ReEnergize Podcast: Recent Episodes
Steve Coughran
The ReEnergize podcast dissects market trends and focuses on crafting timely strategies to maximize financial performance and organizational health. The host, Steve Coughran, brings his wealth of experience working as a business owner, management consultant, and CFO to tell relevant stories about disruption and transformation. ReEnergize blends a variety of topics and valuable tips to empower business leaders to help break through organizational and mental barriers to elevate performance. This fresh podcast brings you real, authentic conversations on the things that matter most in strategy design, processes, and execution. Get ready to be ReEnergized.
Join Steve for the last episode of ReEnergize! We are so grateful for the support you have given and opportunities this podcast has provided. As we begin our transition to something new, Steve explains the good that can come from change. While change can be uncomfortable, it is constant; however, progress is not constant. This requires both businesses and people to revisit their strategies and make sure their actions align with their goals. With that said, we are excited to announce two new Coltivar podcasts coming your way. One will focus on transformation within the construction industry, while the other will be a tool to boost financial literacy among business leaders. To learn more about what is new with Coltivar, visit coltivar.com. We are so excited to share these new resources with you!
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Have you ever been completely caught off-guard or hurt by somebody's words? In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve shares the story of a time when he received a metaphorical punch to the gut that changed his life. At first, Steve felt cut to the very center with shock and fear that had him questioning his business and decisions. However, while the comment was completely unexpected and hurtful, it forced him to rethink and make changes to his business that ultimately changed his life for the better. Rather than letting situations like this destroy us, Steve encourages you to pivot and grow from criticism and punches to the gut. To do this, Steve shares three takeaways he learned: Put your best work forward, use your pain as leverage to drive transformation, and do not fear rejection or critical feedback.
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While the COVID-19 pandemic has made this year especially difficult, it is not the only time of uncertainty--the future is always unknown. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve shares three key areas of focus to help your business thrive despite the uncertainty of the future: cash, throughput, and people. Steve explains what it means to have 90 days of cash, why it is crucial for success both in your business and personal finance, and how to obtain this cash. Despite gaining profit from projects, the time it takes to complete these projects has a huge impact on your organization's overall revenue. Investing in human capital can be difficult or even unappealing. However, Steve explains why the importance of training employees and creating a productive team, as well as how we can do that despite the current circumstances. By focusing on these three areas, your business can prosper both now and in the ever-uncertain future.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Strategic Planning Efforts
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Steve has been out of the office for the past week, disconnecting from the world to enjoy his own personal "Think Week." In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve returns to explain what Think Week is, why he prioritizes it, and why you need one too. While taking time to think and recenter is incredibly important, the busyness of our lives often makes it difficult to find time for this. However, prioritizing even just a day or a half-day to give yourself time to truly think and disconnect offers incredible and lasting benefits. From his experience, Steve shares his insights, tips, and tricks to help you create a Think Week that is personalized and tailored to your liking and needs, helping you re-prioritize every aspect of your life.
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In Steve's first business he created an elaborate strategic plan, yet looking back, he realized that there was one major thing missing from this plan--the customer. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve discusses how to create a human-centered strategy to drive meaningful value. Like Steve's original business, many organizations can become too company-focused, trying to beat the competition. But winning companies don't focus on competition; rather, they focus on creating value for their customers, enhancing customer and employee experience. Take on Steve's challenge and learn how placing the human perspective at the center of your strategy and goals can drive resiliency, innovation, and renewal.
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Managing people can be draining and time consuming, taking you away from other important operations. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explores the responsibility managers hold for the success and productivity of their employees. Introspection is required to provide your team with the necessary means for success. This starts with role clarity--while job descriptions are a good start, employees need direction. Complete clarity allows for motivation, establishes accountability, and outlines the goals and boundaries for employees. Tune in to hear Steve's insights and tactics on creating an environment of balance and clarity that will allow your team to thrive and add exponential value to your company.
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Financial literacy can be a daunting subject. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve breaks down the language of money in a way that is simple and easy to understand. While memorization was necessary in the past, we now have easy access to information. Now, our focus should be on strategic thinking and application. Steve gives five basic focuses you can use to boost your financial literacy: learn key terminology, understand financial statements, focus on key performance indicators (KPIs), take a course that will help you achieve your financial goals, and get a financial mentor. By deepening your knowledge in finance, you will be able to drive incredible value for your customers, business, and your personal life.
