We were lucky to catch up with Bill Schuffenhauer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bill, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

One of many things that Corporate America gets wrong not only in my industry but across the board is the focus on why we are here for business! Too many organizations put too much of their focus on the bottom line of revenue the organization is to generate. Now, while this is still a very important part of business success, we also have another significant issue that many companies are simply not addressing, and that focus is in the dollars. That problem is putting more focus on the employees of the company to ensure a long and more traditional length of employment with that specific organization. I run across this on many levels and this is one short story from a top Fortune 500 client that I work with.

The client (Higher executive leader) calls me one day and goes off for 30 minutes telling me how poorly his team is functioning, they just don’t get it, we are not as productive, and much more. after I gave him his space to unload all of his frustrations, I simply replied with one question, “Tell me more about your onboarding process and your continued educational opportunities for your staff?” His reply was no surprise as he stated that the company is moving so fast that they no longer have time to implement a strategic onboarding process and ongoing educational opportunities for their staff. I replied with a very animated “WOW” Then how do you expect your team to jump into a fire if you have not prepared them with the right tools and resources? Would you go to an NFL football game with only practicing the sport one time? Or, would you take on a very large and extremely important client and project without knowing anything about them? I assume the answer is no, so, how do you expect your team to perform at a high level without the proper process, practices, and support to set them up for success?” He hung up the phone and we never spoke again.

This is an issue for many organizations with a low employment rate and the urge to hit numbers that are not realistic, the team will not be able to succeed if they have and lack of resources. At the end of the day, those frustrated employees will not enjoy their culture and move on to another opportunity and in some cases a lower-paying opportunity with better support and culture. You see, My coach at University always taught me “We are only as strong as our weakest link” So with that, how do we get Corporate America to truly embrace what TEAM truly stands for? Too many companies sit back and talk about Team building, Corporate wellness retreats, and so on, but not many truly embrace what this looks like from a truly traditional team aspect like pro sports. Organizations, like people, tend to fall off the wagon when things are going well and when they are not. If we do not build a solid foundation of culture, support and ongoing education for our team members, we can only look in the mirror for blame and lack of accountability.

You see, when a top-level sports team is experiencing great success, it is due to not leaving any stone unturned and ensuring healthy and effective communication throughout the team, not just the athletes, but the entire organization. I get this question all the time, “How are you able to manage so many companies and ensure consistent success at every level?” My response is that I take my experience as a high-level athlete and combine it with world experiences, education and look at exactly what our teams need, and consistently check in with all members, this is called an AAR or as the Special forces in the military call it an After Action Review. By instilling these processes, we all have a very good understanding of what our roles are and who we can go to if we need support. We can truly rely on our TEAMMATES” to navigate choppy waters, and get more info or support from others when we need it. If we were to focus on the GOLD medal as the primary thought, we would miss all the foundational things that would actually help us move the needle to achieve the gold medal. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to have big lofty goals and keep them in mind, but by focusing on the foundational principles of our business and our strategic “WHY” we can create a game plan by design and follow it to perfection and also be prepared for said unknowns that may be able to derail us. Business strategy is not that much different than Sports success strategy. The main difference is that as athletes, we understand there is a procedure that must be adhered to and if we stick to it, and rely on our teammates and effective leadership (Coaches) we can significantly increase our ability to win, or in this case, create a healthy successful culture of employees that want to work hard for you and be a part of a winning team.

Bill, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Bill Schuffenhauer, a retired 3 x Olympian and Olympic Silver Medalist with TEM USA in the sport of Bobsleigh. I grew up in a life most are not familiar with including drug-addicted parents, Trouble with the law, Homelessness, 17 foster homes, and more, But I knew I was meant for more than this and set out to change my stars. As a hard-working and curious athlete, I was able to create a very successful life in sports with the support of many great teammates, coaches, and mentors that I reached out to to help support me in my journey in sports. Since I learned so many great success principles in sports, I chose to pursue a similar career in the world of business, consulting, speaking, and non-profit. I took the tools, resources, and experiences I had at the point of retiring from the sport and started to add ongoing education from groups Like TMICGlobal.com which consults some of the largest and most influential individuals and companies worldwide, Certified and works with Amercass number one business coach Jack canfield, worked with my mentor Dan Clark (Top 10 Speaker worldwide) to ensure I deliver high level and impactful presentations, study on an ongoing basis Ancient Stoic Philosophy and acquired a certification from the prestigious Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in Executive Management. I realized a long time ago that by combining my sports success with continued education and certifications, I could provide strategic value to clients I have the opportunity to work with. My first corporate consulting client was a Non-profit in the Human services space, then a technology company and it continued to grow from there. Now many of the early clients I have worked with brought me in as a full equity partner and I get to bring the Champion Mindset to my organizations and continue to do it with many others. My background in sports, business, education, and ongoing education sets me apart from many coaches and consultants as I truly ensure I try practices, and procedures out on my own before I work on it with a client. It is more than just reading a book and delivering what you read, you have to have an intimate relationship with the situation to ensure a successful outcome. Been there, Done that, learned as much as I could, and created a better solution by design.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

You have to lead by example!! This should be “enough said” but this is such a crucial part of business and team success. If you have not done it before and failed multiple times to the point where you found success, you cannot have the expectations of your team to do it and do it better if you are not willing to first. I know from experience that it is great to be a leader, But just like in the movie Spider-man, his uncle says “With Great Power comes great responsibility” As a leader, it is on our plate to lead from the front but also provide opportunities for our teams to get their hands dirty and learn. Even in situations where we may be more educated, and have more knowledge and experience, we have to also give opportunities for growth to our teams to ensure they can someday be a leader that learned from another great leader. We are all human, and with that, we all have different thoughts, beliefs, ways of doing things, and more, embrace the diversity of your team and give them the tools for success or they may eventually go somewhere else to feel more appreciated.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes, as I mentioned in prior comments, I had a significant background in sports dynamics and culture. On top of this, I chose to pursue ongoing education and have read multiple books and podcasts on effective leadership and management, Consistently study under our TMICGlobal Brand, Have multiple certifications from the Jack Canfield executive leadership program, Study ongoing Ancient AStoic Philosophy and also have a certification from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in executive management. I regularly look to my network for high-level conversations on how to build a championship organization by design and work with many of my coaches and mentors on an ongoing basis. Today we live in a world of technology and we have so much information at hand, we simply need to make better decisions on where and who we spend our time with and surround ourselves with like-minded individuals and organizations. I also regularly do check in studies with random organizations asking them how there culture and management are working. This allows me to stay ahead of the curve of current issues in the world that may impact our organizations and lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theolympianspeaks.com/
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• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olympianspeaks/
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