CEO BrainFood

Michael Langhout
  • 3.8 (5)
  • CAREERS

CEOs successfully leading growth companies require continual learning, new thinking and a guided approach. CEO BrainFood was created to be a resource and guide for entrepreneur founders and CEOs seeking insights and useful tools to help them build enterprise value, generate higher profits, and develop the talent needed to consistently win at the Great Game of Business.

  1. 025 Maintaining Resiliency in the Face of Stress and Adversity with Susan Drumm

    05/14/2020

    025 Maintaining Resiliency in the Face of Stress and Adversity with Susan Drumm

    01:44 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Susan Drumm who speaks to the origin story of her organization Meritage Leadership Development 09:20 – Michael and Susan reflect on the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic  12:47 – Building resilience in the face of adversity, stress and anxiety  25:33 – The importance of effective delegation and the OURS system 29:30 – Susan speaks to the many assessment tools that she utilizes in her work with leaders  33:37 – Michael and Susan speak to their unique experiences as growth and leadership coaches  38:34 – Where listeners can follow Susan  40:00 – Michael thanks Susan for joining the show and where listeners can find his Functional Team Scorecard  TWEETABLE QUOTES “I would say it’s more critical than ever that leaders spend time engaging with their team in this [remote] format because people feel isolated.” (10:11) “What I was curious about is what makes some leaders able to handle stressful situations more gracefully while others just get their buttons pushed and become reactive or lash out. And, is it innate? Can it be learned and, if so, how?” (15:58) “I recently heard a statistic that the average life expectancy for a police officer after they retire is ten years. Think about that. Because of the wear and tear from such high stress situations that they’ve had to deal with, the toll that’s taken on their bodies without the ability to build the resilience, can really make a difference.” (23:15) “The way you think drives your actions.” (26:50) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Susan’s LinkedIn Meritage Website

    41 min
  2. 024 Ethics, Value, & Purpose with Albert Erisman

    03/02/2020

    024 Ethics, Value, & Purpose with Albert Erisman

    00:55 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Albert Erisman 03:23 – Al talks about why he started Ethix Magazine & The Theology of Work Project  06:25 – Why purpose, meaning and focus outweigh the importance of profits  09:21 – Al talks about his book, The ServiceMaster Story, and the Four Objectives 20:09 – The concept of ‘Shingles on the Roof’  22:42 – The importance of leaders understanding the value of service workers  27:37 – Al explains that leaders aren’t perfect  29:11 – The importance of training  32:34 – Diversity of culture and religion  35:44 – Al speaks to how his company dealt with exponential growth through acquisitions while honoring the four objectives  38:08 – Michael thanks Al for joining the show and for the great work that he’s doing 40:15 – Where listeners can follow Al 41:04 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard  TWEETABLE QUOTES “I think the whole idea of purpose, meaning and focus is the central idea and then profit is the means by which you do that.” (08:31) “What happens to a company that has a focus on its employees, its purpose, and its meaning? And what happens when that shifts and becomes about profit?” (11:12) “He wrote that, ‘ServiceMaster had cracked the code by the way the service industry is perceived because they alone were able to instill purpose, meaning and value into the work of a service worker. It changed the way they saw their work and, therefore, it changed the results for the customer.’” (25:07) “If you build a system that will only works for perfect leaders, it will fail because there are no perfect leaders.” (28:15) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Al’s LinkedIn Theology of Work Website Ethix Website BOOKS MENTIONED Al’s Book – The ServiceMaster Story

    42 min
  3. 023 Mastering The Great Game with Jack Stack

    01/15/2020

    023 Mastering The Great Game with Jack Stack

    01:01 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Jack Stack 04:21 – Jack’s origin story and the goal of The Great Game of Business 14:25 – The importance of forward-thinking forecasting 20:29 – The secret sauce of The Great Game of Business 27:50 – The importance of the critical number 34:14 – Jack speaks to a story in his latest book, Change The Game 38:03 – The importance of creating jobs 39:59 – Michael and Jack discuss the value of culture 45:13 – Jack provides some final observations and takeaways on business 49:34 – Jack talks about the state of the economy 53:57 – Michael thanks Jack for joining the show and for the great work that he’s doing 54:23 – Where listeners can follow Jack 56:08 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard TWEETABLE QUOTES “I began to realize there’s two ways of leading a company. One is by a product and service and then one is these people look at the company from a totally different set of metrics. I’m trying to make a precision flywheel and they’re trying to make a precision balance sheet.” (07:26) “If you’re not creating new businesses in your companies right now, your survival’s gonna be very very small in the future.” (21:38) “If you can forecast, you can actually control the world.” (24:40) “You need sales. There’s no question you need sales, ok? But sales without margins is just more work.” (33:04) “Selling EBITDA is like selling a house with only one bathroom.” (39:34) “When you appeal to the highest level of thinking, you get the highest level of performance.” (45:47) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Jack’s LinkedIn Jack’s Website BOOKS MENTIONED Jack’s Books – The Great Game of Business & Change The Game Get In The Game

