books, and leaders had the biggest impact on your business? (17:56)
How did you develop your vision and commit to growth as a first-time leader? (20:56)
What were the symptoms and the source of your early leadership challenges? (25:06)
Why is a healthy home life vital for leaders? (31:17)
How do you set boundaries to prioritize family rest and Sabbath? (39:49)
How have you learned to stay present? (49:03)
What do you do when you find your mind racing? (51:04)
How can leaders create an environment where feedback is encouraged? (53:42)
Why is it a leader’s job to mine for conflict, and how do you create a culture where people care deeply? (59:47)
What are you most excited about? (1:04:32)
How to connect with Clay (1:06:14)
How can leaders stay excited about their businesses and keep moving forward? (1:06:54)

Habakkuk Health Website

“Managing Leadership Anxiety” by Steve Cuss

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A Strategy for Personal Growth May 17, 2022

Effective leaders don’t just help others grow, they’re also committed to continual growth in their own lives. In this episode, we unpack five practices that help leaders grow, as well as three principles that explain why personal growth is a vital part of leadership. We also discuss the importance of consistency for growth-minded leaders and provide practical examples of what each practice can look like.

There’s a difference between self-improvement and selfish improvement (1:10)
If you aren’t personally growing, you’re not effectively leading (4:08)
If you want to put your business in order, start by putting yourself in order (9:11)
These five daily practices will help you experience growth (11:27)
1. Identification: Get specific about what successful growth looks like (14:28)
2. Information: Learn the principles and tactics for achieving your goal (19:58)
3. Representation: Find someone who embodies the quality you want to cultivate (22:46)
4. Application: The greatest learning is experiential (29:54)
5. Evaluation: Identify the principles you learned (33:33)
Our job as leaders is to grow stronger so we can serve better (36:44)

Connect with Jon on Twitter

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Leaders Simplify the Complex with Jon Collins, Co-Founder of the Bible Project May 10, 2022

When running a creative business, it’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day operations and lose the opportunity to spend time creating. While expanding the BibleProject, Jon Collins realized he didn’t want to make this mistake, so he intentionally set out to delegate leadership and operations. In this episode, Jon shares some of the lessons he’s learned while building a successful non-profit platform, including the importance of delegation, how to define your business narrative, and what it’s like to work with a business partner. He also shares insight into the process of crafting and revising effective messages that distill complex information into digestible content.

What were you doing before you started BibleProject? (3:02)
Where did you get the skillset of distilling the complex into the simple? (7:21)
How do you preserve curiosity and humility after doing this job for years? (12:23)
Why is writing an important skill for becoming a better thinker? (15:21)
How do you evaluate the effectiveness of a message? (19:40)
Do you have trouble accepting feedback on something you care deeply about?? (22:34)
How do you balance listening to feedback with trusting your intuition? (25:25)
Why did you decide to create BibleProject with a non-profit model? (28:18)
What made you want to work with Tim, and what have you learned about having a business partner? (29:57)
What was your business narrative, and why was that so important to you? (33:39)
How do you explain your early success with BibleProject? (37:10)
How have you relinquished control of operations so you could focus on the creative? (41:50)
Why is explaining so powerful, and how does that show up in the Bible? (47:24)
How to connect with Jon (52:32)

BibleProject Website

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On Perfectionism May 03, 2022

People often say that perfectionism is unproductive, but it’s also toxic, dangerous, and prideful. In this episode, we explore how perfectionism gets in the way of pursuing excellence and leading well, and we walk through three scenarios where perfectionism often shows up for leaders. We also talk about the importance of vulnerability and explain how you can start to shift your focus from being perfect to being committed.

If you struggle with perfectionism, know that there’s a better path (0:46)
Perfectionism is toxic, dangerous, and prideful (2:59)
If you don’t set a standard, someone else will (8:15)
Perfectionism in decision making: It hurts to sit on a fence (10:51)
When setting your standard, act as though grace is real and you need it (17:15)
Perfectionism in work relationships: Avoid “Superman Syndrome” (19:14)
Admit when you don’t know, aren’t good at something, feel afraid, or need help (25:33)
Vulnerability is not a manipulation tactic or a therapy session (32:42)
Perfectionism in meetings: Let great people do what great people do (35:54)

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6 Enemies of Delegation Apr 26, 2022

Most leaders know how to delegate, but they often struggle to do it effectively. In this episode, we break down six internal enemies that keep the impact-driven leader from becoming a great delegator. We also discuss some key strategies and mindset shifts that will help you name, own, and conquer the enemies of delegation that you struggle with the most.

Your ability to create opportunity exceeds your ability to delegate it (0:41)
Without delegation, impact-driven leaders will keep taking on more and more (4:27)
A leader practicing healthy growth is keenly aware of their finite capacity (5:36)
A leader practicing healthy growth is keenly aware of others’ remarkable ability (7:02)
A leader practicing healthy growth is keenly aware of delegation as a developmental opportunity (8:36)
There are 6 internal enemies that keep you from becoming an effective delegator (11:00)
1. The insecurity of a leader (14:44)
2. The pride of a leader (18:01)
3. The aimlessness of a leader (23:51)
4. The distrust of a leader (28:24)
5. The impatience of a leader (32:05)
6. The perfectionism of a leader (39:07)

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Building in Public #2: Alex Judd (CEO) & Zack Estes (COO) Apr 19, 2022

Operationalization helps you create clarity about what success looks like and properly equip each person on your team to reach it. In this episode, Alex talks with Path for Growth’s COO, Zack Estes about the four-step process they’ve used to operationalize the business. They also discuss the importance of finding partners who agree with your definition of excellence and explain how responsibility can lead to greater freedom in work and life.

What is operationalization, and why are you passionate about it? (2:42)
Why was operationalization the logical next step for Path for Growth? (6:27)
How do you define excellence? (11:42)
By operationalizing, you can succeed at the details without stressing over them (22:11)
Operationalization is a four-step process (25:19)
1. Standardize your processes and outcomes (25:58)
2. Document your standards (31:22)
3. Evaluate work by consistently comparing it to the standards (38:28)
When does it make sense to abandon standards? (43:37)
4. Improve the standards over time (48:25)
How can someone get started with operationalization? (49:20)
What does maintenance mean to you in this phase of life? (52:45)
Why is responsibility a vital part of freedom? (1:03:20)
What are you most excited about? (1:11:23)

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3 Foundational Questions for Your Business Apr 12, 2022

If you want your organization to exhibit healthy growth, you as a leader must first get clear about why the business exists, what you stand for, and where you’re going. In this episode, we walk through the process of answering each of those three vital questions. We also talk about the importance of communicating your mission and values over and over and letting them guide you as you build your vision.