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Even more so than other years, 2020 has been a year of massive change and adaptation, and while it can be exciting to plan new strategies, there is often a gap between the strategy plan and the strategy execution. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains why over 70% of strategies fall through, and what you can do about it. Strategy is making decisions to successfully position and differentiate your organization to deliver exceptional customer experience and foster exponential growth. Change can be uncomfortable and unwanted, yet it occurs no matter what. With strategy, you can make changes that are intentional and that can transform your organization for the better. Tune in to learn how to create a strategy with a framework that will allow it to stick and add immense value to your company.
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In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve interviews Grant Lebahn to get his insights on strategy. Grant worked for Hensel Phelps, managing strategy and operations for 21 years before founding Resource Gravity, a business designed to guide organizations to success in the construction industry. With his background, he is able to provide a unique view on strategy for the listeners. While strategy may be dead without finance, Grant emphasizes that strategy is also dead without framework. This framework must be built around trying to best serve the customers rather than trying to beat the competition--your strategy should be derived from individuality. With Grant's insights, we can learn how to find value within our businesses and personal matters to elevate every life they touch.
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Every organization has untapped potential that is waiting to be realized. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains how to find this unlocked potential, as well as how to act on it and repeat this process to foster growth, innovation, and resilience. Through a story of a friend landing a plane in the fog, Steve expresses the importance of relying on indicators and metrics within your business to navigate and succeed amidst times of turbulence. Many companies are running on very little fuel while trying to land safely in unknown terrain. Steve shares two categories of financial bench marking to help you take advantage of the resources that will help you discover your business's unrecognized value, guiding you and your business to a safe landing in a fog of uncertainty. To learn more about how your organization can use benchmarking to uncover hidden value, click here: signup.benchmarker.pro/
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In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve takes the listeners through five key steps that will help keep you headed for success in the future even when things aren't working out in the present. First, stay true to your purpose--this may even involve finding your purpose if it is still unclear. The wide variety of voices and chaos in the world can cause you to lose your focus, so learn how to turn off these distractions. Next, focus on value both within your business and your personal life. As you try to find order and strategy, it is important to be patient with both yourself, those around you, and your company, which means that it is not just okay, but necessary to shift certain timelines. Finally, Steve advises that you need to give your strategy the same attention and rigor as your daily operations. By implementing these five guidelines, we can not only be successful in the future, but learn to embrace the storms we are facing in the now.
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In the past couple of episodes, we discussed both the benefits and challenges that come with entrepreneurship and startup companies. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve picks the brain of Michelle Yu, former HR executive turned Coach, Trainer and Human Capital Consultant. After spending a decade working in technology, VC/PE firms in various HR capacities, Michelle knows what makes people work well in business and how businesses can better serve their people. She coaches ambitious high achievers to move past overwhelm, burnout, and stagnation so they can thrive both personally and professionally. Tune in to hear her thoughts, experiences, and advice, as well as her journey leaving the corporate world to start her own practice.
https://www.michellekyu.com/
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Much like entrepreneurship, the reality of startup companies is frequently misconstrued. While working in a startup company can be exciting and new, it requires risk, hard work, and adaptability. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve shares the knowledge he has gained through his experience with startup companies to reveal the truth behind them. Unlike corporate jobs, startup companies require employees that are willing to do a variety of tasks and wear multiple different hats for the success of the company. While this may seem scary, it can allow employees to explore fields and grow tremendously, while also becoming part of a small, close-knit team. Though startup companies are not all fun and games, the culture can be lively and effective. Learn not only about the many factors that make up startup companies, but how to apply similar culture into larger, older organizations.
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While entrepreneurship is rewarding, the way it is portrayed in the media today can often be very misleading. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains the truth about what being an entrepreneur really takes. What may appear as a life of luxury is actually a constant grind that requires an incredible amount of hard work and motivation--it can be draining. So what makes it worth it? Steve shares his insights on how to get started, what keeps him excited and motivated, and how to pursue your entrepreneurial ambitions while maintaining balance in your life. Entrepreneurship can be intimidating and requires difficult trade-offs, but can pay off tremendously when done with purpose and reason.
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Implementing strategy is not simply setting goals and laying out steps to achieve these; rather, it is an entire cultural shift. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains the necessity of accountability and gives insight on how to achieve such an environment. In the last episode, we discussed the importance of keeping every employee informed and committed to the strategy. Without accountability, employees cannot be aligned or motivated, making strategy impossible to implement successfully. Steve dives deeper into how things such as the "return and report" method, technology, and finding a balance between complete freedom and micromanagement can help train members of all levels of an organization stay focused and engaged. Learn the difference between responsibility and accountability, and how they work together to make strategy and transformation stick for both your business and your personal life.
