Shannon Waller's Team Success

By Shannon Waller

Shannon Waller, author of The Team Success Handbook, has been the entrepreneurial team expert at Strategic Coach® since 1995. Shannon Waller’s Team Success podcasts are a series of insights around tea... more

5

4848 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Shannon Waller's Team Success:

How many episodes does Shannon Waller's Team Success have?

The podcast currently has 338 episodes available.

Shannon Waller's Team Success episodes:

February 19, 2026The Only Person You Won’t Want To Replace With AI
Do you know which people on your team are truly irreplaceable—even by AI? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why Unique Ability®—where superior skill meets passion—is the one thing you’ll never want to replace. Learn how to recognize the four levels of ability, redesign roles around true uniqueness, and build partnerships that multiply results instead of competing with technology.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
AI can easily replace work by someone who is merely competent or even excellent at it, but it can’t duplicate the creativity and energy that come from someone operating in their Unique Ability.
The activities you do fall into four categories—incompetent, competent, excellent, and Unique Ability—and each level has a radically different impact on your confidence, cash flow, and company culture.
Incompetent activities drain energy, create frustration and failure, and cost your business money every time you or your team touch them.
Competent work looks fine from the outside, but because anyone can do it, it’s exactly the kind of activity AI will do faster, easier, and cheaper than humans.
Excellent work showcases superior skill and a strong reputation, but without passion it becomes stagnant, boring, and increasingly vulnerable to automation in data-heavy professions.
Unique Ability sits where superior skill and genuine passion intersect, creating automatic creativity, innovation, and value that no algorithm can project into the future.
When people work in their Unique Ability, they naturally see opportunities, make insightful “bets” about the future, and generate new approaches that AI can only imitate after the fact.
Your first job as an entrepreneur is to stay in your own lane of Unique Ability and stop spending time on activities that consistently go sideways when you’re involved.
Your second job is to surround yourself with team members with complementary areas of Unique Ability so you have true partners, not just staff members filling roles.
When each person stays in their lane, there’s no internal competition—just complementary strengths that make results happen quickly without adding complexity.
There has never been a strong market for incompetence, and AI is now compressing the market for merely competent and excellent work as well.
At the same time, technology is massively expanding opportunity and demand for people with true Unique Ability because their ideas and judgment multiply what the tools can do.
Knowing yourself is the starting point, and the more accurately someone understands themselves, the more you can trust how they will show up in your business.
Tools like Kolbe, CliftonStrengths®, Working Genius®, PRINT®, and other profiles give you different angles on your strengths, instincts, and best-fit environments.
Encourage your team to do the same work so you can see, in writing, how each person is wired and where they’re most capable of creating value.
Deliberately move team members out of incompetent and merely competent activities, delegating or automating them so human talent is never wasted on low-value work.
Recognize that excellent work is a transition zone, not a destination, and coach your best people toward spending more of their time where they’re uniquely energized.
Over time, you’ll find you only want to work with partners who are as uniquely great and passionate in their arenas as you are in yours.
When everyone is operating within their Unique Ability, you get faster progress, less drama, and the kind of results no AI (and no traditional hierarchy) can match.
Resources:
Kolbe A™ Index
Working Genius®
CliftonStrengths®
DiSC® Profile
PRINT®
The Predictive Index
Unique Ability®
The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller
The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan
...more
10min
February 05, 2026Turning The Drama Triangle Into The Empowerment Dynamic
Every entrepreneur knows the cost of team drama, but few realize how much they’re unconsciously feeding it. In this conversation, Shannon Waller explains how to move from victim-based reactions to an empowerment mindset, using simple coaching questions that turn conflict into progress and leave your team more capable after every challenge.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
The classic Drama Triangle shows up anytime people fall into the roles of victim, persecutor, and rescuer in their relationships and workplaces.
Entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to the rescuer role because they see people struggling and want to jump in and fix things.
Rescuing feels helpful in the moment but quietly reinforces victimhood and keeps team members dependent on your time, energy, and problem solving.
The Empowerment Dynamic replaces victim, persecutor, and rescuer with creator, challenger, and coach so everyone gains more agency and responsibility.
Seeing yourself as a creator means owning your part in any situation and focusing on the outcome you want instead of the problem you’re facing.
Framing people or circumstances as challengers turns “persecution” into a stretch opportunity that provokes learning, growth, and better thinking.
