Redefining the Interview Process

Jason Mandel is the Founder and CEO of Mandel Family Office, a firm dedicated to providing comprehensive financial services to high-net-worth individuals and families. He is a Wall Street insider and a private financial adviser and has held senior positions at the LeFrak Organization, D.E. Shaw, and Cantor Fitzgerald. Jason has over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience in financial services and risk management. Additionally, he is the President of Caretrust Financial and the author of DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Stop Wall Street Greed and Rising Taxes From Destroying Your Wealth.

In this episode…

Talent is a cornerstone of success in business leadership, entrepreneurship, and advisory roles. How does talent influence the course of various business ventures?

From founding and growing enterprises, talent has played a pivotal role in driving Jason Mandel’s organizational growth and innovation. Jason empowers his teams to excel and achieve their goals by fostering an environment that encourages continuous learning and development. Additionally, he aligns team members' goals with organizational objectives through effective incentive structures. Through strategic talent acquisition and management, Jason believes businesses can enhance their competitive edge, drive innovation, and foster long-term growth.

In the latest episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau hosts Jason Mandel, Founder and CEO of The Mandel Family Office, to highlight the profound influence of talent on business success. Jason emphasizes the importance of nurturing talent, shares insights on aligning employees' goals through incentives, and provides a deep dive into his specialized expertise.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Jason Mandel on LinkedIn
• Contact Jason Mandel: cell phone 917-603-2365
• The Mandel Family Office
• Caretrust Financial
• DEMAND TRANSPARENCY: Stop Wall Street Greed and Rising Taxes From Destroying Your Wealth by Jason Mandel

Hannah Smolinski, a Certified Public Accountant, is the Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group. This agency, operating on a virtual CFO model, is dedicated to offering small businesses financial clarity and strategies for profit maximization. Hannah's experience at one of the world's largest accounting firms led her to create this service. She wanted to make sure small businesses could benefit from top-level financial advice.

In addition to running Clara CFO Group, Hannah has a YouTube channel with over 55,000 subscribers. She shares practical finance advice and provides valuable business resources on her channel. Her goal is to help organizations understand their financial situation better and work toward commercial success.

In this episode…

In the journey of small businesses to build exceptional teams, numerous trials and tribulations emerge, but so do remarkable successes. Despite the successes achieved in hiring and team-building endeavors, what are some prevalent struggles companies may face in talent acquisition?

Navigating the talent ecosystem presents businesses with myriad challenges, from fierce competition for top talent to the intricacies of remote hiring. Drawing from experiences, business leader Hannah Smolinski underscores the significance of aligning hiring strategies with company values and culture. Values such as integrity, collaboration, and innovation guide her hiring decisions and team-building efforts. By adopting a strategic approach and remaining steadfast in their commitment to company values, businesses can surmount these obstacles and cultivate teams that propel success and foster growth.

In the latest episode of the Talent Wins podcast with Chris Mursau, Hannah Smolinski, Founder and CEO of the Clara CFO Group, shares candid insights into the challenges companies often face when acquiring talent. From financial barriers to the significance of anticipating hiring needs and asking the right interview questions, Hannah provides valuable advice for navigating the hiring landscape.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn 
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Hannah Smolinski: LinkedIn | Email
• Clara CFO Group: Website | YouTube
• EOS

Chris Mursau is the President of Topgrading, a proven system that helps organizations build and maintain high-performing teams through hiring, development, and promotion strategies. Since 2001, Chris has been consulting and teaching organizations and individual managers how to pack their teams with A Players.

Chris has conducted over 2,500 in-depth Topgrading assessments for internal and external candidates, helped hundreds of people achieve their A potential, and trained thousands in the guaranteed methods for improving their success. His client list is broad and diverse, including Fortune 500 companies, small to medium-sized businesses, and nonprofit organizations. In April, Chris co-authored his first book, Foolproof Hiring, along with Brad Smart. The book reveals an easy-to-follow instruction course in Topgrading, a time-tested hiring methodology for recruiting A Players.