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Last week we discussed the importance of making changes within your organization, but doing so effectively is often difficult. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains key factors to implementing change that will stick within your organization. One of the biggest obstacles preventing changes from taking hold is lack of employee understanding and buy-in. Tune in to learn how to make sure employees not only understand the strategy, but are aligned and motivated to execute and move the strategy forward. By extending empathy to your employees, communicating through both your words and actions, and monitoring and celebrating progress, transformation becomes exciting and effective rather than intimidating and difficult.
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Under the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses all over the world have been forced to make drastic changes to their processes and models. In this episode of ReEnergize, we break down the importance of revisiting your strategy to guide your organization through the short term as well as the long term. It can be easy to make quick adjustments to an organization in order to survive in uncertain times, but too often businesses make changes that only work in the present or near future. By revisiting strategy, organizations can make decisions that will not only help them succeed in the short term, but will create advantages and allow for growth in the future. Steve explains the necessary (and damaging) transformations and pivots that must be considered when changing operations that can determine the future of an organization to not just make it through difficult circumstances, but grow and thrive as time goes on.
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In last week's episode we discussed the current technology pivot and the benefits that can come by implementing a cohesive digital strategy within your organization. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains the software that Coltivar has launched to make this digital pivot simple, convenient, and advantageous--Coltivar Connect. Coltivar Connect is a web-based platform that allows your business to implement and follow through with strategy in real time, eliminating unnecessary meetings or interruptions. This platform allows you to keep all your data in one place, align employees on all levels of the organization, empower accountability, and track the progress of your strategy, allowing you to capitalize on scarce resources and create value for both your customers and employees. Learn how Coltivar Connect differs from other platforms and how it can elevate and transform business as well as people.
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In the midst of the global pandemic, businesses have been forced to rely on technology to communicate and function. However, these technologies were available long before they became popular. So why did it take so long for us to make the change? In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains the necessity of technology as we move forward into the future as well as what has kept people from using available technology in the past. If applied correctly, digitization is not something to be feared but rather something to be excited about that can transform both your business and personal life for the better. With Steve's insights, learn the how and why of implementing technology into your organization, and begin to see the opportunities that arise as the world experiences this digital pivot.
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Understanding strategy and implementing one into your organization that will drive value and success is a difficult process. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve helps break down the basics of successful strategy as well as the dangerous habits of poor strategy. Tune in to learn how making decisions and allocating scarce resources create the key fundamentals to building strategy, and why it is so important. As critical as it is to understand what a good strategy is, it is just as significant to understand what major pitfalls lead to a bad one; for this reason, Steve busts five common strategy myths and explains the mistakes that many organizations make when designing and executing a plan for the future. Explore the how and why of Coltivar's firm belief that by emphasizing the intersection of finance and strategy, organizations can generate value and optimize their potential.
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Designing a strategy is like the “Honeymoon” stage of marriage. It’s really exciting and engaging to design a strategy. However, designing and implementing are two very different things. When organizations get to the point of executing their strategies, most fall short because they fail to follow a process. For the last step in Outsizing, Steve explains what it means to Forge Patterns and how to follow a repeatable process. Through years of data collection and experience, Coltivar developed the IAR framework to help organizations follow a repeatable process that fosters innovation and drives meaningful results. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve offers a brief overview of how the IAR framework is the best way for your organization to forge patterns.
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In last week’s episode, we converted advantages into value with 3 different approaches, earning a price premium, cost and capital efficiencies, and strategic growth. Now that we’ve laid out the plan on how to convert advantages into value, we’re going to explain who converts these advantages. This week, we move onto step 5 and introduce the value maximizer. Value maximizers are rockstar employees and in this episode, Steve explains how to unlock the potential your value maximizers bring to your organization.
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Last week we discussed how to build from advantages and the major benefits that can come from finding the key strengths in your business and personal life. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains how to generate value from these advantages. There are three ways to generate value that are discussed in Outsizing: earning price premiums, implementing cost and capital efficiencies, and being strategic about growth. Steve describes how to strategically pursue these through processes such as diversification, market penetration and expansion, and product development. Tune in to learn the steps that will take your advantages to the next level and maximize your value potential today!
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“Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.” In this episode of ReEnergize, we talk about step 3 of Outsizing: Building from Advantages. When we focus on our weaknesses, we can only perfect them to the point of satisfactory. When we build on our advantages, that’s when we start to see extreme improvements. It’s important for organizations to realize their advantages and focus on how to optimize them through creating and capturing value. We break down the different types of advantages and how organizations can optimize their key strengths moving forward.
