Level 10 Leaders

Ryan Castle talks with Mike Ashby (Level 10 Leaders) about execution drift: the gap between strategy and what actually gets done once everyone is back in the day to day.

They unpack why plans stall (inertia, missed deadlines, “perfect conditions” thinking) and why execution is a daily behaviour, not a quarterly spreadsheet. Mike shares a simple 3 part fix: upskill managers to create time and headspace, coach in the workflow to break inertia, and build visible accountability so daily actions match the plan.

Useful links:

Connect with Dr Mike Ashby on LinkedIn

👉 Resource: Execution Strength Diagnostic: lvl10.us/execution
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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Delegation is one of the biggest friction points for founders and leaders. In this Power Tip, Linda van Egmond explains why delegation often fails and why that failure is rarely about people or motivation. It’s a structure problem. When everything stops without you, you don’t have a business. You have an expensive job.

Linda reframes delegation as a staged process, not a handover. Define success. Model the work. Coach with a safety net. Move to partial ownership. Then fully let go. Yes, it takes longer upfront, but it compounds fast. If delegation doesn’t feel like micromanagement at first, you’re skipping steps.

Connect with Linda van Egmond:
LinkedIn
lindavanegmond.com

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Ryan Castle sits down with Kenneth C. DeWitt, a veteran EOS® Implementer with 14 years in the field and thousands of full day sessions behind him.

Ken shares three hard-earned leadership lessons that cut through the noise. First: drop the victim mentality and adopt an “everything is my fault” mindset. Second: managing others is brutally hard, because leaders are on stage 100% of the time, and your mood gets amplified across the business. Third: managing yourself is harder still, from emotional control to staying focused on the few things that actually matter.

If you’re a Visionary, Integrator, or business owner running on EOS® and you want fewer fires, stronger leaders, and more consistent traction, this episode is a practical reset.

Useful links:

Connect with Kenneth C. DeWitt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethdewitt/

👉 Resource: lvl10.us/lma-offer - Digital LMA® Diagnostic
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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Even the best EOS® visionaries can unintentionally frustrate their teams. In this Power Tip, executive coach Ron Higgs explains why the issue is rarely a lack of ideas and almost always a lack of clarity. Thinking out loud fuels innovation, but without context it can overwhelm teams and slow execution.

Ron’s fix is simple and practical. Clarify your intent out loud. Say “I’m brainstorming” or “we need to decide.” Then actively partner with your integrator to challenge unclear moments in real time. The result is higher trust, stronger accountability, better Level 10 meetings, and traction without killing creative momentum.

Connect with Ron Higgs:
LinkedIn
Wolf Management Solutions

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Our host Ryan Castle sits down with Scott Anderson, former US Army Major and former UN humanitarian leader, now COO at Real Property Management Express in Sioux Falls.

Scott’s career spans 21 years in the Army, tours in Afghanistan, foreign military sales in Saudi Arabia, and nearly a decade in humanitarian operations across Gaza and Jerusalem. He shares what leadership looks like when the stakes are real and the environment is unpredictable. We dig into three leadership anchors Scott relies on: know yourself (authenticity and consistency beat charisma), drown out the noise (focus on the few inputs that drive outcomes), and hire slow, fire fast (protecting culture and momentum).

If you’re leading in a fast-moving business or managing a team under pressure, this episode offers practical lessons you can use immediately.

Useful links:

Connect with Scott Anderson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottanderson1967/

👉 Resource: lvl10.us/lma-offer - Digital LMA® Diagnostic
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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

In this Power Tip, Nina Schwark, founder and visionary of OpsLab, shares insights on using a State of the Company presentation to drive EOS® adoption beyond the leadership team.

Nina explains how a simple, quarterly, company-wide presentation builds clarity, trust, and alignment by answering three key questions: where the company has been, where it is now, and where it is going. She also shares practical tips on balancing wins and challenges, keeping the format consistent, and involving the full leadership team.

If you are an EOS® Integrator, fractional leader, or executive looking to create stronger alignment and buy-in across your organisation, this episode offers a practical approach you can use straight away.

Useful links:

Connect with Nina Schwark on LinkedIn
www.opslab.ca

👉 Resource: lvl10.us/lma-offer - Digital LMA® Diagnostic
👉 Got a Level 10 Leaders podcast tip? - Submit your tip at lvl10.us/submit-tip

Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Our host Ryan Castle sits down with Jonathan B. Smith, best-selling author of Fight Less, Win More, negotiations instructor, and EOS Implementer, just after the release of his new book.

Jonathan is a senior practitioner with The Black Swan Group, founded by former FBI lead hostage negotiator Christopher Voss. In this conversation, Jonathan shares how elite negotiation skills apply far beyond the boardroom. We dig into how to remove yourself as a threat in high-stakes conversations, why being heard is often the real breakthrough in negotiation, and how better listening changes outcomes with clients, teams, and partners. Jonathan also unpacks practical tools for making hard decisions faster, negotiating under pressure, and avoiding the costly delay that holds leaders back.

If you lead people, run a business, or negotiate every day and want better results with less conflict, this episode offers practical, field-tested strategies you can use immediately.

Useful links:

Get the book Fight Less, Win More by Jonathan B. Smith, available now on Amazon
Connect with Jonathan B. Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staycuriousjbs/

staycuriousjbs.com

 
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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Hector Alvarado, Optimize Business Systems, who reminds us that the real CEO superpower isn’t hustle: it’s strategic focus. Growth doesn’t come from adding more initiatives, products, or meetings. It comes from strategic subtraction and executing a small number of aligned priorities relentlessly.

Hector draws on lessons from Bezos, Buffett, and Musk to show why saying no is often the most powerful move a leader can make. If you’re juggling too many priorities or feel your team is busy but not moving the needle, this tip reframes your role: success comes from deciding what not to do.

Connect with Hector Alvarado:
LinkedIn
The Inner Circle
optimizebusinesssystems.com

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👉 Got a Level 10 Leaders podcast tip? - Submit your tip at lvl10.us/submit-tip

Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Ryan Castle sits down with Megan Long, founder of Second First and longtime second-in-command, to explore what really makes the visionary–integrator partnership work. Megan explains why business operating systems like EOS® or Scaling Up are just the “Windows layer,” and how the right “software” on top – clear roles, better same-page meetings, and a shared end game – prevents organizational whiplash and turns Rocket Fuel into reality. She also unpacks why executive growth requires “extreme discomfort,” and makes the case that integrators, more than visionaries, benefit most from coaching and peer groups because they are the true force multipliers in the business.

Useful links:

Connect with Megan Long on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganclong/
Second First: https://www.secondfirst.com/
The Right Hand Roadmap podcast: https://www.secondfirst.com/podcast
Second First on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoursecondfirst

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Dianne Cubinar, Co-Founder of RO’I Ops & Beyond, who shines a light on a hidden operational risk: the invisible pothole of uncertainty. Dianne explains how silence in a team triggers guesswork, slows execution, erodes trust, and quietly kills your rocks.

Her tip reframes feedback as a system problem, not a people problem. She shares a simple move leaders can make in their next Level 10 Meeting: pause on a metric that’s already on track and ask the owner what system or conversation kept it green. That small step turns success into a repeatable process rather than an accident. If you’ve been struggling with hesitation, rework, or a team that’s “busy but unclear,” this power tip helps you build a cleaner, clearer feedback loop, and stop uncertainty from stealing your traction.

Connect with Dianne Cubinar:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannecxh
RO'I Ops & Beyond roiopsandbeyond.co

👉 Resource: lvl10.us/lma-offer - Digital LMA® Diagnostic

Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/