55 - The Challenge of Balancing Leadership and Friendship in Business
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
Release Date: 12/01/2025
58 - From Origin Story to Core Focus: Crafting Your Business Identity
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this Lucky 13 Podcast episode, Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser discuss the importance of “core focus” in business and personal development. They explore how a company’s origin story shapes its purpose, passion, and niche, emphasizing the need to revisit and clarify these elements regularly. Through personal anecdotes and practical examples, they highlight how a clear core focus guides decision-making, prevents distractions, and energizes teams. The conversation also touches on the value of discipline in saying no to misaligned opportunities and the role of both founders and employees in...
info_outline
57 - Are You Expanding Your Business or Just Filling Space?
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Josh Hauser and Mike Lantz share personal holiday traditions before diving into business insights. They discuss Parkinson’s Law, emphasizing how work expands to fill available time, and warn against unnecessary hiring and bureaucratic growth. The conversation highlights the pitfalls of focusing on trivial issues, accumulating organizational “junk,” and prioritizing appearances over substance. The hosts encourage leaders to set tighter deadlines, regularly eliminate inefficiencies, and foster honest self-reflection to build resilient,...
info_outline
56 - Mastering the Art of Employee Evaluation: Balancing Will Sets and Skill Sets for Team Success
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser dive into people management, work-life alignment, and employee evaluation, using the holiday season as a backdrop. They discuss how aligning personal and professional lives brings clarity, then explore evaluating employees through “will sets” (motivation) and “skill sets” (ability). The conversation covers managing low performers, re-engaging disengaged experts, developing high potentials, and coaching top talent. Sports analogies and real-life examples illustrate strategies for feedback, ownership, and recognition....
info_outline
55 - The Challenge of Balancing Leadership and Friendship in Business
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser reconnect, sharing lighthearted banter about local food favorites before diving into a reflective business discussion. They emphasize the importance of honest year-end reviews, hiring the right people, and upholding core company values. The conversation explores balancing accountability and friendship, demanding excellence with compassion, and avoiding fear-based retention. Using personal stories and practical tools, Mike and Josh encourage leaders to foster team alignment, address issues early, and make data-driven...
info_outline
54 - Practical Best Strategies for Rapid Organizational Culture Transformation
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Josh Hauser and Mike Lantz explore the foundations of effective business leadership, using sports analogies from Indiana University athletics. They discuss building success through consistent effort, the importance of decisive commitment, and rapidly transforming organizational culture. The conversation highlights the need for clear vision, aligning the right people in the right roles, and mastering both leadership and management. Practical strategies like measurable KPIs and 90-day priorities are shared, emphasizing intentional teamwork and...
info_outline
53 - Unlocking AI: Practical Steps for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses to Embrace Technology and Thrive
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this Lucky 13 Podcast episode, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser interview Jason Beutler, CEO of Robosource. Jason shares his journey from studying computer science and AI to founding Robosource, which helps small and mid-sized businesses integrate AI into daily operations. They discuss Robosource’s Process Coach, a virtual AI assistant that streamlines tasks like sales proposals and sourcing, and emphasize AI as a supportive tool, not a job replacer. The conversation also covers challenges businesses face in adopting AI, the importance of business-driven strategies, and Robosource's...
info_outline
52 - What Can Math Teach Us About Leadership and Organizational Clarity?
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser explore how leadership and organizational clarity can be improved using the math concept of order of operations (PEMDAS). Through relatable analogies and real-world examples, they discuss the importance of clear rules, tools, and disciplines in business, effective communication, and hiring practices. The hosts share personal stories and practical frameworks, emphasizing that consistent standards and cultural fit are key to building strong, aligned teams and achieving business success. Podcast Introduction...
info_outline
51 - The Greatest Leadership Principles for Inspiring Success and Growth
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode, Mike and Josh discuss Indiana University football’s strong season and the excitement around the return of the bison mascot. The conversation then shifts to leadership, drawing on John Maxwell’s “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.” They explore principles like servant leadership, the importance of connection, and the Law of Buy-In, sharing personal stories and practical advice. The episode emphasizes that effective leadership is built on daily growth, genuine relationships, and helping others achieve their dreams, offering actionable insights for both sports fans...
