The Power of Going All-In. Secrets for Success in Business, Leadership, and Life. Edition No. 1

Table of Contents

Introduction xxv

Part I: The Principles for Going All-In 2

Month 1: Mission, Vision, and Accountability 3

#1: Invest Daily in Becoming a Great Leader 5

#2: Own the Vision 5

#3: Be Clear About Your Vision 6

#4: You Work for Your Team 7

#5: Be the Leader Employees Want to Work for 7

#6: Make Them Better 8

#7: Everyone Wins When You Give Your Help Selflessly 8

#8: Find the Triangle Balance 9

#9: Always Showcase AARI 9

#10: Unleash Your Tenacity 10

#11: Don’t Sit Around Waiting 11

#12: Free Yourself from the Need for Respect 11

#13: Know Your Upside and Downside 12

#14: Hold Team Masterminds 12

#15: Make the Call and Roll 13

#16: Celebrate the Wins of Your Team Every Day 14

#17: Teach the Team Gratitude 15

#18: Become a Visionary Leader 15

#19: Leadership Is a Privilege 16

#20: Great Leadership Spreads Like Wildfire 17

#21: Develop the Leaders of the Future 17

#22: Help Your People Set Goals 18

#23: We Are a Team 18

#24: Ditch the Blame Game 19

#25: To Be the Best Team Leader, Be Flexible 19

#26: Make Your People Feel Important 20

#27: Unlock Your Employees’ Passion 20

#28: Life Partners Need to Be Bought Into the Mission 21

#29: The Only Constant in Life Is Change 21

#30: Teach Your Team the Principles of Winning 22

#31: Everyone Is a Leader 23

Month 2: Building the Foundation for Great Hiring and Onboarding 25

#1: Become Great at Recruiting and Hiring 27

#2: Hire the People Today That You Will Need in the Future 27

#3: APT: Always Prospect Talent 28

#4: Create a Repeatable Hiring Process 28

#5: Find the Rock Stars with Behavior- Based Interviews 29

#6: Hire for the Three I’s 30

#7: Hire for This Key Trait 31

#8: Hire People with Abilities You Can’t Teach 31

#9: Develop a Business Case for Hires 32

#10: Always Stay on the Hunt for Talent 33

#11: Stop Recruiting Junior Hires 33

#12: Hire with the Aim of Leveling Up 34

#13: Look for a Culture Add 34

#14: Develop Department Transition Plans Fast 35

#15: The First 30 to 90 Days Are Indicative of the Next Five Years 35

#16: Do Weekly Onboard Check-Ins for an Employee’s First Month 36

#17: Develop an Onboarding Schedule That Lets New Employees Showcase Their Talents ASAP 37

