Most CEOs didn’t start out feeling stuck. But the weight of leading builds quietly until one day you realize you’re carrying too much alone. The decisions get harder. The conversations get safer. And the people who used to challenge you now just wait for direction.

I know that place. I lived it for years.

I founded and led Applied Educational Systems for 36 years. Built it. Scaled it. Made mistakes that cost me. Had wins that taught me even more. And for too long, I thought I had to figure it all out myself.

That changed in 2003 when I joined Vistage. The group didn’t let me hide. They asked the questions I was avoiding. Gave me the accountability I didn’t know I needed. That shift helped me lead differently. We earned five straight years on the Inc. 5000, and I exited on my terms in 2022.

Now I privately coach business owners and chair a private Vistage group for CEOs and business owners in Central Pennsylvania.

I don’t coach strategy alone. I coach the whole person, because the business only grows as far as the leader does. I ask the questions no one else will ask—the ones that get below the surface, the ones that make you stop and rethink what you thought you knew.

This isn’t for everyone. It’s for CEOs who know they’re the most important hire in their company. Who are willing to invest in themselves. Who want real feedback, not validation. Who are curious, open-minded, and brave enough to be vulnerable in a room of peers who get it.

I limit my coaching clients and my Vistage group to the right fit. It has to be right for you and for the group.

Married 40 years. Five kids. Still asking better questions every day.

Jim Schultz

Eleven years. One Eagles game a year with my sons.

Same parking lot. Same terrible folding chairs. Same arguments about whether Hurts is elite.

Different every time.

My kids are grown now. Have their own families. Busy lives. One couldn't make it this year.

But we still show up for this.

We can't wait for the next generation to start joining us.

Not because we need another Sunday watching football.

Because traditions aren't about the activity.

They're about showing up when it matters.

What's a family tradition you've kept going, even when life got complicated?

#Family #Traditions #CentralPA

JSESSIONID

Taplio

li_at

Talks about #ceos, #coaching, #learning, #leadershipcoach, and #theyaskyouanswer

Entrepreneur & Exited Founder | Supporting CEOs Who Scale Smarter, Build Legacy, and Create Life Beyond Business

I promoted a superstar once who couldn't manage people.

Watched them struggle for a long time. Team performance dropped. Good people got frustrated. And I did... nothing.

Well, not nothing. I made excuses.

"They just need more time to adjust."
"The team needs to be more patient."
"Maybe if we get them some training..."

Here's what I wasn't saying: "I don't want to have this conversation."

I saw the problem clearly. But addressing it meant conflict. Meant admitting I made a bad call. Meant having a hard conversation with someone I valued.

So I waited. And my avoidance put our growth in jeopardy.

Here's the thing about promoting your top performers into management, the promotion isn't the mistake. The mistake is seeing it's not working and choosing comfort over clarity.

You know that conversation you need to have? The one you've been putting off for weeks, maybe months?

Be honest with yourself: Are you protecting them, or protecting yourself from discomfort?

Because every day you avoid it, you're choosing your comfort over your company's growth. Over your team's success. Over that person's chance to either step up or find a role where they can actually win.

The conversation won't be easier next month. The situation won't fix itself.

Clear is kind. Avoidance is selfish.

What conversation are you avoiding right now that's actually holding your company back?

A CEO told me recently, "We just need better salespeople."

Sounded reasonable, until I asked three questions.

𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺?
𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆?

Then I stopped talking.

He picked up his pen. Started writing. I let the silence do the heavy lifting.

That's when I asked the third question:

𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘁?

Long pause. Then it hit him.

"It's not the sales team. It's me. I haven't confronted the leader who's been underperforming for two years."

Within a month, they had the conversation. Both agreed the role wasn't a fit. They worked on a transition. Relief on both sides.

Not because I gave advice. Because I asked questions that made space for the truth he already knew.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲, a framework I learned from the The Question First Group Group. It's not about being clever. It's about cutting through symptoms to get to the root issue that unlocks momentum.

Most peer groups stay surface level. Metrics. Updates. Maybe some advice.