There are 3 key questions that leaders must answer (0:41)
Language creates culture (2:48)
Leaders have a responsibility to create a life-giving culture for their businesses (6:03)
You and your team should consistently be able to answer these questions (7:55)
1. Why do we exist? That’s your mission statement (9:20)
Mission statements connect the mundane to the meaningful (13:06)
Mission statements lift people’s eyes above the horizon (19:28)
Mission statements provide inarguable common ground (21:42)
Once you have your mission statement, communicate it over and over (24:02)
2. What do we stand for? Those are your core values (25:00)
Core values create boundaries within which people can feel free to act (27:24)
How to evaluate a potential core value (34:16)
To build an organization that stands for something, become a leader who stands for something (40:07)
3. Where are we going? That’s your vision. (42:06)
It’s reckless to chase an audacious vision without a mission and core values (45:23)

Resources:

Pre-Order “The Secret Society of Success”

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Success Is Not Found In the Spotlight with Tim Schurrer Apr 05, 2022

How do you define success for yourself, and how does that definition impact your life and work? For Tim Schurrer, success is less about being in the spotlight and more about building a humble confidence. Tim is the former COO for StoryBrand and the author of “The Secret Society of Success,” a new book that highlights stories of people who made a major impact whether or not the spotlight was on them. In this episode, Tim shares some of the biggest lessons he’s learned about pursuing healthy growth, rejecting the spotlight mindset, and right-sizing your impact as a leader.

What did the moon landing teach you about success? (2:17)
Why did you write “The Secret Society of Success?” (5:30)
What is the spotlight mindset, and how does it harm us? (8:34)
How do you find contentment without sacrificing ambition? (14:20)
What does it mean to right size your impact? (20:56)
What is your process for intentionally choosing people to learn from? (24:53)
How can leaders create a culture of healthy growth? (34:22)
Why does building an abundance mindset lead to helping others win? (38:18)
How does our definition of success shape our lives? (40:50)

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How to Get Out of a Funk Mar 29, 2022

We can’t stop ourselves from ever getting into a funk, but we can take control and move forward when we find ourselves in one. In today’s episode, we talk about four practical actions to help us get out of a funk and recommit to pursuing healthy growth. We also discuss the importance of labeling your emotions in order to take away some of their power, as well as advice for finding the right people to confide in.

We often use language to hide the truth of where we’re at (3:01)
Today we’ll discuss four actions that can help us get out of a funk (6:40)
1. Own it: You will never fix what you refuse to see (7:15)
2. Talk about it: Another person can introduce rationality (13:01)
Find someone you trust to be solution-oriented and give good advice (17:34)
3. Jolt your way out of it: If you want different results, start doing different things (23:46)
When you disrupt yourself, you reorient your mind, body, and emotions instead of escaping (34:18)
4. Practice healthy growth: Create change that’s sustainable (36:32)
Your effectiveness as a leader is not measured by your ability to be perfect (41:27)

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Health, Growth, Authenticity, and Acceptance with Trey Sheneman Mar 22, 2022

After years of prioritizing his career, Trey Sheneman is excited to direct new levels of focus toward his family and his health. Trey is chief marketing officer at The ASK Method Company, and in this episode, he shares his story of learning to show up as his authentic self in the workplace. Trey also discusses the importance of acceptance instead of agreement when interacting with people who believe different things than you, and he offers advice to other leaders who feel compelled to keep climbing rather than pausing to think about what matters most to them.

What is marketing, and why are you so passionate about it? (1:58)
What was the mindset change that allowed you to change career paths? (11:50)
How do you become a peacemaker as a leader? (18:16)
What has helped you overcome the desire to be liked? (22:40)
How do you make sure your image is aligned with how you’re actually feeling? (26:53)
What changed inside of you that equipped you to leave a job you love? (36:35)
How have you embraced authenticity while working in marketing? (46:16)
What is the difference between acceptance and agreement? (54:01)
What advice would you offer to someone who feels stuck trying to climb the mountain? (1:03:13)

The ASK Method Company

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 7 of 7 Mar 15, 2022

Great leaders are great coaches, and great coaches use principles to distill truth. In this episode, we close out our series on the five characteristics of effective coaching with a conversation about four tactics for principle-based coaching. We talk through some practical examples of patterns we’ve turned into principles at Path for Growth. We also wrap up our conversation on coaching with a reminder that wisdom and nuance are essential characteristics for all leaders and coaches.

Great coaches are relational, curious, assertive, directional, and principle-based (0:53)
Principles simplify, solve, scale, and separate (1:57)
Principle-based coaching involves 4 tactics (7:48)
1. Notice the pattern (10:43)
Experience is not authority (13:56)
The more evidence you gather about a pattern, the more assertive you can be (14:40)
2. Identify the principle (21:14)
Don’t sacrifice truth just to make your principles sound catchy or clever (28:36)
3. Collaborate to make the principle practical (35:52)
4. Understand that reality isn’t perfect (40:32)
Effective coaching requires nuance (48:49)

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 6 of 7 Mar 08, 2022

Great leaders are great coaches, and great coaches operate out of principle-based thinking. In this episode, we start to wrap up our series about the five principles of effective coaching. We break down the definition of principles and discuss 4 practical ways that principle-based thinking can help you become a better leader and coach.

Great leaders are coaches who unleash the best in others (0:43)
Effective coaching is principle-based, and this is a skill you can learn (4:49)
If you want to be better at principle-based coaching, you have to be better at principle-based thinking (9:07)
What is a principle? (10:16)
Why do principles matter? (14:10)
Principle-based thinking can greatly benefit leaders in 4 key ways (19:00)
1. Principle-based thinking simplifies. (19:48)
2. Principle-based thinking solves. (27:20)
3. Principle-based thinking scales. (29:05)
4. Principle-based thinking separates. (34:34)

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Leadership Requires Relationship with Casey Graham Mar 01, 2022

When Casey Graham successfully sold his first business, he started feeling stuck and without purpose. After working to redefine his goals and motivations, Casey became the founder and CEO of Gravy, a company that both helps with failed payment recovery and intentionally develops people and leaders. In this episode, Casey shares his story of climbing out of a difficult place to find both success and fulfillment. He also shares practical advice for other business owners about building trust-filled relationships, learning to delegate, creating an owner’s intent, and focusing on leadership development.

