WEBVTT
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Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
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Connections. The podcast where relationships
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fuel leadership, trust creates opportunity, and
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great conversations lead to extraordinary results.
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I'm your host, Michael Forman. Today's episode
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is all about one of the toughest challenges every
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CEO faces. How do you spend your time? How do
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you know when it's time to hire the leaders who
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will take your business to the next level? We'll
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explore why great leadership isn't about doing
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more. It's about building the right team, making
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courageous decisions, and creating a culture
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where people thrive. Boy, that was a mouthful.
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I barely got through it. I would like to invite
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to my podcast today, Katie Peterman, and she
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is an expert in the fractional business. So I'd
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like to introduce Katie and Katie, would you
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mind giving us a little bit of a, a cliff note
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version of how you got where you are today? Yeah,
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absolutely. My background is in educational seminar
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sales. So I started out in a sales position.
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I had a really amazing leader and manager that
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was heavy operational focused. And I saw that
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shut a lot of people down. But my brain switched
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over and I saw it as an opportunity to keep my
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sales team safe and a way to provide, you know,
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more opportunity for the future and a way to
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win. I like playbooks. I like systems. I fell
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in love with systems through that process and
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because of his leadership and that has led me
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in the operational space. And when I had the
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first, I'd say three companies that I ran as
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a COO, I noticed that the perception of what
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I see. COO is responsible for and how many companies
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do not hire a COO when it's absolutely needed.
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So I was very passionate about changing that
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model and changing the way that people view fractional
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executives and are able to have top tier talent
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in their companies. So that way they're able
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to get their dream, their mission, things really
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enticed and functional. That sounds great. It
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sounds like you're very passionate about what
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you do. I am. I found something that clicks.
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I think that operations isn't something that
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clicks for just a lot of people, right? It's
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operations are not sexy per se, but to me, it's
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how my brain works. And I see it as an opportunity
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that with clear systems, you're able to support
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people. And I'm a natural supporter. I love supporting
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people. I love supporting their dreams, their
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missions, what they were intended to do and bring
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to the world. And I want to make sure. that everyone
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has a way to do that and maintain it over time.
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It sounds great. That sounds great. OK, so many
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CEOs believe their most valuable asset is their
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strategy. Do you believe it's actually the quality
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of the people they surround themselves with?
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And if so, why? I do believe to an extent that
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it is about the people that you surround yourself
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with. I think that's really important, right?
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Top tier talent, A players, people who have similar
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missions and values. So I think initial buy -in,
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culture, things like that are very important.
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Strategy though, I don't see a lot of visionaries,
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owners, founders who necessarily strategy is
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their highest return. Right? Just because you're
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an owner and a founder doesn't necessarily mean
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that you are a CEO. There's a big difference
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in that. And I think that a lot of people have
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to say, okay, what seat am I truly in? Am I a
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CEO or am I an owner founder? A CEO is responsible
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for execution. And so if you're a relationship
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builder and you're somewhere out there brainstorming
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500 new ideas a day, you're really good at relationship
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building, but maybe you're not the best at execution.
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You'd have to say, okay, am I truly a CEO? And
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then a true CEO is good at strategy and they
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should hold that responsibility strategy for
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execution. Right. And then having the right people
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in place, having those A players that match with
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the company's core values and vision. That's
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extremely important. Absolutely. Steve jobs comes
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to mind because when he was building his team,
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he knew where he was weak. He knew the areas
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that he didn't excel. And what he did was he
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hired people who excelled wherever he was weak.
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So he surrounded himself by greatness. And that's
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why he succeeded so well. But just as you were
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speaking, he came to mind and that's what I thought
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of. And that is, that's exactly what you should
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be thinking. Because a lot of people, owners,
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founders, They had a very specific mission, a
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dream, a purpose on why they started the company,
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the product, the service that they have. And
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so a lot of people I don't think that it's ego.
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I know that a lot of people say, oh, it's their
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ego. They're all in their control freak. They're
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harnessing it. I think it's protection and fear
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and safety that people are truly after. When
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we step into those shoes, maybe it's coming across
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as ego, right? But when we step into their shoes
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of like, this is their dream, their mission,
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their purpose. They have gotten themselves to
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a point of A to B. They have gotten themselves
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that far. They've put all the work and the effort
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in and they're trying to do everything that they.
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can do to protect themselves, right? To keep
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that dream and that mission going. And so a lot
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of the times they'll think, I did it this way
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and I did such a good job. I need to go hire
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another version of myself. And what they actually
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need to do is they need to go what Steve Jobs
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did, and you need to go hire the people that
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are amazing at what you're not good at. And they
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love doing the things that you hate, right? So
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the follow -up, the admin, the funnel building,
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whatever that is, but they need to go be responsible
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for the things that you don't enjoy. Absolutely.
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Absolutely. I've been a business owner. last
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40 years. I've owned pizzerias, restaurants,
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Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I've done all the
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stores. And I found out that I like certain parts
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of being the owner, being the boss, but I didn't
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like so many others. And I hired people to fill
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those positions so I could do the things that
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I truly loved. And that's the way I've always
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stayed in business. It's important to experience
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that joy. I think a lot of people get on the
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hamster wheel, right? And they almost create
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their own nine to five handcuffs because they're
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like, this just needs to be done and I have to
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do it and it's all on me. And so then they start
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doing things that they don't enjoy. And when
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you go back to experiencing the things that you
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enjoy and it makes you happy and gives you fulfillment
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and it creates more motivation, your business
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actually excels. Yeah, I loved working for myself.