But advice doesn't create clarity. 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing a coach can do is shut up and let the silence do the work.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Marcus Sheridan Chris Marr Zach Basner Chris Duprey

The Question First Group

One of the most engaging keynote speakers on the planet—I create experiences that change how businesses sell, connect, and win | Author of Endless Customers and They Ask, You Answer | Entrepreneur | Master Storyteller

Co-Founder & Coach of The Pathfinder System

Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Coach turning commanding bosses into transformative leaders they were meant to be | Helping spread the Gospel in Charlotte, NC

Coach | Speaker | Creator - I teach leaders and sales professionals how to ditch assumptions and have conversations that drive clarity, trust, and results.

My son watched me make a choice last weekend that cost me a full morning of work.

Saturday morning. Deep work blocked on my calendar. Client deliverables waiting.

Then a knock on the door.

My son and two-year-old grandson.

The next two hours disappeared. I sat on the floor watching him play, knowing I wasn't going to deliver what I'd promised that day.

Sunday morning, I'm at breakfast with Tracy, still thinking about that choice. I looked up and saw this sign on the wall.

Made me pause.

I spend my days coaching business owners on difficult decisions. But here I was, wrestling with my own. The "right" choice for my business versus the right choice for my life.

I chose the floor with my grandson.

My grandson won't remember that morning. But my son saw his dad choose presence over productivity. That's the model I'm trying to pass down.

Last week in a coaching peer group, someone described what they see as my strength: "You listen for the small moments that reveal the big truths."

But am I actually living that? Or am I just good at coaching others to do it?

Here's what I'm learning: We build companies to create freedom and options. Then we let those same companies steal both from us.

We justify it as commitment. Work ethic. Responsibility.

But to who? And for what?

What decision are you making today that you're convincing yourself is about business, when it's really about what you're willing to sacrifice?

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessOwners

A CEO told me they can't stop reviewing everything because "I need the details to make decisions."

I said, "No. You need people who own the details. What you're doing is avoiding the hard conversation about why you don't trust them."

The CEO got quiet.

I know that feeling. At AES, I stayed in the weeds for years. I convinced myself the business needed my detailed knowledge to run well.

The truth? Staying involved was easier than the real work.

Building leaders takes patience. Having hard conversations about capability takes courage. Trusting people to fail forward takes faith.

Reviewing every detail? That just takes time.

Here's what I finally learned after 36 years. The detailed knowledge that made you successful as an operator becomes the excuse for not delegating as a CEO.

You tell yourself you're being thorough. You're protecting quality. You're ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

But really, you're avoiding the harder question.

Do you not trust them because they can't do it? Or because you haven't built them to do it?

Those are two very different problems. One requires a new hire. The other requires you to step back and actually lead.

Most business owners, founders, and CEOs never ask which one they're facing.

So here's my question for you as we head into 2026.

What are you staying "hands-on" with that's really just avoiding the hard work of developing your people?

Because staying in the weeds isn't diligence.

It's avoidance.

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

I just had a conversation that took me back to one of the hardest decisions I ever made.

In 2010, we went from $10 million in revenue to zero in 36 months.

On purpose.

I was on the Endless Customer podcast by IMPACT recently, and they asked me to tell the story of how Applied Educational Systems went from near bankruptcy to making the Inc 5000 list five years in a row.

The short version? We stopped selling. We started teaching.

But here's what I didn't expect. The framework that saved my company became the same framework I now use to coach CEOs.

Asking better questions. Getting below the surface. Helping people gain clarity faster so they can actually make decisions instead of staying stuck.

Most business owners think they need better tactics. More initiatives. Another marketing agency.

What they really need is someone asking the questions nobody else is asking.

The same questions that helped us generate 25,000 leads a year in a tiny niche market. The same questions that made our competitors wonder how we were still in business while we were scaling 40% annually.

In the podcast, I share the whole story. The crisis. The shift. What we learned. And why I believe any business can implement this framework if they're willing to get honest about what their buyers actually need.

If you're a business owner tired of chasing tactics and ready to focus on principles that actually work, this conversation might be worth your time.

Link in the comments.

Brianna Stauffer Bob Ruffolo Alex Winter Austin Mock 

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

IMPACT

Communications Specialist at Cargas Systems

CEO of IMPACT, a marketing and sales training company, creating heroes, growing businesses, changing lives.