In this episode…

Topgrading is a well-established technique for recruiting and retaining high-performing teams. However, the three available editions of the book are quite comprehensive, making it challenging to absorb all of the information thoroughly. As a result, hiring teams may wonder how they can effectively use the methodology without fully implementing the system.

Over the years, Chris Mursau, a seasoned executive at Topgrading, has conducted several feedback sessions with the system’s users. During his evaluations, he determined that many users were not referencing the appropriate components of the process. Moreover, many smaller companies could not onboard needed resources, such as a human resources department or hiring program. To mitigate the improper use of Topgrading procedures, Chris conceived the idea of writing Foolproof Hiring, an abbreviated manual version. Foolproof Hiring guides readers through the process by providing a starting point and assisting them in executing Topgrading best practices.

In this episode of the Talent Wins Podcast, Rise25’s Chad Franzen once again interviews Chris Mursau to discuss Foolproof Hiring, a book he co-authored with Brad Smart. Chris reveals the inspiration for writing the book, shares five typical hiring challenges, and identifies the hiring habits that acquisition teams should avoid.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Chad Franzen on LinkedIn
• Rise25
• Foolproof Hiring: Powerful, Proven Keys to Hiring High Performers by Brad Smart and Chris Mursau

Lee Prosenjak is the Managing Director at Valentines Resort & Marina, a luxury all-suite hotel on Harbour Island, The Bahamas. He is also a Senior Partner at Hesse Partners, a forum facilitating learning and growth opportunities for executives, corporations, universities, and membership organizations. For over 20 years, Lee operated a dance studio in Denver, Colorado. He is a tenured Entrepreneurs’ Organization member and a former Master Forum Trainer.

In this episode…

Populous cities have an easier time filling positions because there is a larger pool of talent to recruit from. However, hiring managers in smaller communities may need help to attract top talent. What strategies can they implement to spearhead the process?

Business leader Lee Prosenjak shares that he continuously networks with clients, customers, and work associates in addition to sourcing talent in neighboring communities. He explains that this helps build a Rolodex of potential hires and allows him to plan out at least six months in advance to ensure all job positions are filled. Although finding talent in smaller communities can be more challenging, Lee thinks that companies should still follow a rigorous hiring process. He recommends hiring managers conduct reference checks, verify past employers, and vet work gaps. Additionally, Lee asserts that companies with reputable brands can entice candidates to apply for employment.

In this episode of the Talent Wins Podcast, Chris Mursau welcomes Lee Prosenjak to discuss recruiting top talent in small communities. Lee discusses sourcing talent as the largest employer in a small community, talent acquisition processes, and strategies for building a solid team.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Lee Prosenjak on LinkedIn
• Valentines Resort & Marina
• Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz
• Creative Quest by Questlove
• Questlove Supreme

Zach Wilcox is the Founder and CEO of Fide Freight, a family-owned domestic transportation company specializing in supply chain technology, logistics, and transportation solutions. In Zach’s role, he oversees all operations aspects, including sales, people development and training, and marketing. Before founding Fide Freight, Zach held project management, operations, and manufacturing roles across different companies. He has a business degree from Grand Valley State University.

In this episode…

To attract great talent, a company must have systems to discuss the candidates in-depth. 

To streamline the hiring process, Zach Wilcox advocates for implementing processes for documenting the hiring process, tracking applicants, and a system for exchanging data and information. Adopting structured and comprehensive hiring practices allows the acquisitions team to streamline quality candidates. Create interview sheets to document special notes about each candidate's qualifications and resumes, which hiring managers can upload into a tracking system. Zach affirms that Monday.com is reliable software to manage all applicants, giving all interviewers access to all interviews, notes, and scorecards.

In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau welcomes Zach Wilcox, Founder and CEO of Fide Freight, for an informational conversation about hiring and interviewing processes. Zach discusses Fide Freight, how to amass new customers, leveraging core values to attract job candidates, and hiring strategies for acquiring top talent.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Zach Wilcox on LinkedIn
• Fide Freight
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
• Who by Geoff Smart
• The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• Monday

Scott Clawson is the Chairman and CEO of Culligan International, an 80-year-old global brand leader in water services and solutions, serving over 140 million consumers. Under his leadership, he spearheaded the acquisition of Culligan by BDT Capital Partners for $6 billion. Scott began his career at Alcoa, and since then, he’s led The GSI Group—a $700+ million global manufacturer—and RYKO Enterprises—the largest North American vehicle wash provider—as President and CEO. Scott also served as President of Danaher, an international science and technology corporation.

