Wow, what an exciting week! First off, a big thank you to all of our readers and viewers for one-hundred episodes of the Maximize Business Value Podcast! This week marks our 100th episode since the very first edition of our weekly podcast that was born from a pandemic - one of the good things to come from it. To honor this monumental milestone, we've compiled the answers to our viewers' favorite question into one episode. The question I ask each and every guest: "What personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble over the years?" It's a fun question, and we've had some really unique and interesting answers. If you're new to our podcast, every one of our guests has given great expert advice on building business value, but this question allows them to get a little more vulnerable - maybe even self-deprecating but I've learned a ton from the answer to this question and hope you will too.
Without further adieu, here they are:
Mark Mitford (Episode 2)
Managing Director at HR Catalyst
It's kind of embarrassing for someone who was a career HR guy to say this, but it's that sometimes, I may be guilty of being a little bit too extroverted, and maybe saying things that were not as politically correct as they could have been. Then, somebody uses it against me and they say, “you know, Mark, you're supposed to be the HR guy,” and I'll kind of reflect on what I've said. I'm like, yeah. And a few times they have been so politically incorrect that I have had to apologize to an individual who I might've offended - which I had no intent to offend, but I maybe got carried away with myself.
Ladd Hirsch (Episode 3)
Senior Business Trial Partner at Bradley
I think the answer is impatience. I tend to feel like I have an answer and that I know the path, and if others aren't already on the path and aren't seeing it, then I'm ready to get to the bottom line too quickly. From a spiritual perspective, I know there's a saying that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we could listen twice as much as we talk. And I have really tried to manage my lack of patience and to be more patient, be a better listener, and not jump to conclusions so quickly.
Dan Vermeire (Episode 5)
Managing Director at Corporate Finance Associates
It's that filter thing, right? I tend to tell it like I see it, and maybe sometimes I should sugarcoat it just a little bit. But I think at times business owners like straight talk, too.
Larry Lane (Episode 5)
Owner of VR Business Brokers
I would say, in this business, it's the issue of wanting to be, perhaps, too helpful. Sometimes we get calls from people whose business is really struggling, and they really don't have a whole lot to sell, frankly. Yet we will want to help them, so we'll take it on, even knowing it's a deal that's not going to pay a lot of money. The small deals can sometimes eat your lunch - maybe even more often than not time-wise - but when you like the person, you have empathy for their situation and you say, “you know what? As long as we're realistic on what we're dealing with, let's work it.” The upside to that is you do feel good if you have success, but it can be a tiring venture.
Lindsay Polyak (Episode 6)
Partner at Tax Credit Collective
Just one trait? I think that the thing that gets me in the worst trouble is that I'm really independent, and I have this tendency to move forward and take action. Maybe go a little bit rogue on some things. Unfortunately that’s not always in everyone's best interest, as I have been reminded throughout my life. So I always need checks and balances, either on a personal or professional level, to rein me in and make me take a step back and say, “okay, what's the process here? What needs to be done so that I don't get into trouble?”
Susan Steinbrecher (Episode 7)
President/CEO of Steinbrecher & Associates Consulting
I can be direct. I'm way better than I was. Especially as a 25 year old general manager, I was terrible. I did not get people. I was driven by the end result; I did not factor in the human spirit. The reason I'm so motivated to get work done is because I know what works and what doesn't work. That one got me in trouble. Not so much today, but it certainly did in my past.
Jim Brewer (Episode 11)
CEO and Managing Partner at BrewerLeadership
I spent my career in sales and what's now called business development, so there was an illusion that I held for too damn long. I believed that sales made the business work. That, without customers, we're nothing. Now there's some fundamental truth in that, but if you look at a company and say, “sales is strong, but operations or finance is weak,” what happens to the ultimate value of that company? I would posit that they certainly would not thrive. And in the same way, if sales are weak and operations/finance are strong, you've got a great company looking for something to do. It takes all three. However, I used to believe that sales was perhaps more important than it really is.
Mike Rose (Episode 12)
CEO of Mojo Media Labs, Author of ROE Powers ROI
I'm gonna spin this question just a little bit and say, what personality trait has bred the most success for me recently - I say recently meaning over the past five or eight years. That trait is being okay with mediocrity. Now, that doesn't mean you're settling for just “okay,” it just means that you’re willing to let people learn on their own. It means delegating and being okay with mediocrity - because not everything's going to be done how I would do it; It's not going to be done perfectly. It doesn't mean you put out a bad product, you send out a bad message, or you go home early. It just means that you’re willing to let people learn on their own. Before five or eight years ago, I hadn't let people learn on their own - I had to be micromanaging. But as soon as I took a micro-mentorship thought process, and learned to be okay with mediocrity until the worker was able to define their own “perfect,” my organization became much more successful, not to mention a much better quality of life for myself.
