The Workaround by Bob Gilbreath Podcast

Bob Gilbreath
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

I will help you find shortcuts to business success and personal growth by sharing my stories of ups and downs on my journey through corporate innovation and software startups. Join thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators who read each week. theworkaround.substack.com

  1. 6d ago

    Sell Your Shares, See Your Clients, Stop Buying Stuff?

    It’s another Bob’s Bites, where every couple of weeks, I share a handful of short stories and lessons…Today: 1. Sell Your Shares—separating your money from your mind 2. “Clients went feral after COVID”—is this why client success has gotten harder? 3. What Happens When People Don’t Want More Stuff?—a preview of life to come?   Relevant links: Netflix Co-founder on why to sell your shares: https://marcrandolph.substack.com/p/betting-everything-on-your-company Why Japanese People Don't "Want" Things Anymore”: https://substack.com/@jameslucasit/note/c-202186114 Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    10 min

  2. May 20

    To My Greatest Business and Life Partner

    I’ve got a list of hundreds of “true business stories with a life lesson” from my career. I think now’s a good time to tell a really special one. After all, it’s our 30th anniversary in a few days. Not long after I met Steph, I wanted her to be my life partner. I didn’t know I would be getting a priceless business partner in the process. This is the story of how her belief in me helped me believe in myself and go on to have the career of my dreams. Relevant links: Bob’s Substack: https://theworkaround.substack.com/ Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    17 min

  3. May 13

    Name the Change You're Making

    Businesses spend nearly $1 trillion each year on advertising their brands, taglines, and other handfuls of words in hopes that their customers remember something pleasant about them when it’s time to buy. Words are portable thoughts, after all. And the more memorable the words, the more likely the thoughts are to spread and stick. While advertising has been a well-known tool for millennia, very few leaders similarly understand the power of their words within their businesses. By carefully crafting and promoting the words that communicate your strategic choices and areas of focus among employees, you can lead thousands of them to harmonize in ways that drive remarkable success. Relevant links: Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    19 min

  4. May 6

    You're (No Longer) Dead to Me

    ~Michael Prince was removed from the team. Alas, another sign of our times…^^^ Last week brought me two examples of someone leaving an organization and its leader pretending they never existed. No announcement. No clue what happened. Just a Teams message that they were removed. Of course, we all eventually figured it out by speaking with the person. Truth finds a way. This is one of the countless little tests—or tells—of how evolved a leader is, both on the outside and on the inside. I should know, because I failed this test several times. This is a story about finally passing, by getting past my own fears. Relevant links: How a Company Motto Affects Change (our story of turning culture into a competitive advantage): https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/how-a-company-motto-affects-change Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    15 min

  5. Apr 29

    We Need More "Augusta Rules"

    Despite wars, inflation, and increasingly scarce jet fuel supplies, there will be another record year of travelers funneling into the world’s most wonderful places. These travelers are armed with their cell phones and determined to prove that they’ve been there, done that. If you insist on joining them, watch for sharp elbows and stay out of their selfie shot range. Oh, and expect the actual artwork to be a lot farther away than you imagined. This intro might sound like an old man revving up to b***h at a cloud. But read on, and you’ll find some real business advice: You have more freedom than you realize when you own a high-demand, limited-supply product. And by sacrificing short-term profit and customer griping, you may make it better for everyone. Relevant links: EconTalk -The Economics of Scarcity and the UNC-Duke Basketball Game https://www.econtalk.org/the-economics-of-scarcity-and-the-unc-duke-basketball-game-with-michael-munger/ Photography in Museums and Social Transformations: Can Institutions Balance their Identity with Visitors’ Needs? https://medium.com/@theredstudio.blog_25703/photography-in-museums-and-social-transformations-can-institutions-balance-their-identity-with-bc91407ab8ba Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    18 min

  6. Apr 22

    The Social Norms That Build Business

    Please Be Kind, Rewind. It’s one of many phrases that define my Generation X. The request to rewind was meant to help the next customer get their returned tape faster and spare the poor worker the mind-numbing job of rewinding tapes all day. The kindness of strangers helped us secure a copy of Die Hard for the weekend. These memories came back as I noticed a more recent example of a company making a request. Today, I want to draw your attention to a key part of the economy that gets little attention. But it might be something that can improve your business by asking customers to help make it better for everyone. Relevant links: Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    12 min

  7. Apr 15

    Retiring Early with Scott Aaron

    Scott Aaron recently wrapped up a long career focused on market research and strategic insights. He has worked at a combination of BigCo, agency, scaling startup, and his own consultancy. We bumped into each other randomly for 20 years, then began sitting down for quarterly coffees. We talk business, guitars, and especially our shift away from full-time careers as 50-somethings. Some might even call this “early retirement.” Scott stepped away from his job last year, and I finally had the chance to drag him in front of a mic to share his story of making the move. Here are a few things we discuss: ·      What goes into making the decision to punch out (early) ·      It takes time to unwind ·      Self-work becomes the work ·      We need a new name for this stage While our conversation will be especially relevant for people nearing the precipice of hanging it up, I think there’s much more value here for those who are earlier in their careers. They have the chance to make small changes today to put themselves in a perfect position far down the line. Relevant Links: Scott Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-aaron-b30a271/ Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    1h 10m

  8. Apr 8

    Revealing My Alter Ego: The Sign Avenger

    There are some pretty obscure superheroes in the Marvel Universe. ForgetMeNot has the power to make people forget he exists the moment they stop looking at him. He’s been a member of the X-Men for years, but no one remembers. Gin Genie creates seismic vibrations, but only when drunk. Bailey Hoskins has the power to explode…once. You might remember him from X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever. But there is a hero even Marvel forgot to cover: The Sign Avenger. By day, he’s Bob, a mild-mannered advertising industry executive. But on the weekends, he fights evil-doers by using his powers to spot illegally placed advertisements and remove them. For years, only his wife, children, and a handful of close friends knew of my alter ego. But now is the time to reveal all. This is my origin story…and an invitation for you to join my cause. Relevant links: Maryland’s Sign Avenger: https://dbknews.com/0999/12/31/arc-j6khb6dx2vdqfk2ibciiaincr4/ The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with Your Customers by Marketing with Meaning: https://a.co/d/0j38tpMv Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theworkaround.substack.com

    16 min
See All (117)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

I will help you find shortcuts to business success and personal growth by sharing my stories of ups and downs on my journey through corporate innovation and software startups. Join thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators who read each week. theworkaround.substack.com

Information

You Might Also Like