Onward Nation

Diane Gardner is an expert tax coach, Quilly award recipient, and best-selling author whose proactive tax planning approach gives clients a leg up on Uncle Sam and helps them dodge the tax bullet. Diane saves small business clients between $5,000 and $50,000 in taxes in as little as 60 minutes! Her tax coaching prowess has resulted in a combined savings of nearly $500,000 to-date of hard-earned profits small business owners would have given to the government by overpaying taxes. Diane is the co-author of the bestselling books, “Stand Apart” and “Why Didn’t My CPA Tell Me That?” She has also authored four other books including her newest, “Stop Overpaying Your Taxes! 11 Ways Entrepreneurs Overpay and How to Stop it Now!”

Diane time blocks her calendar -- if you don't put it on your calendar, it won't happen. ONWARD!

Communicate well with your team -- Diane and her team send out daily emails that outline their respective days.

Diane bought her building at the top of the market -- and then 2008 happened -- and Diane tells the whole story here.

"If you can be flexible -- you'll always come out stronger in the end."

"If you are willing to be a giver -- you can't help but reap the benefits down the road."

I would have documented the systems we use in our office -- don't carry it all in your head.

Break your big goals into smaller steps.

An individual would be focused on meeting short-term goals.

1. You can do anything you set your mind to

• Website: www.taxcoach4you.com

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation -- how can this be episode 188 already? My goodness. The time has really flown by. So before I jump into the lesson -- the purpose behind today’s solocast -- want to say some brief words of thanks. What an honor it has been to be able to be here with you five days a week -- for what is now 188 episodes.

I am grateful to you, Onward Nation for listening -- for sharing all of your feedback -- all of which has pushed us to do an even better job with each and every episode. And thank you to all of our extraordinary guests -- for what our podcast -- this community of Onward Nation -- has become.

Sometimes, I do feel like I need to pinch myself in the morning when I get ready to do an interview or I read my email -- Facebook -- the kind words on Twitter -- or a post on LinkedIn.

Thank you, Onward Nation -- you help my team and I get better every day. I so appreciate your review and critique -- good or bad -- more than you will ever know. So thank you for sharing your time with me this morning.

I also grateful for my amazing team of A Players who make up Predictive ROI -- they are the ones who are responsible for every Onward Nation episode day in and day out -- since the beginning. So thank you, Katherine, thank you, Louie, thank you, Erik, thank you, Alex, thank you, Matt, and thank you, Christine. I appreciate all of your hard work more than you will ever know.

Being surrounded by my team of super committed A Players who want our business to succeed as much as I do is a wonderful feeling. But building a team of A Players didn’t happen by accident.

A Players, Onward Nation, are going to be our focus this morning -- but more specifically -- how to attract, recruit, hire, and lead a team of A Players. I am also going to include several lessons that will help you avoid expensive hiring mistakes and then provide you with a recipe for attracting, recruiting, and hiring A Players into your business to make it a fast growth, high performing company -- or Gazelles, as Verne Harnish, co-founder of Gazelles Growth Institute would describe them as.

I am going to share with you lessons I have learned during the last 23 years of working in a variety of companies, owning five businesses, and even spending six years as a full-time academic staff member at the University of Wisconsin -- at the La Crosse campus.

I will also blend in some of the most valuable lessons and expertise shared by a few of our Onward Nation guests -- including one of my most influential mentors, Darren Hardy. All of these lessons -- these ingredients, Onward Nation -- shaped the recruiting and hiring recipes we use at Predictive ROI to grow slowly -- intentionally -- and to build a team that only consists of A Players.

Does that mean that we have never made a hiring mistake? Good grief -- I wish that was the case. We definitely have those stories, too. But all in all -- our track record has been good because we have applied the lessons that I am going to share with you this morning.

One last thing before we jump in -- as a free companion to today’s solocast -- I encourage you to go to OnwardNation.com/12download and get your copy of our free eBook, The 12 Success Strategies of Today’s Top Business Owners. It is a distillation of the best lessons we have learned from our guests and I will refer to one of those lessons during today’s discussion.

Let’s start off with a definition to establish some common ground. What makes an A Player...an A Player?

