I Have Some Questions...

159: "Is Your Current Sales Process Working Against You?" (reflections on Daniel Schmidt)

🧠 Erik’s Take Erik zooms in on something most people intellectually “know” but don’t operationalize: sales is a process—but we resist treating it like one. What stood out most isn’t just the seven steps—it’s where the leverage actually lives: discovery and qualification. Daniel’s philosophy reframes sales from persuasion to alignment. If you don’t understand the outcome the business cares about, you’re not selling—you’re guessing. There’s also a deeper layer here: Erik connects this to a broader shift happening right now. The idea of “rare and valuable skills” is breaking down. In a world where knowledge is abundant, judgment, discernment, and conversation become the new scarcity. 🎯 Top Insights from the Interview * Sales gets easier when you’re “in the current”  If you align to real business outcomes, momentum replaces resistance.  * Discovery isn’t a step—it’s the foundation  Without it, everything else becomes friction-heavy and inefficient.  * You’re not qualified just because someone is talking to you  Right problem + right person = everything.  * Not all industries will feel AI equally (yet)  Physical/logistical industries have a different disruption timeline.  * “Rare and valuable” has shifted from technical to human  Discernment, communication, and experience are harder to replicate than skills.  🧩 The Personal Layer Erik reflects on something subtle but important: even people in sales resist the structure of it. There’s an identity tied to being the “natural” salesperson—the smooth talker, the closer. But that identity actually gets in the way of scale. He also highlights a tension that’s showing up everywhere right now: *  The skills that used to differentiate you are becoming accessible  *  The skills that now matter are harder to define, harder to teach, and harder to measure  That shift creates uncertainty—but also opportunity. 🧰 From Insight to Action * Rebuild your sales conversations around outcomes  Ask: What is this company actually trying to achieve? * Audit your discovery process ruthlessly  If you’re skipping depth here, you’re paying for it later.  * Qualify the person, not just the problem  Influence without authority = stalled deals.  * Shift your development focus  Spend less time acquiring skills, more time improving judgment.  * Practice asking better questions  The quality of your discovery determines the quality of your results.  🗣️ Notable Quotes *  “You don’t even know what to sell until you know what problem they’re trying to solve.”  *  “If you’re not aligned with corporate outcomes, you’re pushing a boulder uphill.”  *  “Sales isn’t about saying the right thing—it’s about doing the right process at scale.”  *  “Rare and valuable isn’t what it used to be.”  *  “Discernment and conversation are becoming the real differentiators.”  🔗 Links & Resources * Listen to Daniel Schmidt's Episode [https://podcast.languageofleadership.io/155-daniel-schmidt-selling-is-a-system-not-a-personality-trait]

158: Daniel Schmidt: "Selling is a System, Not a Personality Trait"

