
Shannon Waller's Team Success
Shannon Waller, author of The Team Success Handbook, has been the entrepreneurial team expert at Strategic Coach® since 1995. Shannon Waller’s Team Success podcasts are a series of insights around teamwork and success that she’s gained from working with entrepreneurs.
Latest episodes

Nov 16, 2023 • 52min
Teamwork Triad In Real Life, with Chad Willardson
In previous episodes, Shannon has talked about the Teamwork Triad—are you curious to see how it plays out in real life? In this episode, Shannon interviews entrepreneur, author, and podcast host Chad Willardson about his Unique Ability® Dream Team. Learn how to find extraordinary executive assistants who not only support you, but sit in the Teamwork Triad seats that will help you achieve 10x growth.
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Show Notes:
Chad Willardson is an entrepreneur, author, and podcaster from Southern California. He left Merrill Lynch in 2011 to start his own company, Pacific Capital, a wealth management firm serving entrepreneurs.
Teamwork specialist Shannon Waller and Unique Ability specialist Julia Waller introduced the idea of a Unique Ability “Dream Team” to support Chad beyond his business. This team, called the Teamwork Triad, includes a Visionary, an Innovation Manager, and a Focus Manager.
Chad found two extraordinary people he knew would be the right fit through LinkedIn.
Maddie was hired to be Chad’s Strategic EA and handles business-related tasks. Chad calls her his left brain.
Oriya was hired to be Chad’s Operational EA and focuses on personal tasks, marketing, travel planning, and calendar management. Because of her interests and skills in design, Chad calls her his right brain.
What each member of the triad is responsible for can be summed up by “make it up” (Chad, the Visionary), “make it real” (Maddie, the Innovation Manager), and “make it recur” (Oriya, the Focus Manager).
Chad’s main requirement was to find and hire high-caliber individuals who align with his vision and have the mental horsepower to handle complex tasks.
The team uses tools like Asana, Microsoft Teams, and Google Docs for communication and task management.
Regular communication and collaboration are keys to success for a team that works mainly remotely but meets bi-weekly in person. The team meets weekly and has in-person collaboration sessions every other week to align on goals and projects.
The trust and empowerment Chad gives his team leads to his own increased freedom and success as an entrepreneur.
Chad used assessments like Kolbe, CliftonStrengths®, PRINT®, and Working Genius to understand each of their strengths and how to best work together.
Chad asked ChatGPT to assess potential clashes given everyone’s assessments, gave its response to Maddie and Oriya, and had them discuss how they would avoid territorial dangers.
From the beginning, Maddie and Oriya forged their friendship and working relationship based on mutual respect for each other’s separate interests and areas of Unique Ability.
Because of how Chad has empowered them, Maddie and Oriya find ways to help each other without having to get Chad involved, thereby keeping his capacity free for his own Unique Ability projects.
Maddie and Oriya have been attending their own workshops with Strategic Coach® to learn how to use tools such as The Weekly Planner and The Impact Filter™, which further simplify communication and delegation for all three.
Maddie and Oriya have collected their tips on how entrepreneurs can most effectively work with two executive assistants: “EA Collaboration Guide.”
Freed up from daily business operations, Chad is leveraged to think about bigger opportunities beyond his business, such as Free Zone collaborations with other 10x entrepreneurs.
Resources:
Books:
Stress-Free Money: Overcome These Seven Obstacles to Find Financial Freedom
Smart, Not Spoiled: The 7 Money Skills Kids Must Master Before Leaving the Nest
Fit for Wealth: 7 Breakthrough Strategies for Elite Health and Abundant Wealth
Podcasts:
Smart Money Parenting
Financial learning app for kids: GravyStack
EA Collaboration Guide:
Detailed version PDF
QuickStart version PDF
Pacific Capital website
Personal assessments:
CliftonStrengths website
Kolbe
PRINT: Team Success Podcast, episode 224, “Uncovering “The Why Of You,” With Debra Levine”
Wonderlic
Working Genius
Productivity:
Asana
ChatGPT
Microsoft Teams
TripIt
Other resources:
EOS: Entrepreneurial Operating System
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, by Dave Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright
Strategic Coach concepts, tools, and books:
The Strategic Coach® Program
Free Guide to The Entrepreneurial Time System® PDF download: “The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Time Management”
Free Impact Filter worksheet PDF download
The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller
Unique Ability Teamwork article: “What Are Unique Ability Teams?”
Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Nov 2, 2023 • 8min
Head, Heart, and Gut: The Three Must-Haves to Take Action!
In this thought-provoking episode, entrepreneur and team coach Shannon Waller delves into the crucial factors that drive action and engagement. Drawing from personal experiences and insights, Shannon highlights the importance of not only intellectual stimulation but also emotional connection and personal motivation when it comes to the creative process, and shares how ideas progress from the mind to the heart and gut, unlocking the willingness to take action. If you’ve ever wanted guidance on how to overcome the barriers that hinder progress and productivity, tune in now!
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
In order to take action on new ideas or information, make sure they resonate on an emotional level, not just an intellectual one.
If an idea doesn’t resonate emotionally, seek out conversations and discussions with other people to gain a deeper understanding and emotional connection.
If you’re not engaged on three levels—head, heart, and gut—you won’t take action.
Look for personal excitement and a sense of achievement or “win” when engaging with new information.
When working with teams, ensure that new ideas engage all three levels. They should make cognitive sense, excite people emotionally, and provide opportunities for personal contribution through action.
Proper strategic planning when making major decisions, where you consider all aspects of the project before taking action, is also essential. Haphazard approaches don’t work.
To avoid lack of engagement and poor or incomplete results, fully engage and commit to projects you’re interested in.
Recognize how your environment influences your behaviour too.
Motivation is the starting point in the creative process. Once you understand this, everything gets easier.
Resources:
The Kolbe A™ Index
The Strategy Circle
The Impact Filter™
Who Not How™

Oct 19, 2023 • 50min
Stop The Struggle: Essential Tools For Managers, With Jill Young
Shannon Waller, entrepreneur and team coach, chats with the brilliant Jill Young, EOS® Implementer and coach, about the tools leaders need to alleviate frustration and handle tough issues. They dive into proven EOS® and Strategic Coach® tools, including the Accountability Chart™, Rocks, and Quarterly Conversations, that help entrepreneurs resolve stuck situations. Jill provides tactical coaching wisdom on implementing these tools with care and concern to unlock team engagement and prevent problems.
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Show Notes:
Effortless LMA: Lead, manage, hold accountable.
The cost of not using tools.
Tools as energy management.
No defense budget: Spending time, money, and energy to set up the team and culture so that people don’t have to play defense. Accepting that mistakes happen.
In corporate cultures, you have one opportunity, one pitch.
Staying just below the line of recognition to keep changing, iterating, growing.
When you don’t know who is accountable for what, fingers point everywhere and in other places, causing frustration and preventing movement forward.
Five foundational EOS tools: Accountability Chart, Rocks, Scorecard, Level 10 Meeting™ (L10), and the Vision Traction Organizer™ (VTO).
Strategic Coach foundational tools: The Positive Focus®, The Gap And The Gain™, The Impact Filter™, The Strategy Circle®, and The Experience Transformer®.
Sixth bonus tool: The Weekly Planner to integrate time and activities according to The Entrepreneurial Time System®.
How to decide what tool you need.
Chris Voss’s tips for tactical empathy in negotiation: “It seems like … ,” “It sounds like … ,” and repeat the last three words.
The Coaching Habit seven great questions, including: “What’s on your mind?” and “What else?”
You need to build trust to speak with brutal honesty.
Use with care and concern for the other person to avoid weaponizing tools and concepts.
Tools don’t work if your team is not aligned, not allowed to collaborate, not given voice to have opinions heard.
Your team’s Kolbe, CliftonStrengths®, and PRINT® profiles and individuality. The Fire Department Tool: Solve the immediate emergency quickly and efficiently. But investigate the cause after to solve the root problem.
The Quarterly Conversation using the LMA (Lead, Manage, Hold Accountable) Tool to informally discuss what’s working, what’s not working, and improvements to make.
Agenda for the conversation called 5-5-5, discussing the company’s five core values, the five Rocks (crucial results), and five roles from the Accountability Chart.
