In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert shares how a single definition from Vistage speaker Eric Coryell reignited his focus on group purpose. A real issue is any issue that affects the team's ability to achieve purpose. Using that as his foundation, Tom walks through how he recently rebuilt his group's purpose statement, ideal member profile, shared fate framework, and his personal commitments to every member. He also shares the opening commitment statement his group now reads aloud at the start of every meeting.

Show Notes

Why every group drifts over time and how a written purpose statement stops the slide from peer advisory group to lunch club

Tom's group purpose statement: achieve better decisions, personal growth, and business results through accountable peer advisory

How to define an ideal member based on who that human being is, not their revenue size or industry

The concept of shared fate and why it is the secret sauce that separates a high-performing group from a networking event

A real example of shared fate in action: one member's $2 million hiring decision processed by the group saved over $500,000 in measurable impact

Tom's ten commitments to his members, including full presence in every one-to-one, challenging the hardest questions, expert speaker vetting, and tracking group measures

The member non-negotiables: real issues, candor from your own perspective, confidentiality, full presence, and embracing feedback

The opening commitment statement Tom's group now reads aloud at the start of every meeting

A challenge to every Chair: write your purpose, write your commitments, and build a metric board to track both

Tom's Tips and Tricks: The Time Audit - 3 Buckets to Get Your Calendar Back

Tom shares the three-bucket framework he uses to audit his calendar and protect his time across a large, multi-group practice while working four days a week, forty weeks a year. Bucket one is stop doing, using a zero-based calendar approach to question every recurring commitment. Bucket two is could someone else do it, with four diagnostic questions to identify what to delegate and where you are the bottleneck in your own practice. Bucket three is start doing, anchored by the question from Gary Keller's book The One Thing: what is the one thing that, if I did it this week, would make everything else easier or unnecessary? Tom closes with a direct challenge to block 30 minutes this week, print out the three buckets, and do the audit now.

Show Notes / Resources:

https://www.accountableteams.com/ - Eric Coryell

tomcuthbert.com/highperforming — Issue Processing Form & High-Performing Behaviors

tomcuthbert.com/goals — Annual goals process

chairlifepodcast.com — Subscribe & past episodes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K_WdCJKHTbrZqR7ejtE4R-Byzb2-GDA8_BNXEnwuTUM/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert introduces the one productivity metric he believes every Chair should be tracking: income per hour. Tom walks through how to calculate it, why it matters more than total income or member count, and the five specific levers he has pulled over the past ten years to more than quadruple his number while working fewer hours. This is not a conversation about chasing money. It is about running an intentional practice that lets you show up at your best for your members, your family, and yourself.

Show Notes

Why income per hour is the single most important productivity metric in a Chair's practice and how to calculate it

How Tom took his income per hour from under $140 in 2016 to over $500 today while reducing his working hours every year

The three levers that move the metric: increase income, decrease hours, and do both simultaneously

Why tracking total income or member count alone does not tell you whether you are working efficiently or just working a lot

Tom's strict calendar boundaries: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday work days, Fridays and weekends off, and all of July as a sabbatical

How recurring one-to-ones eliminate the monthly scheduling scramble and let work come to you

The immediate ROI of hiring an executive assistant for any Chair with at least one full group

Why doing only your three things, plan, coach, and facilitate, is the filter that drops hours and improves member focus

How group type and utilization rate directly impact income per hour and why a full Advancing Leader group outperforms a CEO group on this metric

Tom's Tips and Tricks: Book Review - Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal

Tom is a longtime fan of Nir Eyal's work and considers Indistractable one of his all-time favorite books. He valued it so much that he hired Nir to coach him personally during 2020. Nir's newest book, Beyond Belief, carries the subtitle: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough Results. Tom pre-ordered it, has finished it, and calls it one of the best leadership and coaching books he has read in the last ten years.

The core idea is simple and powerful: beliefs are not facts, they are tools. Like any tool, you can pick up the right one or put down the wrong one. Most CEOs walk around treating beliefs as settled truths, and those unexamined beliefs filter what they see, what they attempt, and what they achieve. For Chairs, this reframes the coaching conversation. Instead of asking a CEO if something is true, which puts them on the defensive, ask whether that belief still serves them. That question opens the door without triggering resistance. Tom has been testing this in his one-to-ones and finds it immediately effective.