Ken Huffman (Episode 14)
President of Captive Nation, CPA to CPA
You know, I'm pretty spontaneous, and that can get me in trouble. Sometimes I make a quick decision, then I think, “you know what, maybe I shouldn't have done that.” I’ve got a great example: When my son turned 16 years old, I thought, “what’s something fun that we could do? Ah! Let's go have a candy dash!” So my wife and I took him to 7-11 and said, “you have 16 seconds to grab as much candy as you want.” He starts grabbing handfuls, and 16 seconds later, $106 in candy. That was not a great choice. I'm standing up at the counter thinking, “are we really going to pay $106 for all this?” But I had told him we would, so we did. Even if only for the memory, it was well worth the $106.
Charlene Aldridge (Episode 15)
President of Aldridge, Kerr & Associates, Inc.
My tenacity. I am like a dog with a bone. I won't give it up. I’ve got to say, that’s helped me a lot in my career, but it's also gotten me in lots of trouble. Usually because they want me to go away!
Todd Hunter (Episode 15)
Senior Consultant at Aldridge, Kerr & Associates, Inc.
I'm a huge dreamer, right? I always say, “it's tough being a visionary and waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with me.” That's got me in trouble, but it's also benefited me over time. That's why Charlene and I (and others in our firm) work really well together. We compliment each other and we represent all different components a corporation or client might need.
Sheila Henson (Episode 18)
ADHD Coach and Educator, Sheila Henson, LLC.
I'm silly, I like to laugh, and I'm playful. I've definitely been scolded for, maybe, making a joke when people thought it wasn't the best time, or if there are children around, I’ve definitely been laid into for riling up the children. But I do think that it's actually a benefit because I think, for most people, it can help them to be more comfortable. I, in my job, deal with really serious issues - some really dark stuff - and if I couldn’t use humor and silliness, I think I'd go crazy.
Jason Forrest (Episode 21)
CEO of Forrest Performance Group
That’s an easy one! My lack of tact. In fact, I think I might be socially dyslexic to be honest. When I was a kid, I would go to cotillion, you know, and all kinds of different etiquette schools my parents would send me to. And the number one thing I got in trouble for was my lack of tact. Fortunately, I'm a consultant now, so it's totally fine.
Susan Bryant (Episode 22)
Tax Strategist, Business Advisor, and Process Architect for The MB Group, LLC.
I'm far too outspoken. I always tell people, “if you ask me for my opinion, I'm sure to give it!” That can definitely result in some issues.
Cleve Clinton (Episode 23)
Counselor & Trial Partner at Gray, Reed, & McGraw, LLP.
I have to reluctantly confess that I break the rules. I often like to think I use it to my advantage, but rules are rules, and I've often been accused of breaking too many of them.
John Gorbutt (Episode 24)
Principal Consultant for Gorbutt Group, Inc.
Aside from my charming personality, I would say that I'm not good at playing politics in an organization; I am all about execution and results. I don't like to play games and give people the phony answers that they want, or blindly tell them things they want to hear. I want to make sure that things are executed correctly, that they're yielding the results they should, and that we're not stringing people along with false information. There are so many workplaces where people don't want to report results unless they’re good results. They don't want to report actual results, and that’s just not right. Sometimes the news isn't good. It's a lot better to be truthful and say, “here's what's happening, here's what we have to do to fix it, and here's what caused it” than to say, “Well, I'll shelve it and fix that next month,” or something of the like.
Jim Roddy (Episode 25)
President & CEO of RSPA, Keynote Speaker, Author of The Walk On Method and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer
I was going to say my rugged good looks, but obviously that would make people laugh out loud. Honestly, it's my passion. I'm really passionate about these subjects; I'm really passionate about development. I do have to watch myself sometimes when I'm communicating with people so that they don’t feel steamrolled. I don’t want people to feel as if, “well, he's clearly already come to a conclusion and he's not open to any sort of a discussion,” because in reality, I actually am. I have a tendency to present as if I am totally committed, and I’ve found that the answer is to slow down and bring people with me. If we just go and say to people, “you got to do recurring revenue!” they’re unlikely to be receptive. But a free will to talk to them about their business, their business struggles, and how recurring revenue could help them, where they could go get more, then they might be convinced. Not that I do it in an angry way, but I am super passionate about it. I just have to make sure I tell people upfront, “you might feel steamrolled, and I don't mean to do that.” Even with as much passion as I speak with, as long as I’m speaking to you, I'm open to your ideas. I'm going to try to control that better - I actually have notes up on my bulletin board over here. It says, “don't talk so fast and don't talk so long,” because oftentimes that's when the passion comes out.
Dean Ash (Episode 26)
Co-Founder of 360 Consulting
I am an eternal optimist. I mean, I literally just love serving people. I love helping business owners and helping individuals to be successful, or coaching them on how to take that next step toward success. With that, however, the trait that's gotten me in the most trouble is over-committing myself. I just see the potential - the business potential, the individual potential - and I can’t say no! I’ll just say, “lets lock arms, roll up our sleeves, and get it done!” That sometimes gets me in trouble at my firm. It's just that eternal optimism, and as a career sales leader, I suppose you have to be that.
Gerald Parsons (Episode 27)
CEO & Managing Partner of Life Languages International Sales and Marketing
I'll tell you, I sabotage myself sometimes with my mover life language. My mover life language wants to get down the road so far, then change, innovate, do all these things. But then all I see behind me is a cloud of dust. There's nobody following because they can't find me - likely because I've gone too far without making sure the team was on board. That's gotten me in more trouble than I care to admit.
