A new book by Mike Maddock, serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder of Flourish Advisory Boards
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The loan officer looked at me and said quietly, “Hey Mike, thanks for paying us back. I really mean that.” When I reminded him I’d promised to pay it off when he approved the loan, he replied: “Yeah, so did my best friend from high school.”
I started my career with the Midas touch. Everything I touched turned to gold. Then, without noticing it happening, I built a team that thought exactly like me. Smart people. Loyal people. People who could finish my sentences.
My financial advisor Bob had a name for what I’d done.
"You can't read the label when you're sitting inside the jar. Your whole team is sitting inside the jar. They are trapped by their own outdated expertise. You need windows — people who see and respond to problems differently than you do."
Bob was right. And it took losing $25 million dollars to fully understand what he meant.
This book is the story of Jack Renner — a leader who built something incredible, then nearly lost it all because he surrounded himself with people who only reflected his own thinking back at him. It is, embarrassingly, my story too. And if you’re honest with yourself, it might be yours.
Your Seat at the Table is a fable about what happens when a leader finally gets the right people in the room. Not the same people. Not yes-people. Not even the smartest people. The right people — the six different lenses every leadership team needs to see clearly and move forward.
Most have one or two. The teams that win have all six working together.
Masters of systems & metrics
8-7-3-3
Planners who map & measure
7-4-8-2
Supporting the meeting
Focused on finding & binding the right customers
4-3-7-3
Disruptors who challenge convention
3-3-9-3
Drive growth & strategy at scale
6-4-8-4
Running the meeting
Optimize the power of teams
6-7-5-3
Jack sat across from his financial advisor Bob, who was staring at a spreadsheet and looking like he just sucked on a lemon. Bob was a financial genius, reliable truth-teller, and below-average golfer. He was also Jack’s buddy, and it was clear he was concerned about the state of his friend’s business. As usual, Bob saw glaring problems where Jack was desperately trying to see new possibilities.
On paper, Jack’s ad agency looked alive — revenues still decent, clients still calling — but deep in his gut, Jack knew something was off. For the first time in his life, Jack was out of ideas. He knew his team was losing momentum but was too exhausted and honest to stand in front of them and have another “We-can-overcome-this!!!” pep rally.
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Mike’s purpose is connecting people to possibilities. If you read that first chapter and recognized yourself — or your team — he’d genuinely like to hear about it. Leave your note and your email. He’ll write back.
Mike is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, global keynote speaker, and the founder of Flourish Advisory Boards — CEO peer advisory boards engineered around the six-seat model at the heart of this book.
He has worked with over 25% of the Fortune 500, launched six companies including the globally recognized innovation firm Maddock Douglas, and written for Forbes and Bloomberg. His purpose — connecting people to possibility — is the reason he built FAB, wrote this book, and reads every note he receives.
Your Seat at the Table is his fifth book.
Complete the quiz to find which seat you fill on an advisory board. Plus, we’ll give you your leadership superpower and leadership blindspot.
