In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser reconnect, sharing lighthearted banter about local food favorites before diving into a reflective business discussion. They emphasize the importance of honest year-end reviews, hiring the right people, and upholding core company values. The conversation explores balancing accountability and friendship, demanding excellence with compassion, and avoiding fear-based retention. Using personal stories and practical tools, Mike and Josh encourage leaders to foster team alignment, address issues early, and make data-driven decisions to drive organizational success in the coming year.
Podcast Introduction & Wawa Memories (00:00:08) Mike and Josh reconnect, discuss Wawa, the Gobbler sandwich, and share local food stories.
Sponsorship Jokes & Fitness Anecdotes (00:02:00) Hosts joke about potential sponsors, sauna suits, speaking gigs, and introversion after public speaking.
Thorntons Pizza & Local Food Chat (00:03:45) Discussion about Thorntons gas station pizza, local food favorites, and brief Costco pizza mention.
Transition to Business Reflection (00:04:30) Shifting from casual chat to business topics, reflecting on the fast year and personal growth.
Guest Speaker & The Bravery Effect (00:04:57) Announcement of Jill Schulman as a future guest, her book, and the concept of taking a leap.
Year-End Autopsy & Old vs. New Thinking (00:06:11) Encouragement to do a thorough year-end review, start/stop analysis, and old vs. new business mindsets.
Hiring: Warm Bodies vs. Right People (00:07:28) Contrast between filling seats with anyone versus focusing on right people, right seats, and hiring discipline.
Managing Around Weaknesses (00:09:17) Discussing the tendency to manage around personal and team weaknesses, and the need to delegate and elevate.
Politics Over Performance (00:11:22) Exploring how loyalty and politics can overshadow performance, and the importance of core values in hiring and promotion.
Friendship vs. Accountability (00:14:24) How personal relationships can hinder accountability, and why radical candor and truth-telling matter in leadership.
Accepting "Good Enough" vs. Demanding Excellence (00:17:07) The dangers of settling for mediocrity and the need to set and uphold higher standards for performance.
Building Roles to Fit Talent vs. Organizational Needs (00:19:07) Pitfalls of creating roles around existing people instead of organizational needs, and the importance of clear accountability.
Fear-Based Retention & Single Points of Failure (00:20:47) Keeping employees out of fear of losing unique skills, and the risks of single points of failure in organizations.
Subjective vs. Objective Evaluations (00:22:19) Moving from subjective, fear-based evaluations to data-driven, objective performance reviews.
Compromising Culture for Performance (00:23:20) The cost of tolerating high performers who damage culture, and the need to prioritize values over numbers.
Indefinite Patience vs. Timely Action (00:24:18) The problem of waiting too long to address issues, and the importance of prompt, disciplined feedback.
Conclusion & Tools for Year-End Reflection (00:25:35) Encouragement to use structured tools for year-end reviews, emphasizing clarity, discipline, and continuous improvement.
