Zach “Dr. Z” Schaefer, founder and CEO of Spark The Discussion, is a respected leadership coach, management consultant, certified Predictive Index® partner, and award‑winning speaker. A retired tenured professor, he also owns a stake in a sports bar chain, advising on culture, tech, and strategy. Zach has helped hundreds of companies, authored multiple books, and recently released The Missing Conversations: Navigating Awareness, Avoidance & Adversity at Work, a guide for fostering constructive dialogue to drive organizational impact .

In this episode, Zach explores why leaders often dodge difficult conversations and how that avoidance hinders growth. They delve into contrasting strategic vs. operational mindsets, the power of trust and role clarity, and the use of behavioral tools like Predictive Index and Line‑of‑Sight to improve hiring and execution. Zach shares frameworks (like FIRM and trust ranking) and real-life insights from academia, restaurants, and executive coaching—all designed to empower founders and execs leaning into scaling through better communication and leadership.

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The Missing Conversations OUT NOW!

https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Conversations-Navigating-Awareness-Avoidance/dp/1637631952

Timestamps

00:00 Conversations we’re avoiding at work

 02:18 From professor to entrepreneur

 05:06 Scaling a sports bar through systems

 08:18 Fantasy sports as differentiation

 12:02 The core principles that leaders miss

 16:01 Frameworks for executive leadership

 21:08 Messaging strategy in uncertain times

 23:58 Introducing The Missing Conversations

 27:16 Defining roles and accountabilities

 30:16 When founders step back from CEO

 33:10 Intentional retention through data

 35:35 Using Predictive Index assessments

 37:10 Execution clarity via Line‑of‑Sight

 39:08 Data‑driven hiring

 43:14 Crafting a personal brand (orange theme)

 46:26 Growth through high‑stakes listening

 50:35 Zach’s quick trust‑ranking tool

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