Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit

About Lucky 13 - All Things People AND Profit

How about we embrace the power of the AND? People AND Profit! Entrepreneurs and business leaders often think they must pick one, either people or profits, but in today's business climate, you can't have one without the other. In fact, one drives the other. Let's embrace the power of the AND, People, AND Profit. The Lucky 13 Podcast, hosted by entrepreneurs and business veterans Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser, will address all things people and profit in today's business climate. If you believe your people are your greatest strategic advantage to succeed in your business, you have found your podcast.

Publisher

Mike Lantz & Josh Hauser

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Oct 2023

Latest episode

30 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

62 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Mar 2026

   62 - The Most Overlooked Key to Business Success: Developing Middle Managers

   In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Josh Hauser and Mike Lantz discuss the overlooked but crucial role of middle management in organizations. They explore common challenges faced by mid-level managers, such as lack of training, support, and feedback, and highlight the impact of leadership on employee well-being. Drawing on research and personal experiences, they emphasize the importance of coaching, mentoring, and intentional development to reduce turnover and build a healthier workplace culture, ultimately stressing that effective middle management benefits not only organizations but also employees' lives beyond work. Technical Difficulties & Banter (00:00:10) Josh and Mike joke about red and green lights, technical issues, and introduce the podcast. March Madness & Superstitions (00:01:00) Discussion about March Madness, favorite players, basketball superstitions, and personal sports rituals. Transition to Middle Management (00:03:16) Shift from basketball to the main topic: the overlooked importance of middle management in organizations. Defining Middle Management (00:03:31) Clarifying what constitutes middle management and its critical role in moving "human energy." Common Mistakes in Developing Managers (00:04:08) Problems with promoting top performers without development, and the need for coaching, mentoring, and development. Gallup Data & Turnover Issues (00:05:56) Gallup poll data on high turnover among mid-level managers, especially those under 35, and reasons for it. Challenges of the "Sandwich" Role (00:06:39) Middle managers are caught between unclear senior leadership and frontline staff, leading to stress and mistakes. Importance of Vulnerability & Learning from Mistakes (00:09:16) How creating a culture of vulnerability and sharing mistakes helps middle managers grow and learn. Coaching Example & Missed Opportunities (00:10:33) A story about a missed coaching opportunity and the value of documenting and sharing lessons learned. Developing a Middle Management Strategy (00:11:56) How to approach developing mid-level managers, including clarity, research, and gathering team input. Structuring Leadership Development (00:14:01) Building an accountability chart, defining roles, and mapping out competencies and learning opportunities. The Four Stages of Competence (00:18:06) Explaining unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, and applying this framework to leadership development. The Ripple Effect of Leadership (00:17:17 & 00:21:00) How leadership choices impact not just employees, but their families and overall well-being. Manager Impact on Mental Health (00:21:38) Research showing a manager's influence on mental health surpasses even that of a spouse. Final Thoughts & Responsibility of Leadership (00:22:34) Emphasizing the profound responsibility leaders have and the importance of taking middle management development seriously.

2. 

