484: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams with David Burkus

This week’s guest is making a repeat appearance (or should I say, “three-peat” appearance?). It’s been a while since his last visit, but I can say it is definitely worth the wait.

david burkus

His name is David Burkus. We previously chatted with David about his books Friend of a Friend and Under New Management.

His new book is called Best Team Ever! The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams.

Talent, David says, doesn’t make the team—the team makes the talent. But why are some teams more motivated, innovative, and successful than others? Why do some groups of talented people fall short against lesser teams? And how do you go about building a high-performing team?

David understands that to build the best team, you must first shape the habits and practices that bring out the best in each member. Best Team Ever reveals what some of the world’s most effective teams do, and shows you how you can do the same.

Banish the frustration of having a team of talented people who can’t perform optimally. Discover how to develop a clear, concise understanding of how your team’s culture affects its performance. Follow this simple, practical blueprint to cultivate a Best Team Ever environment and set your team on a path to success.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about David and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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481: How to See What Others Don’t with Constance Dierickx, PhD

This week’s guest—someone who I once referred to as “a hoot”—makes her second appearance on the show, her first in nearly six years.

constance dierickx

Her name is Dr. Constance Dierickx. We last heard from her way back in Episode #190 to talk about her book High Stakes Leadership.

This time she’s here to discuss her brand new book, Meta-Leadership: How to See What Others Don’t and Make Great Decisions.

All top leaders make mistakes, she says, simply because they are human. In fact, the more senior and successful they are, the more susceptible they are to making errors due to over-confidence and perhaps, hubris. But, as Constance demonstrates, this doesn’t have to be your fate.

In her new book, she draws on a vast body of research from psychology and business to show how great leaders can improve their judgment for stronger, more profitable results. Incorporating leading-edge data and research on the science of thinking, emotional regulation, and behavior, Meta Leadership offers fascinating stories, incisive insights, and useful takeaways for better leadership and better outcomes.

Whether you are at the start of your leadership journey or have held a senior leadership role for years, Meta-Leadership will arm you with knowledge and insights to achieve the highest results from yourself and your team.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Constance and her work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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480: The Case for Good Jobs with Zeynep Ton

Two years ago, my 81-year-old mother, fell in love with Turkish culture. Credit Turkish men. Suffice to say, there’s not a Turkish movie or soap opera she hasn’t seen at least twice. She’s even teaching herself the language.

zeynep ton

This means, of course, that possibly for the first time ever, she’ll be excited to give one of my episodes a listen because Turkey is from where my guest today originally hails.

Her name is Zeynep Ton (Zeynep, according to my mother, is a popular girl’s name in Turkey. It’s even the name of a leading character on one of her “shows.”).

And Zeynep’s new book, released just a few weeks ago, is called The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay & Meaning to Everyone’s Work.

From healthcare facilities to call centers, fulfillment centers to factories, and restaurants to retail stores, companies are struggling to find or keep workers, Zeynep says, because the jobs they offer are low-paying, stressful, and provide little chance for growth and success.

Workers want good jobs, and many leaders want to provide them.

But they don’t think they can offer higher pay and more motivating work without hurting the bottom line. Most business leaders want to win with customers, but their companies are hobbled by a host of service and operational problems largely driven by high employee turnover—turnover that’s partly driven by low pay.

With expertise drawn from spending time on the front lines with workers and their managers, Zeynep knows what’s keeping most companies mired in mediocrity and how implementing a good jobs system makes them more competitive, more resilient, and more likely to attract and retain loyal customers and dedicated employees.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Zeynep and her work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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457: The Proven Path for Building a Rewarding Online Business with Matt McWilliams

I’m excited this week for lots of reasons. First, I celebrate my birthday is this week (tomorrow if you’re keeping score)! Second, I get to welcome onto the show a longtime friend and fellow entrepreneur Matt McWillams, whose dream of traditionally publishing a book is finally being realized!

matt mcwilliams

That book is called Turning Your Passions Into Profits: The Proven Path to Building a Rewarding Online Business. And I’m predicting it’s going to debut on a few bestseller lists. Yep, you heard it hear first.

Let me ask you a question: Would you enjoy creating a lifestyle you love by pursuing your passions and turning profits in the process?

Well, you’re in luck, because Matt’s book outlines step-by-step guidance for turning your passions into a profitable and lasting business.

He details how to find and attract your audience, build a following, and ultimately how to monetize your venture quickly and sustainably.

Turn Your Passions into Profits will help you:

  • Gain clarity on the exact steps it takes to start, grow, and monetize your online platform
  • Build up the confidence necessary to share your message with the world
  • Realize that you deserve to create a good income doing what you love
  • Acquire the tools and strategies needed to succeed with an online business and compete against established platforms

So many entrepreneurs either run a profitable business but hate their work or run a business they love, with a message they’re proud of, without making any money. There’s a better way to build a business, one that helps you wake up every day excited and full of purpose and make a profit.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Matt and his new book.

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447: The Inside Story of a Multibillion Dollar Behemoth with Mike Evans

It’s not every day I get to interview the founder of a multiBILLION dollar startup. Today, however, is indeed such a day.

mike evans

That founder is Mike Evans of Grubhub and—more recently—Fixer fame.

Mike has a brand new book out today that unpacks his story in entertaining fashion. The book is called HANGRY: A Startup Journey.

In Hangry, Mike details, step-by-step, the grind of building an innovative business with each chapter including sharp lessons for entrepreneurs and startups that he learned on the fly as he piloted GrubHub by the seat of his pants.

Hangry reveals a decade of eighty-hour work weeks, detailed steps of how Mike garnered his first customers, his hunt for financing dollars, cliffhanger acquisitions, the near collapse of his marriage, a brutally difficult merger, and a pair of tumultuous quit/unquit moments, all to steer the company to become one of the most successful startups in the world.

There’s plenty of razor-sharp wit, as reveals hard-won truths about how startups succeed—and even harder-won truths about how startups fail.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more Mike and his book.

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