Resources

Beyond Belief by Nir Eyal

Indistractable by Nir Eyal

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zB-jcUVEZOGzEYXibxZ4rjPAe9mmb7BZKhlaHBbMpZE/edit?usp=sharing

ChairLife Podcast: Episode 45 (101)

Master the Art of No: Why Vistage Chairs Must Say It Clearly and Often

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert makes the case for why no is one of the most powerful words in a Chair's vocabulary. Drawing from William Ury's book The Power of a Positive No, Tom walks through a practical framework for saying no in a way that protects your priorities, guards your time, and actually strengthens relationships rather than damaging them. He also shares real examples from his own Chair practice of where and how to apply this skill every day.

Show Notes

Why saying yes to everything dilutes your focus, weakens your group, and takes time away from the high-impact work that defines a Chair's career

The three-layer sandwich framework from William Ury: the inner yes, the firm no, and the outer yes

The TREE acronym as a practical tool for delivering a positive no: Taproot, Robust Trunk, Expanding Canopy, and Energy

Common situations where Chairs need to say no, including mismatched prospects, members who reschedule constantly, vendor requests, and outside speaking or board invitations

Why Tom starts every new relationship with a 20-minute call and says no to lunch, coffee, and hour-long meetings upfront

How to say no to a member request that falls outside your expertise while still adding value and strengthening the relationship

Why guarding your time is not selfish but essential to building a high-performing community

Tom's Tips and Tricks: Don't Be the Chauffeur

Tom shares the story of Max Planck's chauffeur, who memorized Planck's quantum mechanics lecture so thoroughly that he delivered it flawlessly to a standing ovation. When an audience member asked a follow-up question, the chauffeur had no answer. Charlie Munger called this chauffeur knowledge: knowing the right answers up to a point but failing under pressure when the hard questions come. Tom applies this directly to the CEOs Chairs work with. Reading books and listening to podcasts builds surface-level recall. True mastery comes from sitting in the seat, facing real problems, and being surrounded by people on the same journey. The job of a Vistage Chair is to move members from memorizing to mastery.

Resources

https://amzn.to/47lIRtk

https://amzn.to/4s6T2JO

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F4l6yYoeJGDldMLNYEHGaFaFVSwUN7Lyhov5zsleTbo/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert breaks down why businesses fail and what Vistage Chairs can do to help their members avoid it. Tom walks through the brutal statistics behind business survival rates, the five major reasons companies fail, and seven specific areas Chairs should focus on in their one-to-ones to help members build stronger, more resilient businesses. The conversation centers on the concept of deep financial optics, seeing ahead rather than just reviewing what has already happened, and the critical role peer groups, coaches, and external relationships play in keeping leaders from operating in isolation.

Show Notes

Why most businesses never reach meaningful revenue milestones and what the numbers actually look like

The concept of deep financial optics and why it matters more than reviewing past performance

The five major reasons businesses fail: no market need, running out of cash, the wrong team, ignoring competition, and poor execution

Seven focus areas Chairs should use as a diagnostic in every one-to-one, including financial optics, talent vetting, cash defense, competitive intelligence, and execution

How Vistage peer groups and coaches dramatically increase a member's odds of success

Why isolation is one of the greatest risks a business leader faces

Tom's Tips and Tricks: My Top Ten Gym Habits

Tom shares the ten exercises he relies on to stay sharp and ready as a Vistage Chair, with a goal of 200 gym days per year. His top ten include Mike Tyson push-ups, the Pete and Bobby Challenge (100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under ten minutes), handstands, pull-ups with added weight, standard push-ups, Bosu ball balance training, sled pushes, planks, farmer carries, and Zone 2 cardio. Tom also shares how he pairs cardio with reading the Wall Street Journal to make the habit sustainable.

Resources

Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross

Just Six Weeks App (free, available in your app store)

Chair Success Services: www.chairsuccessservices.com

ChairLife Podcast: www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PMxfZIMuX7dGHFN4ZbnwQH-YVMOBmxGxh6uoDY0V9HY/edit?usp=sharing

Tom Cuthbert discusses the Dunning-Kruger wake-up call for overconfident CEOs and explores ditching Zoom for the 93% communication secret in real breakthroughs.

Show Notes

Quote on Overconfidence: Don Moore on delusional CEOs.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Bias of overestimating abilities; Chairs provide feedback.

Stats on Overconfidence: 18% more R&D with higher failures; 3-4% profitable AI use.

Historical Examples: Steve Jobs 1985 firing, Howard Schultz 2008 hubris.