info_outline
50 - Why "But" is the Enemy of Effective Communication in Leadership
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode, recorded on September 11th, Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser (“Chef Hauser”) engage in an unscripted conversation about business leadership, personal growth, and mindset. Josh shares memorable analogies—like “left cheek, right cheek” and “what wood won’t light”—to illustrate the importance of referrals, clarity, and focusing on high performers. The hosts discuss raising organizational standards, the value of self-awareness, and fostering team alignment. Blending humor and practical advice, they encourage leaders to obsess over excellence, nurture talent, and...
info_outline
49 - Building a Resilient Workforce: Strategies for Managing Employee Turnover Effectively
Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit
In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser dive into the challenges of employee turnover in today’s tight job market. They distinguish between natural and preventable turnover, discuss the impact of hiring practices and leadership, and offer practical strategies for reducing regrettable attrition. The conversation also highlights the value of peer coaching “trios” for business owners. With candid anecdotes and actionable advice, Mike and Josh emphasize the importance of aligning the right people with the right roles to drive business success and employee...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser reconnect, sharing lighthearted banter about local food favorites before diving into a reflective business discussion. They emphasize the importance of honest year-end reviews, hiring the right people, and upholding core company values. The conversation explores balancing accountability and friendship, demanding excellence with compassion, and avoiding fear-based retention. Using personal stories and practical tools, Mike and Josh encourage leaders to foster team alignment, address issues early, and make data-driven decisions to drive organizational success in the coming year.
Podcast Introduction & Wawa Memories (00:00:08) Mike and Josh reconnect, discuss Wawa, the Gobbler sandwich, and share local food stories.
Sponsorship Jokes & Fitness Anecdotes (00:02:00) Hosts joke about potential sponsors, sauna suits, speaking gigs, and introversion after public speaking.
Thorntons Pizza & Local Food Chat (00:03:45) Discussion about Thorntons gas station pizza, local food favorites, and brief Costco pizza mention.
Transition to Business Reflection (00:04:30) Shifting from casual chat to business topics, reflecting on the fast year and personal growth.
Guest Speaker & The Bravery Effect (00:04:57) Announcement of Jill Schulman as a future guest, her book, and the concept of taking a leap.
Year-End Autopsy & Old vs. New Thinking (00:06:11) Encouragement to do a thorough year-end review, start/stop analysis, and old vs. new business mindsets.
Hiring: Warm Bodies vs. Right People (00:07:28) Contrast between filling seats with anyone versus focusing on right people, right seats, and hiring discipline.
Managing Around Weaknesses (00:09:17) Discussing the tendency to manage around personal and team weaknesses, and the need to delegate and elevate.
Politics Over Performance (00:11:22) Exploring how loyalty and politics can overshadow performance, and the importance of core values in hiring and promotion.
Friendship vs. Accountability (00:14:24) How personal relationships can hinder accountability, and why radical candor and truth-telling matter in leadership.
Accepting "Good Enough" vs. Demanding Excellence (00:17:07) The dangers of settling for mediocrity and the need to set and uphold higher standards for performance.
Building Roles to Fit Talent vs. Organizational Needs (00:19:07) Pitfalls of creating roles around existing people instead of organizational needs, and the importance of clear accountability.
Fear-Based Retention & Single Points of Failure (00:20:47) Keeping employees out of fear of losing unique skills, and the risks of single points of failure in organizations.
Subjective vs. Objective Evaluations (00:22:19) Moving from subjective, fear-based evaluations to data-driven, objective performance reviews.
Compromising Culture for Performance (00:23:20) The cost of tolerating high performers who damage culture, and the need to prioritize values over numbers.
Indefinite Patience vs. Timely Action (00:24:18) The problem of waiting too long to address issues, and the importance of prompt, disciplined feedback.
Conclusion & Tools for Year-End Reflection (00:25:35) Encouragement to use structured tools for year-end reviews, emphasizing clarity, discipline, and continuous improvement.