The New Talent Playbook Podcast

Rob Levin
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Management
  • Weekly

Strategies that drive business success through the power of exceptional talent. Hosted by serial entrepreneur Rob Levin, The New Talent Playbook podcast explores practical strategies to help leaders build stronger, more resilient businesses. With over 30 years of experience and a reputation as a top speaker on business and entrepreneurship, Rob shares impactful insights alongside industry experts to help you navigate challenges and optimize your talent strategy. Whether you're a business owner, manager, or talent professional, this show delivers actionable advice to unlock growth through exceptional talent.

  1. 4d ago

    Your Company Needs You to Do This.

    Rob Levin argues that business owners must treat strategy as a non-negotiable part of the job, not an afterthought. He explains that strategy, team, and culture are the CEO's core responsibilities, then makes the case for regular, focused time to think through customer changes, pricing, service levels, operations, and AI.  Key Takeaways  Strategy should be revisited at least yearly, and often every six months or quarter because the pace of change is so fast.  The right strategy depends on the business: customer behavior, service levels, operations, and staffing all shift differently by industry.  Rob's example of Work Better Now shows how strategy can sharpen ICP, vertical focus, and pricing position.  CEOs need to do more than talk about AI; they need to build with it to understand where it creates leverage. Block out protected time before year-end to think without distractions about how your business must adapt.  Timestamps  (01:10) The owner is part of the talent at the company and carries responsibilities others do not. (01:59) Strategy should be a major priority at least annually, and often more often. (03:15) Strategy must account for customer changes, pricing, service levels, and who you serve. (03:58) Frances Frei's idea: choose what you are bad at so you can be great at what customers care about. (06:22) The business serves companies that want great talent, not just the lowest price. (07:03) Ask whether your ideal customer profile has changed and how AI is impacting the business. Other Resources  The Leadership Shift Behind Massive Growth - A True Story | Damon Gersh  From Scrappy to Scalable: Designing a Team Built for Growth The Hidden Force Bleeding Your Business Right Now (And It's Not What You Think)  Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy: Schedule uninterrupted strategy time before the end of the year. Review your ICP, customer behavior, operations, and AI opportunities, then decide what must change in the next quarter.  Download the action kit.  More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow Like this show? Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Follow Rob Levin on Substack. Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team📕Available on Amazon. Struggling to find the right talent for an open position? Talk to a consultant at WorkBetterNow.com - No cost to interview

    Your Company Needs You to Do This.

  2. Nov 3

    How to Get Your Team to Treat Clients the Way You Would

    Dawn Cunningham, master trainer at Nexstar Network, makes a clear case that strong customer service starts at the top. Technology has changed how customers expect speed and convenience, but the fundamentals still matter: listen well, value employees, and build systems that support consistent service. She shares practical hiring, onboarding, and leadership habits that help teams perform better.  Key Takeaways  Customer experience improves when owners and managers reinforce the right behaviors instead of rushing calls and interactions.  If employees feel valued, heard, and recognized, they are more likely to carry that mindset into customer interactions.  Hire for personality and service orientation, not just the resume. The right attitude is hard to teach.  Use structured interviews and group evaluation to identify people who genuinely want to serve others. Timestamps  (04:48) Why listening to employees matters for service businesses and customer-facing teams.  (07:51) The "win, win, win" mindset: taking care of employees changes how they treat customers.  (09:11) Helping CSRs connect the dots between company benefits, recognition, and performance.  (14:00) Round-robin interviewing: a fast, structured way to evaluate candidates as a team.  (20:59) Revenue and consistency: a coach can help, but leaders need repeatable systems.  About The Guest Dawn has spent her entire career in customer service, with more than 42 years of experience, including work alongside professionals in plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and even motorcycle mechanics. She has dedicated her career to helping teams grow their confidence, strengthen their skills, and recognize the impact they have on the people they serve. Known for her energy and authenticity, Dawn lives by the philosophy "Elevate with intention." Connect with Dawn LinkedIn Facebook Instagram: @crimson_dawn67 Turn today's conversation into a better strategy. Download free action kit! More About Rob Levin Like this show? Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Follow Rob Levin on Substack The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com

    How to Get Your Team to Treat Clients the Way You Would

  3. Oct 27

    Want to Be Rich or King? The Answer Is More Important Than You Realize

    Rob Levin argues that growth requires choosing to be "rich," not "king": a founder has to give up control, build a strong hiring process, invest in culture, and stop being the bottleneck. He frames this as a leadership decision with real tradeoffs: more growth and leverage, or more control and a natural cap on scale. Key Takeaways  "Rich" means growth, shared decision-making, and a business that doesn't revolve around the founder. "King" means control and comfort, but it limits growth. To scale, leaders need strong hiring, a healthy culture, and the right people in the right roles. If someone is hurting the culture, they need to be addressed quickly. Timestamps  (02:04) Rob says being rich requires good hiring, a strong culture, and the ability to remove people who bring others down. (03:02) He explains the trade-offs: king caps growth; rich costs control and requires time, energy, and some money. (04:05) He adds that the business cannot revolve around the founder and that leaders must accept decisions made by others. (06:00) He says he was a bottleneck and then explains how Work Better Now was built with Andrew Cohen, with him focused on strategy and Andrew on operations. (06:39) He describes building a leadership team, staying off the bottleneck path, and growing rapidly while maintaining culture and outcomes. Other Resources Are You the Bottleneck? How to Stop Sabotaging Your Own Growth Owners Are Doing $25-an-Hour Work, And It's Costing Them Millions Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit. More About Rob Levin Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel! Follow Rob Levin on Substack. Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon.

