It doesn’t take a genius.
Employee engagement, customer experience and more from two business coaches. Mike and Mark turn business trends, research and theory into practical actions you can apply at work.
Employee engagement, customer experience and more from two business coaches. Mike and Mark turn business trends, research and theory into practical actions you can apply at work.
Episodes
Apr 29, 2025
Apr 29, 2025
32 min
From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" A manager's "impossible choice" was solved with a powerful question. All four types of powerful questions help a leader clarify the situation, analyze what's really going on, gain awareness and plan for the future.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
(And buy the book here!)
Apr 29, 2025
32 min
Apr 22, 2025
Apr 22, 2025
20 min
From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" How five different leaders used questions—not counteroffers—to retain employees ready to resign.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
(And buy the book here!)
How to retain employees without a raise
Coaching conversations to reduce turnover
Best questions to ask when someone wants to quit
Employee retention through leadership
Stop resignations with empathy and inquiry
How to have powerful stay interviews
Modern employee engagement strategies
Leadership questions to build trust
Culture-driven employee retention
Apr 22, 2025
20 min
Apr 15, 2025
Apr 15, 2025
23 min
From Mike and Mark's new book, "The Inquiring Leader:" The real-world story of a general manager who slashed "time-to-line" from 38 days to 5—and saved $1.2 million—because of a single question.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
(And buy the book here!)
Leadership questions that drive performance
How to lead with questions
Modern leadership styles
Culture of curiosity at work
Business coaching with questions
How to reduce employee turnover
Dealership management success stories
Time to line improvement
Leadership podcast for young managers
Apr 15, 2025
23 min
Apr 8, 2025
Apr 8, 2025
33 min
We conclude our series on fostering a culture of continuous improvement by talking about how it needs to be ... continuous! You need regular check-ins that look at progress through three different lenses. And there are pitfalls to avoid when you do that.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Apr 8, 2025
33 min
Apr 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025
23 min
Champions: It's a corporate buzzword ... and it is a crucial element for anyone hoping to develop a culture of continuous improvement.
3M, Pixar and Intuit all have lessons for us to learn about how to--and how NOT to--engage champions for your initiatives. Are you punishing your champions?
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Apr 1, 2025
23 min
Mar 25, 2025
Mar 25, 2025
27 min
There are four things you need to have for a pilot to be a success--even if it fails. In our ongoing series on creating a culture of continuous improvement, we discuss how to pilot your innovative ideas. Google, HubSpot and SpaceX have lessons for all of us.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Mar 25, 2025
27 min
Mar 18, 2025
Mar 18, 2025
38 min
In our ongoing series on developing a culture of continuous improvement, it's time to start filtering all of those ideas you've collected. If you are overwhelmed, take a pruning lesson with this episode:
There are many prioritization techniques and time management strategies, such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the MoSCoW method. Improve your strategic decision-making by focusing on high-impact activities to achieve long-term success.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Mar 18, 2025
38 min
Mar 11, 2025
Mar 11, 2025
37 min
In our series on developing a culture of continuous improvement--as Seth Godin says, "being better at being better"--it's time to share how you FIND those improvements.
How do you create an idea bucket ... with a tap? Mike has lots of experience getting teams to share their ideas.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Mar 11, 2025
37 min
Mar 4, 2025
Mar 4, 2025
26 min
If talking about corporate values makes your eyes roll, this episode is for you. A culture of continuous improvement requires that you uncover your DNA: your values.
Defining them--and the stories behind them--lead to an organization that can live them out. The hosts share several exercises you can use to uncover those values.
Hat tip to "Co-Active Coaching," "Start with Why" and two-time guest Chris Hunsicker.
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Mar 4, 2025
26 min
Feb 25, 2025
Vision: See the future so you can be the future
Feb 25, 2025
Feb 25, 2025
32 min
If you want to "be better at being better," you need a vision. Mike and Mark share tools they use to help individuals and organizations develop a culture of continuous improvement. All you need is a penny, a blank sheet of paper and some crayons. ...
Herb Mast's "Intentionality for Leaders."
Interested in coaching or training on these topics for you or your team? We'd love to hear from you! Email Mike and Mark.
Feb 25, 2025
32 min



