Flywheel Leadership

Presented by: es10x (Endeavor Strategic)  Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Patti Schutte, Be Brilliant Presentation Group  https://bebrilliantpresentationgroup.com/ LinkedIn Patti is the founder and Chief Presentation Strategist at Be Brilliant Presentation Group, and she’s spent over 20 years training more than 2,000 professionals worldwide to turn forgettable talks into high-impact results. Her strategies aren’t just about slides and speeches; they center on her proven Resultations Method, which translates big nerves and vague messages into structured, persuasive presentations that leave leaders more confident and audiences more engaged. Her clients regularly report leaps in confidence, sharper communication, and measurable boosts to influence and outcomes. Patti’s expertise fits well with anyone seeking to sharpen executive presence or communicate vision in tough settings. She’s worked with everyone from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 leaders and even helped develop fireside chats for industry icons. Plus, her blend of practical coaching and evidence-based methods means she’s got actionable stories and takeaways your audience can use the same day. Patti shares her approach and tackles the leadership-presentation connection from a new angle. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: es10x (Endeavor Strategic) Host: https://grahampeelle.com   ................................................................................................................................. The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Nikki Barua, FlipWork https://www.nikkibarua.com/ https://www.flipwork.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkibarua/   "As someone who's built businesses from the ground up and worked with leading global brands to create people-centric transformation, the theme of reinvention is the engine behind everything I do. Over the past 25 years, I’ve led digital transformations focused on empowering teams through culture, strategy, and technology, now serving as CEO & Co-Founder of FlipWork. My own story of rising from humble beginnings has been told in outlets like CNBC, Bloomberg, Fortune, and Forbes. I’ve been recognized as Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Women, Entrepreneur of the Year by ACE, EY North America Entrepreneurial Winning Woman, 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, LA Woman of Influence by The Business Journals, and Women of Entrepreneurship by the Lakers and Comerica Bank. My work is grounded in helping leaders and organizations unlock resilience and growth, especially amid rapid change like the AI era." ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Dr. Bushra Khan, Leading with BK https://leadingwithbk.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leadingwithbk/ Instagram   Dr. Khan draws on 15 years of international experience and academic research to help leaders break out of outdated leadership models. Her evidence-based framework empowers teams to challenge myths, bridge the gap between “soft skills” and business strategy, and apply practical, emotionally intelligent approaches that move people and business ahead. Her work has transformed organizations like Google, where clarity and candor set her apart. Bushra’s gift for storytelling brings complex concepts to life, making her sessions both energizing and actionable. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Vance Morris, Deliver Service Now! Grab your free copy of Vance's book here https://vancemorris.com/  LinkedIn   I spent a decade at Walt Disney World, working my way up from the opening team at the Yacht & Beach Club Resorts to designing and launching Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary. It was a wild ride, and the lessons I learned there have shaped my approach to leadership, systems and service ever since. From training with Disney to advising groups like NASA and the Kennedy Center, I took those magical strategies and showed business owners how to deliver fantastic experiences that truly stick. Now, I run Deliver Service Now!, where I help leaders implement Disney standards and real profit-driving marketing. For your audience of up-and-coming leaders, I can share straightforward stories and tools about creating “wow” moments and keeping teams moving together, even if the budgets aren’t Disney-sized. I reach about 7000 small business owners in my community, and I’m always looking to share what works – the real-life stuff that helps leaders thrive. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: XXX https://www.oss.ventures/ LinkedIn Renan Devillieres is a CEO who is passionate about making a positive impact on society and the environment, and who believes in using technology to drive change. With a diverse background that includes working as an economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), co-founding a start-up in Brazil, and founding OSS Ventures - a firm focused on creating start-ups for manufacturing, Renan has a wealth of experience in areas such as manufacturing operations, SaaS, and venture capital.Renan's unique perspective on the challenges facing modern corporations, particularly with the increasing pace of technological change and the importance of sustainability. With his expertise, he can discuss critical issues such as navigating the changing landscape of digitization and building more sustainable and adaptable organizations to prepare for the future.  ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

**ALERT- Contains discussion of sensitive topics** Depression, suicide, and health concerns mentioned.  Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Blair Huddy, Hudson Davis Communications B6/Toxicity/Electrolytes: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/vitamin-b6-safe-electrolyte-drinks-supplements-what-to-know-rcna252639 hudsondaviscommunications.com/ LinkedIn Blair in her own words: I left the rat race in the middle of the pandemic 🤦🏻‍♀️ After 15+ years as a corporate B2B marketer, I met the love of my life, quit my job, and started my own marketing company. Now I help mid and enterprise B2B organizations double, triple, and 5X+ their revenue - through marketing, PR, and branding. I... 💡 Develop visionary communications & marketing strategies 💪 Lead the teams who execute on tactical operations 🚗 Drive ROI with my marketing, PR, and social media expertise I'm a content junkie, proud millennial, and lover of all things pink and sparkly. Always open to the right people, timing, and opportunities. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Channing Ferrer, Brevo LinkedIn brevo.com/ Instagram Channing's world revolves around building Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies that create success stories. With a knack for nurturing global teams and a flair for finessing GTM strategies, helped businesses, from active startups to seasoned giants, scale to new heights. At the heart of his approach is a simple philosophy: - understand deeply - act strategically - and lead passionately. Specializing in GTM leadership, I’m an entrepreneurial thinker and a global revenue architect. My expertise spans advisory services, sales strategy, partner strategy, and customer success. I’m all about empowering teams, driving product-led growth, and ensuring every customer journey echoes our shared success. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Rich Ellis https://richellis.nz/ Rich’s approach to workplace wellbeing, centered on building endurance and energy among leaders and teams, is known with many business leaders searching for practical strategies that actually stick. His experience helping staff achieve real, measurable health improvements and the recognition he received as NZ Exercise Industry PT of the Year shows what’s possible when energy and resilience become central to leadership development. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com About our guest: Chef Franck https://www.cheffranck.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/franck-desplechin/ https://www.incrementumllc.net/ Chef Franck Desplechin, whose journey began in bustling French kitchens and led to establishing a consulting firm guiding hospitality teams nationwide. Franck’s new book, Relentless Growth: Cultivating a Chef’s Mindset for Professional Fulfillment (publishing October 14), gets at the heart of what truly drives people not just to survive a high-pressure field, but to thrive and transform through it.   Franck’s perspective stands apart because he doesn’t offer advice from a distance. He speaks directly to the grit it takes to show up every day, and the mindset shifts proven to turn setbacks into fuel for growth. His honest, unsugarcoated stories connect with any leader who wants more than incremental wins—they want meaningful professional fulfillment. He’s experienced the evolution from apprentice to hospitality leader firsthand, so his lessons on resilience and adaptability feel earned. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Mark Osborne, Modern Revenue Strategies Grab a free copy of Mark's book here httpshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/remarkablemark///www.linkedin.com/in/remarkablemark/ https://modernrevenuestrategies.com/ [email protected] Mark has a real talent for helping founders cut through the confusion and focus on the tactics that drive measurable business growth. His book, “Are Your Leads KILLING Your Business?,” continues to help CEOs rethink how they approach the sales-marketing loop, and the stories he shares from helping early-stage SaaS teams build pipelines that actually convert make the topic practical and energizing.Mark’s sincere approach resonates with leaders who are tired of conflicting growth advice and need a proven framework from someone who’s delivered millions in revenue and seen multiple successful exits.  ...............................................................................................................................................................................................   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Tom Verboven, Mercer   https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-verboven-b85a691/https://www.thetalententerprise.com/://www.thetalententerprise.com/  Tom Verboven, a Human Capital Leader who advises global organizations on people and organizational strategies. Tom’s expertise is in building momentum for positive change. He helps leaders select the right executives and foster effective team dynamics, creating a continuous loop of improvement and growth. ...............................................................................................................................................................................................   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Cary Sparrow, Founder/CEO at WageScape https://www.wagescape.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/carysparrow/ A former US Navy officer who served on several nuclear submarines turned Entrepreneur. With 35+ years (combined) of engineering, military, consulting, technology, and operations leadership in achieving organizational growth makes him a guest of value to HR leaders and other decision-makers wanting to navigate the labor market, Cary is paving the way for HR professionals and consulting firms to predict the future of wage-pay.   The labor market is the largest component of our economy. By 2025, salaries and wages globally account for over $100 trillion in economic activity. Entire industries exist to collect and sell labor market data, and companies, governments, and communities spend billions of dollars each year trying to understand pay, hiring, and workforce dynamics. Yet despite all this investment, labor markets remain opaque and inefficient. Data is often fragmented, outdated, expensive, and difficult to apply in real-world decisions. As AI adoption accelerates, these weaknesses create an even greater risk: AI applications trained on faulty or incomplete labor market data can embed systemic errors, impair decision-making at scale, and undermine trust and credibility in the very tools designed to improve outcomes. Without reliable, real-time data, both human and AI-driven decisions fall short. WageScape was built to change that. We provide the data that AI learns from, delivering the largest source of global, real-time labor market and pay intelligence. Our datasets are continuously updated, structured, and enriched at scale to support modern analytics and AI-driven use cases, giving organizations a reliable foundation for building smarter models, tools, and insights. Founded by business leaders who have experienced firsthand how poor data creates confusion and waste, WageScape delivers next-generation labor market data to all audiences—from employers and policymakers to educators, researchers, and technology builders. By making high-quality labor market intelligence practical, timely, and comprehensive, and offering it at substantially lower cost, we’re bringing transparency to one of the most critical. See for yourself. ...............................................................................................................................................................................................   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Cameron Bishop, Raincatcher https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-bishop-19b6804/ [email protected] https://raincatcher.com/ Cameron Bishop, thrives on turning challenges into opportunities. He's a seasoned business leader and CEO, and has built and transformed companies from the ground up. He led the growth of Intertec to $400M in revenue and scaled Ascend Media into a $120M business in just three years. With expertise in exit strategies, leadership development, and business transformation, Cameron’s insights help owners maximize value and navigate the complex process of selling their businesses.   Raincatcher is a national business brokerage and M&A firm specializing in small and mid-market companies. We believe selling your business isn’t just a transaction. It’s a life-changing transition. One that’s deeply personal, complex, and too important to trust to the wrong partner. We help business owners architect for sale, go to market with confidence, and protect the full value of what they’ve built. That includes shaping your story, sharpening the numbers, building competitive tension, and negotiating the right terms so your transaction doesn’t just close, it positions you for the next chapter on your terms. Our team brings deep expertise in exit planning, valuation, and deal strategy, backed by real-world experience as founders, operators, and financial experts. Many of us have sat in the owner’s seat ourselves. We know this is about more than numbers. It’s about finding the right fit through the transition, the legacy you leave behind, and the peace of mind you take with you. You’ve built something real. Not just a business, but a team, a reputation, a life’s work. We treat it that way with the utmost care and guidance. This is how we’re elevating M&A for the lower middle market.   ...............................................................................................................................................................................................   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Hanna Bauer, HEARTnomics https://heartnomics.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bauerhanna/   At HEARTnomics™, we help you Cast Vision, Build Culture, and Lead Change so you can scale with clarity, sustain momentum, and create impact that lasts. Because the future success of your business depends on the leadership you build today. Hanna D. Bauer specializes in transforming both people and processes so that organizations not only increase resilience but also realign their culture from the inside out. Hanna’s blend of Maxwell Leadership, DISC, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Baldrige Framework experience gives her a unique lens on how growth and positive impact can be achieved without sacrificing human potential. ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Skip Wilson, Draft Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipwilson/ [email protected]   Skip Wilson's journey in advertising began at the age of 16 as a copywriter. He was trying to impress a girl and so he started looking for writing jobs. Over the years, he ventured into web design and entrepreneurship, ultimately founding his own web design business. His career took an exciting turn when he joined CNN Special Project while in college and worked on the iReport team, honing his prowess in digital media and building new platforms. Skip's talents and vision led him to Clear Channel Radio, where he played a pivotal role in establishing and expanding the digital division. His dedication and expertise propelled him to the position of Vice President of Digital Media for iHeartMedia where he worked for over a decade. Eventually, Skip decided to embark on a new venture, creating DRAFT Media Partners, an advertising execution company that now serves over a hundred clients across four locations. As a bestselling author and the host of "The Advertising Podcast," Skip Wilson continues to make his mark in the advertising world. In 2023 his company won "Most Intuitive Software Developer" at the Innovation in Business MarTech Awards, and this year they won the top spot as "Best Marketing Software Developer" at that same award show.  Marketing and advertising professionals looking to get real, predictable results and improve their business operations will benefit from Skip's expertise and practical insights.   ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.    

