My Quest for the Best with Bill Ringle Bill Ringle

Cameron Herold, author of The Second in Command: Unleashing the Power of Your COO



Bill Ringle and Cameron Herold discuss the role of the COO, the importance of matching the stage of the company and the relationship chemistry with the CEO, and when it is time for a COO to move on to another role or company for ambitious small business leaders.







>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today’s top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways from this Interview




Your second in command must be the yin to your yang, complementing your skills, interests, and responsibilities.



A talented CMO could work in almost any company and contribute to its success. A talented COO knows that they would need to find the right combination of company stage, industry, business model, and chemistry with the CEO to make significant contributions.



An effective COO is essential to scaling your business. If strategic growth is stuck, check with your COO for their perspective before reviewing the sales performance metrics.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




Cameron cites Thomas Edison's observation that "Vision without execution is hallucination."



CASE: The story of how Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK hired Cameron as its first COO, employee 14.



What can someone who reports to the CEO, as a COO, say, do to improve their relationship? Think of it like a good marriage.



CASE: What was the story behind the conflict you resolved at 1-800-JUNK between the head of product and head of IT?



How did you grow the COO Alliance during the pandemic lock down?



How do you use the Kolbe assessment to make your COO Alliance members better leaders?



How did you come to broaden your understanding of the many types of roles that COOs can play? Lessons from Clayton Mask, the founder of Infusionsoft and a Harvard Business Review article.



Where did the double-double rule of thumb come from, where the management team that takes you through a revenue doubling twice probably needs to be updated or replaced?



What's your approach to and experience with using ChatGPT and Open AI in your work?



My Quest for the Best Lightning Round Begins



When do you know it is time to move on as COO? Two parts -- one from the COO perspective and one from the CEO perspective.






Expert Bio



Cameron Herold has built a dynamic consultancy and his current clients include a 'Big 4' wireless carrier and a monarchy. He earned his reputation as the business growth guru by guiding his clients to double their profit and double their revenue in just three years or less.







Cameron was an entrepreneur from day one. At age 21, he had 14 employees. By 35, he'd help build his first TWO $100 MILLION DOLLAR companies. By the age of 42, Cameron engineered 1-800-GOT-JUNK's spectacular growth from $2 Million to $106 Million in revenue and 3100 employees - and he did that in just six years. His companies landed over 5,200 media placements in that same six years, including coverage on Oprah.







Not only does Cameron know how to grow businesses, but his delivery from the stage is second to none. Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes magazine, stated: "Cameron Herold is THE BEST SPEAKER I've ever heard...he hits grand slams".



When Cameron steps off the stage, he doesn't stop teaching. He is the author of the global best-selling business book DOUBLE DOUBLE, which is in its 8th printing and in multiple translations around the world. He's also the author of the top-selling books

Michael Neill, author of The Inside-Out Revolution: The Only Thing You Need to Know to Change Your Life Forever



Bill Ringle and Michael Neill discuss ways to have and communicate a clear vision as a small business leader so that you and your people know how to contribute to success.

















>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com  for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today’s top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways




We do better when we live in what we’re thinking instead of living in our circumstances. Therefore, let’s control the content of our thinking so that we’re not exaggerating situations. Making mountains out of molehills creates fear, anxiety, and other negative emotions that if they grip us will cause us to make bad decisions.



Work effortlessly, and that means without the tightness, the struggle, and the constant pressure. We can do more when we are in the flow state and aligning ourselves at the speed of life.



