If your meetings are easy but nothing actually changes, you might be on Team Harmony—not Team Honesty. In this whiteboard session, Dale breaks down 5 signs you’re stuck in harmony culture and 3 quick tests to flip your team into honest debate, faster decisions, and real execution.

5 signs you’re on Team Harmony:

1. Easy meetings (status report-outs, nodding along, no debate)

2. Every issue is a 5-alarm fire (people waited too long to raise it)

3. Lack of uncomfortable conversations (no healthy conflict = no growth)

4. Top-down solutions (leader supplies all the answers; no pushback)

5. Slow decisions (bottlenecks, ideas on paper but no movement)

Links:

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalethrush/

Marty’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-osborn-78ba9b5/

Tom’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasrjohnson/

This episode tackles three questions we keep getting from the community:

“My one-on-ones aren’t working—what should I do?”

“I’m a younger manager leading a more experienced team—help!”

“It’s a family business. Dad won’t delegate. How do we change it?”

We share the frameworks we use in the wild: make 1:1s intentional (owner + outcome + agenda), lead vets with humility + listening tours (assessments help), and get family owners to delegate with a by-design sequence (start with what they don’t know, then don’t want, last what they love). Plus: the power of ‘no’ in negotiation and the WIIFM lens that turns your idea into their idea.

Links:

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson

What actually grows a media business? Showing up.

In this episode, Andrej Suttles (founder of Suttlesolution Media) shares how he went from shooting bulldog photos to producing podcasts, reels, and client content every week—by building a consistency + accountability machine. He talks free “test shoots,” fail-safes for production, authentic storytelling vs. Buzz Word Marketing, and why AI is a tool—not a substitute for showing up.

What you’ll learn:

- The origin story (mom’s binder hustle → first camera → dog headshots → media company)

- The secret advantage: the client always get a text before shoot day (accountability & cadence)

- “Give value first”: Why Andrej does free sessions to qualify fit fast

- Authenticity wins: Real talk beats jargon; AI can’t coach you behind the camera

-The 6-week switch: confidence clicks when a stranger says, “Thank you.”

Try this week:

1) Put your content day on the calendar and guard it.

2) Send a 48/24-hour confirmation (accountability text).

3) Publish imperfect, authentic content

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson

Most owners tie exit timing to age—not the business. In this roundtable, Dale, Marty, and Tom break down the real “right time to sell”: when you’re ready (mentally + operationally), the business is clean, and you can tell a story buyers will love.

We talk about the 5 Ds that force terrible exits (death, divorce, disagreement, distress, disability), why “sell in strength” always beats scared selling, and how multiples interact with your EBIT and investment decisions (that “$1 now might cost you 8× in value”). We also hit earn-out/back-end risks (second bite of the apple), FOMO, and why trying to time the market is a fool’s errand.

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson

Most leaders don’t fail because of markets—they fail because of ego.

In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty Osborne and Dale Thrush break down why leaders don’t ask for help and how BCD Syndrome (Blame • Complain • Defend) quietly destroys culture, hiring, and growth. They share practical plays: team-led hiring (“weigh in = buy in”), the Fresh Eyes onboarding practice, when to push back on yourself instead of your people, and why AI adoption is becoming a real-world growth litmus (are you learning or not?).

What you’ll learn:

- BCD Syndrome and how to spot it—in yourself, leaders, and employees

- Team-led hiring to avoid “blame culture” and improve retention (“weigh in = buy in”)

- Ego vs. trust: how to replace defending with curiosity & clarity

Links:

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/cont...

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b...

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson

AI isn’t coming—it’s here. From Amazon automating at scale to Accenture using AI adoption as a litmus test, the people side of business is changing fast. In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty and Dale unpack what that means for leaders, recruiters, and job seekers—including AI showing up inside interviews and why assessments (DISC & Working Genius) matter more than ever. We also share practical plays like “Fresh Eyes” onboarding, hiring by design, and turning messy team data into better decisions.

What you’ll learn

- The new AI reality: layoffs, litmus tests, and why “grow or get left behind.”

- AI in interviews (yes, live prompts on phones) and how leaders should respond.

- Why assessments are harder to fake—and crucial for role fit & retention.

- Fresh Eyes Onboarding

- Hiring by Design (DISC & Working Genius): hunters vs. farmers

- Turning org-wide assessment data into an operating roadmap.

- Customer stories: policies vs. people, when “contract talk” loses the war.

Question: What’s one people process you’ll upgrade with AI + assessments this month—hiring, onboarding, or coaching?

#AIandHR #HiringInTheAIEra #WorkingGenius #DISC #FreshEyesOnboarding #PeopleLeadership #Recruiting #CompanyCulture #TheWayToValue #ByDesignAdvisors

If you think due diligence is just paperwork, wait until the 16 tabs hit your inbox.

In this episode, Steve Brindle (Advoco co-founder) explains how he led the financial excellence and due diligence that took the team from LOI to close in their acquisition—what buyers really check, why simple books beat “lipstick on a pig,” and when to say no without tanking the deal.

You’ll hear how multiple groups (finance, legal, HR, comp) ask for overlapping info in different formats, why consistency is better than spikes in your numbers, when to use accrual vs. cash reporting, and the surprising “wine clause” they had to negotiate out of the final contract. Plus: Why Advoco ran company-wide goals (not project P&Ls) to avoid silos—and how that still passed buyer scrutiny.

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson

A full year. 50+ episodes. Dozens of leaders and teams. Here’s what actually stuck!

In this Yearly Recap of The Way to Value, Marty interviews Dale about the biggest lessons we learned this past year—working with founders, operators, and our own team. We boil it down to three buckets (Strategy • Focus • Execution), the 90-day / 3-rocks cadence that kept us honest, and why getting uncomfortable was the theme that changed everything.

You’ll hear the moments we got it wrong, the frameworks that corrected course, and the habits we’ll carry into next year: Unclear = Unkind, E + R = O, and the discipline of picking exactly three priorities every 90 days—and finishing them!

Links:

Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/cont...

Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/

Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b...

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/dalethrush

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/marty-osborn-78ba9b5

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/thomasrjohnson