The CEO Project Podcast

Jim Schleckser is the Chief Executive Officer of The CEO Project, a business advisory group for accomplished CEOs to help them solve their most challenging issues, resolve constraints, drive growth, and improve outcomes. With 30 years of leadership experience in business strategy, organizational development, sales, marketing, and more, Jim leads global organizations across many functional areas in both public and private environments. He specializes in solving issues that fast-growing firms experience in their business models and processes as they reach high-performance levels. Jim has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and National Public Radio. In this episode… Every accomplished leader utilizes power to achieve business goals and maximize success. So, what are the different types of power, and how can you leverage them to maintain effective leadership? According to business advisor Jim Schleckser, there are two separate categories of power: formal and informal. Formal power includes coercion, reward, and positional power, whereas informal power includes expert, referent, network, influential, information, and moral authority. Formal power is less constructive and most commonly used in hierarchical organizations. Effective leaders employ multiple types of informal power to inspire, motivate, inform, and collaborate with their teams. In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser, Chief Executive Officer at The CEO Project, talks about utilizing forms of power in leadership. He explains the three types of formal power and informal power and discusses how to use each power form in a business environment.

Jim Schleckser is the Chief Executive Officer of The CEO Project, a business advisory group for accomplished CEOs to help them solve their most challenging issues, resolve constraints, drive growth, and improve outcomes. With 30 years of leadership experience in business strategy, organizational development, sales, marketing, and more, Jim leads global organizations across many functional areas in both public and private environments. He specializes in solving issues that fast-growing firms experience in their business models and processes as they reach high-performance levels. Jim has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and National Public Radio. In this episode… With the rise of Generation Z in the workforce, executives must adapt their leadership styles and culture to accommodate this group's unique demands. So, how can you attract and retain Gen Z employees? Generation Z grew up during the digital age and in a culture of security and protection. As a result, they are professionally inexperienced, risk-averse, and have a fear of failure. Simultaneously, this group is achievement-oriented and values professional development. For this reason, Jim Schleckser advises clearly communicating position and company expectations and developing a mentorship with them. It's also necessary to integrate feedback into professional development programs to encourage receptivity. By fostering a smooth transition into the workforce, you can promote Gen Z's strengths. Tune in to this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast as Jim Schleckser, Chief Executive Officer at The CEO Project, talks about coaching Gen Z employees to excel in the workforce. Jim shares Gen Z's characteristics and workplace demands, how to attract and retain these employees, and this group's strengths and weaknesses.

Robert Bell is a Tech Lead, Software Consultant, and Developer at Atomic Object, a software design and development consultancy. As an innovative software developer, he has the capacity to recognize client issues and generate solutions in a quick-paced, intricate, and dynamic setting. Before Atomic Object, Robert was a control and robotics engineer in the automotive industry, where he received the 2011 Heinz Dürr Innovation Award — a prize given by the Dürr AG with over 50 submissions from people in four different continents. In this episode… The workforce is facing a dynamic shift. With the decline of boomers and Generation X, millennials will soon take over leadership roles. As a CEO, how can you ensure that you have talented millennials occupying crucial roles in your company? Millennials are known for their ambition. They want to make a difference, but at the same time, they value autonomy and work-life balance. This group is socially conscious and would easily leave a job that does not align with their values. To attract these employees, Jim Schleckser and Robert Bell suggest establishing yourself as a reputable organization to positively impact employees. By aligning your company's standards with millennials' demands, you can retain millennial employees and bring value to your business. In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser sits down with Robert Bell, the Tech Lead, Software Consultant, and Developer at Atomic Object. Together, they talk about the characteristics that make the millennial workforce unique and how to attract this group of employees. They also share the positive attributes of millennials in the workforce, the importance of people-first culture for millennials, and these employees' biggest motivators.

Jim Schleckser is the Chief Executive Officer of The CEO Project, a business advisory group for accomplished CEOs to help them solve their most challenging issues, resolve constraints, drive growth, and improve outcomes. With 30 years of leadership experience in business strategy, organizational development, sales, marketing, and more, Jim leads global organizations across many functional areas in both public and private environments. He specializes in solving issues that fast-growing firms experience in their business models and processes as they reach high-performance levels. Jim has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and National Public Radio. In this episode… Business negotiations are a lengthy and often arduous process with many characteristics and techniques to hone. So, how can you navigate these deals to reach an effective solution? According to Jim Schleckser, the fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain. When conducting a deal with another businessperson, it's necessary to leverage their risk aversion to expedite the process. By identifying your adversary's greatest fear and offering them a guaranteed solution, you can utilize time value of money to secure a favorable outcome. In today's episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser discusses techniques for effective negotiations. He explains how to identify an adversary's needs, how to negotiate price to reach an advantageous solution, and the importance of expressing gratitude at the conclusion of a negotiation.

Jim Schleckser is the Chief Executive Officer of The CEO Project, a business advisory group for accomplished CEOs to help them solve their most challenging issues, resolve constraints, drive growth, and improve outcomes. With 30 years of leadership experience in business strategy, organizational development, sales, marketing, and more, Jim leads global organizations across many functional areas in both public and private environments. He specializes in solving issues that fast-growing firms experience in their business models and processes as they reach high-performance levels. Jim has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and National Public Radio. In this episode… When negotiating a business deal, do you struggle to reach a viable solution? What are some effective strategies you can utilize to manage difficult negotiations? According to business leader Jim Schleckser, there are two main types of negotiations. A collaborative negotiation utilizes cooperation and understanding to identify your associate's goals and generate a mutually beneficial solution. Conversely, an adversarial negotiation employs force to gain an advantage over your competitor. With this deal, it's crucial to leverage counter techniques such as mirroring and reasoning to mediate your adversary's combative tactics. In today's episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser talks about navigating collaborative and adversarial negotiations. He explains how to negotiate to reach common ground, how to identify and counter adversarial negotiation approaches, and how to leverage confrontational tactics to reach a solution.

