Ever feel your team is waiting on you for every decision while your vision work gathers dust? We sat down with Shirley Williani, founder and CEO of A la Carte Solutions, to unpack the precise tools and hiring moves that remove a CEO from the approval queue and put momentum back into the business. Shirley shares how a sabbatical sparked hard feedback from her team, the wake-up moment that she was the bottleneck, and the simple decision matrix that reshaped accountability overnight.

We dig into the matrix itself—two axes, consequence and reversibility—and how to sort choices into “decide,” “decide and inform,” and “consult the CEO.” You’ll hear real examples, from client discounts to system changes, and how those rules gave managers confidence while freeing Shirley to focus on vision, culture, sales, and marketing. The conversation also reaches upstream to the talent pipeline: why “lifestyle change” candidates often lack urgency, how to spot motivated applicants with probing, story-rich questions, and what a rigorous nine-step recruiting process can do for retention and performance.

Shirley also traces her journey from KPMG and a CFO seat to launching a fractional accounting model when a client wanted a unicorn hire. That structural insight—match roles to actual skills—echoes through her leadership playbook. We close with candid talk about habits, comparison traps, and the mental shift from inner critic to inner champion, including a daily practice that strengthens self-trust. If you’re ready to scale decision-making, lower unwanted churn, and lead with a clearer mind, this conversation offers practical frameworks you can implement today.

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In this podcast you will learn about:

• Defining elite success across life and work

• Solving “unicorn” roles with fractional structure

• Shifting time to vision, culture, and revenue

• Recruiting for urgency and culture fit

• The three R’s: recruit, retain, release

• Habits that support consistency and clarity

• Inner critic vs inner champion practice

Highlights:

0:00

Series Setup And Guest Intro

0:43

Defining Elite Success

3:07

Trusting Teams To Create Space

4:01

Career Path From CPA To CEO

7:48

Pitching Without A Plan

10:25

Removing Self Placed Boulders

12:41

Becoming The Bottleneck Wake Up

14:46

From Gatekeeper To Vision Leader

16:25

Building The Decision Matrix

20:41

Hiring, Retaining, Releasing Talent

24:18

Urgency Signals In Recruiting

28:16

Habits, Self Care, And Comparison

31:09

Inner Critic Vs Inner Champion

33:41

Where To Learn More And Closing

Interested in 1:1 Coaching?

If you were truly leading at the level your vision requires, what decision would you make this week?

I provide strategic coaching for high-performing financial advisors, service-based business owners, and leaders who want coaching that goes beyond accountability. I partner with you to execute on your vision and focus on what truly drives results: executive presence, leadership development, scaling, and prioritization.

The outcome: you realize your full potential, influence and inspire others, and lead a high-impact business that reflects your next-level goals.

To explore if coaching is the right fit, email me at meet@kristinburke.com to schedule a discovery call.

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