The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor

SME Strategy Consulting INC
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The Strategy & Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor explores strategic planning, strategy execution, and executive leadership in complex organizations. Hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, Founder & Principal of SME Strategy, the show features conversations with CEOs and senior leaders on business strategy, organizational alignment, leadership development, and change management. Episodes examine real trade-offs, decision-making, and the practical structures that turn strategic plans into measurable results and sustained team performance. Designed for CEOs and executive teams responsible for making strategic plans work in the real world. Learn more: https://www.smestrategy.net Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

  1. 11h ago

    Fighting for Flawless: A Fighter Pilot and F1 Insider on Building High-Performance Teams

    Episode Description — Spotify body { background: #f9f9f9; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.8; color: #111; max-width: 720px; margin: 60px auto; padding: 0 24px 80px; } p { margin-bottom: 20px; } What separates teams that chase perfection from those that settle for good enough? According to Jason Richardson, it comes down to three things: the culture you build from the roots up, the trust you earn before you need it, and the ownership every leader takes for the environment their team lives in. In this episode of the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jason Richardson, a former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, Cathay Pacific captain, and performance consultant who has worked inside a Formula One team, about what high-performance culture actually looks like when lives and championships are on the line. Jason flew F/A-18s with No. 77 Squadron, earned his command on the A330 and A350, and during COVID brought his aviation expertise into Formula One. He now runs Richardson Human Performance Solutions, helping organizations build the foundational conditions for sustained high performance. Anthony and Jason explore the tree model of organizational performance, why trust, psychological safety, and culture are the root structure everything else depends on, and how aviation's 7,000-page operating manual is a masterclass in delegation. They dig into what it took to align an entire F1 team around a single mission, why trust cannot be enforced, and the counterintuitive move that builds it fastest. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why high performance is a mindset before it is a method, and how that mindset is built, not inherited The tree model of organizational performance: what belongs in the roots, the trunk, and the leaves How aviation systemized delegation and emergency response, and what business leaders can take from it What Jason's work inside a Formula One team revealed about aligning large organizations to a single mission How to build trust quickly, and why acting against your own self-interest is the most powerful move Why high performers want challenge more than money, and how leaders can use that The leadership fractal: why you own the operating environment at every level of the organization Why culture change has to start at the roots before anything else will stick About Jason Richardson Jason Richardson is a former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, qualified flying instructor, and current Cathay Pacific captain on the Airbus A330 and A350. He served with the RAAF from 1992 to 2007, flying F/A-18s with No. 77 Squadron before transitioning to commercial aviation. In 2024 and 2025, Jason worked exclusively with a Formula One team on a culture and identity project, during which time the team climbed two positions in the constructors championship. He founded Richardson Human Performance Solutions in 2019 and is an ICF accredited organizational coach. He is the author of Fighting for Flawless: A Fighter Pilot's Manual for Leading in High-Stakes Environments, available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Connect with Jason Website: https://www.richardsonhps.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsonhps/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@richardsonhps About the Strategy and Leadership Podcast The Strategy and Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, a strategic advisor to mid-market leadership teams ($30M to $300M) across North America. Anthony works directly with CEOs and senior leaders to help them align their teams, clarify priorities, and execute strategy in complex organizations. On this show, he interviews founders, executives, and industry leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. Strategy Resources for Leaders Work with a Strategic Planning Facilitator: https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productions: https://www.rednyne.com

    23 min

  2. May 26

    Your Team Is Watching You Panic: A 36-Year CEO on Leading Through Chaos

    What separates the leaders who scale from the ones who stall? According to Jim Remley, it comes down to three things: the expectations you set, the people you develop, and the financial discipline you build before you need it. In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jim Remley, founder of the largest independent real estate brokerage in Oregon and nationally recognized coach at eRealEstateCoach.com, about what it actually takes to build and lead a high-performance organization through growth, adversity, and market disruption. Jim brings 36 years of experience scaling to 17 offices, 3,000 annual transactions, and $1.4 billion in sales volume, having navigated 9/11, the dot-com crash, the Great Recession, and COVID. He breaks down why most leaders are operating with dangerously low standards, how to differentiate in a commoditized market, and why speaking to the self-interest of the people you lead is not a compromise — it is the strategy. He also shares the 4-month war chest rule, how proprietary value and people training protect a business from competing on price alone, and why a leader's composure sets the performance ceiling for the entire organization. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why leaders and managers are fundamentally different and which one your business actually needsHow to create proprietary value in a commoditized industryWhy your people are the most important competitive differentiator you haveHow to recruit top talent by speaking directly to their self-interestThe 4-month war chest rule and why building it should be a non-negotiable priorityHow to lead calmly through market shocks when everything around you is uncertainWhy world-class expectations produce world-class resultsHow to personalize automated outreach using video so it actually gets watchedAbout Jim Remley Jim Remley is a nationally recognized real estate broker, coach, and author whose career began at age 19. He quickly ranked in the top 1% of REALTORS® nationwide, listing over 150 properties in his first year. At 24, he founded his first real estate company, which grew to 17 offices and became the largest independent real estate brokerage in Oregon, closing 3,000 transactions annually with a sales volume exceeding $1.4 billion. Jim is a sought-after instructor for the National Association of REALTORS, co-founder of the Luxury Home Council, and author of the Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS) designation and three bestselling books, including Sell Your Home in Any Market. He has appeared on CNN's Open House and now coaches office leaders and brokers nationally through eRealEstateCoach.com. Connect with Jim Website: https://erealestatecoach.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-remley YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@eRealEstateCoach TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erealestatecoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erealestatecoach About the Strategy & Leadership Podcast The Strategy & Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, a strategic advisor to mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. Anthony works directly with CEOs and senior leaders to help them align their teams, clarify priorities, and execute strategy effectively in complex organizations. On this show, he interviews founders, executives, and industry leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. Strategy Resources for Leaders Work with a Strategic Planning Facilitator: https://www.smestrategy.net/strategic-planning-facilitator Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productions: https://www.rednyne.com

    21 min

  3. May 19

    How a 102-Year-Old Real Estate Company Stays Relevant: Lessons from Sage CEO Jonathan Iger

    What if the secret to building a company that lasts over a century isn't disruption, technology, or even capital — but the discipline to put relationships before transactions, every single time? In this episode, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Jonathan Iger, CEO and President of Sage, a 102-year-old commercial real estate company that has outlasted every recession, market shift, and industry disruption since 1924. Jonathan shares how Sage has stayed relevant by reading macro shifts before they hit, doubling down on what makes the office irreplaceable, and treating every tenant relationship like a long-term partnership rather than a lease agreement. Anthony and Jonathan explore how elevated consumer expectations are reshaping the workplace, why the best office environments take cues from the hospitality industry, and how a 102-year track record is built not on grand slam moments but on consistently hitting singles across every customer touchpoint. What You'll Learn Why relationship always trumps transaction, even in transactional businessesHow to read macro shifts before they disrupt your industryWhy competing with remote work is the wrong strategy — and what to do insteadHow customer journey mapping drives better experiences at every touchpointWhy the best office environments are built on the hospitality modelHow Sage has retained tenants for over 30 years through deep partnership thinkingWhy time is the most valuable commodity you can give your customersHow a 102-year-old company thinks about long-term bets and strategic focusConnect with Jonathan Iger Website: https://sagerealty.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathaniger/ Strategy Resources for Leaders Download the Strategic Alignment Toolkit: https://www.smestrategy.net/toolkitBook a Strategic Alignment Review: https://www.smestrategy.net/contactLearn more about SME Strategy: https://www.smestrategy.netConnect with Anthony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productions

    29 min

  4. May 12

    The Three Levels of Financial Acumen That Separate Leaders from Operators with Tim Vipond

