Why do some companies stay young, agile, and competitive, while others get bogged down and decline? That’s the big question that this week's guest, Chris Zook, set out to answer. After years of research, he and his team at Bain Insights found three key elements that showed up in successful companies, and they called them “The Founder’s Mentality.” On this episode, Donald Miller sits down with Chris to understand how these three elements make a company healthy on the inside and create more profit and more impact on the world. Listen now! Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/39 to help you apply what you learned in the interview to your business.

Lee Cockerell, former Executive VP of Operations for Disney, delivers invaluable insights on developing people skills essential for effective leadership. He discusses why leaders often fail—not due to lack of knowledge, but poor communication and failure to respect their teams. Highlighting personal anecdotes, Cockerell shares five vital lessons on compassion, accountability, and integrity that can transform workplace culture. Plus, a bonus segment with golfer Ryan Moore reveals the unique challenges and traditions of playing at the Masters tournament!

Motivation is overrated. If you want to accomplish the things that will grow your life and your business, you can’t rely on it. And today’s guest on the Building a Story Brand podcast, Mel Robbins, is with me on this notion that motivation isn’t the key to success. More than that, she’s discovered a simple mental strategy we can use to bypass motivation in order to make wise decisions that grow our businesses, make healthful decisions, and strengthen our relationships. It’s incredibly simple and intuitive, as you’ll see, and it has the power to dramatically impact your life. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/37

Why are most meetings so awful? A lot of us leave every meeting feeling like we’ve wasted our time and gotten nowhere on a problem -- only to get back to our desks farther behind on our “real jobs.” But with a little intention, we can make meetings not just productive, but also energizing and fun. On this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller sits down with Daniel Tardy the SVP of EntreLeadership, Dave Ramsey’s business coaching division. They walk through nine strategies we can use that will make our meetings more productive and more fun. With this advice, you can lead dynamic meetings that bring out the best in your team and actually move the needle for your business. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/36

There’s nobody like Elon Musk. As the founder and CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla (among other ventures), he is arguably the world’s most visionary entrepreneur. And on the podcast this week, Donald Miller interviews Ashlee Vance, the man who wrote Musk’s definitive (and bestselling) biography. As entrepreneurs ourselves, what can we learn from a pioneering leader like Elon Musk? Listen to this interview for an inside look at Musk’s life and discover the big takeaways we can use to build our businesses, even if we’re NOT building rockets. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/35

Why do leaders crash and burn, taking their companies and families down with them? Is it the inevitable result of pressure or a character flaw? Or can it all be prevented? In this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller sits down with leadership expert Stephen Mansfield to talk about the 10 warning signs of a leadership crash -- and how to fix them. The list will surprise you. Listen today and discover how to protect yourself from a leadership crash. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/34

If you’re trying to start and grow a business, you know it’s not an easy road. Rewarding, yes. Eventful, yes. But easy? Not at all. But like any journey, you’re better off if you’ve equipped yourself properly for it. And that’s why I am so honored to have Carrie Green joining us on the Building a Story Brand podcast. She’s the founder of the wildly successful Female Entrepreneur Association, and in this episode she shares six steps entrepreneurs can follow to grow their businesses. Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey, listen now so you can take the next right step for your company. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/33

According to Greg McKeown, the author of Essentialism, most of us have been living under the assumption that we can have it all -- we just have to cram it all into our lives. As a result, we end up busy (not necessarily productive) and stretched too thin at work and at home. We’re chained to our smartphones, hopping from disjointed task to disjointed task, not really focused on (or even clear about) what we want. Essentialism changes all that. It helps us tune out all the unimportant things vying for our attention so we can discover and pursue a very small number of things of lasting value. Nobody wants to fritter away their lives on their smart phones. Listen to this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast with Donald Miller and special guest Greg McKeown, and you’ll be inspired to live a life rich with clarity and meaning. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/32

For business leaders, public speaking skills are critical. Whether you’re delivering a major keynote or simply leading a staff meeting, you’ve got to be able to engage your audience and communicate powerfully. That’s why public speaking expert Mike Pacchione is joining Donald Miller this week on the Building a Story Brand podcast. As a part of the communications consulting firm Duarte, Mike gives 70 speeches a year -- all on the topic of public speaking. He is the talker about talking. And he’s going to teach us to talk. Mike shares the expert tactics that separate casual public speakers who just get by from pros who stand out. Whether you’re a dread-filled newbie or a seasoned pro, give this a listen and take your public speaking skills to the next level. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/31

As business leaders, we often get so focused on the details of our company that we forget to step back and understand things from our customers’ perspective. As a result, we talk over our potential customers’ heads in our communication and marketing. Feeling confused, they take their business to another company -- not necessarily a better one, but one they understand. But when we learn how to communicate clearly, we stop confusing our customers and start connecting with them. On this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller sits down with Lee LeFever, the master of the explainer video, to share four practical strategies we can use to speak clearly, engage our customers, and grow our businesses. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/30