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Last week we discussed how people within a business play a role in strategy, but what about the people that the business serves? In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains how to form a strategy centered around your customers rather than just your company. Learn the difference between customer service and customer experience, and how being proactive can play a key role in your strategy. Steve explains both what an ideal customer is and what values make up these ideal customers. Whether it be needs, passions, circumstances, social factors, or pressure, all customers are made up values that derive from these motivations. Listen in as Steve explains how to use these motivations and values to maximize the quality of customer experience and create advantages within your business.
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We have received lots of positive feedback from our listeners concerning the resources we have extended lately, yet we have forgotten to offer one of our best resources, Outsizing: Strategies to Grow Your Business, Profits, and Potential. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve explains his reasons for and experience writing the book, as well as a key principle discussed in this book. Tune in as Steve discusses the human side of strategy and how to control it in a way that benefits your company rather than slows its progression. Often times things such as toxic work environments, stubborn employees, and biases can make good strategy difficult to follow through with. How can businesses create objective strategies that the whole company is excited for? Steve dives deep into the many ways we as humans can refocus both our personal and business lives for the better.
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Our listeners have sent in several questions for Steve lately. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve answers five of these relevant questions. Is it possible to have strategy with so many unknowns? How do you make cuts when you have so many great employees that you don't want to lose? What are the long term ramifications of the stimulus programs that the government has put into place to prop up the economy? What are Steve's thoughts on the stock market? Is it a good time to invest? How do we keep momentum within our business and employees with all the fear and uncertainty we are facing? Tune in to hear Steve's latest insight and advice on staying re-energized during these unprecedented times.
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In this episode of ReEnergize, the host becomes the guest when Steve sits down to be interviewed by Coltivar's Institute Manager, Ashley Orewiler. Usually on the editing side of the podcast, Ashley gets the opportunity to chime in on the conversation and ask the questions. Steve and Ashley explore Steve's life journey and the strategic decisions he made to get to where he is today. Reminiscing youthful times and staying resilient through strategic decisions come together in this episode of Re-Energize.
Tools and Resources for this episode:
Fostering a Mindset of Growth, Innovation, and Resilience online course
"Unlocking Value and Strengthening Your Financial Position" whitepaper
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Many businesses have been forced to make drastic cuts and changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve discusses how to make cuts that will help your company succeed rather than limit its capacity and halt progression. Steve emphasizes methods to strategically make cuts that encourage a mindset of hopeful investment instead of fearful decision making. He explains that by making smart and thoughtful decisions in your business, it will not only remain effective and successful in these unprecedented times, but be able to rise above competition as the world returns to normalcy. Through a comparison of an untamed shrub, Steve explains that by cutting excess and unnecessary things out of both your business and personal life, you can grow back even stronger and better than before. By looking at the current conditions as a time to seek efficiency and improvement rather than a time to ration and implement short-term solutions, these current circumstances can heighten our potential rather than diminish it.
If you are determined to grow you and your organization stronger, utilize Coltivar's curriculum below:
Fostering a Mindset of Growth, Innovation, and Resilience Course
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As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, people are forced to change and find alternate methods to maintain their ways of life. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve calls upon Jack Bowen, President of EMJ Construction, to share his thoughts on innovating and adapting, as well as his approach to this in an ever-changing world. Jack explains how the path that he took to reach his current position has developed a mindset of diversification and innovation as he has been able to expand his company's capacities, a characteristic that has come to define EMJ Construction. Jack explains that while executive decision making is key to successful change, those decisions can be daunting as their outcome remains unknown when the decision is made. To help surmount this fear, Jack explains that while failure will happen, we must learn to look for ways to grow from this failure rather than obsess over what went wrong and look for blame. While uncertainty makes change uncomfortable or undesirable, Jack explains an element of faith that you must have that makes it possible to continue forward despite every odd stacked against you and your business. With Jack's many insights, he establishes that change is not only good, but necessary for success.
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Adjusting to new normals has been a challenge for us all. People are searching for guidance more than ever and it’s up to us as leaders to keep people on the path to success. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve and Phil McGrath, friend and Human Resource Director of McKee Foods, explore the Pygmalion effect and how it relates to leadership. People perform based off the expectations you set for them. In his youth, Phil recalls his father as a well-respected basketball coach and how badly he and his siblings wanted to play basketball well. They performed well because their father expected them to. The same goes for our employees. Phil explains that our believes of an employee are manifested in our behaviors, our behaviors set the climate, and the climate directly impacts the employee’s outcomes. If we believe our employees have the capabilities to meet expectations, our faith in them will appear in our behaviors; thus, empowering our employees with the knowledge that they are capable, trustworthy, and successful. Phil says it best, “What gets watered, grows.”