#18: Hold Regular One-on-Ones and Let Your Employee Lead the Conversation 38

#19: Build a New-Hire Orientation Template 39

#20: Teach Fast 40

#21: Invest in Training and Technology for the Team 41

#22: Buy Yourself Leverage 41

#23: Start a Mentorship Program 42

#24: Teach New Team Members to Study Top Employees 42

#25: When Onboarding, Share the Top 20% Data 43

#26: Deliver Positive Feedback for Improvement 44

#27: Hold Effective One-on-One Meetings: Skip Level Template 45

#28: Make Your One-on-One Meetings Cross-Functional 46

#29: Don’t Take Employee Churn Too Personally 47

#30: Hire Higher 47

#31: Don’t Forget the Number-One Reason People Join Startups 48

Month 3: Developing a High-Performance Culture 49

#1: The Team’s Success Is Your Success 51

#2: Build an Amazing Culture 51

#3: Learn the Four Keys to a Balanced Work Culture 52

#4: Bring Out the Creative Genius in Your Team 52

#5: Help Spread Rock-Star Qualities 53

#6: Teach Your Team to Go the Extra Mile 54

#7: Do the Hard Things 54

#8: The Sum Is Greater Than the Parts 55

#9: Training Never Stops 55

#10: Study Your Game Film 55

#11: Figure Out the “One Thing” 56

#12: Add Insane Value 57

#13: Adopt a Bias Toward Action 57

#14: Your Next Victory Requires a Single Step 58

#15: Always Ask “Why?” 58

#16: Measure Your Success by How Many People Thank You for Theirs 59

#17: Create a Scalable, Repeatable, and Predictable Playbook for Your Team 59

#18: Become an Expert in Your Field 60

#19: Seniority Doesn’t Mean Anything 61

#20: Be Obsessed with Maximizing the Performance of Your Team 61

#21: Survey Your Team on Your Management 62

#22: Boost Productivity by Eliminating Bottlenecks 63

#23: Reward Employees for Their Ideas to Improve 64

#24: Place People Where They Are a Perfect Fit 64

#25: Give Your People Freedom and Creative Space 65

#26: Be Your Team’s Biggest Cheerleader 66

#27: Give All the Credit When You Win, Take All the Blame When You Lose 66

#28: Help Your Team Make Friends at Work 67

#29: No Matter the Job, Acknowledge How Hard Your People Work 67

#30: Positive Reinforcement Trumps Negative Reinforcement 68

#31: Create a Culture of Continuous Learning and Development 68

Part II: The Strategies for Building High-Performing Teams 70

Month 4: KPIs, Goal Setting, and Decision-Making 71

#1: Find Your Daily Dose of Inspiration in Your “Why” 73

#2: Evaluate Your Judgment 74

#3: Leaders Are Readers 74

#4: Train Your Team to Be the Best Players 75

#5: Show Integrity 24/7 (Even When No One Is Watching) 76

#6: Getting Things Wrong Is an Integral Part of Getting Things Right 77

#7: Favor Results Over Time 77

#8: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff 78

#9: Create Key Performance Indicators 78

#10: Identify Your Team’s Goals 79

#11: Set AQMD Goals 79

#12: Tackle the Big Picture with Quarterly Reviews 81

#13: Coach Your Team to Provide Weekly Updates 82

#14: There Are Only Two Outcomes to a Decision 83

#15: Use Team Recommendations to Make the Right Decisions 84

#16: Recommit to Your Decisions Daily 84

#17: Multitasking Is Doing More but Getting Less 85

#18: Good Is the Enemy of Great 86

#19: Avoid Drama 86

#20: Review Your Data Daily 87

#21: New Data = New Decisions 87

#22: Make Work Fun 88

#23: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 88

#24: Teach Your Team to Speak Up 89

#25: Let Your Team Do the Problem- Solving 90

#26: Trust Your People and Empower Them to Make an Impact 91

#27: Don’t Strip Your People of Their Decision-Making Powers 91

#28: Speed to Decision Is a Competitive Advantage for Your Team 92

#29: Great Leaders Do Whatever It Takes to Improve the Performance of Their Team Members 92

#30: Success Leaves Secrets 93

Month 5: Prioritizing Tasks, Diagnosing Issues, and Taking Action 95

#1: It’s Either a “Hell Yes” or a “Hell No” 97

#2: Share the Company’s Priorities with Your Team 97

#3: Map Out the Best Path for Your Destination Point 98

#4: Every First Week of the Month, Clean Up Your Pipeline 99

#5: Direction > Speed 100

#6: Teach Your Team to Do the Things They Need to Do 100

#7: Make Your Team a Meritocracy 101

#8: Know the Four Key Pillars for the Business Unit 102

#9: Prioritize Tasks and Projects 102

#10: Break Down Large, Hairy Objectives into Small, Doable Tasks 104

#11: Work the Deals That Are Likely to Close First 105

#12: Create a Game Plan the Night Before 106

#13: Constantly Coach 107

#14: Host Effective Team Meetings with Everyone 108

#15: No Meeting Should Last Longer Than 30 Minutes 109

#16: Ask Better Questions 109

#17: Learn Fast and Fail Fast 110

#18: Make Sure Your Reps Take Responsibility for Training 111

#19: Get Great Trainers and Support Them 111

#20: Get Paid or Pay for It 112

#21: Coach Your Team on Specific Tasks 112

#22: Work Where You Can Have the Biggest Impact 112

#23: Big Goals Require Big Resources 113

#24: Give Your Team a Head Start 113

#25: Cut Timelines for Projects in Half 114

#26: Work Hard on the Right Things vs. the Wrong Things 115

#27: Find the Balance Between Helping Others and Maintaining Your Goals 115

#28: Squeeze the Urgency with Your Team 116

#29: Look to New Employees for Fresh Ideas 117

#30: Teach Your Team the Value of Hard Work 118

Month 6: Thriving in Adversity with Resilience, Discipline, and a Growth Mindset 119