    Most executives will tell you they understand their business. Ask them to walk you through their financial statements, and the room goes quiet. In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony C. Taylor speaks with Tim Vipond, Co-Founder and CEO of Corporate Finance Institute (CFI), about why financial acumen is a non-negotiable leadership skill and why the rise of AI is making it more critical, not less. Tim breaks down the three levels of financial acumen every leader needs, regardless of role or background, and why most executives are operating with a dangerous gap in their foundational knowledge. Anthony and Tim explore how financial literacy creates alignment across leadership teams, why understanding the numbers leads to shorter and more effective meetings, and how the three financial statements function as the foundation of executive thinking. They also address one of the most common misconceptions in the age of AI: that technology can replace the need for financial understanding, and why leaders who believe this are setting themselves up to be outpaced. What You Will Learn in This Episode The three levels of financial acumen and where most leaders get stuckWhy financial literacy is a universal leadership skill, not just a finance functionHow the three financial statements change the way executives thinkWhy AI makes financial knowledge more important, not lessWhy you can't ask the right questions if you don't understand the numbersWhy clarity is the real goal of good financial analysis, not more dataAbout Tim Vipond Tim Vipond is the Co-Founder and CEO of Corporate Finance Institute (CFI), a global finance education platform serving over 2.8 million learners across 180 countries and the creator of the globally recognized FMVA® certification. Before CFI, Tim worked in investment banking at CIBC, corporate development at Goldcorp, and as VP of Finance at Shoes.com, participating in over $3 billion in transactions. Connect with Tim Website: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timvipond About the Strategy & Leadership Podcast Hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, strategic advisor to mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. On this show, he interviews founders, executives, and industry leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. Strategy Resources for Leaders Strategic Alignment Toolkit: https://www.smestrategy.net/toolkit Book a Strategic Alignment Review: https://www.smestrategy.net/contact SME Strategy: https://www.smestrategy.net Anthony Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productions: https://www.rednyne.com

    20 min

  5. May 5

    3x Inc 5000 Founder: Stop Buying Software. Start Buying Outcomes, with Dustin Domerese

    66% of tech projects never launch. 70% of the ones that do fail to deliver what leadership expected. The problem isn't the technology — it's the C-suite. 3x Inc 5000 founder Dustin Domerese joins Anthony C. Taylor to unpack why mid-market tech rollouts keep failing and what CEOs of $30M–$300M companies need to do differently. In this conversation: - Why your frontline workers aren't the adoption problem (and who is)- The marketing director who walked into a room and silenced 15 people- The "technology troublemakers" already solving problems you don't know exist- How to hire smart, humble, hungry over expensive senior consultants- What questions every leadership team should ask before the next software investment About Dustin Domerese Dustin Domerese is Managing Partner at Dynamic Consultants Group, a 3x Inc. 5000 Microsoft consulting firm. He is a thought leader, bestselling author, and technology innovator within the Microsoft ecosystem, delivering his experience in CRM, ERP, and software development to business leaders and technical teams. Dustin has consulted for more than 300 companies across a wide range of industries and has worked with organizations across the Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce ecosystems. Prior to founding multiple companies, he worked with organizations including Barclays, EMC2, HP, and Microsoft. He is also the founder of PowerLearn Academy, where he helps train and develop the next generation of technology consultants by focusing on building internal talent and capability. Dustin is a global speaker on technology and digital transformation and has presented at conferences around the world. Outside of work, he is an accomplished musician, outdoor enthusiast, and a self-described mostly terrible golfer. Connect with Dustin Website: https://dynamicconsultantsgroup.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-domerese-a0039011/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dynamicconsultantsgroup4151 About the Strategy & Leadership Podcast The Strategy & Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, a strategic advisor to mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. Anthony works directly with CEOs and senior leaders to help them align their teams, clarify priorities, and execute strategy effectively in complex organizations. On this show, he interviews founders, executives, and industry leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. Strategy Resources for Leaders Download the Strategic Alignment Toolkit: https://www.smestrategy.net/toolkit Book a Strategic Alignment Review: https://www.smestrategy.net/contact Learn more about SME Strategy: https://www.smestrategy.net Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productionshttps://www.rednyne.com