What happened when you sold your first business? (2:06)
Why is it important to know the motivation behind your business? (10:50)
How did your brokenness lead you to find your support system? (15:42)
How can confession help when someone is feeling stuck? (18:23)
How have you intentionally built trust-filled relationships? (22:11)
Where do friendships fit into your leadership development at Gravy? (28:58)
Why did you decide to prioritize people's development? (31:05)
How do you distinguish between preferences and core issues when delegating? (34:20)
What is an owner's intent, and how do you create it? (42:46)
How do you reorder and reinvent yourself when you need to? (49:51)

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The No BS Small Business Book

Gravy

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 5 of 7 Feb 22, 2022

Great leaders are great coaches, and great coaches help people figure out where they are and where they are headed. In this episode, we discuss the fourth of five coaching characteristics: Effective coaching is directional. We talk through the three planes where someone can excel at directional coaching, along with four common fears that keep people from seeing the path ahead of them.

The highest calling of a leader is to unleash the best in others (0:58)
To be a directional coach, you both have to agree on where you are and where you’re headed (2:22)
Directional coaching happens on three planes, and you have to excel on the first to move on to the next (6:14)
1. The conversational plane: Where is this conversation going? (8:27)
2. The situational plane: Where am I going in this situation? (11:40)
3. The existential plane: Where is my life going? (13:05)
When people have directional alignment on all three planes, it leads to outrageous harmony (16:18)
Your ability as a coach to see the path is nice but irrelevant: the goal is for them to see the path (17:21)
When people are lacking direction, err on the side of intentional curiosity (19:37)
Lack of direction is almost always related to fear (22:08)
There are four main fears that we can help people overcome to find direction (23:38)
1. Fear of the unknown (25:20)
2. Fear of failure (32:54)
3. Fear of incorrect aim (37:46)
4. Fear of impossibility (42:35)

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Your Values Aren't Optional with JP Krueger Feb 15, 2022

For JP Krueger, establishing core values is not a once-and-done exercise. In fact, when he noticed that he and his team at Five Stone Tax Advisers were too focused on growth and profitability, JP took time to slow down and work with his team to choose five core values that would drive every part of their business going forward. In this episode, JP describes that process, shares his perspective on what it means to run a faith-based organization, and discusses his reluctance to plan too far into the future. He also explains how he’s built generosity into his business model.

Why did you start Five Stone? (2:35)
What was challenging about the transition out of the early stages of business? (5:16)
How did planning too far into the future end up hurting your business? (8:15)
How have you redefined your goals and values? (11:11)
What changed when you stopped recruiting? (19:49)
What does being a faith-based organization mean to you? (25:20)
Can you walk us through your process of choosing core values? (27:37)
How do you evaluate someone against your core values during the interview process? (29:30)
What’s the difference between commitment and lack of balance? (38:17)
How do you strive for effectiveness without micromanaging? (44:04)
Why is generosity so central to your business? (45:41)
How has generosity blessed your business? (51:33)

Five Stone Tax Advisers

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 4 of 7 Feb 08, 2022

Great leaders are great coaches, and great coaches know when to be assertive. In this episode, we continue our conversation about the five principles of effective coaching and discuss the importance of making healthy, helpful, and productive assertions. We also unpack four characteristics of a healthy assertion that can help you bring out the best in the people you’re leading and coaching.

To be an effective coach and leader, there are five key qualities to practice (0:51)
Sometimes great coaching involves drawing answers out of someone, but other times it requires you to be assertive (5:16)
There’s a fine line between healthy and unhealthy assertions (9:35)
“Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (11:15)
Healthy assertions have four characteristics (19:01)
1. Healthy assertions are rare (19:35)
2. Healthy assertions are trustworthy (24:18)
3. Healthy assertions are humble (34:38)
4. Healthy assertions are principle-based (41:54)

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It's Worthwhile to Stand for Something with Pete Roberts Feb 01, 2022

Pete Roberts started Origin U.S.A. because he wanted to take a stand in saving American manufacturing. And in the process of building his company, he found an even deeper purpose through the leadership he could provide for employees who needed a cause to fight for. In this episode, Pete shares why Origin’s mission is so important, and he explains how he’s held onto his vision while also needing to think about revenue. We also talk about the way our businesses can change when we stop thinking in the short-term and start focusing on building something that can outlive us.

Why are you so passionate about American manufacturing? (1:45)
What will be required to keep manufacturing in America? (10:53)
Why did you decide to take a stand and do something about this issue? (15:39)
How have you united people around this cause? (21:21)
Why have employees stuck around even during the pandemic? (27:50)
What does it look like to cast a vision while still thinking about revenue? (33:27)
How does having a long-term mindset for your business shape the way you make decisions today? (41:22)
How do you maximize your time with advisors? (46:15)
What motivates you to turn down opportunities that don’t align with your long-term goals? (53:33)
How do you discern between wise counsel and naysayers? (57:53)
What is an entrepreneurial seizure, and how do you combat it? (1:10:00)
How have you evolved to become the leader Origin needs? (1:14:40)
Product is a manifestation of the mindset (1:24:28)

Origin USA

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 3 of 7 Jan 25, 2022

Great leaders are great coaches, and great coaches are curious. In this episode, we continue our conversation about the five principles of effective coaching and talk about three areas you can focus on in order to become more curious. We also walk through a framework for asking better questions about where a person is and where they are going.

Leadership is about unleashing the best in others (0:46)
When trying to influence and lead, motive matters (3:47)
Good coaches give answers to people, but great coaches extract answers from people (6:31)
To convey curiosity, focus on the tone you use, the questions you ask, and the way you listen (9:54)
Your tone can convey interest and invite people to share more (10:27)
Asking questions is key to curiosity (21:14)
We think asking questions is difficult and abnormal (22:13)
We don’t ask questions because we believe the gap between failure and success is information (25:23)
We avoid questions because we assume we understand (28:32)
Ask about where they’ve been, where they are, where they’re going, and what the path looks like (32:24)
The passive coach hears concepts, but the active coach listens to language (43:50)

FaithLife Study Bible and Logos

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How to Read the Bible with Dr. Michael Easley Jan 18, 2022

So many people set out to read the Bible regularly but quickly let it fall by the wayside. In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Michael Easley, who shares practical advice for anyone who wants to make a habit of reading the Bible but doesn’t know where to start. He also explains his process for approaching a passage of Scripture and shares specific passages for people to read based on their current struggles. If you missed part one of this conversation, be sure to check it out for more great insight.