Three outcomes from the Quarterly Conversation: one thing for leader to do, one thing for direct report to do, one thing that won’t change so everyone can stop talking about it.
When you ask yourself, “What should I do?” instead ask, “What tool should I use?” Download free EOS tools at eosworldwide.com. Download the Fire Department or Do-Over tool at www.jillyoung.com.
Download free Strategic Coach tools at yourteamsuccess.com and strategiccoach.com. Effortless collaboration.
Resources:
Jill Young: website with downloads; LinkedIn
EOS: Entrepreneurial Operating System
Impact Filter download
Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan
Kolbe
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future Peter Thiel
Certainty/Uncertainty tool: “A Tool For How To Handle Uncertainty In Leadership”
The Experience Transformer tool
The Accountability Chart tool
The 21-Day Positive Focus
The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan
Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
Chris Voss’s Master Class
Kolbe: The Conative Connection: Uncovering the Link Between Who You Are and How You Perform by Kathy Kolbe
ClliftonStrengths website
PRINT: Team Success Podcast, episode 224, “Uncovering “The Why Of You,” With Debra Levine”
Take the PRINT survey
“Bob Newhart – ‘Stop It‘”
How to Be a Great Boss by Gino Wickman, René Boer

Oct 5, 2023 • 10min
Unlocking The Power Of Transformational Leadership
Do you know what makes a good leader? As an entrepreneur, it’s your job to provide the vision and direction your team needs in order to thrive, but just because you’re supposed to do it doesn’t mean it comes naturally to you. Fortunately, great leadership is a skill that can be improved over time. In this episode of the Team Success podcast, Shannon Waller outlines a powerful leadership framework that’s not only easy to understand and implement but sure to deliver exponential results. She reveals the three essential elements that fuel effective leadership, shares tools and strategies for implementing them into your business, and explains exactly what can happen if you don’t. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to enhance your leadership skills and elevate your entrepreneurial journey!
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
The Transformational Leadership Framework consists of three key elements: know thyself, know the other person, and know the goal.
“Know thyself” means understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, values, and motivations, and it’s crucial for effective leadership—and makes you more trustworthy.
When you don’t know what unique value you bring to the table, it can be challenging to understand and engage others in a way that taps into their mental, emotional, and motivational energy, which is your job as a leader.
Understanding the people you work with—and how to work with them—is equally as important.
If you assume everybody shares the same strengths and striving instincts as you do, effective teamwork can’t happen.
Similarly, having a clear and shared purpose is essential for achieving the impact or project results you want.
Assessments like Kolbe, CliftonStrengths®, and Working Genius can make a big difference in how well you understand yourself, show up in your role, and work with others.
They also help everyone understand which stages of a project they’re good at and enjoy, providing valuable insight into where they fit in within a team or project.
Recognizing and respecting others’ unique strengths, capabilities, and ways of thinking can improve meetings, work relationships, and overall results.
Resources:
The Kolbe A™ Index
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®
CliftonStrengths
PRINT® Why of You
DISC®

Sep 21, 2023 • 48min
Hire Better People Faster, with Jeremy Macliver
Imagine you’re in the mind of someone applying for a job at your company. Are they seeing the real picture of who you are as a team and as a business? Why would they want to work for you? Shannon Waller invites Jeremy Macliver, author of Hire Better People Faster, to explain how to draw the right people into choosing to work for you. Jeremy’s Core Fit Hiring System flips the usual HR process of “hunting” or “farming” for talent to “fishing” amongst the best candidates.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
FINDING AND HIRING GREAT TEAM MEMBERS
How do you attract passionate people who may not have traditional qualifications but align with the company’s values?
The Core Fit Hiring Process begins by getting clear on what the company’s core values and vision are.
DIFFERENT MODELS FOR HIRING
Most companies focus on “hunting” or “farming” methods of finding talent, which are both expensive and take a long time.
Jeremy’s Core Fit Hiring Process instead focuses on “fishing”: creating an attractive job offer that appeals to the right type of candidate.
Company leadership must do the exercise to define core values and vision even if they think they already know this information.
