Sam Donaghey
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Fast Slow Motion podcast. I’m your host, Sam Donaghey. And just as we do at the end of each year, today, we’re going to be looking back at the best moments from our latest season of episodes. So today, you’re going to hear from purpose experts, operators, process nerds, brand builders, and even some of our own team here at Fast Slow Motion.

And to break it down with me today, I’ve got fast slow motions, director of growth and co-author of the scalable business framework, Michael Johnson. So Michael, good to have you here today. Are you ready?

Michael Johnson
I’m always ready for a good highlight reel and these clips really hit on purpose, systems, forecasting, sales, leadership, and you name it. It’s really how to build a business that doesn’t chew you up in the process. So I’m really excited to share these.

Sam Donaghey
All right, let’s jump in.

Okay, so we’re going to start with episode 37 in our conversation with Gabrielle Bosché. You know, so many people talk about finding your purpose, like it’s this one time lightning bolt moment. Gabrielle came in and asked, what if purpose was something we could actually study and make repeatable for real people in real life? Let’s listen to that clip.

Michael Johnson
What I love about this is the move from the mystical to the practical. She makes it real. And she’s basically saying that purpose isn’t just sunsets and goosebumps and rainbows and butterflies. It’s about patterns that you can name. It’s questions that you can ask and it’s work that you can actually do. And for business owners, that’s what really matters. If you can turn purpose into something that you can scale, you can diagnose and repeat it. You can hire for it. You can build teams around it and you can line up offers with what your people are wired to do best. And that’s when purpose really stops being

on a poster and it’s something that starts driving profit and resilience long term.

Sam Donaghey
Yeah, so if you’re listening here at home and purpose still feels a little vague, maybe take this as your nudge to treat it like a discipline, not a mood. Let’s go from purpose to process with our next clip.

In episode 34, Derek Maines told one of my favorite process meets people stories. It sounds like a story about workplace conditions, but really it’s about the power of attention and management. So here’s that clip.

Michael Johnson
Man, this one hits me every time. They made conditions worse and worse and then the results still improved simply because someone cared enough to show up, measure and talk to people. And for leaders, I think the takeaway is pretty simple. Before you overhaul your tech stack or demote somebody or cut their pay, try walking the floor. Ask good questions. Notice the work. Celebrate the progress. 94 % of business problems are process problems. Derek would actually go on in this episode to share that. And half of those process problems you think you might have may actually be just your attention.

to the details themselves.

Sam Donaghey
So you might not be able to fix everything overnight, but you can show up today. And that alone can change how your team performs.

Okay, so next up we’ve got episode 44 with Scott Wozniak and he drew a sharp line between cool product and legendary brand and even confessed his love for Blackberry along the way. Let’s listen.

Michael Johnson
So Scott nailed something here a lot of founders do not want to hear. A single hit can can give you a big spike, but it will not give you a decade. Legendary brands that retain customers and build systems that create raving fans year after year. And that’s operational excellence. That’s personalized service. It’s creating memorable moments for your clients and healthy leadership team to pull it all together. If you have your first big win, you’re just one competitor away from being the next expensive brick in somebody’s drawer.

Sam Donaghey
So if your business has had that BlackBerry moment, the question is whether you’ve actually built the systems that are going to carry you into that next chapter.

In episode 42, Lindsay Rios took us inside how great operators think about forecasting. Spoiler alert, it’s not about pretending you can hit a fantasy number. Here’s the clip.

Michael Johnson
This is such a gift to CEOs and founders. She’s saying that the board cares more about whether you truly understand how your business works than whether you can pretend to be something you’re not on your slide deck. Good forecasting is not about perfection. It’s about clarity and honesty. If you can walk into a board meeting and say,

Here’s what I thought, here’s what actually happened, and here’s why. You build trust. That trust is worth far more than a perfectly smooth line on the chart.

Sam Donaghey
so if you’re scared of the forecast, do the work to understand your business and then tell the truth. That’s really what your investors wanna hear.

Episode 35 gave us one of our most replayed ideas, thanks to Barry Thomason. Barry reframed sales as a natural extension of service, and he laid out three levels of helping clients. So let’s listen.

Michael Johnson
Wow. I love this because it basically de-stigmatizes sales for technical and delivery folks. And Barry’s just so good. He’s been such a good influence on us and our team. And Barry’s basically saying, you’re not tricking anyone. You’re serving them at a higher level. And a lot of times technical folks get the ick when they think about sales, but it’s really simple. know, level one for sales is just do what they asked. Level two is solve the problem that they know they have. And then level three, kind of that advanced level.

is show them the problem or opportunity they cannot see yet. And that third level is where sales and service become the same thing. You’re protecting them from risk and helping them capture upside they would have missed. Barry always says that good selling is just helping.