What mistakes do people tend to make when they start trying to study the Bible? (2:18)
What is an achievable goal for someone who wants to get started? (4:41)
How do you select the right translation based on your level of familiarity? (9:23)
Where in the Bible should you start reading? (14:26)
Observe, interpret, and apply (22:32)
What readings do you recommend for someone struggling to stay emotionally engaged and present? (36:11)
What readings do you recommend for someone working on their marriage?(40:27)
What readings do you recommend for someone who’s feeling unfulfilled? (46:17)
What readings do you recommend for someone who wants to rediscover their passions? (48:50)
What resources do you recommend to supplement Bible reading? (53:07)
How would you challenge a listener who thinks they don’t have time to read? (56:25)

Constable’s Notes

Talk Thru the Bible

Bible.org

Answers in Genesis

Institute for Creation Research

Ron Rhodes

The Big Book Series

Michael Easley in Context Podcast

Michael Easley in Context Podcast

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Why to Read the Bible with Dr. Michael Easley Jan 11, 2022

There’s a major difference between believing the Bible is truth and actually spending time with it. In this episode, I have the honor of talking with Dr. Michael Easley, the former president of Moody Bible Institute and pastor at Stonebridge Bible Church. He shares some fundamental truths about the Bible and explains how reading it regularly can lead to transformation. This is part one of a two-part conversation with Dr. Easley, so be sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss the next episode!

Why do so many people avoid the Bible? (5:01)
How has your relationship with the Bible evolved throughout your life? (6:51)
What has to change for someone to start falling in love with the Bible? (12:46)
At the most fundamental level, what is the Bible? (18:21)
Why is the Bible worth reckoning with, whether you believe in it or not? (24:48)
How can routinely reading the Bible change us? (32:04)
Why is it important for leaders to read the Bible? (36:19)
How to connect with Michael (42:39)

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8 Truths about Healthy Growth Jan 04, 2022

As you set goals for the new year, it’s important to make sure that you’re not only prioritizing growth and sacrificing your health in the process. In today’s episode, we talk through eight truths and lessons that can help you pursue healthy growth this year as you seek to leave a lasting impact with your business and your relationships.

The new year represents an incredible opportunity to think about growth (0:39)
There are 8 truths that can help your pursue growth without sacrificing your health (4:36)
1. Health and growth are not the same thing (5:44)
2. Growth for the sake of growth is dead (7:32)
3. Fulfillment is an inside job (10:16)
4. Contentment and growth can coexist (12:53)
5. My work is not who I am, my work is where I serve (16:22)
6. My standard is commitment, not perfection (20:38)
7. God’s promises are not found outside God’s boundaries (23:52)
8. I am not going to see this finished (28:03)

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 2 of 7 Dec 28, 2021

To be a great leader, you have to learn how to coach, and to be a great coach, you have to be relational. In this episode, we break down six principles of relational coaching, which will help you build trust and provide more value to the people you’re investing in. We also discuss the importance of listening well and unpack seven simple strategies you can use to listen more effectively.

To lead well, you sometimes need to be a coach (0:42)
Effective coaches share five key qualities (3:51)
People don’t care that you know until they know that you care (5:30)
Effective coaching requires vulnerability, but you have to build a relationship first (6:57)
Live like a person that people can trust, and be consistent (11:18)
Don’t teach principles that you don’t live out (14:34)
A great relational coach has 6 characteristics (15:46)
1. Relational coaching is holistic (16:50)
2. Relational coaching is context sensitive (19:04)
3. Relational coaching is intentional (26:15)
4. Relational coaching is characterized by a commitment to listening with non-verbal affirmation, verbal affirmation, specific questions, paraphrasing, mirroring, and labeling (30:38)
5. Relational coaching is empathetic (43:30)
6. Relational coaching is fun (45:21)

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Great Leaders are Great Coaches — 1 of 7 Dec 21, 2021

What is a leader’s job? It seems like a simple question, but often we look at leadership through the lens of other people’s expectations, or we don’t take the time to think about our responsibility to the people around us. In this episode, we explore the idea that the primary responsibility of a leader is to unleash the best in others. To help with that, we also introduce five principles of effective coaches, which we’ll continue to explore in the coming weeks.

What do leaders do? (0:49)
Leaders unleash the best in others (2:11)
As a leader, you must live in the tension of wanting to see certain outcomes but accepting that you can’t control everything (4:12)
Leaders believe that your best is in you (9:51)
Leaders believe the best is possible (13:21)
Leaders believe the best needs to be unleashed (18:22)
The best leaders wear many hats, not just the vision casting hat (19:52)
Great leaders need to wear the hat of coach (21:35)
Effective coaches have five key qualities (26:18)
1. Effective coaches are relational (27:57)
2. Effective coaches are curious (29:28)
3. Effective coaches are assertive (30:32)
4. Effective coaching is directional (32:57)
5. Effective coaching is principle based (33:51)

Chad’s blog post about completing Selection

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GORUCK's Selection 022 Sole Finisher: Chad Malone Dec 14, 2021

Every year GORUCK holds grueling endurance challenges, and in 2021, Chad Malone was the only finisher of Selection, the most difficult of all the events. In this episode, I talk with Chad about his experience with Selection and other GORUCK events. He explains how a change in motivations helped him to succeed, and he discusses his experience with bouncing back after failure. This episode is packed with inspiring insight that will make you want to challenge yourself in new ways, so be sure to listen!

What was your first GORUCK event like? (2:39)
Why did you want to do more events after that? (7:57)
What do the people who do an event like HTL have in common? (12:51)
What does GORUCK Selection entail? (17:14)
How much does Selection cost, both financially and in terms of time spent? (21:08)
You said that when you started out, your “why” was to be the best. What changed? (28:40)
How do you guard your heart and mind to keep up the motivation in an event like this? (37:07)
Has GORUCK impacted the person you are in other areas of your life? (41:05)
What motivated you to start your own business? (46:18)
How did you handle feelings of failure in 2019? (48:55)
What would you say to someone who thinks that “hard equals bad?” (56:37)
What was your mindset going into Selection in 2021? (1:03:35)
Has that experience of practicing presence translated to other areas of your life? (1:08:45)
What was the most grueling moment in the 2021 Selection, and what did it feel like to finish? (1:10:44)
How to connect with Chad (1:26:30)
What advice do you have for people who are ready to level up? (1:30:20)

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6 Qualities for Healthy Accountability Dec 07, 2021

Accountability is a vital part of leadership, but it can easily become toxic when not handled correctly. In this episode we’re talking about six qualities that make accountability healthy. By implementing these in your own life and work, you can experience greater results, keep your commitments as a leader, and strengthen your relationships.