   23 Mar 2026

   61 - Why Your Executive Team Might Be Your Biggest Blind Spot

   In this episode of the Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser discuss the "ten blind spots of executive teams," focusing on leadership challenges that impact organizational effectiveness. They explore issues such as unclear vision, conflicting priorities, poor communication, and ego-driven decisions, offering practical advice and real-world examples. Referencing tools like EOS and books such as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the hosts emphasize the importance of trust, clear roles, healthy conflict, and decisive leadership for building strong executive teams that drive both people and profit. Podcast Introduction and Banter (00:00:08) Hosts introduce the podcast, joke about sponsors, and discuss the meaning behind "Lucky 13." St. Patrick's Day & True's Anniversary (00:00:51) Discussion about recording after St. Patrick's Day and celebrating trueU's nine-year anniversary. Company History and ML Talent Strategies (00:01:21) Background on the founding of trueU, its transition, and mention of ML Talent Strategies. Family and Illness Banter (00:01:59) Lighthearted talk about family illnesses and the challenges of large households. Reflecting on Quarantine and COVID (00:02:46) Reminiscing about the start of COVID quarantine six years ago. Episode Topic Introduction: Executive Team Blind Spots (00:03:10) Introduction to the main topic: ten blind spots of executive teams. Blind Spot #1: Lack of Clear Shared Vision and Goals (00:05:17) Discussion on the importance of a shared vision, EOS tools, and effective rollout strategies. Blind Spot #2: Conflicting Departmental Priorities (00:07:23) Exploring how executive loyalty should be to the leadership team, not just their departments. Blind Spot #3: Unclear Roles and Responsibilities (00:11:00) Emphasizing the need for clarity and alignment in roles to avoid confusion and missed tasks. Blind Spot #4: Poor Communication and Missed Updates (00:12:50) The impact of delayed or unclear communication and the importance of timely updates. Blind Spot #5: Ego and Personal Agendas Driving Decisions (00:15:21) How personal interests can undermine team effectiveness and the need to check egos. Sidebar: Technology in Executive Meetings (00:17:46) Debate on the use of technology in meetings and its impact on focus and productivity. Blind Spot #6: Lack of Trust Between Executives (00:19:13) Trust as the foundation for effective teams, referencing "Five Dysfunctions of a Team." Blind Spot #7: Inconsistent Decision Making (00:21:35) Problems caused by inconsistent decisions and the need for a unified decision-making framework. Blind Spot #8: Misaligned Metrics and Incentives (00:23:45) Challenges with setting the right metrics and aligning incentives to what teams can control. Blind Spot #9: Avoidance of Healthy Conflict (00:26:14) The dangers of avoiding conflict and the importance of addressing issues directly and promptly. Blind Spot #10: Weak Leadership from the CEO (00:27:31) How indecisive or passive CEOs create organizational paralysis and the need for strong leadership.

3. 

   16 Feb 2026

   60 - Daily Habits for Effective Leadership and Personal Growth

   In this episode of The Lucky 13 Podcast, hosts Mike Lantz and Josh Hauser discuss Josh's recent Arizona trip and the frustrations of travel, using these experiences to highlight the importance of intentional daily reflection. They introduce practical leadership habits like setting three daily goals, journaling, and reviewing what went well or poorly. The hosts encourage listeners to adopt a 15-minute end-of-day reflection routine, supported by technology, to boost productivity, maintain perspective, and foster personal and professional growth—emphasizing that small, consistent habits can lead to significant improvements in business and life. Podcast Introduction (00:00:08) Hosts introduce themselves and the podcast, "The Lucky 13 Podcast," focused on people, profit, and business. Josh's Arizona Trip & Family Logistics (00:00:20) Josh discusses his daughter's volleyball tournament in Arizona, family travel logistics, and the sports facility. Parking & Venue Experience (00:00:49) Details about the parking system at the sports complex and thoughts on monetizing local parks. Airplane Boarding & Passenger Frustrations (00:01:42) Josh vents about airplane boarding confusion, passenger behavior, and inefficiencies during deplaning. Travel Gripe: Walking Path Etiquette (00:03:59) Discussion about people blocking walking paths, comparing it to poor driving and sidewalk etiquette. Transition: Leadership & Business Reflection (00:05:19) Josh pivots from travel frustrations to a leadership lesson about daily reflection and checklists. Daily Reflection Checklist: Three Goals (00:07:06) Introduction to the daily reflection checklist, focusing on setting and reviewing three main goals each day. Choosing the Right Goals (00:08:03) Emphasis on selecting the most important goals that drive business and personal progress. Reflection: What Went Well or Poorly (00:09:54) Discussion on auditing the day, learning from successes and failures, and improving daily habits. Reflection: One Story from Yesterday (00:11:17) Importance of recalling a memorable story from the previous day to maintain perspective and motivation. Using Technology for Reflection (00:13:36) Ideas for using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to automate and store daily reflections. Rating the Day & Weekly Review (00:15:09) Encouragement to rate each day, track progress, and use weekly averages to measure growth. The Value of Daily Reflection (00:16:44) Reflection as a tool to slow down, stay present, and avoid losing track of time and achievements. Assignment: Implementing the Reflection Routine (00:18:15) Challenge to listeners: spend 15 minutes daily answering four reflection questions, using tech if desired. Episode Wrap-Up (00:19:10) Closing remarks, encouragement, and a final joke about sidewalk etiquette.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60