This episode dives into the intersection of engineering precision and sales leadership intuition. Daniel Schmidt shares his journey from technical design work to leading global sales teams—and the surprising realization that transformed everything: sales isn’t magic, it’s a process. Erik and Daniel unpack what actually drives buying decisions, why most sales teams get stuck in mediocrity, and how aligning to true corporate outcomes can simplify even the most complex deals. Along the way, they explore leadership, AI, organizational change, and what it really means to create value in today’s evolving business landscape. 👤 About the Guest Daniel Schmidt is the Head of Sales and Marketing at TuffWrap, with a career spanning engineering, telecommunications, and global software organizations. Starting as a mechanical design engineer, Daniel transitioned into sales leadership through hands-on experience, mentorship, and a deep belief in process-driven performance. He has led global sales transformations, built scalable sales systems, and now focuses on aligning solutions to real business outcomes in the construction industry.  🧭 Conversation Highlights * From Engineer to Sales Leader. Daniel’s path wasn’t linear—it was shaped by proximity to sales, strong mentorship, and a pivotal realization: selling is a system, not a personality trait.  * Sales Is a Process, Not Magic. Once Daniel saw sales as a repeatable process (like engineering), performance became predictable—and scalable.  * Top Performers vs. The Middle 60%. The highest performers were the most open to learning. The biggest resistance came from those who felt “good enough.”  * The Power of “Why”. One simple question—asked repeatedly—uncovers deeper needs, builds trust, and reveals the real drivers behind decisions.  * AI Isn’t About Replacing Salespeople. The goal isn’t cost reduction—it’s freeing up time for the human parts of selling: discovery, trust, and influence.  * Experience Is the New “Rare Skill”. In a world where technical skills are easy to learn, discernment and judgment built over time are becoming the real differentiators.  💡 Key Takeaways * Sales success is less about charisma and more about mastering a repeatable process.  *  The best salespeople focus on outcomes, not features or price.  *  Asking better questions is more valuable than having better answers.  *  Organizational change requires unwavering alignment from leadership.  *  Education builds trust faster than persuasion.  ❓ Questions That Mattered *  Why do middle performers resist change more than top performers?  *  How do you uncover the true corporate outcome behind a deal?  *  What makes a sales conversation feel like education instead of a pitch?  *  What role should AI actually play in a sales organization?  *  How do you balance experience with fresh thinking in a team?  🗣️ Notable Quotes *  “Sales is a process. If you understand the process, you can sell.”  *  “The seller educated me—that’s why I bought.”  *  “There are things that aren’t your fault, but they’re still your responsibility.”  *  “Why is the most powerful question in sales.”  *  “Once you align to a corporate outcome, the sale gets much simpler.”  🔗 Links & Resources * Check out TuffWrap's Website [https://www.tuffwrap.com/] * Follow Daniel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-schmidt-14430337/]

157: "You've Probably Just Scratched the Surface of AI" ft. Justin Coats

This conversation shifts from theory to reality. Erik and Justin move beyond what AI could do and into how it actually works today—and more importantly, how most people are using it wrong without realizing it. From hidden settings that quietly degrade performance to the emergence of AI agents that can act on your behalf, this episode exposes a new layer of the AI conversation: your results are only as good as your setup. The big unlock? AI isn’t just a tool anymore—it’s becoming a customizable digital counterpart. But if you haven’t built it that way, you’re leaving massive value on the table. 🧭 Conversation Highlights * The hidden “fast answers” setting that breaks personalization  * Why most users don’t realize their AI performance has degraded  * The importance of custom instructions + memory in AI workflows  * Why AI should be treated as a partner, not a tool * The rise of AI agents and what makes them different from automation  * “Agency” vs. “deterministic workflows” explained simply  * Real-world examples of agents replacing repetitive business tasks  * Why benchmarks don’t actually tell you if a model is better  * The growing gap between AI capability and human adoption  * How to stay updated in a world where AI changes weekly  💡 Key Takeaways * Your AI is only as good as how you’ve set it up * Default settings can quietly ruin your results * Customization is the difference between mediocre and powerful AI * Agents introduce a new level: AI that acts, not just responds * Humans—not technology—are still the bottleneck ❓ Questions That Mattered * Do you actually know how your AI is configured?  * Are you using AI as a shortcut—or as a thinking partner?  * What would change if your AI truly understood you?  * Are you relying on outputs you don’t fully trust?  * What tasks could you hand off if AI had real “agency”?  * Are you keeping up with AI—or falling behind quietly?  🗣️ Notable Quotes * “Your results are only as good as your setup.”  * “Most people don’t even know these settings exist.”  * “We teach people to treat AI like a digital counterpart.”  * “Agents can go from zero to 100% on a task.”  * “The bottleneck isn’t the tech—it’s how we use it.”  🔗 Links & Resources * Check out LearnAir™, Justin's Company: www.learnair.com [https://www.learnair.com/] * Follow Justin on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ai-integrator/]