    29 min

  6. Apr 28

    Augment, Automate, Aspire: The 3 Tiers of AI Every Leadership Team Must Understand

    What if the biggest mistake leadership teams are making with AI isn’t about the technology at all? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Jeroen De Flander, international expert in AI Strategy and Strategy Execution, keynote speaker, and co-founder of The Performance Factory. Jeroen has worked with more than 500 companies worldwide and has spent decades helping organizations close the gap between strategy and execution. In this conversation, he breaks down a simple but powerful framework for thinking about AI inside your organization: Augment, Automate, Aspire. Anthony and Jeroen explore why most leadership teams are still focused on the wrong level of AI adoption, how strategy is ultimately about making clear choices, including what not to do, and why delegating AI decisions to IT is one of the biggest risks in today’s boardrooms. They also discuss how AI should be treated as a strategic capability, not just a tool, how leaders can use it to improve processes and create new value for customers, and why the real opportunity lies in rethinking business models entirely. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why strategy is fundamentally about making clear choices that last The importance of defining what your organization will not do Jeroen’s 3 A framework: Augment, Automate, Aspire Why most companies are stuck at the lowest level of AI adoption How AI can improve both internal processes and customer value Why leadership teams must own AI strategy instead of delegating it How AI is reshaping business models and long-term competitive advantageAbout Jeroen De FlanderJeroen De Flander is an international expert in AI Strategy and Strategy Execution, and a keynote speaker who has inspired audiences in more than 45 countries. He is a professor at TIAS School for Business and Society and Academic Director for both the Strategy Execution Master and the AI Strategy Program. Jeroen is the bestselling author of several books, including Strategy Execution Heroes, The Execution Shortcut, and The Art of Performance, and creator of The 8 Model. As co-founder of The Performance Factory, he supports organizations in developing practical AI strategies and achieving stronger execution results. He has worked with more than 500 companies worldwide and contributes to the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. His current work focuses on how AI reshapes strategic thinking and execution inside organizations. Connect with Jeroen:Website: https://www.jeroen-de-flander.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroendeflander/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jeroendeflander1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeroendeflander/X: https://x.com/JeroenDeFlander About the Strategy & Leadership PodcastThe Strategy & Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony Taylor, a strategic advisor who works with mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. For more than 15 years, Anthony has been in the room with leadership teams navigating growth, transitions, and the alignment challenges that come with scaling complex organizations. On this show, he interviews CEOs, founders, and senior leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. If you lead a team and want to get better at it, subscribe. Strategy Resources for LeadersDownload the Strategic Alignment Toolkithttps://www.smestrategy.net/toolkit Book a Strategic Alignment Reviewhttps://www.smestrategy.net/contact Learn more about SME Strategyhttps://www.smestrategy.net Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productionshttps://www.rednyne.com

    27 min

  7. Apr 21

    Eric Ries on Why Most ‘Best Practices’ Are Quietly Killing the Companies That Follow Them

    What happens when success itself starts pulling your company away from its mission? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author of Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad… and How Great Companies Stay Great. Eric is best known for The Lean Startup, a book that reshaped how modern companies are built. In this conversation, he expands on that foundation and challenges one of the most deeply held assumptions in business: that corruption and failure are the result of bad actors rather than flawed systems. Anthony and Eric explore why even well-intentioned leaders and organizations drift toward short-term thinking, how “financial gravity” pulls companies away from their purpose, and what it takes to design organizations that can scale without losing their mission. They also discuss the role of governance as a strategic advantage, why trust is one of the most valuable assets a company can build, and how leaders can rethink profit, accountability, and long-term value creation in a way that aligns performance with purpose. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why good companies go bad even with strong leadershipHow structural design, not morality, drives long-term outcomesWhat “financial gravity” is and how it impacts decision-makingWhy governance should be treated as a strategic function, not complianceHow to build organizations that scale without losing their missionAbout Eric Ries Eric Ries is an entrepreneur, author, and creator of the Lean Startup methodology, which has influenced how a generation of companies approach innovation and growth. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup, as well as The Startup Way and The Leader’s Guide. Over the past two decades, Eric has worked with founders, executives, and investors to rethink how organizations are built and governed. He is the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange and has launched multiple companies, including IMVU and Answer.AI. His latest book, Incorruptible, explores how organizations can be designed to resist short-term pressures, build trust, and create long-term value without losing their core mission. About the Strategy & Leadership Podcast The Strategy & Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony Taylor, a strategic advisor who works with mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. For more than 15 years, Anthony has been in the room with leadership teams navigating growth, transitions, and the alignment challenges that come with scaling complex organizations. On this show, he interviews CEOs, founders, and senior leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. If you lead a team and want to get better at it, subscribe. Strategy Resources for Leaders Download the Strategic Alignment Toolkithttps://www.smestrategy.net/toolkit Book a Strategic Alignment Reviewhttps://www.smestrategy.net/contact Learn more about SME Strategyhttps://www.smestrategy.net Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productionshttps://www.rednyne.com