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I'm doing that now, but I feel I work half a
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day. 12 hours a day is half a day, right? I work
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no less than 12 hours a day. So that goes with
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owning. Okay, so you teach CEOs how to spend
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their time wisely. If you looked at a leader's
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calendar, what would it reveal about their priorities,
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values, and ultimately their leadership? Yeah,
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I think that you can look at someone's calendar
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and it will tell you everything that you need
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to know. When I see a calendar that's very full
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and booked back to back, that lets me know that
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they have a lot of guilt having downtime. And
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there's something that we need to look at and
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something that we need to look into of why is
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it that they maximize themselves and almost create
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this. Forced urgency, what is it that they have
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fear around? What is it that they're trying to
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maximize and how they're operating? If I look
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at someone who maybe really doesn't have too
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much on their calendar and it's very sporadic,
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that tells me that they don't know what their
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priorities are, right? And they don't know where
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they should be spending their time. If I see
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someone who books a lot of relational things,
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but then they're feeling stressed and feeling
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drained. There's always a story that goes into
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someone's calendar. And a lot of the times we
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just give it a free for all, right? We let our
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team and our assistants and we let people just
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book things and throw things on there. We haven't
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really evaluated when should we be making financial
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decisions at what time of day do we have the
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best clarity where we should be making financial
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decisions, signing contracts, making large decisions
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at what. time of the day or midpoint during the
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week, should we be focused on relationship building?
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When should you have deep dive time for project
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based or thoughts and collaboration and creativity?
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A lot of people are not thinking that far and
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they're just throwing it on and saying, okay,
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I have this, it has to be this way. I have to
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have the 40 hours a week. People get trapped
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in this. Everyone who's successful wakes up at
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5 a .m. So I have to join the 5 a .m. club versus
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actually looking at the data. of their nervous
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system, their circadian rhythm, when they function
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best, how they make decisions and how those decisions
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have had outcomes. You really have to take the
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time to do some pattern recognition on yourself.
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And if you haven't done that, then you need someone
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who can help you identify pattern recognition
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on when you operate the best and when you have
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the best outcomes. Very good. Very good. I didn't
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know I can do all that by looking at the calendar,
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but it's okay. Hiring executives isn't just about
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filling roles. It's about shaping culture. What
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character traits do you think, do you look, I'm
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sorry, what character traits do you look for
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that don't always show up on a resume? One thing
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that I look for and I ask for with true leadership,
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and I think that this is a great example, is
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I will test the waters a little bit. And I will
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say, hey, we're thinking about building about
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X department, right? And we're probably going
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to need to bring in five to seven new people
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for this department. Who do you know in your
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network that you think would be an immediate
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great hire or someone that you could bring on
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board? And what I'm looking for is do they start
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brainstorming? Do they know people? Are they
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well connected? A true leader that has created
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a great culture that people trust is someone
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that people will follow. And I've hired some
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really great executives who are task doers. And
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I've hired some really great executives who maybe
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they increase revenue, but they burn people out
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a little bit. Some of the best leaders that I've
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ever hired, they're like, hey, I have someone
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who would come over tomorrow. Hey, I have someone
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that we can plug into this. They have trusted
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people in all sorts of positions and companies
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who they can plug and play. and they have a reliable
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network. I think that is a tell -all for how
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great of a leader they are. Okay, I'll go with
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that. What is the right time for a CEO to stop
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being the smartest person in the room and intentionally
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hire people who challenge their thinking? Again,
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it goes back to looking at what you enjoy and
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what you don't and what you're good at and maybe
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what you're not. And then you can decide the
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type of commitment that you want to make. Do
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you want to hire an a player? That's just going
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to come in and do it and you don't have to guide
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them develop them You say hey, they might do
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it different than me, but I'm gonna let them
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run wild Or do you want to hire someone that
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maybe they're a little bit more open -minded?
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They don't have 10 to 15 years of specific experience
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But they have proven results over here and you're
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willing to teach them and invest in them and
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give them a little bit of your time to get them
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where you want to be. What type of feedback and
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responsibility are you looking for? I think that's
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really important when you're bringing someone
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in to say, okay, you're going to be a trusted
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source. How open -minded are you really to someone
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giving you a different perspective? And I think
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that starts with us. The more clear that we can
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be and the more open that we are with where we
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are at in that process, the better experience
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you'll have when you're bringing that person
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in. Okay, I'll go with that. As AI and automation
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reshape business, what leadership qualities simply
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can't be delegated to technology? I think that
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when it comes to people. Right. I think that
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when we are having everyone has life cycles and
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everyone has things going on. And I know it's
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a saying like, Hey, leave it at the door clock
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and be professional separate personal and professional.
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And I agree with those things to some extent,
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but life happens and life is very real. And some
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of your best employees and your long -term tenure
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employees, they're going to have life experiences,
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whether that is a loss in the family, whether
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that is a financial crisis, whether it's health,
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whatever it is. I think that human element of
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leadership is being able to identify And notice,
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okay, Frank over here, he's a little off. Production
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is down. Numbers are down. He's very quiet. He's
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not being collaborative and saying, hey, instead
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of just looking at the data and being like, this
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is off, you're in the red. We didn't hit the
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target. That person, not AI, has to identify,
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hey, I need to go connect and value connection
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with Frank to get him back on track. And that
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is a leadership skill that only a human will
00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:51.929
be able to do. Yeah, what you just described
00:14:51.929 --> 00:14:56.309
Which I talk about often when I travel is the
00:14:56.309 --> 00:14:58.929
difference between leadership of being a leader
00:14:58.929 --> 00:15:03.549
and a boss Okay, there is such a huge difference
00:15:03.549 --> 00:15:07.629
between those two and I always say you don't
00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:09.870
want any bosses who work for you. You don't want
00:15:09.870 --> 00:15:12.710
that You want leaders you want leaders training?
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.299
Leaders and you in order to do that you need
00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:18.440
to give that person a little bit of responsibility
00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.179
and a little bit of power of saying yes or no,
00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:25.220
but You don't want to have somebody come out
00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:30.000
bark orders turn around and walk away So that's
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:32.019
really what you're talking about. Okay. Yeah,
00:15:32.019 --> 00:15:37.019
so Have you ever seen? one executive hire complete
00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:41.100
one executive hire completely changed the trajectory
00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:45.620
of a company and what made that person transformational
00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:50.259
beyond their technical skills? Yes, absolutely.
00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:54.779
I think that I have seen with a lot of service
00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.679
-based companies. So let's say dentistry, HVAC,
00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:02.039
plumbing, more service -based businesses, right?
00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:06.240
They are always so focused on someone having
00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.730
industry specific experience and they're looking
00:16:09.730 --> 00:16:12.090
for someone and that's just their bedding. I
00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:14.870
want someone who's been in the dental space for
00:16:14.870 --> 00:16:18.029
10 years. I want someone who's been in HVAC for
00:16:18.029 --> 00:16:21.629
20 years, right? Some of the best hires that
00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:25.809
I've seen is someone who has a fresh set of eyes
00:16:25.809 --> 00:16:29.750
who is very good. as a leader and very good at
00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:32.909
operations and systems and can analyze any company
00:16:32.909 --> 00:16:35.509
and just get in there and find different gaps.
00:16:35.570 --> 00:16:37.210
And they're coming in and they're challenging
00:16:37.210 --> 00:16:39.490
perspectives and they're learning and they don't
00:16:39.490 --> 00:16:41.629
know. So what's great is they don't have any
00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:44.210
old habits, right? They have no old habits for
00:16:44.210 --> 00:16:46.009
that business. They're just really coming in
00:16:46.009 --> 00:16:49.769
with a fresh perspective. And I have seen revenue
00:16:49.769 --> 00:16:52.450
added. I've seen the whole sales process change.
00:16:52.490 --> 00:16:57.090
I've seen just a completely refresh in the culture.
00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:59.379
which is great because they're not saying, hey,
00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:01.460
this is the way we've always done it. This is
00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:04.200
the norm. This is the industry standard. They're
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.359
coming in and completely revamping and revitalizing
00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:12.859
the perspective. I'm thinking of when I had a
00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:16.140
hiring process and they have to go through the
00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.579
first interview and the second interview, I was
00:17:18.579 --> 00:17:22.259
always the third. And if they passed the first
00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:26.779
two, 99 % of the time, they're going to get the
00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:30.079
job, but they had to go through. And my questions
00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.380
were more emotional. My questions were more humanistic.
00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:38.960
They weren't about the job. It was about everything
00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.640
else. And so as long as you can put all that
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.400
together and there's something to be said for
00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.960
the new person, as you said, with a fresh set
00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.259
of eyes, but they don't carry the experience
00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:55.099
that may be needed. for that position. So you
00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:59.680
have to balance the two. So the strongest leaders
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:03.880
often seem to have the strongest networks. Is
00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.500
that because they know more people or because
00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:10.769
they've earned more trust over time? I definitely
00:18:10.769 --> 00:18:13.089
think that they've earned more trust over time.
00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:16.750
I think that creating that network, it just takes
00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:19.130
time and people have to have a reason to stay
00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:21.950
with you and to follow you and to stay connected
00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:24.849
with you. And so you have an opportunity to create
00:18:24.849 --> 00:18:27.809
a large following, but they have to recognize
00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:30.250
you for something. And so I definitely think
00:18:30.250 --> 00:18:35.150
trust is a huge part of that. Trust is always
00:18:35.150 --> 00:18:38.279
a factor in any position. And any way you look
00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.799
at things, there has to be a trust factor. And
00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.400
in networking, there's a mantra. There's if they
00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.200
know you, if they like you, if they trust you,
00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:51.099
they'll do business with you. And everybody knows
00:18:51.099 --> 00:18:54.680
you. You're nice. Everybody likes you. You're
00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.920
a nice person. You're pretty. Everything is going
00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:00.240
well. Right. But the trust factor, that's the
00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.839
main factor. If they trust you. They'll do business
00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:05.140
with you. Would you go and buy something from
00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:09.279
somebody if you didn't trust them? No, we wouldn't.
00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.000
That goes without saying. But okay, so let's
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.220
bring this podcast full circle. And 20 years
00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:19.140
from now, what will distinguish the CEOs who
00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:23.019
built enduring organizations from those who simply
00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:27.819
built profitable ones? Profit comes and goes.
00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:30.869
Profit is dependent on so many things outside
00:19:30.869 --> 00:19:33.910
of our control. When we build systems those are
00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:36.819
things that are within our control. And you have
00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:40.900
an opportunity to control the customer experience,
00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.480
the customer journey, how you respond to each
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.980
customer. And I think that there's a lot of opportunity
00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:51.599
in just doing what you do at a better, higher
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.460
level, right? And just focusing on what you can
00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:56.839
control that, that is systems. And so for the
00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.720
people who have systems in place, they're not
00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:03.400
dependent. on everything else that is outside
00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.279
of their control, right? And I think that's who
00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:08.799
will be here, is the people who have systems
00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:13.059
in place. Absolutely. Katie, it just, it sounds
00:20:13.059 --> 00:20:16.259
like you know what you're doing, you're passionate
00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:18.900
about your doing, but most of all, you're very
00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.619
knowledgeable. If somebody wants to get hold
00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:24.460
of you, either to be mentored by you, to buy
00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:28.079
services, or just to say hello, how would they
00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:31.720
get hold of you? Personally, I love outreach
00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:34.819
on LinkedIn. So just on LinkedIn, it's just Katie
00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:37.359
Peterman. There's no E on my name, just K -A
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:39.599
-T -I Peterman. You can connect with me, let
00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.299
me know what you're looking for. And then you're
00:20:41.299 --> 00:20:44.460
more than welcome to schedule a complimentary
00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:49.279
discovery call on our website. So www .yourfrx
00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.119
.com. So that's your FRX, your fractional executive
00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:55.819
.com. We have complimentary discovery calls.
00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:58.339
We're happy to give advice, make connections,
00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.019
put you in a better place. Boy Scout rules. That's
00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:03.559
what we believe in and happy to connect with
00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.000
anyone. We have an amazing team. We love what
00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.380
we do. And yes, extremely, extremely passionate
00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:11.700
about providing systems and safety and support
00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:15.660
for people. It's great. The biggest takeaway,
00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.960
great companies aren't built by CEOs who try
00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:23.119
to do everything. They're built by leaders who
00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.579
invest in the right people at the right time.