I used to think accountability was about punishing people for not doing what they said they would do, but I was wrong(0:44)
Accountability is not just a topic for the workplace, it’s about boundaries and commitments (6:39)
Toxic accountability involves public or private shaming (8:04)
Accountability is not erratic and random check-ins (9:40)
Accountability is not relentless micro-management (10:45)
Sustainable growth doesn’t occur without accountability (11:45)
There are six qualities of healthy accountability (15:35)
1. Healthy accountability is rhythmic (17:43)
2. Healthy accountability is results-oriented (19:29)
3. Healthy accountability is real (25:47)
4. Healthy accountability is relational (29:10)
5. Healthy accountability is restorative (31:30)
6. Healthy accountability is rewarding (34:19)

9 Ways to Make Long-Term Travel a Reality

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Leading a Values-Based Business with Bobby Mikulas Nov 30, 2021

It’s relatively easy to create a list of core values for your business, but it’s much more complicated to actually run your day-to-day operations with those values at the forefront. That’s why I was especially excited to talk with Bobby Mikulas, CEO and co-founder of Kinship Landing, a boutique hotel that’s truly a values-based business. Bobby shares his amazing story of deciding with his wife to create a space for travelers in Colorado Springs, and he explains how he’s developed confidence and courage without sacrificing his humility. Listen in for some great leadership advice and encouragement.

Where did the idea for Kinship Landing come from? (3:09)
What was your mindset that allowed you to commit to a long-term goal? (8:39)
Why were you driven to create Kinship Landing? (13:25)
How have you learned to narrow down and focus when you have many different passions? (15:09)
Have you noticed your core values changing throughout your life? (21:47)
What did you learn in your first year of business? (23:45)
You said you have a crazy story about purchasing real estate in that first year, what was that like? (27:36)
How do you discern between courage and foolishness? (30:58)
What does it look like to act confidently without becoming arrogant? (34:28)
Why do you structure your life around intentional chunks of time? (42:12)
Remember that changing the world is not up to you (43:39)
What are Kinship’s core values, and what does it mean to run a values-based business? (50:57)
Creating an environment for startups to collaborate (1:00:56)
How do you create a business that outlasts you? (1:03:17)

Kinship Landing Website

Kinship Landing Instagram

Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development

Courage: The Backbone of Leadership

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7 Questions to Cultivate Gratitude Nov 23, 2021

Gratitude is one of the most important practices you can build into your life as a leader. So in this episode, we’re going to walk through a new Thanksgiving tradition: a guided gratitude exercise. With this episode, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on seven questions that encourage you to cultivate gratitude for the things you’ve experienced this year and the things you currently have in your life.

In today’s episode we’ll walk through a guided gratitude exercise (1:00)
Gratitude is an antidote to anxiety (3:46)
Gratitude is an expression of humility (6:10)
Gratitude is an opportunity for leadership (9:20)
Write down the things you’re grateful for (12:18)
1. What is an area where you were able to grow that you’re thankful for? (13:21)
2. What is a relationship you were able to build that you’re grateful for, and why? (15:43)
3. Where are you grateful for a lesson that you learned this year? (18:10)
4. What is a trial you were able to face that you’re thankful for? (20:47)
5. What is an experience you got to have that you’re grateful for this year? (24:45)
6. What is the thing in your life that you can’t even begin to explain, but that you’re outrageously grateful for? (27:57)
7. What are you grateful for in the season you’re currently in? (30:21)
Take the opportunity to lead others in the practice of gratitude (32:02)

Whole30 Coaching Certification

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The Value of a Jolt with Melissa Urban Nov 16, 2021

Sometimes the principles that help us most as leaders and professionals are learned in the midst of personal struggles. Melissa Urban is an incredible example of this, as she took her experiences with addiction recovery and food freedom and used them to create Whole 30. It was incredible to hear her story and to dive into some of the lessons she’s learned about setting boundaries, building new habits, and staying true to your values. There’s so much wisdom to take away from this conversation.

How did Whole30 begin? (2:58)
What benefits does Whole30 provide? (4:50)
How do emotions and biology impact our food choices? (7:05)
You say in your book that changing the way you eat is not hard, but it is still really difficult. What do you mean by that? (11:18)
How is Whole30 a gateway to empowerment, especially for women? (13:45)
What motivates people to make a major lifestyle change like Whole30? (16:00)
What barriers keep people from making a change? (17:40)
Why does Whole30 work from a scientific perspective? (19:58)
How does sharing openly about your struggles help you combat shame, and how do you create boundaries around the things you share and the things you keep private? (23:10)
What is the difference between abstainers and moderaters, and how do you build the skill of moderation? (33:54)
Does it get easier to make good food choices once you build new habits? (39:39)
How can you avoid perfectionism while doing Whole30?(40:55)
What does it look like to find food freedom? (43:13)
How has going through recovery, learning to set boundaries, and doing Whole30 helped you as a business leader? (44:44)
When did you decide to transition to running Whole30 full time, and what did that transition feel like? (48:08)
Did your connection with the CrossFit community help you grow Whole30? (50:21)
How do you know when your product is good enough to go public? (53:46)
You’ve built your business completely self-funded, how did that benefit you and your community? (56:37)
How do you stay true to your values and focus on the things you’re good at while your company is growing and changing so rapidly? (1:00:58)
What have you learned about attracting, hiring, and retaining great people? (1:06:01)
What are the benefits and challenges of building an entirely remote team? (1:08:45)
Are there any key leadership lessons you’ve been learning lately? (1:11:36)
Can you tell us more about the Whole30 Coaching Program? (1:12:43)

Whole30

Melissa’s Website

Melissa’ Instagram

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3 Stop-and-Start Practices Nov 09, 2021

We’re going to talk about the things you might be doing that you need to stop doing and the things that you may be avoiding that you need to start doing. You’re going to walk away with three main principles that you can start practicing immediately as you lead your team and your business.

We’re going to talk about what you need to stop doing and what you need to start doing to grow yourself and your team (0:55)
Stop giving answers—start asking questions (1:35)
Good leaders give answers, great leaders extract answers (2:30)
The principle at play: people repeat what works (6:18)
Stop taking responsibility from people—start giving responsibility to people (9:44)
Story time: I screwed up and my leader took the blame . . . and why that actually made me feel worse (14:40)
Give people the opportunity to experience the highs and lows of owning something (16:05)
The amount of freedom you experience is proportional to the amount of responsibility you take (17:44)
Instead of delegating tasks, delegate outcomes (18:27)
Growth occurs just beyond the edge of what’s comfortable (20:50)
Stop avoiding silence—start embracing silence (23:29)
Are you afraid of awkward? (25:56)
Gold often comes on the other side of awkward (27:55)

Path for Growth Coaching

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Purpose, Presence, and Productivity with Jordan Raynor Nov 02, 2021

Jordan has become a friend and someone I deeply admire and respect. He is an incredible communicator and is gifted at taking time-tested principles and communicating them in a way that makes the complex simple. He is also a practitioner and has real world marketplace experience. He has been the CEO of several different organizations. His new book, Redeeming Your Time looks at time management through the lens of Jesus. Jump in and join us for this conversation.