Rich Russo (Episode 27)
Managing Director of BuildConnect, LLC.
Well, it's funny, Tom, when you asked that question, I started thinking about all my old performance reviews. One of the things about Communication IQ is that we help folks understand the strengths they have, but also the things they need to work on. And sure enough, what my boss would consider a strength. One thing about me is that I'm a shaper, and by nature, I would like to work on strategy and large-picture planning. The challenge though, is when a shaper is under distress, you see the challenge come out. He’ll think, “these people are lost, they don’t get the plan,” or, “they're not moving fast enough, so I'll just take it over.” Gerald's been really kind and taught me a little bit about how I'm wired as a shaper. He says, “when you start to feel that you're frustrated, and you just want to grab the plan and take over, that's a sign that things are off track.” And sure enough, as I looked back through old performance reviews, I took on a lot of extra projects when I was in that stress mode. So that’s something that I continue to work on.
Michael Orr (Episode 28)
Founder of Point Z Marketing, Vice President of Brand & Marketing for Visium Collaborative, Inc.
Rugged good looks aren’t a personality trait? I think it's probably that I'm not afraid to be the dissenter in a group. It kind of circles around brutal honesty and internal dialogue coming out when you might not want it, but I think that's what I'm paid for; The people that call me back, that's why they call me back. They want to hear it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly - and there's always some of each. If you don't want to hear it, then you're not going to maximize your business value! It does have a tendency to land me in hot water though.
Bob Gibbons (Episode 29)
Real Estate Advisor & Tenant Advocate for REATA Commercial Realty, Inc.
Being a smart ass. I'm kind of sarcastic and playful, and if I'm not making fun of you, I don't like you. If I am making fun of you, I like you. When I was 23 years old, I went on a business call with a guy who was 70, and I learned later on that before I even got back to the office, he had called my boss and said, "what are you doing sending, that snot nosed kid down here to talk to me?" And I thought to myself, “wait a minute, I thought it went well! I thought it was a great meeting!” And when I spoke to my boss, he said, "well, you know, sometimes you can be a bit of a smart ass," and as funny as it is, I was really hurt by that! I went home and told my wife, and she goes, "well, you know, you can be kind of a smart ass at times.” I was definitely humbled by that interaction.
Dan Schulman (Episode 30)
Shareholder at Vedder Price Intellectual Property group
I’ve learned over the years that you're never as smart as you think you are. My family, my parents, and certainly my ex-wife (not my current wife because I'm a changed man) will tell you that being a stubborn, condescending, know-it-all, is not an attractive quality. As you go through life, you realize that the pond has gotten a lot bigger, but you’re still the same old fish. And in these realizations, you recognize that you better learn modesty, and you better learn humility. You can't learn anything until you admit that you don't know something, and humility is an essential quality in being a lifelong learner. Sometimes I still fall into being competitive, wanting to be the smart Alec, wanting to have the quickest wit and the best comeback, but I really, really try to be as humble as I can. That doesn't mean being shamefaced and thinking you don't know anything, but you gotta be humble. That's an area that I think is probably a common affliction among lawyers. And I try on a daily basis to reign that part of me in.
Oliver Cone (Episode 32)
M&A Advisor, Senior VP of Bulkley Capital
I'm going to sidestep a little bit, but I'd say being a kind of analytical person. I'm totally on that side. I'm a quantitative guy. I like numbers. I like analyzing things. I think I probably tend to overthink things in my life, and while that may not have gotten me into trouble, I'm sure that it's slowed me down in the past. The tendency to try to know exactly what's going to happen if I take a certain path versus a different one means I miss the exit every once in a while. One thing that, frankly, really impresses me when I meet new people is their ability to make decisions, to live with them, to follow through and not worry about what's going to happen and what the world is thinking. I think that's a really great character trait. It's something I see in my kids, which they certainly get from my wife and not from me. I'm always really impressed with my kids' willingness to get out there, get in front of people, try something new, and not become totally frozen by worry and doubt. I'm getting better at that and trying to get better at it in my personal life as well. It’s very much still a work in progress.
Rich Cavaness (Episode 33)
Owner/Trainer at Cavaness Insurance Agency
I would say being a risk taker. I tend to be a person who's a little bit too quick to take on risks. You know the saying, “ready, aim, fire?” I tend to reverse that and fire first, ask questions later. And sometimes I've caught myself in trouble. Sometimes it's better just to take action and then deal with whatever may come.
Steve Meek (Episode 34)
President and Founder of Interlinc Financial Advisors, Inc.
I would say for me, it's the desire to always be right. I know as an owner, you have to be able to listen, you have to be able to interact and talk, but just have this overwhelming need to know what’s going on. I'll do whatever research, I'll stay up late. There have been times where I've worked 48 hours straight just to be able to get to the right answer. Wanting to be right is a great thing, but I think sometimes it gets me in trouble when I point out that someone is wrong when it really isn't even necessary. My willingness to commit every fiber of my physical and mental being to going out and trying to make sure that I'm right sometimes works against me.
