CEO Playbook Ep 16: Why the CEO’s Real Job Is Talent Strategy

people in your team. If you're still tolerating average performers, avoiding tough conversations, or hoping culture will fix itself, this conversation is your wake-up call.In this episode, Jonathan Herps walks through a practical playbook that every CEO should be using (but probably isn’t).Drawing from nearly a decade working alongside scaling CEOs, he breaks down what it really takes to build a team of A players, how to assess your people with clarity not emotion, and why quarterly talent reviews are the leadership muscle your business is starving for.You’ll also hear firsthand from Paul, a founder navigating real leadership landmines, all about global teams, toxic high performers, wrongful dismissal threats, and all the headaches CEOs are too exhausted to talk about publicly.In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:How to build a team of 90% A players (00:48)How quarterly reviews drive faster growth and keeps your business ahead of performance problems before they snowball (08:25)Handling team dependencies that undermine performance (12:04)8 questions that tell you who to coach and who to let go (15:12)How to exit team members with clarity and compassion (21:00)How to apply values in day-to-day leadership (34:03)Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:Adopt a quarterly talent review rhythm. Regular assessments create accountability, surface blind spots, and keep your team aligned with growth.Use values as your ultimate filter. Skills can be trained, but misaligned values will always cost you more in the long run.Know who to coach and who to exit. A simple decision framework removes the guesswork and helps you lead with clarity, not emotion.Build an A player culture by design, not default. Your growth depends on your people. Systematise how you assess, develop, and upgrade your team.This is for the business owner who’s scaling, but stalled. Someone who knows they’ve got dead weight, but doesn’t know what to do. Someone who suspects the real bottleneck isn’t strategy, but people.CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPSWebsite: www.scaleupgrowth.coLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherpsFacebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowthInstagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowthYoutube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowthEmail: [email protected] 🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now: 1. Subscribe to our podcast Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies. Click Here to listen & subscribe now! 2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template  Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.  Click Here to download.3. Book a 20-min Business Growth CallMap out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here