#1: Sustain a Positive Mindset (Every. Single. Day.) 121

#2: Do WIT: Whatever It Takes 122

#3: The Riches Are in the Consistent Work Niches 122

#4: Improve by 1% Every Day 123

#5: Growth Comes from Challenges 124

#6: Grit Has Nothing to Do with Winning 125

#7: SDB: “Show, Do, Be” 125

#8: Know Your Worth 126

#9: No One Knows What They Are Doing at First 126

#10: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 127

#11: Teach Your Team That It’s “You vs. You” 127

#12: Make Room for Risks 128

#13: As Your Team Changes, Encourage Your People to Be Proactive and Pick Up the Slack 129

#14: Don’t Hate, Imitate! 129

#15: Teach the Importance of Curiosity 130

#16: Make Big Issues Seem Small 130

#17: Shoot Your Shot 131

#18: Teach Tenacity 131

#19: Become the Pressure Magnet 132

#20: Teach Coachability 132

#21: Embrace Your Vulnerabilities 133

#22: Ask for In- Person Feedback 133

#23: Never Say “I Can’t Do It” 134

#24: Divide and Conquer Big Projects 134

#25: Turn Mistakes Into Learning Lessons 135

#26: Spend Time on Problems vs. Solutions 136

#27: What Do You Need to Do Today? 136

#28: Success Is Uncomfortable 137

#29: Bet on Hard Work, Not Luck 137

#30: Enjoy the Journey 138

Part III: The Keys to Unlocking Your Team’s Potential 140

Month 7: The Art of Communication, Transparency, and Active Listening 141

#1: Active Listening Is All-In Leadership 143

#2: Be Transparent 143

#3: Make Your Expectations Crystal Clear 144

#4: Master the Art of Communication 145

#5: Communicate Using Clarity, Purpose, and Trust 146

#6: Become Obsessed with People and How They Think 146

#7: Losing Top Talent Has a Price 147

#8: People Want to Feel Seen and Understood 148

#9: Listen to Your Employees’ Problems 148

#10: Make Sure Everyone Is Heard at Meetings 149

#11: Don’t Overshare 150

#12: Don’t Be a One-Upper: Support the Success and Wins of Your Team 151

#13: What’s on Your Mind? 152

#14: Do Not Glorify Burnout 152

#15: Give Your People the Benefit of the Doubt 153

#16: Be Your Biggest Critic 154

#17: Turn Your “Why” into a Passion Statement 154

#18: Open Feedback 155

#19: Empires Are Destroyed from Within 155

#20: Create a “No Excuses” Policy 156

#21: Expect the Best from Your People 100% of the Time 157

#22: Don’t Be Afraid to Have Difficult Conversations 158

#23: Develop PIPs 159

#24: Deal with Consistent Underperformance 160

#25: Kill Bad Behaviors ASAP 161

#26: Change Your Perspective on Trading Team Members 161

#27: If You Have Trouble Finding the “Right” Team Members, the Problem May Be You 162