00:21:25.789 --> 00:21:28.890
Leadership is measured not by how much you accomplish
00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:34.470
yourself, but by how many others you empower
00:21:34.470 --> 00:21:38.349
to succeed. If you enjoyed today's episode, like,
00:21:38.410 --> 00:21:41.009
follow, and subscribe to Networking Unleashed,
00:21:41.130 --> 00:21:43.569
Building Profitable Connections and share it
00:21:43.569 --> 00:21:46.109
with a leader, entrepreneur, or business owner
00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:49.089
who could benefit from this conversation. If
00:21:49.089 --> 00:21:51.930
you're looking for a keynote speaker or executive
00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:54.769
communication coach to help your organization
00:21:54.769 --> 00:21:57.589
strengthen leadership, improve communication,
00:21:58.009 --> 00:22:01.410
and build relationships that drive results, visit
00:22:01.410 --> 00:22:05.150
michaelaforman .com. So until next time, remember,
00:22:05.549 --> 00:22:08.289
the strongest networks aren't built on titles.
00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:12.059
They're built on trust. character, and the leaders
00:22:12.059 --> 00:22:14.480
who bring out the best in others. We'll see you
00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:17.599
in the next episode. Katie, again, thank you
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:22.420
so much. You're a fantastic podcast guest in
00:22:22.420 --> 00:22:26.099
my podcast. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate
00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:28.579
the space and I appreciate having the opportunity
00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:30.500
to learn from someone like yourself as well.
00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:33.180
It's always good to have strong mentors to look
00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:36.299
up to in the space. And with your expertise and
00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:39.809
background, it's greatly appreciated. Thank you,
00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:43.650
and I'll talk to you soon. All right, folks.
00:22:44.329 --> 00:22:46.690
A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
00:22:46.690 --> 00:22:50.009
incredible insights today. And of course, a big
00:22:50.009 --> 00:22:53.250
shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for
00:22:53.250 --> 00:22:56.109
tuning in and spending your time with us. If
00:22:56.109 --> 00:22:58.990
you're interested in my digital courses, being
00:22:58.990 --> 00:23:01.890
coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:05.670
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
00:23:06.150 --> 00:23:09.289
Remember, Networking isn't about being perfect.
00:23:09.609 --> 00:23:12.470
It's about being present. So take what you've
00:23:12.470 --> 00:23:15.450
learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
00:23:15.450 --> 00:23:18.390
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:21.470
please don't forget to subscribe, leave us a
00:23:21.470 --> 00:23:24.069
review, and share it with someone who could use
00:23:24.069 --> 00:23:27.210
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
00:23:27.210 --> 00:23:30.220
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:35.299
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, Foreman
00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.759
.com slash podcasts.
00:00:16.649 --> 00:00:20.390
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
00:00:20.390 --> 00:00:23.329
Connections. The podcast where relationships
00:00:23.329 --> 00:00:27.429
fuel leadership, trust creates opportunity, and
00:00:27.429 --> 00:00:30.850
great conversations lead to extraordinary results.
00:00:31.309 --> 00:00:34.170
I'm your host, Michael Forman. Today's episode
00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:37.429
is all about one of the toughest challenges every
00:00:37.429 --> 00:00:41.719
CEO faces. How do you spend your time? How do
00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:45.020
you know when it's time to hire the leaders who
00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:48.119
will take your business to the next level? We'll
00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:54.200
explore why great leadership isn't about doing
00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:57.700
more. It's about building the right team, making
00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:01.159
courageous decisions, and creating a culture
00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.560
where people thrive. Boy, that was a mouthful.
00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:08.569
I barely got through it. I would like to invite
00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:12.969
to my podcast today, Katie Peterman, and she
00:01:12.969 --> 00:01:17.129
is an expert in the fractional business. So I'd
00:01:17.129 --> 00:01:20.530
like to introduce Katie and Katie, would you
00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:23.049
mind giving us a little bit of a, a cliff note
00:01:23.049 --> 00:01:26.510
version of how you got where you are today? Yeah,
00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:30.090
absolutely. My background is in educational seminar
00:01:30.090 --> 00:01:32.629
sales. So I started out in a sales position.
00:01:33.069 --> 00:01:37.430
I had a really amazing leader and manager that
00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:41.189
was heavy operational focused. And I saw that
00:01:41.189 --> 00:01:44.540
shut a lot of people down. But my brain switched
00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:47.540
over and I saw it as an opportunity to keep my
00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:51.239
sales team safe and a way to provide, you know,
00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.239
more opportunity for the future and a way to
00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.079
win. I like playbooks. I like systems. I fell
00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.420
in love with systems through that process and
00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:03.400
because of his leadership and that has led me
00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:07.019
in the operational space. And when I had the
00:02:07.019 --> 00:02:09.120
first, I'd say three companies that I ran as
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.120
a COO, I noticed that the perception of what
00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.849
I see. COO is responsible for and how many companies
00:02:15.849 --> 00:02:18.669
do not hire a COO when it's absolutely needed.
00:02:19.069 --> 00:02:22.110
So I was very passionate about changing that
00:02:22.110 --> 00:02:25.229
model and changing the way that people view fractional
00:02:25.229 --> 00:02:28.490
executives and are able to have top tier talent
00:02:28.490 --> 00:02:31.069
in their companies. So that way they're able
00:02:31.069 --> 00:02:33.930
to get their dream, their mission, things really
00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:38.469
enticed and functional. That sounds great. It
00:02:38.469 --> 00:02:41.009
sounds like you're very passionate about what
00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:46.060
you do. I am. I found something that clicks.
00:02:46.419 --> 00:02:49.219
I think that operations isn't something that
00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:51.939
clicks for just a lot of people, right? It's
00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:56.020
operations are not sexy per se, but to me, it's
00:02:56.020 --> 00:03:00.080
how my brain works. And I see it as an opportunity
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:03.300
that with clear systems, you're able to support
00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.379
people. And I'm a natural supporter. I love supporting
00:03:06.379 --> 00:03:08.280
people. I love supporting their dreams, their
00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.659
missions, what they were intended to do and bring
00:03:10.659 --> 00:03:12.520
to the world. And I want to make sure. that everyone
00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.620
has a way to do that and maintain it over time.