Showing up as a coach means asking provocative questions and offering support instead of taking over and doing the work for someone else.
The core messages of the empowerment roles are “I can do it,” “You can do it,” and “How will you do it?”, which keep power and action with the individual or team.
Great entrepreneurial coaching is “bossy with love”: direct, future-focused, and challenging, but delivered with genuine care and confidence in the other person.
Language is a useful early-warning system; victim, persecutor, and rescuer thinking all show up first in how people describe what is happening.
When someone puts all the authority outside themselves, you have an opening to coach them back into ownership.
Asking “What would you be willing to do differently next time?” shifts people out of blame and into practical, self-chosen next actions.
Your real job as a leader is not to solve every problem but to help other people take effective action toward the bigger future you’re building together.
Taking responsibility does not mean being perfect; it means being able to respond, own your contribution, and commit to a better approach next time.
Most people are quick to extend grace once someone has fully owned their part in a breakdown and clearly stated what they will do differently.
Coaching yourself first—especially where you feel like a victim or persecutor—makes your leadership more authentic and significantly reduces drama in your company.
Asking for help is not weakness; it’s a courageous form of self-coaching that brings in the right “Who” before small issues become full-blown drama.
Moving from the Drama Triangle to The Empowerment Dynamic creates a culture where people expect challenges, learn quickly, and solve problems together.
An empowered team that sees itself as creative, challenged, and coachable will occasionally fail but can rapidly diagnose what happened and come back stronger.
Resources:
The Karpman Drama Triangle
The Power of TED by David Emerald
Kolbe A™ Index
Shifting From Victim To Creator with The Power of TED Author David Emerald
...more
18min
January 22, 2026Give Your Team The Tools To Win
Are you treating your team like a line item—or like your greatest multiplier? In this episode, Shannon Waller shares why a small, smart investment in your team’s self-awareness and capabilities can pay off in better decisions, less drama, and a lot more freedom for you as the entrepreneur.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Investing in your team’s growth is one of the simplest ways to hit bigger goals without working harder yourself.
Profiles like Kolbe and Working Genius® give team members self-knowledge that leads to greater confidence, mutual understanding, and improved communication.
When people feel like an investment instead of a cost, they naturally bring more creativity, commitment, and initiative to the business.
Entrepreneurs who invest in their team create multipliers who run with ideas instead of dependents who wait to be told what to do.
The right kind of training gives you clear thinkers, confident decision makers, and proactive problem solvers instead of order takers.
Knowing your team’s strengths and striving instincts makes leadership feel lighter and more natural because you stop trying to force people into the wrong roles.
Role alignment protects you from one of the most expensive entrepreneurial mistakes: smart people stuck in the wrong seats.
When team members spend most of their time in their Unique Ability®, your culture gets more energized, collaborative, and attractive to top talent.
Focusing on strengths instead of fixing weaknesses speeds up progress and keeps your best people excited about growing with you.
Using profiles strategically shows you exactly where you need complementary capabilities instead of pushing yourself to be good at everything.
When people are self-aware, they move through tough moments with less drama and more clarity, so the team can stay focused on results.
Developing “leaderful” team members means people at every level provide direction in their area of expertise instead of waiting for permission.
Treating people as entrepreneurial partners rather than employees shifts them into owner-like thinking about results and client impact.
A well-developed team is a safer and more predictable investment than a marketing campaign because you can see the behavior and results up close.
Capability-building gives you back time as team members take on complex, draining tasks and solve problems without escalating everything to you.
Networked, interdependent teams allow capable people to act autonomously within clear roles.
Investing in your team is one of the most powerful retention strategies because people stay where they feel seen, valued, and developed.
Even simple, low-cost assessments can quickly pay for themselves in better decisions, saved time, and fresh opportunities.
You don’t need to implement every profile or tool at once; pacing your investments keeps the focus on doing great work, not constant workshops.
Bringing in experts to deliver assessments and coaching lets you upgrade your team quickly and efficiently without derailing daily operations.
Building a Self-Managing Company® requires self-managing, self-aware people who are well-trained, trusted, and energized by the roles they play.
Resources:
Kolbe A™ Index
Working Genius®
CliftonStrengths®
DiSC® Profile
PRINT®
The Predictive Index
Unique Ability®
The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller
The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan
...more
20min
December 18, 2025How Strong Leaders Stop Taking Things Personally