Never re-establish or rebuild your business with discouragement as a foundation. Defeat this negative emotion before making business decisions.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




"If we love what we do, it's going to improve. If we don't, that's probably not what we should be doing"- Michael shared this valuable lesson he learned from his father. [01:25]



The message of the book Inside Out Revolution and the power of perceiving our reality. [03:18]



How we get from the point of understanding, we can create our own story to owning our capacity to change it. [06:24]



CASE 1: Alice is the wife of one of Michael's clients who turned her husband's behaviors into the source of her negative emotions. After a conversation with Michael, she could traverse from the point of creating reality to changing it. [07:30]



CASE 2: Bob was a very burnt-out CEO whose emotional turmoil almost made him go through a very bad business decision. After venting his frustration to Michael, Bob could calm down, take a step back, and remember how he could run his business successfully for many years. Now Bob is 6 million dollars richer and running a business he loves. [10:35]



Dr. George Pransky, Michael's former mentor, likened how our mind works to that of a race car. But instead of revolution per minute, the mind is measured per TPM- Thought Per Minute. [13:48]



Moving towards the flow state. Michael talks about the 'seemingly effortless' way of doing things. [17:46]



Introducing the new normal has not been a pleasant ride for many people. Michael shares his observations on why some thrived when many failed and the qualities these people possess. [18:32]



CASE 3: Fred was a CEO who had all stacks against him when the lockdowns were implemented. Owning bars, music venues, and restaurants, he belongs to the industry that was hit the most by this. But Fred did not re-establish his business with discouragement as a baseline. While the lockdown was not the best for him, he managed a sustainable burn rate. [20:47]



The Las Vegas gambling metaphor and how people can tap into their sense of power and ease with their business. [24:31]



My Quest for the Best lightning round begins. [26:42]






Expert Bio



Michael Neill is an internationally renowned transformative teacher, author, broadcaster, and speaker, described as having the unique ability to “blend the sacred with the profane.” The inside-out understanding at the heart of his work challenges the cultural mythology that stress, pressure, and other symptoms of “seriousness” are necessary for ada

Tim Elmore, author of The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership: Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today's Workplace



Tim Elmore and Bill Ringle discuss how leaders today need a stronger cognitive to deal with the wide range of education, expectations, exposure, and emotions that employees bring to their work.

















>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com  for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today's top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways




Leadership is not a feature but an identity.



The fastest way to influence people is through serving and problem-solving.



Do not attempt to control the outcome. Instead, influence it when you can.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




Tim fondly recalls the first time he spoke in front of an audience and shared his appreciation for Sean Mitchell, the man who gave him the opportunity.[01:13]



The negatives and the positives of having talent. [03:53]



John Maxwell mentored Tim over 20 years. What was the most valuable skill that John Maxwell taught Tim Elmore? How to have a difficult conversation. [05:04]



What is true leadership and what makes it a challenge to execute consistently? [08:16]



Introducing the three buckets of Habitudes: What is in your control, what isn't, and what you can influence. [09:11]



Why are most managers guilty of confusing the influence bucket with the control bucket? Mixing up what you can control with what you can only influence. [10:28]



CASE: Terry was a leader who is a poster boy of why it is dangerous to lead with too much confidence and no humility. [13:32]:



What is the Dunning-Kruger effect? What happens when people lead with ignorance and confidence. [15:30]



CASE: Dennis was a Chick-fil-A manager with a drinking problem that affected his workplace. After discovering this, Truett Cathy showed the door to Dennis. What door did Truett Cathy show his manager? The door to improvement. [16:23]



How do you hand over the reins of leadership like a boss? Examples from Martin Luther King and Truett Cathy. [19:06]



Tim created a new Habitude called clean the windows: Giving your team the freedom to work things their way but making the result you want to be achieved explicit. [24:22]



Isaac Newton is a perfect example of achieving exemplary results without supervision. [25:41]



My Quest for the Best lightning round begins. [26:50]






Expert Bio



Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based non‐profit organization that was created to develop emerging leaders. His work grew out of 20 years of serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall StreetJournal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today, and he’s been featured on CNN’sHeadline News and Fox and Friends to talk about leading multiple generations in themarketplace. He has written over 35 books, including Habitudes: Images That Form LeadershipHabits and Attitudes.



Contact Info and Social Media for Tim Elmore




Primary website





Travels from: Peachtree Corners, GA





Connect on: Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook




Resources Mentioned During the Interview



Below are key people, places, books, quotes, websites, and other resources that we discussed, so you can explore further.