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In recent episodes, Steve stresses the importance of using this time to slow down and get connected with people, but what exactly does slowing down look like? In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve invites friend and mentor, John Berkley, President of Competitive Edge, to coach us through just that. John recites poetry and refers specifically to the different masks we put on for others. If we really slow down and stop to think about our influences and passions, are those authentic to our true selves or are we following someone else’s lead? John tells the audience how he went all through grade school without a date and before going to college, he was determined to change his story. By recognizing the unhealthy mask he’d been wearing, John formed a strategy to take the mask off. “People don’t realize they can take the masks off,” says John. We all have the power to recognize our masks and change our stories.
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While the world is social distancing, Steve is finding ways to get more connected with people. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve invites Rich Sexton, long-time friend and business owner, to talk about the environment COVID-19 has created and how to thrive in it. Rich gets down and personal when he recalls his 6+ years in the military, starting a business, and even, just recently, losing one of his businesses’ most significant clients. He’s a survivor and Steve believes he’s the perfect person to teach the listeners how to stay innovative, think positive, and thrive during these trying times. As Rich recalls a hard time in his past, he remembers the quote, “You can quit tomorrow, but you can’t quit today.”
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Using this time as a period for self-reflection, Steve recalls a challenging situation and his revelation that came during those hard times. He distinctly remembers how clearly it became that people and relationships were the most important thing in his life. Thinking about how you appreciate people simply doesn’t cut it. Steve believes you should tell people how you feel, tell them you love them. Love doesn’t have to be a weird word. You love your pets, your friends, family, etc. So, say it aloud. Everyone can benefit from being told what is loved about them. Even though we are social distancing, Steve encourages you to make a video, send a text, and connect with the people you love.
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Now, almost more than ever, is the perfect opportunity to slow down and get back to the basics of living life. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve and wealth manager Brittany Jarocki use their skills in advising to talk down the fears many Americans are experiencing right now. This is not the first time America will experience an economic shock, neither will it be the last. Brittany says, “If you have a [financial] plan, stick to it. If you don’t have a plan, take the time to put one together.” She’s right, in both cases. This will subside and when it does, you want to still be on track with your original plan. And if you don’t have a plan, now is the time to slow down, get back to the basics, and be prepared for next time. Steve and Brittany agree, the American spirit is resilient. “We might not be perfect, but we’re still the best,” says Brittany.
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Hard times can bring out the best or the worst in people. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve talks us through another paralyzing week during the COVID-19 outbreak and how we can use this opportunity for good. Steve sees this circumstance and feels like this is a chance to slow down and connect with people. By slowing down, we allow ourselves to capture the moments. This week, Steve challenges you to connect with people during this time of disconnection. Send a text, video or something that insights joy to someone you haven't spoken to in a while. Be someone who spreads love, kindness and hope during hard times.
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Yes, things are scary right now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is up to us as leaders to lead with optimism. In this short, bonus episode of ReEnergize, Steve answers the most pressing questions from businesses about Coronavirus, surviving a market plunge, and wading through paralyzing fear. Tune in now to hear Steve explain how to keep resilience, stay authentic and how to prepare for the future during the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Self-awareness is key when it comes to your financial well-being. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve has the pleasure of talking investment strategy with Certified Financial Planner, Jim Lunney. Jim is known for founding The Wealth Strategies Group, a comprehensive wealth counseling and independent investment advisory company. Jim explains how his vast experience in the investment industry helped him create The Seven Signs of a Changing Economy and how this tool made him more financially self-aware. The Seven Steps are a system that help Jim assess the market; which in turn, create a process that turns into a strategy that can be followed through towards success.
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If you bend a stick and it snaps back into place, that’s what we call Resilience. In episode 32 of ReEnergize, Steve and Solar Construction Executive of Arraycon, Jeff Calabro, address how to foster a mindset of resilience. Jeff describes the rocky path he took in his adolescence and how it impacted the way he acts as an executive today. An executive, according to Jeff, is a person that can take on a new role and execute within the role. If you’re not satisfied with your role, you have the power of choice. You find a new job at a different company or you can find a new role within your company. Either way, “to be an executive, you must get out of the box and step into a new role,” says Jeff.
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Authenticity of Leadership creates a culture that promotes employee authenticity. In this episode of ReEnergize, Steve examines the power of authentic leadership with Human Resources Manager, Chris Loncar of Timberline Landscaping in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Loncar discloses what it was like transforming the Human Resources role from a nasty stigma to an employee advocate. Leaders should not only be heavily invested in the strategy but also the culture. A leader who can be themselves gives the opportunity to employees to be themselves. According to Loncar, “If you give people opportunities to thrive, they’ll astound you.”