    57 min
  4. 022 Coaching with a Purpose with Mark Green

    01/06/2020

    022 Coaching with a Purpose with Mark Green

    00:54 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Mark Green 03:55 –Coaching for Results vs. Coaching for Growth 07:04 – Michael promotes Mark’s book, Activators 10:29 – Mark speaks to hidden growth killers 17:56 – Universal quantifiers 20:35 – Mark talks about three different types of fear 26:08 – Mark lays out the five symptoms of fear 32:45 – Mark tells the story about his Grandpa Ben and the importance of changing your neighborhood 37:55 – The value Mark places on purposefulness and the link between purpose and strategy 46:13 – Mark speaks to his personal purpose and the process it took to figure it out 50:50 – Michael encourages the audience to pick up a copy of his book, Activators 51:59 – Mark talks about some projects he’s currently working on, including a new book 53:06 – Where listeners can follow Mark 54:00 – Michael thanks Mark for joining the show 54:24 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard TWEETABLE QUOTES “When the hidden growth killers are operating and you’re not aware of them, you’re actually not really at choice, right? You’re surrendering choice to operate on your habits, your beliefs, your motivators.” (16:18) “If you have fear that’s affecting you, there’s no way that you can feel like a great CEO when you know that you’re not addressing the behaviors that actually weaken your business.” (24:02)  “We use logic to justify our thinking. So, we’re typically blind to our fears.” (29:16) “Often what I’ve observed is we maintain status quo networks, comfort zone networks… And, the truth of the matter is, in many cases, you’ve become among the most expensive houses in all of your neighborhoods. And then you wonder why you’re not growing as fast as you want to grow.” (34:47) “Purposefulness is a chronically under-utilized resource, often at great expense.” (39:30) “My purpose is to unlock human potential.” (46:16) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Mark’s LinkedIn Mark’s Website Link to Harvard Business Review Article on Purpose BOOKS MENTIONED Mark’s Book Website Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

    55 min
  5. 021 The Great Game Interview with Rich Armstrong and Steve Baker

    12/09/2019

    021 The Great Game Interview with Rich Armstrong and Steve Baker

    00:58 – Michael introduces today’s guests, Rich Armstrong and Steve Baker 01:41 – Michael promotes Rich and Steve’s latest book, Get In The Game 03:41 – The origin story of The Great Game of Business 08:48 – How Jack Stack began the process of teaching the language of business to his team 12:08 – Steve addresses the concept of open-book management 15:31 – Jack’s philosophy of lifetime hiring 18:16 – Building a dominant workforce 20:49 – How to engage employees to become better business thinkers 24:24 – How scorecarding works 27:39 – Benefits of a company getting into The Great Game 31:58 – Key principles and elements of The Great Game of Business 38:52 – The concept of a self-funded bonus 44:02 – The importance of a healthy culture 51:03 – Why Michael loves to highlight The Great Game of Business 52:06 – Michael thanks Rich and Steve for joining the show and praises the work they’ve done 52:17 – Michael encourages the audience to visit The Great Game of Business website 53:08 – Michael promotes the upcoming Great Game of Business Conference 54:01 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard TWEETABLE QUOTES “It [The Great Game of Business] was all about productivity. It was about quality. It was about building a solid product, but not necessarily building a company.” (06:38) (Rich) “The dominant companies in the next ten years will be those who are dominant with their workforce.” (18:25) (Steve) “People want to be in the know, and they want to know what they can do to contribute.” (22:55) (Rich) “If you would have invested a thousand dollars, if you were brave enough to invest a thousand dollars back in 1983, that thousand dollar investment is worth close to eight million dollars in value today.” (29:06) (Rich) “Business is like a game. To play any game, you gotta know what the goal is. That’s the critical number. And then you have to know what game you’re in so you gotta know and teach the rules. You’ve got to follow the action and keep score.” (34:46) (Rich) “Let the slackers and the dead weight go work for your competitors.” (46:30) (Steve) “The company is the product. And, if that’s the case, if the company is indeed the product, building a great company, you will have the best quality, the best service, the best of everything. And that’s a great place to work if you ask me.” (50:03) (Steve) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Rich’s LinkedIn Steve’s LinkedIn The Great Game of Business Website BOOKS MENTIONED The Great Game of Business, Expanded and Updated: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company Get In The Game Change The Game

