49: When The Expert Gets It Wrong

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Michael Hennon, former CIA analyst, bank technology executive, and EOS implementer based in Durango, Colorado. Michael's confession comes not from the boardroom but from a sailing dock in Annapolis, where he was managing 18 instructors and hundreds of kids on the water when a storm rolled in fast. His instinct was to get loud, bark orders, and project control. It made everything worse. The conversation explores what happens when a leader performs intensity instead of actually leading, why calm is one of the most underrated skills in any organization, and how one honest after-action review changed the way Michael has shown up in every high-pressure situation since. His lesson is simple and transferable: the strongest response in the room is usually the quietest one. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 02:22 A Diverse Career Path 05:05 Coaching and Consulting Differences 07:38 The Power of Calm Leadership 12:13 Self-Correction and Professional Growth 16:18 Reflecting on Career Highlights 20:40 Distilling Complexity  27:35 Reflection and Future Plans Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Matt Dusa, former firefighter, paramedic, and CEO of a family-owned private fire department business that he helped grow to 140 employees before a successful exit. Matt's confession centers on a top salesperson who was generating most of the company's biggest contracts and making everyone around him miserable. The conversation explores what happens when a revenue generator becomes untouchable, why documentation matters more than most leaders realize, and what it actually costs a team to keep the wrong person in the building too long. Matt also shares what happened the day after the separation, when a line formed at his door of people finally willing to say what they had been holding back for months. His lesson is one every leader who has ever looked the other way on a top performer needs to hear: the uncomfortable conversation you keep avoiding is usually the one your team needs most.      Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 02:28 From Firefighting to Entrepreneurship 06:47 Identifying a Toxic High-Performer 11:53 The Breaking Point and Challenges 17:02 Terminating and Managing Repercussions 23:12 Lessons in Leadership and Documentation 28:07 Better Team Dynamics and Growth 33:20 Closing Thoughts and Tattoo Reflection Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Patrick Van Abel, lifelong entrepreneur and EOS implementer whose family has been welcoming guests in Hollandtown, Wisconsin since 1848. Patrick's confession isn't about one dramatic moment. It's about a pattern: watching the culture he built start to drift and saying nothing. The conversation explores what conflict avoidance actually costs a business over time and why the hard conversation you keep putting off is rarely as painful as you imagined. Patrick also shares the moment he finally spoke up about something small and discovered the whole thing resolved in thirty seconds.    Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Show Introduction 03:07 Growing Up in a Family Business 08:46 Building a Legacy of Entertainment 12:37 The Struggle with Conflict Avoidance 18:12 Navigating Difficult Leadership Conversations 24:38 Reflecting on Leadership and Purpose Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Troy Schuette, expert EOS implementer and former business owner who spent 23 years building, growing, and eventually selling his own company. Troy's confession spans nearly a decade and swings between two extremes: the micromanager who made people afraid to fail, and the checked-out owner who handed over the keys with no training, no tools, and no real support. The conversation explores what fear does to a leader's management style, why overcorrecting is just as damaging as the original problem, and what it actually looks like to find the middle ground.  His lesson is one every entrepreneur who has ever been called a micromanager needs to hear: the answer isn't to disappear. It's to learn how to lead.   Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to Bad Boss Confessional 06:47 The Roots of Micromanagement 12:32 Swinging to the Other Extreme 17:03 Finding the Middle Ground 23:25 The Responsibility of Letting Go 28:44 Driving for 1% Improvement   Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Mark Henderson Leary, expert EOS implementer and host of Practice Freedom. Mark's confession goes back to his early days running an IT services company, when a close friend and trusted colleague joined his business, and things quietly started to unravel. Mark watched him struggle, said nothing, and eventually laid him off when the business took a hit. The conversation digs into what it actually means to set clear expectations, why friendship in business demands more honesty, not less, and what happens when a leader confuses watching someone fail with managing them. Mark also shares a powerful reframe he now uses with clients stuck in the same pattern. His lesson is one every leader who has ever hired someone they care about needs to hear: the kindest thing you can do is tell the truth before it's too late.   Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Mark’s Background 06:22 The Painful Layoff Confession 12:52 Setting Clear Expectations 19:26 Maintaining Professionalism and Truth 24:36 Courageous Leadership and Truth Telling 32:02 Avoid The ‘Infinite Expansion’ Trap 41:39 Looking Ahead and Closing Thoughts Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Justin Maust, expert EOS implementer, John Maxwell certified speaker, and someone who has built, scaled, and exited companies on both sides of success. Justin's confession is one he has had to sit with for a long time: he fired someone he loved and respected, on a weekend, without warning, because he was afraid of losing someone else. The conversation explores what happens when fear overrides judgment, why the feedback we act on fastest is often the least reliable, and what it costs a team when a leader skips the hard conversation and goes straight to the irreversible one. Justin also reflects on how the decision violated every one of his own core values and what he wishes he had done instead. His lesson is one every leader needs to hear: when fear is driving, slow down and check your filters before you make a move you can't take back.   Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction 03:12 Setting the Stage: Launching a Business 07:56 A Painful Leadership Confession 12:30 Analyzing the Impact of Fear on Decisions 18:20 Lessons Learned and Better Approaches 24:00 Aligning Leadership with Core Values 30:20 Embracing Failure as a Learning Tool 34:00 Final Thoughts and Reflection Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Chris Hallberg, expert EOS implementer, founder of GoXpand, and someone who learned his most expensive lesson long before he ever walked into a session room. Chris's confession is about a venture he poured everything into, including his house, his savings, and his team, built on assumptions nobody tested and a structure nobody controlled. The conversation explores what happens when a visionary gets so sold on an idea that warning signs become background noise, why minority ownership in your own vision is a trap, and what it costs a team when the person at the top stops listening. Chris also reflects on how that failure rewired the way he asks questions, invites dissent, and shows up for the people around him. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 05:08 A Visionary’s Misstep 11:00 The High Cost of Poor Structure 17:23 Lessons Learned and New Beginnings 23:36 Turning Failure into Growth 33:29 Using the VTO for Alignment 37:24 Departmental Planning and Accountability 43:06 The Crucial Role of Mid-Managers 48:45 Innovative Tools and Veteran Leadership 55:18 Closing Thoughts and Mantras Guest Links: EOS Site: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/chris-hallberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/ Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Travis Townsend, president of North Star Refrigeration, who built his company from a used van to a 100-person operation across New England. Travis's confession comes from the early days, when lean meant running a skeleton crew at full speed and hoping nobody broke. The conversation explores what it costs a team when the owner assumes everyone shares the same drive, why the pacesetter mentality can quietly demoralize the people trying to keep up, and what it took to go from six employees grinding themselves down to a culture built to last. His lesson is one every growth-stage founder eventually has to face: you can't build a great company by burning through the people inside it. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Travis Townsend 03:02 From Landscaper to Entrepreneur 06:11 The Josh Hill Wake-Up Call 09:51 Understanding Visionaries and Integrators 12:33 Navigating Entrepreneurial Fears 15:20 Preventing Burnout and Leading by Example 19:01 Future Vision: Employee-Owned Company 21:30 Culture, Growth, and Leadership Evolution 26:13 The Importance of EOS Implementers 30:22 Burn the Boats Mentality and Conclusion Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@bethfahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with CJ Dube', expert EOS implementer, author, and someone who has spent more than 40 years in the people business. CJ's confession is one that will hit close to home for anyone who has ever hired against their better judgment. The conversation digs into what it actually means to hire slow and fire fast, why the tools only work when you use them, and what it costs a team when a leader keeps someone in the wrong seat for the sake of convenience.  Her lesson is one she now coaches every client on: the red flags in a reference check are there for a reason.     Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to CJ DuBe' 02:12 CJ’s Journey: From Placement to EOS 06:05 The Confession: Hiring Mistakes and Lessons 10:47 The ‘Hire Slow, Fire Fast’ Philosophy 13:04 Deep Dive into Hiring Process 18:00 Addressing People Issues: Timing and Empathy 22:56 Leadership Credibility and Outgrowing Seats 25:25 Strategies for Organizational Growth and Tools 31:19 Aha Moments from ‘The People Book’ 35:45 Tattoo Confession and Closing Remarks   Sponsor Links Thanks to our Sponsors A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible: Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies. Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.   Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@BethFahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events

In this episode of Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Dan Wallace, one of the first EOS implementers and a former turnaround operator with a background spanning Harvard Business School, investment banking, and strategy consulting. Dan's confession is a good one: six weeks into a new role, he green-lit a $2 million software build that the company never launched. The conversation explores what happens when a high quick start moves before they've truly understood the problem, why buying is almost always better than building, and what it costs a team when the person at the top has no one to slow them down. Dan also reflects on the two leadership lessons he stumbled into by accident, both of which still shape how he coaches teams today.     Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Dan Wallace 02:50 Career Shift to Turnarounds 07:39 Joining EOS and Growth 11:25 The Niche Lending Company Challenge 15:05 The $2 Million Software Mistake 24:50 Visionary-Integrator and Empathy 33:32 Lessons: Do Ask, Don’t Tell 40:09 Preparing for Departure 43:02 The Need for Operating Systems 50:47 Walmart Missionary Mix-Up 53:11 Humility and Kindness   Sponsor Links Thanks to our Sponsors A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible: Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies. Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.   Subscribe to the Bad Boss Confessional podcast: 🎙️ Podbean: https://www.badbossconfessional.podbean.com ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional The Bad Boss Confessional is where leaders come to tell the truth about the moments they rarely talk about out loud. The mistakes, the hard lessons, and what it actually takes to become a great boss. Hosted by Beth Fahey, Expert EOS Implementer, co-author of ROLLOUT, and creator of the Great Boss Workshop. Connect with Beth Fahey: 🌐 https://www.bethfahey.com ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@BethFahey Want to be a guest on the show? Visit https://www.bethfahey.com/podcast to inquire. Pick up a copy of ROLLOUT: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision at https://www.rolloutbook.com/order Download free Rollout resources at https://www.rolloutbook.com Join Beth at the next Great Boss Workshop at https://www.bethfahey.com/events