Do you find yourself easily triggered in conversations with your team? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why not taking things personally is a real leadership superpower. You’ll learn how to spot your triggers, pause before reacting, turn feedback into useful data, and keep your team creative, honest, and collaborative—even under stress.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Not taking things personally keeps you calm, confident, and fully present even when everyone else is stressed or reactive.
Taking things personally usually means you’ve mistaken someone’s words or behavior as a verdict on your worth instead of information about them or the situation.
When you stay centered, you naturally become more curious, collaborative, and open to problem solving rather than defending your ego.
Leaders who take feedback personally quickly derail conversations because the focus flips from solving the issue to protecting egos and justifying decisions.
Teams learn very fast what is and isn’t safe to talk about when a leader gets triggered, which shrinks honesty, creativity, and growth over time.
Much of what feels like a personal attack is actually stress, unclear expectations, or clashing perspectives that can be resolved once everyone calms down.
Internalizing criticism drains enormous mental and emotional energy that could instead fuel innovation and strategy.
Emotional detachment creates a small but crucial space between stimulus and response so you can choose your reaction.
Detaching is not apathy; it means caring deeply about the result while refusing to base your self-worth on anyone else’s mood or opinion.
You can remind yourself that other people’s reactions are about their perspective and state of mind, not a measure of your value as an entrepreneur or leader.
Highly empathetic leaders need clear internal boundaries so they can sense other people’s emotions without absorbing or acting out those feelings.
When you feel triggered, it’s completely appropriate to pause, take space, and reset rather than pushing through an unproductive conversation.
Recentering on the bigger purpose or result you’re creating together makes it much easier to drop ego battles and refocus everyone on progress.
When you stay grounded instead of triggered, you give your team permission to calm down, think clearly, and bring their best ideas forward.
Resources:
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
PRINT®
Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
No Ego by Cy Wakeman
The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher
Jefferson Fisher on YouTube
...more
18min
December 04, 2025Breaking The Perfectionism Trap
Are you holding yourself—or your team—to an impossible standard? In this episode, Shannon Waller unpacks the real differences between high standards and perfectionism. She also explains how to build a culture of confidence, speed, and accountability so your team can deliver great results, move faster, and actually enjoy the process—without getting stuck chasing an unattainable ideal.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Having high standards helps you feel confident and stay clear on what really matters, unlike perfectionism, which can drain your energy and slow you down.
Perfectionism usually comes from fear—fear of messing up or not being good enough—while high standards come from caring about great results.
Aiming for “really good” instead of “perfect” will help you get more done, faster, and with less stress.
The 80% Approach™ is a great way to keep projects moving forward. Instead of trying to do everything yourself or make every detail flawless, take your work to 80% complete and then hand it off so others can add their expertise. It’s an easier, more collaborative way to avoid getting stuck chasing “perfect.”
It’s all about teamwork, letting go of control, and trusting that “good and moving forward” beats “perfect and stalled.”
When your team shares the workload and plays to their strengths, things flow better and no one hangs on to tasks out of worry.
Make your standards clear and explain why they matter. When people understand the purpose, they step up with better quality.
Don’t worry if things aren’t perfect; mistakes are just opportunities to learn and improve next time.
Perfectionism is often a habit we inherit; choose to shift your mindset to focus on progress, not perfection.
Not every task needs your full-on perfectionist energy—save that for what truly matters to you.
When you combine high standards with smart teamwork and self-awareness, you create a culture where trust and innovation thrive.
Resources:
Kolbe A™ Index
The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The 80% Approach by Dan Sullivan
Unique Ability®
Multiplication By Subtraction by Shannon Waller
Transforming Experiences Into Multipliers
...more
17min
November 20, 2025Integrity Starts Within: Leading From Your True Strengths
What does integrity really mean, and how does it change the way you show up for your team? In this episode, Shannon Waller explains why it’s the foundation for trust, clarity, and consistent results in business. She also shares practical ways to align with your true strengths and create teams where everyone can contribute their best.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Integrity isn’t just how you show up for others; it’s about being truly whole with yourself.
When you’re honest about what comes naturally to you, everything feels easier and smoother.
Ignoring your strengths or forcing yourself into a role that doesn’t fit typically leads to friction and drama.
The more you understand yourself, the more likely you’ll love what you do every day.
People you can count on usually know themselves really well; that’s the kind of self-awareness teams thrive on.