Start by telling us about “the ministry of excellence” (2:57)
What is the “why” for doing excellent work? (5:44)
Explain why you see Jesus as the subject manager expert on time management (8:22)
Talk about the difference between productive and busy or hurried (11:26)
We can get caught thinking it’s only hustle or self-care. It seems like you’re advocating for a different approach (15:57)
You’ve used the word “soul” a few times. Can you explain the heart shift that has to occur for us to have the right attitude toward work? (17:49)
One of the things you talk about in the book is chasing audacious goals. It seems like the Christ follower who knows they’re loved no matter what could be an aggressive risk taker. (24:19)
How do you seasonally define priorities? (26:56)
Define how you decide a goal is worth pursuing? (29:55)
You’re absorbing content all the time. How do you monitor the content in your life so you’re also listening to what God is telling you? (32:15)
What’s the biggest thing that you’ve noticed from shifting the content you consume? (37:26)
What is the encouragement you’d give people around choosing how they let things drive their lives (39:49)
One of the topics from the book I’ve been trying to practice is Sabbath. Why do you think it’s important? (43:19)
You said Sabbath does a lot for “our souls and for our goals”. Can you speak to that? (48:18)
What is the role of your phone and email on Sabbath? (50:41)
Do you exit Sabbath on Sunday evening or Monday morning? (52:58)
What do you do Sunday evening to prep for the week ahead? (54:19)
If someone has tried time management things a lot and still ends up stuck, what is the challenge and encouragement you’d give that person? (56:43)

Jordan Raynor Website

Redeeming Your Time Book

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Maximizing Mentorship Oct 26, 2021

We are talking about a topic that we’re deeply passionate at Path for Growth. Today is going to be extremely actionable because we’re talking about maximizing mentorship. This is a very practical conversation and I’m going to share with you the methodology I’ve created for finding and maximizing mentorship.

After buying people coffee or lunch hundreds of times, I’ve created a method for maximizing conversations with people that I think of as mentors (1:43)
Everyone should be seeking out and learning from mentors (2:59)
I want to start with the three biggest reasons this is worth your time (3:30)
The first reason is that you have the opportunity to distill decades into days (4:25)
The second reason is that empathetic human connection is essential (6:31)
The third reason is that there are few things more valuable than context driven support (8:12)
What you’re really signing up for here is responsibility (10:08)
Here are the seven steps that I use to maximize mentorship (11:14)
Step One: Identify the area or the person that you want to grow (11:58)
Step Two: Send a well-worded, intentional and specific request (14:06)
Step Three: Prepare questions ahead of time (17:47)
Step Four: Buy the coffee or meal (20:14)
Step Five: Take notes and lead the conversation (21:40)
Step Six: If it was valuable and time you’d like to have again, ask them at the end (25:18)
Step Seven: Send an intentional thank you message with evidence of action (26:34)
My request to you is to take action (29:25)

RESOURCES

Michelle Meyers Podcast Episode

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Doing What Matters with Michelle Myers and Somer Phoebus Oct 19, 2021

This is our second conversation with Michelle Meyers, but this time she brought her friend Somer Phoebus. They just recently wrote a book and also run a company together, both by the same name - She Works HIS Way. You are going to love this conversation and we know you’ll find some great takeaways that will impact your life and leadership.

Before we jump into their book, I wanted you to hear about Michelle and Somer’s background (2:41)
It sounds like you created something because you needed it, not to start a business (6:14)
Thinking back to your first 18 months - what was the biggest thing you got from that time period personally? (7:29)
Let’s talk about the topic of freedom. What’re your thoughts about freedom and do you see it showing up as a potential idol? (13:37)
There’s a difference between having freedom and experiencing it. What does that mean to you guys? (18:03)
What happens when we’re operating from the mindset of wanting to do what God wants us to do but we can’t tell what He wants us to do? (22:28)
What would you say to the entrepreneur who has achieved a level of success that gives them more time and wonders what they should do now? (29:08)
Anyone who is wired as a leader probably struggles with the idea that work = worth. How do you think those connect to each other? (33:23)
Your book is constantly combatting the messages that are perceived as true (37:10)
As a growth-oriented leader, it can be hard to understand what contentment looks like. What is contentment? (39:44)
One of the things I started to pay attention to was that some of the most goal-oriented people I know are also miserable. What is the proper role of goals in the life of a person and business so they can co-exist with contentment? (46:41)
How do you evaluate whether something has become an idol? (51:58)
One of the chapters in the book is about relationships. Why are adult friendships so important and how do you build them? (55:58)
I have to reframe my idea of success when it comes to spending time with people. What is a healthy definition of success for spending time with people? (1:02:00)
If someone listening considers their relationship with Jesus as their main thing, what is your encouragement for that person? (1:06:51)
Can we close out with a prayer like you do in each chapter of the book? (1:11:47)

She Works HIS Way Website

She Works HIS Way Book

Path for Growth Coaching

The Power of Presence Podcast Episode

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The Practice of Presence Oct 12, 2021

You are the product of the things you do every, single day. The topic of ‘presence’ is often undervalued in the life of a leader because we are so focused on planning. As a result, we can end up missing out on what is going on in the present. To be present as a leader is to express gratitude with your attention in a way that causes others feel compelled to do the same.

What does it look like for you to express gratitude with your attention? (2:40)
How do we practice presence? (3:38)
Everything changes when you start to treat the moment like practice. Practice is a mindset (9:01)
Practice is not a destination (9:34)
Practice is not a linear process (10:03)
Practice is not a celebrated activity (10:54)
Practice is the on-going, never-ending, daily pursuit of a worthy value or virtue (12:35)
Number 1: Prepare for presence in the evening (14:06)
Number 2: Maximize the morning (15:47)
Number 3: Don’t look at your phone for the first hour of the day (20:06)
Number 4: Establish a rhythm of 10 minutes of closed-eye silence throughout the day (21:18)
Number 5: Make direct eye contact (25:14)
Number 6: Take your phone off the table (27:53)
Number 7: Schedule ‘deck time’ (30:55)
Number 8: Beware of frenzy (33:28)
Number 9: Do hard workouts (36:14)
Number 10: Write down what you’re grateful for (39:22)
What matters is not your perfection but your rate of recovery and your level of commitment (46:57)

Maximize Your Morning Podcast Episode

Bryan Miles Podcast Episode

Olivia Graham Calendly Link

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Business is a Part of Life with Olivia Graham Oct 05, 2021

When my business started growing, I was looking for someone to lead intentional, growth oriented conversations with groups of high caliber leaders (like we have here at Path for Growth). Right away, only one name came to mind. My friend and team member Olivia Graham is a great business owner in her own right and has been one of the greatest blessings for our business. Today you get to hear Olivia’s perspective on working with Growth Groups but also her life as a mom, wife and entrepreneur.

