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The key to productivity is to have a meaningful and optimal incentive system. Fear is unfortunately a powerful motivator so it might be tempting to try and change behavior through punitive measures for poor performance or bad behavior. But it is a short term play. You will lose talent. On the other hand, a positive incentive, bonus or “bribe,” can also be powerful for those who are ambitious and motivated. But overly generous bribes can quickly turn someone entitled. So what is the best way to go? Which is better? The carrot or the stick?

* Episode 26: Cultivating Talent Nature vs Nurture

* Episode 24: Chemistry Matters: When All-Stars Fail

* Episode 53: Discussion with Bill Aulet on Disciplined Entrepreneurship

* Conventional incentive systems will tell us to give a carrot to reward behavior that is above par in order to give incentives for ambition to achieve excellence. And we should give the stick to punish that which falls below par to instill fear that will hopefully discontinue any performance that is sub-par.  However, we live in times that are quite un-conventional.

* Look at the difference and evolution in grading and the US education system in the past 45 years

* Consider how sports’ contracts radically changed in the ’90s leading to compensation for expected value (e.g. “Big Dog” Robinson) rather than bonus for value already added (Michael Jordan)

* Need to manage a current workforce containing a range of Baby Boomers all the way down to the Millennials

* How do we create incentive systems to effectively gain productivity when we’ve lost par? Where has excellence gone? Why do we tolerate and even excuse lower than average performance and behaviors?

* Episode 26: Cultivating Talent Nature vs Nurture

* Episode 24: Chemistry Matters: When All-Stars Fail

* Episode 53: Discussion with Bill Aulet on Disciplined EntrepreneurshipSo how is a leader or manager to know how to design and implement effective incentive systems?

* Intrinsic behaviors…if you place a value on something that should be intrinsic, you are devaluing the reward the good behavior should bring.

* Carrot good behaviors…but they need to be ‘above and beyond’ giving rewards for just doing what is expected digs you into the abyss of the “Millennial Hole”

* Punish bad behaviors. No one should be given a bonus for ‘not screwing up’ again. After all…it just takes 1 bad apple to ruin the whole lot. However, if punishments are so prevalent that they instill fear in the workplace, then you’ve created a counter-productive environment.

* Understand what is the bribe?

* A meaningful incentive or ‘bribe’ must be determined by what the person whose behavior you are trying to influence. It isn’t about what YOU find valuable it is about what THEY perceive as valuable. If you are a good leader, you will know this.

* Money

* Experience

* Power/Title

* Know what an effective punishment looks like. What is appropriately painful to the person? It has to sting, but not injure so much that you render the person useless. And what hurts without demoralizing?

* Understand the short term play versus the long term play in designing and implementing an effective incentive system

* Design an effective incentive system by asking the key questions:

* What is ‘par’?

* Why do you need this incentive system?

* Who is effected by this incentive system?

* What behaviors does this incentive system impact?

The post The UC 060: Bribes or Threats? Which Gets Results? appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

Is the Founder of a company the best choice to be the CEO? When should you ask this question? Who do you ask? Join the discussion as Alison Gerlach, The Unapologetic Capitalist, and Todd Uterstaedt, host of From Founder to CEO, contemplate this essential leadership topic as to who is the best CEO to build the most long term value in the venture.

The post The UC 059: Is the Founder the Best CEO for the Company? Guest Todd Uterstaedt appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

Guest Paul Moore of Wellings Capital discusses making thoughtful real estate investments rather than speculating. Wellings Capital generates long term value by creating multi-generational wealth through multi-family, commercial real estate investing. Wellings Capital has a unique vision that aligns solid returns for its investors with a mission of greater altruistic giving. Join the discussion of Paul’s entrepreneurial adventure through making money, losing money, and ultimately finding that the best way to build wealth is to give.

Paul is the author of The Perfect Investment – Create Enduring Wealth from the Historic Shift to Multifamily Housing (2016). Paul also co-hosts a wealth-building podcast called How to Lose Money and is a regular author for Bigger Pockets.

Learn more about Paul Moore and Wellings Capital at https://www.wellingscapital.com/

The post The UC 058: Don’t Speculate, Invest! with Guest Paul Moore of Wellings Capital appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

Bias, whether unconscious or not, can unwittingly keep us from recognizing great opportunities. Your bias can destroy potentially significant long term value. It is VERY important to recognize and understand your biases so that you can overcome them and be a productive and value generating leader. Often times the greatest impediment to success is ourselves, and we don’t even know it.

1. What is unconscious bias?
   • Bias is a prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another usually in a way that’s considered to be unfair.
   • None of us wants to be bias, but we are all guilty.
   • Open minded people will be thoughtful enough to derail their unconscious biases in their behavior so their actions don’t reflect their bias.
   • If you don’t acknowledge that you do have some biases that are wired in you then you have no hope of being a good and value generating leader.
2. Recap of past couple of shows
   • Unfortunately, fear sells and even more unfortunately most people are buying. However, leaders who resort to leading by fear are bad leaders. They fear the greatest fear of all: the truth. What do you fear? Can you rise above your fear to be a value generating leader? 
3. Discussion Exercise: Get out 2 pieces of paper or 2 note cards and grab a pen or pencil.
   • Take one of the cards and write down three things you think other people would think when they first see you. When you are done…turn it over.  We will get to the other card later.
4. Understanding bias
   • Conscious bias (also know as explicit bias) is less prevalent than unconscious bias.
   • Unconscious bias (also know as implicit bias) is highly prevalent, social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness.
   • Biases, conscious or unconscious, are not limited to ethnicity and race.
   • Bias may exist toward from any social group. One’s age, gender, gender identity physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, weight, and many other characteristics visible or invisible are subject to bias. 
5. Solving ‘unconscious bias’ is more than a $10B a year industry, Forbes: November 2, 2015, “Rise of the Bias Busters: How Unconscious Bias Became Silicon Valley’s Newest Target”
   • Silicon Valley brought this industry about, reports showed bias in workforce:
     1. Women held about a third of all jobs, and even fewer in technical and leadership roles.
     2. Asian workers were far overrepresented with about a third of jobs,
     3. Black and Hispanic workers had just a percent or two. 
   • Does it help? Some say brining up the biases actually encourages stereotypes.
6. What are your biases? Activity: Would you help if someone knocked on your door?
7. What are the “strikes” against you?  What biases do we elicit in others?  New Year Blog Post
   • Skin color, hair color, height, weight…all of these physical traits elicit thoughts from different people based on their own experiences and perspectives. Which ones are invisible? Such as religion and political affiliation…maybe even country of origin…and socio-economic status.
8. Some overcompensate for their bias.
   • If your actions, work product and behavior aren’t speaking for themselves that you have to make sure you are telling people how to assess, then you’ve just raised the red flag.
   • You must take responsibility and admit the bias and ONLY then can you move on in a meaningful, value added and productive direction.
9. Discussion activity continued: Remember at the beginning of this show I asked you to have 2 cards. Now it is time to take out the 2^nd card.
   • Look in the mirror, and write down the first 3 things that come to your mind when you see your reflection.
   • Turn over the first card from beginning of podcast.  Are any of the words the same? Do you believe that others see you as you see yourself?
   • First card is actually meaningless. We can only control the second card.
10. Innovation only occurs when we have multiple perspectives coming together to create something that hasn’t been considered before. So it is SO important to recognize your issues so you don’t trip over them, otherwise we will regress. We will FAIL.
11. At the end of the day it is all about perspective. Everyone’s is different. Smart people will welcome many varied perspectives.  We are all a compilation of our own experiences and the scars they’ve left.
12. LISTENER CHALLENGE: See a PERSON first. If you can be courageous enough to see a PERSON first and above all, then you will be the best kind of capitalist off all! You Will generate extraordinary long term value.

The post The UC 057: Unconscious Bias: Can You Overcome Yours? appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

Like it or not, fear sells. However, leaders who resort to leading by fear are bad leaders. They fear the greatest fear of all: the truth. What do you fear? Can you rise above your fear to be a value generating leader?

Unfortunately, Fear Sells

1. Introduction of Show Topic: I’ve long since preached that it is the insecure and truly deplorable leaders who have to lead by fear. It means that they don’t have anything of substance to offer so they have to make you fearful so you will look to them to save them from the very things they are telling you to be afraid of. The reality is that these leaders who are so horrible at their jobs that they have to resort to leading by fear, are themselves the most fearful of all.  And the greatest fear of all is the truth.