LIKE ATTRACTS LIKE
Be fully authentic in articulating your business’s core values and identity, and those candidates who resonate with and share your personality will show up.
Compensation being equal, people would rather work for a “why” they’re aligned with.
Even companies in industries like steel manufacturing, that were initially skeptical of defining core values, have found the exercise helps connect the team when leaders share what really matters to them.
THE 6-STEP SYSTEM
Find, Automate, Interview, Onboard, Engage, and Assess.
Three main sections of the book: Attract, Onboard, and Maintain.
TREAT RECRUITING AS MARKETING
Sometimes teams have to lower annual goals not because of a lack of clients but an inability to hire enough team members.
Recruiting talent requires treating it as a marketing priority and involving all team members.
Why not shift recruitment to the marketing team instead of HR?
JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND JOB ADS
Make your job ad exciting and clear about what the role is.
Keep job ads to 1,500 words to get search engines to recognize them but still stay concise.
Be direct in job ads about the company culture:
Mentioning a fast-paced, hard-driving environment screens out candidates who don’t want high-intensity work.
More people should be repelled from your job ad than attracted by it.
Reinforce this in the interview stage.
Focus less on compensation and benefits, and more on a why-driven mission and culture where candidates will fit in.
2-4-12 LAUNCH FORMULA
To improve onboarding success, outline expectations and responsibilities over the first 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks for a new team member.
The process of the 2-4-12 Launch helps to gradually transition responsibilities versus an abrupt shift, which sets new hires up for success and avoids blaming failures on lack of training.
HOW TO RETAIN BETTER TEAM MEMBERS
Focus on retention so that current team members are not leaving while you’re trying to grow the team.
Deliver on promises to team members to retain them.
Ensure alignment between a company’s values and a team member’s values.
Not having the people you need is a real obstacle to growth and thinking bigger.
Resources:
Hire Better People Faster by Jeremy Macliver
Kolbe
EOS®: Entrepreneurial Operating System
Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin
10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More By Doing Less by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Who Not How: The Formula To Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller
Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller

Sep 7, 2023 • 15min
If They Could Read Your Mind: Tools For Capturing Organizational Wisdom
Shannon delves into effective strategies for capturing and communicating the wisdom inside your business and backing it up with practical tools like Asana or Trello. Imagine simplifying complex procedures, discovering unexpected potential in your team, and gaining confidence through well-documented methodology. You’ll get acquainted with ideas that enhance team collaboration, boost productivity, and even raise the valuation of your business. This is more than just a productivity tip—it’s about making everything and everyone in your organization more valuable.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
The podcast explores the powerful impact of writing down ideas, processes, and all the other wisdom in your business.
Shannon dives into how resources like Asana and Trello can enhance productivity and smooth out coordination between different teams.
She shares specific Strategic Coach® tools for getting ideas out of your head so they can be shared and acted on.
Your team members also have precious information that leaves the building whenever they do—unless you write it down.
Shannon describes a real-life scenario where having the company’s processes documented significantly increased its valuation.
Don’t like taking notes? Remember the principle of Unique Ability®: Somebody out there loves it!
Resources:
Get The Impact Filter™ worksheet
Extraordinary Impact Filter by Dan Sullivan
Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Trello, project management software
Asana, project management software
The Kolbe Profile
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
Questions for Shannon? Email questions@strategiccoach.com

Aug 24, 2023 • 29min
Crafting Your “Why Story” For Maximum Impact: How To Attract And Retain Great Talent, with Deirdre Van Nest
Are you looking for a new strategy to help attract and retain really great talent? Unlock the secret to captivating your audience and igniting your entrepreneurial journey with Deirdre Van Nest, renowned storytelling expert and coach. In this episode of the Team Success Podcast, Shannon and Deirdre reveal the transformative power of the “Why Story”—a potent tool that distinguishes entrepreneurs from their competition and resonates deeply with clients, customers, and team members. Through practical frameworks and real-life examples, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling Why Story that showcases your mission, values, and leadership qualities. You’ll also discover how vulnerability and authenticity can strengthen personal connections and build trust. Join us in uncovering the art of storytelling and its profound impact on entrepreneurial success in this dynamic and inspiring episode!