00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.800
It sounds great. That sounds great. OK, so many
00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:25.479
CEOs believe their most valuable asset is their
00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.560
strategy. Do you believe it's actually the quality
00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:32.300
of the people they surround themselves with?
00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:37.979
And if so, why? I do believe to an extent that
00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:40.860
it is about the people that you surround yourself
00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:42.659
with. I think that's really important, right?
00:03:42.659 --> 00:03:47.060
Top tier talent, A players, people who have similar
00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:49.879
missions and values. So I think initial buy -in,
00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:52.139
culture, things like that are very important.
00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.580
Strategy though, I don't see a lot of visionaries,
00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:02.740
owners, founders who necessarily strategy is
00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:06.219
their highest return. Right? Just because you're
00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:08.759
an owner and a founder doesn't necessarily mean
00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:11.900
that you are a CEO. There's a big difference
00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:14.400
in that. And I think that a lot of people have
00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.569
to say, okay, what seat am I truly in? Am I a
00:04:17.569 --> 00:04:22.470
CEO or am I an owner founder? A CEO is responsible
00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:25.810
for execution. And so if you're a relationship
00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:28.750
builder and you're somewhere out there brainstorming
00:04:28.750 --> 00:04:32.069
500 new ideas a day, you're really good at relationship
00:04:32.069 --> 00:04:34.370
building, but maybe you're not the best at execution.
00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:38.089
You'd have to say, okay, am I truly a CEO? And
00:04:38.089 --> 00:04:41.290
then a true CEO is good at strategy and they
00:04:41.290 --> 00:04:43.350
should hold that responsibility strategy for
00:04:43.350 --> 00:04:46.329
execution. Right. And then having the right people
00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:50.810
in place, having those A players that match with
00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:52.750
the company's core values and vision. That's
00:04:52.750 --> 00:04:57.269
extremely important. Absolutely. Steve jobs comes
00:04:57.269 --> 00:05:00.750
to mind because when he was building his team,
00:05:01.269 --> 00:05:04.939
he knew where he was weak. He knew the areas
00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:08.120
that he didn't excel. And what he did was he
00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:12.180
hired people who excelled wherever he was weak.
00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.839
So he surrounded himself by greatness. And that's
00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.839
why he succeeded so well. But just as you were
00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:22.720
speaking, he came to mind and that's what I thought
00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:25.560
of. And that is, that's exactly what you should
00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:28.139
be thinking. Because a lot of people, owners,
00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:32.069
founders, They had a very specific mission, a
00:05:32.069 --> 00:05:34.829
dream, a purpose on why they started the company,
00:05:35.009 --> 00:05:37.110
the product, the service that they have. And
00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:39.850
so a lot of people I don't think that it's ego.
00:05:40.089 --> 00:05:41.709
I know that a lot of people say, oh, it's their
00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:44.050
ego. They're all in their control freak. They're
00:05:44.050 --> 00:05:46.689
harnessing it. I think it's protection and fear
00:05:46.689 --> 00:05:49.170
and safety that people are truly after. When
00:05:49.170 --> 00:05:51.850
we step into those shoes, maybe it's coming across
00:05:51.850 --> 00:05:54.889
as ego, right? But when we step into their shoes
00:05:54.889 --> 00:05:56.990
of like, this is their dream, their mission,
00:05:57.129 --> 00:06:00.250
their purpose. They have gotten themselves to
00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:03.269
a point of A to B. They have gotten themselves
00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:05.829
that far. They've put all the work and the effort
00:06:05.829 --> 00:06:07.930
in and they're trying to do everything that they.
00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:10.879
can do to protect themselves, right? To keep
00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:13.819
that dream and that mission going. And so a lot
00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:15.560
of the times they'll think, I did it this way
00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:18.120
and I did such a good job. I need to go hire
00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.129
another version of myself. And what they actually
00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:23.329
need to do is they need to go what Steve Jobs
00:06:23.329 --> 00:06:26.269
did, and you need to go hire the people that
00:06:26.269 --> 00:06:29.230
are amazing at what you're not good at. And they
00:06:29.230 --> 00:06:31.389
love doing the things that you hate, right? So
00:06:31.389 --> 00:06:34.290
the follow -up, the admin, the funnel building,
00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:36.930
whatever that is, but they need to go be responsible
00:06:36.930 --> 00:06:40.189
for the things that you don't enjoy. Absolutely.
00:06:40.470 --> 00:06:43.160
Absolutely. I've been a business owner. last
00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.399
40 years. I've owned pizzerias, restaurants,
00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:49.300
Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I've done all the
00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:54.600
stores. And I found out that I like certain parts
00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:58.259
of being the owner, being the boss, but I didn't
00:06:58.259 --> 00:07:01.800
like so many others. And I hired people to fill
00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:04.160
those positions so I could do the things that
00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:06.759
I truly loved. And that's the way I've always
00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:10.439
stayed in business. It's important to experience
00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.540
that joy. I think a lot of people get on the
00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:16.160
hamster wheel, right? And they almost create
00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.040
their own nine to five handcuffs because they're
00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:21.779
like, this just needs to be done and I have to
00:07:21.779 --> 00:07:24.220
do it and it's all on me. And so then they start
00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:26.300
doing things that they don't enjoy. And when
00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:28.839
you go back to experiencing the things that you
00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:31.800
enjoy and it makes you happy and gives you fulfillment
00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.740
and it creates more motivation, your business
00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:39.459
actually excels. Yeah, I loved working for myself.