156: "Delegation Without Scaffolding Can Break Your People" ft. Alli Murphy

In this co-hosted episode, Erik and Alli break down how great leaders actually delegate, develop people, and engineer growth opportunities. They explore why most stretch projects fail, how to build “scaffolding” around new responsibilities, and why understanding someone’s failure patterns matters more than most leaders realize. Instead of treating delegation like a simple handoff, they argue that leadership development should feel much more like apprenticeship—intentional, structured, and reflective. 🧭 Conversation Highlights Scaffolding Creates Better Delegation Alli shares how she asks team members to define the support they need before taking on a stretch project: *  Dedicated check-ins  *  Milestones  *  Training resources  *  Recap systems  *  Coaching conversations  The goal isn’t removing responsibility—it’s creating safe access to growth. Most Leaders Delegate Poorly. Erik explains that many leaders communicate the outcome they want… then disappear. Without structure, prioritization, or accountability, stretch opportunities often become frustrating instead of developmental. Understanding Failure Modalities. A standout concept from the episode is “failure modalities”—the predictable ways people struggle under pressure. 💡 Key Takeaways * Delegation should be engineered—not improvised.  * Ownership increases when people help design their own support systems.  * Milestones create clarity and momentum.  * Stretch projects work best when failure is survivable.  * Leadership development looks more like apprenticeship than traditional corporate training.  * Reflection after the project is where much of the learning happens.  ❓ Questions That Mattered * How do you know when someone is ready for more responsibility?  * What support helps someone grow without removing ownership?  * Are you delegating intentionally—or just hoping they figure it out?  * What’s the most likely way this person could fail?  * What capability do you want them to build over the next six months? 🗣️ Notable Quotes “I’ve started thinking about it more as engineering opportunity.” “What scaffolding do you need to make sure this goes well?” “The scaffold doesn’t do the work for you—it gives you safe access to the work.” “We’ve lost the art of apprenticeship.” “Don’t let fear have the driver’s seat.” 🔗 Links & Resources *  Listen to other episodes co-hosted with Alli [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-have-some-questions/id1819944303]

155: "Are You Managing Parts Intead of Leading the Whole System?" (reflections on John Dues)

🧠 Erik’s Take Erik came into this conversation with resistance—and left with a complete shift in perspective. That tension became the unlock. What initially felt abstract or overly theoretical (Deming’s “System of Profound Knowledge”) revealed itself as deeply practical. The biggest shift wasn’t just what he learned—it was how he now sees systems, measurement, and knowledge itself. This episode captures a rare moment: a leader actively changing his mind in real time—and recognizing that better language and frameworks create better leadership. 🎯 Top Insights from the Interview * Over-optimization kills systems. Teams often optimize individual functions (sales, ops, marketing) without considering the whole—creating bottlenecks and imbalance.  * Systems thinking is non-negotiable. Performance isn’t about isolated excellence; it’s about how parts interact and reinforce (or break) each other.  * “How do we know?” is a leadership question. Assumptions—especially when masked by positive metrics—can mislead organizations for years.  * Measurement must have a clear purpose. Research, improvement, and accountability are not interchangeable—and confusing them creates dysfunction.  * Buy-in starts at the top. Without leadership alignment, even the best frameworks fail to take root.  🧩 The Personal Layer This episode hit Erik because it mirrored real client work happening the day before the interview. A company had optimized both sales and operations—but not together. The result? Demand outpaced delivery. Growth became a problem instead of a win. That moment made the conversation with John land harder. It also surfaced a deeper realization: Erik wasn’t rejecting the ideas—he just hadn’t seen them framed this way before. And once he did, it gave him something powerful: *  A clearer lens  *  A better vocabulary  *  A more precise way to teach his team  🧰 From Insight to Action * Zoom out before you optimize. Before improving a function, ask: What does this do to the system as a whole? * Audit your “truths”. Identify one thing you believe is going well—and challenge how you know that.  * Clarify why you measure. For every key metric, define: Is this for research, improvement, or accountability?  * Separate learning from judgment. If people feel measured for accountability, they won’t expose problems needed for improvement.  * Build shared language with your team. Frameworks only work when they’re understood and consistently applied across leadership.  🗣️ Notable Quotes *  “We often optimize each component of a system to the detriment of the whole system.”  *  “How do we know what we think we know?”  *  “If you’re measuring for improvement but people think it’s for accountability, you won’t learn what you need.”  *  “We thought things were going great—until we realized unit sales were declining for a decade.”  *  “It gave me a better lexicon for how to think—and how to lead.” 🔗 Links & Resources * Listen to John Dues' episode [https://podcast.languageofleadership.io/152-john-dues-what-does-a-system-of-profound-knowledge-really-look-like]