Creative Director | Video Production at IMPACT

Content Marketing Manager @ IMPACT

Some choose to step forward when most step back. Without fanfare or need for praise, they raise their hand. They volunteer to serve.

My two sons finished their Army service in 2024 after graduating from West Point. My daughter-in-law still serves as an officer. They joined the 1% who protect the 99%.

I'm grateful for them and for all who serve. We remember those who were willing to give everything.

When was the last time you raised your hand for something hard?

P.S. Photo from West Point graduation 2019. My older son gave the officer's oath to his younger brother on his graduation day. A surreal moment. We had no military service in either family background.

A friend of mine owns a company with about 60 employees.

He's been frustrated with his VP of Sales for over a year.

Performance is slipping. Attitude is off. Energy is down.

But every time we talk, he says the same thing.

"I don't want to demotivate him."

"Maybe it's just a rough patch."

"I'm trying to be supportive."

Last month, two good people on his sales team gave notice.

They didn't leave because of the VP.

They left because my friend wouldn't have the hard conversation with the VP.

Here's what I've learned after thousands of coaching conversations.

We think we're being nice.

We think we're protecting people.

But we're actually robbing them.

We rob them of clarity.

We rob them of the chance to self-discover what's not working.

We rob them of time they could be spending somewhere they actually fit.

And we tell ourselves it's kindness.

It's not kindness.

It's self-protection.

We don't want the discomfort of the hard conversation.

So we avoid it.

And everyone pays the price.

Your team pays. Your customers pay. Your family pays.

And the person you're "protecting" pays most of all.

Because they're stuck in confusion while you stay comfortable in avoidance.

What conversation are you avoiding right now?

"The business problem I keep avoiding? It's not a business problem."

Same here.

When I was building AES, my biggest mistakes didn't come from bad strategy. They came from choosing comfort over courage.

Avoiding the tough conversation with a failing manager. Putting off the decision about that toxic customer. Dancing around hard truths with family members who were in the business but struggling.

Sometimes the hardest conversation isn't even at the office. It's at home. When you're working 60+ hours to avoid facing what's broken. When your spouse has been trying to tell you something and you keep saying "just one more quarter."

Here's what I keep seeing with the CEOs and founders I coach:

Growth lives on the other side of discomfort. And the longer you delay it, the more expensive it becomes.

Patrick Lencioni calls it the temptation of harmony over conflict. We tell ourselves we're protecting the culture. Really? We're protecting ourselves.

If you're feeling that tension right now, here's the uncomfortable question:

What's the conversation you already know you need to have… and what's it costing you not to?

Your team sees it. Your spouse feels it. Your results reflect it.

Lean in. It won't get easier, but you will get better.

#CentralPA #Leadership #DifficultConversations

The problem a business owner brings to the room is rarely the real problem.

I watched this play out in our recent #Vistage meeting. A member started talking valuation numbers and transition timing. Sounded like a financial decision.

But the group had met long enough to spot it. Something else was driving this.

Within minutes, they moved past the spreadsheets to ask: What are you avoiding? What's the real fear here? What changes if you name what you're actually protecting?

The room got uncomfortable. You could see it in his posture.

Then came the breakthrough: "You're right. It's not about valuation."

It was about relevance. Identity. The courage to admit what he'd lose if he let go.

That's the power of a peer group that's earned the right to challenge you. They don't solve the presenting problem. They help you see the real one.

Most #CEOs never get this kind of clarity inside their own companies. But in a room of peers who aren't impressed by you and aren't afraid of you, you finally stop performing and start thinking clearly.

The business issue you keep trying to fix with better strategy?

It might not be a strategy problem.

What would you discover if you had a room of peers who'd earned the right to ask you the questions you're avoiding?

#CentralPA #Leadership #Vistage

Legacy is a funny word.

We throw it around like it's a trophy you win at the end of your career.

But most legacies are built in the small, invisible moments. The way you treat people when nobody's watching. The decisions you make when there's no applause.

I've worked with leaders who obsess over their exit strategy, their net worth, their name on the building.

Three years after selling my company, what do I miss?

Honestly? It surprised me.