00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:42.860
I'm doing that now, but I feel I work half a
00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:46.959
day. 12 hours a day is half a day, right? I work
00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.939
no less than 12 hours a day. So that goes with
00:07:49.939 --> 00:07:54.220
owning. Okay, so you teach CEOs how to spend
00:07:54.220 --> 00:07:57.779
their time wisely. If you looked at a leader's
00:07:57.779 --> 00:08:01.180
calendar, what would it reveal about their priorities,
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:05.240
values, and ultimately their leadership? Yeah,
00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:07.540
I think that you can look at someone's calendar
00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:09.279
and it will tell you everything that you need
00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.600
to know. When I see a calendar that's very full
00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:15.779
and booked back to back, that lets me know that
00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:18.680
they have a lot of guilt having downtime. And
00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:20.579
there's something that we need to look at and
00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:23.920
something that we need to look into of why is
00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:27.680
it that they maximize themselves and almost create
00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:32.210
this. Forced urgency, what is it that they have
00:08:32.210 --> 00:08:35.929
fear around? What is it that they're trying to
00:08:35.929 --> 00:08:38.909
maximize and how they're operating? If I look
00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:41.929
at someone who maybe really doesn't have too
00:08:41.929 --> 00:08:44.350
much on their calendar and it's very sporadic,
00:08:44.529 --> 00:08:46.830
that tells me that they don't know what their
00:08:46.830 --> 00:08:48.909
priorities are, right? And they don't know where
00:08:48.909 --> 00:08:51.389
they should be spending their time. If I see
00:08:51.389 --> 00:08:55.620
someone who books a lot of relational things,
00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.340
but then they're feeling stressed and feeling
00:08:57.340 --> 00:09:00.200
drained. There's always a story that goes into
00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.320
someone's calendar. And a lot of the times we
00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:05.860
just give it a free for all, right? We let our
00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:07.879
team and our assistants and we let people just
00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:10.259
book things and throw things on there. We haven't
00:09:10.259 --> 00:09:13.600
really evaluated when should we be making financial
00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.799
decisions at what time of day do we have the
00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.000
best clarity where we should be making financial
00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.620
decisions, signing contracts, making large decisions
00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:26.360
at what. time of the day or midpoint during the
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:28.799
week, should we be focused on relationship building?
00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:31.860
When should you have deep dive time for project
00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:35.700
based or thoughts and collaboration and creativity?
00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:38.480
A lot of people are not thinking that far and
00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.220
they're just throwing it on and saying, okay,
00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:43.379
I have this, it has to be this way. I have to
00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:45.820
have the 40 hours a week. People get trapped
00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:48.080
in this. Everyone who's successful wakes up at
00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:51.360
5 a .m. So I have to join the 5 a .m. club versus
00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.450
actually looking at the data. of their nervous
00:09:54.450 --> 00:09:57.809
system, their circadian rhythm, when they function
00:09:57.809 --> 00:10:00.950
best, how they make decisions and how those decisions
00:10:00.950 --> 00:10:04.649
have had outcomes. You really have to take the
00:10:04.649 --> 00:10:07.169
time to do some pattern recognition on yourself.
00:10:07.450 --> 00:10:09.789
And if you haven't done that, then you need someone
00:10:09.789 --> 00:10:12.169
who can help you identify pattern recognition
00:10:12.169 --> 00:10:15.690
on when you operate the best and when you have
00:10:15.690 --> 00:10:20.080
the best outcomes. Very good. Very good. I didn't
00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.940
know I can do all that by looking at the calendar,
00:10:22.139 --> 00:10:25.899
but it's okay. Hiring executives isn't just about
00:10:25.899 --> 00:10:30.159
filling roles. It's about shaping culture. What
00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:33.940
character traits do you think, do you look, I'm
00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:37.240
sorry, what character traits do you look for
00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:42.419
that don't always show up on a resume? One thing
00:10:42.419 --> 00:10:45.139
that I look for and I ask for with true leadership,
00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:47.940
and I think that this is a great example, is
00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:50.740
I will test the waters a little bit. And I will
00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:53.379
say, hey, we're thinking about building about
00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:56.700
X department, right? And we're probably going
00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:00.000
to need to bring in five to seven new people
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:03.080
for this department. Who do you know in your
00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:06.480
network that you think would be an immediate
00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:08.899
great hire or someone that you could bring on
00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:13.200
board? And what I'm looking for is do they start
00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:15.440
brainstorming? Do they know people? Are they
00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:19.700
well connected? A true leader that has created
00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:23.480
a great culture that people trust is someone
00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:28.000
that people will follow. And I've hired some
00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.799
really great executives who are task doers. And
00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:34.820
I've hired some really great executives who maybe
00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:37.100
they increase revenue, but they burn people out
00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:40.039
a little bit. Some of the best leaders that I've
00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:43.139
ever hired, they're like, hey, I have someone
00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:45.519
who would come over tomorrow. Hey, I have someone
00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.019
that we can plug into this. They have trusted
00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:52.220
people in all sorts of positions and companies
00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.870
who they can plug and play. and they have a reliable
00:11:55.870 --> 00:11:59.269
network. I think that is a tell -all for how
00:11:59.269 --> 00:12:03.470
great of a leader they are. Okay, I'll go with
00:12:03.470 --> 00:12:07.610
that. What is the right time for a CEO to stop
00:12:07.610 --> 00:12:10.950
being the smartest person in the room and intentionally
00:12:10.950 --> 00:12:15.970
hire people who challenge their thinking? Again,
00:12:16.049 --> 00:12:19.049
it goes back to looking at what you enjoy and
00:12:19.049 --> 00:12:21.330
what you don't and what you're good at and maybe
00:12:21.330 --> 00:12:24.669
what you're not. And then you can decide the
00:12:24.669 --> 00:12:28.279
type of commitment that you want to make. Do
00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:31.360
you want to hire an a player? That's just going
00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:34.779
to come in and do it and you don't have to guide
00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:37.720
them develop them You say hey, they might do
00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:39.580
it different than me, but I'm gonna let them
00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:43.159
run wild Or do you want to hire someone that
00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:45.820
maybe they're a little bit more open -minded?