It’s not always easy, but it helps to be brave enough to pause, check in with yourself, and admit when something just isn’t a good fit.
Being authentic is contagious. When you’re comfortable in your own skin, your energy supports everyone around you.
Exploring who you truly are with profiles and assessments like Kolbe, PRINT®, CliftonStrengths®, and Working Genius® makes your work and your life so much richer.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, use tech, or lean on coaching if you’re figuring out what fits best. You don’t have to do it alone.
Feeling whole on the inside makes it much easier to deliver on your promises and build the kind of team everyone wants to be part of.
Resources:
Kolbe A™ Index
Working Genius®
CliftonStrengths®
DiSC® Profile
PRINT®
Myers-Briggs®
Unique Ability®
...more
17min
November 06, 2025The Real Danger Of Comfort Zones
Are you still growing as a leader, or have you slipped into comfort mode? In this episode, Shannon Waller explores why ongoing leadership development is essential for entrepreneurial success and how embracing new challenges—and even a little discomfort—keeps you and your team dynamic, resilient, and thriving. Learn strategies for self-disruption, intentional learning, and genuine team growth.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Growth-minded leaders don’t coast; when you’re comfortable, it’s a sign to shake things up.
The world, your team, and your own thinking are changing fast, so staying curious (and humble) is part of the job.
Notice if energy or creativity feels flat—that’s your cue to try something new, however small.
Don’t let “status” turn into comfort; keep looking for ways to contribute and stretch yourself, even if it feels awkward at first.
The best disruptions start with you—not market forces, not your competitors, and not your team.
Surround yourself with people who challenge you, not just cheer for you. Being in a learning community keeps you fresh and inspired.
Sometimes, growth means admitting you don’t have all the answers and that’s not just okay, it’s leadership in action.
If you catch yourself resisting new tech or just sticking to familiar ways, be honest: Is it time for a reset or a break?
Find mentors and colleagues who will hold up a mirror and gently push you to think again. Trust and safety power real growth.
You set the tone: when you’re learning and stretching, your team feels invited to do the same.
Remember, it’s collaboration and care (not perfection!) that make leading a team both fulfilling and effective.
Try something brand new, even if you’re not great at it. Your own willingness to experiment is contagious.
If you’re bored or stale, set a bigger goal that excites you (and makes you nervous)—it’s the surest way to pull everyone forward.
Leadership is about caring—about your people, your clients, and your own development.
Resources:
KolbeCon
Genius Network®
EOS® Worldwide
No-Drama Leadership by Marlene Chism
From Conflict to Courage by Marlene Chism
The 4 C’s Formula by Dan Sullivan
...more
16min
October 23, 2025Teamwork That Actually Works
Are you playing to your strengths—or stuck slogging through steps that drain your energy? This episode explores how organizing and aligning your team’s areas of Unique Ability® can improve productivity and results. Discover practical strategies for visualizing processes, delegating wisely, and creating good handoffs so everyone can do what they do best—and love most—every day.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
When everyone’s doing what they love and are great at, work feels lighter, faster, and way more fun.
This is your chance to make sure every person is running with their strengths, not getting bogged down by tasks that drain them.
Don’t get stuck doing things you’re merely competent at—aim to spend your best time in your “unique” zone and support your team to do the same.
Owning what you’re not good at is not only liberating, it’s the secret to better teamwork and smarter systems in any entrepreneurial business.
Try not to fall into “rugged individualism”; asking for help and relying on your team’s strengths isn’t just smart, it’s essential for real progress.
Pick one key process in your business and gather the team to map out each step and who’s responsible—simple changes here can lead to huge improvements.
Mapping out your team’s process together can uncover simple fixes and spark big ideas about how things could be easier.
If something feels complicated, document it visually; the bottlenecks and opportunities become much clearer, especially when you work as a group.
Process mapping isn’t just practical; it can actually be a lot of fun, especially if you break out the whiteboard or some sticky notes.
Try to bring a playful spirit to documenting and improving your processes—a little laughter and some big post-its can go a long way, and you might be surprised at how much your team enjoys it.
Good handoffs are everything: be clear, be kind, and let others shine instead of white-knuckling tasks you don’t enjoy.
When you pass the baton to the person who’s excited to run with it, your whole workflow speeds up and everyone’s energy goes up too.
When your team’s strengths line up with their tasks, friction disappears and the impact on your clients and business expands.
Watch out for the “delegation death grip”—if you’re finding it hard to let go of a task, you might be holding up the flow, even by accident.
Avoid “drive-by delegation”—tossing a task at someone without context or support almost always leaves them confused and slows everything down.
Tech tools help, but starting with a simple, hands-on process map makes everything smoother and less stressful down the line.
