Our host Ryan Castle sits down with Jonathan B. Smith, best-selling author of Fight Less, Win More, negotiations instructor, and EOS Implementer, just after the release of his new book.

Jonathan is a senior practitioner with The Black Swan Group, founded by former FBI lead hostage negotiator Christopher Voss. In this conversation, Jonathan shares how elite negotiation skills apply far beyond the boardroom. We dig into how to remove yourself as a threat in high-stakes conversations, why being heard is often the real breakthrough in negotiation, and how better listening changes outcomes with clients, teams, and partners. Jonathan also unpacks practical tools for making hard decisions faster, negotiating under pressure, and avoiding the costly delay that holds leaders back.

If you lead people, run a business, or negotiate every day and want better results with less conflict, this episode offers practical, field-tested strategies you can use immediately.

Useful links:

Get the book Fight Less, Win More by Jonathan B. Smith, available now on Amazon
Connect with Jonathan B. Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staycuriousjbs/

staycuriousjbs.com

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Hector Alvarado, Optimize Business Systems, who reminds us that the real CEO superpower isn’t hustle: it’s strategic focus. Growth doesn’t come from adding more initiatives, products, or meetings. It comes from strategic subtraction and executing a small number of aligned priorities relentlessly.

Hector draws on lessons from Bezos, Buffett, and Musk to show why saying no is often the most powerful move a leader can make. If you’re juggling too many priorities or feel your team is busy but not moving the needle, this tip reframes your role: success comes from deciding what not to do.

Connect with Hector Alvarado:
LinkedIn
The Inner Circle
optimizebusinesssystems.com

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Ryan Castle sits down with Megan Long, founder of Second First and longtime second-in-command, to explore what really makes the visionary–integrator partnership work. Megan explains why business operating systems like EOS® or Scaling Up are just the “Windows layer,” and how the right “software” on top – clear roles, better same-page meetings, and a shared end game – prevents organizational whiplash and turns Rocket Fuel into reality. She also unpacks why executive growth requires “extreme discomfort,” and makes the case that integrators, more than visionaries, benefit most from coaching and peer groups because they are the true force multipliers in the business.

Useful links:

Connect with Megan Long on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganclong/
Second First: https://www.secondfirst.com/
The Right Hand Roadmap podcast: https://www.secondfirst.com/podcast
Second First on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoursecondfirst

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Dianne Cubinar, Co-Founder of RO’I Ops & Beyond, who shines a light on a hidden operational risk: the invisible pothole of uncertainty. Dianne explains how silence in a team triggers guesswork, slows execution, erodes trust, and quietly kills your rocks.

Her tip reframes feedback as a system problem, not a people problem. She shares a simple move leaders can make in their next Level 10 Meeting: pause on a metric that’s already on track and ask the owner what system or conversation kept it green. That small step turns success into a repeatable process rather than an accident. If you’ve been struggling with hesitation, rework, or a team that’s “busy but unclear,” this power tip helps you build a cleaner, clearer feedback loop, and stop uncertainty from stealing your traction.

Connect with Dianne Cubinar:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannecxh
RO'I Ops & Beyond roiopsandbeyond.co

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Ryan Castle sits down with Jen Hamilton, Fractional COO, COO mentor and founder of Hamilton COOs, whose career took a hard left turn from CPA to operations. Jen shares how starting life in the numbers gave her a powerful edge in running businesses, and why she now prefers fixing broken systems, coaching leaders and building high performing teams over doing the detailed work herself.

Jen unpacks what a great fractional COO actually does for an EOS business: using data and scorecards to spot the real problems, turning client complaints into retention and referral engines. She explains how to separate doer seats from leader seats, why mixing them kills growth, and how to use fractional talent to avoid overpaid generalists. Finally, Jen shares her playbook for onboarding a fractional integrator the right way, including what visionaries must stop doing if they want real leverage. If you are a visionary or integrator wondering whether a fractional COO could help you get to 100 percent strong, this episode will give you clear, practical answers.

Useful links:

Connect with Jen Hamilton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdawnhamilton/
www.HamiltonCOOs.com

Sign up for free monthly roundtables with peers: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hamilton-coos/events

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Shawn Dan, Fractional Integrator at Integrate to Impact, who shares a practical reminder for SMBs running on EOS®: read the room, understand the intent behind the tools, and right-size the system to fit your business. Shawn explains how his team trims meeting clutter, uses async tools to cut noise, and simplifies scorecards without losing discipline.

If you’ve been trying to run EOS® “by the book” when your company needs a leaner version, this tip will help you keep the spirit of the system while removing friction. Small tweaks to meetings, documentation, and communication can create meaningful momentum.

Connect with Shawn Dan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawndan/

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

Our host Ryan Castle sits down with Sarah Williams, founder of Leading Culture, whose career shifted the moment she stepped out of accounting and onto the factory floor. A single project revealed a truth that changed her path: numbers don’t transform businesses, people do! That realisation sparked a decades-long journey helping organisations turn culture into their competitive advantage.

Sarah shares the four systems every organisation needs to thrive across generations: clarity, decision-making, recognition, and belonging. She explains why Gen Z demand authenticity, why improvement ideas almost always live with the people closest to the work, and how leaders can create cultures where everyone feels they matter and they belong. If you're leading teams through generational change or want a clearer foundation for a strong culture, this episode delivers practical, grounded guidance.

Useful links:
Connect with Sarah Williams on LinkedIn

www.leadingculture.co.nz
Leading Culture Limited on LinkedIn

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/

This week’s Level 10 Leaders Power Tip comes from Beth Jacob, President and Co-CEO of vChief, who delivers a sharp reminder that leadership momentum doesn’t come from perfect plans, it comes from action. Using a simple surfing story, Beth shows how progress accelerates when we stop overthinking, fill leadership gaps quickly, and get someone “in the water” now.

If you’ve been stuck in analysis paralysis or delaying key hires, this power tip will challenge you to move faster, learn faster, and keep your business rowing in the right direction. A small step this week could save months of stalled progress.

Connect with Beth Jacob:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-jacobs-55952b18/
vchiefs.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vchief/

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Where else you can find us

Website: https://www.level10leaders.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level10leaders/