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   Flywheel Leadership, Season 4, kicks off next week    The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Ash Seddeek https://communicatewithclarity.co https://executivegreatness.com/ash/ Ash Seddeek is the Founder & CEO of the Executive Greatness Institute. Ash has coached leaders at Cisco, Uber, Google, HPE, and Sprinklr to deliver powerful strategic narratives and keynote talks that inspire teams, boards, and customers. His focus is simple: turn communication into a leadership advantage that drives execution and growth.     The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Chris Carter www.approyo.com We Build Meaningful Business Relationships for Better Outcomes Approyo provides full SAP service technology with extensive capabilities in hosting and managed services, upgrades, and migrations for our customers, running any SAP supported core functionality. With over a thousand SAP environments under management around the globe, we support businesses from production landscapes to migrations onto SAP S/4 HANA.   LinkedIn Carter's Pub @Ccarter1969 / @Approyo The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Shane Tepper of Revelation          [email protected] www.Revelationhq.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanehtepper/    The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Giuseppe Grammatico Giuseppe can be reached at (908) 873-6134 or [email protected] www.ggthefranchiseguide.com "Hey, I'm Giuseppe Grammatico, your dedicated partner in turning entrepreneurial dreams into reality. With over two decades in franchising, I'm not just a consultant; I'm your personal Franchise Guide, helping you unlock the full potential of your passion, purpose, and profitability." "𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢" 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙤𝙨𝙩📘 Franchise Freedom Book: Dive into the profound fulfillment that franchise ownership brings through my book. Discover the freedom, flexibility, impact, and income that could shape your entrepreneurial path. https://ggthefranchiseguide.com/book/  🎙️ Podcast Journey: Tune in to my podcast, where entrepreneurship meets freedom. Gain insights, success stories, and expert interviews, offering valuable guidance for your business journey. https://ggthefranchiseguide.com/podcast/   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Steven Puri, The Sukha Company [email protected] www.thesukha.co free for 7 days. Try it for 168 hours, no commitment. Steven Puri is the Helping remote workers focus, finish faster & feel healthy. Founder, The Sukha Company Steven has raised $21MM of venture across 3 tech start-ups (with 1 successful exit) and been a film executive on three studio lots, clearly Steven has seen a variety of work environments. He helps leaders stop the treadmill and start being more intentional with our time.   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Steve Jaffe is the author of The Layoff Journey, From Dismissal to Discovery. Amazon to pick up the book https://a.co/d/0qjoCv8 https://thestevejaffe.com/ - free chapter available LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaffesteve Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stevejaffethelayoffjourney/ Substack https://substack.com/@stevejaffe   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Andrew Oxley 30 years of coaching CEOs and senior leaders on how to accelerate their progress by building winning, sustainable and scalable teams with strategic impact Created the The LeaderShift Framework “The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you're still a rat.” Service the clients you have now- they will lead you to other clients www.transformingresults.com Free 90-min workshop Passion for work- Create a life, at the end of the day, more of them available for the people they truly love Book on Amazon https://a.co/d/bWPp2J8   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Sign up for free templates http://www.radicalproduct.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/ Radhika Dutt is the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. Radhika is an entrepreneur and product leader who has participated in five acquisitions, two of which were companies that she founded. She advises organizations from high-tech startups to government agencies on building radical products that create a fundamental change. Radical Product Thinking (RPT) gives organizations a repeatable model for building world-changing products. The key? Being vision-driven instead of iteration-led. R. Dutt guides readers through the five elements of the methodology (vision, strategy, prioritization, execution and measurement, and culture) to develop a clear process for translating vision into reality, and turning RPT skills into muscle memory.    The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Craig Taylor https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmtaylor/ https://cyberhoot.com/ Founder, entrepreneur, thought leader, and cyber literacy visionary. - True passion and leadership for cyber security Free trial for individuals at cyberhoot.com [email protected]   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: LeaderSkills http://www.leaderskills.training/ Holly Golebiowski https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-golebiowski/ "As a Partner at LeaderSkills, I help companies improve their team’s leadership skills. While there are many facets to my position, I most enjoy leading the live discussions with each cohort after completing each module in the program. I am a resource to clients and their team members throughout the program, and beyond once they graduate. I most enjoy watching as each student grows through the program as they put the tools and concepts into action." Proven history of building successful teams and leaders through concentrated focus on team and individual development. "Coaching isn't therapy. It's product development, with you as the product." - Fast Company The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Hugh Massie, of DNA Behavior Hugh Massie—His purpose is to empower people worldwide to optimize the alignment of their natural “hard-wired” talents and financial behaviors to make quantum leaps for creating Exponential Impact with reduced stress. DNA Behavior helps thousands of exceptional growth-minded leaders build a “category king” people-centric organization by optimizing their talents and financial behaviors so they can make quantum leaps for creating an exponential future.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughmassie/ https://dnabehavior.com/start   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfredo-borodowski/ Text 'positive' to 33777, and Alfredo will send a chart with 24 strengths of positive psyhology The Questions:What if your leaders could turn uncertainty into clarity?What if your teams could face disruption with resilience instead of fear? Alfredo Borodowski—international keynote speaker, consultant, and expert in Peak Performance and Positive Psychology. He helps leaders and organizations turn disengagement and stagnation into energy, clarity, and results. He’s advised CEOs and senior leaders at global firms and more than 50 nonprofit organizations. He unlocks engagement, innovation, and growth by aligning positivity with purpose. He helps solve- • Teams lacking trust, energy, or motivation • Cultures resistant to change or innovation • Leaders feeling reactive, unclear, or unsupported To: • Vision-driven leadership that inspires and sustains growth • High-trust, accountable teams that deliver results • Peak performance through purpose, clarity, and positive energy   Organizational and Leadership Transformation   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

Presented by: https://eidigital.com Host: https://grahampeelle.com   About our guest: Tullio Siragusa, of Inventrica Advisory https://tulliosiragusa.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tulliosiragusa/ Tullio Siragusa is a fractional executive, leadership coach and transformation expert, who helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals overcome roadblocks, align with their purpose, and create lasting success. Tullio is a seasoned business strategist, author, and speaker, founder of Inventrica Advisory, and the EmpathIQ Framework™. Tullio has helped organizations achieve billions in revenues, create purpose-driven cultures, and pioneer new standards for leadership and innovation.   The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Workforce Revolution: It’s here, It’s Now, and It’s Changing Work Dramatically What If “The Way We’ve Always Done It” Didn’t Exist? Technology Doesn’t Care How We Like To Do Things We’ve been hearing about changes in the workforce and that a “workforce revolution” has been coming for a long time. Well, it’s here. It has been for awhile, but what does that mean? It means you won’t be able to do things the way you have always done them forever, at least for many jobs. Most things will change over time, tech will change so much, and this is nothing new. This has been going on since humans have existed and ramped up innovation during points like various civilizations building the seven wonders, times of war, and in the Industrial Revolution of course. This article below sums it up for me, it shows everything about concerns being shared about AI now, is similar to what we said about cars, electricity, home appliances, cell phones, personal computers, and so on. Advancement Trends Progress is part of the human condition, it’s what we do, and in some cases it seems how long you fight progress or ignore it, is how long you get behind the movement that is happening, whether you want it to happen or not. Technological advancements are what we do, and we pride ourselves on making the quality of our lives better, serving others, or providing opportunities for further learning and development as people. We strive for better, or more, and this tech movement allows for more free time and time spent in a meaningful manner, versus just work at work, and work at home. I won’t get into the various downsides of screen time, and social media, but yes, downsides occur with tech, and without tech, but that doesn’t make all tech good or bad. The New Workforce How does this apply to work, and what our workforce looks like? The shift has been dramatic recently and when you put the pieces together, you really start to see a significant change in our work-life, with the workforce changing so quickly, some may not grasp it, until their company or type of job is gone due to technology, or AI development. Workforce Leverage Work with increasing leverage is the result. This is knowledge and labor work supercharged by technology. Highly productive, more quality, with more knowledge and perspective, with a learning and iterative capacity that was only an imagination even a couple years ago. Not sure what the leverage workforce looks like? Take a look at just some of the options available to send your work to a new level, or to acquire or develop talent in a new way: Support Shepherd (offshore resources) AI AI digital employees (Empsing) Immigration - bring in labor to take jobs that are open and not filled successfully by Americans due to the choice or skill of the workforce Remote work spurred by the pandemic Non-competes ceasing Proliferated intelligence and workforce Labor Talent Development - Skill Trades (Upsmith) Vocational Training programs (example linked) Gig workers ROI/READI/Multiple universities, colleges, and companies with workforce development programs (State of Indiana specific) Independent contractors and consultants What do we call this? I refer to it as AI-Leveraged Workforce Integration. Still working on the moniker, but going with this for now. You can’t stop innovation in a productive and safe way, but you can steer it. How do you steer it? You learn adapt, adopt, and iterate so tech works for you. The ostrich strategy gets your company closer to extinction, choose the opposite in some fashion, suiting your own business needs and culture. Use the technology and market evolution to drive positive change for your vision, as fighting it is often a losing battle, costing you your business. Instead of the horse being replace by the car, describing our current period, could our headline read: Pandemic jump Starts the Digital Workplace, and AI-leveraged Workforce Integration Bonus Section I’ll spend a dedicated weekly OpCo on this topic, but I’ll share a few raw thoughts here - Would love to hear your thoughts @gpeelle Do people need organizational agility or do organizations need to be built better? Organizational advancement for modern business may look different than past organizations. Maybe the new way can learn from the Jack Welch and other thought leaders of the past… We hear a lot about organizational agility in larger companies. Being able to navigate the inter-workings and relationships in a firm. How to play politics, get stuff done, use resources, and elevate yourself and the business for profitable gain. What if we rebuilt and transformed agile organizations to serve the community, people and the business? All the stuff we hear about, but really do it. Companies have proven they can do both, this isn’t a far-fetched concept, but many either choose not to for various reasons, or others don’t know how- serving a profitable machine, but because of the good opportunity a