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Steve picks the brain of Chief Strategy Officer, Stephanie Early, on maintaining company culture and employee report while implementing new technologies in a company. Early is the CSO of Timberline Landscaping in Colorado Springs, Colorado and has had a working business relationship with Steve for several years. Both commend Timberline’s leadership styles and their ability to grow with strong strategies. Companies like Timberline use strategies such as implementing new technologies, increasing employee inputs and continuing to have conversations about future change.
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Living in the middle of America’s consumption culture makes it easy to fall in the trap of buying things. The amount of spending America has been doing is creating layers of stress among consumers. According to Forbes, 44% of Americans do not have enough cash to cover a $400 emergency. People have become so focused on their things that they are sacrificing relationships and connections with friends and loved ones. In this episode, Steve explains his journey with consolidating things to make space for people in his life. Do you really need 4 pairs of brown dress shoes? Steve says, “No. The most important thing in life is people.”
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Where there is fear, love is absent. By leading with fear, we destroy relationships, push people away, and lose customers. In this episode Steve explores this topic deeply giving examples of how we let fear rule our parenting styles, relationships, and businesses. He then provides practical applications for embedding love in our interactions to promote happiness, joy, and peace. Learn how we can express unconditional love, create an abundance mentality, act on faith, and build businesses where employees are invested in and customers realize exceptional customer experiences. When we lead with love, we are truly practicing purpose driven leadership.
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As we look to the future, it’s important to reflect on the past and celebrate the milestones along the way. In this episode Steve Coughran shares two tools that he uses in his life to record significant events and capture the things for which he is grateful for. Using these tools re-energizes him as he fosters positive feelings, celebrates success, and remembers in times of despair that achievement is built line upon line. As we record our progress, we can also ensure that we are in alignment with our cause and are practicing purpose driven leadership.
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Technology is changing everything in this world, including how we do work. It’s changing traditional jobs, creating new roles, and is demanding the need for updated skills and abilities. We have all joked about how some jobs are so routine that computers can do them and now those jokes are becoming a reality. The superstars of today will soon become outdated as the skills and knowledge of the top performers go from applauded to required. In this episode Steve discuss what is upskilling and how companies can leverage its power to create competitive advantage and build organizations that foster growth, innovation, and resilience. To learn more about how the Coltivar Institute can upskill your workforce by providing cohesive training across 12 workshops in the areas of strategy, talent development, execution, and finance, visit coltivar.com/-coltivar-institute.
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In his book Outsizing, Steve shares some surprising research—out of a large group of diverse leaders, less than 10 percent of respondents reported being highly satisfied with their company’s strategy, and 29 percent said they were only somewhat satisfied. Much of this dissatisfaction stems from organizations not achieving meaningful results due to a lack of alignment and specificity. In this episode, Steve provides 7 helpful tips for instilling a strategy within your company to create greater buy-in, alignment, and participation at all levels of the organization. For more information on or help with your organization’s strategy or strategic planning process, visit https://coltivar.com/strategy-design-workshop. Coltivar helps businesses create winning strategies and then implement them to achieve extraordinary results.
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How many times do we hear words such as pleasure, happiness, and joy used interchangeably? The danger in this is that by using these words as one of the same, we skew our true expectations. In this episode Steve will discuss the distinction between short term pleasure and long-lasting joy and how we can build a life that promotes creation, growth, and fulfillment. Joy exists when we are living a life that matters. It comes when we are intentional with our time and we are aligned with our purpose and cause. Find out the three things that get in our way and prevent us from reaching our fullest potential.
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It’s that time of year again when we pause and reflect on our successes and short comings over the last twelve months and plan for the new year to come. In the United States, setting New Year’s resolutions in January has been ingrained in our culture, but many struggle to do so effectively—especially in a manner that will make their goals stick. According to an article by Inc, researchers say that 60 percent of us make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8 percent are successful in achieving them. Why is that? In this episode Steve Coughran reveals his IAR framework that helps people define Initiatives, Actions, and Results that will form success patterns to make meaningful progress.
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It’s always inspiring to be around people who have an affinity for serving others. We too can reach out and elevate those we interact with daily. Serving others doesn’t require us doing huge or outlandish things. It’s the small things that count. It’s more about consistent service and not falling into the trap of self-absorption and selfishness. When we do this we stop helping others and we develop “center of the universe syndrome”—where we believe the world revolves around us. In this episode Steve shares 5 surprising effects from serving others and how we all can benefit from spreading the love.