    Want to Be Rich or King? The Answer Is More Important Than You Realize

  4. Oct 22

    Why Your Best Employees Stop Giving Their Best

    In this episode, Chris Cornelison breaks down how leaders build stronger teams by praising what they want repeated, writing culture down, and making accountability part of the system. He argues that recognition is not fluff; it is a practical lever for retention, performance, and focus. The conversation also covers the neuroscience behind praise, why specific recognition matters, and how to turn praise into a daily habit.   Key Takeaways   Culture starts with the leader. If you do not define it clearly, you default to drift.   Write culture down and use it early in hiring so expectations are visible from day one.   Praise what you want repeated. Recognition should be specific, frequent, and tied to company goals.  Public recognition creates memorable moments that strengthen connection and belonging.   Timestamps   02:21 The biggest culture mistake: leaders do not define culture clearly.   04:18 AI is accelerating work, which makes appreciation and leadership gaps more visible.   08:01 Rule one starts with the leader; rule four is accountability; rule five is protecting the culture.   14:01 The two biggest praise mistakes: not doing it enough and not being specific enough.   17:21 Leaders often stop praising high performers, which creates disengagement.   18:01 One-on-one praise versus public recognition.   Practical Moves for Leaders   Define your culture in writing and make it part of hiring.  Praise behavior that advances goals, not just generic effort.   Use public recognition for major wins; use private praise to reinforce daily execution.   Track praise until it becomes a management habit.  About The Guest  Chris Cornelison is the creator of Super Culture™, a five-rule framework that's helping organizations build high-performing, praise-driven cultures. He speaks on leadership, culture, and the power of praise, and he recently recorded a TEDx talk in Houston that's set to release soon on "The Power of Praise." He's also the CEO of SolutionsRx, a pharmacist-formulated supplement company based in Mississippi, where he applies the same principles of excellence and culture to the health and wellness industry.    More About Chris Cornelison  Connect with Chris on LinkedIn   Your next read: Super Culture™  Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit  More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow  Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel!  Follow Rob Levin on Substack  Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com and get the free scorecard.

    Why Your Best Employees Stop Giving Their Best

  5. Oct 6 ·  Video

    The New Reason Candidates Are Turning Down In-Office Jobs

    Rob Levin makes the case that remote work is becoming a talent requirement, not a nice-to-have. Using commute data and hiring trends, he argues that SMBs need to widen their talent pool, manage through KPIs, and build culture intentionally across distributed teams.  Key Takeaways  Remote is a talent strategy: Commute friction is pushing candidates away from on-site roles.  Location should not limit hiring: Nearshore and offshore are natural extensions of remote.  Manage by outcomes: KPIs reviewed weekly are better than watching people work.  Culture must be designed: A distributed team can still have a strong culture when leaders are intentional.  Timestamps  (01:03) Rob opens with a Monster commute report and says remote is something many companies will have to do.  (01:37) He shares the story of Marty Adelson requiring a 15-minute commute and points to how strongly people react to commuting.  (02:38) Rob cites hiring-market data: most new roles are still on-site, while remote jobs get more applications.  (04:28) He argues that remote expands the talent pool and that geography should not block access to great people.  (05:00) He says WorkBetterNow runs fully remote, uses KPIs weekly, and encourages companies to consider more remote roles.  Other Resources  How to Make Remote Work at Your Company   The Talent Game Has Changed: Who's Winning and Why  More Business Owners Are Hiring Offshore. Here's What They've Figured Out.  Five Ways to Widen Your Talent Pool  Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit.  More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow  Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel!  Follow Rob Levin on Substack. Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com and get the free scorecard.

    The New Reason Candidates Are Turning Down In-Office Jobs

  6. Sep 29

    More Business Owners Are Hiring Offshore. Here's What They've Figured Out.