Not the deal. Not the multiple. Not seeing my name on anything.

I miss the people who challenged me. Who made me better. Who showed up on the hard days.

Money fades. Titles fade.

But the impact you have on people? That sticks around.

If you're thinking about your legacy, maybe start with the people in the room today.

That's where it actually lives.

A CEO told me they're being patient with their predecessor who keeps overriding their decisions.

I asked them, "How long are you going to tolerate what you're calling patience?"

They didn't have an answer.

Look, I get it. Transitions are messy. Succession is sensitive. You want to be respectful of what someone built.

But here's what I see happen. Leaders disguise avoidance as patience.

"I'm being respectful of the transition."
"It's sensitive right now."
"I'll address it after we make the announcement."

But delaying the hard conversation isn't patience. It's choosing short-term comfort over long-term clarity.

And here's the cost. Every day you delay setting boundaries, you're teaching people how to treat you.

You're showing them what behavior you'll accept. What decisions you'll let slide. What authority you're actually willing to claim.

Clear is kind. Avoidance is selfish.

I learned this the hard way at AES. I'd tolerate behavior or decisions that undermined what we were building because I didn't want the conflict.

I told myself I was being patient. Strategic. Waiting for the right time.

The right time never came. Because I kept moving the goalpost.

Patience is strategic. It has a timeline. A purpose. A clear outcome you're working toward.

Avoidance is just hoping the problem solves itself.

So here's my question as you're thinking about 2026.

What are you calling patience that's really just you avoiding a conversation you know you need to have?

Because the longer you wait, the harder it gets. And the more you teach people that your boundaries don't actually mean anything.

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽.

A CEO told me his biggest frustration recently.

"My team won't make decisions. They wait for me to weigh in on everything."

I asked him to tell me about the last decision someone made without asking him first.

Long silence.

Then: "Well, they need to understand I have 30 years of experience. I've seen what works."

I've been there.

As a founder, I thought my job was to have all the answers. I disguised my need for control as "providing guidance."

Here's what I see now: Leaders who can't let go don't build other leaders. They build permission seekers.

You say you trust your team. But you review every proposal. Question every decision. Insert yourself into every conversation.

Your team isn't incompetent. They're learning what you're actually teaching them: Wait for approval. Don't take risks. Let the boss decide.

The shift for me started with marketing. I had to learn to ask "What do you think we should do?" and then shut up. Even when I thought they were wrong.

Because here's what I learned: You rob someone when you don't let them try.

I always ask: What's the worst thing that can happen?

Building leaders means tolerating experiments. It means finding out what your people are truly capable of instead of assuming you already know.

Most businesses in the US never break $5 million in revenue.

It's not market conditions. It's not lack of opportunity.

It's because the owner never builds leaders. They build people who wait for permission.

What are you actually teaching your team?

#Leadership #CentralPA #BusinessGrowth

Sometimes I wonder if we make leadership too complicated.

We chase frameworks, certifications, the latest book on the bestseller list.

But the best leaders I know are the ones who listen more than they talk. Who admit when they're wrong. Who remember birthdays and ask about your kid's soccer game.

After 36 years running my own company and now coaching CEOs, I've noticed something: the leaders people actually want to follow aren't the ones with all the answers.

It's not rocket science. It's just being human, consistently, even when it's inconvenient.

I've watched a CEO build trust without the posters and platitudes by saying three words consistently: "I don't know." Not "I'll figure it out" or "Let me think about it." Just honest admission, over and over. His team leans in instead of checking out.

I've seen cultures change because someone finally said, "I don't know, but I'll find out."

Maybe the secret isn't in the next big idea. Maybe it's in the next small act of honesty.

What's one simple thing a leader did that made all the difference for you?

#leadership #authenticity

"𝗜'𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴."

A founder friend said this to me recently. His company's been stuck at $12 million for four years.

He couldn't figure out why.

I could. Because I'd lived it.

I asked him what he was most proud of in his business.

"Everyone knows they can come to me with anything. I'm always available."

Then I asked what keeps him up at night.

"I can't scale. We keep hitting the same ceiling."

That's when I asked the question.

"𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂?"

Here's what I didn't say in that moment but I'll say now.