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In our fast-paced world, companies have built empires on the promise of immediate results. Countless books proclaim that they share the keys to getting rich quick, losing ten pounds in a week, or feeling happy and confident today. These headlines call to the emotional parts of our brains that crave instant gratification. In our businesses and personal lives, we all want to see results quickly. However, can shortcuts really deliver on their promise? In this episode Steve will share a story about a shortcut gone bad and how doing the small and simple things can result in huge differences in our lives.
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America has a major financial literacy problem. Overall, people want to make good financial decisions that lead to success both in the short and long-term, sadly most never had the opportunity to learn how to do it. Even top executives and leadership outside of the accounting and finance function struggle with financial literacy. From his research, Steve has found that on average professionals can only answer correctly 40% of basic financial questions pertaining to business. Huge opportunity exists from strengthening financial acumen and understanding the real story behind the numbers. In this episode Steve shares 7 tips that help business professionals, regardless of their role, get on the path towards financial literacy and success.
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We are in the season of giving and as the holidays usher in a frenetic pace of shopping, holiday parties, and other forms of festive activities, Steve’s thoughts are focused on capacity. Because life is so busy, and we have so many tasks and responsibilities heaped upon us, we tend to get distracted from fully developing the abilities, talents, and passions that we have been gifted. In this episode Steve will talk about ways to both receive gifts and then develop them, so we can feel joy, love, and gratitude for the rich blessings of our lives.
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If we choose to focus on the negative, we can fill our lives with a plethora of bad news, horrible stories, and feelings of fear. It’s all around us—in the news, on social media, and laced in the conversations we have with others. Similarly, when we are stuck within our own heads and focus on ourselves, we find an endless number of things that trouble us. We wish we were skinnier, smarter, healthier, wealthier, more successful than we are. We are upset because we didn’t get that promotion, offended because we weren’t included, or hurt because we thought we were more deserving. To combat this negativity Steve Coughran shares a simple pattern that we can establish in our lives to invite a greater sense of gratitude.
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This time of year is a season of gift giving. Some of the best gifts we can give are not bought online or from a store, they come from within. In this episode Steve Coughran talks about the gift of forgiveness and how it has transformed his life by receiving it, and how humbles him as he tries to be good at giving it—even though it can be really difficult sometimes to forgive those who have intentionally done harm to him. Learn how this powerful act can have a positive impact on our spiritual, emotional, and physical sides of life.
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Have you ever wondered what makes a company really attractive to own, invest in, or sell? In this episode Steve shares four things that makes a company really sexy. Purpose-driven organizations with these ingredients centered around the right strategy can create tremendous value for both employees, customers, and owners. Also, uncover why sticky revenue and sizable exits are important factors of a business and, if they are lacking, how to create them.
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How can we know what happiness is if we don’t know what sadness is? How can we truly appreciate what we have if we don’t contrast it with the opposite? In this episode Steve shares how moving out of state to take on a prestigious role at a large firm helped him to clarify his entrepreneurial purpose and cause through contrasting. Unlike comparing, which is destructive, contrasting ourselves with role models and business rivals helps us to push beyond limits and reach our full potential.
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70 percent of companies that go bankrupt are profitable when they close their doors. One may ask, how is this even possible? In this episode Steve explains how a company can fail by blindly monitoring profit while neglecting the cash movement of the business. He also shares ten reasons why the statement of cash flow is the most critical financial report to monitor due to the story that is hidden in these numbers.
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In ancient times, the people of a city would construct a watch tower and put a sentinel or guard in it to observe the surrounding areas. Similarly, the CEO should serve as a sentinel in the metaphoric watch tower of his or her company—keeping a pulse on the customers, employees, and overall operations of the business, but more importantly observing the landscape beyond the business. In this episode, learn how clarifying the role of the CEO can lead to more intense focus on the future.
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Too often leaders use the terms “strategy” and “strategic planning” interchangeably. They will say we need have our strategic planning retreat so we can clarify our strategy. However, this type of thinking is backwards and dangerous. In this episode Steve talks about the distinct difference between strategy and planning, and how leveraging key principles can have huge benefits on your life and business. Strategy is not planning, instead it’s about making integrated choices that collectively lead to advantages that create distinct value compared to the competition. In other words, strategy outlines the best choices while a plan outlines the best steps.
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Life is a hustle and we must always be pushing ourselves to stretch and grow so we can realize opportunities and overcome discouragement. In this episode Steve shares his story about depression when getting rejected from a career opportunity in public accounting. However, he fought back and worked hard in five key areas to build a powerful velocity of opportunities that resulted in a big win.