00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:49.460
They don't have 10 to 15 years of specific experience
00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:53.879
But they have proven results over here and you're
00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.080
willing to teach them and invest in them and
00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:58.289
give them a little bit of your time to get them
00:12:58.289 --> 00:13:01.370
where you want to be. What type of feedback and
00:13:01.370 --> 00:13:03.110
responsibility are you looking for? I think that's
00:13:03.110 --> 00:13:05.210
really important when you're bringing someone
00:13:05.210 --> 00:13:07.789
in to say, okay, you're going to be a trusted
00:13:07.789 --> 00:13:11.990
source. How open -minded are you really to someone
00:13:11.990 --> 00:13:13.870
giving you a different perspective? And I think
00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:17.169
that starts with us. The more clear that we can
00:13:17.169 --> 00:13:20.330
be and the more open that we are with where we
00:13:20.330 --> 00:13:23.029
are at in that process, the better experience
00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:24.690
you'll have when you're bringing that person
00:13:24.690 --> 00:13:31.039
in. Okay, I'll go with that. As AI and automation
00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.580
reshape business, what leadership qualities simply
00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:40.720
can't be delegated to technology? I think that
00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:44.379
when it comes to people. Right. I think that
00:13:44.379 --> 00:13:47.320
when we are having everyone has life cycles and
00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:49.840
everyone has things going on. And I know it's
00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.159
a saying like, Hey, leave it at the door clock
00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.379
and be professional separate personal and professional.
00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:57.919
And I agree with those things to some extent,
00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:02.059
but life happens and life is very real. And some
00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:04.379
of your best employees and your long -term tenure
00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:07.620
employees, they're going to have life experiences,
00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:10.799
whether that is a loss in the family, whether
00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:13.440
that is a financial crisis, whether it's health,
00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:16.620
whatever it is. I think that human element of
00:14:16.620 --> 00:14:20.379
leadership is being able to identify And notice,
00:14:20.659 --> 00:14:23.580
okay, Frank over here, he's a little off. Production
00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:27.000
is down. Numbers are down. He's very quiet. He's
00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:29.879
not being collaborative and saying, hey, instead
00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:31.860
of just looking at the data and being like, this
00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:33.980
is off, you're in the red. We didn't hit the
00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:38.159
target. That person, not AI, has to identify,
00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:41.539
hey, I need to go connect and value connection
00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:45.360
with Frank to get him back on track. And that
00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:47.860
is a leadership skill that only a human will
00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:51.929
be able to do. Yeah, what you just described
00:14:51.929 --> 00:14:56.309
Which I talk about often when I travel is the
00:14:56.309 --> 00:14:58.929
difference between leadership of being a leader
00:14:58.929 --> 00:15:03.549
and a boss Okay, there is such a huge difference
00:15:03.549 --> 00:15:07.629
between those two and I always say you don't
00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:09.870
want any bosses who work for you. You don't want
00:15:09.870 --> 00:15:12.710
that You want leaders you want leaders training?
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.299
Leaders and you in order to do that you need
00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:18.440
to give that person a little bit of responsibility
00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.179
and a little bit of power of saying yes or no,
00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:25.220
but You don't want to have somebody come out
00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:30.000
bark orders turn around and walk away So that's
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:32.019
really what you're talking about. Okay. Yeah,
00:15:32.019 --> 00:15:37.019
so Have you ever seen? one executive hire complete
00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:41.100
one executive hire completely changed the trajectory
00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:45.620
of a company and what made that person transformational
00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:50.259
beyond their technical skills? Yes, absolutely.
00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:54.779
I think that I have seen with a lot of service
00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.679
-based companies. So let's say dentistry, HVAC,
00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:02.039
plumbing, more service -based businesses, right?
00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:06.240
They are always so focused on someone having
00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.730
industry specific experience and they're looking
00:16:09.730 --> 00:16:12.090
for someone and that's just their bedding. I
00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:14.870
want someone who's been in the dental space for
00:16:14.870 --> 00:16:18.029
10 years. I want someone who's been in HVAC for
00:16:18.029 --> 00:16:21.629
20 years, right? Some of the best hires that
00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:25.809
I've seen is someone who has a fresh set of eyes
00:16:25.809 --> 00:16:29.750
who is very good. as a leader and very good at
00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:32.909
operations and systems and can analyze any company
00:16:32.909 --> 00:16:35.509
and just get in there and find different gaps.
00:16:35.570 --> 00:16:37.210
And they're coming in and they're challenging
00:16:37.210 --> 00:16:39.490
perspectives and they're learning and they don't
00:16:39.490 --> 00:16:41.629
know. So what's great is they don't have any
00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:44.210
old habits, right? They have no old habits for
00:16:44.210 --> 00:16:46.009
that business. They're just really coming in
00:16:46.009 --> 00:16:49.769
with a fresh perspective. And I have seen revenue
00:16:49.769 --> 00:16:52.450
added. I've seen the whole sales process change.
00:16:52.490 --> 00:16:57.090
I've seen just a completely refresh in the culture.
00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:59.379
which is great because they're not saying, hey,
00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:01.460
this is the way we've always done it. This is
00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:04.200
the norm. This is the industry standard. They're
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.359
coming in and completely revamping and revitalizing
00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:12.859
the perspective. I'm thinking of when I had a
00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:16.140
hiring process and they have to go through the
00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.579
first interview and the second interview, I was
00:17:18.579 --> 00:17:22.259
always the third. And if they passed the first
00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:26.779
two, 99 % of the time, they're going to get the
00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:30.079
job, but they had to go through. And my questions
00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.380
were more emotional. My questions were more humanistic.
00:17:35.720 --> 00:17:38.960
They weren't about the job. It was about everything
00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.640
else. And so as long as you can put all that
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.400
together and there's something to be said for
00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.960
the new person, as you said, with a fresh set
00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.259
of eyes, but they don't carry the experience
00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:55.099
that may be needed. for that position. So you
00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:59.680
have to balance the two. So the strongest leaders
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:03.880
often seem to have the strongest networks. Is
00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.500
that because they know more people or because
00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:10.769
they've earned more trust over time? I definitely
00:18:10.769 --> 00:18:13.089
think that they've earned more trust over time.
