In this special solo episode and inaugural "book club" format, David Knack shares his journey from problem-solver to coach as his team at Zingage grows from one person to six. Facing the transition from customer-facing sales to internal leadership, David opens up about his struggle with being the "smartest guy in the room" and how The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier transformed his approach.

David walks through the seven essential questions that replaced his advice-giving habit with curiosity-driven leadership. He reveals why rhetorical questions disguised as coaching actually create the same dependency problems as direct advice, how silence became his most powerful tool, and why ending every one-on-one with "what was most useful for you?" unlocks strategic thinking in his team. This episode delivers practical frameworks for home care leaders navigating the shift from doing the work to leading the people who do the work.

Lesson Takeaways:

1. Stay Curious Just a Little Bit Longer: Resist the urge to jump into problem-solving mode. Ask one more question than feels comfortable, then embrace the silence. This builds team capacity and reduces your role as the "hit by a bus" problem.

2. Kill Your Rhetorical Questions: Replace "have you tried..." with "what's the real challenge here for you?" to transform fake coaching into real development. Rhetorical questions are just advice with a question mark at the end.

3. Make Help Requests Bounded: Ask "how can I help?" to get specific, limited requests instead of taking on five new tasks. This maximizes team ownership while minimizing what lands on your plate as a leader.

4. End with Action and Reflection: Close every one-on-one with "what was most useful for you?" and "what's one action you'll take this week?" This builds strategic thinking habits and ensures conversations translate to results.

5. Understand What They Really Want: Ask "what do you want?" to uncover intrinsic motivation. This creates alignment between personal priorities and role expectations, preventing burnout and boosting performance across your team.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: A new book club format for Home Care Hindsight

03:13 - The shift from revenue-generating time to internal leadership

06:09 - Creating cycles of dependence and the "hit by a bus" problem

09:35 - The seven questions that transform your leadership approach

12:24 - What's the real challenge here for you? Understanding the heart of issues

15:01 - What do you want? Emily Isbell's story about promoting caregivers

18:55 - If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?

21:09 - Practical applications: End every one-on-one with reflection and action

Quotes:

David Knack: "There's an immediate dopamine hit that comes with having somebody bring you a problem and making that problem go away pretty quickly. But it's more work on my plate and creates this cycle of dependence."

David Knack: "Often I find myself saying, what if we [insert solution], or have you tried [insert solution]. I'm creating the same problem, but it's just kind of wrapped in a slightly different dressing."

David Knack: "Advice is overrated. Curiosity is underrated. As soon as I feel like I've understood the situation enough, I give advice. That's not the best way to help my team grow and be really effective."

Resources:

1. The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier: https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever/dp/0978440749

2. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/

3. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com

4. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage

Adam Sall, President and Co-founder of Advantage Pointe Home Care, joins host David Knack to discuss how his agency transitioned from traditional private duty care to becoming a vital partner for value-based healthcare entities. Drawing from his background on Wall Street, Adam explains the mechanics of risk-sharing models like MSOs and ACOs and how home care can save these organizations millions by preventing unnecessary 911 calls and hospitalizations.

Adam opens up about his biggest mistake; being a "terrible interviewer" who let personal likability cloud his judgment and how he empowered an expert HR team to prioritize competence over "shooting the breeze." The conversation also explores Adam's philosophy on "sacrificing margin" to pay caregivers more, the implementation of a company-wide revenue share plan, and the critical art of having a real human conversation with staff rather than treating them like widgets.

Lesson Takeaways:

1. Know Your Blind Spots in Hiring: Being a "people person" can lead to poor hiring decisions based on likability rather than skill. Trust specialized HR teams to use methodical processes to ensure the right fit.
2. Bridge the "Post-Acute" Gap: Value-based entities (MSOs/ACOs) often lack a mechanism to intervene in the home. Home care provides the "functional block" that prevents $18,000 hospitalizations for as little as $144 in triage care.
3. Align Incentives Through Revenue Sharing: Implementing a revenue share for the entire organization, from receptionists to operations, ensures everyone is invested in the quality of the "match" between caregiver and client.
4. Sacrifice Margin for Quality: Protecting margins at the expense of caregiver pay is a common industry blind spot. Charging more to pay caregivers better attracts higher-quality talent and supports retention.
5. Move from "Speaking At" to "Conversing With": Simply reading a list of patient requirements to a caregiver isn't a conversation. True engagement involves checking in on their day and vetting their specific comfort level with tasks like colostomy bag care or heavy transfers.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Home Care Hindsight by Zingage
01:25 – Introduction to Adam Sall and Advantage Pointe Home Care
01:54 – From Wall Street to Healthcare: The personal story behind the agency
03:32 – Transitioning into value-based care and care navigation
04:46 – Remedial Healthcare: Explaining ACOs vs. MSOs and risk-sharing
07:23 – The pitch: Using data to prove the value of home care to MSOs
08:49 – Real-world example: A $144 intervention vs. an $18,000 hospital bill
10:02 – Adam's Big Mistake: Being a "terrible interviewer"
11:58 – Building a methodical hiring process and stepping back from the final say
14:54 – Underrated practice: Sacrificing margin to attract better caregivers
17:24 – Creating a revenue share plan for the entire administrative team
21:14 – A common small mistake: Speaking at caregivers instead of having a conversation
25:03 – Personal values: How Adam's father influenced his leadership style
26:43 – A recent win: Scaling value-based success into Georgia, Texas, and Nevada
27:50 – Closing advice for healthcare leaders: Focus on the home

Quotes:

Adam Sall: "Skill and competence has to trump just me liking you as a person."
Adam Sall: "You have to be willing to sacrifice margin to attract and retain a higher quality caregiver."
Adam Sall: "If you don't know about what's happening post-acute... you're gonna get your clock cleaned by people who do have an in-home strategy."
David Knack: "Home care is a very simple solution to a really complicated set of problems."

Resources:

1. Connect with Adam Sall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-sall-01461856/
2. Learn more about Advantage Pointe Home Care: https://www.advantagepointehomecare.com/
3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com
5. Watch this episode on Zingage's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage