The Action Catalyst

Business strategist, leadership expert, and former Amazon executive John Rossman explains some of the principles essential to how Amazon became the consumer and media giant they are today, including customer obsession, keeping a broad vision, keeping an eye on OKR's (objectives and key results), setting the right incentives to create movement, making sure leaders are never done learning, and always taking the next best available action.

Mentioned in this episode:

This episode is presented by Dr. Marc Sniukas at MakeBetterStrategy.com

Make Better Strategy

Download John’s free Business Manifesto and learn more at RossmanPartners.com.

Rossman Partners / John Rossman

This episode is presented by Dr. Marc Sniukas at MakeBetterStrategy.com

Make Better Strategy

Download John’s free Business Manifesto and learn more at RossmanPartners.com.

Rossman Partners / John Rossman

We catch back up with Mike McFall, author, entrepreneur, and Co-CEO of Biggby Coffee, who walks us through his new book, "Grow: Take Your Business from Chaos to Calm", explains how the best-run business is one you're not a part of, hips us to the "most powerful productivity hack in corporate America since the microprocessor", and teases the conclusion of his leadership trilogy.

Hear more from Mike in his original appearance on Episode 406 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, professional speaker, and executive coach Chad E. Foster talks about learning to code, blind, just to invent the software needed, by himself, for the rest of his job, in order to become an asset to the workforce instead of a liability.

Hear Chad’s full interview in Episode 430 of The Action Catalyst.

Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, returns in Part 2 of this interview, tackling weighty topics like the denial of death, embracing change as foundational to aging, the illusion of self, the "long slow rot" theory, how aging is a "use it or lose it" game, how Freud kicked off 90 years of scientific tail-chasing, wisdom vs. expertise, and why guest host Stephanie Maas may just live forever.

Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, explains the mechanics of getting our biology to work for us rather than against us, the advantages of transitioning from a journalist to a scientist, how to trigger a state of flow, how cell phones are dumbing down our neurobiology, how to be 1,000% more productive in 2 days, why “flow” is not just for athletes and artists, the most common flow state on earth that every one of us has experienced every week, what Buddhists, nuns, and surfers have in common, why struggle and frustration are necessary to achieve flow and extraordinary = average + repetition, and finding moments where the impossible become possible.

Andrus Albi, Sales Practitioner, Certified Sales & Leadership Coach, and Partner at Southwestern Consulting, explains the relief that comes with identifying factors that are not under your control vs. those that are, and how it applies to everything from motocross, to marriage, to sales.

Hear Andrus' full interview in Episode 429 of The Action Catalyst.

Author, professional speaker, and executive coach Chad E. Foster talks about living most of his life outside of his comfort zone after totally losing his sight in college, becoming comfortable with discomfort, how lacking sight made him a better skier and martial artist, taking advantage of your disadvantages, learning to code just to INVENT the software needed for the rest of his job, becoming the first blind graduate of the Harvard Business School Leadership Program, and finding your "true north".

Dr. Ruth Gotian, educator, speaker, and author of the book "The Success Factor", explains the revelation that led her into the field of researching extreme achievers, and recalls a fierce independent streak that began at the age of 10 during one day of recess, and carried through to the present day.

Hear Dr. Gotian's full interview in Episode 428 of The Action Catalyst.

Overtime with Outland is Action Catalyst host Adam Outland's reflections and commentary on discussions with each of his esteemed and accomplished guests.

In this segment, Adam dissects Episode 429, with Sales Practitioner, Certified Sales & Leadership Coach, and Partner at Southwestern Consulting, Andrus Albi.

Andrus Albi, Sales Practitioner, Certified Sales & Leadership Coach, and Partner at Southwestern Consulting provides a masterclass on maintaining focus, including the relief that comes with identifying factors that are not under your control, prioritizing items in your calendar, being responsive versus reactive, creating "should do" and "MUST do" items, how the same advice applies to motocross, marriage, and sales, and why "practice doesn’t make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect".

Mentioned in this episode:

This episode is brought to you by Southwestern Coaching.

Southwestern Coaching

Learn more at SouthwesternConsulting.com/Coaching/Students

Southwestern Student Coaching