Think Like an Owner

Latest Episodes:

Mike Zani - The Science of Transformative Teams - Ep.204 Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Ep.204: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Mike Zani (@MikeZani).

My guest today is Mike Zani, CEO of The Predictive Index, a talent optimization platform built around their nearly 70-year-old behavioral assessment tool. Today they help companies optimize their teams by identifying the key strengths of employees and hiring prospects to get the fit right. This is Mike's third time being a CEO and he brings a wealth of knowledge around early team construction and scaling.

Mike and I talk about the story of The Predictive Index, the evolving role of human resources, the landscape of tools to help optimize talent, and all kinds of lessons on change management.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

I want to tell you about our audience survey we are currently running. These surveys help us create the best content for listeners and better understand your needs and interests. Thank you in advance for sharing your feedback, we greatly appreciate it. After 30 days we are giving $250 cash to 4 survey responders, just add your email at the end of the survey.

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

The Predictive Index

Mike on LinkedIn

The Science of Dream Teams by Mike Zani

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:18) - Acquiring Predictive Index

(00:07:15) - The keys to early success

(00:12:28) - Goals and ambitions in the early days post-acquisition

(00:22:13) - Developing HR Teams

(00:37:49) - How do you create a cohesive portfolio of tools to gather team data?

(00:44:28) - The T-shirt analogy

(00:53:00) - Improving yourself: Not listening

(00:57:17) - Preparing for the next CEO role

(01:00:19) - Maintaining high levels of energy

(01:02:50) - The joys and frustrations of growing a company alone vs. with a partner

[Re-Run] David Dodson - The Manager's Handbook - Ep.203 Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Ep.203: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by David Dodson (@Dave-Dodson).

Today's episode is a re-run of my conversation with David Dodson, an investor, professor, former CEO, and author of one of my new favorite management books, The Manager's Handbook. We talk about the strategies and tactics he's learned over many years of studying high-performing CEOs and distilled into his book.

If you're looking for a belated gift for an ambitious friend, I cannot recommend highly enough gifting a copy of The Manager's Handbook. And now, please enjoy this fantastic primer discussion on the book with David Dodson.

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Links:

Pick up a copy of The Manager's Handbook by David Dodson

David on LinkedIn

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:15) David's experience as a first-time author

(00:09:33) The decision to design the book for busy people

(00:11:24) The challenge for CEOs to read given their time constraints

(00:14:08) The 5 skills that are common among great leaders

(00:22:51) How readers can apply the book's lessons to their company

(00:27:14) How to improve meetings

(00:32:19) Radical Candor

(00:38:35) The impact effective communication has on the 5 skills

(00:43:42) Thoughts on good hiring

(00:50:46) Successfully onboarding a new hire

(00:54:28) Knowing when to fire an employee

(00:56:22) The fanatical custodian of time

(01:01:10) Best email & Slack habits

(01:09:47) What section David would add to the next revision

Scott Barstow - Keys to High Performing Product Teams - Ep.202 Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Ep.202: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Scott Barstow (@ScottBarstow).

My guest today is Scott Barstow. Scott has founded and led tech companies and teams throughout his career. He now supports the Pacific Lake portfolio as an operating partner focused on building great software product and engineering orgs. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Scott through my Chief of Staff role with HW Media and Pacific Lake's executive leadership program, and I think highly of his perspective on software and team construction.

Scott has spent years thinking about what makes high-performing product orgs work, and in this episode, we dive into key characteristics of high performance and how software CEOs can implement them in their product teams. We talk about key fundamentals like culture, communication, ICP, to more complex topics like Conway's law, the role of leadership, and recruiting tactics and strategies.

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Pacific Lake

Scott on LinkedIn

The Alliance by Reid Hoffman

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:14) - Framing the goals of a Product org and key roles

(00:07:53) - Defining Product Software companies and key differences between product and engineering

(00:14:16) - Who determines the priorities of features and creates a product roadmap?

(00:16:48) - How to effectively communicate across an organization

(00:23:04) - How the CEO's role plays in prioritization

(00:25:43) - Building trust in an organization

(00:33:19) - Benchmarks for timing from idea to shipping

(00:39:15) - How $5-$10m ARR product orgs scale

(00:47:34) - Keeping teams independent and autonomous

(00:56:41) - Recruiting

(01:07:18) - Final thoughts

Gary Walter Jr - Scaling and Selling a Family Run Data Business - Ep.201 Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Ep.201: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Gary Walter Jr. (@GaryWalter).

My guest on this episode is Gary Walter, Jr, who took over running Infutor, a consumer identity data business, as CEO after his father passed. Infutor took on investment from Norwest Venture Partners and experienced rapid growth before selling to Verisk for $250m in 2022. Today he advises other data companies and CEOs, with specialties in data and sales orgs.