5 Punchy Questions: To make CEOs uncomfortable for growth.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The 93% Communication Secret: Ditch Zoom for Real CEO Breakthroughs: Mehrabian rule; in-person for deeper connections.

Conclusion: Use questions on overconfidence; switch to in-person meetings.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The 93% Communication Secret: Ditch Zoom for Real CEO Breakthroughs

Tom explains Mehrabian rule: 7% words, 38% tone, 55% body language.

Why Ditch Zoom: Misses non-verbal cues; in-person captures full communication.

Benefits: Deeper trust, better breakthroughs.

Action: Schedule in-person 1:1 this week.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.tomcuthbert.com/questions

www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CZXm8O4fbXEWFLZH8r4CN-4cz-NKpXK7GANgBHlgaSk/edit?usp=sharing

Tom Cuthbert explores high-performing behavior number eleven on never missing 1:1 or mentor meetings, and discusses the number one skill CEOs must master—effective 1:1s—and how to coach it.

Show Notes

Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income.

High-Performing Behavior Number 11: High-performing members never miss 1:1 or mentor meetings to model leadership.

Recent Inspiration: Reflections from Arena Baranof's coaching sessions on deep connections.

Importance of One-to-Ones: Build trust, enable transformation, improve retention.

Modeling One-to-Ones as a Chair: Recurring scheduling, 90-minute in-person format.

Handling Rescheduling: Prioritize monthly cadence, even shortened.

Impact on Retention: Missing 1:1s quadruples leave risk (Vistage data).

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Number One Skill Your CEOs Must Master and How You Coach It: Coach CEOs on mastering 1:1s.

Conclusion: Never miss 1:1s; schedule one and discuss with a member.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Number One Skill Your CEOs Must Master and How You Coach It Tom highlights mastering 1:1s as CEOs' top skill.

Why Master 1:1s: Builds trust, drives performance, reduces turnover.

Coaching Methods: Agendas, preparation questions, follow-up.

Benefits: Enhances leadership, retention (Vistage data).

Action: Role-play 1:1s; encourage prioritization.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://www.wsj.com/business/entrepreneurship/business-failure-reasons-top-10-0762e18b?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdNgLUXwzM62ewCJj5X1MTBgNOJbBvK1Fd4roM5IhDzHUBwKSxuETSBvY4IxcE%3D&gaa_ts=698e2d16&gaa_sig=eD0eJMN-Msuj7MKRDZ4QLrHy0I6sAK7k9znDnTw3q3p-fxZONxxMboG4fKLWmnguZhmm66XuWDkxGDbaN421Pw%3D%3D

www.tomcuthbert.com/jackinthebox

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WyOTvZU9dt7yyWlLf0xPan9xufZVhUsQL8bTzt1TTW8/edit?usp=sharing

Tom Cuthbert explores high-performing behaviors from chaos to ChairLife magic with two roles that changed everything, and advises CEOs to stop filling gaps to build independence.

Show Notes

Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income.

Introduction: Welcome back for 2026; focus on time management.

Quote on Time: Peter Drucker on managing time.

Splitting Roles: Difficult to find one person with all skills; decide on EA/admin/tech needs.

Key Questions: What can others do? What's ROI?

Tom's High-Payoff Activities: 10% planning (160 hours/year); EOS quarterly, weekly meetings.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: CEOs Stop Filling Gaps: Start Building Independence: Delegate to empower teams.

Conclusion: Resources at tomcuthbert.com; share at chairlifepodcast.com.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: CEOs Stop Filling Gaps: Start Building Independence

Tom advises CEOs to delegate gaps for independence.

Why Delegate: Focus high-impact; reduces overload.

Challenges: Filling gaps hinders growth.

How to Delegate: Use Vistage tools; coach empowerment.

Benefits: Boosts skills, succession.

Action: Delegate one gap this week.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

Conversational Capacity - https://amzn.to/4besamb

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1frpU4zL7ThAHL5QN8aXe2EN9b-QeW1zWau-U0fMgol4/edit?usp=sharing

Description for ChairLife Podcast: Episode 37 (101)

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom explores high-performing behavior number eleven on never missing 1:1 or mentor meetings, and discusses the number one skill CEOs must master—effective 1:1s—and how to coach it.

Show Notes

Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Details two sessions Tom is teaching in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income.

High-Performing Behavior Number 11: High-performing members never miss 1:1 or mentor meetings to model leadership.

