Blog

There is a common misconception amongst CEOs that open book management is simply all about financial transparency. 

In this episode of the Better Leadership Team Show, I sat down with Rich Armstrong, a consultant, author and expert in open book management to talk about the other components of this strategy, which involves educating, empowering and engaging company employees to show them how their production influences the company’s finances.

Every company and organization is filled with people who carry their own styles and approaches to getting the job done. And, they believe their way is the RIGHT way to do it.

If not addressed, that leads to friction, conflict, finger-pointing and judgment, which negatively affects culture, overall morale, and ultimately, the growth and evolution of the company.

One aspect that many companies fail to take into account is the way in which they serve their customers. 

For some, they simply see them as contributors to their overall bottom line, which ultimately puts more pressure on the company to constantly attract new customers.

One of the biggest problems many leaders face is that when they grow their company, they don’t properly structure their leadership team until this growth becomes a problem and it’s urgent to address.

Is your company constantly losing its high-performers to the competition? 

Are you spending too much time helping your low performers and no time challenging your high-performers to do more and be more?  

In this week’s episode of the Breakthrough Leadership Team show, I share 11 actions that you can take to keep your high-performers motivated, happy - and NOT talking to recruiters. 

Who’s accountable for the major functions within your organization? If it’s “everyone,” then the answer is no one. And that’s problematic when looking to build a thriving company.

How familiar are you with ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans)? How familiar are you with the tax benefits that ESOPs offer not only to the employees but also the company itself and the seller who sponsors the plan?

What is the number one characteristic every leader needs to have? Speaker and author Betsy Allen-Manning, my guest on the Better Leadership Show this week, votes for integrity. For walking the walk. And she should know, because she’s the go-to person for helping leaders create a destination workplace. Listen to the episode to learn more.

Are you familiar with ‘disagree and commit’? It’s one of the ground rules of leadership teams I share in the latest Better Leadership Show episode. Learn how to apply it with your team by listening to the episode.

Most CEOs don’t start a company to make money—the money is just a side effect. They start because they can’t help it. They see something in the world that needs to be different and they want to change it. How does that impact selling a company? Listen to bestselling author Sunny Vanderbeck talk about this on the Better Leadership Show.

Are you building up your psychological immune system? Author and speaker Tia Graham explains why every leader should invest in that in the latest Better Leadership Show episode.

We can’t see ourselves. We have blind spots. We have things we’re not aware of. Which is why how we’re doing is influenced by the quality of feedback conversations. When we can’t have those candid, open conversations, trouble ensues in a team. My guest on the Better Leadership Show, leadership coach Treena Huang, talks about the art and impact of powerful feedback.

Do you have shared language across your organization for your plans and goals? If you don’t, you’re risking those very goals because the focus gets lost in translation. Hear my take on it on the latest episode of the Better Leadership Show.

There’s more to emotional intelligence than just understanding what you’re feeling and why. My guest on the Better Leadership Show, author of ‘The Adversity Hack’, Meg Poag, expands that definition. Listen to the episode to learn what emotional intelligence really is, and how it impacts your organization.

Don’t wait until you need to post a job on LinkedIn. Proactively build a virtual bench of A players for the leadership team and their direct reports. This is just one of the ways to make sure you have a great leadership team.

Every organization needs monthly or quarterly town hall meetings: that way everyone is on the same page, and you get feedback and can take the pulse of the organization. If you don't cascade information down and out throughout the organization, you are going to end up stuck and frustrated.

All problem solving starts with a description from your team on what they’re planning to do, rather than a directive from you. It doesn’t matter what you’re running – a hotel, a steel plant, or a software company. Inviting the team into that WHAT space is what turns a team from followers into leaders.

Before you can lead a team, a company, even before you can be a strong part of a great team, you need to start closer to home. Great leadership starts with the self. I share my thoughts and my personal experience of this on the latest podcast episode.

When you don’t care for yourself, you are literally patient zero, spreading emotional contagion to your team. It starts with anger, complaining, stressing, and eventually it leads to burnout. My first ever return guests on the podcast are back to talk about a much overlooked topic for leaders: looking after yourself

A CEO needs to be a visionary for the business. As the CEO you need to make sure there is a crystal clear vision of the future. What will your company look like in 10 to 15 years? What’s the core purpose of the business? What’s the why of your business? Whether you still need to roll up your sleeves in the business or not, you also need to step into the CEO shoes, and own the visionary role. I talk more about this in the latest podcast episode.