I thought a great place to start would be with Olivia’s entrepreneurial story (3:57)
There’s so much talk about ‘calling’, but what I love about your story is that it wasn’t a long-term dream but more of the right next step (6:40)
What are one or two of the lessons you learned while having a full-time job and also trying to get your business up and running? (8:26)
What is the biggest way that leading your business has grown you personally? (10:35)
What’s a problem that seemed insurmountable at first but you’ve grown because you were able to get around it? (12:28)
What advice would you give to people with regard to preparing for when crisis arrives? (15:35)
What was your biggest takeaway from the COVID crisis season? (18:04)
You and your husband, Will, seem to be really enjoying yourselves. What are some things you did to make it enjoyable to live, raise a child and run a business together? (23:25)
Speak to what it looks like to apply intentionality to your time in a healthy way (26:32)
How do you and Will discern who the closest relationships in your life are? (34:26)
You and Will are really focused on shared experiences. Can you speak to where that comes from and what makes the trips you take really valuable? (47:07)
Growth for the sake of growth is dead. But if you’re growing for a bigger purpose, it creates life. What is the role the gospel plays in that mindset shift for you? (56:00)
You lead our Growth Groups at Path for Growth. Can you describe what Growth Groups are and some of the stories that have come from them? (1:02:15)
There are some people that operate well in their groups. What are the things that they’re doing or the qualities they’ve built that make them that type of person? (1:07:23)
The people who have been in business the longest are way more patient than I am. Can you speak to the value of patience in building community? (1:10:07)
You cannot manufacture trust but you can accelerate it. What are things people can do intentionally to accelerate the building of trust? (1:14:12)
What is the biggest thing a community like Growth Groups provides for people? (1:19:19)
Tell us a little about the next Growth Group you’re starting and where people can find you (1:24:36)
Give people three actions they can take to practice personal growth and then the encouragement they need to be able to do the actions (1:29:05)

Olivia Graham Instagram

TheBridePlan Instagram

Olive & Birch Instagram

Path for Growth Coaching

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The Power of Presence Sep 28, 2021

What if you’re so obsessed with what God did in your life that you’re missing what God is doing in your life? Today is the first in a two-part series about being a more present leader. Let’s start by talking about present leaders and why it’s so important to focus on this.

Growing up I would describe myself as being driven, achievement oriented and ambitious. Those are strengths and also weaknesses (0:46)
“If you always live life for what’s around the corner, you’ll look up one day and realize you never actually lived any life” (3:04)
One of the greatest gifts you can give to people you impact - and to yourself - is your commitment to being a present leader (4:37)
I want to start by talking about present leaders - what they understand, believe and know (6:32)
The present leader understands that attention is an investment (7:32)
The present leader believes that now is a gift (12:30)
The present leader knows that their attitudes and actions will be replicated (16:53)
It’s difficult to be scattered and distracted when you’re around a person who is deeply present and committed (18:17)
To be present is to express gratitude with your attention in such a way that others feel compelled to do the same (20:08)
The first enemy of presence is worry about the future (22:00)
The second enemy of presence is nostalgia for the past (23:27)
The last enemy is distraction in the present (28:39)
What is one place you feel called to be radically present? (31:31)

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6 Core Human Needs with Jay Owen Sep 21, 2021

Jay Owen is not only a good friend, but also a leader and business owner. He owns Business Builders, which is a digital marketing and web design organization based out of Florida. We’ve gotten to know both his team and his family, and along the way have seen firsthand how he has organized his life and leadership around the six core needs. Today’s conversation has some powerful truths for leaders, we’re glad you could join us.

Let’s start with Jay’s back story (2:56)
At what point did you start building the business and taking on team members? (4:12)
There’s value in setting goals, but goals can also cause a lot of stress. You were just trying to be better than the year before, was that healthy for you? (6:41)
Leaving your job was a pivotal decision for you, right? What gave you the courage? (9:32)
Your business has grown every year of your 22 years in business? (11:23)
Let’s talk about the six core human needs and how you go about building each of them (12:30)
The six needs are certainty, uncertainty, human connection, contribution, growth and significance. Let’s start by talking about certainty (14:06)
Talk to the people listening who love chaos and open schedules. What is the message for them? (20:23)
You’ve done a great job of hiring for your weaknesses. Speak to the value of doing that (22:16)
We all need certainty but also the opposite - uncertainty. Speak to the practical ways uncertainty shows up for you and the business (25:36)
Uncertainty is right up your alley, but how do you bring your team along for the ride? (33:49)
Human connection is the third of the human needs. Talk about your supper club (38:19)
It’s easy to connect with a masked version of people. Can you speak to the person who may feel lonely because they’re not being real? (44:31)
It’s worth asking yourself if you have people you don’t have to be ‘on’ for (48:26)
The next one is contribution. Tell us about how you and Claire are involved in Haiti (49:15)
Is there a specific story from your time in Haiti that created a shift in your way of thinking? (55:04)
There’s discussion about how capitalism is a failed system, but instead of fighting those folks it’s better to just prove it’s a great system (58:44)
Next on the list of human needs is growth. You are very intentional about your growth, did that come naturally? (1:00:08)
Are there specific books that stand out as having been the most impactful for you? 1:06:03)
How do you choose what you read next? (1:07:34)
The final one in this list is significance. What’s your ‘why’ for this business? (1:10:12)
I don’t think business owners need to believe what I believe, but I want them to wrestle with the question and seek where fulfillment comes from (1:15:35)
We unpacked a lot for people, but out of everything we talked about how can people make this actionable? (1:17:12)

JayOwenLive.com

Business Builders Website

Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus

Who Not How by Dan Sullivan

Jonathan Ronzio’s Website

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Adventurous Marketing with Jonathan Ronzio of Trainual Sep 14, 2021

Jonathan Ronzio is a mountain climber, adventurer and is one of the cofounders of Trainual - a company that helps business owners create digital training playbooks. We have been so impressed with how they do things and how they help business owners grow. One of the things that stands out about Trainual is their marketing. They are such creative marketers, and Jonathan is the CMO. He is the brainchild of their marketing strategy and we are in for a great conversation today.