Gary and I talk about building great sales teams and go-to-market strategies, developing effective 5 year plans, and empowering your team.

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Verisk

Invest Like the Best: Brad Jacobs

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:39) - Gary's intellectual curiosity

(00:06:35) - Gary's career in data and the state of Infutor

(00:15:20) - Learnings from Gary's father

(00:18:59) - Hiring an executive team

(00:21:21) - Empowering your team

(00:23:38) - Finding your zone of genius

(00:26:28) - Building a sales-driven culture

(00:31:12) - Creating an effective strategic plan

(00:32:50) - Handling disagreements

(00:34:26) - Finding inspiration in others

(00:37:25) - The sales strategy is more important than data being proprietary

(00:40:32) - Synching product priorities

(00:43:25) - The emotional side of selling a company

(00:45:30) - How CEOs can effectively approach selling the company

Justin Mazeka Vogt - Compounding, Leverage, and Thinking Bigger - Ep.200 Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

This is my 200th episode of Think Like an Owner, and for this special episode I've invited my good friend Justin Mazeka Vogt on for the honors. Justin and his business partner Ed Redden were among the very first to reach out to me when I first started the podcast 5 years ago. We've discussed this episode's topics extensively, from thinking bigger to gaining leverage and designing the ideal life for ourselves, all topics Justin is passionate and thoughtful about. We also talk about what they've learned building Avuity and providing leverage across their team, not just to themselves as individuals

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Justin on Twitter

Evermore Industries

Invest Like the Best w /Jeremy Giffon

Traction by Gino Wickman

Tim Ferriss w/ Sam Corcos

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:32) - What it means to think bigger and apply it in your career

(00:08:24) - What sticks out to you from everything you learned about Charlie Munger?

(00:10:58) - Building a compounding vision

(00:25:10) - Giving yourself leverage

(00:27:55) - Learnings from Tim Ferriss' Podcast w/ Sam Corcos

(00:36:48) - What process or part of your every day have you cut because it didn't benefit the organization?

(00:41:00) - Balancing an asynchronous strategy with a sense of urgency

(00:45:00) - Advice on thinking bigger

(00:50:47) - How Alex sees the Podcast compounding going forward

Ann Rhoades - Building Values Driven Cultures That Outperform - EP.199 Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Ep.199: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Ann Rhoades (@Ann_Rhoades).

I'm thrilled to share my episode today with Ann Rhoades on building values-driven cultures that drive outperformance. Ann was the VP of People at Southwest Airlines with founder Herb Kelleher and was a founding executive as VP of People, and eventually a board member of JetBlue Airways. She has also worked with companies like Doubletree Hotels, P.F. Changs, Restoration Hardware, and countless others through her consulting and research firm, People Ink.

Our discussion focused on building and maintaining values-driven companies from the perspective of the CEO and how they can drive the process forward. One of my favorite takeaways was the importance of tying your values to behaviors, providing real-life examples of how to act in accordance with your values. It's one thing to announce your core values to your team, but tying them to their everyday roles is crucial. We also talked about how to hire based on values, employee retention, continuous improvement, and how strong values-driven cultures create category leading companies. Please enjoy this fantastic episode with Ann Rhoades.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

People Ink

Ann on Twitter

OC Tanner 2024 Workforce Study

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:46) - Why values are so important

(00:14:24) - Ann's career path and key experiences that led to building a high-performance culture

(00:24:50) - Typical symptoms of a lackluster culture

(00:27:25) - Implementing values

(00:30:22) - The most common obstacles CEOs have in implementing values

(00:32:46) - Having a values-focused hiring process

(00:47:27) - Connecting values to behaviors

(00:50:01) - Tools and systems to measure how an org is living the values

(00:52:50) - Retaining A-players

(00:55:03) - Advice to CEOs looking to build stronger cultures

Joel Peterson - Engineering a Remarkable Life -Ep.198 Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

Ep. 198: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Joel Peterson (@JoelPetersonGSB).

My guest today is Joel Peterson. Joel is the founder and chairman of Peterson Partners, a private equity, venture, and search investment firm, and the former CEO of Trammell Crow. He is also the former Chairman of JetBlue AIrways and is currently in his 31st year teaching at Stanford GSB. Finally, Joel has published two books, The Ten Laws of Trust and Entrepreneurial Leadership.

