Shannon Waller's Team Success

Strategic Podcast Network
Strategic Podcast Network
  • 5.0 (49)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Shannon Waller, author of The Team Success Handbook, has been the entrepreneurial team expert at Strategic Coach® since 1995. Shannon Waller’s Team Success podcasts are a series of insights around teamwork and success that she’s gained from working with entrepreneurs.

  1. 3d ago

    Does Your Unique Ability® Max Out?

    Your best people may love what they do, but even Unique Ability® can become stale when there’s no new challenge. In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why Unique Ability never truly maxes out, how it deepens over time, and what you can do to keep your team’s best talents energized, growing, and making a bigger impact. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Unique Ability is what you’re great at, love doing, get energy from, and can keep getting better at for the rest of your life. Unique Ability doesn’t max out, but it can get stale when there is nothing new to learn, solve, or improve. When talented people get bored, they can lose energy—or start creating problems just to have something interesting to fix. Don’t assume that people will stay engaged simply because they’re naturally good at and enjoy their work. To keep Unique Ability growing, make sure it’s being used, appreciated, rewarded, enhanced, and referred. People need to know that the value they create is noticed and appreciated by the people they help. Being paid more as your capability and contribution grow is an important part of feeling valued. The best work helps people get better, take on new challenges, and stretch into new territory. A strong reputation lets people know that their Unique Ability is making a real difference. When someone has solved the same problem too many times, give them a more complex problem to tackle. If the work itself is no longer challenging, a bigger or more interesting audience may be what they need next. Keep asking your best people what would make their work more interesting, challenging, and rewarding. Resources: Unique Ability® Unique Ability® 2.0: Discovery by Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller, and Shannon Waller The Impact Filter® Kolbe

  2. Sep 2

    Is Your Team Stealable?

    When great people leave, it’s not always because they dislike their job. Sometimes, they leave because another opportunity better fits the future they want. In this episode, Shannon Waller shares a simple question you can ask to learn what matters to your best team members—and help make sure they don’t have to look elsewhere to grow. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Your best team members can become stealable when another opportunity better matches the future they want. Don’t assume that long-tenured, high-performing team members are satisfied simply because they’ve stayed with your company. Great people can experience “brownout,” gradually becoming worn down even when they enjoy their work, earn well, and have a strong reputation. Knowing your team members’ goals for the future helps you spot concerns and opportunities before they become reasons to leave. By being curious rather than judgmental when asking about a team member’s future, you can create the psychological safety necessary for them to tell you honestly what they want, what’s challenging them, and what may need to change. Avoid entering the conversation with an agenda because people are less likely to give you an honest answer when they feel pressured. Ask your key team members regularly, “If you and I are meeting three years from today, what has to have happened personally and professionally for you to feel really happy with your progress?” Focus on progress rather than perfection because every team member is the best judge of what would make their future more fulfilling. Listen for what team members want in both their personal and professional lives in terms of responsibilities, growth, compensation, travel, family, health, and work pace. Regular conversations about your team members’ futures can give you valuable notice of a transition and allow you to plan it together. Supporting a talented person’s next step, even if it eventually takes them elsewhere, can create a respectful transition and preserve the relationship. Ambitious people want to grow, and understanding how they want to grow helps you create opportunities that keep them engaged. Resources: Protect Your A-Players Unique Ability® How To Sell Transformation Using This One Question CliftonStrengths®

  3. Aug 19

    Why Compassionate Leaders Win, with Cal Riley

    Is keeping the peace actually holding your team back? In this episode, Shannon Waller interviews Cal Riley, author of Entrepreneurial Compassion, to explore why caring enough to have hard conversations and getting curious about others’ perspectives can build healthier teams, better results, and a more meaningful entrepreneurial life. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Compassionate leadership isn’t about being soft; it’s about caring enough to take purposeful action. The most productive leaders combine entrepreneurial drive with genuine compassion for the people around them. Avoiding a difficult conversation may feel nice in the moment, but it’s rarely kind or compassionate in the long run. Being nice means avoiding discomfort; compassion means caring enough to address what’s not working and help someone move forward. Leaders earn the right to give honest feedback by first showing real interest in people’s lives, well-being, and goals. Self-compassion and self-awareness help entrepreneurs learn from mistakes without letting failure define them. Slowing down through reflection, journaling, walking, or quiet time can make you less reactive and more present with others. Curiosity creates better solutions because understanding someone’s perspective comes before trying to change their behavior. An abundance mindset allows you to support great team members when their best next step is outside your company. High-performing teams value both individual capability and a willingness to put the team’s needs first. Compassion scales when entrepreneurs model it with their leadership team, who then bring it to the rest of the organization. You can’t fake compassion; people can tell whether your concern is authentic. One way to take action on this is to ask yourself who in your life needs more compassion from you—and consider whether you’ve been extending that same patience, understanding, and grace to yourself.   Resources: Entrepreneurial Compassion: An Entrepreneur’s Journey Through Combat, Suicide, and the Discovery of Compassionate Leadership by Cal Riley Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller Inviting Genius by Matthew Abrams Unique Ability® CliftonStrengths® More about Cal Riley

