Talk to Th3 Doc with Steve Meek

About Talk to Th3 Doc with Steve Meek

Talk to Th3 Doc with Steve Meek is designed for executives seeking to learn from a balance of business and technology experts, focused on helping SMBs through practical, high-level insights. Hosted by Steve 'The Doctor' Meek, an experienced business owner and technology strategist, episodes break down complex topics in General Business, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Technical Support, into clear, actionable conversations tailored for leadership decision-making. These include topics as varied as HR, the economy, leadership, culture and executive health. With a focus on real-world applications, business outcomes and real life, the show helps executives stay ahead of leadership challenges without needing to dive deep into the technical weeds. While we navigate the latest cybersecurity threats and strive to understand how AI can transform operations, Talk to Th3 Doc also delivers general business expert perspectives. Steve brings clarity to the fast-changing world of SMBs where many people wear multiple hats, featuring interviews with industry experts and sharing lessons learned from the field. Whether you're leading a small city or a business trying to expand, this podcast equips you with the knowledge you need to make smarter, more secure, and more strategic choices.

Publisher

Steve "The Doctor" Meek

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Apr 2025

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

48 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Why Smart Leaders Still Make Bad Hires With Craig della Penna Ep. 150

   Why do smart leaders still make expensive hiring mistakes? In Episode 150 of Talk To Th3 Doc, Steve “The Doctor” Meek talks with Craig della Penna, Founder and Managing Partner of Aesop Partners, creator of the HireBest® System, and author of Cipher: A Proven Framework to Hire the Best People. Craig’s central prescription is simple: “Stop interviewing candidates until you’ve defined the role.” Too many organizations start evaluating people before leadership has agreed on the business problem, expected outcomes, and evidence of success. Craig explains how his Cipher methodology helps leaders define roles more clearly, interview with better evidence, reduce gut-feel decisions, and continue using those expectations after the hire for onboarding, coaching, and performance. craig-steve 💡 TOP TAKEAWAY Retention is not the same as success. A good hire should produce the outcomes the role was created to deliver. In this episode, we cover: • Why hiring is a business issue, not just an HR issue • How AI is changing recruiting and candidate evaluation • Job descriptions vs. Job Ciphers • The CODE framework: Charge, Outcome, Deliverables, Efforts • Why simple, structured interview questions can reveal more • How to define quality of hire • When coaching should begin • The hidden economic cost of a bad hire • How high-performing teams attract better talent • Why role clarity should continue after the employee starts ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Why people are the most important asset 03:04 Scaling a better hiring process 03:58 AI and uncertainty in hiring 05:27 Hiring is a business issue 09:21 Job Description vs. Job Cipher 11:08 Using the Cipher after hiring 15:31 Management vs. performance coaching 22:09 Better interview questions 26:16 The truth about hiring success 28:36 Defining outcomes that matter 31:06 Fixing unclear expectations 34:03 AI-assisted role definition 37:51 When coaching or intervention is needed 40:13 The economic cost of a bad hire 45:25 Building a high-performance culture 48:57 Craig’s top hiring prescription 📘 Craig’s Resources HireBest® / Cipher Generator: https://hirebest.ai/ Aesop Partners: https://aesoppartners.com/ Email Craig: craig@aesoppartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdp/ 🎧 Listen to Talk To Th3 Doc https://pod.link/1807560282 🌐 Connect With The Fulcrum Group Podcast: https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/talk-to-th3-doc-podcast/ Website: https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/ Email Steve: thedoctor@fulcrumgroup.net Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemeekcissp/ The Fulcrum Group helps DFW organizations align people, processes, cybersecurity, and technology through SPOT Managed IT Services, the STARPower™ Framework, and our No IT Jerks philosophy. If this conversation made you rethink your hiring process, subscribe, like, comment, and share Episode 150 with another business leader preparing to grow their team. #TalkToTh3Doc #HiringStrategy #Leadership #TalentManagement #SMBLeadership #QualityOfHire #JobCipher #BusinessGrowth #DFWBusiness #TheFulcrumGroup

2. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Is Your Business Ready for the Next Economic Shift? | Bill Conerly Ep. 148