Sam Donaghey
Yeah, 100%. If you can teach your delivery teams to see that third level as part of their job, you stop handing off to sales and then you start building a business where everyone helps the client win.

In episode 43, we talked about behavioral insights and leadership. It was a simple line that stuck with a lot of listeners. And here’s the clip.

Michael Johnson
You could build an entire leadership philosophy off that one principle. It’s never about you and it’s always about them. When you walk into conversations thinking my team, my spouse, my kids, my clients, what do they need right now? You stop defending yourself and you start leading. It changes the questions you ask, the tone you use, the decisions you make. People feel the difference immediately.

Sam Donaghey
If you want a quick diagnostic on your leadership, just ask, who is this really about in my head right now? Is it me or is it them?

Now Pat Lencioni only joined us for episode 46 and his working genius model has helped a lot of teams understand why they thrive in some tasks and burn out in others. So let’s play that section.

Michael Johnson
All right, leaders, let’s all breathe a sigh of relief. You can’t be good at everything. There are types of work that will always drain you and types that will always energize you, and that’s okay. If you don’t know you’re working genius, you’ll either walk around feeling broken or you will silently resent the people on your team whose fun is your nightmare. Once you know the mix, you can design roles, meetings, projects, and systems so that people spend more time in their geniuses and less time in their frustrations.

That’s better for the business and better for your sanity at home.

Sam Donaghey
So instead of asking, why can’t I do it all? I think a better question is, what was I actually built to do? And who do I need around me?

So our next clip is from episode 38 with Jonathan B. Smith. And he gave us a simple way to think about negotiation that applies to deals, hiring, parenting, pretty much all of it. And this is right at the top of the episode.

Michael Johnson
Man, JBS is awesome. And I love how direct he is. Anytime you’re walking in thinking, want or I need, you’re already in a negotiation, whether you name it or not. And so the shortcut Jonathan gives us is ⁓ people want to deal with people they like and trust, and nothing builds trust faster than someone genuinely trying to see the world from their point of view.

Sam Donaghey
100%. So the next time that you go into a tough conversation, maybe start with, hey, help me see this the way that you see it instead of maybe, you know, just jumping straight into your question.

OK, so we’re going to bring it back in house for these last two clips. In episode 45, John Burdett talked about failure and what it means to lead from your values instead of from fear. Here’s that section.

Michael Johnson
This is so important. You’re gonna fail whether you’re scared or not. And so the real question is, what are you standing on when that failure happens? And if your decisions are anchored in a clearly defined values, you can look back on a mistake and say, I wish the outcome had been different, but I don’t regret how I showed up. That’s very different from reacting out of panic or ego and then having to live with the fallout.

Sam Donaghey
Yeah, so if you want to fail well, start by doing the quiet work of naming your values and building your processes around them before things get messy.

Our final clip comes from episode 41 where we talked about the scalable business framework and John shared very personally about his health crisis and the quote that shaped his approach to both business and life. Here’s that moment.

Michael Johnson
This season was tough and remarkable all at once. And what really stood out to me was that the framework held because the business was built on purpose, people and profit and on process, automation and visibility. John could step away and focus on staying alive and the company didn’t just survive, it thrived. And for anyone that’s feeling fine right now, this is your reminder. You can’t patch a leaky boat in a storm. Now’s the time to put the systems in place that will carry you when life hits you.

Sam Donaghey
And this is really the thread running through all of these clips. Purpose that can be repeated. Processes that respect people. Systems that outlast your first big win. And values that hold when you fail. And a framework that lets you have both. A real business and a real life. Michael, thank you so much for walking back through these moments with me today.

Michael Johnson
Absolutely, Sam. Thanks so much for having me. And I love seeing how these different voices line up around the same core ideas as almost like it works. And you can build something excellent. You can serve people well. And you don’t have to lose yourself along the way.

Sam Donaghey
Well, to everyone listening, if one of these clips hit home, you can go back and check out the full episode. You can find every conversation we mentioned today at fastslowmotion.com slash podcast or wherever you already listened to the podcasts. And if you’re a business owner or a leader who wants to prepare for the inevitable storms of life and learn how to scale your business the right way, please do go and get the scalable business framework book by John Burdett and Michael Johnson. It’s going to be linked in the description.

And as always, if you have a question or a topic that you want us to explore, you can head over to fastslowmotion.com slash podcastfeedback and let us know. Thanks, as always, for listening to the Fast Slow Motion Podcast, and we’ll see you next time.

Michael Johnson
Scott nailed something here a lot of founders don’t want to hear. A single hit product can give you a spike, but it can’t give you a decade. Legendary brands that retain customers build systems that create raving fans year after year. That’s operational excellence, personalized service, crafting memorable moments for your clients, and a healthy leadership team to band it all together. If all you have is your first big win,

You’re just one competitor away from being the next expensive brick in someone’s drawer.