In this episode…

A vacant position has negative consequences for a company, especially if it remains unfilled for an extended period. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons why organizations fill jobs hastily. So, how can hiring managers ensure they make the ideal acquisitions?

Business leader and veteran CEO Scott Clawson was introduced to the Topgrading methodology several years ago during his first tenure as an executive leader. Since then, he’s adopted the hiring process as the gold standard. Scott recommends that hiring teams mandate processes such as assessments, tandem and competency interviews, scorecards, and work history references. These procedures evaluate candidates' abilities, observe body language, verify achievements, and eliminate red flags. Additionally, if candidates advance to the next stage of the hiring process, recruiters should arrange a lunch or dinner interview to gauge an aspirant's cultural compatibility with the company. The topgrading approach aims to be a foolproof interview practice that guarantees attracting, hiring, and retaining top performers.

In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau chats with Scott Clawson, Chairman and CEO of Culligan International, about the significance of acquiring A-players, common hiring mistakes, and why it’s vital for a CEO to have a partnership with the CHRO.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Topgrading (How to Hire, Coach and Keep a Players) by Brad Smart
• Brad Smart on LinkedIn
• Scott Clawson on LinkedIn
• Culligan Water

Lee Benson is the CEO of Execute to Win (ETW), a consulting firm helping organizations improve results through fostering intentional leadership, strategy, execution, and culture. He has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and has founded seven companies with exits ranging from low-figure millions to over nine figures. After selling Able Aerospace Services to Textron Aviation for nine figures, Lee committed to helping leaders maximize their potential. In June 2022, he published his first book, Your Most Important Number: Increase Collaboration, Achieve Your Strategy, and Execute to Win.

In this episode…

It is unlikely that most employees can recite their company's core values. Even for those who are familiar with the values, they may not fully understand them. So, do company values contribute to an organization's success?

A company's mission statement aims to persuade customers to use its products or services and to serve as a reminder to employees. If employees do not add value to an organization, their jobs may be at risk. That’s why Lee Benson, a veteran CEO, created the MIND Methodology (Most Important Number and Drivers Methodology), a practice that focuses on behavior over value. This approach encourages employees to complete assigned tasks on time and in sequence. The MIND methodology is effective in increasing employee engagement and productivity. When employees understand and believe in their company's values, they are more likely to be motivated to do their best work.

In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau sits with Lee Benson, CEO of Execute to Win (ETW), a consulting firm for high-achieving leaders, to discuss how organizations can better run a business using the MIND Methodology. Lee elaborates on the Leadership Audit Checklist, MIND Methodology, and understanding the most important number. 

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Lee Benson on LinkedIn
• Evaluate To Win (ETW)
• Your Most Important Number: Increase Collaboration, Achieve Your Strategy, and Execute to Win by Lee Benson

Dr. Price Pritchett is the Founder and CEO of Pritchett, LP, a consulting firm with 40-plus years of proven expertise in merger integration, corporate culture, and change management. He’s an authoritarian on growth strategies, and his first book, After the Merger: Managing the Shockwaves, is the cardinal book on merger and acquisition integration. Upon its successful reception, Dr. Pritchett went on to pen additional 30-plus books, which have collectively sold over 14 million copies, making him one of the best-selling business authors in the world.

Pritchett, LP’s client list consists of mainly Fortune 1000 companies, including American Airlines, Honeywell, NASA, Sony, Texas Instruments, and Wells Fargo, to name a few. As a thought leader and keynote speaker, he’s addressed executive groups such as the American Medical Association, John Deere, Mattel, and General Motors.

In this episode…

Statistics reveal that 50-70% of executives fail within the first year and a half of taking on a role. In a merger environment, that percentage increases. Mergers and acquisitions are more than pristine bookkeeping and performing due diligence. It can be a politicized process chock-full of risks, and its success rate depends on leadership competency.