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Why is it sometimes so difficult for us to follow our purpose, even when we know it’s right?
The answer is often rooted in fear, discouragement, anxiety, an unwillingness to leave comfortable conditions, a lack of confidence, and other tools the adversary uses to keep us down and complacent. Apathy and inertia can destroy us. They can prevent us from living the life we want and reaching our full potential. In this episode Steve provides a life update and how he is returning to his life as an entrepreneur to build out the business strategy platform he started over a decade ago, Coltivar.
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Our attitude can make the difference between success and failure. We have the power to choose our response to difficult circumstances. The emotions that we harness influence our thoughts, then our actions, and ultimately our results. In this episode Steve shares a story about a family living in ancient times and how one brother’s response to a broken bow can be a powerful lesson in our lives when we are facing adversity.
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In life, there is one thing besides change that is constant—tribulation. Irrespective of age, race, status, or degree of righteousness, everyone endures periods of hardship. That is why we all need grace. Grace is about receiving strength and doing good with the help and understanding of others. It’s about cutting people slack and empathizing with others to strengthen our human connections. In this episode Steve relates his story from a marathon and how we need not only to pour out grace on others, but stop being so hard on ourselves. It’s about helping other people because we can all use grace to push past that metaphoric 22-mile marker when life is dark, and despair is thick.
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Do you ever wonder why some people experience extreme success, while others struggle to capitalize on opportunity? In this episode Steve will answer this question by providing tips and sharing lessons he has learned on his way to becoming more results oriented. Too often, people default to activities that are easy to check off the to-do list and avoid pursuing the bold initiatives necessary to ensure lasting change. However, we can all make simple shifts in our approach that will help us achieve our desired results and build the momentum we need to thrive.
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Just because something is good, doesn’t justify doing it. Instead, we should focus on the best things in life. Highly motivated, growth-oriented people often fall into the trap of doing too many things that disguise themselves as important but are rather distractions to us becoming our best selves. In this episode Steve will discuss how innovation is not about taking on more, but instead simplifying. We are all bombarded with responsibilities, tasks, demands, and deadlines but Steve will share five tips that will help us decipher what is truly essential.
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The degree of inequality among businesses is troubling. In most industries that Steve has studied, eighty percent of the economic profit is earned by the top twenty percent of companies. This means that the other eighty percent of companies are just playing to play, working hard to survive but not truly capturing the financial rewards that are possible in business. It doesn’t have to be this way! Organizations that foster strategic financial leadership at all levels empower their people to make real time, data-driven decisions that result in a greater customer experience and higher profitability. In this episode, Steve discusses the concept of strategic financial leadership and how the art of story telling behind the numbers can have a huge impact on the bottom line.
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What if you could save five years of your life by avoiding costly mistakes that waste time and precious resources? In this podcast, Steve Coughran introduces the six principles of strategic living from his book Outsizing: Strategies to Grow Your Business, Profits, and Potential. Outsizing is not a strategic shortcut, unfounded gimmick, or baseless “secret to success." Instead it is a principles-based, process-driven approach to achieve extraordinary results. In this episode Steve talks about the 3 “Deadly D’s” that hold us back from achieving our divine potential, and proven concepts that can change our lives and organizations.
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Over a decade ago, Steve was miserable in life. He worked too much, he wasn’t sleeping well, and his diet consisted of junk food and super-sized meals. After gaining weight and struggling with depression, he determined enough was enough. Steve laced up his running shoes and hit the trails. In this episode, Steve tells his story of transformation—how he went from an overweight couch potato to a trail blazing marathoner. He shares the five transforming effects of running and how deep relationships, education, spiritual connection, perseverance, and confidence resulted from continuous effort and hard work.
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In this age, our time and attention is hijacked by an endless number of distractions. Pursuing good things may prevent us from experiencing the best things in life. In this episode, Steve Coughran discusses how we should measure our return on human capital just as we evaluate our return on financial capital. This requires us to think differently about our use of email and eliminate meetings that are non crucial. It elevates our thinking to pursue the most essential so we can fulfill our true purpose and passion.
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After years of talking about it and setting goals to do it, Steve Coughran is excited to launch his podcast--REenergize. Learn about his background as CFO, his recent move across the country, the businesses he started and grew, and the cutting edge industry in which his company now competes. Energy powers our world. Whether it is produced from a solar farm in the Australian outback or from a conversation during a run in the blistering cold, energy provides us with the power to thrive, grow, and transform. From walks in the streets of Berlin to "Jim Lunches," Steve shares his motivation for starting this podcast and the two most important values that it feeds.
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