 https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Community Empowers You, Providing Energy & Information to Keep You Going Along Your Career & Life Journey What I learned from talking with a supportive professional learning community Sometimes when you share ideas with others, you can learn so much about yourself and what really gets you excited, what gives you meaning, and what interests you. That feeling of fulfillment and energy. That’s what I experienced recently from talking with TNG (Team Networking Group). I took away so much perspective and clarity from speaking with this group. I was introduced to this group by a former colleague and met with the group’s leader ahead of being invited to speak. It was helpful to speak with him beforehand to see if it’s a good fit and understand how I can add value. This is a career guidance networking group focused on job search, personal growth, and skill development. This group is a collection of members closer to mid-career level, or at least with some meaningful and valuable experience, knowledge, and perspective. This group is diverse including individuals from various countries, states, demographics, and career journeys. The biggest surprise for me, was seeing how many were no longer actively seeking a new role, but have stayed engaged with the group, even after finding a new role, or are part of the group to be in the community, and not actively job seeking. That’s when you know you’re on to something. People stay involved even when they don’t necessarily “need” or must stay active, they want to be there and engaged with the group. This is what I was impressed with and the feeling I had based on my brief time with this group: Energy Engagement Learning culture Curiosity Open to new ideas Care about peers The power of a supportive and informative community Whether it’s your job search or if you’re looking for meaningful professional connection, it’s worth the effort and time to find a group that works for you. A community of like-minded professionals who have been there or are also going there will serve you well. This does not mean go join five groups, this means start with one solid group that fits your needs, and go from there. Community brings something powerful when you find one that works for you. Community doesn't just get built, it is grown from those who invest their time, effort, and energy, showing up, planning, contributing, and engaging. If you’re looking for support for your job search, or to connect with professionals looking to elevate their skills and network, you can check out TNG here. Potential Upcoming OpCo Topics Workforce Proliferation Introducing a new Community for HR Cultural Index Simplicity brings clarity How I structure each week Decision making as a leader 0 retention plan = 0 talent strategy Change your culture, change your business Headcount Debacle: The Over-hiring Cycle Bringing Quantitative Analysis From Qualitative Observations: Building Helpful Data When It Doesn’t Naturally Exist Employees are at the will of your employer no matter how secure you feel or think you are The cost of loyalty - Popularity with staying with one company long term is still diminishing Rolling with life’s changes and finding joy and fulfillment, and being careful with searching for happiness Focus M&A Intersection of AI and attention: AI + People Harmony Interconnectivity Investing in your people Marc Andreessen articles Takeaways from Kevin Kelly and others who inspire in this way Reactionary Business Measuring Your Business: ROI/OKRs/KPIs/SLAs/EBRs Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Please repost or share with someone who may benefit from this edition. Climb Higher | Raise Your^ROI CONTENT RESOURCES TNG - Team Networking Group | Elite Job Placement Through Networking and Training tngindy.com Team Networking Group (TNG) | LinkedIn Team Networking Group (TNG) | 371 followers on LinkedIn. TNG helps mid-career professionals find their next career position quickly and effectively. | TNG is designed to help professionals find their next career position as quickly as possible. We do this based on several core concepts: * To be ideal, your next job must fit you. * Job hunting is a broken process and to overcome this, you must engage differently * Most jobs are unposted and only available to those who know how to find them * As a seasoned professional, you have knowledge, skills, and experience that must be shared in order to maximize your job search * Lifelong learning is key to success in business, life, and your job search * As a group, we are stronger, smarter, and can find more opportunity than one individual on their own * As an individual, you have a responsibility to yourself, your family, and the group to participate at your highest level www.linkedin.com/company/team-networking-group Why Your Peer Group Matters More than You Think Peers can have a huge impact on our li

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Reflecting on Lessons Learned, Pushes You Forward Understanding Your journey leads you to a more meaningful future Author Graham Peelle April 22, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting you, the founders and leaders, to equip you with the tools, community, and inspiration to scale your business. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your business to heights you didn’t think were possible. Together. Scale through a holistic approach: People/Process/Tech/AI Harmony Cost Reduction and Optimization Leadership Development, Strategy, and Growth Open now for limited membership at low introductory price for the first 20 members ($9/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. Reflecting on Lessons Learned, Pushes You Forward Understanding Your journey leads you to a more meaningful future Below are a few things I shared with students in ECON 210 during Purdue’s 2024 Business Alumni Conference, with the Daniels School of Business. Am I an “Economist”, no, but few Econ grads are, so what is the value of the degree? It’s a quiet degree many are naive to, scared of, and it’s largely misunderstood. The panel discussed how Economics shaped our careers. Economics Official Definitions: My real world application of the definition: The study of how resources, organizations, governments, and people make decisions, act and solve problems across interconnecting markets. Decision making Problem solving Resource allocation Intersection of people, process, and technology, with facts, details, thoughts, feelings, and analysis all weaved in [Additional recommendations for early career in brackets] (Prompts for discussion from Purdue’s staff are numbered) 1. Can you share your educational journey in economics, including the reasons that led you to choose it as your major and your academic goals during that time? Started out in engineering and it wasn’t as interesting as expected, and much different than math and science from high school, and I didn't seem to have the natural aptitude for it as I had expected I realized I needed to do something aligned to what I am really interested in, business, which was something that gave me a broader perspective and taught me how to solve problems Wasn’t passionate about Management, Accounting, or Finance specialization so I thought economics would be a great degree focused on preparing me for business and leadership Wanted to start working, and that’s all I cared about What I have realized, is how much the technical experience has led me to have productive and collaborative work with technical professionals, how much I have learned by serving various industries, and the value you bring, in having even some experience with another discipline [ Evaluate your strengths and interests, not just going off what people say you should study.] 2. How did you start your career in economics? What were your first roles and how did they shape your path? I didn’t land a management consulting role, or an analyst role our of college, so I was pushed to use my people skills, hard work, and my drive for a career My first role was inside sales, selling print and digital marketing materials for customers, then moving to a small business where I was a GM for an early version of DoorDash or GrubHub, but way before their time I decided I needed to work for a large corporate environment for stability as I got closer to starting a family, which was with Allegis Group, specifically the Aerotek subsidiary This was the best decision I made early in my career because it allowed me to enter a professional training ground, not only for recruiting and sales, but how to be a professional, what hard work looked like, and how to work with people [Early on, choose roles where you can learn and grow, and understand what you want. Curiosity, hard work, preparation and positioning.] 3. In what ways has your economics degree influenced or contributed to your career development and success? It was a great avenue into the business world for me, and offered diverse concepts and perspective, helping spark a career of curiosity and an ability to specialize or gain broad experience Allowed me the ability to weave business acumen with leadership for executive leadership responsibilities [Use economics as a vehicle to explore your career possibilities.] 4. Could you highlight some of the most valuable skills you acquired that have been beneficial in your professional life? Analytical thinking, perspective and global view with ability to look more granular trends and problem solving Econ offered a great blend of studying the connections of free market capitalism with respect to other ways to do things Understanding markets and decisions is so much of business, and I see that skill becoming more important over next 5-10 years [Embrace problem solving. That’s what much of business and life is.] 5. As someone who has majored in economics and likely encountered various challenges and oppo

https://eidigital.com  https://grahampeelle.com Are We Doing It Wrong?: Build Talent Capital in Your Organization that Costs Less AND Makes Sense Hiring as an Investment, Not a Cost Author Graham Peelle April 15, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting you, the founders and leaders, to equip you with the tools, community, and inspiration to scale your business. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your business to heights you didn’t think were possible. Together. Scale through a holistic approach: People/Process/Tech/AI Harmony Cost Reduction and Optimization Leadership Development, Strategy, and Growth Open now for limited membership at low introductory price for the first 20 members ($9/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. Are We Doing It Wrong?: Build Talent Capital in Your Organization that Costs Less AND Makes Sense Hiring as an Investment, Not a Cost Scrap transactional talent patchwork and hire the best people. Easy enough, huh? Treat them and pay them better than anyone else. Do interesting work that people want to do. And your talent game will rise, along with your client satisfaction and margins. It actually is that easy, but few are willing to invest and put the time and effort in to make that happen. The methodology saves money in the long run, both in hard dollars and in perceived market value. Short-term thinking about hiring, results in short-term success and impact, and isn’t sustainable. Your hiring view should be months and years out, not hey we’re busy or need people to fill a need, let’s hire! People will cringe when you or others say, “We just need some bodies.” “They’re just labor.” Or “We need butts in seats.” But that’s real and that’s the culture you’re representing. These are still people and those who remember that and act as such, will make an impact well beyond the bottom line or stock price. Get It Right the First Time As I was thinking about this week’s OpCo, I realized I once flew to Minneapolis for three interviews for talent partner roles, essentially internal recruiters working on behalf of our client. I recommended we hire two of the three. And they were two of our best and have had successful tenures in recruiting since. Yes, you read that right, I didn’t fly to Minneapolis for interview myself, I flew in to interview three candidates. This was before video calls were big, but the in-person interview allowed us to connect and decide. Why is this important? Because I had the flexibility to take the time and money to do things right, one last check to have peace of mind that this was a great hire. And, what else? We took the time to get it right. Don’t save $500-700, whatever it costs, to assume you got it right. Do what you need to do to get it right even if it costs, assuming it’s reasonable. If you can do it for free or low cost, great, but don’t skimp to try to get it right. Consider this - will getting these hires wrong cost more than the process to ensure we get them right? This also made me think, what other situations have come up that were similar. Where the trip made business sense, even though it was brief and expensive based on time in location? I have traveled to Poland, in and out in less than a day, en route to Switzerland. Spent short time at specific plants in Germany. And have been to NJ, STL, DFW, Chicago, Denver, Peoria, and Detroit (many times), for one day, there and back. Was it worth it each time, no. Not all of these trips were at my discretion or created equal, but the point is, I had the flexibility to do what felt necessary, and it pushed me to ensure I got the most out of each visit. It also took the excuse off the table, oh, I don’t have budget to travel…so I won’t take the steps to get it right, or manage a partnership the best way possible. Hiring is About a Quality Fit Is your company hiring thousands to deliver on value-add business, or to patch the hole? Volume hiring is necessary at times (truly seasonal, project-based, or major growth in short term, and similar situations, but many times it’s limiting the churn of turnover, by improving your associate retention that allows you to have the capacity to produce results. Continued volume hiring is usually patch work. You need to solve your process, people, or tech problem. Not hire to replace all those leaving. And many times over-hiring creates significant challenges later, which I’ll leave for another day. Do you really need that many people? Yes, because there is a hole in the business and people are walking right out the door. Sometimes it’s growth, but quite often those hiring projections are a product of broken process, organizational dysfunction, or less-skilled leaders looking to hire every time something is not perfectly right. Hiring to fix problems is the one of the route causes of poor business actions. You can continue hiring to hit that arbitrary number, headcount, or roster, but it’s a never ending cycle because you’re not treating the disease, rat

