Episode 289 Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations with Michael Erath

John talks with Michael Erath — entrepreneur, business coach, speaker, founder of Next Level Growth, author of Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations: Take Your Business and Your Life to the Next Level, The Path to the Pinnacle: Using Customized Business Operating Systems to Drive Growth, Rise: The Reincarnation of an Entrepreneur, and husband, father, and grandpa. Listen to this episode to learn more: [00:00] - Intro and Michael's bio [01:21] - Michael's backstory [03:19]  - Betrayed by his business partner and how he navigated that [07:50] - Implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) in his new business [10:33] - Ideal client of Next Level Growth [13:37] - Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations [15:43] - #1: Great People [16:21] - #2: Inspiring Purpose [17:07] - #3: Optimized Playbooks [17:44] - #4: Culture of Performance [19:15] - #5: Growing Profits and Cash Flow [20:52] - Figuring out your personal purpose vs. the company purpose [22:46] - How pain helped John and Michael discover their purposes [26:57] - What is quarterly calibration and why Michael uses it [33:27] - Three key questions for managers/leaders to ask [34:33] - Employees can also give feedback to their managers/leaders [38:25] - Traits of a great leader [40:19] - Role of Michael's faith in his business [42:33] - Hard times help people grow stronger [45:46] - Michael's definition of success [47:03] - #1 weekly habit [50:31] - How Michael invests in his growth [54:28] - Best way to reach out to Michael [57:13] - Closing thoughts NOTABLE QUOTES: "If money is the only reason you're in business, that's the reason you're gonna go out of business." "Most of our frustrations between people is a result of unclear expectations." "If you treat profit and cash as a byproduct, that's all it ever will be." "If you believe in your purpose, you need to be intentional about growing your profits and cash flow." "Leadership is about relationships. You have to be an empathetic listener to build relationships." "You don't get stronger by not working out. You actually have to tear the muscle in order to build it up." "Paint a picture of what a successful life looks like for you as an individual, and then build the systems and structures into your life." "Marry the right partner, because at the end of the day, if you marry someone who's a great partner for you, they support you and help you and make you almost unstoppable." "Do your research on your coach, and if the person you want to coach you doesn't have at least one coach, don't hire that person." BOOKS MENTIONED: Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman (https://a.co/d/fJcDVGl) Already Whole: Unlock The Eight Keys to Emotional Freedom and Inner Peace by Elijah Kai (https://a.co/d/5OSoZYu) USEFUL RESOURCES: https://askmichaelerath.com/ https://nextlevelgrowth.com/ https://pinnaclebusinessguides.com/guide/Michael-Erath/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelerath1/ https://www.facebook.com/michael.erath.2025 https://www.youtube.com/@nextlevelgrowth Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations: Take Your Business and Your Life to the Next Level (https://a.co/d/g95AUrg) The Path to the Pinnacle: Using Customized Business Operating Systems to Drive Growth (https://a.co/d/91e0ZJB) Rise: The Reincarnation of an Entrepreneur (https://a.co/d/8zkIGxi) https://fiveobsessions.com/   CONNECT WITH JOHN Website - https://iamjohnhulen.com    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhulen Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johnhulen    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/johnhulen    X - https://x.com/johnhulen    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLX_NchE8lisC4NL2GciIWA    EPISODE CREDITS Intro and Outro music provided by Jeff Scheetz - https://jeffscheetz.com/