    In this episode, Rob Levin explains why offshore hiring is becoming a major topic for business owners right now. He points to four main drivers: it is harder to find great people locally, engagement and productivity are trending the wrong way, owners are increasingly unwilling to tolerate disengaged team members, and more peers are finding success with offshore talent. His message is practical: offshore should not be treated as a shortcut or a cheap labor play, but as an opportunity to raise talent quality, improve margins, and build one fully integrated team.  Key Takeaways  Audit your open roles: define what "great" actually means for each one.  Review engagement risks on your team: address low performance sooner.  Design onboarding and communication: when working with offshore teams this is fundamental so everyone operates as one team.  Evaluate hiring decisions based on capability and fit, not just cost: a bad hire costs you more than you can imagine.  Timestamps  02:12 It is getting harder to find great talent.  02:54 Gallup engagement data and why low engagement hurts the business.  04:47 Why business owners are stalling and how disengaged people drive offshore interest.  06:25 How to think about offshore as upgrading the team and integrating everyone together.  07:07 The "cheapest price or great talent?" mindset.    Other Resources  88% of Small Businesses Can't Find Qualified People. The Other 12% Are Doing This.  5 Steps to Much Better Hires and Stronger Results Why "Offshore Isn't For Us" Is Costing You More Than You Realize  The Talent Game Has Changed: Who's Winning and Why   The Remote Culture Playbook | Don Gregori   Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit.  More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow  Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel!  Follow Rob Levin on Substack.  Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com and get the free scorecard.

  7. Sep 22

    What "Affordable Talent" is Really Costing Your Business

    In this episode of The New Talent Playbook Podcast, host Rob Levin argues that hiring decisions should be driven by outcomes, not hourly price. The cheapest hire can be the most expensive mistake when it creates rework, constant follow-up, and missed customer value. His core point: start with the opportunity a great person creates, then evaluate price in that context.  Key Takeaways  Great talent is an investment, not a line-item to minimize: Stop optimizing for the cheapest hire and start asking what a great person makes possible for the business.  Monthly cost is a more useful lens than annual salary when comparing hires: A monthly view makes the real return on a strong hire easier to see.  The best people save leaders time, reduce mistakes, and improve customer experience: They are proactive, push the business forward, and remove the need for constant follow-up.  Consider candidates who are stepping up from the next level: Someone ready for the next stretch may deliver strong value without carrying the highest price tag.  Timestamps  01:25 Are you buying the cheapest talent or the right talent?   02:49 Reframing hiring from annual budget to monthly cost and return on investment.   03:54 Rob explains what "great" looks like at the leadership level   04:25 The standard applies across the company: great managers and staff give time back, reduce follow-up, and keep the role out of the owner's head.   05:19 Strong customer-facing people keep promises and create referrals and repeat business.   06:45 Focus on opportunity first, then price.  Other Resources The talent problem AI won't solve – Part 1  The talent problem AI won't solve – Part 2  5 Steps to Much Better Hires and Stronger Results  Think Twice Before That Big-Company Hire  Grow Your People, Grow What Your Company Can Do  Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit.  More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow  Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel!  Follow Rob Levin on Substack.  Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com and get the free scorecard.

    What "Affordable Talent" is Really Costing Your Business

  8. Sep 15

    The Remote Culture Playbook | Don Gregori

    In this episode, Rob Levin sits down with Don Gregori, COO of First Factory, for a conversation about what it really takes to scale a company across locations without losing the culture, clarity, and trust that make it work. They dig into the operational side of growth, why people still drive every outcome, how leaders can build systems that stay sustainable, and what it means to keep adapting in an AI-shaped world. Key Takeaways Growth does not just add headcount: it changes how leaders need to organize, communicate, and develop people. Culture has to evolve with the company: Don compares it to a Petri dish, when the organization gets bigger, you need new ingredients, stronger processes, and clearer expectations. Leaders should build sustainability into change: First decide how something should work, make it durable, then train someone else to own it. People are still the heartbeat of the company, even as automation and AI increase: The goal is fewer, better-skilled people who can move faster and stay adaptable. Timestamps 03:29 Companies need to mature with more processes, policies, and clarity as it grows. 06:59 Flexibility is essential because if the company cannot adapt, it is out of business. 12:02 Transparency and trust help teams get through hard seasons together. 14:37 Stress control and the challenge of handling the volume of work created by AI. 21:47 Change is normal, growth happens outside the comfort zone, and the human element will matter even more. About The Guest Don Gregori is the Chief Operating Officer of First Factory, a multinational software solutions provider with operations in New York and Costa Rica. He is a certified AI business leader with more than 25 years of experience in product development, digital transformation, and AI adoption. He is also a contributing author to AI Journal and the author of The Emergent Leader. More About Don Gregori Connect with Don on LinkedIn Your Next Read: The Emergent Leader Turn today's conversation into a better team-shaping strategy. Download the free Action Kit More About Rob Levin & WorkBetterNow Like this show? Click on over and subscribe to our YouTube channel! Follow Rob Levin on Substack  Out now! The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team 📕 Available on Amazon or visit thenewtalentplaybook.com and get the free scorecard.

    The Remote Culture Playbook | Don Gregori
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Strategies that drive business success through the power of exceptional talent. Hosted by serial entrepreneur Rob Levin, The New Talent Playbook podcast explores practical strategies to help leaders build stronger, more resilient businesses. With over 30 years of experience and a reputation as a top speaker on business and entrepreneurship, Rob shares impactful insights alongside industry experts to help you navigate challenges and optimize your talent strategy. Whether you're a business owner, manager, or talent professional, this show delivers actionable advice to unlock growth through exceptional talent.

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Levin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 WorkBetterNow. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The New Talent Playbook Podcast