    55 min
  6. 020 Achieving Financial Independence with Paul Adams

    12/03/2019

    020 Achieving Financial Independence with Paul Adams

    01:01 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Paul Adams 02:17 – Paul talks about his upcoming book, Your Business Your Wealth 03:55 – Michael speaks to his experience working with CEOs who take a salary that is lower than the market rate 09:15 – Two common mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to valuing their business 11:49 – The danger of not thinking about an exit strategy 16:45 – Michael talks about the ever-expanding role of today’s CEO 18:27 – Paul speaks to interviews he’s done with various financial publications 20:50 – Paul poses an interesting thought experiment to determine financial independence 24:40 – How Sound Financial Group identifies and works with their ideal client 28:41 – The architect example 34:13 – Paul speaks to the purpose of his podcast entitled, Your Business, Your Wealth 37:35 – Paul provides a special offer to listeners of CEO Brain Food 38:04 – Michael thanks Paul for joining the show and praises the work he’s done 40:54 – Michael encourages the audience to visit Paul’s website 41:30 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard TWEETABLE QUOTES “All too often, business owners spend most of their time focused on just growing their business. And the more successful their business is, they assume it’s just gonna work out on their personal balance sheet.” (03:43) “It’s not a competition between what assets you can buy outside your business and how good the return is inside your business. Everybody will agree, the best rate of return you have is in your business just right up until it’s not. And, when it’s not is when you need to be in a position to have financial independence.” (20:01) “You cannot have financial independence, you cannot retire on the business balance sheet. You have to transmit money from the business’ balance sheet to your personal balance sheet by more than the sale.” (22:07) “When we make a client an offer, we charge a fee like an architecture does. We build the design. We help you build the blueprints based upon the future that you want. And then, you have the blueprints. You can go implement that yourself.” (28:41) “Because what we [Sound Financial Group] want to be able to do is have people that are wildly satisfied with us. And what we don’t wanna do is charge a fee to anybody that we didn’t provide significant value in return.” (34:00) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Sound Financial Group’s Website for a Financial Inquiry Call - Info@sfgwa.com (Inquiry in the subject) Sound Financial Group on Facebook Sound Financial Group on LinkedIn Paul’s LinkedIn Paul’s Website BOOKS MENTIONED Sound Financial Advice (Paul’s Book) – Sound Financial Advice: How to Recapture the Money you are Losing and Add it to Your Family's Wealth

    42 min
  7. 019 Purpose is Central to Strategy

    11/11/2019

    019 Purpose is Central to Strategy

    00:58 – Michael introduces today’s topic, making purpose central to strategy 02:00 – Michael recalls working for an absent manager whose purpose and values were misaligned  04:07 – Why making money should not be the sole purpose of an organization  05:46 – How the CEO of Michelin incorporated purpose into strategy  07:40 – The rise of entrepreneurship  10:03 – The pursuit of purpose crisis that our society is facing today 11:14 – Risks we face when we do not have a purpose  11:45 – Identifying your quest  12:58 – Attributes of exponential organizations  14:41 – The Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP)  15:31 – Examples of great MTPs  16:06 – The Disney Example  16:56 – What makes Massive Transformational Purposes so powerful and impactful  18:30 – The benefits of capitalism  19:13 – Michael recalls his past interest in starting a medical technology company  21:10 – How Michael found his own purpose  21:55 – Michael leaves the audience with a self-inquiry question to consider  22:08 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard  TWEETABLE QUOTES “In recent years, purpose has become something that we’re all focused on. But once it’s discovered and articulated, oftentimes it gets relegated to the periphery of the business.” (01:35)  “The idea that making money as a primary goal or purpose, in and of itself, is good and worth pursuing has proven to be man’s downfall since biblical times.” (04:07)   “Purpose is no longer just the foundation stone or integral part of the DNA of your company. Today, purpose is becoming central to strategy.” (05:35)   “Today, the facts are, seventy-five new businesses start every hour, unbelievably. And eight out of ten of them fail in the first eighteen months.” (08:15)   “Many aspiring entrepreneurs are leaving the so called ‘security’ of their jobs – and I say that in quotes – in favor of working for themselves in pursuit of a dream. People are attracted to the idea of becoming an entrepreneur because of a deeper yearning for a sense of purpose.” (10:08)   “The truth is we all have a desire for purpose. It’s that thirst for a mission, a yearning for a quest, and then to fulfill it. Having a sense of purpose gives us a better chance at having a longer life than almost anything else.” (11:27)   “A Massive Transformative Purpose…is bigger than a mission statement. It’s why you do what you do, why you get up in the morning, and why your organization exists. It’s a higher aspirational purpose and it’s about thinking big.” (14:42)   “‘Delivering Happiness’ as a purpose for Disney at the central of strategy in that company has allowed that company to branch out from cartoons and animations all the way through to theme parks, animated movies, film, and many other divisions and revenue streams.” (16:10)   “The MTP acts as a guiding compass when decisions get made. It actually helps to lower transaction costs. And, this is critical to culture and I have to really emphasize this, it depoliticizes the organization.” (18:14)   “I would quote Sir Richard [Branson] by saying that, ‘When the dreams don’t scare you, then your dreams are too small.’” (21:45)   RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Strategy + Business Article featuring Jean-Dominique Senard TEDx Video on Entrepreneurship featuring Mark Leruste Entrepreneur Magazine Article featuring Salim Ismail BOOKS MENTIONED Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it) Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

    23 min
  8. 018 Lifetime Learning with Daniel Marcos

    10/21/2019

    018 Lifetime Learning with Daniel Marcos

    00:53 – Michael introduces today’s guest, Daniel Marcos 02:47 – Why everything starts and ends with the CEO 05:10 – Daniel speaks to why the strength of the founder usually becomes the weakness of the company 07:12 – Level Five Leaders 09:39 – The Southwest Airlines example 10:56 – Daniel’s entrepreneurial journey 16:50 – The importance of coaching 20:45 – Daniel speaks to his fundraising prowess 25:39 – Keeping up with the speed of scaling as a CEO 30:01 – The decision to leave his company, travel, and go back to school 32:13 – Daniel opens up about his mortgage company that failed in 2008 35:21 – Building the Growth Institute 37:44 – The value of learning through reading 39:14 – The importance of self-care 40:41 – Stages of growth 45:39 – Understanding that business plans change 46:04 – The second growth stage: sales 48:47 – The third growth stage: scaling and infrastructure 51:13 – The fourth growth stage: dominating your industry 52:03 – Differentiating between being an employee and owner of a company 54:56 – Michael and Daniel discuss core values 59:20 – Michael encourages the audience to visit Daniel’s website 59:50 – Daniel talks about his Master of Business Dynamics Program 1:02:37 – Michael teases the topic of the next episode of CEO Brain Food 1:02:52 – Where to find Michael’s Functional Team Scorecard TWEETABLE QUOTES “Usually what I’ve found is the strength of the founder becomes the weakness of the company.” (05:16) “We as coaches need coaches. We cannot coach ourselves.” (19:46) “So whenever you’re doing something you want to do, something that is a challenge, you do it well. When you see it as a problem, then you’re gonna do it well.” (31:16) “And, by the way, the more I learn and the more exercise I do in the morning, the better day I have after.” (39:01) “People believe they can do a business plan and they’re going to execute the business plan exactly as they thought. No way.” (45:39) “So that’s when you begin scaling, after sixteen to twenty employees. And you have to build and invest in infrastructure. And then you have to align and simplify the operation.” (50:12) “The only way to bypass this growth is really throwing a lot of money to fix mistakes and problems.” (57:30) RESOURCE LINKS Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Website The Functional Team Scorecard Daniel’s LinkedIn Daniel’s Website BOOKS MENTIONED Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm

    1h 4m
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About

CEOs successfully leading growth companies require continual learning, new thinking and a guided approach. CEO BrainFood was created to be a resource and guide for entrepreneur founders and CEOs seeking insights and useful tools to help them build enterprise value, generate higher profits, and develop the talent needed to consistently win at the Great Game of Business.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Langhout
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2020
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2016 Langhout International
  • Show Website
    CEO BrainFood