Strategic Podcast Network

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Channel • 6 Shows

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Updated Biweekly
Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Updated Monthly
Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Updated May 20
Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Updated Biweekly
Self-Improvement

Self-Improvement

Updated Weekly
Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Updated Bimonthly

Jun 16

Unlock A Fourth Level Of Thinking That Elite Entrepreneurs Rely On

Everyone knows what cognitive thinking is, but what about metacognitive thinking? Dan Sullivan uses this term to describe the kind of thinking The Strategic Coach® Program develops in entrepreneurs. In this episode, Dan and fellow business coach Shannon Waller explore metacognitive thinking and how it helps the right kind of entrepreneurs achieve their biggest dreams with greater clarity and confidence. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode: The three levels of thinking most people rely on in daily life.The fourth level of thinking that unlocks your best entrepreneurial ideas.Dan’s first childhood experience of thinking about his thinking.The question that set Dan on a completely different life path from his peers.Why entrepreneurs gain an unfair advantage when they learn to think about their thinking. Show Notes: One level of thinking is thinking about things. People like things, and they often use shared things as common ground for conversation. The second level of thinking is thinking about people, which is why social media has become such a powerful phenomenon. For most people, thinking about things and thinking about people uses up almost all of their available mental time. The third level of thinking is thinking about thoughts, which is the focus of higher education and high-level media. In higher education, professors typically teach other people’s thinking rather than developing and teaching their own. The fourth level of thinking, which very creative people—and especially entrepreneurs—can access, is thinking about your thinking. Thinking about your thinking gives you the ability to deliberately change how you’re thinking about a situation or problem. Strategic Coach® provides hundreds of thinking tools to help entrepreneurs think about their thinking in structured, practical ways. Your emotions are not a direct response to what happens outside of you; they’re a response to how you’re thinking about what happens. Resources: My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability®

Jun 16

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39 min
Jun 10

Not Being Normal Is Your Biggest Advantage, with Andy Howard

Andy Howard always knew he didn’t think like everyone else, and school confirmed it. Today, he runs Karuna Impact, a niche property business that converts underused commercial buildings into homes and channels a third of its profits to fight child bed poverty. Discover how Strategic Coach® helped Andy transform discomfort and loss into clarity, confidence, and a powerful freedom of purpose. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode: Why Andy’s entrepreneurial mind didn’t fit formal education.What Andy started doing after school that finally felt energizing.How a neglected niche in property became a huge growth opportunity.How Andy has gained confidence and clarity through Strategic Coach.What sparked Andy’s renewed sense of purpose as an entrepreneur. Show Notes: Many successful entrepreneurs don’t thrive in school, so they use their own experience as their real education. Most coaching programs focus on goals and tactics; Strategic Coach focuses on expanding your freedom. Freedom isn’t handed to you—you earn it through the entrepreneurial journey. To be free in any area of life, you first need freedom over your time. As you grow your personal freedom, you naturally create greater value for others. For many entrepreneurs, work loses its energy once it feels routine. Big opportunities often live in niches that most people overlook. Social impact and company profitability aren’t mutually exclusive; a well-designed business can achieve both. Strategic Coach thinking tools help you get crystal clear on your vision and the people needed to achieve it. Every Program Coach is an entrepreneur, so they coach from real-world experience, not theory. Finding a community of like-minded entrepreneurs makes it easier to take risks and pursue bigger freedoms. Clarifying your freedom of purpose gives you the motivation to keep growing long after you’ve hit your initial goals. Resources: Karuna Impact The Kolbe A™ Index The Impact Filter® The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Everything Is Created Backward by Dan Sullivan

Jun 10

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20 min
May 5

The Powerful Mindset That Makes 10x Growth Feel Easy

Every entrepreneur would love to go 10x. So what’s holding them back? In this episode, business coaches Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller share the mindset you need to experience major business growth. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode: The incorrect way that most people interpret 10x.How you can learn about going 10x from looking at your past.Why people are currently experiencing 10x greater growth very easily.How to think of 10x in terms of entrepreneurial freedoms. Show Notes: The world is progressing on the basis of new tools, new technologies, and new opportunities. We’ve all gone 10x many times in our lives. It’s useful for entrepreneurs to look at how they’ve grown within the framework of their entrepreneurial lives. You can look at massive growth as a series of 10x jumps. If you don’t have a deadline for it, it’s only a wish. Entrepreneurs don’t drive themselves crazy with their goals, they drive themselves crazy with their deadlines. Money you make can be good or bad depending on the activity and who is writing you the check. The four entrepreneurial freedoms are freedom of time, money, relationship, and purpose. All entrepreneurs seek the freedom to focus on whatever they want to focus on. Looking ahead doesn’t tell you how to go 10x. Change is a natural part of being an entrepreneur. Resources: 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Four Freedoms The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan

May 5

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18 min
May 19

How To Create A Company That Top Talent Never Wants To Leave

Every great entrepreneur wants (and deserves) to have a dependable team around them so they can be freed up to develop new ideas and focus on growing their business. But how do you get one? After all, the first question most entrepreneurs ask when they join The Strategic Coach® Program is, “Where do you find such great team members?” In this episode of Inside Strategic Coach, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller finally answer this question in-depth. From identifying and nurturing Unique Ability® within a team and creating a positive and collaborative work culture to investing in team members’ growth, Dan and Shannon share everything that makes Strategic Coach® a magnet for skilled and passionate talent—and how to become one too. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode: The number one tool necessary for building and maintaining a great team.How to determine if an activity is right for a person.Why Strategic Coach team members don’t really need to be managed, monitored, or motivated.How Strategic Coach creates an incredible sense of safety for its team members.The two things that team members are looking for.Why you should think of hiring someone as an investment, not a cost. Show Notes: At Strategic Coach, you’re always either winning or learning. There are a lot of Coach tools that support having a great team. Everybody's on their own unique growth path in terms of who they are and the kind of work they’re most likely to enjoy and excel at. Strategic Coach team members can continually focus their time at work on doing what they’re excited about. The moment someone is hired, Coach invests in learning about who that person is and how they can grow their skills. At Strategic Coach, if something doesn’t work, the system gets blamed, not the individual. The four core values of Strategic Coach (PAGE) are: positive and collaborative teamwork, being alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful, getting results, and providing an excellent first-class experience. Strategic Coach has uniformly very helpful and very positive staff. Some Coach clients have been with the company for 15, 20, 25 years, and so have some team members. The educational system generally disparages successful business people. Almost all Coach team members are directly in contact on a person to person level with the company’s clients. A team member can’t be at their best if they don’t feel safe. If you want great team members, you have to be a great entrepreneur. And that also includes being a great person. Great team members who want a bigger future aren't interested in being with someone who doesn't have any future. If you're going to be able to attract and retain the best people out there, you can’t have an entitled attitude. Resources: Unique AbilityⓇ Article: Your Business Is a Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show on the Front Stage The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller Everyone And Everything Grows by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

May 19

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36 min
2d ago

The Team Members You Never Have To Think About

Do you ever feel like you spend more time following up than moving forward? In this episode, Shannon Waller reveals how consistent, count‑on‑able team members reduce mental drag, speed up execution, and protect your client experience—and why occasional brilliance is never a substitute for reliability. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Consistency creates certainty, and certainty is one of the most valuable things a team can give an entrepreneur. A truly valuable team member is someone you can count on without having to think about them. Consistency does not mean being boring, robotic, or perfect; it means showing up in a reliable way that others can trust. The four Referability Habits™—show up on time, do what you say, finish what you start, and say please and thank you—create trust inside a company as well as with clients. Inconsistent behavior creates “open files,” mental drag, and unnecessary management costs for leaders and teammates. When someone is working in their Unique Ability®, they follow through without prompting, move projects forward faster, and consistently raise the quality of your team’s results. Quiet, dependable team members often create more long-term value than dramatic people with flashes of occasional brilliance. If you’re constantly checking, wondering, following up, or building backup plans, inconsistency is already costing you. Entrepreneurs need to treat consistency as a measurable form of value, not just a nice personality trait. A consistency audit can quickly reveal who creates confidence, who creates question marks, and where role fit may be off. Clear coaching around expectations can improve consistency, but repeated inconsistency is often a sign that a person is in the wrong role or the wrong company. The more consistent your team is, the more freedom you gain to focus on growth, innovation, and the overall future of your company. Resources: Unique Ability® 4 Ways To Increase Your Credibility And Referability—Fast The Kolbe A™ Index Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller

2d ago

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22 min
Jun 2

Real Entrepreneurial Creativity Can’t Be Copied

Entrepreneurs often need to be creative to have a profitable business. What do you do when you aren’t a creative person? In this episode, business coaches Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller talk about the “why” and “how” of imitating other people in order to achieve business success. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode: Why we imitate other people’s performance.The reason Dan never attends workshops by other coaches.How real creativity involves grafting.How uses of technology can be a step back instead of a step forward. Show Notes: There are two timeless ways of learning and improving yourself: imitating other people's performance, and repetition. Humans are the only species that can use their brains to access the uniqueness of other people's brains. We all imitate other people, whether we like to admit it or not. If you're creative, and you come across someone who's more creative, you imitate, but at a certain point, you make it your own. What an imitating person does, and for how long they do it, tells you whether they're just an imitator or whether they're creative. If you appreciate someone else’s skills, you can translate them into your own world. Creative people can be polarizing. You create a new capability using vision and obstacles. The combination of two people’s uniqueness creates something brand new. People who imitate but aren’t creative are stealing. In a world of AI imitation, creative people are going to get wildly more creative to differentiate themselves from robots. Resources: Unique Ability® Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan

Jun 2

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23 min
Apr 21

Just Because You’re Busy Doesn’t Mean You’re Productive

A lot of people go to great lengths to always appear busy. But should you really see being busy as a badge of honor? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explain why the answer is “no.” Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode: What busy people are really after.How busy people are actually wasting energy.How to achieve results more easily using teamwork.Why there’s a real cost for entrepreneurs who are focused on being busy. Show Notes: People try to establish their value by always being busy. Being busy has nothing to do with any kind of results. As results oriented people get better at what they do, they achieve their desired results by being less busy. Depending on the rules you set up in your company, either being busy or achieving results will be rewarded. Busy people see it as dangerous to not be seen on any workday. In large bureaucracies, you get promoted on the basis of your busyness because the organization’s purpose is to be seen as busy. Entrepreneurial companies get connected to the marketplace very quickly. There’s no progress without measurement. Entrepreneurs tend to make for really lousy employees. We’re always ignorant and incapable when we start anything new. Resources: “Geometry” For Staying Cool & Calm by Dan Sullivan The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Time Management Article: Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage by Shannon Waller The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan

Apr 21

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17 min
Jun 11

The Hidden Cost Of “I’ll Just Do It Myself,” with Terry Pham

Entrepreneurs are brilliant at solving everyone else’s problems, but often get stuck in their own because they won’t fully leverage support. In this episode, Shannon Waller and Terry Pham discuss the five biggest delegation roadblocks, how to build a true strategic partnership with your executive assistant, and why letting go is the fastest way to 10x your impact. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: A truly great executive assistant (EA) is a strategic partner with a “heart of hospitality” whose strengths complement your own, anticipating your needs and future points of friction so you can stay in your Unique Ability®. Terry’s five delegation roadblocks show up in almost every entrepreneurial business. “It takes too much time so I’ll just do it myself” is usually a bad math problem where five-minute tasks, repeated all year, slowly add up to days of lost focus. “No one can do this like me” is only true for activities in your Unique Ability; everything else should be delegated so you can spend your best hours on the thinking, relationships, and creativity that actually grow the business. “I didn’t know I could delegate this” is common for rugged individualists who’ve built unconscious competence and simply stopped seeing tasks that could be handed off. “I actually enjoy doing it” often hides a procrastination strategy where you choose familiar, low-stakes tasks like emails, meetings, and quick fixes over the strategic, uncomfortable work only you can do. “I don’t believe I deserve support” is usually about ego or false humility and can stop entrepreneurs from fully using an EA even after they’ve hired one. Reframing support around impact, contribution, and your company’s bigger future makes it easier to receive help without getting stuck in self-judgment. Monthly “stop, start, continue” conversations in both directions, plus daily SSS feedback (short, soon, specific), clear up unspoken expectations, improve teamwork and performance, and keep frustration from building up under the surface. The courage to fully delegate is often triggered when you commit to a bigger goal that simply cannot be reached if you keep doing everything yourself. Entrepreneurs who aren’t willing to grow, let go of control, or treat people respectfully are not ready for an EA and will burn through support quickly. If you treat an EA as a cost instead of an investment, you’ll miss the massive multiplication in time, energy, and opportunity they can create for you. The best EA relationships are built on mutual respect, shared values, and a genuine desire to protect each other’s Unique Ability and well-being. Resources: Superpowers Setting the Table by Danny Meyer Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara Unique Ability® How To Sell Transformation Using This One Question The D.O.S. Conversation® by Dan Sullivan The Kolbe A™ Index Superpowered by Shannon Waller, Steven Neuner, and Ryan Cassin The Eisenhower Matrix The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan Frequency Assessment