• Brief Recap of Past Couple of Shows
  • Show 55 “Win Win” Can there be a win-win? Yes, there can be a win-win, but only if the focus can truly be on generating long term value. However, in business we can’t avoid working with people. People are the greatest asset to any company and can also be the greatest liability. There is NO win-win if someone’s win depends on someone else losing.
  • Show 52 Don’t take the blame…take responsibility
    • Blame or fault is backwards looking
    • Responsibility is forward thinking
    • ‘No one is coming’…acknowledgement and responsibility opens up innovation and opportunity
• Introduction of Discussion Topic…Like it or not fear sells. Movies and literature throughout time demonstrate the power of fear over and over again
  • We can’t ignore that fear motivates
  • We fear failure, rejection…why do we fear those things…because we fear judgment by others!  But most of all, we fear the truth. And we fear that the truth might not be good enough. Honesty and transparency takes courage and character, two aspects that sadly most leaders lack. The crappy leaders who are too afraid to check their egos at the door because they need their ego to hide behind, because their truth just isn’t good enough.  Leaders who lead by ego are the biggest fraidy cats of them all! http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/why-isnt-the-truth-good-enough/

• You can recognize the impotent leader who is so pathetic that they have no tools but fear because they are the ones who so adamantly tell you what to be afraid of and then tell you who to blame for it Episode 52. Bad leaders place blame and good leaders take responsibility. These are the NAKED Emperors – or http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/28A
  • Leaders of no substance that use fears are the ones that have to tell you what to think: such as “I’m smart” because their work is so poor that they are banking on you being gullible or lazy and won’t pull back the curtain to find out they aren’t smart. Truly smart people would NEVER have to say they are smart, because their work speaks for itself. The bad leaders will have to say “I’m rich” again, banking on your gullibility and sheer laziness and make you afraid to even think for yourself. Believe me, no one who actually has earned wealth would ever brag about it. Only the posers do that…again, out of fear you might strip back the curtain and find out they are impotent.

• Just like in the last episode on achieving a ‘win win’ scenario, the bad leaders of this world will invite their cozy, crutch buddies “hubris” and “ego”
  • Hubris and ego insidiously destroy value while making you think they are there to protect and defend your interests.
  • And what are you really afraid of…that you are actually worthless? That you’ve built yourself on nothing but a bunch of lies…and any moment you will be outed for being worthless? So when you fear you are losing the game, the bad leaders will blame the game itself…it is the ‘refs’ fault…the game was ‘rigged’ it was all a conspiracy.  Leaders who are conspiracy theorists are the scariest leaders of all.  They are the ones who project their massive fears and insecurities onto others because they think it will distract others from actually seeing what a loser they truly are.
• What can you do to be better than your fears?
  • What does your “Oz” look like? How disparate it your projected Oz from the truth of the old man hiding behind the curtain?
  • Ask yourself why you had to invent Oz in the first place? Be courageous enough to be honest about yourself…your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Take responsibility!! Episode 52
  • Patience is a virtue: http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/30
  • Ask yourself, what type of leader are you?   http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/41
  • Emperor’s New Clothes http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/getting-business-done/
  • Want to build long term value more than you fear your own impotence.

The post TheUC 056: Like it or Not, Fear Sells…Are You Buying? appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

The key to productivity is to have a meaningful and optimal incentive system. Fear is unfortunately a powerful motivator so it might be tempting to try and change behavior through punitive measures for poor performance or bad behavior. But it is a short term play. You will lose talent. On the other hand, a positive incentive, bonus or “bribe,” can also be powerful for those who are ambitious and motivated. But overly generous bribes can quickly turn someone entitled. So what is the best way to go? Which is better? The carrot or the stick?

Episode 26: Cultivating Talent Nature vs Nurture Episode 24: Chemistry Matters: When All-Stars Fail Episode 53: Discussion with Bill Aulet on Disciplined Entrepreneurship

Revisit previous episodes on culture: Conventional incentive systems will tell us to give a carrot to reward behavior that is above par in order to give incentives for ambition to achieve excellence. And we should give the stick to punish that which falls below par to instill fear that will hopefully discontinue any performance that is sub-par.  However, we live in times that are quite un-conventional.

Look at the difference and evolution in grading and the US education system in the past 45 years Consider how sports' contracts radically changed in the '90s leading to compensation for expected value (e.g. "Big Dog" Robinson) rather than bonus for value already added (Michael Jordan) Need to manage a current workforce containing a range of Baby Boomers all the way down to the Millennials

How do we create incentive systems to effectively gain productivity when we’ve lost par? Where has excellence gone? Why do we tolerate and even excuse lower than average performance and behaviors?

Episode 26: Cultivating Talent Nature vs Nurture Episode 24: Chemistry Matters: When All-Stars Fail Episode 53: Discussion with Bill Aulet on Disciplined EntrepreneurshipSo how is a leader or manager to know how to design and implement effective incentive systems?