Bharat Kanodia (Episode 35)
Business Appraiser, Founder of Veristrat, LLC., Columnist for Inc. Magazine
Some people might call me a kook. I believe in conspiracies, so I’m not afraid of thinking outside the box. My YouTube channel is definitely evidence of that. Nobody in my business would ever think of creating a YouTube channel - they wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole - but I did it because I think people need education. Most people in my business want to go for the big fish. For private equity, for venture capital. I have worked for those people. I have worked with people who make $10 million a year. Now I'm going for the little guys. Now I'm only going for the businessmen whose revenue is less than $5 million because there are so many of them!
Chris M. King (Episode 36)
Executive Advisor & Motivational Speaker for Status Flow
It’s what my father would call my recalcitrant nature. For context, my father is an electromagnetic compatibility engineer, so these are the words he would use when I was a child. Recalcitrant is a fancy word for stubborn. But I think that has been really useful because I tend to be the rebel without a cause. I tend to be disruptive. Like I said, in grade school, I challenged anything that was spoon fed to me. I always wanted to know why. “Explain this, justify that,” because if you can't make this make sense to me, I'm not receiving or accepting it. So I’m constantly bucking the system, daring to challenge them to be wrong. I especially challenge myself to be wrong, which is the hardest part. I had to eat a lot of Crow, but I’m all the better for it.
Dr. Jill Olmstead (Episode 40)
CEO & Founder of The Coterie Project, Accountability Coach
I guess it's my turn now to get uncomfortable and uncover some of my quirks! I think most of my loved ones would agree that I have a fairly strong will that can come off as stubborn from time to time. I can think of a childhood story that kind of demonstrates that stubbornness; It's about a cat named spaghetti. I love all animals, and when I was young, we lived in the country and often had stray animals visit our door. One time, this cat came up and my mom told me not to feed it. Unfortunately, I had some spaghetti that I was eating, and I threw it outside for the cat and she ate every bit of it. That's how she got her name, Spaghetti. Of course she kept coming back for more, and my mom kept telling me not to feed the cat. But whenever she left the room, I would sneak her whatever it was that I was eating. Then, one day, my mom and dad were both gone and my sister was in her room (probably making a mixtape) and Spaghetti came to the door. So I opened the door, snatched her up, and brought her into my room. I just planned to keep her for the night, but the next morning I woke up to find Spaghetti and 6 kittens. I was freaking out! I was thinking, “What do I do now? I have to tell my mom that I have a cat with six kittens in my bedroom, and when I do she's going to be really upset.” So I told her, she was upset, and the consequence was that I had to now take care of these cats and kittens and figure out how to find them new homes. If I wasn't so stubborn, I probably wouldn't have ended up in that situation, but then again, I probably wouldn't have saved all these cats and kittens' lives either. So on the flip side of that, I'm pretty persistent and I make an excellent accountability partner!
Greg Stanley (Episode 41)
President of Accelerant Consultants, Adjunct Faculty at Butler University
I like to keep myself entertained, and sometimes that involves stirring the pot a little bit. Being a bit of a practical joker just to sit back and watch what happens after. I would say that's the one that's gotten me in the most trouble. The one that has served me the best over time I sincerely think I got from my mother, who was a first grade teacher for a long time. It’s the ability to put myself in another person's shoes. Whether it's a business owner or a potential client or an employee of the business, I’m able to operate from different perspectives and make sure that I create the best possible outcomes I can create.
Debbie Mrazek (Episode 43)
President of The Sales Company
Trust. When I started, I did not really understand that you can’t trust people. I was naïve. I didn't know. I hadn't been around people that didn't tell the truth, or so I thought, and so I was much too trusting. Once I figured that out, it became a beneficial skill, but also caused me more heartbreak than any other. But it's also the thing that has probably made me the most money. So it's been a double-edged sword, understanding how trust works.
Jimmy Curtin (Episode 44)
Founder and CEO of Next Level Sales Performance, LLC., CIQ, CSP, CSC
I would have to say persistence. Now persistence can be good but it can also be interpreted as not so good. Earlier in my career, I was one of the founding members of a software company. I served as the senior VP of sales and built the company around the software that we had. One time, I had a customer that signed a deal with us - I think the deal was about $19 million, If I remember right - it was a huge deal for us at the time. Anyways, the buyer called the chairman of our board after I had signed the deal with him and he said, “one of the reasons that I signed this and bought this software is that I don't ever want to hear from Jimmy Curtin again.” He said, “he is the most persistent S-O-B I have ever met in my life!” Our chairman asked the client, “well, did you buy it and not want it? He said, “oh no, it's the greatest thing that we're probably ever going to do!” He said, “but I just don't want him calling me anymore.” So persistence can work both ways. It’s an important tool, but it’s also important to know when to let off.
Jason Bay (Episode 45)
Chief Prospecting Officer at Blissful Prospecting
A lack of open-mindedness. Especially around certain things. That was a big sticking point in my wife and my relationship for a long time. I had this need for everything I eat to be organic, and it was really unnecessary. If you’ve met me, I may seem like a really open-minded person, but I do really struggle with it.