Jun 11

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1h 2m
May 20

Find Your Fellow Gritty, Courageous Entrepreneurs, with Eric Hansen

Eric Hansen built his business the hard way—decades of grit, risk, and going it alone. But he hit a ceiling he couldn’t break through by himself. In this episode, Eric shares how joining The Strategic Coach® Program helped him multiply his business, reclaim his time, and design a more balanced, purposeful entrepreneurial life. Here’s some of what you’ll learn in this episode: Why entrepreneurs talk about completely different things with one another than anyone else in their lives.The two crucial stages that signal you’re ready to join The Strategic Coach Program.Why Eric said no to Coach for years—and what finally changed his mind.The kind of wireless telecommunications company Eric has been growing for nearly three decades.How Eric has actually gained more free time and freedom as his company has scaled. Show Notes: When corporate executives meet, they share wins. When professionals meet, they discuss problems. When entrepreneurs meet, they trade stories about their biggest failures and comebacks. Entrepreneurs routinely put themselves into situations where they have to grow as people in order to create the solutions they need. Great entrepreneurs are always acquiring new capabilities, and that continual growth is what builds their confidence. The most successful entrepreneurs can go through almost any kind of trouble and still find a way to come out stronger on the other side. In the Strategic Coach® community, you never have to explain yourself because everyone has lived through their own version of the challenges you’re describing. It’s a powerful advantage for a new entrepreneur to admit they don’t know everything and be open to learning. Companies, like people, move through distinct phases of growth, and each phase demands a different kind of leadership. When you’re staring down potential business ruin, you quickly discover who you are and what you’re really made of. Grit is a crucial entrepreneurial capability that never shows up neatly on a resume and is almost impossible to judge on the surface. Most small businesses don’t survive beyond their first few years, which makes staying power and resilience a serious competitive advantage. The willingness to be vulnerable, especially after major setbacks, can become one of an entrepreneur’s greatest superpowers. Resources: The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan Grit by Angela Duckworth The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brook The Impact Filter®

May 20

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33 min
2025-02-13

Finding Your Right-Hand: The Essential Guide To Number Two Leaders, with Alec Broadfoot

Do you understand the transformative power of hiring the right number two leader? In this episode, Shannon Waller and Alec Broadfoot discuss the essential qualities of an effective second-in-command and the critical role of a structured interview process in identifying top talent. Learn how assessments and strategic questioning can improve your hiring strategy and drive lasting success. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Understanding the role of a number two leader is crucial for entrepreneurial success. Hiring the right second-in-command can significantly improve your business operations. Most entrepreneurs face people problems, not process problems. A number two leader should oversee daily operations, freeing up visionaries to focus on their areas of Unique Ability®. The right number two leader will thrive on the challenges that visionaries find tedious. Letting go of certain responsibilities can lead to increased joy and energy for visionary leaders, ultimately driving profit. The Talent Impact Profile™ (TIP) is a valuable tool for identifying the right characteristics in a number two leader. Building a strong partnership with your number two can transform both your business and personal life. A structured interview process is essential for identifying the right number two leader. Common mistakes in interviewing include relying solely on “gut” feelings instead of data-driven insights and ignoring cultural fit. Candidates need to align with your company’s values. The best time to fire a poor performer is during the interview process. The average interview predicts success about 14% of the time, but using an assessment tool can raise your success rate to upwards of 52%. Once they’re hired, it’s crucial to provide the new leader with ongoing support and clear expectations to ensure they can thrive in their role. Characteristics of a successful second-in-command: Strategic thinking: The ability to think critically and plan effectively. Planning and organization skills: A knack for creating and implementing processes. People orientation: A focus on developing and nurturing team members. Coaching ability: Enjoyment in holding others accountable and managing performance. Strong communication skills: The capacity to convey information clearly and effectively. Right fit: Compatibility with your company culture and values. Resources: Vision Spark Hiring Your Right #2 Leader by Alec Broadfoot Delegate Solutions How The Best Get Better® by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability® Talent Impact Profile™ Kolbe A™ Index The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller

2025-02-13

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51 min

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