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The Weekly Call

The Weekly Call

By: Amer Abu Shakra Austin Trudeau and John Morgan III
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The Weekly Call is a conversational podcast hosted by three young business owners. Amer, Austin, and John provide insight into guiding philosophies and perspectives, and how they directly relate to the operation of a business.Amer Abu Shakra, Austin Trudeau, and John Morgan III Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Ep 354 | Austin - Big "Nothing Unsaid" Guy
    Feb 18 2026


    • "Leaving nothing unsaid" is the foundational coaching skill. It enables coaches to gather complete information, which is essential for effective problem-solving and building trust.
    • The "unsaid" often originates from self-deception. Clients frequently lie to themselves about their true goals or feelings, making it the coach's primary responsibility to help them uncover these internal truths.
    • Coaching and consulting are distinct phases. Coaching is discovery and alignment (client-led), while consulting is direct skill transfer (coach-led). A coach's identity must disappear during the coaching phase to avoid bias.
    • A coach's responsibility is defined by their role's commitments. This provides a clear boundary for accountability, separating the coach's duties from the client's implementation choices.
    • Austin is redesigning Rydel's coaching system for scalability, moving from discipline-specific coaches (sales, production) to a single, general coach per franchisee.
    • The foundational skill for this new team is "leaving nothing unsaid"—the ability to communicate difficult truths without triggering defensiveness.
    • Amer confirmed this is a cornerstone of effective communication, as it's impossible to solve a client's core problem if the most important information is withheld.
    • Withholding information is often a form of self-deception, not just a lie to the coach.
    • Clients frequently lie to themselves about their true goals (e.g., pursuing a parent's dream instead of their own), creating internal misalignment.
    • This self-deception is a primary target for coaching, as it prevents clients from being honest with themselves or others.
    • Phase 1: Coaching (Discovery & Alignment)
    • Phase 2: Consulting (Skill Transfer)
    • Building Emotional Intelligence: Amer used an exercise where a sales rep called their mom to say "I love you." This simple act unlocked a feeling state, making it easier for the rep to then discuss difficult topics about their role.
    • Defining Coach Responsibility: A coach's responsibility is limited to fulfilling the defined duties of their role (e.g., providing tools, asking questions). The client's choice to implement or not is their own.
    • Avoiding "Veteran" Masks: For long-term clients, avoid creating a culture where they feel they must "have it figured out." This can lead to them masking problems and leaving things unsaid with themselves.
    • Austin: Continue training new Rydel coaches on the "leaving nothing unsaid" framework.
    • Austin: Emphasize the distinction between coaching (discovery) and consulting (skill transfer) to prevent coaches from imposing their expertise prematurely.
    • Austin: Implement tools to help clients identify and address self-deception, such as journaling prompts or responsibility exercises.


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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Ep 353 | Ego in the Face of Failure
    Feb 9 2026
    1 hr
  • Ep 352 | Madden Labbing
    Feb 2 2026
    Meeting PurposeA catch-up on recent business and personal insights.Sales Coaching: New call recording tech enables deep analysis of sales calls, revealing subtle cues (e.g., voice inflection) that impact customer perception and outcomes.Skill vs. Challenge: A skill/challenge matrix explains job satisfaction; high-skill tasks (sales) are enjoyable, while low-skill tasks (new management roles) cause anxiety.Personal Systems: Austin and Miranda use a weekly whiteboard planning session to align on schedules and goals, preventing friction from misaligned expectations.Local Advantage: Deep local knowledge is a critical competitive edge, as it allows for nuanced strategy that generalists cannot replicate.New Recording Tech: A new system records nearly all sales calls, enabling deep analysis.Rationale: The previous setup was "janky," requiring reps to stay at a desk and creating a noisy office environment.Impact: Reps can now use noise-canceling headphones for focus and move freely during calls.Coaching Method: John's review process is like "labbing" in Madden, analyzing calls for subtle cues.Example: A rep's voice inflection on "only 15 minutes" signaled to a customer that the call would end early, creating a misaligned expectation.Sales Team Entropy: Reps naturally drift from proven scripts to avoid conflict, which lowers performance by failing to quickly disqualify non-ideal leads.Sales Manual: John is writing a sales manual to codify mental models and ensure consistent execution.Example Model: "Red String" value building connects a business feature (e.g., no subcontracting) to a specific customer circumstance (e.g., getting married) to increase relevance.Skill/Challenge Matrix: A framework explains job satisfaction based on skill level and task challenge.High Skill + High Challenge → Flow State: Enjoyable, high-performance work (e.g., John's sales coaching).Low Skill + High Challenge → Anxiety: Stressful work (e.g., Amer's new CMO management role).Implication: Anxiety in new roles is a skill gap, not a personal failing. The solution is to learn and improve.Weekly Planning Ritual: Austin and Miranda use a Sunday afternoon whiteboard session to align on the week's schedule and goals.Process: After a house clean, they map out commitments (work, gym, social) and meals.Accountability: This proactive review helps them support each other's goals (e.g., Miranda's 10+ WHOOP strain 4x/week) before issues arise.Friction Point: Austin's impatience and need for time-bound commitments clash with Miranda's more patient style, leading to micromanagement.Solution: Commitments must be time-bound. Austin can ask for a deadline but cannot check in on a time-bound task.Communication Style: They use precise language ("here's how that landed for me") to avoid defensiveness and have productive conversations.Door-to-Door Recording Risk: John avoids recording door-knocking interactions due to the high risk of severe community backlash, despite its legality.Rationale: The risk is small but severe, citing how Telus was "written off" in Kelowna for aggressive door-knocking.Value of Local Knowledge: Deep local knowledge is a critical competitive advantage.Example (Real Estate): A generalist might value all Kelowna units at a market average, while a local knows units in Rutland are worth far less than those downtown.Detail Orientation: Success requires extreme attention to detail.Elon Musk: Knows Tesla designs intimately; challenges teams to find physical limits (e.g., how many cup holders are possible).E.H. Harriman: Saved millions by having custom-fit bolts made for Union Pacific, eliminating the waste from standardized, slightly too-long bolts.John: Write the sales manual to codify mental models and ensure consistent execution.Austin: Practice pausing before acting on impulses to micromanage, allowing for more conscious and productive responses.
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    1 hr and 25 mins
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