  4. Aug 6

    Connect The Dots: Make Teamwork Easier And More Successful

    Do you take time to connect the dots for your team, or leave them guessing at the bigger picture? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why context is one of the most valuable things a leader can give. Learn how a few simple communication habits can prevent confusion and missed handoffs, move things forward faster, and give your best projects more momentum. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Great teamwork starts with context because people do their best work when they understand the bigger picture and where their piece fits. Don’t assume people already know what you know; this creates confusion, missed handoffs, and unnecessary frustration. Explain why something matters before you dive into what needs to be done so team members can make better, more confident decisions. Point out who’s involved, who decides, and who needs to be kept in the loop so nothing gets dropped. Ask yourself, “What’s missing here?” before you move ahead because one missing person or detail can stall everything. Make introductions and connections for people instead of leaving them to figure out the maze on their own; great leaders remove friction by making the right introductions at the right time. The more context you share, the less your team hesitates, second-guesses, or duplicates effort. When people feel informed and included, they show up more confidently and take ownership of their piece. The goal is not just communication, but momentum: helping the team move faster with less confusion and more ownership. Connecting the dots is one of the simplest ways to make teamwork easier, more strategic, and more successful. Resources: Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug Unique Ability®

  5. Jul 22

    Meet Them Where They’re At

    Have you ever said something very clearly only to watch it completely miss the mark? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why effective communication starts with meeting people where they are, not where you are. She also shares how self-awareness, curiosity, and a few simple questions can help you connect, reduce drama, and get better results with anyone. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Great communication starts with awareness of how other people receive information, not just how you prefer to deliver it. Our natural instinct is to assume everyone processes information the way we do, but that’s rarely true. Tools like Kolbe, PRINT®, CliftonStrengths®, and DISC can help you understand how someone is wired to receive information. Most workplace drama comes down to miscommunication and misalignment, not bad intentions. When you translate your message into the other person’s language, they’re far more likely to stay open and engaged. Saying “that’s an interesting idea” gives someone space to be heard without committing you to agreement. Validation doesn’t mean abandoning your standards; it means creating enough safety for better thinking. Connecting with someone emotionally before correcting them keeps them open instead of defensive. When people feel heard, they’re more likely to refine their own ideas and contribute stronger solutions. Three simple questions can guide any conversation: Where are they right now? What do they need from me first? How can I help them stay open? The goal is not to be right faster; the goal is to get to a better answer together. Resources: Kolbe Working Genius® CliftonStrengths® DISC Assessment PRINT® The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss Connected Parenting by Jennifer Kolari

  6. Jul 8

    Don’t Get Sucker Punched By Potential

    Do you keep holding on to someone because you believe in their potential, even when the results aren’t there? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why betting on potential can drain your team, lower your standards, and delay progress—and why capability is the better standard for building a stronger, more successful team. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Potential means someone might be able to do the job someday, but capability means they can do it now, reliably. Building your team based on potential instead of capability creates stress, delay, and disappointment. Capability shows up as repeatable, consistent, count-on-able performance in the role, at the required level, and with the right stakes. Believing in someone’s potential can feel generous and supportive, but it may actually be postponing a necessary decision. The longer you protect potential, the more you may be punishing the capable people on your team. Holding someone to your idea of their potential can create unnecessary pressure, frustration, and time in “The Gap.” Great leaders look for more than possibility; they spot real capability and build roles around it. When someone is in the wrong role, the kindest thing you can do is tell the truth and address it directly. Sometimes the issue isn’t the person, it’s the fit, and moving them or exiting them creates clarity for everyone. If you want a stronger team, stack it with people who can consistently deliver today, then help those capabilities grow. Resources: Unique Ability® The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller Kolbe A™ Index Working Genius® DISC Assessment PRINT®

  7. Jun 24

    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

  8. 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

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Shannon Waller, author of The Team Success Handbook, has been the entrepreneurial team expert at Strategic Coach® since 1995. Shannon Waller’s Team Success podcasts are a series of insights around teamwork and success that she’s gained from working with entrepreneurs.

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