I built my company the same way. For years, I was the one who could do it faster and better than anyone else.

So I did everything.

All day, every day, seven days a week.

Then someone asked me: "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿?"

I couldn't answer it.

Not because I didn't know. But because I wasn't spending any time on it.

I was too busy doing things I was good at. Things that were comfortable.

Not the hard work that actually mattered.

Building leaders. Having difficult conversations. Making strategic decisions.

Here's the truth I had to face.

I wasn't staying involved in everything because the company needed me to.

I was staying involved because it was easier than doing the real work.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

What are you doing this week that you're really good at, that feels important, but is actually just keeping you from the hard work you're avoiding?

Because whatever you're stuck on, there's probably a conversation you're not having.

That's not a time management problem.

That's an honesty problem.

Before you make that leadership hire, ask yourself this.

Am I hiring someone to learn our way of doing things, or to unlearn their way of doing things?

Because one of those is a lot harder than you think.

At 31, I hired someone to lead operations at AES. Big company experience. Strong resume. Impressive interview.

Two months later, I had to let them go.

They came from a 500-person company where everything was structured and specialized. We had 20 people where everyone wore multiple hats and figured things out.

I felt terrible about my performance as an interviewer.

But here's what I learned. The person wasn't the problem. My question was.

I asked, "Can they do this role?" I never asked, "Can they do this role here?"

Now I watch business owners wrestle with the same choice. Internal candidate who knows your culture but doesn't know the role. External candidate who has the resume but doesn't know your context.

You're picking your poison either way.

The real question isn't about skills or experience. It's about learning speed.

Can this person learn what they don't know faster than they can unlearn what doesn't apply here?

Most founders underestimate how hard it is to unlearn big company habits. 
Process for process sake. Meetings about meetings. Waiting for permission to make obvious decisions.

In a growing business, that kills momentum.

So as you're building your team for 2026, here's what I'd ask.

Which gap are you better equipped to fill? Can you teach the role faster than you can teach your culture?

Because there's no perfect hire. Just different bets on what you can build.

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

Your people don't believe they have the same future you do.

That's not a morale problem.

That's a trust problem.

The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer found a 39 point gap between executives and their employees on economic optimism.

When your team doesn't see what you see, trust is already breaking down.

I screwed up a lot as a founder and CEO.

Made decisions people disagreed with.

Had moments where people probably didn't like me much.

But the one thing I tried to do every single day was behave in ways that created trust.

Not agreement.

Not affection.

Trust.

Because Marcus Sheridan's right about this: trust is the currency of all relationships.

In B2B, buyers don't exchange money without trusting the relationship with your company.

Inside your company, trust is what holds everything together.

When it breaks down, culture breaks down.

Accountability disappears.

Respect disappears.

Performance follows.

And right now trust is eroding everywhere.

Government. Media. Even inside workplaces that used to feel solid.

But here's what I see in the confidential #Vistage sessions I lead every month.

When #CEOs trust each other enough to tell the truth, real change happens.

About the underperforming VP they're afraid to fire.

About the financial pressure they're hiding from their teams.

About the personal stuff bleeding into their leadership.

Not because anyone has all the answers.

Because they're finally asking the questions that actually matter.

The ones they've been avoiding.

Leaders need trusted spaces more than ever.

Not to be judged, sold to, or spun at.

To be supported and challenged at the same time.

To get below the surface to what's really going on.

Because it always comes back to us.

Not them.

Us.

Ed Robinson Ken Proctor A. R. Smith John Dame Joni Naugle Charlie Frey John Ziss Jeffrey Goldman, Ph.D. Dave Meehan Laurie Peer, CPA, CFP, CEPA, CPCC • Kirsten Yurich Richard Van Belzen Chad C. Harvey Joe Farkas

Executive and Leadership Coach | Management Consultant | Vistage Chair | Author, Trainer, Facilitator

Founder of The Grey Pointe Group

Coach of CEOs & C-Suite Executives | Vistage Group Chair | Entrepreneur | Dancing in the Chaos

Business Strategist | CEO Coach | Author | Master Vistage Chair

Leadership | Master Vistage Chair | PQ Coach | Working Genius Certified | Executive Coach | Facilitator | Champion of Culture

