The NCG Book Club has been busy! We've read a lot of great books in the last several months and we have a new one to add to that list - "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan.

Imagine a life where everything you do is YOUR choice...from how you spend your time, to how much money you make, to the quality of your relationships, to the amount of joy you experience. Sounds amazing, right? Dan Sullivan's book aims to shift your thinking so you can make this happen - through your connections with other people.

Listen in as the NCG team shares key points and insights on finding the "Whos" to do our "Hows".

On today's podcast, Molly welcomes NCG Business Coach Jim Bradley, for an introduction to the concept of Lean Thinking and its application to operational strategy and workflow in the trades and services industries,

With an extensive background in operational management, Jim’s expertise and passion for this topic are evident. He shares how to think through a Lean lens, and how to extend this perspective to teams for greater impact.

Today's introduction to the Lean concept is an overview with great insight into the correlation of this manufacturing philosophy to the trades. The Lean toolbox has numerous tools - many of which we’ll explore in future episodes. Listen in to begin seeing your operations through a Lean lens ...and boost flow in your value stream!

Are you a member of, or a leader of...a team? Yes - of course, and today's podcast is all about teams! Three members of the NCG Book Club join Molly for a discussion about Patrick Lencioni’s “The Ideal Team Player” ~ How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues.

NCG's Book Club is a commitment to continuous learning, and to the application and connection of the work we do with our clients, and our own organization. We've delved into titles such as Love + Work, Coaching through Breakthrough Success, Think Again, Winning on Purpose, Radical Candor, and more. NCG Book Club members engage in lively discussions and share solid takeaways and new perspectives on our roles and responsibilities. This week's discussion is no different and lends insight into what makes The Ideal Team Player.

Welcome to Q4! Ready or not, it's fall ...and Annual Planning Season! On today's podcast, Molly welcomes Brian Nolan, Managing Partner here at Nolan Consulting Group for a conversation that will recharge your planning mindset!

At NCG, we are intentional about the planning process. We believe it is essential to devote time to strategically think about the year ahead, align with your vision, define PDIs, and focus on goals.

No matter your company size - big or small, there are ways to approach this season with newfound energy, team participation, and excitement for the year ahead. Brian highlights where to start, different frameworks to work through and recommendations for getting the process started on the right foot.

In this week's episode, two of Nolan Consulting Groups' finest take the mic for a conversation about two tools used frequently at NCG: the DISC Profile Assessment and the Position Vision.

Kathryn Freeman, Director of Operations and Sr. Business Coach, and Sydney Bates, Business Support Specialist highlight how we can use these two resources in tandem to provide insight on the core responsibilities and behaviors best suited for the different roles within your organization. Position visions and DISC Assessments can be woven together to provide insight...what type of DISC profile is best suited for a role? ...is a current employee a good fit to promote from within? ...are there characteristics that are required for success in a role, and others that are nice to have?

We are all about filling the seats on the bus with the right people for your journey. Listen in on this episode and learn how to use these tools to find the best fit!

This week we bring back NCG Sr. Business Coach Andrew Amrhein for a conversation on Diagnosing Problems. How do we fully understand an issue to address the specific problem? Andrew discusses his strategy of categorizing issues into three types - human problems, process problems, and systems problems.

Listen in as Molly and Andrew work through getting to the root of the issue and the importance of valuing judgment. Surely this episode will leave you with insight on the challenges you are facing in your own workplace.

Today's podcast detours from our usual business topics and takes us on a kayaking, hiking, and camping adventure off the coast of Washington state among the beautiful San Juan Islands! This journey intertwines business and life ...how and where are they connected? ...what do you want your life to look like? ...how can you make that vision real?

NCG's Managing Partner, Brian Nolan facilitated the San Juan trip and joins the podcast today along with three fellow sojourners: Summit Members Luis Rodriguez (LC) from Lifetime Custom Painting in San Diego, CA, and Stephen Edwards & Shawn Bellenbaum of Grants Pass Painting based in Grants Pass, OR.

Join us as we step out of the conference room and circle 'round the campfire to focus on the future. The impact of this first Summit Member Adventure was more than just fun...it was a leap into the future supported by new peer relationships - getting dirty, wet and vulnerable were all part of the challenge!

This week we welcome back a famous duo, comedians at heart... The Sales Guys! NCG's Andrew Amrhein and Jim Falk take the mic to share some observations of the current selling environment including trends they are noticing and areas of the sales process that need to be tightened up - like when do you send that estimate? Spoiler alert...you might be sending them too fast, too soon!

The Sales Guys are here to help Sales Professionals stay focused on improving their skills and mastering the process, especially now while the fishing is still good!

Our host, Molly Nolan, is joined today by NCG's Director of Operations and Sr. Business Coach Kathryn Freeman for an intriguing discussion on the impact of a Team DISC.

The DISC concept should be familiar to you if you're a regular podcast listener or if you work with any of our NCG team members. The DISC Assessment gives a complete picture of an individual's behavior, but it can also reveal gaps and strengths of an entire group when it is used in a Team DISC. Kathryn shares how a Team DISC can be used to reveal communication patterns and balance on the teams within your organization, and how it can be used when adding employees to your organization. The Power a Team DISC is tangible - it's a great way to get your team together, provide insight and knowledge, and have some fun!

Scalability and growth are top priorities for many, if not most, business owners. In today's podcast, Colin Nolan, Sr. Business Coach at NCG, dissects three barriers to scalability and growth, based on Vern Harnish's book, Scaling Up. Business is complex, and growth is even more so!

At NCG, we work with clients through a variety of challenges - owners trying to get out of the hourglass, growth plateaus, succession planning, organizational and systems development, and more ... so this is a hot topic for us. If growth is the mission, our goal is to help businesses identify these roadblocks in their own organization and provide some insight to change. Listen in to see if any of these barriers could be halting the growth of your organization.