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Proving Value Positioning your business and execution are key to realizing value Author Graham Peelle April 08, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting you, the founders and leaders, to equip you with the tools, community, and inspiration to scale your business. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your business to heights you didn’t think were possible. Together. Scale through a holistic approach: People/Process/Tech/AI Harmony Cost Reduction and Optimization Leadership Development, Strategy, and Growth Open now for limited membership at low introductory price for the first 20 members ($9/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. Proving Value Positioning your business and execution are key to realizing value Showing, delivering, or proving value is what business deals on. Deals don’t get done without perceived value. Value is the measurement of the utility of the goods, services, ideas, or support you are providing. So what? You may have never thought about it in your business, but potential and current customers accepting your value is what drives your growth, or lack thereof. Firms need to learn how to articulate and prove their value to gain traction and establish a sustainable business. Victors grab value, while the losers lack value. Official Definition We’re not talking about principles or standards, although those support business value by offering the fundamentals for trust, which is the bedrock of business. For the purpose of this week, we’re talking about worth, or monetary use. Importance of Value Without value, you have no business. In the long run, it doesn’t take an economist to realize that lacking value, is lacking a future in business. Sure, in the short term you can sell anything, but over time that’s not sustainable. You must bring forward a reason to buy whatever your thing is. Value is the background for that reason. Value or potential value is a differentiator in what makes people invest in your business, buy your product, or trust in your service offering. It’s the underlying basis for trust. Selling without value, voids trust. You’re selling beachfront property on a cliff, at a steep discount when you sell without value. It’s like selling a car without a warranty of some kind. Value isn’t always obvious, and many times you must educate your clients on your value. Don’t expect them to just get it. They often don’t, as they see you as every other provider, unless you show and prove a reason why you are different. Value also differs based on the basis for the value assessment and the factors considered for each firm. That’s value. Proving why you are better than the next firm, and your potential or current client realizing it. How do you prove or establish value? You must find ways to establish the following fundamental vehicles for value: Credibility Trust Rapport Coach/Consultant mentality Showing results and performance Fill the need with your service or good Delivery above what you cost Financial, potential, opportunity, and intrinsic properties Value isn’t forever - it’s always up for interpretation and reduction or growth. Everyday value is earned and acknowledged through striving for excellence and delivery, every single day. How to establish value It’s not always concrete so you must find the formula that works for your customer or industry. The recipe for value realization is yours to create based on your market. Here are a few ways you can show value: Showing your character by doing what you say you will do Delivering free value to earn right to get paid, establishing genuine willingness to help Explain and show that your “cost” or investment saves money, time, streamlines process, or generates growth Make it so clear that they feel stupid to say no Show what you provide that is different or above and beyond your competition or the market Make connections for them by finding professional ways to share what you have done, who you work with, and the results you have generated for business outcomes (references, case studies, warm introductions, memberships, social proof) Be yourself, with genuine confidence in what value you provide If all else fails, you need to look in the mirror and see if you believe your value and are doing all you can to articulate it and prove it. If these approaches aren’t working, sometimes you need more chances at the plate, meaning a higher level of activity. In other cases, maybe you need to improve your ability to communicate your value. Personal Experience Explaining, showing, and proving value does have some personal nuance. Not everyone has the same style in how they explain or deliver value. I have seen amazing business people that are all over the place, unorganized, and even their delivery is no different. But it’s part of their unique charm and likeability, and in some ways it’s their own genuine form of consistency and communication, it’s just different to others. In some case

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Empowering Organizations to Unlock Their Greatness Through Scaling People, Process, & Technology Accelerating organizational value creation and innovation with Human/AI/Tech harmony: solving business challenges to build better organizations Author Graham Peelle April 01, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your biz 10x. Scale through people/tech/AI harmony, reducing cost, optimizing, and growing. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. Empowering Organizations to Unlock Their Greatness Through Scaling People, Process, & Technology Accelerating organizational value creation and innovation with Human/AI/Tech harmony: solving business challenges to build better organizations I have it figured out and it’s a relief in my mind, to be able to share the intersection of where everything rolls up into one clear cohesive alignment. It’s so much clearer than ever, my life’s work. Regardless of the role, the people, the company, or the distractions, what I gravitate towards, what do I enjoy, what has me thinking, day in and day out, and what really gets me excited. What value do I bring and where does my zone of genius lie? What do I do regardless of the circumstances, challenges, the work in front of me? This has taken a lot of iterations, thinking through other ideas, feedback, and looking at the work of others to understand myself. Background on Perspective Before I state it clearly, I’ll share how I look at everything, which may offer a little context. When I look at a sandwich shop, full service restaurant, tire shop, manufacturing facility, or room full of software designers, do I see meats, cocktails, mechanics, machines, and monitors? Well, yes, I do see those, but more importantly, I see what’s behind them. I look for what’s behind the curtain, who’s driving the bus, what’s making things tick, how much something costs, what the labor hours per hour, capital expenditures, and service delivery. Not sure if it’s operational awareness, or what? Examples of what I see and consider in the environment I am in: Investments needed for operational efficiency, resource deficiencies Unnecessary costs Lack of leadership, or overflow of leadership Lack of labor, with opportunities for automation Costs of materials Labor costs Bandwidth for revenue generation Opportunities for value creation That’s how I think, and that is just the beginning - I analyze it all and see what, who, where, and how it could be improved, with better service, and more profitable. I was trained this way from a young age growing up with my father who was in restaurant, turned light manufacturing operations, which spurred me on to start coming up with company names when I was around 11-12 years old. So why is my purpose important, why should I even care? Because your purpose coupled with your why is what gives you the clarity and strength to push through. It’s what gives you the spark that lights you up, and it’s what holds you back at times when you don’t feel it. I have learned over the last four years that purpose, clarity, and energy for your work have so much significance. My Life’s Work, Regardless of Role or Responsibility Business is problems and I love problems. These challenges are what make work fun, and not just work. I may find a better way to articulate it, but this is my purpose: My Life’s Work: Empowering Organizations to Unlock Greatness through Scaling People, Process, and Technology Whether I am the company’s CEO, COO, CFO, in leadership or an individual contributor, in partnership or BD, talent acquisition or service delivery, or somewhere in between, it’s about solving business challenges to build better organizations. I was sitting in a client meeting recently, and I was listening intently about their business, team, and aspirations to scale, ~2x in case you’re interested. I shared how we could help, and I got off topic for a bit. I realized how we can help with core offerings and also discovered how we can help them as they scale. It’s our path to solving business problems to allow them to scale. Yes, we can help bring them the best talent available, but I can also help beyond that one piece of the puzzle. I can offer strategic business partnership focused on 5 core areas: Vision & Strategy Advisory Leadership Development Discovery of Organizational Energy feeding its Culture Process Optimization Scaling Playbook - People/Process/Technology Clarity Why is all this important? Because with clarity, you find the unlock to your journey to greatness. It’s really taken me two years to understand the full hedgehog or Ikigai concept applied to myself, putting aside just what I want it to be, what others have said it should be, but really honing in on what

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Follow the Money: Take Action with Proactive & Purposeful Business Activity Don’t wait, make things happen: position yourself to increase your surface area for opportunity Author Graham Peelle March 25, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your biz 10x. Scale through people/tech/AI harmony, reducing cost, optimizing, and growing. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. Follow the Money: Take Action with Proactive & Purposeful Business Activity Don’t wait, make things happen: position yourself to increase your surface area for opportunity Build An Organic Sales Organization As my career has evolved, I learn, and continue to consider other ways to do things, I realize how much your willingness to be an ambassador for your own organization must feel like a positive approach. If you’re doing it to check the box, you’ll struggle to represent your company to your ability or you’ll feel guilty if you aren’t on board. When you see the value in your organization’s purpose, it allows for a sense of pride in promoting your company positively. If you take pride in your organization, you will be willing to put your name behind it, regardless of your role. That’s your job as an organization- make your people feel genuinely proud to work there, and they become the best spokesperson for your business. They will shout from the mountain top if you allow them to believe and to support the mission. If you get there, you have an organization full of the most genuine sales people that will naturally follow the money and listen for opportunities advancing your company. They will be the best front line of business development you could hope for because they believe and want the company to thrive. Shift In Context: Leveraging Career Experience Focused on Partnership Development Early in my career, a big part of my role was focused on account development: Protect Retain Service Saturation Leverage Build Partnership Organize These core responsibilities turned into other areas to elevate my game and the business: Efficiency Systems and Process Continuous Improvement Scalability Increased Margin Reporting and Analytics KPIs Employee Retention Risk Mitigation I stumbled into operations leadership through looking for cost reduction, profitability, associate satisfaction, visibility for the client and internally, and with focus on exceeding customer expectations. Taking that operations, talent, and services expertise and applying my experience to identify and establish new partnerships and identify opportunities while they’re hot, and ideally before they’re hot, it’s all about following the money. Follow the Money Not “show me the money” or follow the money in a gambling sense, but follow the money in a market demand and business intelligence sense. What does this mean? It means you listen to the market, because the market will tell you where to go. Market intel tells you who what, where, why, and how. Professionals growing a business then connect the dots, securing business partnerships and arrangements to capitalize on these opportunities. How: By Following Angles and Connecting the Dots Projects Economic Development Organizations and associations New Construction Announcements Investment Hiring and Firing Opening and Closing Business news, supplier networks, industry pulse… What’s Next? You found the money, how do you capitalize? —> Connection, collaboration, sales, marketing, branding, and closing You need decision makers and stakeholders to know and like you better, and see your value above other options. You need prospective clients to think of you when they need support or are ready to buy a product or service. Following the money is great, but activity, consistency and process locks up the business to drive revenue. Follow the money, follow the problems, provide solutions, and create customer satisfaction. Don’t Stop, Execute and Close One of the rarest practices across business is follow-up. It’s not consistently executed. Most people don’t follow-up. In multiple conversations I have had over the last 5 years, I have been told, “you followed-up?!”. As if it was a surprise? It was to them, because so many potential partners disappeared after initial emails, calls, or meetings. And even when they do, many providers don’t follow through on their promises. Follow-up, one of the most fundamental practices in business is also where many “professionals” or wannabes struggle. Follow through, key to success and customer delight. And winning. What other activities are core to building trust and partnership? Honesty, Integrity Fairness Clarity Market Intelligence Understanding Problems Solutions Focused Driven to Provide Value Likability Presentable Talk With P

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com The Power of Focus and Conviction, Harnessed for Growth Elimination of tasks is growing your ability to deliver on your main thing Author Graham Peelle March 18, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your biz 10x. Scale through people/tech/AI harmony, reducing cost, optimizing, and growing. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.29.24. The Power of Focus and Conviction, Harnessed for Growth Elimination of tasks is growing your ability to deliver on your main thing Distractions from your core revenue generating activity must be “ruthlessly” eliminated. Focus is a superpower and must be embraced. In a growth-oriented role, if you’re a thinker or have success under your belt, you need to align your purpose and passion to support your growth objectives. Why is this important? If you don’t, you’re like the entrepreneur or student who keeps switching because it’s hard or not always the most fun. You must embrace the suck which has been famously said again and again. Otherwise you are starting over each time, otherwise you focus on everything except your work, team, and clients. Focus Drives Growth How do you power your work through focus? Consider these concepts: Action grows confidence Doing makes you better Find focus through action If you’re going to do it, learn to love it Gravitate towards the hard and needle-moving work Cut out fluff and “fake work” (Cal Newport comments) Focus first, everything else next Warren Buffett prioritization Courtesy of Brooke LeBlanc sharing, created by Farnam Street Strategy, Planning, and Thinking As a leader, this is where so much of my ideas and energy stemmed from, but in a growth-first role, thinking is a trap to avoid work if you overdo it. Having a plan is great, but not at the expense of traction with winning business. Thinking helps you direct your action, however, sometimes you must do and come back and think more later. It’s imperative to not allow thinking, planning, strategy fruitless networking, or other activities become a distraction. Traction then refine plans. Make the one core activity your habit— it’s your practice. It’s what you do. Not only because of the outcomes that eventually come, but because it’s what you do. (Concept from Seth Godin’s, “The Practice” - my summary and link to book are here) What impacts your ability to focus? Environment Options Social Conflicting thoughts and desires Procrastinating activities This list is just a start to name a few, and this list could go on for awhile. Commitment Lack of commitment is because of the fear from uncertainty or lack of clarity. You will find distractions anywhere if you don’t want to do the work. You will make yourself procrastinated with easier or more routine work. My focus is to identify the best customers to partner with, delivering exceptional value through smart solutions with the best service. We’re growing our core business and establishing our brand in Central and Southern Indiana, and beyond, allowing our core business to build reputation and customer connection, and eventually opening opportunities in managed project services, innovative delivery solutions, and consulting or advisory opportunities. I help companies find their greatness through delivering talent solutions, managed projects, and consultation or coaching. Solutions, talent, delivery, and advisory. I’m delivering more of what clients need, and less of what they don’t, building our own way. Keep the main thing, the main thing…with focus on colleagues and customers. I’m excited to share the journey as we scale this business. The ridge Photo by Ronan Furuta on Unsplash Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Please repost or share with someone who may benefit from this edition. Climb Higher | Raise Your^ROI The thoughts shared on this podcast, whether original content or content from others, represent my own personal views or those of other individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of organizations for which I am affiliated. This is not legal or investment advice, please seek professional advice for such advice.