LeiLani Quiray (Episode 46)
Founder & CEO of Be The Change HR, Inc.
Oh man, I am so strong-willed! I know every business owner is thinking, “yes, me too!” I mean, that's why we're in the position that we're in. For example, I look young enough, but I am not a millennial, I'm a gen X-er. I used to change jobs every year and a half to two years, and I thought that something was wrong with me. I thought, “Why do I get agitated? Bored? I want to leave. I feel like I'm not doing anything at all.” I always moved when it wasn't acceptable to move. Then, when I started this business, I finally got it. I don't like to listen to anybody! I don't want anybody telling me what to do! This is the longest role I've ever had in this business. We're in our fourth year, and honestly, that's what's gotten me into trouble. I would leave jobs because I didn't like how things were being done or I had a moral issue and couldn't overlook it. That's what's gotten me in the most trouble - its that LeiLani does not like to listen to her parents. When they read this they will be laughing. They'll be like, “yes, she has been that way since she was born!”
Michael Puldy (Episode 47)
Managing Partner at Puldy Resiliency Partners, LLC.
I tend to react very quickly, often too quickly, and people will say, “wow, that's actually really great! That actually sounds so positive.” Well, it can be a positive - and in a crisis situation, it actually is very, very helpful. I think Elon Musk is quoted having said, “look, you know, just make a decision. Even if it's a bad decision, just make a decision, because you're moving the ball forward.” But sometimes in the aftermath of making a quick decision, you realize that not every decision needs to be made within a millisecond, and I have really taken that to heart throughout my career. As I've become more mature in my thinking, instead of responding right away, I might now sleep on it. That has really saved me a lot. But unfortunately I'm still not a hundred percent perfect at that.
Joshua Kim (Episode 48)
Fintech Entrepreneur, Managing Director at Mount Britton Capital Advisors, Founder of 7a Accelerator
I think the biggest personality trait for me is that I'm very confident in my area of expertise. One of the qualms of being so confident is that you can come off like an asshole to some people. I just tell them, “Look, you're full of shit. You can't do this,” and a lot of them respond with, “Why is this kid telling me I can't do this?” It's not because I think I'm that much smarter than him, it’s because I know what works, and I know what doesn't work because I deal with it all the time. So I've rubbed some people the wrong way, especially business brokers. I've pissed off a lot of business brokers because when they sit there and they give me their spiel when I'm looking at buying a business, they’ll say, “I've been doing this 20 years. I've been doing this and that,” and I’ll pretty bluntly respond, “I don't give a shit. Look at the numbers. They’re full of shit.” A lot of them don’t like me because I’ll tell them the numbers are full of shit, I’ll tell them why they're full of shit, and then I’ll tell the broker why they are full of shit. They really don't like that. I don't know if that's necessarily gotten me in trouble per se, but it definitely doesn't make me super endearing to some of these business brokers. Fortunately for me, I don't care. A lot of them are crooks and that’s not my favorite thing.
Gerald McAdoo (Episode 49)
Chairman of DEI at Business Navigators DFW, Director at Snapshot Business Services, National Energy Consultant for Onyx Power & Gas Consulting, LLC.
This probably won't surprise you, but it’s overthinking. I remember being at a dinner one time, and the guy next to me was trying to sell me something. I can't remember what it was, but he said something that struck me. He said, “Gerald, you're the kind of guy that doesn't want to leave his house to hit downtown without first knowing that all the lights are going to be green.” I remember thinking, “Yeah, what's wrong with that?” Sometimes I definitely take it to the extreme. It gets into over thinking, over analyzing, and procrastination. What I have learned is that you can only steer a moving car. So to get moving, to take action, take massive action, and then learn and adjust your path.
Jeff Owens (Episode 50)
Audit Partner at Armanino, LLP.
I was actually joking with one of my partners about this question today. We like to have a little fun. We take what we do very seriously, but we never take ourselves seriously. So we give each other a nickname at the firm, and I just recently found out that my nickname is Jeffrey Poppins, because I have this tendency to be eternally positive. That can sometimes come to bite us in the rear when we're always thinking positively, but we don't have that angel on our shoulder telling us, “Hey, what about this?” So we're now in March of 2021, as we're recording this podcast, and I've been saying since March of 2020 that COVID is not going to last that long. “We'll be back in the office in a week or two!” And I've continued to double down on that, because I've just figured that, eventually, I'll be right.
Jason Luter (Episode 51)
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Attorney, Partner at Faegre Drinker
The first thing that comes to mind is that I'm a people person. I love being around other people. I love to go out and see the business owner at their business - what they've done, what they do, what they've built, what they've created - and work with them in person. I love to learn about what their desires, dreams, objectives are - personally and financially - for their business and for their employees. Over the last year, not being able to see that because of COVID - not being able to see people in person and having to do all these transactions and meetings remotely - we're all making it work, but I feel like that personality trait has made this experience more uncomfortable for me. I look forward to being able to see people in person again really soon.
Mari Ryan (Episode 54)
Speaker, Author, CEO & Founder of Advancing Wellness Consulting, Master Instructor at Chapman Institute
I would probably say my perseverance, because I'm very passionate about things. Once I get passionate about something, I will be like a dog with a bone. So if anything, that's probably gotten me in more trouble than anything.
