Implementer Posts
Hold the Potatoes: How to Shift from Working In to Working On Your Business
Back in my restaurant ownership days, we had an unconventional way of training new managers. When someone got promoted from crew member to manager, we’d hand them two potatoes and tell them to hold them. Just hold them. No cutting, no prepping. Just holding. “What?!” was usually the response. We made fabulous hand-cut french fries, and cutting potatoes was a fundamental skill for anyone working in our restaurants. But here’s what we were teaching these new managers: When you’re on the crew, you cut the potatoes. When you’re managing, you hold them. It was our way of explaining that managing requires a completely different skill set than ‘doing’. To manage effectively, you must stop using your hands and start using your eyes, ears, and brain. You’re observing team performance, coaching in real-time, asking customers for feedback, and building relationships in the community. Sure, jumping on the line when things get
The Better the Leader, the Harder EOS Can Feel
There’s a pattern I see over and over again, & it often surprises leadership teams when I point it out. The people who struggle most with EOS aren’t the underperformers. They’re the high performers. The ones who are smart, capable, respected, & used to getting results. The leaders who have built businesses, fixed problems, carried teams, & held things together through sheer effort & competence. And when EOS starts working properly, it often feels harder for them than for anyone else. Not because they’re doing it wrong. But because EOS challenges the very habits that made them successful in the first place. High Performers Are Used to Being the Solution High-performing leaders are problem solvers. When something breaks, they step in. When a decision stalls, they make it. When performance dips, they carry more. That instinct is usually what helped the business grow. EOS, however, asks leaders to stop being
What Architecture Taught Me About Leadership Teams
From blueprints to business operations: My journey started at DIA. My first role out of college after receiving an Architecture degree was in design project management for the building of Denver International Airport. Back then, “tech” meant a blueprint, copier and white-out. If a plan changed, we redrew it by hand. It was a masterclass in organizational project management and navigating complex systems. While the tools have evolved, the core principles of building something great haven’t changed. Whether you’re building an international airport or a high-growth leadership team, you need: A clear blueprint. The right people in the right seats. A mentor/coach to guide the process. That experience taught me how to relate to different people across the board and get them moving toward a shared vision. I’m grateful for those early days on the drawing room floor—they laid the foundation for the work I do today. Building a great
The Value of Values
Core Values often get a bad rap. For most people, they are just another organizational cliché—words written at a retreat, heard once during a job interview, and then stuck on a wall near the water cooler to gather dust. But when used correctly, they are more important than people realize. Core Values are your cultural guardrails. They are the only thing that keeps your culture on the road as you grow, scale, and evolve. Here is the secret: You don’t need to “create” your Core Values. They already exist. The trick is to uncover them and articulate them so they truly reflect the culture you actually have, not the one you wish you had. The Marketing Trap I recently worked with a client who had a finely manicured set of Core Values. They were plastered everywhere—the lobby, the website, the brochures. When I suggested we revisit them, I got pushback.
Women in Business
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