00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:16.750
I think that creating that network, it just takes
00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:19.130
time and people have to have a reason to stay
00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:21.950
with you and to follow you and to stay connected
00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:24.849
with you. And so you have an opportunity to create
00:18:24.849 --> 00:18:27.809
a large following, but they have to recognize
00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:30.250
you for something. And so I definitely think
00:18:30.250 --> 00:18:35.150
trust is a huge part of that. Trust is always
00:18:35.150 --> 00:18:38.279
a factor in any position. And any way you look
00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.799
at things, there has to be a trust factor. And
00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.400
in networking, there's a mantra. There's if they
00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.200
know you, if they like you, if they trust you,
00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:51.099
they'll do business with you. And everybody knows
00:18:51.099 --> 00:18:54.680
you. You're nice. Everybody likes you. You're
00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.920
a nice person. You're pretty. Everything is going
00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:00.240
well. Right. But the trust factor, that's the
00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.839
main factor. If they trust you. They'll do business
00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:05.140
with you. Would you go and buy something from
00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:09.279
somebody if you didn't trust them? No, we wouldn't.
00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.000
That goes without saying. But okay, so let's
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.220
bring this podcast full circle. And 20 years
00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:19.140
from now, what will distinguish the CEOs who
00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:23.019
built enduring organizations from those who simply
00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:27.819
built profitable ones? Profit comes and goes.
00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:30.869
Profit is dependent on so many things outside
00:19:30.869 --> 00:19:33.910
of our control. When we build systems those are
00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:36.819
things that are within our control. And you have
00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:40.900
an opportunity to control the customer experience,
00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.480
the customer journey, how you respond to each
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.980
customer. And I think that there's a lot of opportunity
00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:51.599
in just doing what you do at a better, higher
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.460
level, right? And just focusing on what you can
00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:56.839
control that, that is systems. And so for the
00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.720
people who have systems in place, they're not
00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:03.400
dependent. on everything else that is outside
00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.279
of their control, right? And I think that's who
00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:08.799
will be here, is the people who have systems
00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:13.059
in place. Absolutely. Katie, it just, it sounds
00:20:13.059 --> 00:20:16.259
like you know what you're doing, you're passionate
00:20:16.259 --> 00:20:18.900
about your doing, but most of all, you're very
00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.619
knowledgeable. If somebody wants to get hold
00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:24.460
of you, either to be mentored by you, to buy
00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:28.079
services, or just to say hello, how would they
00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:31.720
get hold of you? Personally, I love outreach
00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:34.819
on LinkedIn. So just on LinkedIn, it's just Katie
00:20:34.819 --> 00:20:37.359
Peterman. There's no E on my name, just K -A
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:39.599
-T -I Peterman. You can connect with me, let
00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.299
me know what you're looking for. And then you're
00:20:41.299 --> 00:20:44.460
more than welcome to schedule a complimentary
00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:49.279
discovery call on our website. So www .yourfrx
00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.119
.com. So that's your FRX, your fractional executive
00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:55.819
.com. We have complimentary discovery calls.
00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:58.339
We're happy to give advice, make connections,
00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.019
put you in a better place. Boy Scout rules. That's
00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:03.559
what we believe in and happy to connect with
00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.000
anyone. We have an amazing team. We love what
00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.380
we do. And yes, extremely, extremely passionate
00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:11.700
about providing systems and safety and support
00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:15.660
for people. It's great. The biggest takeaway,
00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.960
great companies aren't built by CEOs who try
00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:23.119
to do everything. They're built by leaders who
00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.579
invest in the right people at the right time.
00:21:25.789 --> 00:21:28.890
Leadership is measured not by how much you accomplish
00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:34.470
yourself, but by how many others you empower
00:21:34.470 --> 00:21:38.349
to succeed. If you enjoyed today's episode, like,
00:21:38.410 --> 00:21:41.009
follow, and subscribe to Networking Unleashed,
00:21:41.130 --> 00:21:43.569
Building Profitable Connections and share it
00:21:43.569 --> 00:21:46.109
with a leader, entrepreneur, or business owner
00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:49.089
who could benefit from this conversation. If
00:21:49.089 --> 00:21:51.930
you're looking for a keynote speaker or executive
00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:54.769
communication coach to help your organization
00:21:54.769 --> 00:21:57.589
strengthen leadership, improve communication,
00:21:58.009 --> 00:22:01.410
and build relationships that drive results, visit
00:22:01.410 --> 00:22:05.150
michaelaforman .com. So until next time, remember,
00:22:05.549 --> 00:22:08.289
the strongest networks aren't built on titles.
00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:12.059
They're built on trust. character, and the leaders
00:22:12.059 --> 00:22:14.480
who bring out the best in others. We'll see you
00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:17.599
in the next episode. Katie, again, thank you
00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:22.420
so much. You're a fantastic podcast guest in
00:22:22.420 --> 00:22:26.099
my podcast. Thank you so much, Michael. I appreciate
00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:28.579
the space and I appreciate having the opportunity
00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:30.500
to learn from someone like yourself as well.
00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:33.180
It's always good to have strong mentors to look
00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:36.299
up to in the space. And with your expertise and
00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:39.809
background, it's greatly appreciated. Thank you,
00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:43.650
and I'll talk to you soon. All right, folks.
00:22:44.329 --> 00:22:46.690
A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
00:22:46.690 --> 00:22:50.009
incredible insights today. And of course, a big
00:22:50.009 --> 00:22:53.250
shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for
00:22:53.250 --> 00:22:56.109
tuning in and spending your time with us. If
00:22:56.109 --> 00:22:58.990
you're interested in my digital courses, being
00:22:58.990 --> 00:23:01.890
coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:05.670
just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
00:23:06.150 --> 00:23:09.289
Remember, Networking isn't about being perfect.
00:23:09.609 --> 00:23:12.470
It's about being present. So take what you've
00:23:12.470 --> 00:23:15.450
learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
00:23:15.450 --> 00:23:18.390
connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:21.470
please don't forget to subscribe, leave us a
00:23:21.470 --> 00:23:24.069
review, and share it with someone who could use
00:23:24.069 --> 00:23:27.210
a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
00:23:27.210 --> 00:23:30.220
conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:35.299
Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, Foreman
00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:37.759
.com slash podcasts.
