Most CEOs think coaching means getting the right answers. Sheldon Harris built a twelve-year career proving the opposite.Sheldon Harris, Partner and Coach at CEO Coaching International, talks about the operating principles that have guided hundreds of CEOs through growth, crisis, and reinvention.From a warehouse manager job at Costco in Alaska to leading Cold Stone Creamery through explosive growth and a public food-safety crisis, Sheldon shares the moments that shaped how he leads and coaches today. He talks about getting fired the same day as his close friend and CEO Coaching International founder Mark Moses, why he believes the best leaders are humble and hungry, and the coaching principle he calls “meeting people where they live.”He also unpacks a few of his most repeated operating principles, the ones his clients call the Sheldons, and explains why real transformation with a coach is never a single moment but an ongoing process.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Character reveals itself most clearly under real adversity01:22 Work ethic outweighs credentials when building a career03:38 Great leadership adapts fast when familiar rules disappear06:53 Guard your integrity like it defines everything you do12:47 Owning a crisis builds more trust than hiding it18:01 Behave today like the leader your future demands24:32 Getting fired revealed exactly who he chose to be32:35 The best performers share one trait: humble and hungry39:01 Trust must be earned before real change happens60:28 Meeting people where they live unlocks real coaching impactSubscribe now and be ready when the conversations begin.RESOURCES MENTIONED“Great by Choice” by Jim Collins:https://www.jimcollins.com/books/great-by-choice.html CEO Coaching International website:https://ceocoachinginternational.com/#MakeBIGHappen #CEOCoaching #Leadership

Jonathan Sherrill, Founder of Waypoint, built Quicken Steel from a shuttered sawmill and sold it in 2022. He explains what buyers really test for before they buy. He co-authored “The Extraordinary Exit” with Andy Harris; the book won the Gold Medal for Best Adult Non-Fiction Informational eBook at the 2026 IPPY Awards. Through Waypoint, Jonathan advises founders on the personal side of the exit.Key Takeaways:00:00 Introduction03:31 What six years working for private equity taught him about what buyers really want13:14 Why his daughter's diagnosis changed what he was building his company for19:31 The test buyers quietly run before they'll ever make an offer20:23 A flat tire question that reveals whether a business can run without its founder24:33 The leadership team question most CEOs would rather not answer honestly28:02 Why a coach who pushes back beats an advisor who just agrees34:51 The charitable commitment that nearly delayed a multi-million dollar closing37:17 What it actually felt like when the emails and calls just stopped45:43 His advice for any founder still carrying self-doubtSubscribe to Make BIG Happen for more conversations with the CEOs and coaches shaping what's next.Resources Mentioned:Waypoint website:https://waypointfounders.com/ “The Extraordinary Exit” by Andy Harris and Jonathan Sherrill:https://www.theextraordinaryexitbook.com/ #CEOCoaching #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth

The most important decisions arrive before the answers do.In this episode, Jaime Donnelly, CEO and President of Integrity Staffing Solutions, shares what leadership really looks like when the stakes are high and the industry is shifting — from navigating a devastating client loss to rebuilding an entire sales team against industry headwinds.Key Takeaways:00:00 Leadership is tested most when the industry turns and people’s livelihoods are on the line02:02 Losing a major client forces fast, decisive action to protect the bottom line and the team07:44 Integrity adopted AI voice recruiting tools years before competitors to handle candidate volume at scale14:44 Rebuilding the entire sales team during an industry contraction led to over 60% revenue growth in 202517:39 A clear decision-making framework gives a CEO the autonomy to act without constant founder approval26:21 Project Home empowers the team to identify and support associates facing housing instability44:39 Shortening the time between clarity and action drives better outcomes for leaders and their teamsSubscribe now and be ready when the conversations begin.Resources Mentioned:Integrity Staffing Solutions: https://www.integritystaffing.com CEO Coaching International: https://ceocoachinginternational.com #MakeBIGHappen #CEOCoaching #Leadership

Most leaders wait for the data to be obvious before they act.In this episode, Fred Crosetto, Founder and Chairman at AMMEX and Founder of iSupport Worldwide, talks about acting before anyone else is even paying attention. He built his business across three decades, navigated the chaos of COVID from both sides of the world, and came out stronger on every front. We unpack how he saw the pandemic coming before the US did, why he replaced his entire C-suite two years before COVID hit, and what it really means to run your own race in business and in life.Key Takeaways:00:00 Introduction03:00 A book on megatrends sent Fred to Asia at 2306:40 How Fred built AMMEX by calling every dentist he could find15:16 Being in China first gave AMMEX an unfair advantage21:40 Replacing the entire C-suite two years before COVID23:09 Pressure testing remote work six weeks before the world shut down28:01 Glove communism and whale hunting: how they won the pandemic46:15 The one question every founder must answer before stepping back50:13 The biggest mistake Fred made as a founder58:22 Competing in the cross-country skiing world championships at 61Resources Mentioned:AMMEX Group Website https://www.ammex.com/iSupport Worldwide Website https://isupportworldwide.com/#MakeBIGHappen #CEOCoaching #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth

Everyone wants the answer.Very few build the discipline to find it.In this episode, I sit down with Steve Sanduski, Founder of Belay Advisor and longtime Host of CEO Coaching International podcast. Steve has had 11 years of conversations with some of the most successful CEOs and entrepreneurs in the world.We unpack what actually drives leadership at the highest level, from the pressure and loneliness of the role to the systems and disciplines that separate those who scale from those who stall. We also explore how the job of a CEO is evolving in real time and what the next decade will demand.Key Takeaways:00:00 Introduction03:30 Leadership is more pressure than most expect05:45 AI is increasing complexity and decision speed08:12 Entry-level skill building is being disrupted12:36 Coachability separates the best leaders14:48 Great CEOs build teams, not dependence22:20 Most growth problems are leadership problems25:00 Culture acts as the operating system29:38 Resilience defines breakthrough moments45:37 The next decade will test leadershipResources Mentioned:Steve Sanduskihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesanduski/Belay Advisorhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/belay-advisor/CEO Coaching International | Websitehttps://ceocoachinginternational.com/#CEOCoaching #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth

In this episode, I sit down with Jaspar Weir to unpack what it really takes to build a billion-dollar company from scratch—and why most founders get the fundamentals wrong early on.Jaspar Weir is the Co-Founder and President of TaskUs, a global outsourcing company that scaled to over a billion dollars in revenue.Join us as we walk through the real journey behind the growth—from scrappy early days and failed ideas to defining moments that tested the business, shaped leadership, and built a culture that actually scales.Key Takeaways:00:00 Building a billion-dollar vision starts early.03:38 Funding the first business through unconventional hustle.04:30 Early failure in Argentina led to a global business insight.08:53 Crisis moments reveal the strength of the team.11:36 Frontline employees are the true product.17:20 Continuous self-improvement drives long-term growth.18:48 Setting bold goals creates alignment and momentum.25:30 Hard people-decisions are necessary to scale.27:35 Measuring culture makes it actionable and scalable.Resources Mentioned:Jaspar Weirhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jasparweir/TaskUs | LinkedInhttps://www.taskus.com/TaskUs | Websitehttps://www.taskus.com/ENPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) https://lattice.com/articles/what-is-employee-net-promoter-score-enpsThe 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferrisshttps://fourhourworkweek.com/Subscribe now and be ready when the conversations begin.#CEOCoaching #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth

Leadership looks decisive from the outside. Behind the scenes, it’s different. Growth stalls. Execution slips. The stakes rise, and every decision carries weight.Listen to candid discussions with CEOs and founders about the moments that test leaders most. These are the turning points that shape companies and define leadership. If you’re building something meaningful, leading through uncertainty, or preparing for the CEO seat, these stories are for you.Subscribe now and be ready when the conversations begin.#CEOCoaching #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessGrowth

Guest: Peter Platten, Chief Revenue Officer of Protos Security. Peter joined the company in 2020 and has helped lead its transformation from a $150 million organization to a $750 million revenue firm today. Overview: Private equity doesn't reward incremental thinking. It rewards leaders who can scale under pressure, build systems that outperform, and push past what most teams believe is possible to Make BIG Happen.  On today's show, Peter Platten explains his four-move framework to grow fast in a private equity environment. He also discusses how to build teams that overshoot goals instead of simply meeting them and why systems-thinking -- not siloed optimization -- is the real key to exponential success.

Guests: Jerry Vance, the Founder and Managing Partner of Preferred CFO, and Scott Crawford, a Partner at Preferred CFO focused on client prioritization and new business development. Overview: A CEO who's led their company past the "I'll Do Everything" stage needs a true financial strategist at their side to stop surviving and start scaling. But the CEO also needs clarity on what kind of financial expertise their company truly needs at various stages of growth. Paying a full-time CFO to act like a glorified bookkeeper isn't going to accelerate your trajectory. And a "CF-No" who builds a moat around your cash might not share the CEO's bold vision for BIG.  On today's show, Jerry Vance and Scott Crawford explore the state of the fractional CFO industry and why forecasting and five-year planning are strategic leadership tools, not just accounting exercises.

Guests: Tim Kreytak, CEO and Co-Founder of Ironside, one of North America's leading analytics and data consulting firms and a multiple Inc. 5000 honoree. Jason Breazeale, Vice President of Technology at Burn Boot Camp, a rapidly growing fitness franchise with nearly 400 locations. Overview: Yes, your company needs to be using AI. But before you start buying subscriptions and upgrading your tech stack, you need to understand what actually drives successful AI integrations: a bedrock of solid data. Without clean, accessible, and trusted data, even the most advanced AI tools will fail to deliver results. On today's show, Tim Kreytak and Jason Breazeale discuss why you need BIG data mastery before AI can help your company Make BIG Happen.