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Critical Impact Work: Embrace It or Ignore It? It’s not core work, but it’s critical to your success Author Graham Peelle March 04, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Be the boss you wanted: Scale your biz 10x. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 4.8.24. Critical Impact Work: Embrace It or Ignore It? It’s not core work, but it’s critical to your success I see a few consistent themes from some of the legends about core areas of business building: Recruiting Sales Leadership Technology is often assumed. Tech is a given in most industries, and differentiation, while extremely important, is often a byproduct of these first three areas above. For the best tech, talent, demand, and thriving associates are essential. Engaged people drive engaged and profitable business, and create great tech for great products. Priorities It’s interesting that with these three areas, especially the first two, they are often not valued by global business based on how they are prioritized. When the layoffs start happening and cost reduction is in full swing, the focus on recruiting, sales, and leadership typically doesn’t happen until the realization arrives: More sales are needed —> Increase sales —> Need for sales people increases —> Demand for people in the market increases —> Recruiting/Talent Acquisition (TA) and Leadership needed The cycle continues. When things get tight, margins dip, market uncertainty increases, TA is one of the first areas to see cuts, and for sales, when cuts are needed, sales comp can get crushed. So what can we do, here are a few thoughts to consider: Integrated Talent Incentive and Performance Based Compensation Leadership Structured Smartly Long-term Decision Making Recruiting and Sales continue to be stated as critical priorities for building an organization from some of the foremost legends, all the way down to the local business leader talking about the importance of their people. And we continue to hear that growing an organization and running an organization, it’s about the people, yet the general business landscape typically would not favor the talent and revenue fueling groups as their energy and profit makers. Talent, revenue, and leadership are as close to fundamental as it gets, and they drive great products and services. Pure Leadership With leadership, it’s more of a lack of understanding of the value with a pure leader that can come into play. Not a SME, not an engineer, doctor, attorney, operations, or marketing expert, but a pure leader who can lead nearly any organization. These other disciplines can be great leaders, but it doesn’t take an SME to be a great leader. Let’s put Elon, Altman, and Satya Nadella aside for a second, as those leaders are rare, and there are so many exceptionally great technical leaders in their own right throughout history. Naturally, the more technical and visionary the business, especially early on, the more technical the Founder or CEO, or other leaders must be. Technical or subject matter expert leaders must still be leaders if they’re leading future great organizations. But if they’re just the smart guy in the room, it’s not going to last, so what does that mean? It means leadership is a skill and it must be learned through experience, intentional connection, understanding people and business, prioritizing people development, and the other core people areas aligned for holistic organizational growth and maturity. Product, service, or tech guide your business, no argument here, but I bet you have great talent and leadership driving those areas to build the best of the best in your space. Maybe leadership value should be measured based on the total performance of all critical factors aggregated over a determined reasonable period of time. Value from margins, revenue, money saved, cost reduction, reduced expenses, investment allocated to development, opportunity cost of alternate decisions, etc. Stakeholder value, organizational value creation, customer delivery, and associate growth opportunity are all factors. It’s important to step back and review the critical areas, measures of success or progress, and act accordingly. Decisions made only based on stakeholder reaction is a danger zone. Google has really taken a beating in business circles recently from investors to news media, and as AI, Social Media, and Tech matures that will continue until the narrative sees Google as the development leader in AI. OpCo Looking Forward Originally, Opco has been all about looking at business through experiences I have had, or my perspective, knowledge or expertise based on that experience, along with what I’m learning through professional research and daily work. It’s been based on recent learning or thoughts, whereas the next several will be mor

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com AI Will Cost You…If You Allow It Professional workers exploring AI/Human harmony First, along with the term “human capital”, let’s scrap “white collar” and “blue collar”. I’ll use them here for a moment to set up the explanation, but let’s push these aside. They’ve had their day and don’t reflect modern values of how we categorize people and their work. We wonder why we have such a gap in trades talent and university and student loan debates? We have devalued certain work in favor of other work and continue to refer to it that way - it’s just a different kind of work. It’s well overdue to change the moniker. —> Talent capital, not human capital —> Professional or thought-based work, not white collar —> Productivity or physical work, not blue-collar The verbiage needs some work, but with all the catch phrases out there about work, which I prefer not to use in many cases, phrases describing quitting, firing, working location, etc., we’ll think of something more modern and respectful. When Generative AI (artificial intelligence) first broke out in more of the common public domain for usage, testing, and understanding, ChatGTP, etc., many thought that blue-collar or physical productivity workers, would lose their jobs, but as AI has advanced many continue to see and speak up about the realization that AI is not taking blue-collar jobs, at least initially, it’s taking more professional jobs, knowledge work, or “office” jobs. AI taking office jobs? AI is targeting the low-hanging fruit with replacing the tasks, activities, and work with repeatable, easily readable, and recognizable for tech, in order to copy, learn, and utilize. AI is targeting work that can be done without that human touch, without the human judgment, without the feel for people or non-factual decisions or process. Work can be submitted for human review, and things of this nature. This does not mean the work these professionals has no value, it does not mean this work is done “better” by technology, but what it does mean is that some companies have decided to operationalize AI to take this work on for what they consider as comfortable for the initial steps for AI to produce. I am not here to say what’s right or wrong, rather, sharing perspective on how companies seem to be looking at it. Organizations will save money, find efficiencies, and become more productive where they can, and if AI accomplishes this with limited risk, many firms will do it, or at least test it, and then do it at some point in the future. The market dictates this approach with competition and expectations, and it is a part of the adventures of capitalism. And we have been here before, and will have tipping points of this nature in the future. It’s business, it’s life. This is not meant to de-sensitize any layoffs or people impact - that is real and that is a hard part of any change, business evolution, labor market realignment, or organizational transformation. In the long run these points are often a great thing with opportunities for growth and abundance increasing, but the short-term hurts, especially at an individual-level, and of course also at the organizational level. - Graham Peelle The firms you think of that are developing more for physical work (Figure and Optimus to name a couple), where AI is heavily engrained with interacting in the physical world, are in the thick of it. They’re making major strides, but it’s intensive to conduct physical work through technology compared to the professional or thought leadership side of things- physical world requires, physical testing at some point, with real product, real impact, and for all to see, whereas digital work is often not noticed or recognized as much for the professional digital behind the scenes impacts. If you can’t see it, the public often won’t care, but if a robot makes coffee, or changes a tire, now people are watching. Think about early on for the first few months, following AI really breaking out, you heard about some of the major consulting or tech firms, and now you’re seeing the tech blitz, which has gone over for a year now. Remember Salesforce laid off a share of its workforce in January 2023, and now we’re in February 2024 and we’re just getting going. Those layoffs started as early as Q3/Q4 - 2022 for some tech firms. What does this mean? This is not meant to scare anyone, as it seems like many are seeking more information, trying to absorb the benefits, impacts and realities, and clarity, but remember, with how fast technology advances now. Buy the time we are comfortable, the world is going to change, a lot, and the exponential pace of change seems more and more challenging to “keep pace with”. This isn’t sounding an alarm - the alarm has been going off for awhile, but to bring some perspective to consider taking a breath and see how you can fit into this landscape of work, as the world of work changes, quickly. If there is one wake up cal

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Capitalist Enlightenment: Silicon Valley Style Takeaways and thoughts: Marc’s mind Author Graham Peelle February 19, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Join "Build 10x Scale", the community helping you scale your biz 10x. Scale through people/tech/AI harmony, reducing cost, optimizing, and growing. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 3.4.24. Capitalist Enlightenment: Silicon Valley Style Takeaways and thoughts: Marc’s mind I have wanted to read this collection of Marc Andreessen blog posts for some time, but have prioritized other reading…and it was as good as advertised. Informative and entertaining for sure. Creative Insights about building a business, with sarcasm wrapped up for your reading pleasure. Marc Andreessen has a unique style, and with his experience, it just makes an even more worthwhile read. As I often like to do, I had to go through this and pull out the overly tech or investment speak and break down my top takeaways and concepts that stood out for me. Mark Andreessen’s blog was taken down awhile ago and it was so popular and requested, A16z brought it back on their site in a pdf/ebook form. Takeaways and thoughts: Marc’s Mind Management “First, manage your executives. It’s not that uncommon to see startup founders, especially first-timers, who hire executives and are then reluctant to manage them. You can see the thought process: I just hired this really great, really experienced VP of Engineering who has way more experience running development teams than I ever did — I should just let him go do his thing! That’s a bad idea. While respecting someone’s experience and skills, you should nevertheless manage every executive as if she were a normal employee. This means weekly 1:1’s, performance reviews, written objectives, career development plans, the whole nine yards. Skimp on this and it is very easy for both your relationship with her and her effectiveness in the company to skew sideways.” “Second, give your executives the latitude to run their organizations. This is the balancing act with the previous point, but it’s equally important. Don’t micromanage. The whole point of having an executive is to have someone who can figure out how to build and run an organization so that you don’t have to. Manage her, understand what she is doing, be very clear on the results you expect, but let her do the job. Here’s the key corollary to that: if you want to give an executive full latitude, but you’re reluctant to do so because you’re not sure she can make it happen, then it’s probably time to fire her.” - Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz Manage your executives, but remember who and why you are managing them. Clear Expectations, engagement, awareness, multi-level communication and leadership, but not micromanagement Awareness and understanding, not unnecessary direction, goes along way Make no assumptions Support where necessary Situational leadership is key Promotions “This will be controversial, but I am a big fan of promoting talented people as fast as you can — promoting up and comers into executive roles, and promoting executives into bigger and broader responsibilities.” “However, life is short, startups move fast, and you have stuff to get done. You aren’t going to have the privilege of working with that many great, talented, high-potential people in your career. When you find one, promote her as fast as you can. Great for her, great for the company, and great for you.” - Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz Don’t hold people back, but elevate and broaden experience, don’t put reigns on someone unnecessarily Don’t be afraid to manage experienced team members more closely where they need it Give them interesting work they will go find it Turnaround “Money talks, hype walks — when you’re hitting your numbers, everyone thinks you’re a genius and believes everything you say, no matter how silly. When you’re not hitting your numbers, everyone thinks you’re a moron and won’t believe anything you say, no matter how true. So go dark, focus on the business, and don’t talk publicly for at least six months.” “Ninth, shake things up. Directly on Powell’s curiosity point — change the story to something new. Overhaul the organization, move people around, fire people, promote other people, cancel products, double down on other products, do some acquisitions, cut some big deals, do some spinoffs, whatever — but change the story. Reintroduce curiosity. When all else fails, do a “shake and bake” — do a big transformative deal that you’re not sure will work but which you think has a real shot. That will at the very least inject energy back into the situation.” - Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz In order to big things, you must take big confident steps, and have consistency everywhere else Big sw