#28: Be Part of the Solution, Not the Problem 162

#29: During Stressful Times, Release the Pressure 163

#30: Get Ready to Overcome Resistance When You’re Making Waves 164

Month 8: Empowerment, Trust, and Autonomy 165

#1: We’ve All Been Unqualified at One Point 167

#2: Create a Bigger Purpose 168

#3: Teach Your Team the True Meaning of Happiness 168

#4: Crush All Your Goals with This Framework 169

#5: Ask for Input 169

#6: Make It Safe to Reach Out for Help 170

#7: Always Ask 170

#8: There Are Two Things People Want More Than Money and Power 171

#9: Host Daily Standups 171

#10: The Data Doesn’t Lie 172

#11: Ditch Internal Politics 172

#12: Teach Failure 173

#13: Unblock the Blockers 173

#14: See Things Through to the End 174

#15: Bring Them in to Get Buy- In 175

#16: Get Your People Pumped About Your Ideas 176

#17: Turn Your Words Into Actions and Build Trust with Your Employees 176

#18: Autonomy to Create and Innovate 177

#19: The 40-Hour Work Week Is a Myth 178

#20: Leadership Is Hard 179

#21: Sweat More in Practice, Bleed Less in War 179

#22: Becoming Better Is Greater Than Becoming the Best 179

#23: The World Never Wants to Change…Do It Anyway 180

#24: Take a Circular Approach to Teaching 180

#25: Learn from Good and Bad Experiences 181

#26: Positivity Is Possibility 182

#27: Ditch the Criticism and Stick to Potential Opportunities for Improvement 182