In my opinion, A Players are the team members who are not threatened by other super achievers in their midst -- in fact -- it is the exact opposite -- the more super achievers the better. A Players love to learn -- they seek out new challenges to push themselves mentally and want to be intellectually pushed by their peers.

A Players are also the team members who have high emotional intelligence -- you will not typically find them caught up in unproductive conversations or at the center of some sort of office controversy.

Instead, you will find them off solving mission critical problems -- or vital priorities -- by filling their vital functions -- and delivering on their vital metrics -- while proactivity reporting back to you when the priorities are accomplished. That’s an A Player, Onward Nation. And I am proud to say that Predictive ROI is packed full of them.

Lori Highby, two-time guest of Onward Nation recently said to me, “Stephen, I think an A Player is someone who is passionate about the work being done, someone who never stops learning, and someone who is driven towards to success.” Couldn’t agree more with Lori.

The passion Lori describes is essential because -- look -- work is hard -- it is demanding -- the hours are long -- and sometimes the schedule is unforgiving. And if your team members don’t have a passion for the work, and they don’t really love it, or they don’t love you and what you stand for -- they will not stay for very long -- or if they do stay -- you will not be getting their A level work. And A Players will not tolerate that type of situation for long -- they want to work with other A Players so the passion you so loved having in your company -- will also be the same passion that pushes them to move on to a different venture. And perhaps that new venture might also provide a path for continual learning.

A Players want to be challenged by conferences, by seminars, by workshops, by other forums where they can meet their fellow A Player peers and be challenged in a fast-paced, compressed, learning environment. And when the education component is provided to an A Player -- it becomes easier for them to see how the time they are investing into your company, Onward Nation -- is contributing to their long-term success.

Don Yaeger, also a two-time guest at Onward Nation, described an A Player to me as someone who wants to work with other A Players -- but -- and this is an important distinction that I had never heard before Don shared it with me, Onward Nation -- Don shared with me that A Players don’t frighten other A Players.

A Players are not intimidated by other A Players -- INSTEAD -- they are energized by the possibilities -- they are energized by the professional competition -- by the ambitious drive to make each other better. Not to beat out the other person but in making each other better so the collective team is better, stronger, as a result. Oh, AWESOME!!!

Steve Jobs famously said, “A Players hire A Players and B Players hire C Players. We only want A Players here at Apple.” I think he was really right with this.

Can you think of a couple of A Players on your team who are doing that right now for you, Onward Nation -- or -- can you think of a time when you and a fellow A Player professionally competed with one another?

Where you cheered each other on -- you celebrated each other’s wins -- you helped each other through the losses -- and in the process -- you made each other better. That was an awesome feeling, wasn’t it? Why not create it again inside your own company -- if you’re not currently experiencing it.

And then Shane Stott -- another a two-time guest on Onward Nation -- got really specific with me and shared what he believes are four “qualifiers” that A Players fill...think of them as pre-requisites -- if you can’t put a checkbox next to each of these when thinking about a particular person -- they are likely not an A Player.

First -- they manage themselves better than you could. A Players do not need you looking over their shoulders or micromanaging their work. In fact, that type of managerial style is the perfect recipe for pushing A Players out of your company. Instead -- define your expectations -- provide the resources -- and then get the heck out of the way of your A Players. They will move heaven and earth to exceed your highest expectations!

Second -- A Players bring new ideas and direction continuously. A Players tend to be idea and solution machines. They are looking for new ways to challenge the status quo -- to push -- to move mountains.

They are proactive, Onward Nation...love that word...it is my favorite in the English language...and it is so easy to spot on an A Player!

Third -- A Players are an active study themselves -- meaning -- they are always learning like we discussed earlier. So, Onward Nation -- you need to create an education plan -- some structure -- so they know where and when you will be providing educational opportunities. If you don’t -- they may misunderstand your lack of specific direction or leadership in this area to be ambivalence -- and then your A Players will be polishing up their resumes.

And Fourth -- they don’t take things personally. A Players recognize the mission and purpose of what they are working on is bigger than them -- there is no ego in the work -- and consequently, when something fails, or an idea doesn’t work -- they don’t take it personally and their confidence is shattered in the process.

That doesn’t happen with A Players. Each win or each loss is simply a series of data points from which many things can be learned -- and applied -- so that future work is enhanced and better as a result.

So there you have it, Onward Nation -- a complete and thorough description of A Players -- a detailed avatar if you will of the elusive team members you want to hire. And as Jim Collins, author of Good to Great famously said, “The single most important thing you need to do is pick the right people and keep them. There is nothing more important than this.”

So the next step in today’s solocast that I wanted to share with you was a specific recipe for attracting and hiring A Players. How do we do this? I will give you a hint to the recipe...Jim Rohn said, “If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a quality person.”

I learned this recipe directly from my personal mentorship sessions with Darren Hardy. This recipe -- although potentially painful -- will help you fill your team with A Players so your business is filled up -- wall-to-wall -- with exceptional talent.

Ingredient #1: Get out a white sheet of paper.

Ingredient #2: Brainstorm a list of 50 attributes you want to have your employees -- or future employees -- exemplify -- to demonstrate to your customers on daily basis. Just write fast as you can. Go total stream of consciousness. Quickly make the list -- fast, fast, fast. Make a full list of 50. Okay, do you have the full list ready?

Ingredient #3: Now go back through your list and give very careful consideration so you can remove the duplicates, remove anything that might be similar, and then distil the list down into what you consider to be your Vital 12 Attributes. These 12 are the attributes your ideal team members would represent and live out every day.

Ingredient #4: Let the list rest for a day -- sleep on it -- then review and critique it again in the morning. Make sure your final list of 12 is ready to be shared. But don’t share the list with your team. Instead...take the 12 attributes and use them to create survey form with a rating scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 being the highest. You could use a paper-based survey, Survey Monkey, or another tool. Something that is easy to distribute and share.

Ingredient #5: Now ask your leadership team and all of your employees to anonymously rate YOU according to those 12 attributes. They do not rate themselves -- but YOU, Onward Nation.

Ingredient #6: Sit down and review the data. The survey results represent how you -- as the leader -- need to improve in order to attract, recruit, hire, and effectively lead A Players representing your Vital 12 Attributes. This exercise -- and your ability to authentically recruit A Players who match the 12 -- requires you to be there yourself.

Remember -- you, Onward Nation -- you -- you are the ones who set the pace within your company. The leader sets the pace -- the pace of the leader sets the pace of the pack. It is an incontrovertible fact. You can try to run from it -- to hide from it -- but in the end -- there it is.

Therefore, if you want to attract and hire A Players who represent those 12 attributes -- you need to become the living embodiment of those 12 -- if you are not already.

So with that...I want to thank you again for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here -- thank you for tuning in -- I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine.

However our daily podcast fits into your daily routine -- I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today’s top business owners.

And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation...good or bad...I always want your feedback. My direct email address is [email protected] -- and yes -- that is my actual Inbox. No fancy filters or filing system and I read and reply to every single email.

So please let me know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you.

We will be back tomorrow with an incredible interview with Diane Gardner -- she is a tax savings superhero and she shares some insights into how she saved one of her business owner clients $50,000 in taxes. You will not want to miss this discussion -- stop overpaying taxes, Onward Nation!

Until then, onward with gusto!

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Melissa is a former Wall Street executive and now the founder of The Lion’esque Group, a firm of pop-up shop experts who have produced more than 100 retail experiences in New York City, Los Angeles, and the Hamptons. Some of her clients include brands such as COTY / Marc Jacobs, CAT Footwear, J. Hilburn, and Food52. Melissa shares her experiences in her book, “The Pop-Up Paradigm: How Brands Can Build Human Connections in a Digital Age.” Melissa was awarded “Innovator of the Year” for pop-up retail experiences by Retail Touchpoints in 2015. She is the co-founder of THE MARKET at the Roger Smith Hotel, and an advisor to startups, TheStoreFront.com, and Fotofwd. She is also a guest blogger on pop-up and immersive retail strategies for various outlets.

Melissa lists out her daily tasks -- calendar management is everything. ONWARD!

Step outside and go for a walk -- Melissa does this often to give her mind a rest and it often sparks inspiration.

Melissa invested time in training the wrong people -- and Melissa tells the whole story here.

"Execution -- be able to execute your ideas."

"By genuinely paying it forward -- the universe brings you back some amazing energy."

I would have focused -- you can't get seduced by opportunity.

Have a strong communication strategy on a daily basis.

An individual would be willing to jump in and help when they're done with their own projects.

1. Don't be so hard on yourself
2. Set short and long-term goals
3. Do your own books

• Twitter: @melsstyles

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com ------

Pam Friedman has over 20 years of financial planning and investment experience. Prior to partnering with Silicon Hills Wealth Management, Pam was on Wall Street in New York as well as serving in London structuring and raising capital for both public and private companies. Pam is the author of the book, “I Now Pronounce You Financially Fit” and is an expert is marital financial planning. In addition to Pam’s extensive writing, speaking, and financial planning experience, she also served six years as a member of the Finance faculty at The University of Texas at Austin.

Pam writes down what has to be discussed -- preparation is 100% of your success. ONWARD!

Carve out time -- Pam blocks Tuesday and Thursday morning on her schedule for regrouping and thinking.

Pam gets angry calls from clients when the market is down -- and Pam tells the whole story here.

"Patience -- I'm a big fan of patience."

"You have to take calculated risk -- you can't be afraid to take them."

I would have found someone who knows the technological systems inside and out if I started on my own -- but luckily our firm had someone who knew them.

Take things one at a time -- don't try to be all things to all people.

An individual would think ahead and be present.

1. Be patient -- it's going to take 10 years to build a reputation
2. Be transparent with your partners -- and be hard on them when you have to
3. Take a risk -- what's the worst that can happen?

• Website: siliconhillswealth.com

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Michael Maher’s story is one for the movies. Born into a family living in a shack in a small town in Kansas and knowing only poverty, food stamps, and hand-me-down clothes, Michael conquered incredible challenges and a near-death experience then went on to design a system, the (7L) System, based around a philosophy of generosity. He and those who have implemented the system have found that a business based on generosity leads to reciprocity in the form of referrals, help, and good beyond anything they could ever imagine. His book, 7L: The Seven Levels of Communication has been Amazon.com's #1 bestseller in the Real Estate Sales category for 5 straight years. Michael inspires audiences with his powerful, true story and has shared the stage with President George W. Bush, Tony Robbins, and John Maxwell.

Michael uses the four enriching rituals -- make yourself more efficient, more orderly, and more productive. ONWARD!

"Seek advice from those who are more successful than you."

1. Commit to a "no matter what" philosophy
2. Be specific with what you want
3. Practice proactive generosity and appreciative receiving

• Website: www.michaeljmaher.com
• Website: 7lsystem.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReferralGuru

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Michael Hauge has been one of Hollywood’s top script consultants, story experts, and speakers for more than 30 years. He coaches screenwriters, novelists, filmmakers, professional speakers, internet marketers and corporate leaders, helping transform their stories and their audiences using the principles and methods of Hollywood’s most successful movies. Michael is the author of “Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds” and the new 20th Anniversary Edition of his classic book Writing Screenplays That Sell. He has consulted on films starring – among many others - Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts and Morgan Freeman, and has presented lectures and workshops to more than 70,000 participants worldwide. According to Will Smith, “No one is better than Michael Hauge at finding what is most authentic in every moment of a story.”

Michael got a mediocre rating in a big magazine -- and Michael tells the whole story here.

"The ability and willingness to incorporate stories in any communication."

1. Identify the hero of the story -- who is the main character?
2. Create a setup -- describe the life the hero was living before the story began
3. Present the hero with opportunity (and create empathy in the process)
4. Put the character in a new situation based on the opportunity
5. Create a clear, visible goal with a clear finish line in the end
6. Create conflict
7. The climax of the story -- paint a picture of what success was like
8. The aftermath -- paint a picture of the new life because of making the journey

1. Autobiographical -- the story about you
2. Case study -- take someone who has benefited from your product or service and talked about how you and your product or service has changed their life
3. The "Wise Man" story -- repeat a story and how you or your audience can learn from their lessons

1. "The seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."
2. "Don't get it right, get it written."
3. "You've got to reject rejection."

I ask myself if whatever I'm going to try sounds like fun -- and if it does, I'll try it.

