CEO Coaching International Podcast

All CEOs have to grow into their roles. But for Kerry Siggins, becoming a leader has been a lifelong process of learning how to maximize her strengths while overcoming weaknesses that nearly killed her. On today's show, Kerry discusses how she conquered her struggles with substance abuse and started to make BIG happen in her life and work.

Effective annual planning may be the single biggest differentiator between companies that stay small and those that get BIG. But the very best CEOs understand that the building up to your planning session and maintaining your exit velocity afterwards are just as critical to growth. On today's show, Greg Fricks explains how his company implemented the annual planning process, the lessons they learned, and how this ongoing process has set them up for continued success.

Guest: Rafael Paniagua, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Rafael is an experienced global leader and a longtime YPO member who is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Prior to becoming a coach, Rafael was a CEO and President in the power, automation, and manufacturing industries, where he led ABB Brazil for seven years. He also led several global businesses as Group Vice President, managing more than 5,000 employees, 14 factories, and operating in more than 30 countries. Episode in a Tweet: Going global could jump start your trajectory towards BIG. Quick Background: The smaller your business is, the more vulnerable it is -- to customer attrition, to supply chain disruption, to ambitious competitors, or to fallout from a global pandemic. Now that you've completed your digital pivot, the size of your potential customer base is limited only by the scope and quality of your sales strategy. A little extra bandwidth and an office in an emerging market stocked with triple-A talent might be all you need to grow your business into an international success. On today's show, Rafael Paniagua shares 4 keys to running a global business and how to make BIG happen by expanding geographically.

Many entrepreneurs and C-suite executives think they're ready to take the BIG job as CEO. But until you've sat in that chair and felt the weight of an entire company -- and the well-being of all its employees -- resting on your shoulders, it's hard to appreciate the level of responsibility you're taking on or anticipate how you as a leader will react to that responsibility. On today's show, Douglas DeBoer shares five things every first-time CEO should be prepared to do to set up their company, their team, and themselves for BIG success.

We've talked a lot in the past year about how moments of disruption can provide entrepreneurs with a BIG opportunity to start a new business. And in this current environment, nimble startups and aggressive existing companies can identify and fulfill customer needs that their larger competitors might be overlooking. That is, as long as the CEO has a clearly defined plan and enough resilience to tackle whatever unforeseen problems are around the corner. On today's show, CEO Coaching International's Jeff Bledsoe explains how he led his food processing startup through the fire -- literally -- to $200 million in revenue and a BIG exit.

Accelerating your company's growth rate involves much more than just improving the sales skills of your team. It takes a combination of truly listening to and understanding what your clients need and positioning your people, services, and products as the ideal, one-stop solution.  On today's show, John Giegerich shares five ways that businesses that have a solid foundation in place can take that next step and empower their sales force to deepen client relationships and generate BIG sales. 

One of the toughest parts of being a CEO is all the distractions. Everybody wants a piece of your time. So how do the best CEOs manage to perform at their peak without getting burned out? How do you develop this personal and work mastery? On today's show, Bruce Bowser shares the key steps entrepreneurs and CEOs can take to take back their time and develop personal and work mastery.

For every Zoom call or Slack message that quickly becomes part of your daily workflow, there's a CRM system that doesn't quite integrate right, a customer service platform that misfires, or an inventory management system that's too cumbersome. Separating tech that could improve your business from so-called "upgrades" that will only cause more problems is going to be key to completing and refining your digital pivot. On today's show, Mike Klaus shares a five-step process for defining, planning, executing, and reviewing your tech investments to make sure they're giving your margins, service, and efficiency a BIG boost.

Guest: Rob Posner, CEO of NewDay USA, a leading mortgage company serving America’s veterans, service members, and their families. Episode in a Tweet: This mortgage company's in-house "university" trains top talent to deliver pandemic-proof customer service. Quick Background: A generation ago, why were aspiring communication pros desperate to work at CBS? Why was Ogilvy top of the list for young advertisers? Why did IBM and Hewlett-Packard hoard top talent in the tech and sales sectors? These companies weren't just industry leaders. They were leaders because of their legendary training programs. The best college graduates knew that once they'd "graduated" from those programs, they'd have the skills to excel either in-house or just about anywhere else they wanted to work. Of course, CEOs who make training central to their culture are the biggest beneficiaries of this kind of investment in talent-building. On today's show, Rob Posner explains how NewDay USA recruits, trains, and develops an exceptional workforce.

Guest: Rekha Skantharaja, the CEO of Tangram Insurance Services and a member of YPO. Episode in a Tweet: Strong leaders draw on their feelings and experiences to "arrive ready" when faced with adversity. Quick Background: As the calendar flips over to 2021, COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out across the U.S. It's looking more and more likely that life and business might start to feel normal again by the second half of next year. So ... What's next? Even if we are able to put the pandemic in the rearview mirror soon, experienced CEOs know that the next major roadblock is just around the corner. Is your business ready to pivot and accelerate through a coming disruption? Is your culture strong enough to absorb a sudden personnel change? Will you be able to lead your company effectively if a personal problem puts new demands on your time and emotional well-being? On today's show, Rekha Skantharaja describes how she has learned to "arrive ready" for any challenge. She also talks about how being open about her personal challenges has helped her to develop into a more inspiring and relatable leader.