Rick Robinson (Episode 55)
Managing Director at Ramsee Consulting Group
Probably blunt honesty. I'll tell you a story that kind of illustrates it. I was interviewing for a job about 30 years ago, and they asked me a similar question. They asked, “what's your biggest weakness?” So I told them it was honesty, and of course, they said, “well, we don't really consider that a weakness.” So I said, “well, I don't really give a crap what you think!”
Bill King (Episode 56)
Investment Banker for EBB Group, Accredited Small Business Consultant, Commercial Loan Broker, Author
I would say the fact that I am just too blunt and too direct. I have no filter. That might be caused by the fact that my family is from New York City. I'm the only Texan in my family. So, I joke around that I was raised by a bunch of New Yorkers in Texas. That may contribute to me being a little rough, but I'm always honest to a fault. That may hurt me in some cases too, because I'll tell someone their baby's ugly.
Susan Steinbrecher (Episode 57)
President/CEO of Steinbrecher & Associates
I think my ability to connect has given me the most joy because, not only have I been able to teach others to do the same, but I also find that I can be with a total stranger and things come out of their mouth that you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes they’ll even say, “I can't believe I'm even sharing this with you!” So I'm doing something that's allowing people to feel safe, which is really what we're about - creating those safe spaces. If you create safety, you build connection. If you build connection, you build trust. If you build trust, you solve problems. That’s what it's all about.
Chris Snider (Episode 61)
Digital Media Strategist, Associate Professor at Drake University
I would have to say my lack of patience. I think what it is is that I want to get things done. I want to move, move, move. And sometimes you just have to be a little bit patient, right? Take a little bit of time, be a little bit patient. I look back at some of the mistakes that I've made, most of them were related to moving just a little too quickly. I wasn't patient enough to let something evolve, or I didn't give myself enough time to let it evolve.
Jeff Sandene (Episode 66)
President of Sandene Strategies, LLC., Founder of Business Pros
I am very detail oriented, and while it helps me in my day-to-day dealings with clients and money for sure, from a business owner's standpoint, it's probably held me back in terms of scaling up and getting the growth that I expect from the firm. And it's an issue that I'm aware of that I can take steps to fix. One of my ideas is to get a junior Jeff inside the firm that will take equally good care of my clients so that I can be more strategic in thinking about the business.
Denise Logan (Episode 67)
Speaker, Transition Expert, Author
You know, it's being courageous. Sometimes being courageous means that I want to dive into the depths of these kinds of things - I want to understand what's going on under the surface. Being courageous enough to ask those questions can sometimes be disruptive to relationships.
Dave Van Buskirk (Episode 68)
Financial Advisor, Regional Leader, and General Partner at Edward Jones
Being impatient. Here's a quick example. We run our business a certain way, and when we say we're going to do something, we do it. So when others don't, it has gotten me into a little trouble because that's the one situation where I can get angry - and I haven't always handled that so well.
Rob Schulz (Episode 69)
President & Investment Advisor for Schulz Wealth, Speaker, Author
If you live this life for long enough, you know how to get yourself in trouble. On a disc profile, I'm a DI. What that means is that I go quick. I go very confidently and very fast, and that can get me in trouble because I'll just be going, look behind me, and nobody's there. So I know I have to slow down and I have to communicate and make sure everybody's with me, and when I don't, I get in trouble
Kent Barner (Episode 70)
Principal Advisor at CIO Suite
Probably having no fear. I'll do stupid things if I'm challenged, especially when I was growing up and in college. I can't tell some of those stories. But in business, I jumped out of a corporate, cushy position and said, “I'm just going to go do this,” and I think I've achieved success.
David Wible (Episode 71)
Investor at Mountain State Capital, Partner at PGD Capital, Co-Founder of Work.software
I take everything so personal. I am 100% a complete drama queen. At times I have a really bad attitude. For example, one of the things I love and really get behind in business is really hating my competitors and wanting to smash them into the dirt. That has gotten me in more trouble than I care to admit.
Dave Casey (Episode 72)
CEO of Calvus Cloud & Calvus Consulting, LLC.
This is going to sound very self-serving, but I am a person that always wants to make sure the other person makes out better than I do in business transactions. I've always found that whether it's engaging with competition or engaging with a client, I always try to find out how they're paid, how they make money, how they are compensated, and then do the transaction so that it’s the best it can be for them. Normally the reason I do that is that I like to feel like I'm doing the right thing, but also that if I transact with them in the future, they think of me in a positive way. In 27 years of business, we had clients that we'd had over 20 years because we always made sure that it was the best decision for them. I don't know if that's a personality trait, but it's the way that I like to do business.
Nikole Rose (Episode 73)
President & COO at Mojo Media Labs
I would say being direct. I am incredibly authentic. I am who I am - the same all the time. I am not afraid to speak up, and I’m definitely direct in conversation. I've tried to get better at it over the years because people either really love that about me or it rubs them the wrong way.