Joel Trammell is the Founder of the Texas CEO Magazine and the Co-founder of American CEO, a company that provides educational resources for chief executive officers. He is a successful entrepreneur who has founded four businesses and served as CEO of seven others — from startups to public firms valued at $1 billion. As an author and educator, Joel has extensive experience teaching CEO Master Classes and Managerial Excellence Courses. He regularly speaks at conferences and nationwide events and has contributed to Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Inc.com. He has served on the boards of public, private, and nonprofit organizations and is now on a mission to teach aspiring and established CEOs how to effectively carry out their position. In this episode… A CEO wears many hats. They communicate with management, the board, and the general public while serving as the company's face to internal and external stakeholders. They are in charge of implementing the organization's long-term plan and fostering brand values within the workforce. What does it take to be a successful CEO? Is it enough to be a strong leader with years of experience and expertise? What abilities and traits should you have to help you succeed under pressure? According to Joel Trammell, CEOs are in the people business as much as they are in the marketing and sales business. As a CEO, you should have a good people management system in place. You must also deeply understand how your product is made and why it's bought. In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser continues his conversation with Joel Trammell, the Founder of Texas CEO Magazine and the Co-founder of American CEO. They talk about what makes a good business and a bad business, the characteristics a CEO must have, and the most common issues CEOs usually face. Joel also talks about what he learned from his many businesses through the years and the secret to his most successful ventures.

Joel Trammell is the Founder of the Texas CEO Magazine and the Co-founder of American CEO, a company that provides educational resources for chief executive officers. He is a successful entrepreneur who has founded four businesses and served as CEO of seven others – from start-ups to public firms valued at $1 billion. As an author and educator, Joel has extensive experience teaching CEO Master Classes and Managerial Excellence Courses. He regularly speaks at conferences and nationwide events and has contributed to Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Inc.com. He has served on the boards of public, private, and nonprofit organizations and is now on a mission to teach aspiring and established CEOs how to effectively carry out their position. In this episode… CEOs face difficult situations and must make tough decisions. They are frequently caught between employees, shareholders, and clients who have very different interests, wants, and needs. Given the lens of these various parties, how does a CEO maintain balance and fairness in determining which one has supremacy? Joel Trammell says that a good CEO should be able to effectively identify and manage the two triangles of tension in every business. The first triangle is the external tension – the wants and needs of employees, customers, and shareholders. The second triangle represents the internal tension between the sales group, product group, and marketing group. The role of a CEO is managing the white space, communication, and coordination of those six fundamental areas simultaneously. In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser sits down with Joel Trammell, the Founder of Texas CEO Magazine and the Co-founder of American CEO. They talk about the challenges CEOs face everyday when making crucial decisions for their businesses. Joel also talks about what being an executive means and why hiring should be a continuous process when building a successful company.

There are two reasons to need capital: one reason is to fund growth and another reason to need capital is inventory. In this episode, Jim Schleckser explains why a business needs capital, where to get capital for the business, and why you need to bring capital into your business. He also shares his best tips for bringing capital into your business so make sure to tune in.

Jason Boyce is the Founder and CEO of Avenue7Media, a company that guides brands through the most successful and competitive marketplace in the world — Amazon. They provide tools such as design, research, product development and management, customer service, optimization, and more. Jason's entrepreneurial journey began with dropshipping sports goods, and through this experience, he started Avenue7Media to help others navigate the cutthroat marketing industry. With nearly 20 years of e-commerce and Amazon Marketplace experience, he is the author of The Amazon Jungle. In this episode… In today's dynamic marketplace, it's increasingly difficult to start and grow a business, especially on one of the world's leading sales platforms. Brands struggle to create a competitive sales strategy while providing excellent customer service. So, how can small businesses advance to success? Jason Boyce is optimistic about how brands can leverage the competitive market against large companies. With 20 years of experience in the marketing and sales industries, he understands the challenges of creating a valuable business model to sell exclusive products and generate recurring revenue. Jason advises entrepreneurs how to navigate the dynamic and volatile nature of building a competitive brand. In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Jim Schleckser sits down with Jason Boyce, Founder & CEO of Avenue7Media. They talk about how to competitively navigate the marketing world and achieve success. Jason emphasizes the importance of having a flexible business model, shares tips for adapting to a competitor's strategy, and what to do when things don't go according to plan.

Jim Schleckser is the Chief Executive Officer of The CEO Project, a business advisory group for accomplished CEOs to help them solve their most challenging issues, resolve constraints, drive growth, and improve outcomes. With 30 years of leadership experience in business strategy, organizational development, sales, marketing, and more, Jim leads global organizations across many functional areas in both public and private environments. He specializes in solving issues that fast-growing firms experience in their business models and processes as they reach high-performance levels. Jim has appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and National Public Radio. In this episode… Do you feel like you've hit a plateau in your entrepreneurial career? Is your organization not functioning as adequately as it should? How can you optimize your business processes to improve performance and maximize success? First, CEOs must identify the source of the problem in their business processes. According to keynote speaker and business advisor Jim Schleckser, this "kink" directly affects a company's performance, so it's essential to develop strategies to rectify it. The five hat framework allows CEOs to analyze their data to recognize flaws, enhance their business models to maximize revenue, and leverage talent to improve operations. In today's episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Jim Schleckser, CEO of The CEO Project, to discuss how CEOs can streamline and advance their careers. Jim shares the common mistakes CEOs make, advice for establishing organizational development, and how the five hat model helps CEOs identify the kinks in their business.