Confessions of an Implementer

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan sits down with Joe Rosenbaum, EOS Implementer and former Chief Human Resources Officer who spent decades inside some of the most demanding organizations in retail, events, and consumer brands, including Authentic Brands Group. Joe brings a rare perspective to this conversation, having lived the tension between advocating for employees and protecting the business at the same time, often from the same chair.
 
Joe shares why he believes in-house HR is harder than most leaders realize and why outsourcing certain functions, particularly employee relations and internal investigations, might actually create more trust, not less. He breaks down how to use Glassdoor reviews the right way, why engagement surveys do more harm than good if you are not prepared to act on them, and what a state of the company meeting actually needs to cover to build real organizational trust. He also introduces a concept called the stay interview, which flips the typical HR script and gives leaders a window into what it would actually take to keep their best people around.
Timestamps
01:00 From Rural Roots to New York HR
06:01 Evolving Philosophy of Human Resources
11:47 Strategic HR Outsourcing and Engagement
16:19 Building Trust Through Active Listening
22:11 Navigating Glassdoor and Culture Toxicity
27:41 Strengthening Organizational Trust
33:29 Optimizing Company-Wide Meetings
43:06 The Role of Facilitation
Guest Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephrosenbaum/
https://www.instagram.com/joerosenbaum.eos/
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josephrosenbaum_i-worked-with-a-company-that-had-eleven-service-share-7478522026840776704-DqrM/

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan sits down with Andrea Schlapia, EOS Implementer and founder of Ironstone Business Coaching. Andrea has spent her career helping wealth management firms and financial advisory businesses stop running like practices and start running like real companies, and EOS gave her the framework to do it at scale.
 
Andrea shares why complexity is the single biggest thing holding businesses back from their potential, what most leadership teams get wrong about core values, how to tell the difference between a real core value and a permission to play, and why she never rolls out EOS to the broader organization until the leadership team can actually teach the tools themselves. She also introduces something completely new to this show, an offer she makes to every client to personally run a 90-minute meeting for the entire company so leadership never has to fumble through that first conversation. Plus, she breaks down how she has cracked the code on fully virtual EOS sessions and why everyone needs their own Zoom box.
 
Timestamps
07:18 Clarity and Organizational Health
10:35 Navigating Mergers with Core Values
14:26 The Art of Rolling Out Core Values
23:01 Simplifying Business Complexity
29:34 Defining Effective Scorecards
40:37 Optimizing Virtual Meeting Experiences
45:01 Maintaining Engagement in Remote Teams
Guest Links
https://ironstonehq.com/team/andrea-schlapia/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aschlapia/
https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/andrea-schlapia/

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan sits down with Harrison Jenkins, an EOS Implementer who has carved out one of the most specific niches in the entire EOS community. Nearly all of Harrison's clients are independent insurance brokers, and the combination of his family's sales consulting firm, Blueprint Consulting Group, and EOS has become a powerful framework for helping those companies finally grow the way they always said they wanted to.
 
Harrison shares the difference between predicting where you want to go and simply projecting where you will end up if nothing changes; why so many insurance agencies are sitting on underperforming producers for years longer than they should; and what it really looks like to sell your vision to your team instead of just announcing it.
 
If you run an insurance agency, lead a sales team, or just want a fresh perspective on how vision and execution actually connect inside a growing business, this one delivers.
Timestamps
03:41 Vision vs. Execution & Goal Setting
07:55 Selling the Vision
16:16 Cultural Impact of Growth & Accountability
24:07 Challenges in Hiring Producers
32:57 Why Non-Producing Salespeople Persist
41:12 Comp Structure for Winners
45:52 Retaining High-Producing Brokers
51:53 Philosophy on EOS Graduation
Guest Links
https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/harrison-jenkins/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrison-jenkins-0250139b/
https://www.blueprint.biz/
harrison@blueprint.biz
harrison.jenkins@eosworldwide.com

Most entrepreneurs believe more clients solve every problem.
But the wrong clients can quietly steal your time, energy, and future.
In this conversation, Ryan Hogan sits down with EOS Implementer JBS to discuss why building a successful consulting business isn't about saying yes to every opportunity—it's about intentionally designing a business around the life you actually want.
They explore why confidence matters more than rigid frameworks, how to recognize ideal clients, why consistency always beats chasing shiny new tactics, and how personal branding becomes your greatest competitive advantage.
Topics include:
Why saying "no" creates more freedom than saying "yes"
Designing your business around your ideal life
How to identify the right clients before it's too late
Why great work naturally creates more opportunities
Building confidence beyond following a framework
Creating a personal brand that becomes your competitive moat
Because the best businesses aren't built by chasing every opportunity.
They're built by intentionally choosing the right ones.

