CEO Coaching International Podcast

A successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. And just like long-distance runners and Ironman competitors, good CEOs have to prepare for “hitting the wall”: that inevitable point in your company’s progress where you’re just not progressing anymore. Growth stagnates. Gears grind. The next BIG goal is one step in front of you, but you can’t find the energy to move your feet. In her career as an entrepreneur and executive, Ramona Capello earned a reputation for breathing life back into dying businesses. On today’s show, she explains why companies of all sizes hit the wall and how the best CEOs break through and start growing again.

Many ambitious companies learn too late that there’s a BIG difference between the size of your total market and the size of your addressable market. But focusing on your addressable market without limiting your growth potential can be tricky, especially if you don’t have a clear vision forward and a mastery of the key numbers driving your business. On today’s show, former Samsung NeuroLogica CEO Phil Sullivan discusses a three-step process he used at Samsung that will keep your company’s growth and the size of your addressable market in sync.

One of the biggest challenges companies face is how to hire great people at a reasonable price in one of the tightest labor markets on record. There's simply not enough qualified talent to fill everybody's needs, especially if your company is early in its growth journey and trying to catch the giants in your field. Smart companies are thinking more broadly and more globally about how to solve this pain point. But lingering misconceptions about offshoring can discourage CEOs from investigating what could be a talent gold mine. On today's episode, Chris Van Vladricken answers all your questions about offshoring including: service options, the hiring process, costs, and how the nuts-and-bolts infrastructure works to keep your local employees and remote workers in sync.

The battle for the best talent is as fierce right now as it’s ever been. The best performing companies spare no expense when it comes to recruiting top performers. And young companies just starting down the road to BIG need to make sure they’re not stuck settling for second-best. How? One: make sure your employee compensation package is stellar. Two: make sure you’re not so busy shopping in the same crowded talent pool that you’re overlooking other ways to hire the best performers for the jobs you need done. Mastering number two is a BIG reason Jim Bennett grew Unishippers from 0 to $120 million. In this conversation, recorded live at the 6th Annual CEO Coaching International Summit held in Santa Monica, CA, Jim and coach Don Schiavone discuss how Jim recruited unconventional employees and then trained them up into a major differentiator between his company and the competition.

One of the reasons that I started the annual CEO Coaching International Summit is that I wanted our clients and friends to have a forum where they could learn about what’s next. Our speakers have talked about new products, emerging markets, outside-the-box problem solving, and some really mind-blowing tech. Thanks to Cyrus Sigari, we can add flying cars to our list. And if you think that sounds far-fetched, think again. According to Cyrus, heavy hitters like Google, Uber, Boeing, and Airbus are all battling to be first to market with small, affordable aircraft that are as easy to drive as a car. This space is going to explode sooner rather than later, and the implications for all businesses could be huge. But I’m so proud that our Summit is also a place where CEOs can learn from leaders like Cyrus, whose personal story is maybe more amazing than the work he’s doing. His family fled the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and as he grew up in the States, Cyrus fell in love with aviation. He learned to fly while he was a teenager and started his company right out of college. Then, a series of personal challenges led Cyrus on a spiritual journey that’s helped him redefine everything he does in business and in life. In this presentation, recorded live at the 6th Annual CEO Coaching International Summit held in Santa Monica, CA, Cyrus Sigari talks about how he arrived at his Most Transformative Purposes, and how all CEOs have to step outside of their businesses if they truly want to make BIG happen.

Some CEOs were surprised when Business Roundtable redefined the purpose of a corporation to include promoting “An Economy That Serves All Americans.” But some of the most successful companies that we work with at CEO Coaching International are the ones that have a vision beyond profit. They’re the companies that are actively asking employees what’s important to them. They’re turning down huge cash infusions from celebrity investors because they believe their products can improve the environment. They’re finding innovative new ways to let employees earn ownership and grow their personal wealth. And they’re being intentional about how they build their legacies. On today’s show, we welcome back Kerry Siggins to discuss the grassroots efforts she’s undertaken to promote a global safety movement in her industry. Starting a movement definitely isn’t for every CEO. But it’s leaders like Kerry who are leading their employees and their businesses towards BIG things beyond the business.

The BIGGEST and best businesses are about more than just business. They’re an expression of the CEO’s professional and personal values that can impact the world for generations. Building that kind of enduring legacy takes clear vision and intentional planning. That’s why Mark Moses and the CEO Coaching International team have developed a series of exercises that CEOs can use to clarify goals and create missions that transcend profit. On today’s episode, Mark Moses walks us thorough those six exercises and explains how his own responses have shaped his approach to legacy planning. Mark also shares FREE tools that CEOs and entrepreneurs can download right now that will help you think about how you are living your life and what you may want to do differently to create a lasting legacy.

A good CEO is always looking for ways to inspire his team and encourage employees to take ownership of their work. One way to do that? Let your employees earn some real ownership. Top young talents want to feel like they’re a real part of the companies they work for. More and more CEOs are setting up Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) to provide that incentive, that motivation, and that feeling of being a part of something BIGGER than profit. On today’s show, Adam and Jason Svet discuss the business and culture fit issues that CEOs who are interested in an ESOP should consider. They also talk about the nuts and bolts process of setting up an ESOP and how going through the process helped them to put their company’s values in action and get their employees thinking and working BIG.

Most companies get customer service all wrong. They make a big show of designing shiny apps, building amazing showrooms, and rolling out cutting edge products. But they forget to put a laser focus on who actually pays for all that—the customer! When you deepen your customer relationships and focus on creating a memorable experience, you can charge a premium price and retain clients for life. “Technology is only 10% of the experience,” says customer service expert John DiJulius, while your person who delivers the service is the other 90%. “Technology can never build a rapport, show empathy, or make a brilliant comeback when we drop the ball, but you can,” he said. Many businesses are trying to de-emphasize the importance of the employee and replace them with chat bots and AI. But that technology will never outperform a well-trained human who steps in when your customer needs personalized help. In this presentation, recorded live at the 2019 CEO Coaching International Summit, John DiJulius explains how you can train your team to own every problem, make meaningful connections with every customer, and create a world-class customer experience that will drive BIG business.

If Emma Cohen and her collapsible, reusable straws sound familiar, you probably caught her appearance on the TV show “Shark Tank.” After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Emma stood face-to-face with sharks Mark Cuban and Mr. Wonderful himself, Kevin O’Leary, to try to secure an investment. And not only did Emma field multiple offers from the sharks … she actually turned them down! On today’s episode, recorded live at the 6th Annual CEO Coaching International Summit held in Santa Monica, CA, Emma Cohen and her coach, Chris Larkins, discuss where she got the courage to make such a difficult call and stand her ground against the sharks. Fans of “Shark Tank” are going to enjoy Emma’s  behind-the-scenes peek at how the show really works. But the lessons Emma learned are going to help all entrepreneurs who are fine-tuning their pitches and deciding how much an injection of much-needed cash is really worth.