Truett Cathy





John Maxwell





Martin Luther King





Dunning-Kruger effect





Steve Robinson





Isaac Newton



What are The 8 Paradoxes of Great Leadership?

Paradox One: Uncommon Leaders Balance Both Confidence and Humility

Nikki Rausch, author of The Selling Staircase: Mastering the Art of Relationship Selling



Bill Ringle and Nikki Rausch discuss relationship selling as working with your prospect to solve a problem and not at them to make a sale for small business leaders.

















>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com  for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today’s top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways




Selling is not about you; it is about the clients.



Offer what the client needs, not what they can afford. Remember, we are not just selling to them; we are providing a solution for their problem.



Selling is a process of building trust, creating curiosity, and discovering through conversations.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




Nikki recalls working at her grandfather's tool store and how this experience honed her skills in selling. [01:00]



Armed with experience and her grandfather's wisdom, Nikki was impressed at her first job, being so natural at selling she got promoted at eighteen. [02:35]



Working for Hitachi America, Nikki observed Patrick, a more tenured employee who was not only killing it with sales but was creating customer loyalty. He taught her what it means to 'make it about the customers.' [06:52]



Nikki talks about selling as a process: Building trust, creating curiosity, and discovery. [10:03]



Selling, according to Nikki, starts at the discovery process because it is in this step where the conversation, virtually or in person, happens. [13:18]



Lisa was a client of Nikki's who has her clients ready to take the next step with her. But Lisa was confused with the steps and was taking two steps back. [16:14]



How to prospect a client. Nikki likens this to the difference between calling versus calling a dog. [23:34]



Nikki talks about The Sales Maven Society and how this group didn't only become a place of learning but a community of people helping each other. [26:32]



My Quest for the Best lightning round begins. [31:25]






Expert Bio



CEO of Sales Maven, Nikki Rausch has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of “selling”.



With 25+ years of selling experience, entrepreneurs and small business owners now hire Nikki to show them how to sell successfully and authentically.



Nikki has written 3 books, all available on Amazon and she has a podcast called Sales Maven which you can find on your favorite podcast platform.



Contact Info and Social Media for Nikki Rausch




Primary website





Travels from: Boise, ID





Connect on: Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook




Resources Mentioned During the Interview



Below are key people, places, books, quotes, websites and other resources that we discussed, so you can explore further.




The Sales Maven Podcast





The Sales Maven Society





Hitachi




Published by Nikki Rausch

Matthew Barzun, author of The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go



Bill Ringle and Matthew Barzun discuss leadership insights for small business leaders from Matthew's perspective as a United States ambassador to Sweden and the United Kingdom.

















>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com  for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 300 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today's top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these powerful conversations.



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways




Co-creation is a valuable meeting outcome. It occurs when you create something — a product, a plan, a concept — thorugh your interactions.



A team operates better as a constellation: Everyone is their own star, but together they form a higher level context and purpose.



Our obsession with "solutionism" blinds us to the fact that not everything is a problem that needs to be solved. Sometimes we're having difficulties and can just go around them.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




Jacques Barzun, a Provost at Columbia University, author of 40 books, and a man with a great understanding of life was Matthew's grandfather and his biggest inspiration growing up. [01:22]



What business leaders can learn about meetings from Peter Drucker's guru, Mary Parker Follett. [03:51]



The Mary Parker Follet Test: What are the four possible outcomes in a meeting? Are you focused on the only one that is worthwhile. [05:30]



We should expect three things after a meeting: To be needed, to need others, and to be changed. [07:05]



How did PowerPoint change the power structure in meetings. [07:41]



What is Amazon's 6-page brief model of collaborative? [09:03]



Explaining the difference between the pyramid and the constellation. Do you have a one dollar bill to examine? [10:38]



The Internet itself is a constellation. The world's most impactful innovations and successful businesses are organized this way.[13:38]



"What is the opposite of winning and losing?" [16:03]



Why the West is obsessed with "solutionism," the idea that everything needs to be solved. [17:48]