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com How to Fine Tune Your Mind for Growth and Success: Scale Your Mindset, Scale Your Business The continued exploration for a mindset made of positive sum and abundance perspective Author Graham Peelle February 12, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Transform or turnaround your business today. Be the boss you wanted: Scale your business 10x. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 3.4.24. How to Fine Tune Your Mind for Growth and Success: Scale Your Mindset, Scale Your Business The continued exploration for a mindset made of positive sum and abundance perspective As I have begun a journey building a business from zero in an untapped region for an established company, it has me consistently coming back to the principles, concepts, and ideas that support having an abundant growth mindset. Why is this important? As you train yourself to become more self-aware, you realize how much you shut yourself down. You say no, you limit, you lose before you start. I have found I do it all the time and I constantly battle the limiting beliefs that we naturally place on ours. But if you do recognize it, you can beat it more often than not, and live beyond the limitations of that comfort zone or safe space you like to create in your head. A few thoughts on allowing yourself room for success Thinking Big Various philosophy and research concepts make it clear, you will unconsciously limit yourself to the extent of your objectives and aspirations Think bigger, achieve better, grow, and become better Eliminate limits, think bigger, and at worst you have increased your odds of success at achieving what you see as your lowest level of success BHAG Finding and committing to your” Big Hairy Audacious Goal” Abundance There is a difference between wasting and spending vs. thinking beyond the smallest possible units, and believing there is enough for all of us Positive Sum Mentality = Positive Outcomes Possibilities are endless Consider this - is anyone directly limiting you? Are you really being held back? Who is in your way? Unless someone is directly holding you back, it’s you…You’re finding reasons (excuses) on why you don’t have time, it won’t work, you can’t Vision Have a view of what you want to do and where you want to go Execution delivering that vision Simplicity at macro view Simple scales, complex fails Big picture long term, strategic, with tactical execution mindset in short term Exponential growth will come through commitment to the work and presence with the right business opportunities are targeted Putting out signals The more you put out your work, building trust and reputation, the better chances you have to find those who value and appreciate your work, pay you for your work and tell others This is not about social media or an online presence, this is about relationships, whether 1:1 or one to many, how you do it can vary This about finding your tribe or like-minded people Explore and learn with endless curiosity Study or execute professional research with a genuine love or curiosity for those topics or area of interest Be in the room where it happens You have to put yourself amongst those who can impact your thoughts, resources, or your work Surround yourself in situations that help you grow, learn, and push you to elevate, not stagnate Increasing your surface area for luck Another way to look at above, from a different lens If you believe in luck, that’s fine, but increasing your chances for luck by positioning yourself The more you’re in the arena, the better chance you have to win, meet those who can help or that you can learn from, or at worst, you’ll die trying Become a magnet for opportunity Relationships There is nothing more fundamental than human connection Relationships are what drives business and success 1:1, or one to many Take care of people Use the we pronoun - It’s the team and people Value Value is determined by each individual, company or group The market determines value in one or another Value is the measure of what you create or what you deliver to others Listening Understanding your audience Taking time to hear opportunities Willing to consider things that aren’t typical for you A genuine joy for life Seeing the good in things and people Blocks out negativity Who not how identify the best way to get work done, don’t just hire a person or buy software Stories not lectures Telling is great, showing is better Showing how you got there What makes you successful Paint vivid pictures of the past, present, and future What are you all about Implementation, not information = action over planning Preparation is important, but procrastination is deadly Your secret sauce is your people and your ability to execute or operate Rarely does tech stay as the secret over time, tech secrets are temporary Int

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Abundance: Big Picture & Long-Term Mindset Drives Success Scarcity kills your aptitude to increase surface area for success Author Graham Peelle February 05, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Be the boss you wanted: Scale your biz 10x. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members ($19/mo, cancel anytime). Launching 3.4.24. Abundance: Big Picture & Long-Term Mindset Drives Success Scarcity kills your aptitude to increase surface area for success Zero to One: Think for yourself I’m enjoying reading some of the great business books, so thought I would listen to one this weekend as well. “Zero to One”, by Peter Thiel was as good as advertised. This book has so much perspective from what real business is actually like and what works to accomplish great things, and also has some great views back into the PayPal Mafia and great stories of monopolies, Microsoft, Google, etc. Great to hear some of the fundamentals from one of the greatest builders and investors of the modern era. Here are a few of the quotes and thoughts from “Zero to One”: “Bureaucratic hierarchies move slowly and entrenched interests shy away from risk. In the most dysfunctional organizations, signaling that work is being done, becomes a better strategy for career advancement then actually doing work. If this describes your company, you should quit now” “The first step to thinking clearly is to question what we think we know about the past” “The most contrarian thing of all is not to go against the crowd but to think for yourself” Losing sight of what you’re working towards is dangerous “The Challenge of the Future” “All Happy Companies are Different” “You are not a lottery ticket” “Follow the money” “Foundations” “No company has a culture, every company is a culture” “the future won’t happen on its own”, “it’s up to us” “find singular ways to create the new things that will make the future not just different, but better. To go from Zero to One. The essential first step is to think for yourself.” Recently, I have experienced a tidal wave of introspection about what matters in business and what the keys to success are for the 3Ps: performance, partnership, and profitability. Reconnecting with industries, companies, and people from years ago has triggered some connectivity of past experience coupled with refreshed perspective. Business Principles Discover the power of core business methodology for a service-based business Customer obsession must be paramount with your external and conscious mindset for each individual contributor, while leadership must prioritize employee satisfaction over customer demands Intentional action, killing busyness making way for business Commitment- on the bus or off the bus Time kills all deals, but also allows for real sustainable growth in day-to-day business - move with sense of urgency, but not in haste Everything is a test, how you respond shows your ability to learn, adapt, and overcome Love the process, finding joy in the practice and activity, don’t get caught up by outcomes only Win, with a positive sum mindset Hungry, but not desperate Do good, get good - great work yields great outcomes and incentives Give so much it’s uncomfortable for those getting, they will find a way to repay you Growth Enablers Attributes for exceptional business results, through core character traits Do what you said you were going to do Credibility and reputation builds trust Produce results - performance at a winning championship level Show up and deliver - don’t shy away from opportunity and come through for others Be kind, it pays off in the long run Do things the right way, expect the best and deliver the best Choose your hard- if it’s worth it, it’s highly unlikely that it’s easy. Lean into what’s hard that’ll make you great Quality work, striving for excellence through serving others Take smart risks, with continuous improvement layered in your daily operations Moving Forward So what does this mean…there are so many key principles and growth characteristics that can be considered and it’s important for you to distill what’s important to you, but the exercise of going through this and boiling down aspects like core values, vision, purpose, has so much power and can yield power beyond the words themselves, or even the definitions, but the connectivity the thought and feeling brings from the exercises and the connection to your business. Choose purposefully…these words, may steer your business in the right direction, or the wrong direction. Photo by NASA on Unsplash Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Please repost or share with someone who may benefit from this edition. Climb Higher | Raise Your^ROI CONTENT RESOURCES Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Master Notes on Startups, or How to Build the

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Producing Your Life’s Work, Leads to Great Work How you do meaningful great work Author Graham Peelle January 29, 2024 Join “Build 10x Scale” - Connecting managers, execs, & founders, creating the next level of Performance, Leadership, & Culture. Be the boss you wanted: Scale your biz 10x. Open now at a low introductory price for the first 20 members. Launching 3.4.24. Producing Your Life’s Work, Leads to Great Work How you do meaningful great work Reviewing PG’s Essay and What it Teaches Us After reading “The Practice” and “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant”, and prior to that, “Good to Great”, “100 Million Dollar Offers”, “Simple Scaling”, listening to numerous informative podcast episodes over the last two years, I have really fallen in love with the concept of finding your life’s work and learning how to achieve truly great work. Paul Graham lays out “How to Do Great Work” in his essay based off with experience and philosophical-based perspective that has so much value coming from someone like Paul and his reputation. Here are a few top takeaways from his essay that stood out to me: Work on your own projects Curiosity makes you a target for luck Make something you want to use or need Cumulative compounding of work is difficult to fight through the early slower stages: daily consistent work over long period of time yield quality and results Keep an eye out for what’s wrong or missing to find ideas on where to focus; these are often overlooked by others Clear out distractions to allow for room for great work New ideas required original thought and a different way of thinking than predecessors Comparing ideas, problems, and solutions from once industry to another can help yield powerful ideas Quality of colleagues and headcount often is significantly more powerful than quantity Morale level drives a correlating level of great work Audience compounds with consistency and quality, requires consistent, long-term mindset Spend time with those who give you energy, reducing time with those who reduce your energy Great work: scientific, “ability, interest, effort, and luck”. Luck can’t be influenced by definition, effort is assumed, leaving ability and interest where you can directly make an impact in your work Once you learn how to do great work, you will be on your path pursuing your “Life’s Work”. Christensen’s Perspective Clay Christensen, renowned author, business advisor, investor, and teacher, takes a different approach focused on the deep reflection of how you will measure your own life. “How Will You Measure Your Life” takes a view of what’s important. When you realize your time is limited, when you lose someone, or have a near-death experience on your own, how will that shape what matters. Typically, those events help you get closer to the root of your purpose and impact, and how you help and treat others along the way. Christensen takes what you work on and how you act, and pushes you to consider how it helps this world or people you love. Here are a few lessons that stood out to me: Learning Increased scope and importance of responsibilities Contributions to others Recognition for your results Keep purpose in mind with everything we do Short-term thinking often leads to short-term problems, frustrations, and thinking Don’t give in on your character or standards as those situations continue throughout one’s life I’ve thought about that a million times since. If I had been suckered into telling Andy Grove what he should think about the microprocessor business, I’d have been killed. But instead of telling him what to think, I taught him how to think—and then he reached what I felt was the correct decision on his own. Clay Christensen But looking back on it, resisting the temptation whose logic was “In this extenuating circumstance, just this once, it’s OK” has proven to be one of the most important decisions of my life. Why? My life has been one unending stream of extenuating circumstances. Had I crossed the line that one time, I would have done it over and over in the years that followed. Clay Christensen Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success. Clay Christensen Editing with a View Photo by Avi Richards on Unsplash What does this all mean? If you want to live in the moment, yet also appreciate your life’s work when it’s nearing its end, living with intention in what you do and making a positive impact are a strong guide with everything you do. Working on great work that you develop a love or passion for, and doing meaningful and high quality work, will help on that journey. Consider what you can do, what opportunities are showing up, and how you can align and harness those attributes into development of work you are proud of making a difference for others - that’s where the magic and meaning lies. Your relationships and impact on people will

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Book of Naval: Concise Authentic Wisdom Studying the shared expertise from one of the world’s foremost thought leaders Author Graham Peelle January 22, 2024 Book of Naval: Concise Authentic Wisdom Studying the shared expertise from one of the world’s foremost thought leaders The Almanack of Naval Ravikant should be prerequisite reading for any leader, MBA student, or self-development course. It shares so much valuable perspective, theory, and experience in a concise and easy to read format. Tweet storms refined into a wonderful collection of wisdom and written intelligence. Eric Jorgenson took the content from Naval’s blogs, tweets, and interviews, creating a centralized format for the wisdom Naval freely shares. I will attempt to boil down what I felt were the most impactful aspects and share any additional perspective that comes to mind. Broaden your perspective, challenge your mindset Jorgenson does a masterful job bucketing all of this wisdom to organize it in a useful manner for you to consume Naval’s experience and philosophy. If you have ever organized material like this, it’s often harder to start with all this content, and organize it, compared to actually creating it - it’s so time consuming and tedious work. Naval’s perspective spans broadly across philosophy, wealth, work, life, and relationships. When I look at this entire body of work, I think of five core areas to change my approach or focus more based on these concepts, integrating them into my life. Transformation Inspired by Naval Live with intention, doing everything for a reason, and with the most freedom possible Be you, be different - embrace your unique ability and zone of genius, and strive to be the best in the world, finding your life’s work Live to live, work to live, embrace living, and wealth and joy will come Learning is the fountain of youth, creativity, and life Only give energy where it’s deserved - don’t focus on negativity, anger, or people who drain your bucket https://www.mindjournals.com/ Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash Top 10 Nuggets from Naval “You’re going to die one day, and none of this is going to matter. So enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment. And do your work.” “Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until this is true.” “The last kind of luck is the weirdest, hardest kind, where you build a unique character, a unique brand, a unique mindset, which causes luck to find you.” “Be a maker who makes something interesting people want. Show your craft, practice your craft, and the right people will eventually find you.” “great people have great outcomes. You just have to be patient.” “Another thing that helps: I value freedom above everything else. All kinds of freedom: freedom to do what I want, freedom from things I don’t want to do, freedom from my own emotions or things that may disturb my peace. For me, freedom is my number one value.” “You do have to put in the time. You do have to put in the hours, and so I think you have to put yourself in the position with the specific knowledge, with accountability, with leverage, with the authentic skill set you have, to be the best in the world at what you do. You have to enjoy it and keep doing it, keep doing it, and keep doing it.” “Your real résumé is just a catalog of all your suffering. If I ask you to describe your real life to yourself, and you look back from your deathbed at the interesting things you’ve done, it’s all going to be around the sacrifices you made, the hard things you did.” “You can work really hard, do great things for society, and society will give you money for things it wants but doesn’t know how to get.” “If you cannot decide, the answer is no. And the reason is, modern society is full of options.” “Whenever the word “should” creeps up in your Whenever the word “should” creeps up in your mind, it’s guilt or social programming. Doing something because you “should” basically means you don’t actually want to do it. It’s just making you miserable, so I’m trying to eliminate as many “shoulds” from my life as possible.” Jorgenson, Eric. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. Magrathea Publishing. Kindle Edition. An old book store from the city of Bilbao. Photo by Iñaki del Olmo on Unsplash Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Please repost or share with someone who may benefit from this edition. Climb Higher | Raise Your^ROI CONTENT RESOURCES Naval Ravikant: The Angel Philosopher In his most in-depth interview, Naval Ravikant discusses reading, happiness, decision making, habits, the meaning of life, and Mental Models. fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/naval-ravikant Almanack of Naval Ravikant Click here to access free web version or other related content www.navalmanack.com The Anthology of Balaji For

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Avoiding the Outcome Trap: Commit to Your Practice Viewing the Process as the Work...and the Goal Author Graham Peelle January 15, 2024 Avoiding the Outcome Trap: Commit to Your Practice Viewing the Process as the Work…and the Goal There are a few ways to look at how to elevate your work to that next level, set yourself apart, and leave anyone else behind that is hoping to compete. It also helps to consider why you do what you do? What will make it sustainable over time and not a temporary project? Whether it be your work, your hobby, or craft - are you doing it to make a quick buck, trying to get noticed, or do you love the process or activity for the long run? What’s the real reason for the craft or work you do? Doing the work Taking the journey Enjoying the process Embracing practice Climbing the mountain Building the house You can say it how you want, but it’s the process that’s important to love to take your business, work, or craft to the next level. You hear it from so many greats, and they continue to prove it’s true. Coach K, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift, Warren Buffett, the list of major figures in any field, with most explaining it’s not about an outcome, it’s about the process. The outcome will be there, when you do the work. Doing the work, whether that's natural love, or something you learn to love, a true passion, or innate skill, the work itself across the journey, and that “climb”, that is the thing, the goal. Want to be the best, do it, over and over again. Not doing great things for thirty days, six months, but great work for five, ten, fifteen, plus years. Nick Saban, now former Head Football Coach, University of Alabama, who just announced his retirement, has been an exceptional example of this. The process is what he did - to the point, I once heard a sport radio host call him “The Executioner”, because he executed on the process without fail, and did so, because that’s what he did. He showed little need for the fame, but he obsessed over excellence, the work, the culture, and driving the process, which became the process for winning. Seth Godin walks through this concept of doing the work, for the work’s sake, in his book, “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work”. Below are the Top 25 concepts I took away from his book that urges you to “ship” your work. The work doesn’t live until it’s “shipped”. Some were just too good to paraphrase, and thus multiple quotes that show the power of this book, to apply to your own craft. Key concepts from the book: No guarantee of success is no reason to not do something. We never have guarantees, but you have a 0% chance if you don’t commit to the practice and do the work. The concept of the process and practice - you have to do it because that’s what you do, and you have to love it or learn to love whatever you do, and that’s what gives you the best chance at success in that space The practice makes you better and gives you the best chance at real growth overall Set a date to ship your work, or you will find every reason to delay or never ship it Fight through not shipping work…if something is prepared that’s a bit edgy, ship it. Don’t try to be so careful and comfortable, but embrace and speak to your perspective We are doing the work for other people, and our commitment to the work allows us to produce better work for others - service to others will make our work better It doesn’t matter how we feel, we still do the work - the work will dictate how we feel and improve our feelings “The trap is this: only after we do the difficult work does it become our calling. Only after we trust the process does it become our passion. “Do what you love” is for amateurs. “Love what you do” is the mantra for professionals.” The process drives the outcomes, you can’t obsess over the outcome, obsess over doing good work Intentional work promotes clarity which will be better than lost work “The work is to make change happen. If we don’t ship the work, no change will happen. If we ship the wrong work to the wrong people, no change will happen. Your audience doesn’t want your authentic voice. They want your consistent voice.” Do the work because it has purpose, intention, you love the process, don’t do it for external validation or acknowledgment “The process, not the outcome. That’s the heart of our practice. Good process leads to good outcomes.” Relish those who give you feedback, provide meaningful feedback you can operationalize in your work how you see fit. Ignore critics who just don’t like your work - they aren’t your tribe, fans, or audience. Find your 100 true fans “If you need a guarantee of critical and market success every time you seek to create, you’ve found a great place to hide.” Using your “bad ideas'“ gives you power to make your work better “It doesn’t matter whether you call yourself a “writer.” It doesn’t matter if you’re a singer or a traffic engineer. Write more. Write about y

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Crafting Culture Beyond the Chaos What does a great company culture even mean? Author Graham Peelle January 08, 2024 Crafting Culture Beyond the Chaos What does a great company culture even mean? Organizational culture is everything you do, everything you promote, everything you say, the style in which you work. It’s your measures of quality, performance, and your attitude. Company culture is the momentum, feelings, and thoughts you create through business operations, activities, hiring, firing, etc. Company culture is made up by the customer interactions, what you prioritize by your action, your activity, what you actually do, not what you say. Ping-pong tables, free beer, great coffee that’s all great. Those are all nice perks. Those aren’t culture. Those things may help your culture become a fun place to work, but if things get tough, and you just end up scrapping everything when things get hard, or firing people when things get tight, or when you have a tough quarter, that’s your culture. Culture is who you are what you are, and what you do - culture is not a tagline. The tagline may sum up what you do, may sum up your culture, but it’s not you. You are what you do. Action frames your culture and perception as a company. “When disaster strikes, whatever you do, in your darkest hour, that becomes your culture.” Sounds like a Churchill quote, not a Fortune 500 CEO. Brian Chesky explains culture when things are at their worst, as he walks through the impact of the pandemic and how they managed through, and even went to IPO shortly thereafter. I recently listened to the podcast, Diary of a CEO, hosted by Steven Bartlett, speaking with guest, Brian Chesky, CEO & Co-Founder of Airbnb, and I was completely amazed at the depth and passion for people and organizational culture. Many CEOs talk about it, but you could feel it in his voice, and he went a level most Fortune 1000 CEOs wouldn’t dare breakdown about their people and culture. I am floored at Brian’s passion for creativity, business as an art form, and leadership style. Any founder, entrepreneur, business owner, or leader looking to do big things, would be well-served to listen to this episode. This is truly inspiring and one of the most impactful interviews I’ve ever heard. It’s really something. This one episode from Diary of a CEO was a crash course in leadership - navigating ups and down, treating your people...like people. For today’s edition, I will share a few one liners or quotes, and thoughts, a bit different than other OpCo’s. So many lessons for people leadership and leading with empathy. The lessons shared walk through a significant decision and caring point for organizations facing seemingly insurmountable financial conditions - How are you as a company or leader helping secure the future for those whose jobs you are eliminating? Or do you care? How true are those statements about people, when things get tough? Are those slogans for the wall or social, or do your mean them? Using culture as fuel for growth. Navigating organizational disaster and caring for your people. This comes from someone leading a business that lost 80% of its business in 8 weeks during the initial impact from the pandemic, starting on the "Ides of March", for any travel related business, 3/15/2020. He was once given feedback by an investor during their early fundraising efforts…the potential market wasn’t big enough. (He mentions Airbnb handles about nearly the same amount of money as the GDP of Croatia). How you handle these challenges and situations, impacting your people - this determines your long-term meaning, culture, and organizational future. Not your stock price or any glamour metrics. This is how you will be remembered. And your surviving people are watching closely… I looked up some of the stories from this time when the pandemic started really hitting the US, back in that fateful year of 2020, and Chesky still got a lot of heat given they were trying to go public and cut so many, but you can see and hear the difference that Airbnb made for those survivors and those leavers. Wild to look back at nearly four years ago now. Chesky talks about helping bring people together…as a tech company, all about the people. Providing those places to make that connection happen in person. What will you be remembered for? How do you impact or support other people, your people? Here are a few more of Brian’s thoughts on people and culture: “I think what most companies need, is more creativity, and maybe a little more heart and soul. Most people at companies are loving, well-meaning people, they just don’t act that way.” “No one wants to be the one to make a change, and take a risk. The organization starts focusing on self, rather than on why it exists - to serve other people.” “They only value what can be measured, and the only things you are measuring, and are measured on a short term horizon.” - Brian Chesky “Not everythin