#28: Always Stay Teachable 183

#29: Either You’re Moving Forward or You’re Moving Backward 184

#30: Today the Team Is the Best It’s Ever Been and the Worst It Will Ever Be 184

Month 9: Leading Through Change, Uncertainty, and Tough Times 185

#1: Change Your Outlook on Failure 187

#2: Embrace Challenges 187

#3: Embrace the Pain 188

#4: You Can Always Improve 188

#5: Stop Playing the Short Game 189

#6: There’s Strength in Change 189

#7: Growth Comes from Discomfort 190

#8: All Employees Fall Into These Two Categories 190

#9: Manage Mediocre Effort Well 191

#10: Mindset Saves the Sinking Ship 191

#11: Pay Attention to the Subtext 191

#12: Find Out Your Team’s Weak Spots 192

#13: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone 192

#14: There’s No Room for Drama 193

#15: Stop Micromanaging 194

#16: You Can Disagree, Just Do It with Respect 194

#17: Don’t Be Mean- Spirited or Disrespectful (Seriously) 195

#18: Tough Times Build Character 196

#19: Rise Up 196

#20: Ask Yourself These Questions Before You Make a Huge Change 196

#21: Make Decisions When You’re on Top 197

#22: Your Team’s Ideas Have the Potential to Change the World 198

#23: Get in the Trenches with Your Team 199

#24: Ask More Questions 200

#25: Study Feedback Patterns 200

#26: Lead with Empathy When Challenges Arise 201

#27: This Gets in the Way of Taking Responsibility 201

#28: Teach the Definition of Failure 202

#29: Help Your Team Get Unstuck 202

#30: Remind Your People How Unstoppable They Are 203

#31: Have Relentless Optimism 203

Part IV: The Secrets to Developing the Next Generation of Leaders 206

Month 10: The Human Element, Emotional Intelligence, and Soft Skills 207

#1: Recognize the Difference Between Bad Bosses and All-In Leaders 209

#2: Embrace the Greatest Change When You Become a Leader 209

#3: To Hone Your Intuition, You Have to Focus on Your Strengths 210

#4: Never Call Me Your “Boss” 211

#5: Stay True to Yourself 211

#6: Ask Open- Ended Questions 212

#7: Never Be Satisfied with the Status Quo 212

#8: Find Out Your Employees’ Communication Style 213

#9: Stop Worrying About Who’s Right 213

#10: Show Compassion Through Action 214

#11: Don’t Be a Know-It-All 214

#12: It’s Time for Leaders to Give a Damn 215

#13: Make Intuition and Data Your Ultimate Drivers 216

#14: Unlock Your Employees’ Natural Talents 216

#15: Teach Your Team Mental Health Resilience 217

#16: Remember, Your Employees Could Be Anywhere Else 217

#17: Encourage a Work-Life Balance 218

#18: People Don’t Choose a Job, They Choose a Boss 219

#19: Treat Your People Like Family, Not Quotas 220

#20: Look to Shared Experiences to Build Relationships 220

#21: Stand Up, Stand Out 221

#22: Put Yourself in Your Boss’ Shoes 222

#23: “I’m Just Being Honest” Doesn’t Give You a License to Be a Jerk 222

#24: Embrace What Sets You Apart 223

#25: Be Fully Present at Meetings 223

#26: Always Exude High Emotional Intelligence 224

#27: Never Make Your Employees Feel Dumb 224

#28: When You Care Less About Your People, Your People Become Careless 225

#29: Do What You Say and Say What You Do 225

#30: Let Someone Know You’re Proud of Them 226

Month 11: Leading Diverse Teams and Fostering Continuous Learning 227

#1: Don’t Let Differences Keep You from Gold 229

#2: Learn to Lead 230

#3: Recognize When You’re at the Top of Your Leadership Game 230

#4: Your Reputation Is Everything 231

#5: Share Your Number-One Goal as a Leader 231

#6: Go Above and Beyond 232

#7: Always Have Five Minutes for Your Team 232

#8: Figure Out What Your Team Needs and How You Can Help 233

#9: Customize Your One- on- Ones 233

#10: Get Your People Sold on the Product and the Company 234

#11: Invest Your Resources to Maximize Employees’ Success 235

#12: Nip Your Insecurities in the Bud 236

#13: Overcome Imposter Syndrome 236

#14: Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself 237

#15: You Are Limitless 237

#16: Live with an Abundance Mindset 238

#17: Build Your Own Leadership Tribe 239

#18: You Can Always Learn Something New to Do Better 239

#19: Break the Rules 240

#20: Learn When to Best Use Your Time 240

#21: Never Be an Entitled Leader 241

#22: Strength vs. Weakness 241

#23: Make It Their Idea Rather Than Yours 242

#24: Help Your People Feel Safe 242

#25: Pay More Attention to What People Do, Not What They Say 243

#26: If You Bring Value to Your Team, You Will Be Valued 243

#27: Don’t Expect Your Team to Work Harder Than You 244

#28: Teach Your Team to Invest in Their Own Self-Development 244

#29: Surround Yourself with the Greatest Talent 245

#30: Become the Leader You Wished You Had 245

#31: Invest in Yourself Continuously 246

Month 12: Developing Future Leaders, Coaching, and Succession Planning 247

#1: Every Employee Is a Diamond in the Rough 249

#2: Get Your Team to Invest in Their Success 249

#3: Lead with Purpose Rather Than Desire 250

#4: Coach Your Managers to Become Great Leaders 251

#5: Break Free from Micromanagement 251

#6: Use These Three Key Factors to Spot a Potential Leader 252

#7: Get Obsessed with Becoming a World-Class Coach 253

#8: Run Coaching Sessions That Leave Employees Empowered 254

#9: Make the Most of Your Top Talent Before They Go Somewhere Else 255

#10: Even If You Outsource Training, Executing Coaching Is Your Job 255

#11: Use Data to Prioritize Coaching 256

#12: Increase Your Coaching Time 256

#13: Train Your Team to Be the CEO of Their Business 257

#14: Unlock Your Employees’ Greatest Motivators 258

#15: Motivate Your People to Want to Work With Passion 259

#16: Give Feedback Right Away 259

#17: Make Your Monthly Review an Opportunity for Reflection and Strategy 260

#18: Conduct Annual Reviews That Fuel Growth 261

#19: Focus on High Potentials 262

#20: Create Promotion Ladders for Every Position 263

#21: Teach Employees How to Get Ahead 264

#22: Take on the Role Before You Actually Have the Position 264

#23: Don’t Wait to Promote 265

#24: Be Intentional with Your Compliments 265

#25: Anytime Someone Gets Promoted, Personally Call Them to Congratulate Them 266

#26: Ask the Team, “What Did You Learn Today?” 267

#27: Get a Progress Partner 267

#28: You Are Never Too Important 268

#29: You Are in Control 269

#30: Speak Success Into Existence 269

Conclusion 271

About the Author 275

Index 277

Authors