Episodes
July 9, 2019
Ep107: Rabbit Development
You probably don’t expect the story of a rabbit statue at a Shinto temple in Japan to be the inspiration for an episode about the importance of deepening your business relationships, but here we are. Relationships in busines…
July 2, 2019
Ep106: Business IS Personal
Ever fallen in business love and just assumed you will be working together forever? Typically, life just doesn’t work that way – employees and teammates come and go in our career, even when we wish they didn’t. And even thou…
June 25, 2019
Ep105: It's Bigger than the Job Description
There’s the part of the job that is in the job description and the part that is harder to define, but typically just as (if not more) valuable. This amorphous magic that someone brings to the work they do is hard to hire for…
June 18, 2019
Ep104: Unhealthy Competition
Ever found yourself in the middle of a “who slept less or worked more” competition? It happens to the best of us, and it is always weird. So why do we do it? Let’s see what our intrepid hosts have to say about this entrepren…
June 11, 2019
Ep103: The Tragic Flaw of Leadership
Ego is a requirement of entrepreneurship, but it can also be an obstacle. Let’s go back to the recession of 2007/2008, where Eliot recounts some of his personal failings for us, so we can learn from his mistakes. Why is that…
June 4, 2019
Ep102: Unintended Consequences
Are there any places in your business where you are falling short of expectations? You might be surprised. There are elements of service and care that, when present, make little impact. Yet when they are absent, they can mak…
May 28, 2019
Ep101: When Things Go Sideways
Sometimes things go sideways. Especially when we have big plans, but absolutely no…”plan”. Like, for instance, our “plan” to make last episode a two-parter. But as always – our stories are yours to learn from. Why is that im…
May 21, 2019
Ep100: Stop Missing Milestones (Our 100th Episode!!)
It’s a very special 100th episode, which leads us to this important question: how do we celebrate milestones? It turns out, this is harder than it sounds. Why is that important for business? The act of intentionally creating…
May 14, 2019
Ep99: When Good Marketing Gets Gross
There’s a difference between taking a side door into an opportunity and gaming the system. Just what that difference is and why it matters is what we want to talk about in this episode. Why is that important for business? So…
May 7, 2019
Ep98: How to Take (and ignore) Feedback
Feedback can be a tricky thing. If you listen to every opinion that you hear, it’s easy to get lost. But if you ignore valuable input simply because you don’t understand the perspective, you can easily get stuck in a rut. Th…
April 30, 2019
Ep97: Why You Need People that Can See Your Blind Spots
Business is chock full of snarly, complicated problems, and sometimes, they are especially hard to wrangle when we are close to them. Like watching someone else parallel park a car, outsider knowledge doesn’t have to be prof…
April 23, 2019
Ep96: Chaos Engineering: Being Prepared When Disaster Strikes
While you can’t always be looking down at your feet in business, sometimes, short-term solutions are necessary. They can give you enough momentum and energy (and maybe even resources) to find a more permanent solution. And s…
April 16, 2019
Ep95: Hiring (and firing) Your BFF
Have you ever hired a close friend or a family member? There is so much that is wonderful about hiring someone you already trust. But there are also inherent risks: what happens if things go wrong? Will you lose both an empl…
April 9, 2019
Ep94: The Best Foundation (and lipstick?) for Your Business
It’s not often that a quest to find the perfect red lipstick leads you instead to a great business analogy. But when it happens, it’s probably going to happen to Jodi. Let’s talk about whether you are accentuating the right …
April 2, 2019
Ep93: How to NOT Mess Up Your Onboarding
Have you ever used the phrase “integrity is our watchword” in an onboarding document? Do you have a “behind-the-scenes tour” you give new hires, to show them what working at your company is really like? How you onboard will …
March 26, 2019
Ep92: The Pitfalls of Passion
There is a lot of talk about “finding your passion” in this world. For some, their passion is so clear that it is almost inevitable. For others, though, the idea of finding their passion weighs them down and makes them feel …
March 19, 2019
Ep91: Is That the Best You Can Do?
Today, we meet Eliot’s sadistic side. In a story about the baseline criteria that he demands from his students (as well as a little glimpse into how he enjoys making students squirm), we get a great discussion about expectat…
March 12, 2019
Ep90: The Last Place You'd Ever Look for Inspiration...
What work culture are you strengthening or weakening every day with your language, your behaviors and your messaging? Maybe you need to make it more like jury duty! Why is that important for business? How you frame the work …
March 5, 2019
Ep89: Delegation Disaster
A simple holiday trip to Grandma’s house teaches us a lot about delegating and the balance between micromanaging and full autonomy in this episode. Why is that important for business? There are two traps at either end of m…
Feb. 26, 2019
Ep88: Be Creative NOW
What behaviors are you encouraging and measuring in your business? Are those behaviors actually creating the results you want? It might just be that you are building an environment where your people are learning to game the …
Feb. 19, 2019
Ep87: Becoming Your Own Captain
What do you do when the gum of your business loses its flavour? Our special guest, Andrew Torrez of Opening Arguments , helps us explore the idea of forging a new path and embracing the version of your business that makes yo…
Feb. 12, 2019
Ep86: Intentional Failure
As you can imagine, the process of learning to do a headstand is a challenging thing. But did you know that it can also lead to a powerful business metaphor about commitment and failure? There is a huge difference, in yoga …
Feb. 5, 2019
Ep85: Speak Volumes in an Instant
We were inspired to look at the business of our 50th Facebook member for business inspiration, and she didn’t disappoint. Rachel’s strong brand identity gives us an important reminder to look our own business’ identity. And …
Jan. 29, 2019
Ep84: Pacing For The Long Run
What can you learn about business through learning to run? We have a special cohost this week, and she teaches us an important lesson about regular check-ins, pacing, and starting small. If you are struggling to hit your bu…