"As a manager, as a leader… one of your goals is to build the best team that you can afford… So when people say, I can't attract any talent… it's not the talent's fault. Just because you have a job… just because you have a vacancy, there is no God-given right for amazing people to show up at your door and apply for it… Are you a shit place to work or are you an amazing place to work?"

S02E15 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Dominic Monkhouse, Business Coach and CEO Mentor. He's the founder and CEO of Monkhouse & Company, with a remarkable track record of scaling technology service businesses from zero to 30 million pounds in just five years. He accomplished this while serving as managing director of UK-based Rackspace and Pier 1 Hosting. Dominic is also the author of 'Mind Your F**ing Business' and the host of the same-titled podcast, which recently reached 300 episodes.

Without holding back, Dominic shares a wealth of information on how to build high-performing teams capable of rapid and sustained growth.

The podcast is created by Rethink Culture. Our goal is to help 1 million businesses create healthier, happier cultures, by turning culture into a KPI. Visit rethinkculture.co to see how you can create a healthier culture at your company.

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to find out:

- What it takes to attract top talent away from competitors.

- How to use the monthly keeper test to decide who to keep and who to fire.

- What to do if you fear losing or having trouble replacing employees.

- Why the war for talent is essentially a victim mindset.

- Why annual performance appraisals are equal to 12 months of avoiding difficult conversations.

- How to manage and measure expectations on deliverables.

- Which approach to employee promotion leads to growth and success.

- How to build a team of A-Players that is 5 to 10 times more productive.

Further resources:

- Dominic Monkhouse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse/

- Monkhouse & Company Website: https://www.monkhouseandcompany.com/

- Mind Your F**king Business: The no-nonsense guide to making your good business great, by Dominic Monkhouse: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Your-king-Business-no-nonsense/dp/1781337268

- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't, by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996

- BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company, by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/BE-2-0-Beyond-Entrepreneurship-Business/dp/0399564233

- The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation, by Matthew Dixon: https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355

- The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision, by Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna: https://www.amazon.com/JOLT-Effect-Performers-Overcome-Indecision/dp/0593538102

- The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong, by Dr. Laurence J Peter and Raymond Hull: https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Principle-Things-Always-Wrong/dp/0062092065

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316010669

"I think business owners have to really rethink who and how they hire, our judgments, our biases, and what as a society we can do, even as a small business like mine, to make it a more vibrant and equitable place... I wanted to make sure that we were treating everybody, no matter what their background was, where they were from, what language they spoke, what addiction they were overcoming, what jail sentence they had served, I wanted all of those people to have a level playing field."

S02E14 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Gina Schaeffer, founder, CEO, and co-owner of a chain of 13 Ace Hardware stores across multiple cities in the United States. Ace Hardware is the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative. Gina oversees the operations and management of over 300 dedicated employees.

Gina discusses her commitment to community initiatives and her experiences in creating a thriving work environment based on open-mindedness and acceptance. A beacon of inspiration in the entrepreneurial landscape, she challenges leaders to rethink their assumptions and reimagine culture by embracing the notion of providing opportunities for everyone to thrive, regardless of their background, such as a history of addiction or imprisonment. Beyond her business endeavours, Gina's passion for exploration and creativity is evident in her travels across South America and her hobby of crafting personalized greeting cards.

The podcast is created by Rethink Culture. Our goal is to help 1 million businesses create healthier, happier cultures, by turning culture into a KPI. Visit rethinkculture.co to see how you can create a healthier culture at your company.

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to discover:
- How Gina defies conventional assumptions by hiring people who have experienced addiction, homelessness, or incarceration.

- Why extending opportunities to those with employment barriers promotes connection, support, and a strong community.
- The significance of adapting core values and practices to reflect evolving circumstances.

- Gina's insights into openness, trust, fairness, and the embodiment of organizational core values.

- What is the principle of "inspect what you expect" in encouraging accountability.

- How to enhance customer satisfaction by reflecting customer diversity in employee composition.

- The value of curiosity, maintaining a beginner's mindset, and being open to learning from everyone.

- Why we should care about business transition readiness and the education of future business leaders.

Further resources:
- Gina's website: https://ginaschaefer.com/

- Gina's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginaschaefer-speaker/
- Community work of Ace Hardware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVROFpjX1M&ab_channel=AceHardware

- Culture by Design, by David J. Friedman: https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Design-individual-organizational-performance/dp/0692100784

- Recovery Hardware: A Nuts and Bolts Story About Building a Business, Restoring a Community, and Renovating Lives, by Gina Schaefer: https://www.amazon.com/Recovery-Hardware-Restoring-Community-Renovating/dp/B0B6M6P168

"If you're not properly leading yourself, it's hard to lead others... How you do one thing is how you do everything. And if… the three areas of your life, if they're in order, if… yourself, mind, body, spirit is good and your family and relationships is good, then it's much easier to be good in the work world."

S02E13 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on David Henzel, a serial entrepreneur who owns several businesses with over 500 employees. Among his recent ventures are TaskDrive, an AI-driven virtual assistance platform, and upcoach, a coaching platform. His successful track record includes having co-founded and sold MaxCDN, which hosted over 6 million websites.

David talks about "Love Not Fear" a concept that drives his personal development course, Managing Happiness, and his organizational development course, Love Not Fear. David's commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture is reflected in his company's impressively high Cultural Health Score, which is scoring in the high 90s. David spends his free time at his Bodrum farm with his wife, daughter, three horses, ten dogs, and two donkeys.

The podcast is created by Rethink Culture. Our goal is to help 1 million businesses create healthier, happier cultures, by turning culture into a KPI. Visit rethinkculture.co to see how you can create a healthier culture at your company.

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to find out:
· Why acting out of love rather than fear can transform your life and business.

· How David practices Love Not Fear in his daily habits.

· What makes aphantasia and SDAM his superpower.

· What is the Managing Happiness framework and how it supports personal and professional goals.

· Why rethinking product development improved employee happiness and productivity.

· How David combines accountability and compassion in his feedback.

Further resources:

· David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhenzel/

· The Managing Happiness course: https://www.managinghappiness.com/

· Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness, by Frederic Laloux: https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Organizations-Frederic-Laloux/dp/2960133501