This in-person episode goes far and wide into building and maintaining trust, designing a fulfilling life, skills growing CEOs need, leadership transitions, lavish communication, and building value focused organizations as CEO.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Joel on LinkedIn

Peterson Partners

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:04:02) - Joel's favorite classes to teach at Stanford

(00:05:36) - Engineering a remarkable life

(00:10:21) - Joel's Values-driven leadership and companies class

(00:13:03) - Hindsight on running Trammell Crow

(00:20:32) - Launching Peterson Partners

(00:23:14) - Characteristics of high-performing CEOs

(00:33:48) - Measuring trust of an organization with their CEO

(00:38:22) - Joel's time at JetBlue

(00:39:48) - CEO audits

(00:41:01) - Navigating tough situations

(00:46:02) - Adaptability in Founders

(00:49:16) - Insights on Recruiting Talent

(01:00:00) - Getting over betrayal

Jason Anderson - Always Be Recruiting - Ep.197 Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

Ep.197: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Jason Anderson (@andersonjasone).

My guest today is Jason Anderson, CEO of Arizona College of Nursing and former CEO of VRI. Jason brings an extensive range of experience as CEO to this episode and we dive into critical skills he's developed to be effective at each step. One of my favorite parts of our discussion was on how he is constantly on the lookout for talent in everyday life, always in "recruiting mode" for his company. We also talk about hiring executive talent and using recruiters, tough situations like losing a large customer, leadership transitions, and connecting with your team. Please enjoy my conversation with Jason Anderson.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Arizona College of Nursing

Jason on LinkedIn

Tru Recruitment

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:45) - Jason's previous career in Sales and it's impact on his role as a CEO

(00:07:02) - What skill have you improved upon since operating as a CEO?

(00:11:16) - Involving families of team members in business events

(00:13:18) - Talent recruitment

(00:16:24) - Using recruiters and hiring executives

(00:20:49) - Evaluating executives and leaders within the company

(00:23:33) - Refining communication styles

(00:29:09) - Improving your performance at work, outside of work

(00:31:30) - Setting boundaries

(00:32:45) - Challenging experiences as a CEO

(00:39:59) - The unique experience of running a PE-backed company

(00:45:00) - Building effective Sales teams

(00:48:00) - Inorganic growth

(00:51:34) - Being more aggressive in your career path

Shikhar Saxena - Building Milan Laser as CEO - Ep.196 Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Ep.196: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Shikhar Saxena (@shikhar-saxena).

My guest today is Shikhar Saxena, co-founder and CEO of Milan Laser Hair Removal. Milan, founded in 2012, is the nation's largest laser hair removal provider with over 300 locations in 32 states and 1,900 employees performing 50,000 treatments a month.

Keys to Shikhar's growth story have been an obsession with customer experience and a constant study of other CEOs and resources to improve his performance. We talk about that obsession with customer experience and lessons learned through scaling, studying peers, and the market for med spa businesses today. Please enjoy this fantastic episode with Shikhar Saxena.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Milan Laser Hair Removal

Shikhar on LinkedIn

Topics:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:03:59) The Milan origin story

(00:13:07) Verticals to pursue in the Med Spa space

(00:14:43) Improving the customer experience

(00:21:05) Studying companies to learn about consumer experience

(00:23:59) Changing clinic management through scale

(00:26:33) Key executive roles

(00:28:44) Hiring and interviewing

(00:33:51) Disseminating core values across locations

(00:37:08) Dealing with stress

(00:41:59) How PE changes processes

(00:45:15) Predictions for the industry

(00:46:17) The decision to focus solely on hair removal

(00:50:42) Future growth plans

(00:53:54) Shikhar's book

(00:58:29) Final thoughts

Cleo's Mahesh Rajasekharan: Transforming Supply Chains Through Ecosystem Integration Software - Ep.195 Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

My guest today is Mahesh Rajasekharan, CEO of Cleo, a software platform for supply chain system integrations. A few months ago I asked a few friends which sales-focused CEO they admired most and they all unanimously said Mahesh. With Mahesh at the helm, Cleo has grown from a single-digit ARR business in 2012 to nearly $100 million in ARR today, with even greater ambitions for the future. He has built some of the most robust and high-performing sales and product teams I've seen and is a value-adding investor and advisor to many other CEOs.

Mahesh and I talk about the story of Cleo and how they drive customer value, pivot points along the growth journey, building best-in-class sales and product orgs, growth while remaining profitable, private equity ownership, and so much more. Please enjoy this fantastic conversation with Mahesh Rajasekharan.

Listen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.

Learn more about Alex and Think Like an Owner at https://tlaopodcast.com/

Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/3QLBB1N

Links:

Cleo

Mahesh on LinkedIn

Topics:

(00:04:06) Cleo and how Mahesh has evolved the business

(00:11:37) Identifying customer needs

(00:14:04) Growing and coordinating a product team

(00:18:17) Communicating with customers

(00:21:20) Building and scaling a Sales organization