Dr. Price Pritchett, author of the best-seller After the Merger: Managing the Shockwaves, warns that executive leaders are at higher risk of termination during a merger. On the contrary, a merger is more likely to fail when premier talent prematurely flees for fear of losing their job. Other factors to consider are company cultures, organizational structure, and operational costs. Though these are key responsibilities placed on department heads, Dr. Pritchett cautions that an aloof CEO reflects the company’s leadership.

In this episode of the Talent Wins podcast, Chris Mursau sits with Dr. Price Pritchett, Founder and CEO of Pritchett, LP, to discuss strategies for a successful merger. Dr. Pritchett explains how premier talent plays an integral role in the success of merger integrations, why CEOs need to be more involved in the recruiting process, and M&A best practices.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Email Topgrading: info@Topgrading.com
• Dr. Price Pritchett on LinkedIn
• Pritchett, LP
• Merger Integration
• After the Merger: Managing the Shockwaves by Price Pritchett
• The Employee Guide to Mergers and Acquisitions by Price Pritchett

Brad Giles is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolution Partners, a top strategic and leadership advisory firm. As a serial entrepreneur, Brad has founded multiple fast-growth companies and supported hundreds more. He is also an author, speaker, and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience. He helps CEOs build, execute, and maintain accountability over their strategic plans.

In this episode…

Research shows that 84% of companies have an onboarding process of 14 days or less. But this hinders employees’ success since performance accelerates after 30 days of onboarding. So how can you empower top talent with the knowledge and opportunities to thrive in their roles?

Leadership expert Brad Giles advocates for a 90-day onboarding process divided into three pivotal stages. The first month should include weekly induction meetings communicating position and organizational expectations. The second phase transitions from mentoring to practical skill application to overcome the learning curve. As the new hires progress in their roles, leaders should build and nurture relationships and encourage consistent practice. This strategic system mitigates knowledge gaps and promotes productivity.

In this episode of Talent Wins, Brad Giles of Evolution Partners joins the host Chris Mursau to discuss best practices for hiring and onboarding. He explains onboarding debt, hiring strategies and tools, and the difference between onboarding, orientation, and induction. 

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Brad Giles on LinkedIn
• Made to Thrive: The Five Roles to Evolve Beyond Your Leadership Comfort Zone by Brad Giles
• Evolution Partners
• The Growth Whisperers podcast

Scott Scully is the Founder and CEO of Abstrakt Marketing Group, a B2B lead generation and business growth agency. Under his leadership, Abstrakt Marketing Group has achieved an impressive annual growth rate of 20% for the past 13 years, resulting in a current team of 550 members and a projected revenue of $78 million for the year. Over the past 30 years, Scott has started, invested in, or played a major role in several companies in the marketing and lead generation space, three of which have exceeded $12 million in annual revenue. He is also the co-host of The Grow Show, a podcast for business leaders and entrepreneurs with a growth-driven mindset.

In this episode…

Scott Scully of Abstrakt Marketing Group is proud to have a team that differentiates his company from the rest. He’s so confident in his people that Abstrakt offers guaranteed results — and clients don’t have to pay until these results are achieved. How does he develop a team of A players that take Abstrakt to the next level?

The first thing Scott does is define the traits of A players and hire based on these characteristics. Once these A players are on the team, Scott holds weekly meetings and appoints A player scores to ensure employees are on the right track. On the company side, he helps create an innovative culture that fosters employee growth, happiness, and constant development. How else does Scott attract and retain top talent?

In this episode of Talent Wins, Chris Mursau chats with Scott Scully, Founder and CEO of Abstrakt Marketing Group, about hiring and retaining a team of A players. Scott digs deep into his MAP meetings, tips for improving culture, and the value of creating opportunities for your people. He also shares advice for growth-minded CEOs who want to scale!

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Chris Mursau on LinkedIn 
• Topgrading on LinkedIn
• Topgrading
• Scott Scully on LinkedIn 
• Abstrakt Marketing Group
• The Grow Show: Business Growth Stories from the Frontlines