Mike Rose (Episode 73)
CEO of Mojo Media Labs, Author of ROE Powers ROI
I'm going to be a little vulnerable here. The personality trait that has gotten me into the most trouble is self doubt - and I think we all have it. I think we all live with this imposter syndrome, but specifically for me, it's when I get around incredibly successful people, I want to behave like them. I want to act like them. I want to emulate them. If you do it within your business, that's one thing, but if you do it in a self-sabotaging kind of way, it can lead to depression. I’ve struggled with self-doubt for many, many, many years, and it still creeps in today. I don't know if it'll ever go away. I just learned to manage it. Self-doubt slowed down my success for years, and we could have a conversation about how success breeds confidence, or competence breeds success, but for me, success breeds confidence. And because self-doubt slowed down my success, it therefore slowed down my self-confidence. I’ve always strived for self-confidence - not to be egotistical or selfish or overconfident, but confident in a way that you can have peace with yourself. When you have peace with yourself and you feel joy, you achieve a whole new level of leadership. That's a whole 'nother level of performance and success that isn't tied to money, but it's tied to being at peace. You probably know people in your circles that are at peace, and they probably have very little self-doubt, or they've learned to manage self doubt. It took me way too many years, listening to way too many people, living my life for other people and not myself - and giving in and feeding the self-doubt. That, in turn, got me into the most trouble from a personal, internal struggle perspective that nobody else ever saw, which always put me at conflict with myself.
Mike Muhney (Episode 74)
Co-Inventor of ACT! Contact Software
One of the benefits of getting older is that I don't give a shit sometimes. I just tell people how I see it. Has it gotten me in trouble sometimes? Sure. But you know what? I still don't give a shit. So there you go. I hope that's not offensive, but that's the honest truth.
Jim Roddy (Episode 75)
President & CEO of RSPA, Keynote Speaker, Author of The Walk On Method and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer
I think this answer might be different from the last one that I gave, because, John Lewis, the longtime Congressman, fighter for rights in America, I love hearing him talking about ‘good trouble.’ I think that's a great line in terms of, while technically it was illegal to do what he did, protesting and the marching, it was good trouble because it benefited so many. I'd say, looking through the lens of what good trouble is as a personality trait, I think is a combination of being inquisitive, but also not being immediately agreeable. If people tell me something, I don't immediately say, “oh, sure, I bet it's going to be that way. I think this idea is going to work great.” I don't automatically go “well, sure. I'm sure it will.” I start by asking all sorts of questions, and being skeptical. I think it comes in part from my experience. I wish somebody had asked me a lot of harder questions back when I started my company. But the thing is, once somebody gives me the data, I'm all for it. I'm not going to be some obstructionist by any means, but I need to get that data. I'm not immediately agreeable. Even with relation to my cancer struggle. People knew I had cancer, and there was a time between when I announced I was going to go get surgery and when I actually did. I remember being at a wedding and people were out there dancing, but I was sitting down, and somebody came over and said, “I heard what you're going through. I know it's going to be okay,” and of course I said, thank you, I appreciate that, but I wanted to say, “What do you know? How do you know? It's not necessarily going to be okay!” I’m not someone who wants to hear “everything's going to work out” because it might not. Don't automatically say that because I'm crossing my fingers, or I'm going to give it the old college try, that it's going to work out. You have to earn that success. Going back to my health struggles, I earned my health because I didn't take the first surgeon who was willing to perform surgery on me. I sought out to see if I could get into the Cleveland clinic. Sure enough, I did. I went to a world-renowned doctor there and had a world-renowned oncologist as well. I did hard, terrible, crummy things, too. They told me chemotherapy was optional, but I figured I'd rather overcorrect than under correct, so I went through nine months. Because I have in my mind that success isn't guaranteed, that you’ve got to put in the work - and it's not just working hard, it's working smart and doing the critical thinking that will sometimes get me into trouble. Someone may come to me looking for affirmation and I will not instantly give them affirmation just to make them feel good. I think that does a disservice. To me, there's a depth to that. I have to pause and explain to people why I'm not jumping on board right away. I don't want them to be discouraged by it, but at the same time, I want them to be realistic - because that's what I'm going to be. That's going to be my guidepost.
Beth Denton (Episode 76)
Board Member at Business Navigators DFW
What's gotten me in the most trouble? You know, to me that means some rules are broken, and I'm pretty much a rule follower. But one trait that has not served me well is that, although I can be quite skeptical, when somebody on my team says something, I take it to be the truth. I believe that we all have the same goal, that we’re all paddling in the same direction. Sometimes, that’s just not the case. They may not even be in the same boat! Ronald Reagan used to say something along the lines of, “Always trust, but also verify, verify, verify.”