After a conversation with stand-up comedian Jimmy Carr, Matthew concluded that leadership is a joke. Seriously. [20:09]



My Quest for the Best lighting round begins. [34:12]



What was former President Barack Obama's advice for his then-first-time diplomat? [37:00]






Expert Bio



Matthew Barzun has always been fascinated by how we can stand out and fit in simultaneously. He helped countries do both when he served as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden. He helped citizens do both as National Finance Chair for Barack Obama by pioneering new ways for people to have a stronger voice in politics. And he helped tech consumers do both as an entrepreneur when he helped start CNET Networks in the early 90s. Barzun was raised on the East Coast, started his career on the West Coast, and settled in the middle in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, Brooke, and their three children.



Contact Info and Social Media for Matthew Barzun




Primary website





Travels from: Louisville, KY





Connect on: Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook




Resources Mentioned During the Interview



Below are key people, places, books, quotes, websites and other resources that we discussed, so you can explore further.




Mary Parker Follett





Free download sample of The Power of Giving Away Power by Matthew Barzun





Peter Drucker





PowerPoint





VISA





Stephen Covey- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People





Good to Great by Jim Collins





The West Wing



Barack Obama




Published by Matt

Wendy Wood, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick



Bill Ringle and Wendy Wood dive into the distinctions of what habits are so that with accurate detains and understandings, you can select and upgrade your habits for success as a small business leader.

















>>> Visit MyQuestforTheBest.com for complete show notes and more expert advice and inspiring stories to propel your small business growth. My Quest for the Best is a top-rated small business podcast with over 350 episodes of thought-provoking and insightful interviews with today’s top thought leaders and business experts. Host Bill Ringle’s mission with this show is to provide the strategies, insights, and resources that will unlock the growth potential of your business through these 



Interview Insights



Top 3 Takeaways




Our habit-memory comes from actions we repeat because they reward us with the desired result.



People in decision-making positions should lead less from the gut and more from conscious thinking.



Avoid overexerting yourself through willpower and form better habits faster.




Read the Show Notes from this Episode




Wendy was inspired by her father, who had high standards in everything he did with his children. [01:44]



The value of setting up high standards resonated throughout her work. Wendy explains how our standards influence the repeated behaviors we create. [04:16]



What role do habits play in running a successful business? [07:07]



While the job may be different and the context may vary, there are reasons why we always go back to what's familiar. [09:25]



How are habits and rituals related but not identical? [13:23]



Why asking questions is a great habit. [14:55]



How do our habits make up for our limited decision-making ability? [17:10]



Is wearing Michael Jordan's go-to brand every day a habit or a superstition? [18:19]



The research found that firefighters, especially experienced ones, don't really have a plan and instead rely on habits. [21:31]



While habits are important, decision makers must dedicate the energy and the time to make better decisions. [22:52]



What are the details of the relationship between habits and willpower? [25:09]



What is your best advice on forming habits? [28:01]



My Quest for the Best lightning round begins.[44:54]






Expert Bio



Wendy Wood is a research psychologist who devoted the last 30 years to understanding how habits work. She is Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California, where she also served as Vice Dean of Social Sciences.A 2008 Radcliffe Institute Fellow, and 2018 Distinguished Chair of Behavioral Science at the Sorbonne/INSEAD in Paris, Wendy has advised the World Bank, the Centers for Disease Control, and industries such as Proctor & Gamble and Lever Bros.



Wendy completed her graduate degree in psychology at the University of Massachusetts. She went on to be the James B Duke Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. Having published over 100 scientific articles, she received numerous awards for her research and teaching. For the past 30 years, her research has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the Templeton Foundation.



Contact Info and Social Media for Wendy Wood




Primary Website



Travels from: Washington, DC



Connect on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram




Resources Mentioned During the Interview



Below are key people, places, books, quotes, websites and other resources that we discussed so you can explore further.




Mike Zuckerman



The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan



Nike



Fila



Michael Jordan




Books Authored by Wendy Wood