What Have You Stopped Noticing?

The longer we're around something, the less we tend to see it. The neighborhood we drive through every day. The people we've known for years. Even the sunrise we've promised ourselves we'll stop to watch "someday."

In this episode of Notes from the Window Seat, I explore why familiarity makes remarkable things feel ordinary—and how curiosity helps us rediscover the wonder hiding in everyday life.

From early morning beach walks to traveling through unfamiliar countries, you'll discover why becoming a beginner again may be one of the healthiest things we can do.

In This Episode

•  Why our brains naturally stop noticing familiar things 
•  The hidden danger of "The Expert Trap" 
•  How travel makes us curious again 
•  The "Tourist Effect" and how to experience your hometown differently 
•  Why curiosity strengthens relationships 
•  A simple challenge to help you see the ordinary in extraordinary ways 

Window Seat Challenge

This week, visit a place you know well and pretend you've never been there before.

As you walk, ask yourself:

•  What am I overlooking? 
•  If this were my first visit, what would surprise me? 

You may not discover a new place. But you just might discover a new perspective.

 "The world rarely becomes less interesting.  We simply become less curious." 

Learn more about what we do here: Notes From The Window Seat

Why is the window seat the best seat on the plane?

Most people would say it's because of the view.

But what if it's something much deeper?

In this episode of Notes from the Window Seat, I explore why I always chose the window seat—and how that simple choice has become a philosophy for travel, photography, business, and everyday life.

Along the way you'll discover three lessons the window seat teaches us:

• Perspective – Sometimes we need distance before we can truly see.
• Anticipation – The journey begins long before we arrive.
• Attention – The best moments belong to those who slow down long enough to notice them.

Whether you're planning your next adventure, leading a business, or simply trying to be more present, this episode is an invitation to become an observer instead of simply a passenger.

In This Episode

• Why I always choose the window seat
• The beauty of watching a sunrise over a new country
• Why anticipation is part of every meaningful journey
• The surprising lesson hidden in the middle seat
• How photography teaches patience

"The best seat on the plane isn't about the view. It's about becoming an observer instead of simply a passenger."

The best views rarely belong to the people in the biggest hurry.

Before you rush to the next thing, pause for just a moment. Look out your own window. You might discover that the moment you were racing toward has already begun.

Welcome to the first episode of Notes from the Window Seat.

In this special episode, Marty shares the story behind the podcast's new name and the journey that inspired it. What began as conversations about business and leadership has grown into something broader—a place to explore travel, leadership, curiosity, and the everyday moments that quietly change the way we see the world and ourselves.

From a spontaneous trip to England nearly forty years ago to adventures in Antarctica, Africa, and beyond, Marty reflects on how saying "yes" to one unexpected opportunity sparked a lifelong love of discovery.

Because Notes from the Window Seat isn't just about travel.

It's about perspective.

Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair by the window, and join us for the beginning of a new chapter.

In This Episode

• Why the podcast has a new name
• The trip that changed everything
• How curiosity shaped a lifetime of travel
• Why the best journeys teach us to see differently
• What you can expect from future episodes

 There's always a seat waiting for you by the window. New episodes every Monday. 

Most business leaders have a dashboard.

Revenue.
 Profit.
 Labor costs.
 Sales.
 KPIs.

Those numbers matter—but what if they're only telling part of the story?

In this episode, I'll challenge a common leadership assumption: that measuring more numbers automatically leads to better results. Instead, you'll discover why many of the most important drivers of business success never appear on a financial report.

Learn the three areas every leader should be measuring if they want to build a stronger culture, develop better people, create loyal customers, and achieve sustainable business growth.

In this episode you'll learn:

•  Why financial metrics are lagging indicators 
•  The difference between measuring outcomes and measuring behaviors 
•  Four measurements every successful leader should be tracking 
•  How your measurements shape your company culture 
•  Questions to evaluate whether you're focusing on what truly matters 

The Three Leadership Measurements

• People Growth

• Customer Experience

• Leadership Consistency

This Week's Leadership Challenge

Review your business dashboard and ask yourself:

"If someone looked only at what I'm measuring, what would they conclude matters most in my business?"

You may discover you've been measuring success...

instead of measuring what creates success.

Every business owner has stories they tell themselves.

"No one wants to pay my prices." "I can't find good employees." "Marketing doesn't work." "I'm too small to compete."

But what if those aren't facts? What if they're simply stories that have been repeated so often, they've become accepted as truth?

In this episode we explore how our assumptions shape the decisions we make—and introduces the concept of confirmation bias, the psychological tendency to seek evidence that supports what we already believe while ignoring evidence that challenges it.

You'll learn how questioning your own assumptions can unlock better leadership, stronger decision-making, and new opportunities for growth.

Sometimes changing your business starts by changing your perspective.

In This Episode You'll Learn

Reflection Questions:

What story have I accepted as fact without questioning it? What evidence supports that belief? What evidence might I be ignoring? If the opposite were true, what would I expect to see? What would change if I approached this challenge with curiosity instead of certainty?

The stories you believe become the decisions you make. Change the story, and you may change the future of your business.

CONNECT & LEARN MORE

LFT Consulting.com

Get my book: https://a.co/d/08uClt2L

Every leader knows they need to have difficult conversations. The problem isn't knowing what to say. The problem is waiting so long to say it.

In this episode, we explore why good leaders often avoid honest performance conversations, how assumptions slowly replace curiosity, and why employees are sometimes written off before they've ever been given a real opportunity to succeed.

You'll learn why clarity is one of the greatest acts of leadership and how avoiding uncomfortable conversations can damage trust, morale, and performance for everyone involved.

In This Episode:

Coach while you're still curious—not after you've become frustrated.  Great leaders address problems early, before resentment has a chance to grow.

Reflection Question - Who on your team have you already fired in your mind... before you've coached them well enough to succeed?

CONNECT & LEARN MORE

LFT Consulting.com

Get my book: https://a.co/d/08uClt2L

Most business owners and executives think taking time off is the challenge.

It's not.

The real question is whether you've built a business that allows you to step away without everything grinding to a halt.

In this episode, we explore why vacation is one of the greatest leadership tests you'll ever take.

If the thought of being unavailable for a week fills you with anxiety, this conversation isn't really about vacation—it's about trust, delegation, leadership, and the systems you've built.

You'll also discover why disconnecting from work isn't enough. To truly recharge, you have to slow down enough to experience the moments you've worked so hard to create.

In this episode we talk about: 

Did you build your business to create a better life…or have you built a business that keeps you from living it?

If that question makes you a little uncomfortable, then it's one episode you really need to listen too. 

Leadership is often discussed in terms of strategy, accountability, communication, and performance. But there is another side of leadership that rarely gets discussed. The emotional labor.

Every day, leaders carry concerns that extend far beyond their own responsibilities. They absorb stress, navigate conflict, support struggling employees, make difficult decisions, and remain steady during uncertainty. While employees often know where to turn when they need support, many leaders quietly carry the weight alone.

In this episode, we explore the hidden emotional burden of leadership, why leadership can become isolating, and how healthy leaders create support systems that allow them to lead sustainably over the long term.

In This Episode

The strongest leaders are not the ones who carry everything alone. They are the ones who recognize when they need support and create systems that allow them to continue leading effectively.

Question:  If everyone in your organization knows who they can turn to when they need support, who do you turn to when you need it?

If you’re feeling stuck in decisions—or carrying the weight of trying to get everything “right”—you don’t have to do it alone. I work with business owners and executives to build clarity, confidence, and momentum in their leadership. Reach out to learn more about executive coaching. https://www.lftconsult.com/

Most leadership books teach us how to manage performance. Few teach us how to lead people through life's difficult seasons. Illness. Family emergencies. Caregiving responsibilities. Burnout. Loss. Major life transitions. Yet those moments often define a leader far more than any strategy meeting, quarterly review, or company initiative ever will.

In this episode, we explore why employees rarely remember policies but never forget how leaders treated them during challenging times. You'll learn why flexibility and accountability can coexist, how leaders unintentionally create cultures where people feel guilty for being human, and what great leaders do differently when work and life inevitably collide.

In This Episode

The strongest cultures are not built when everything is going well. They are built during the moments that matter most.

Question:

When one of your employees faces the hardest season of their life, will they see your organization as a source of support—or another problem they have to manage?

Most business owners spend their time worrying about external threats:

Competition - Economic uncertainty - Labor shortages  - Regulations  - Technology changes

While those challenges are real, they are rarely what ultimately determines whether a business thrives or struggles.

In this episode, we explore the internal threats that quietly undermine organizations from the inside out:

These issues often go unnoticed because they don't make headlines. Yet they shape culture, performance, accountability, and ultimately the future of the business.

As the Build a Better Business Podcast celebrates its 52nd episode and one full year of weekly conversations, this episode serves as a leadership manifesto and a reminder that great organizations are built intentionally—one conversation at a time.

"The future of your business won't be determined by what happens around you. It will be determined by what's happening inside your company."

Reflective Question

If the conversations happening inside your company determine its future, are you creating the conversations that move your business forward—or tolerating the silence that holds it back?