Download Deirdre Van Nest’s Information Sheet
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Your personal brand Why Story is a three-minute story that explains why you care about the people you serve, and its purpose is to increase trust, connection, and likeability.
It should showcase your personal mission, values, and leadership qualities.
Sharing personal stories that engage people on an emotional level is a fast and effective way to connect with potential team members (and clients) on a deeper level.
Your Why Story is a powerful tool that will allow you to differentiate yourself from your competition.
It’s also a powerful tool for establishing credibility in the marketplace.
By sharing your authentic self and genuine passion, you can attract and retain incredible talent, even in the most competitive industries. Your Why Story is like a magnet for right-fit team members.
It’s also an effective filter for team members whose values don’t align with your own.
It’s essential that you tailor your Why Story to your specific niche or target audience. This may mean you have multiple Why Stories—for example, one that’s client-facing and one that’s candidate-facing.
By honing your storytelling skills and embracing vulnerability and authenticity, you can create memorable experiences and make a lasting impact on your audience.
People aren’t interested in credentials. They’re interested in purpose.
Resources:
Crazy Good Talks
The Kolbe A™ Index
Unique Ability®
PRINT®
Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Aug 24, 2023 • 44min
How To Escape Email Jail, with Deirdre Van Nest
Are you getting lost in email? Discover the art of efficient email management and reclaim valuable time with our latest episode of The Team Success Podcast! In this episode, Shannon chats with renowned speaker, coach, and storytelling strategist Deirdre Van Nest about her game-changing email filtering system. You’ll learn how to delegate email tasks, set clear expectations, and leverage automation to streamline communication, plus gain actionable strategies for prioritizing valuable connections, protecting your energy, and optimizing productivity. Whether you’re seeking to automate your inbox or delegate email handling entirely, this episode offers invaluable insights and practical tips to help entrepreneurs reclaim control over their email overload and focus on what truly matters.
Download Deirdre Van Nest’s Information Sheet
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
As an entrepreneur, if you’re not working with clients or creating content, you’re not earning money.
You can gain back hours of earning potential each day simply by changing the way you handle email.
This starts by categorizing emails based on priority and then creating individual folders for each category.
“Urgent and important” emails need to be handled by the end of the day.
“Important but not urgent” emails can be responded to within two to five days.
“Not urgent, not important” emails can be addressed weekly.
For this system to work, you’ll need to spend time training your assistant on which emails go into which category. It may take a few weeks for the system to work effectively, but it’s a few weeks’ worth of effort for countless hours of time saved.
Once your assistant understands the system, the next step is for them to create daily executive reports about what’s in your folders so all you have to do is open up the report and decide what needs your attention when.
You should prioritize engaging with emails from individuals or opportunities that align with your goals and values. However, the ultimate goal is for your assistant to begin responding as you, freeing you up from email entirely, or close to it. You can start by delegating low-priority emails and working your way up from there.
This does mean you should communicate to your audience that receiving email responses from someone other than you is possible and explain the reasons behind it.
Resources:
Crazy Good Talks
The Kolbe A™ Index
Unique Ability®
PRINT®
The D.O.S. Conversation®
The Eisenhower Matrix
“Geometry” For Staying Cool & Calm

Aug 10, 2023 • 16min
Breaking Down Silos: Improving Collaboration Between Teams
Have you noticed that your teams are becoming siloed, only respecting their own agenda but not appreciating those of other teams? Today, Shannon Waller uses The Front Stage/Back Stage Model® and The Experience Transformer® to break down those silos. Shannon shares a recent experience she had as head of marketing, where she noticed tension between teams and how the teams were working together, and what she did to turn it into a Unique Ability® Teamwork growth opportunity.
Download Episode Transcript

46 snips
Jul 27, 2023 • 59min
Winning Formulas: The 9 Habits Of High Performers, with Steven Neuner and Ryan Cassin
Discover the 9 essential habits that high performers possess, emphasizing collaboration with executive assistants and team synergy. Learn about time blocking, effective communication, and the transformative power of providing executive assistants to boost productivity. Gain insights on maximizing efficiency, overcoming blockers, and supporting team members for success.