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com   New Year, Same You? What are you doing to execute on your New Year’s strategy? As January 1st arrives, that may provide a sense of refresh, excitement, new opportunities for some, or a sense of apprehension or nervousness, for others. You may love the idea of the fresh start, and some may dread it. Regardless, it is within your control of how to approach 2024 with a renewed vigor for life and your work. The key will be when those people, situations, opportunities, or thoughts come up, how will you handle them? Will you jump through the positive windows, and walk away from the negative traps? Or will you fall prey for the time suck or distractions of life? Will you ignore the signs and windows, and march on blindly without the big picture in mind? Do you have those new year goals set? No? Don’t know what to focus on at this stage? Regardless, it is within your control of how to approach 2024 with a renewed vigor for life and your work. The key will be when those people, situations, opportunities, or thoughts come up, how will you handle them? Will you jump through the positive windows, and walk away from the negative traps? Or will you fall prey for the time suck or distractions of life? Will you ignore the signs and windows, and march on blindly without the big picture in mind? Do you have those new year goals set? No? Don’t know what to focus on at this stage? BUILD. Build something, anything, anything that may serve a market, or not. Don’t sit and wait, build. Why you may ask? Because those who take action, go places, those who get in the arena and work on something, increase their odds of making things happen. Build as a creator, don’t just be a creator. Why? Because a lot of people are creating, but do they really build something? Building requires a different level of work, commitment, and vision. Building takes work towards something of significance in service to others. Principles As you build, consider a few principles to keep in mind for how you work with customers, candidates, or colleagues: Zone of genius - your unique ability Human first Response time Urgency Internal focused to deliver on external expectations Customer delivery is the number one priority for the people, with your people being number one for the firm overall Keep the main thing, the main thing Simple scales, complex fails Learning and curiosity Hire good people and treat them well Delivering excellence through service for others Hire and partner with those you want to work with Find your different Building with energy in 2024 How do you BUILD with energy in the New Year? You decide: What Why How Commit You build based on what your audience needs, along with what you and your expertise, or learning, can deliver. You identify the best path forward and move. You must commit and act to make it happen. Ideation and planning doesn’t move the needle, doesn’t get your first customer, doesn’t grow your audience, and won’t provide growth through learning. Action leads to learning, and building something based on your progression. “You cannot separate action from success” - John Maxwell Commitment without a “Plan B”, without distractions of new shiny objects, in whatever way you can, based on your own life’s situation; this is a proven recipe for success based on so many examples throughout time. Don’t miss your window to seize opportunity and growth. And most of all, don’t let another year pass, letting your dreams sit on the sidelines. Choose your path and go. Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Please share with someone who may benefit from this edition. Climb Higher, Raise Your^ROI CONTENT RESOURCES The Best Way to Create a Vision for the Life You Want - LifeHack What do you want? And how will you get there? www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/create-a-vision-for-the-life-you-want.html How to Create a Vision for Your Life: A Must for Leaders Find out how to create a vision for your life that helps you develop a purpose-driven company that produces massive change in the world. leaders.com/articles/personal-growth/how-to-create-a-vision Planning for 2024: Coasting or Closing? No excuses…there is still time to get ahead for Q1-2024 opco-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/planning-2024-coasting-closing How To Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (2024) Need a business plan? Our step-by-step guide has everything you need to know about how to write a business plan to achieve your goals in 2024. www.shopify.com/blog/business-plan OpCo: The People Ops Blueprint — Operations | People | Culture | Organizations If Performance Operations Culture means something to you, or you would like to be notified for future posts on operations leadership, culture, and people related topics from the world of work, please share or repost for others, and make sure you click the 🔔 on my LinkedIn profile page. For additional daily content, check out grahampeelle.com.

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com Integrated Talent | The Holistic Talent Leadership Framework Photo by Rendy Novantino on Unsplash Originally published on Medium by Graham Peelle on July 23, 2023 Rethinking the Talent & HR Dance It’s time for a refreshed view and it’s time we put our talent first. Let’s make it the priority, and leverage our talent to build the group, business, or venture into what is possible. Talent possibilities, transformed for a holistic view, Integrated Talent. Integrated Talent is the opportunity giving Talent a seat at the table, executive presence in the organization as appropriate, based on HR structure and alignment with Operations, Marketing, and other key departments. If HR has a completely separate people leadership agenda, Talent will always take a back seat. Talent should typically be one specialization within the overall HR organization, as long as TA gets its priority and voice, and should typically stand alone when Talent is prioritized for growth, focus, or a strategic purpose. Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, and People, all make up the Talent Landscape within an organization, but do they truly work together in most firms? If they are disconnected, not collaborating, working with separate priorities, your firm needs the great talent realization- prioritize now, otherwise fall further and further behind in the war for talent. Think about this- would you go outside for a hire if you can promote, move, or train someone? You may try do all three at once and spend more time and money if the right hand isn’t talking to the left. Even in recessionary periods, your focus must shift to preparation for the recovery. Successful talent strategy starts before the need is critical, not once volumes spike. With a proactive and responsible approach, similar to what you may read about investing capital, recruiting before or during a recovery is actually an advantageous market to develop your talent pipeline and talent community for when it’s needed. Integrated Talent is the full holistic approach bringing everything talent together, ensuring we lock arms between HR and all Talent related groups. Does your organization have a real understanding and clear delineation of value and responsibility across People, HR, Talent, and Operations? If not, a lot of cost, efficiency, and power is lost in that gap. Below are some of the areas to consider to evaluate your One Talent Strategy to bring Integrated Talent to a reality: People Strategy Human Resources Total Talent Approach Talent Acquisition Talent Attraction Talent Development Talent Management Talent Leadership Comp and Rewards Alignment Total Talent Delivery Exec Search Direct Placement Contingent Hiring Independent Contractor/Gig Managed & Engineering Services Alignment with Operations The list is long, and this isn’t even an all-encompassing picture, not to mention different owners, stakeholders, and priorities. So how can we address alignment and advancement? We need to consider efficiencies, business alignment and uncover the new way of working with talent for your own organizational structure and nuance, not simply following the crowd. Use best practices and case studies, but don’t blindly follow a path that doesn’t work for your organization. Don’t build someone else’s org, take the best of what you see in other systems, and go build your own. Even the most similar organizations can have a much different view of talent, how to approach it, or what the value of it is for various groups or roles, yet many organize it as if it’s all the same. Remember, today’s HR is much different than it was in 1980, 1950 and 1890, and even compared to orgs in 2019, or 2000. HR didn’t even exist in many cases, and was mostly administrative in others, and now it’s one of the largest functional areas with a seat in the C-Suite for many firms. Build an Integrated Talent Framework that works for your business, with the help of model or peer organizations, or a consulting partner for recommendations. The art of talent is an evolving function and has potential to drive your organizational priorities and growth forward when successfully aligned. Create the art of your talent framework, don’t let talent drive you. More to come on building your Integrated Talent Framework in future OpCo editions. Hopefully, this added a little value to your business or your career. Thank you for reading. Climb Higher, Raise Your^ROI CONTENT RESOURCES Building a Game-Changing Talent Strategy Reprint: R1401D When most of the world’s financial services giants were stumbling and retrenching in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the asset management firm BlackRock was busy charting a course for growth. Its revenues, profits, and stock price all performed consistently through this tumultuous period. The authors looked at BlackRock and other game-changing companies—the Mumbai-based global conglomerate Tata Group, and Envision, an entrepr

https://eidigital.com https://grahampeelle.com https://www.simplescaling.com   Simple Scales, Complex Fails Scaling your business for personal, community, and client impact Do you believe in and see the benefits of your business for your current customers? Do you see many other customers who could benefit from the same? Do your team members, associates, and loved-ones deserve the opportunity to help grow this business to new heights or see the fruits of your labor? Do you have the desire and energy to scale to the next level? These are the questions many small and medium sized enterprises/businesses (SME/SMB) go through as they pass the checkpoints of viability, growth, sustainability, evolution, etc., through the lifetime of their business. And at some point they typically see an avenue to continue forward and scale to new heights, but there is a hesitation for many - do I have what it takes, do others want what I am offering, will my team be able to pull this off, do I have the financial wherewithal, will it be too much work, will it risk my current piece of the pie? The doubts continue forward… I was fortunate to discover Simple Scaling, a firm that specializes in helping companies with their scaling journey. Their methodology and mindset has helped build so much clarity for me in my personal career growth journey with understanding what it is important and helping articulate what I am passionate about, my value and unique ability, helping establish clarity for my own leadership, business, and professional goals. Brendan McGurgan and Claire Colvin have dedicated their business and profession to helping teach the ScaleX framework, which was codified in their book, Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business. This product, service, and concept is an organized symphony of business mastery. Delivering the fundamentals and best practices in one clean format, all included in their book. This written library of scaling business expertise and motivation is a must read for any business owner or leader looking to elevate their operation. When I enjoyed this book, it was astounding how much of my career learnings were outlined across disciplines including operations, talent, sales, and business. This book guided the creation of their business, Simple Scaling. Recently, I attended the ScaleX Summit in Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK), where the power of people, purpose, and innovation converged for a global networking and learning opportunity with valuable insights and actionable business and life-changing mindset and framework tools. Below are a few key takeaways from the ScaleX Summit: Jack Daly - Vision - Sales system with a playbook - Leverage - Value of practice - Always be recruiting - Prioritize what grows sales (HPAs = High Payoff Activities) Steven Bartlett The Diary Of A CEO - Everyone needs purpose within an organization - Incremental improvements over time - Importance of psychology with why people buy - Fail fast, testing/experimentation is key with online presence - “Who, not how”, to get things done - “You must make pressure your privilege” - Happiness is based off of your expectations Marga Hoek - Learn how doing business for good, is good for business - Business can be profitable, provide value, and be good for society - 5 generations in the workforce, with $3T of wealth transfer over the next ~20 years Dr. Oleg Konovalov - Process and systems create valuable space for thinking, working, taking on priorities - People over process, process is there to help people - Vision is about energy - “Without vision, strategy is a bridge to nowhere” - “You grow people, they will grow your business” Nick Bradley - Touched on how to prepare a business to sell and to understand Private Equity - Small things can have a big impact - Success through helping others - Value in the business lies beyond tangible assets | Intangible assets drive financial value (People/Process and Systems/Revenue/Culture) Kingsley Aikins The Networking Institute - Early in your career | what you do - Later in career | what you know/who you are - Giving, not getting (ATM analogy) - Life is a game of inches and marginal gains | being a little better, gets you so much more - Being known isn’t the priority, it’s who knows you (value vs vanity) - Be the CEO of your own career Claire Colvin - Fly analogy with trying to exit the room - Trying harder isn’t always better | need to do it differently - Talent is major opportunity for SME/SMBs - Simple Scales, Complex Fails - Systems thinking - Starbucks example - Activity trap takes us away from our goals - Build a Positive Growth Culture Damian Hughes Simplicity is key —> bottom line up front communication and messaging - Think of the best brands | simple analogies are what allowed them to sell - Silence is feedback - Simple | Thinking | Emotional | Practical | Story Telling - Contain than explain A few simple, but important, concepts come to mind when I think back to the confer