Vistage Chair | CEO Peer Group Advisor | Patented Innovator | Experienced Executive, Engineer & Charitable Leader

Strategic Advisor & Investor | M&A, Waste-to-Resource, and Recycling Expert | Integrating Business Strategy with Personal Growth & Self-Development | Vistage Chair

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Vistage Chair | Founder, DEMEE Consulting LLC | Executive Coach | All of Us Are Smarter Than One of Us

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Award-Winning Vistage Chair | Leadership Coach + Advisor | Developing Roadmaps for Success | Lifelong Learning Champion

Comforting lies have a long line.
Unpleasant truths? Empty booth.

Happy Monday. 😂

Back in 2003, I was complaining to my Vistage coach about a wrong person on my leadership team.

I had all the reasons. All the excuses.

Then he asked me one question:

"What part did you play in this situation?"

Ouch.

I wanted to be mad. But he was right.

I hired them. I avoided the hard conversation. I let it drag on for months.

That's the gift of a peer group. Someone who cares enough to ask the uncomfortable question.

Not to make you feel bad. To help you gain clarity. To help you self-discover.

Because when you discover it yourself, you own it. You take action.

We all have blind spots. Every single one of us.

The question isn't whether you have them.

It's whether you have someone brave enough to point them out.

Who's sitting at your "unpleasant truths" booth?

I've had variations of this conversation with multiple business owners over the years.

"I can only control what I can control."

They'd say it when I asked about their exit strategy if their biggest customer left. Or what happens if tariffs change. Or if market conditions shift.

That's not wisdom.

That's refusing to do the hard work of scenario planning.

I see this all the time. CEOs avoid conversations about downside risk because it feels like negativity. Like lack of faith in the business.

But refusing to scenario plan isn't optimism. It's negligence.

I had one client dealing with tariff uncertainty. Their biggest customer slowed their timeline. Market conditions shifted. None of it was in their control.

When I asked how this impacts their exit strategy, they got defensive. "Let's hold that conversation."

Translation: I don't want to think about what happens if things don't go perfectly.

Compare that to another client managing a portfolio. They can't control when their largest investment exits or what multiple it'll get. Could be 1.5x. Could be 2.5x.

But they've modeled all of it. They know exactly what each scenario means for their financial plan. Their next moves. Their risk exposure.

They're not hoping for the best. They're prepared for the range.

That's the difference between leaders who survive uncertainty and leaders who get blindsided by it.

You can't control the tariffs. The economy. Your customer's timing. Your competitor's next move.

But you can control whether you've modeled what happens if things go sideways.

That's not pessimism. That's leadership.

So as you're planning for 2026, here's what I'd ask.

What scenario are you refusing to plan for because it feels like you're being negative?

Because hope isn't a strategy. And "focus on what I can control" isn't a substitute for doing the hard work of scenario planning.

#CentralPA #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

Even now, after 800+ hard conversations annually, I still catch myself hedging.

Back when I was CEO at AES, I had someone struggling in their role.

They were clearly unhappy. Performance was declining.

And I knew the role wasn't the right fit.

But instead of naming what I saw, I hedged.

"So how are things going? Are you feeling okay about everything? How can I help you?"

Soft. Vague. Safe.

What I should have asked was this.

"What's the cost of you staying in this role when it's clearly not working?"

That question would have given them permission to admit what they already knew.

It would have opened the door to find a better fit, maybe even within the company.

Instead, my avoidance robbed them of months of clarity.

That was my fault, not theirs.

Here's what I've learned.

The question "What's the cost of not..." is one of the most powerful tools you have.

It names reality without blame.

It centers them, not you.

It creates momentum instead of more confusion.

Try it this week.

Write down the hard question you've been avoiding.

Now strip the bubble wrap off it.

Replace "I don't want to upset you, but..." with "What's the cost of not..."

Then ask it plainly.

No justifying. No running up to it. No apologizing.

Just care and clarity.

The conversation won't be comfortable.

But it will be transformative.

For both of you.

taplio

The Battle

Jim Schultz

Evan Dickinson, MBA

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The Battle

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Evan Dickinson, MBA

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