What is the ‘normalcy’ that we’re trying to ditch? (2:25)
Your decision to ditch normalcy happened around college. How did that happen? (3:50)
Are you naturally wired as an optimist and you see the opportunities? Or what gives you the courage to do some of these things? (7:39)
You used the phrase “instigator of making things happen” and that seems like a good definition of a leader. What’s a good example of you playing that role? (9:51)
It seems like people like the idea of adventure more on Instagram than in practice. What lessons have you learned from your outdoor adventures and how do they parallel with leadership? (11:57)
The mindset “why not just give it a shot” could be a recipe for success or dangerous failure. How do you assess risk? (16:52)
Someone listening may aspire to live with more adventure but they lack the confidence. What do you tell that person? (19:57)
Jordan Peterson talks about order and chaos - you don’t want to be one or the other, you want to be the force that mediates between the two. How do you establish the order that enables you to have these adventures? (21:13)
How do you decide which adventure is next? (25:20)
Having margin in your life and your leadership are both so important (27:46)
Can you tell us how you think about marketing? (30:13)
What are some of your favorites examples of content you’ve created? (34:49)
How do you decide whether or not you’re going to pursue some of your crazy marketing ideas? (38:15)
Can we play a clip of the Montell Jordan song? And what’re your goals for it? (46:41)
I came across Trainual a few years ago as a scrappy, small, growing company. You’ve been doing creative things from the beginning. What would you recommend to others who know they need to be more creative? (53:17)
Do you have any stories of marketing flops? (56:52)
At Path For Growth, we’re hiring a Director of Marketing right now. What are you looking for in the interview process? (59:30)
As an owner, the tension in marketing is needing leads that result in sales now but also testing on more creative things for the future (1:02:29)
What challenge would you give to small business owners in regard to how they think about their marketing? (1:07:25)
Prior to your role as CMO, did you have formal leadership roles? (1:10:10)
With high energy, adventure seeking types it can be easy to move so fast and then look behind and no one is following you. Have you experienced that? (1:14:54)
Trainual has grown so much in the past few years. The leadership it required three years ago is not the same as today. How do you reinvent yourself? (1:18:18)
What is the practical advice you’d give to someone who struggles with delegation? (1:23:07)
There is a lot of pressure and expectation around raising $27M. How do you deal with that responsibility? (1:24:38)

Jonathan Ronzio’s LinkedIn

Jonathan Ronzio’s Instagram

Trainual

This Is How You Do It with Montell Jordan

Trainual’s Spotify

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Freedom From Urgency Part 2 Sep 07, 2021

There are 6 things you need to focus on to gain freedom from urgency; in part one, we covered:

1. Margin: leave more time than you think you need for the things that matter; frenzy is a choice.

2. Intentionality: instill a sense of intent; in the absence of intentionality, urgency reigns supreme.

3. Boundaries: make sure that there are banks to your river; boundaries are the price of impact.

In part two, we will cover:

4. Systems: creating scalable processes for doing things in a systemic way

5. Humility: having an accurate view of oneself

6. Endings: leaders understand the value of ending things proactively

The price of impact is sustained focus
The enemy of sustained focus is unending urgency
·Freedom is a learned skill
Your freedom is a reflection of your attitude

4. Systems: creating scalable processes for doing things in a systemic way

Why should you create a system?

You need to establish systems if you want to create workflow consistency and reliability
A business without systems is a nightmare for their customers

When should you create a system?

Any time you repeatedly do something the same way because it's the best way to do it

How to create a system?

Do the task, no matter the scale, a big workflow, or a mundane task.
Document the process, write it clearly and concisely in a bullet point format
Delegate the task, hand it off to a team member

5. Humility: having an accurate view of oneself

As a leader, your desire to appear important often conflicts with the work that is important.

Three truths about you

You can’t do it all
You are really easily distracted
You like to be recognized and celebrated

What humility does:

Establishes priorities and awareness of limitations
Minimizes distraction proactively
Accepts that important work is often unseen

Books on humility

6. Endings: leaders understand the value of ending things proactively

Practice proactive endings.
Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud

Questions to help practice proactive ending

What are the things on your schedule or filling your time that are good but will never be best?
What is sick or unhealthy and not showing signs of getting better?
What are the things that if you're honest with yourself have been dead for a while, you're just afraid to admit it?

Our whole team is rooting for you. We want to see you win!

Remember, my strength is not for me; your strength is not for

you; our strength is for service.

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Creative Callings with Amber Williams Aug 31, 2021

Amber Williams owns a brand strategy and messaging organization. She leads a team of people who work with businesses on their branding. She is one of the most creative people we work with and she has such a great attitude and perspective. When we wanted to sit down and clarify Path for Growth’s brand, we sat down with Amber for a brand strategy session and it was fantastic. Amber is passionate about helping people unleash their creative calling and we are so excited for you to join this conversation with her.

Let’s start by hearing the story of how Amber’s creative calling came to be (2:48)
Sometimes the reason we reach a destination we’re not happy with is a lack of courage. Did you meet resistance when you changed paths? (9:07)
Any creative step demands boldness and conviction. Where did that come from for you? (12:09)
Do you think everyone has a creative calling that is manifested in different ways? (15:31)
There’s a relationship between creativity and faith, isn’t there? (18:27)
Saying “creative leader” is redundant - if you are a leader, you must be creative. I’d love for you to dive deeper on that. (24:18)
When we think about vision we often picture a slightly different version of what we’ve already seen. What are the disciplines or practices for regaining creativity for our vision? (26:48)
I learned from songwriters that there’s an important shift in creative work - a shift from creating things for people out there to creating things for me. There’s something in that mindset when it comes to calling, isn’t there? (31:51)
If your definition of success is whether you did what God called you to, outside opinions are irrelevant aren’t they? (35:02)
One of the myths to dispel about calling is that it’s convenient. Can you speak to the relationship between calling and action? (35:55)
The risk we run in the journey of growth is plateauing at ‘adequate mastery’. Can you speak to that? (39:09)
Describe for us what your creative calling is and how it expresses itself through your business (45:18)
Let’s talk about the relationships between the words we use and the brand we create. Can you speak on the power of brand and why leaders should focus on their brand? (49:21)
Can you speak to how teams can take the heartbeat of the founder and bring it to life? (55:53)
Speak to the relationship between brand and story, specifically why it’s important to weave your story into the brand (59:56)
We did a team branding session with Amber. Can you speak to the value of getting the team engaged to inform your brand? (1:08:12)

Amber Williams Instagram

Amber Williams Website

Writing Studio

Brand Elevation Session

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Calling Trumps Opportunity with Kelly Kreger Aug 24, 2021

Do you have the courage to differentiate between calling and opportunity?

Do you own your business, or does your business own you?

Are you using your gifts and strengths and working out of your passions?

Do you know if you are in the right seat?

What if you took a month to restructure and align your habits and rhythms with your mission and values?

All this and more in this special interview with Kelly Kreger, coffee roaster turned construction company president/owner turned Path For Growth coach.