Today's Business Leaders with Gabe Arnold
Why Your Team Isn't the Problem (And What Actually Is) | Executive Coach Brad Farris (Episode 163)
Brad Farris didn't set out to become an executive coach. He spent years doing acquisitions for a billionaire family, then transitioned to management consulting—helping entrepreneurial businesses install better systems and processes. But he kept running into the same problem: No matter how good the systems were, if the leader didn't change, nothing stuck. In this episode of Today's Business Leaders, Brad shares his journey from consulting to coaching and reveals why "fixing the team" never works when the real problem is leadership. If you've ever thought "my team just isn't executing," or found yourself buried in back-to-back meetings wondering where your day went, or tried to implement new systems only to watch them fall apart—this conversation is for you. What You'll Learn: Why your team's performance is a direct reflection of your leadership (not their incompetence) The calendar audit that reveals where you're actually spending your time vs. where you should be How to use theme days to protect your creative and strategic thinking time The difference between consulting and coaching (and why one fixes problems while the other transforms leaders) Why entrepreneurs blow up their own businesses when they get bored The dangerous trap of back-to-back meetings and how it makes you "hell on wheels" by 3pm How to delegate effectively without micromanaging your team into the ground Key Quote: "If the leader themselves didn't find a new way to lead, then none of those changes were going to stick." Key Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: When did you first realize you were an entrepreneur? 02:45 - Working for a billionaire doing acquisitions and learning the business 05:30 - The shift from buying companies to helping entrepreneurs grow them 08:15 - Why "fix my team" never works (the leader is always the issue) 12:40 - The consulting trap: great systems that revert back without leadership change 15:50 - The calendar audit that changed everything for Brad's clients 19:20 - Back-to-back meetings and why you're "hell on wheels" by 3pm 22:35 - Theme days: How to structure your week for maximum effectiveness 26:10 - Monday for marketing, Tuesday for one-on-ones, Friday for review and planning 29:45 - Why you have 100% agency over your calendar (even if you think you don't) 32:20 - The entrepreneur's curse: blowing things up when you get bored 35:50 - Creating "playgrounds" so you don't sabotage your business 39:15 - The difference between consulting and coaching 42:30 - When the CEO says "fix them" but really needs to fix themselves 45:40 - Process will set you free (but only when leadership evolves) 48:20 - Final thoughts: Leadership is the ultimate leverage point Connect with Brad Farris Anchor Advisors: https://anchoradvisors.com/ If you're an entrepreneur who's ready to stop blaming your team and start leading at a higher level—Brad's your guy. About Today's Business Leaders Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real lessons. No BS, no fluff—just honest conversations about what it actually takes to build and grow a business. Hosted by Gabe Arnold, founder of Business Marketing Engine.
