Eating Crow Episode 09: Todd Wiebusch

09/23/20 • 40 min

We all know Waffle House is where dreams are born. Well, at least they have amazing syrup.

Todd Wiebusch tells us how a series of All-Star Specials led to a partnership that has lasted to this day. Its a good thing he has a strong business partner because Todd brought his "Anti-Bio" to the podcast - a remarkable list of his top 10 eating crow moments (read, epic failures).

His resume of lessons learned is extremely self-aware, humble, retrospective and frank. It's also why I find Todd to be one of the best leaders, business operators and investors I've had the pleasure of working with. Todd values the right stuff: energy, loyalty, trust, work ethic and common decency.

Todd's Eating Crow Moments (longest list in this short podcast's history):

Turning down a job because he already had one..and watching the person who took it retire at 41.
Moving up north and enduring 3 brutal winters and admitting to his wife: "Yep, we should move"
Market timing - both good and bad
Bad investments - well, they seemed like a good idea at the time
Foreign basketball teams - see previous bullet point
Leverage matters, so do good negotiating skills
LOIs are just a piece of paper with good "intentions"

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

Survive. 2000/2001, 2008, 2020. Make the tough decisions, even the ones you think you can't - just survive
No assholes. There's more hear than you think
Be transparent - to investors, employees and customers - and stay close to your customers

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know Waffle House is where dreams are born. Well, at least they have amazing syrup.

Todd's Eating Crow Moments (longest list in this short podcast's history):

Turning down a job because he already had one..and watching the person who took it retire at 41.
Moving up north and enduring 3 brutal winters and admitting to his wife: "Yep, we should move"
Market timing - both good and bad
Bad investments - well, they seemed like a good idea at the time
Foreign basketball teams - see previous bullet point
Leverage matters, so do good negotiating skills
LOIs are just a piece of paper with good "intentions"

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

Survive. 2000/2001, 2008, 2020. Make the tough decisions, even the ones you think you can't - just survive
No assholes. There's more hear than you think
Be transparent - to investors, employees and customers - and stay close to your customers

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Eating Crow Episode 08: Don Thompson

As a successfully exited CEO, business leader, board member, author, speaker, pod-caster, husband, father, son, collegiate athlete and diversity and inclusion leader - Don has been there, done that.

He's also a gracious mentor and community builder. Don shares his story, weaving in some of the most poignant and relevant lessons we've had on Eating Crow.

What skills does Don look for when hiring?

What's the most important lesson he's learned to drive success at customers and ultimately for his companies?

What does diversity and inclusion mean to Don? How is he bringing this to companies and individuals? Hint, it's not what you think.

Don doesn't want someone else's touchdown - listen to find out what this means, it's brilliant.

Don's Eating Crow Moments:

The importance of setting expectations
A serious shift in his leadership style and "what might have been"

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

Empathy and emotional intelligence - every leader needs to learn and practice these critical behaviors
How we need to rethink the recruiting process to factor in diversity and still hire the BEST candidate for the job
Don is a killer salesman - and the customer he stole from me

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Eating Crow Episode 10: Ed Roshitsh

Ed Roshitsh opens a window - as transparent a leader we've interviewed on Eating Crow. As CEO of Dude Solutions, he offered a masterclass in communications during COVID. Many CEOs followed his example in frequent and honest, but inspiring communications, both internally and externally. He shares why this is so important as a leader, helping us understand why his team was so loyal and inspired.

Ed's Eating Crow Moments:

A 360 15 years ago opened his eyes to needed improvements in his leadership style
Learning that our internal lens may be very different from that of our teammates

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

Leadership tone is critical. An entire organization can shift culture based on the tone from the top
Push decision making to the edge. Hire the right people and let them do their job, then coach areas for improvement.
Listen as Ed describes the key attributes he looks for in any leader/manager. Some of them surprised me.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.