1. Don't be afraid of telling stories
2. Ask yourself where you draw the line -- and then take small steps toward confronting you fear

• Website: www.storymastery.com
• Website: storyformarketers.com

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Steve Rodgers is a business, lifestyle consultant, author, and leader who helps others discover, maximize, and increase their highest good and purpose in life and business. Steve’s extraordinarily successful career spans being the CEO of a real estate firm generating $25 billion in annual sales, almost 40,000 transactions, managing a team of 4,600 agents, and starting and running his own real estate company. One of Steve’s career highlights was meeting and working for Warren Buffett for many years. His inner circle includes leaders such as John Assaraff, Brian Tracy, Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Thompson.

Steve scores himself on his body, bond, being, business -- hold yourself accountable for the things that have to get done every day. ONWARD!

Take time for yourself -- Steve meditates multiple times a day to stay tuned into life.

Steve had to close 40% of his offices -- and then he got fired -- and Steve tells the whole story here.

"Become an expert in your field -- as quickly as you can."

"Don't underestimate people -- sometimes people disappoint you -- but sometimes they surprise you."

I would have utilized the "stop -- start -- continue" strategy -- a strategy to use to analyze what is and isn't working in the business.

Prospect, prospect, prospect, and prospect some more.

1. Find out your true personal legend is as soon as possible
2. Be curious

• Website: thealchemyadvisors.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/steverodgerstoday
• Phone: (858) 829-2969

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Lori Highby is the owner of Keystone Click, an interactive marketing agency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since 2008, her agency has seen consistent growth. Lori is the 2013 recipient of the "Bravo! Entrepreneur Award" from BizTimes Media. She has been helping businesses market themselves online for nearly 15 years. Lori speaks and blogs on the topics of social media, e-commerce, online marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Lori uses the six strategies found in "The Miracle Morning" under the acronym SAVORS -- silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, scribing. ONWARD!

"I dream my painting, then I paint my dream." - Vincent van Gogh

Success is a lot of things -- I have a lot of different definitions -- celebrate the little victories.

Lori believes in doing a "power stance" and positive affirmations -- and Lori tells the reasons why here.

An "A player" is passionate, never stops learning, and is driven towards to success.

1. Always be teaching -- approach everything as a learning opportunity
2. Do what you're telling others to do
3. Never stop learning

1. Be consistent in frequency and value

1. Get out side of your comfort zone
2. Join a mastermind group and hire a coach

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lorihighby
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: keystoneclick.com

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Susan RoAne was a teacher, laid off in a massive budget cut, then created a career change workshop, started her business and authored the book, “How To Work a Room” and 7 other books. Susan now speaks globally for Fortune 20 to Fortune 500 companies, universities, and associations…plus she doesn’t have to grade papers anymore!

Susan meets her deadlines -- you get more done when you give yourself deadlines. ONWARD!

Hire someone to do what you don't want to do -- Susan focuses on what she's good at -- like social media -- and delegates the rest.

Susan had to take a lot of time off to write a book -- and Susan tells the whole story here.

"The buck stops with you."

"My mentor told me to get out from behind a lectern."

1. Know what you're going to do -- know your expertise
2. Have a kitchen cabinet

• Website: www.susanroane.com
• Website: www.howtoworkaroom.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone number (for speaking engagements): (415) 461-3915

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----

Lee Caraher started Double Forte in 2002 as a new kind of communications firm designed to provide the best service in the business. Previously Executive Vice President at Weber Shandwick, president and founder of Red Whistle, and Vice President of SEGA, Lee has managed multiple offices and hundreds of people of all ages and was named in the 40 under 40 by PRWEEK Magazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in medieval history -- which she finds useful every day. She lives with her husband and two sons on the San Francisco Peninsula.

Lee starts every day by looking at her calendar -- batch your work as much as possible. ONWARD!

Move every day -- Lee moves around if she's been sitting still for more than 45 minutes.

Lee lost her biggest client who represented a third of her income -- and Lee tells the whole story here.

"The most important thing business owners need to be good at is listening."

"Reset every day so that you don't walk into it with false expectations and assumptions."

I would have put in more discipline reporting -- even though we had nothing to report.

An individual would ask for help because they know that their work can be improved on.

1. Understand what your special gifts are
2. Spend your time where it's most viable
3. If you told yourself that it's too hard -- it's time to do it

• Email: www.leecaraher.com
• Twitter: @LeeCaraher

You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----