Recent Inspiration: Reflections from Arena Baranof's coaching sessions on deep personal connections.

Importance of One-to-Ones: Build trust, enable transformation, improve retention.

Modeling One-to-Ones as a Chair: Use recurring scheduling, 90-minute in-person format.

Handling Rescheduling: Prioritize to maintain monthly cadence, even if shortened.

Impact on Retention: Missing 1:1s increases leave risk fourfold per Vistage data.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Number One Skill Your CEOs Must Master and How You Coach It: Coach CEOs on mastering 1:1s for team leadership.

Conclusion: Never miss 1:1s; schedule one and discuss with a member.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Number One Skill Your CEOs Must Master and How You Coach It

Tom highlights mastering effective 1:1s as CEOs' top skill and how Chairs coach it.

Why Master 1:1s: Builds trust, drives performance, reduces turnover.

Coaching Methods: Use agendas, preparation questions, follow-up actions.

Benefits: Enhances leadership, retention; Vistage data shows impact.

Action: Role-play 1:1s in sessions; encourage CEOs to prioritize.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/he7l08qy0pl4ni5o18o4o/The-Brown-M-M-Protocol.pdf?rlkey=lugflq9d1xw7k93ndlaohsaiw&st=gu8yikm2&dl=0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jiS-dJM58OSJRutMFc2ae7nFJFPCjSSo7-iYa_RsXeM/edit?usp=sharing

Tom Cuthbert discusses transitioning from chaos to ChairLife magic with two key roles that changed everything, and advises CEOs to stop filling gaps to build team independence.

Show Notes

Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income.

Introduction: Welcome back for 2026; focus on time management and getting time back.

Quote on Time Management: Peter Drucker on time as scarcest resource.

Splitting Roles for Support: Difficult to find one person with all skills; decide on EA/admin/tech needs.

Key Questions for Hiring Support: What can others do? What's ROI?

Tom's High-Payoff Activities: 10% planning (160 hours/year); quarterly EOS sessions, weekly meetings.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: CEOs Stop Filling Gaps: Start Building Independence: Delegate to empower teams.

Conclusion: Find resources at tomcuthbert.com; share podcast at chairlifepodcast.com.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: CEOs Stop Filling Gaps: Start Building Independence

Tom advises CEOs to delegate gaps to build independence.

Why Delegate: Focus on high-impact; reduces overload.

Challenges: CEOs hinder growth by filling gaps.

How to Delegate: Use Vistage tools; coach on empowerment.

Benefits: Boosts skills, succession; improves retention.

Action: Identify one gap to delegate this week.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

www.tomcuthbert.com/flywheel

Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great - https://amzn.to/4pwkteI

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rr92JAVb7mlqNlIuvrj5MXT8awOStla0139ABeYtd3g/edit?usp=sharing

Join Vistage Master Chair Tom Cuthbert in this episode of the ChairLife podcast. Tom concludes the high-performing behaviors series with number twelve on members making the group better, and discusses the power of saying things out loud.

Show Notes

Announcement: Chair World Sessions: Details two sessions in February 2026 on purpose-practice intersection and optimizing time/income.

High-Performing Behavior Number 12: High-performing members make the group better; Aristotle quote on the whole being greater than parts.

Role of the Chair in Groups: Facilitate invisibly, coach individuals, challenge participation.

Episode Title Explanation: Stop carrying the piano; members make the music.

Personal Lesson from Early Practice: Shifted from doing everything to member ownership.

Ways to Make the Group Better: Facilitate, coach, remind of contributions.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Moment of Truth: Saying It Out Loud Changes Everything: Verbalizing clarifies and commits.

Conclusion: Let members own the group; assess and facilitate member-led discussions.

Tom’s Tips & Tricks: The Moment of Truth: Saying It Out Loud Changes Everything

Tom discusses verbalizing thoughts in groups.

Power of Speaking: Clarifies issues, builds accountability, gains peer insights.

Benefits: Commits to action, changes perspective.

Action: Encourage voicing one goal or challenge this week.

Resources

Explore these resources to support your Vistage Chair practice:

www.tomcuthbert.com

www.chairlifepodcast.com

www.tomcuthbert.com/memberselectionplaybook

The Coaching Habit - https://amzn.to/48CCMcH

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1txBqZ_sBLA_2uZCUwSBLyk7pkSrPSiqqIQnI8XXsP4E/edit?usp=sharing