Intrinsic behaviors…if you place a value on something that should be intrinsic, you are devaluing the reward the good behavior should bring. Carrot good behaviors…but they need to be ‘above and beyond’ giving rewards for just doing what is expected digs you into the abyss of the “Millennial Hole” Punish bad behaviors. No one should be given a bonus for ‘not screwing up’ again. After all…it just takes 1 bad apple to ruin the whole lot. However, if punishments are so prevalent that they instill fear in the workplace, then you’ve created a counter-productive environment.

Understand what is the bribe?

A meaningful incentive or ‘bribe’ must be determined by what the person whose behavior you are trying to influence. It isn’t about what YOU find valuable it is about what THEY perceive as valuable. If you are a good leader, you will know this.

Money Experience Power/Title

Know what an effective punishment looks like. What is appropriately painful to the person? It has to sting, but not injure so much that you render the person useless. And what hurts without demoralizing? Understand the short term play versus the long term play in designing and implementing an effective incentive system Design an effective incentive system by asking the key questions:

What is 'par'? Why do you need this incentive system? Who is effected by this incentive system? What behaviors does this incentive system impact? Will this incentive system create long term value for your venture?

Need credibility to effectively implement an incentive system. Credibility is earned through proven processes, consistency, reliability Need consistency for efficacy in the incentive system…one-time bribe isn’t going to change behavior

It is easier to punish,

The Pros and Cons of Being a Founder and CEO

Introduction of Show Topic: Special Guest From Founder to CEO Todd Uterstaedt

Is the founder of a company the best choice to be the CEO? When should you ask this question? Who do you ask? Join the discussion as Alison Gerlach, The Unapologetic Capitalist, and Todd Uterstaedt, host of From Founder to CEO, contemplate this essential leadership topic as to who is the best CEO to build the most long term value in the venture.

Introduction of Discussion Topic

Brief overview of key stats on founder CEO’s relative to company value from different sources Asking the key questions:

Should a founder also be the CEO? When in a company’s timeline should that question be asked? How do you ask and answer those questions if you are the founder? Another key stakeholder?

Introduction of Todd Uterstaedt

Overview of From Founder to CEO From Founder to CEO Podcast Todd’s perspective on when a founder should also be the CEO

Discussion to answer the questions

Should a founder also be the CEO? When in a company’s timeline should that question be asked? How do you ask and answer those questions if you are the founder? Another key stakeholder?

Wrap Up

Key take aways Listen to and learn more about From Founder to CEO info how to contact Todd Uterstaedt

☞ todd@fromfoundertoceo.com | ☏ 513-339-1007 | www.fromfoundertoceo.com ☞ Talk with Todd: Talk with Todd

The post The UC 059: Is the Founder the Best CEO for the Company? Guest Todd Uterstaedt appeared first on The Unapologetic Capitalist.

Bias, whether unconscious or not, can unwittingly keep us from recognizing great opportunities. Your bias can destroy potentially significant long term value. It is VERY important to recognize and understand your biases so that you can overcome them and be a productive and value generating leader. Often times the greatest impediment to success is ourselves, and we don’t even know it.

What is unconscious bias?

Biasis a prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another usually in a way that’s considered to be unfair. None of us wants to be bias, but we are all guilty. Open minded people will be thoughtful enough to derail their unconscious biases in their behavior so their actions don’t reflect their bias. If you don’t acknowledge that you do have some biases that are wired in you then you have no hope of being a good and value generating leader.

Recap of past couple of shows

Unfortunately, fear sells and even more unfortunately most people are buying. However, leaders who resort to leading by fear are bad leaders. They fear the greatest fear of all: the truth. What do you fear? Can you rise above your fear to be a value generating leader?

Discussion Exercise: Get out 2 pieces of paper or 2 note cards and grab a pen or pencil.

Take one of the cards and write down three things you think other people would think when they first see you. When you are done…turn it over. We will get to the other card later.

Understanding bias

Conscious bias(also know as explicit bias) is less prevalent than unconscious bias. Unconscious bias(also know as implicit bias) is highly prevalent, social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Biases, conscious or unconscious, are not limited to ethnicity and race. Bias may exist toward from any social group. One’s age, gender, gender identity physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, weight, and many other characteristics visible or invisible are subject to bias.

Solving ‘unconscious bias’ is more than a $10B a year industry, Forbes: November 2, 2015, “Rise of the Bias Busters: How Unconscious Bias Became Silicon Valley's Newest Target”

Silicon Valley brought this industry about, reports showed bias in workforce:

Women held about a third of all jobs, and even fewer in technical and leadership roles. Asian workers were far overrepresented with about a third of jobs, Black and Hispanic workers had just a percent or two. Does it help? Some say brining up the biases actually encourages stereotypes.

What are your biases? Activity: Would you help if someone knocked on your door? What are the “strikes” against you? What biases do we elicit in others?  New Year Blog Post

Skin color, hair color, height, weight…all of these physical traits elicit thoughts from different people based on their own experiences and perspectives. Which ones are invisible? Such as religion and political affiliation…maybe even country of origin…and socio-economic status.

Some overcompensate for their bias.

If your actions, work product and behavior aren’t speaking for themselves that you have to make sure you are telling people how to assess, then you’ve just raised the red flag. You must take responsibility and admit the bias and ONLY then can you move on in a meaningful, value added and productive direction.

Discussion activity continued: Remember at the beginning of this show I asked you to have 2 cards. Now it is time to take out the2nd card.

Look in the mirror, and write down the first 3 things that come to your mind when you see your reflection. Turn over the first card from beginning of podcast. Are any of the words the same? Do you believe that others see you as you see yourself?

I’ve long since preached that it is the insecure and truly deplorable leaders who have to lead by fear. It means that they don’t have anything of substance to offer so they have to make you fearful so you will look to them to save them from the very things they are telling you to be afraid of. The reality is that these leaders who are so horrible at their jobs that they have to resort to leading by fear, are themselves the most fearful of all. And the greatest fear of all is the truth.

Brief Recap of Past Couple of Shows

Show 55 “Win Win” Can there be a win-win? Yes, there can be a win-win, but only if the focus can truly be on generating long term value. However, in business we can’t avoid working with people. People are the greatest asset to any company and can also be the greatest liability. There is NO win-win if someone’s win depends on someone else losing. Show 52 Don’t take the blame…take responsibility

Blame or fault is backwards looking Responsibility is forward thinking ‘No one is coming’…acknowledgement and responsibility opens up innovation and opportunity

Introduction of Discussion Topic…Like it or not fear sells. Movies and literature throughout time demonstrate the power of fear over and over again

We can’t ignore that fear motivates We fear failure, rejection…why do we fear those things…because we fear judgment by others! But most of all, we fear the truth. And we fear that the truth might not be good enough. Honesty and transparency takes courage and character, two aspects that sadly most leaders lack. The crappy leaders who are too afraid to check their egos at the door because they need their ego to hide behind, because their truth just isn’t good enough.  Leaders who lead by ego are the biggest fraidy cats of them all! http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/why-isnt-the-truth-good-enough/ You can recognize the impotent leader who is so pathetic that they have no tools but fear because they are the ones who so adamantly tell you what to be afraid of and then tell you who to blame for it Episode 52. Bad leaders place blame and good leaders take responsibility. These are the NAKED Emperors – or http://unapologeticcapitalist.com/28A Leaders of no substance that use fears are the ones that have to tell you what to think: such as “I’m smart” because their work is so poor that they are banking on you being gullible or lazy and won’t pull back the curtain to find out they aren’t smart. Truly smart people would NEVER have to say they are smart, because their work speaks for itself. The bad leaders will have to say “I’m rich” again, banking on your gullibility and sheer laziness and make you afraid to even think for yourself. Believe me, no one who actually has earned wealth would ever brag about it. Only the posers do that…again, out of fear you might strip back the curtain and find out they are impotent.

Just like in the last episode on achieving a ‘win win’ scenario, the bad leaders of this world will invite their cozy, crutch buddies “hubris” and “ego”

Hubris and ego insidiously destroy value while making you think they are there to protect and defend your interests. And what are you really afraid of…that you are actually worthless? That you’ve built yourself on nothing but a bunch of lies…and any moment you will be outed for being worthless? So when you fear you are losing the game, the bad leaders will blame the game itself…it is the ‘refs’ fault…the game was ‘rigged’ it was all a conspiracy. Leaders who are conspiracy theorists are the scariest leaders of all.  They are the ones who project their massive fears and insecurities onto others because they think it will distract others from actually seeing what a loser they truly are.

What can you do to be better than your fears?

What does your “Oz” look like? How disparate it your projected Oz from the truth of the old man hiding behind the cur...