    31 min

  8. Apr 14

    How a 9-Figure Founder Aligns Leadership Teams Around What Actually Drives Value

    Why Your Leadership Team Isn’t Aligned on What Actually Drives Value with Lee Benson What happens when a leadership team can’t agree on what actually drives value? In this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, Anthony Taylor speaks with Lee Benson, a multi-exit CEO who has built and sold companies ranging from seven to nine figures and developed a practical methodology for aligning teams around what matters most. Lee has spent decades working with leadership teams across organizations of all sizes, helping them close the gap between strategy and execution by focusing on one critical idea: every team must be aligned around a single Most Important Number that reflects the value they are designed to create. In this conversation, Anthony and Lee explore why most leadership teams struggle to clearly define what drives value, how misalignment shows up across departments, and why measuring the wrong things creates friction, slows execution, and limits growth. They also discuss the role of the CEO in driving value, how to cascade priorities across an organization, and why avoiding hard conversations around performance is one of the biggest barriers to alignment and results. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why most leadership teams are not aligned on what actually drives value How to define the Most Important Number for your organization and teams The hidden cost of measuring the wrong metrics across departments Why misalignment creates execution gaps and slows growth How strong leaders handle performance and accountability conversationsAbout Lee Benson Lee Benson is a multi-exit CEO, founder, and leadership advisor. He is the CEO of Execute to Win and the creator of the MIND Methodology (Most Important Number and Drivers), a framework designed to help organizations align teams, improve execution, and increase business value over time. Over the past 25 years, Lee has founded multiple companies with exits ranging from seven to nine figures and has worked with hundreds of leadership teams to accelerate value creation. About the Strategy & Leadership Podcast The Strategy & Leadership Podcast is hosted by Anthony Taylor, a strategic advisor who works with mid-market leadership teams ($30M–$300M) across North America. For more than 15 years, Anthony has been in the room with leadership teams navigating growth, transitions, and the alignment challenges that come with scaling complex organizations. On this show, he interviews CEOs, founders, and senior leaders about what actually works when strategy has to survive execution. If you lead a team and want to get better at it, subscribe. Strategy Resources for Leaders Download the Strategic Alignment Toolkit https://www.smestrategy.net/toolkit Book a Strategic Alignment Review https://www.smestrategy.net/contact Learn more about SME Strategy https://www.smestrategy.net Connect with Anthony Taylor on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/ Produced by Rednyne Productions https://www.rednyne.com

    27 min
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About

The Strategy & Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor explores strategic planning, strategy execution, and executive leadership in complex organizations. Hosted by Anthony C. Taylor, Founder & Principal of SME Strategy, the show features conversations with CEOs and senior leaders on business strategy, organizational alignment, leadership development, and change management. Episodes examine real trade-offs, decision-making, and the practical structures that turn strategic plans into measurable results and sustained team performance. Designed for CEOs and executive teams responsible for making strategic plans work in the real world. Learn more: https://www.smestrategy.net Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

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