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan sits down with Beth Rusert, EOS Implementer, former communications executive, and someone who spent decades watching organizations fail not because of bad strategy, but because of broken internal communication. Beth shares why internal communication is one of the most undervalued functions in any organization, what genuine alignment actually looks like versus what it looks like when a team is just pretending, and why the failure to have tough conversations early always costs more than the conversation itself. She also gets into the difference between a team and a family, how to know when a culture fit issue is coachable versus when it's time to move on, and why EOS gave her the language for things she'd been doing her whole career without realizing it.
 
If you lead a team, own a business, or have ever avoided a hard conversation longer than you should have this one is for you.
Timestamps
03:00 The Value of Internal Communications
07:07 Good Internal Communication Defined
12:43 Team vs. Family Culture
16:25 The Art of Tough Conversations
20:00 Navigating Culture Shifts and Expectations
32:15 Effective Leadership and Sales
37:16 Leadership Beyond Subject Matter Expertise
46:08 Tiger Teams for Process Improvement
49:20 Signs of Organizational Misalignment
Guest Links
https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/beth-rusert/
beth.rusert@eosworldwide.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethrusert/

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan reunites with Eliot Wajskol — EOS Implementer, former Global 1000 executive advisor, and one of only two guests to appear on the show twice — for a deep, debate-worthy conversation about the question every business leader eventually has to answer: what's more important, strategy or execution?
 
Eliot breaks down what strategy actually means at the leadership team level, why a room full of people with five different pictures in their minds is essentially five different companies, and how great strategic decisions are fundamentally acts of elimination. He shares how he diagnoses whether a leadership team is truly ready to have strategic conversations, the three signals that tell him someone doesn't belong at the table, and why he thinks EOS is really an execution operating system in disguise. Ryan and Eliot also get into the power of speed, the danger of diluting focus, and Ryan's experiment of giving every team member just one rock per quarter.
 
Whether you're running your first quarterly or rethinking your entire leadership structure, this one will make you think differently.
Timestamps
03:43 Foundational Strategy Ingredients
09:52 Team Readiness for Strategy
18:39 The Chief Decider Role
26:59 Internal vs. External Talent
36:03 Translating Strategy to a Plan
40:08 EOS as an Execution System
43:26 Strategy vs. Execution: Which Matters More?
49:30 The Undervalued Role of Speed
51:49 The Power of One Rock
Guest Links
https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/eliot-wajskol/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliotwajskol/
https://www.eliotwajskol.com/
https://www.instagram.com/eliotwajskol/
https://fiftypages.life/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnWpXZeu9xENVfvtvoIsyfzxV9ueGyFaCqDF_oVb7sL1CCT8K6Cp2Ccmb2Rl0_aem_0k0Szq-_nZXtuiLIxprlZw

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the system's successes and challenges. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Ryan sits down with Mike Yoder, EOS Implementer, lifelong integrator, and self-described number 2 guy. Mike's path took him from corporate giants like Siemens to painting houses at 25 to building a $1M barcode label business, before EOS gave him the language to understand who he actually was. Mike shares a leadership framework rooted in one simple truth: care for the person you're leading. But there's a catch. He draws a sharp line between being kind and being nice, and the difference will make you rethink every tough conversation you've been avoiding.
 