Don’t be afraid to shake things up; swapping roles or trying out new tech tools is just good sense when it keeps your team happy and your systems operating smoothly.
Training new team members gets easier with clear, visual guides for how things really work in your company.
Process mapping isn’t just for solving problems; it’s your secret weapon for onboarding new people and capturing valuable know-how, so it sticks with your company, not just your current team.
Resources:
Unique Ability®
Kolbe A™ Index
Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
The Impact Filter™
...more
31min
October 09, 2025How Hostage Negotiation Strategies Build Better Teams, with Derek Gaunt
Is your leadership style accidentally putting your team on the defensive? When people feel threatened, they stop thinking creatively. In this episode, negotiation expert Derek Gaunt shares how Tactical Empathy®—the same approach used by hostage negotiators—can build deep trust and psychological safety, transforming tough conversations into your greatest advantage for alignment, innovation, and growth.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Tactical empathy—the intentional use of emotional intelligence to recognize and articulate another’s perspective—is the foundation of every effective negotiation or sensitive leadership conversation.
Leaders who default to authority build resentment; team members may comply only at the surface level and secretly resist or seek passive revenge.
Trust, instead of authority, generates loyalty, engagement, and team buy-in, empowering members to stretch beyond their comfort zones for a shared mission.
Seeking input isn’t just about changing course; it builds “credit” with your team and ensures stronger collaboration and more innovative solutions because people feel known, heard, and included.
Any conversation where you “want” or “need” something, even a positive opportunity, makes you a perceived threat because you’re asking someone to leave their status quo and face discomfort.
All team members instinctively react to these perceived threats, but if you remove yourself as a threat, team dialogue instantly shifts from defensive to open, innovative, and solution-focused.
The C.A.V.I.AA.R.™ mindset (Curiosity, Acceptance, Venting, Identifying, Accusation Audit®, and Remembering) can help you mentally prepare for any difficult conversation, from performance reviews to new growth opportunities.
An Accusation Audit—pre-emptively naming likely concerns—can help you reduce resistance and create open dialogue, especially when asking for change or sharing tough news.
Labeling and acknowledging emotions (both your own and others’) moves conversations out of reactive mode and into productive solution-finding.
Sequencing is key: first, discover perspectives; then, guide with your insights; finally, lead the way to action and accountability.
Documenting challenging conversations isn’t just HR best practice—it’s a strategic tool for creating clarity, ensuring accountability, and protecting your company’s culture and momentum.
Avoiding tough conversations keeps organizations stuck, while proactively engaging with conflict builds resilience and better results.
It’s important to not only know your default conflict personality (assertive, analyst, or accommodator) but to adapt it to connect with different types on your team.
True influence aims for a mutually beneficial outcome, unlike manipulation, which is solely self-serving.
The highest cost of avoiding a difficult conversation isn’t discomfort—it’s the stagnation and misalignment that silently drain your company’s potential.
Resources:
Ego, Authority, Failure by Derek Gaunt
The Black Swan Group
Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss
What You Need to Know About Tactical Empathy®
...more
1h 4min
September 25, 2025Why It’s A Bad Idea To Protect Your Team
Do you believe shielding your team from tough realities helps them perform at their best? In this episode, Shannon Waller challenges leaders to look beyond good intentions and empower their teams by sharing the whole story. She also explains why trust, transparency, and real challenges, not protection, give entrepreneurial teams the confidence and capability to solve problems and drive growth.
Download Episode Transcript
Show Notes:
Protecting your team from reality may come from a place of empathy and care, but it limits their growth and independence.
Trusting your team means giving them the full picture, even when it’s difficult.
Shielding people from challenges sends a message that they can’t handle complexity or bad news.
Transparency in leadership invites ownership and responsibility from your team instead of dependence.
Facing tough situations together builds team resilience and innovation.
Teams deprived of real information struggle to make strategic decisions and align with company goals.
True learning, confidence, and capability come from dealing with setbacks directly and adapting.
Organizing workflow is different from hiding reality; help your team do great work by managing priorities without hiding challenges.
Entrepreneurial leaders excel when they trust their teams to rise to challenges and participate fully in shaping business outcomes.
The best leaders share context and invite team input, knowing that creativity and solutions come from everyone, not just the top.
Real empowerment comes when your team feels capable, included, and trusted with even the hard truths.
Reflect on when you learned the most: was it when someone trusted you with responsibility or when they shielded you from reality?
Resources:
The Great Game Of Business: The Only Sensible Way To Run A Company by Jack Stack
...more
16min

FAQs about Shannon Waller's Team Success:

How many episodes does Shannon Waller's Team Success have?

The podcast currently has 338 episodes available.

More shows like Shannon Waller's Team Success

The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

The Tim Ferriss Show

16,142 Listeners

Multiplier Mindset® with Dan Sullivan by Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach

Multiplier Mindset® with Dan Sullivan

113 Listeners

10x Talk by Joe Polish of Genius Network and Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach

10x Talk

149 Listeners

The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance by Dave Asprey

The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

7,237 Listeners

Boundless Life by Ben Greenfield

Boundless Life

4,999 Listeners

Founders by David Senra

Founders

2,188 Listeners

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters by Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

130 Listeners

Masters of Scale by WaitWhat

Masters of Scale

3,987 Listeners

The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

The Game with Alex Hormozi

4,486 Listeners

Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson

Modern Wisdom

4,077 Listeners

Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach And Steve Krein of StartUp Health

Free Zone Frontier

15 Listeners

Podcast Payoffs by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach and Gord Vickman

Podcast Payoffs

10 Listeners

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni by Patrick Lencioni

At The Table with Patrick Lencioni

1,135 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

29,350 Listeners

Anything And Everything by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff

Anything And Everything

11 Listeners

Moonshots with Peter Diamandis by PHD Ventures

Moonshots with Peter Diamandis

593 Listeners