   🎙️ Is your business prepared for the next economic shift, or are today's headlines driving tomorrow's decisions? In Episode 148 of Talk To Th3 Doc, Steve “The Doctor” Meek talks with Dr. Bill Conerly, President of Conerly Consulting LLC, about how SMB leaders can prepare for economic uncertainty without trying to predict every twist and turn. 💡 TOP TAKEAWAY: “Be ready for that occasional downpour.” Bill's message is practical: the economy is usually more stable than the headlines suggest, but smart leaders prepare for the times when conditions change. You'll learn how to think about inflation, interest rates, AI productivity, employee retention, capital investment, pricing, cash flow, and both upside and downside contingency planning. 🩺 IN THIS APPOINTMENT 00:00 Meet business economist Dr. Bill Conerly 02:57 Which economic indicators should leaders actually watch? 07:13 Could 2% economic growth become normal? 10:14 Where AI may create real productivity 14:15 Could AI adopters actually create more jobs? 16:24 AI, technology and customer experience 21:40 Business metrics SMB leaders should monitor 22:42 Why every company needs a contingency plan 26:23 Inflation and locking in vendor pricing 30:05 Can your business raise prices? 32:31 Finding productivity beyond AI 37:01 Employee retention in a tight labor market 40:10 Are managers focused on the wrong employees? 42:41 Trends leaders should watch beyond next quarter 45:21 When to invest versus preserve cash 46:13 Why rapid growth can create a cash crisis 49:18 Interest rates and business investment 51:36 Why housing matters to business leaders 53:14 Bill's One Big Takeaway 💊 THE PRESCRIPTION Don't build your organization around one economic prediction. Build it to handle multiple futures. That means knowing what you'll do if sales slow, but also what happens if demand suddenly takes off. For DFW SMBs, that same thinking should extend to technology: align AI, automation, cybersecurity, productivity, and technology investments with where the organization is going. At The Fulcrum Group, that's why our STARpower™ strategic alignment process goes beyond fixing today's IT problems. We help leaders continually connect technology investments with business priorities, risk, innovation, and future growth. 👨⚕️ ABOUT DR. BILL CONERLY Dr. Bill Conerly is a business economist and President of Conerly Consulting LLC. A Duke University Ph.D., Bill has worked in economics and corporate planning for Fortune 500 companies and as a bank senior vice president. He has spoken to more than 1,400 business audiences and is the author of The Flexible Stance: Thriving in a Boom/Bust Economy. 🌐 Conerly Consulting 📰 Businomics Newsletter 🔗 Bill Conerly on LinkedIn ▶️ Bill Conerly on YouTube 🎧 TALK TO TH3 DOC Enjoyed the appointment? Subscribe, like, comment, and share this episode with another business leader. 🎧 Listen on Apple, Spotify and other podcast platforms 📺 Watch Episode 148 on YouTube 🌐 Explore Talk To Th3 Doc 🔗 Connect with Steve Meek on LinkedIn Need help aligning technology with where your organization is headed? Use the Initial Consultation form on our podcast page to start a conversation with The Fulcrum Group. 🔎 HASHTAGS #TalkToTh3Doc #BillConerly #EconomicOutlook #EconomicUncertainty #BusinessLeadership #BusinessStrategy #BusinessPlanning #SMBStrategy #SmallBusiness #BusinessResilience #ContingencyPlanning #AIProductivity #AIForBusiness #BusinessAutomation #StrategicPlanning #TechnologyStrategy #EmployeeRetention #CashFlow #DFWBusiness #ManagedITServices

3. 

   19 Aug 2026

   Are Soft Skills the New AI Advantage? With Ana Welsh Ep. 147

   🎙️ Are soft skills the new AI advantage? In Episode 147 of Talk To Th3 Doc, Steve “The Doctor” Meek sits down with Ana Welsh, Wharton lecturer, workplace dynamics speaker, and next-gen talent developer, to talk about why human skills still matter in an AI-powered workplace. AI can help teams write, summarize, automate, and analyze faster. But leaders still need people who can communicate clearly, build trust, think critically, manage relationships, and make good decisions. That is where soft skills become a real business advantage. In this episode, Ana and Steve discuss why employee engagement is an outcome, not a strategy; why “bring your whole self to work” may need a little executive supervision; and why the future of work may belong to people who are deeply human with an AI tool belt. For SMB owners, city managers, nonprofit leaders, healthcare executives, professional services firms, and DFW business leaders, this conversation is a reminder that technology only works when people, process, leadership, and trust are aligned. At The Fulcrum Group, that same belief shapes our approach to SPOT Managed IT Services, SPOT Managed Security Services, and our STARPower Framework. We help DFW organizations connect technology decisions to business goals, reduce risk, improve communication, and build smarter roadmaps for growth. In This Episode ✅ Why soft skills matter more in the AI workplace ✅ How leaders can coach communication and professionalism ✅ Why employee engagement starts with trust ✅ What Gen Z and multigenerational teams need from leaders ✅ How to use AI without losing human judgment ✅ Why “Giraffe Vision” helps teams zoom out before reacting ✅ How human skills support innovation, AI readiness, and technology alignment Top Takeaway Technology can accelerate work, but human skills determine whether the work actually gets better. If your team cannot communicate, adapt, build trust, and think clearly, AI may just help you create confusion faster. Guest Ana Welsh Wharton Lecturer | Workplace Dynamics Speaker | Next Gen Talent Developer Website: https://anawelsh.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anawelshspeaks/ Connect With The Fulcrum Group 📌 Talk To Th3 Doc Podcast: https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/talk-to-th3-doc-podcast/ 🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform: https://pod.link/1807560282 🌐 The Fulcrum Group: https://www.fulcrumgroup.net/ 📩 Email Steve: thedoctor@fulcrumgroup.net 🔗 Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemeekcissp/ 📞 Sales: 817-337-0300 Suggested Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:26 Meet Ana Welsh 02:45 AI, Gen Z, and the future of work 04:16 Time, empathy, and patience 07:11 Communication, critical thinking, and professionalism 08:08 Better onboarding and one-on-one meetings 10:50 Signature Self vs. unfiltered self 15:07 First impressions and nonverbal communication 21:08 Virtual work and remote presence 24:18 Is this a Gen Z issue or leadership issue? 27:04 Coaching without “back in my day” energy 29:15 Checklists, SOPs, and the power of why 30:25 AI, jobs, and changing workflows 35:49 Brain first, AI second, brain last 36:56 Giraffe Vision and running to daylight 39:06 The one human skill leaders cannot overlook 40:18 Practical prescriptions 41:02 How to reach Ana and closing

Who has been a guest on Talk to Th3 Doc with Steve Meek

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Seeni Kittappa
• Tom Delanoy
• Hanna Bauer
• Dr Mike Saylor
• Borja Cuan

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100

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

Quality

18

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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