Tom Bronson (Episode 77)
President of Mastery Partners, Exit Planning Expert
How much time do you have! I didn't realize how hard this is to answer, but I think if I had to pick one thing, it's something my mom said to me when I was in junior high school. She said, “you just see things that others don't - you have the ability to see a tiny little change in something, and you register it and it leads you down a path toward a conclusion. That’s why,” she said, “I could never surprise you. Because if I was trying to surprise you, that meant I was doing something different - and you would notice that and pick up on it instantly.” So, I think the thing that's gotten me into the most trouble is knowing that’s one of my superpowers. The first change I see, changes the outcome. I see the path all the way through. I'm not always right, but I am always stubborn. I might predict something or get real stubborn because I've seen something that I think is changing that outcome, and get very direct and stubborn about it. I'm not a good stubborn person. I'm argumentative. I want people to see things my way, and sometimes that makes me close myself off. Ironically, having that superpower, and coupling that with stubbornness, shuts off my intuition - my ability to see other changes. If I had to boil it down to one thing, it's that I dig in my heels too often because I see things that other people don't see, and I get very stubborn about it; And sometimes it causes me to go down some argumentative paths, as a result of which I've had to go back and learn to apologize - and there’s nothing worse than that! Oh, it's like the bile rising in my throat! “I was wrong?!”
Anneka Sciola (Episode 78)
Advisory Director at Calvetti Ferguson
That is an interesting question. I would say I'm a pretty direct, straight shooter, and over the years, as I was developing my skills as a manager - not only my team members, but also of my client relationships - I've learned that tailoring my message to my audience, and seeking to understand them first, has helped me get out of situations that would have otherwise gotten me in trouble. I think a great example of that is The 7 Habits of Effective People - the one that mentions that they seek to understand, then to be understood.
Mark Galvan (Episode 80)
Managing Partner at ProForce, Author, Speaker
Honestly, it's, it's being a little too detail oriented, a little too perfectionistic at times. One of the things that clients and organizations say when they work with us is, “oh my gosh, the level of detail is overwhelming - and is almost suffocating sometimes.” Sometimes I'm guilty of making things a little too complex. Especially at this level, because your audience probably wants to know the strategy. They want to see the high-level process map. They don't need that level of detail, but I love that kind of stuff. I'm in the weeds because I'm an innovator. I focus on everything that can be done on a very detailed level to improve our client's ability to attract people. I’m just passionate about it.
Esther Pipoly (Episode 82)
Owner & Founder of Loss of Life Advocates
As my dad would say, I talk more than I listen. I really have to work hard on listening and not talking, holding back. But, you know, your words will get you in trouble.
Craig Beck (Episode 83)
Owner of Beyond CFO
I'm not sure if it's a personality trait that has gotten me in trouble, but it's one which has cost me more money over the years than anything else. It’s the failure to remember that perfect is the enemy of good - which is a quote by Voltaire - and that done is better than perfect - which is Sheryl Sandberg. Those are things that I remind myself almost daily, and it's changing the way that I look at things. I wish I would have begun to do that many years ago.
Susan Bryant (Episode 84)
Tax Strategist, Business Advisor, and Process Architect for The MB Group, LLC.
I'm generally very outspoken. I just can't hold back when I have an opinion, I just have to say it. The truth has to be told! I would say that's gotten me into a lot of trouble, but I would also say that it's created a lot of opportunities for me, because I think people want to hear it. Sometimes, people need to hear things - even though they might not want to!
Rich Cavaness (Episode 85)
Owner/Trainer at Cavaness Insurance Agency
For me, it's balancing work and family time. I tend to work too much. Even when I'm at home, I'm usually writing some book or doing something else. I'm just one of these people - I'm a restless soul, I guess. I like to be constantly creating and building things. Something I’ve done to alleviate some of that imbalance is I don't ever take vacations locally. I always take a vacation somewhere far away so that I have to leave my work at home. What that does is it allows me to really focus on my wife, my family, my granddaughters, and not my business. That's helped me a lot to simply leave. In the past, I've taken time off and hung out at home, but I find that I’m completely inundated. I'm on my computer, my phone, and it just does not work.
Conni Francini (Episode 93)
Founder & CEO of Clarity Consulting, Inc., Performance Coach, Speaker
I go back to my sixth grade report card. Mr. Lamb wrote - you can't write this anymore on a report card - but he wrote, “stubborn as the day is long,” on my report card, and I think that's pretty true. I also think it's a strength, though. When I decide I'm going to do something, I am doing it. Like a bulldog, I am on it. I think that’s served me well, but in some cases I think it’s also driven people crazy.
Judy Barton (Episode 97)
Senior Client Strategist at BNY Mellon Wealth Management
So, I have a little PTSD from my first grade teacher, Mrs. Lawson - who did have a beehive hairdo and kept pencils in the back above her bow. She had color-coordinated bows and pencils! Anyways, she just used to always tell me, “keep your voice down!” I was the one who always had comments on my report card that said, “Judy always wants to raise her hand, always wants to answer the questions, and is always talking with her neighbors!”
Tamara Jones (Episode 99)
Partner at B2B CFO
My curiosity. It got me in trouble early on because I kept digging into things that weren't in my purview, early in my career. When you start in big firms - I started at Deloitte years ago - you have a limited amount of time to get an audit complete. You can’t go down that path - you don't have time to. I used to get my hands slapped for it, but I also attribute it to my success.
I hope you've enjoyed reading through these and possibly went back and re-visited some of your favorite podcasts. I've learned a lot from these answers and would love to hear from you if anything resonated with you. Reach out to me. Oh, and don't miss out on future podcasts and subscribe to the Maximize Business Value podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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