If you're an entrepreneur who's ever felt stuck, wondered if you're the right person in the right seat, or just wants to lead your team better, this one's for you.
Timestamps
04:20 The Leap to Entrepreneurship
08:47 The Integrator Revelation and EOS
11:56 Lessons from Big and Small Companies
21:28 Foundational Principles of Leadership
25:32 Kindness vs. Niceness in the Workplace
33:38 Becoming Your Best Self
37:16 Developing Leaders and Attitude
Guest Links
https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/mike-yoder/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeyoder-e4g/
mike.yoder@eosworldwide.com
Phone: (816)922-9546

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the system's successes and challenges. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Wayne Smith joins us from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he is building one of the most unique EOS practices in the world. Wayne spent years as an auditor and strategist spanning 40+ countries, leading teams from 15 different nationalities across Paris, Beijing, London, Africa, the Middle East, and everywhere in between. He then walked away from a PE-backed CEO role in Honolulu in the middle of COVID to become the first EOS Implementer based in Hawaii.
 
Wayne breaks down what it actually takes to build trust across cultures, why 8 out of 10 companies he works with see leadership team changes in the first six months, and what is uniquely challenging about bringing EOS into Southeast Asia. This is one of the most globally minded conversations we have had on this show.
 
Timestamps
05:40 Leading Diverse Teams and Cultural Nuances
09:19 Experiential Learning and Talent Development
19:59 Counteracting the 'Fill-It-Now' Mindset
31:04 Discovering and Implementing EOS
25:34 Expanding EOS Globally and EO Membership
43:51 Cultural Nuances in EOS Implementation
Guest Links
Email: wayne.smith@eosworldwide.com
Website: https://www.waynesmith.coach/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wlsmith76/
EOS Worldwide: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/wayne-smith/
 

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the successes and challenges of the system in action. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Justin Maust brings the kind of energy you feel before he even starts talking and the kind of honesty most people never share out loud. Justin is an expert EOS Implementer, a speaker, a trainer, a coach, and a guy who spent years chasing a 10-year target so hard that he nearly lost himself in the process. He sold two companies, pivoted his entire vision, and came out the other side with more clarity and more to give than ever before.
 
In this conversation, Justin opens up about what burnout actually feels like when you are someone who never stops running, why the things you are best at can become your biggest blind spots, and what happens when you finally stop trying to do it your own way. This one is raw, personal, and packed with the kind of wisdom that only comes from living it.
 
Timestamps
01:12 Justin’s Vision Board and Mentors
07:23 Recognizing Burnout
15:09 Lessons from a Changed 10-Year Target
19:28 Chasing Impact vs. Money
25:51 Surrendering to a Higher Purpose
31:28 The Power of Discipline
44:39 Impact of Deletion on Presence
49:06 Discovering and Honing Unique Abilities
53:59 The Mallard Duck vs. Eagle Philosophy
Guest Links
justin.maust@eosworldwide.com
EOS Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/justin-maust/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmaust/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.e.maust/
https://www.entrelegacygroup.com/

Welcome to Confessions of an Implementer, a podcast by Talent Harbor. We share unique stories of implementers and the companies they've transformed to give you a rare glimpse into the system's successes and challenges. I'm your host, Ryan Hogan.
 
Let's dive in!
 
In this episode, Julie Markee brings one of the most distinctive perspectives we have had on this show. With a chemical engineering degree from the University of Washington, Julie sees the session room the way an engineer sees a broken production line. She is watching body language, listening for what is not being said, tracking who is leaning in and who is rotating away, and always working her way down to the true root cause.
 
What she's discovered: 80% of the time, when you get to the real root cause of the biggest issues holding a leadership team back, it is a people problem. Not a process. Not a strategy. A person. And that is exactly why those conversations are so hard to have in the room. In this conversation, she breaks down what a healthy leadership team actually looks like, how to know when you have truly hit the root cause of a problem, and why she once refused to write down a rock for a client that had missed it quarter after quarter until they finally understood what was really in the way.
 
This one is full of practical tactical insights from start to finish.
Timestamps
04:03 Early Entrepreneurial Spirit
06:51 Corporate and Process Engineering
11:10 Transition to Sales and Management
18:13 Engineering Mindset in EOS Sessions
29:21 Navigating People Issues in the Room
39:51 Identifying the True Root Cause
45:39 The Power of Clarity Breaks
Guest Links
https://www.keyprocessinnovations.com/
EOS Worldwide: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/julie-markee/
Blog: Cooped Up Thoughts: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/coop-d-up-thoughts-6994345214492504064/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliemarkee/