Leading for Effect

Most people approach leadership development completely wrong. By shifting the focus, and developing some foundational skills with the Dynamic Leadership Model™, we help leaders achieve their goals in a fraction of the time. 

Whether it's leading your business to a profitable acquisition, your team to the championship, or your project to successful completion, we help you develop the requisite abilities to step into any challenge, at any time, with any team, and know just what to do.

Founder

Dynamic Agency OS

Partnerhub®

Helping the team refine and expand on their unique event-led and partnerships-led growth system.

https://www.partnerhub.app/how-it-works

Advisor & Head of Growth

My Growth Site

Co-Founder

Us Army Reserves

Plans Officer

Battalion Commander

Battalion Executive Officer

Operations Officer

Headquarters Company Commander

The Barracks Legend Foundation

Our vision is to create a nationwide network of electrifying fundraising events, providing non-profit organizations with the resources and capabilities to reach and support a larger number of veterans.

Through our diverse range of events, we will foster an inclusive and compassionate community that prioritizes understanding and connection. By channeling our efforts towards taking concrete action, we aim to significantly reduce the prevalence of veteran suicide and create a lasting positive impact on the lives of those who have served our nation.

https://www.barrackslegendfoundation.com/

Philanthropy Advisor

Partnerprograms.io

Helping the team refine and expand on their unique event-led and partnerships-led growth system. Hosting events for the partner community.

https://community.partnerprograms.io/

Community Host

Lean Labs

Provides consultative services to our clients with the goal of increasing growth rates and driving revenue.

Senior Growth Consultant

Responsible for expanding the company, driving profitability, and leading our world-class growth team. Oversees ongoing operations across all teams. Directs the company towards primary goals and objectives. 

tl;dr: I help deserving brands close the gap and win by supporting and resourcing our amazing growth team.

Manages daily operations within Lean Labs to ensure projects are delivered on-time and on-budget. Serves as a production-multiplier, providing resources to the team to improve their efficiency and the quality of their work.

Head Of Operations

Get Growth

I enable our team and the partners of Get Growth to help innovative companies plan, build, and scale their growth systems so they can achieve profitable, repeatable customer acquisition. 

Rather than focusing on marketing tactics and channels with low return on investment, Get Growth helps companies establish a foundation that engages and converts your target market, providing a steady flow of qualified leads.

Sprocket Rocket

Manages daily operations at Sprocket Rocket to ensure projects are delivered on-time and on-budget. Serves as a production-multiplier, providing resources to the team to deliver a world-class solution to our customers.

10% of agencies are going to disappear in the next year because of AI.

That's because so many agencies focus on tactics and deliverables. 

And when technology enables anyone, regardless of experience, to deliver the same tactics, your price point plummets. 

Then you become replaceable. 

I work directly alongside agency owners to put them into an operating system that gets them out of the low-value work that AI can do, and into an offer that leverages your strategy and expertise.

The truth is you can’t outrun this problem. Tactics and deliverables will continue to become less valuable. The answer is to build and train a team to leverage expertise and create value for clients in ways that AI can’t.

As the former CEO of a marketing agency, I've seen agency challenges firsthand. It can be tough to know what works and what doesn't, but I've learned a thing or two along the way.

I've also had the pleasure of serving as an Army officer, where I worked with some of the smartest, hardest-working folks around. That experience taught me a lot about what makes people tick and how to build high-performing teams.


If you're interested in chatting about:

➡️ How to develop a talent accelerator that makes your business more effective, efficient, and enjoyable for everyone
➡️ How to lean into your strategic expertise instead of tactics to make more money
➡️ How to leverage assets already at your fingertips to achieve your goals faster

shoot me a message on LinkedIn. I’m always happy to chat. 

Let's do this!

- Chris

Agency owners, here's a little tip for scope creep. 

Include a "say yes" budget in your initial scoping. 

Use language similar to: 


"Things are going to pop up during the project you'll want us to knock out that weren't initially planned for. 

Instead of needing an additional scope, we can use this budget to address it. 

And if we don't need the budget at the end of the project, it goes right back in your pocket, or you can apply it to future work."


Agreeing to an allotment allows you to highlight when scope creep shows up. 

It also keeps it top of mind with clients, because those random requests are now tracked against a specific budget. 

Result? Less scope creep. 

And you're at least getting paid if it shows up. 

Anyone do anything similar? 

Chris DuBois

Helping Agencies Build Teams that Prioritize Strategy Over Tactics | Leadership Coach & Speaker

My grandfather was strong and stubborn. 

I have evidence the latter trait is hereditary. Still need more for the former. 


He had multiple heart attacks, a triple bypass, and suffered pneumonia every year. 

Did that stop him from smoking? No. He's not a quitter. 

(In all seriousness, he'd been smoking since he was 10 and tried quitting multiple times.)


He once cut his thumb nearly off with a table saw. He wrapped it in duct tape because the job needed to be finished. 


As dementia took him, he maintained his need to help others and, of course, stayed stubborn. 

Waking in a hospital bed naked, he grabbed his walker and took to the halls, searching for an exit. 

The nurses, trying to get him back to bed said, “All the doors are locked at night.”

Without missing a beat he said, “Well, stick with me. We’ll get out of here.”



He worked hard in life, but was never sure how to emotionally connect with his grandkids. 

It was only after I joined the Army he started opening up to me. 

Every time I'd visit, he'd salute, and we'd talk about the $46 paycheck he sent home to his family. 

I leaned into that to build more connection and will never regret it. 



Knowing I'm stubborn, and seeing it in my kids, I've spent a lot of time developing my self-awareness. 

It’s one of the top 3 skills leaders need to be successful and, for a bit, became a constraint in my personal/professional growth.

Prioritizing it has made a world of difference. 



This post was really just me getting out some thoughts after a weekend with family, celebrating the man. 

If you're still reading, go call someone special to you. It'll make both your days better.

How can self-awareness help with personal and professional growth?

How can stubbornness be a positive trait?

What is the author's connection to the Army?

Alright agency friends, we're getting ready to go live. 

Is there someone you'd like to hear talking about the future of agencies?

Let's get them on the show. 

Agency owners, experts, and anyone with an interesting opinion is welcome. 

Give them a tag. 

What are some trends shaping the future of agencies?

How can interesting opinions contribute to the growth of agencies?

The AI Agency Paradox is real. 

You need AI to stay competitive. 

But over-reliance makes you replaceable. 

Want to see the strategies agencies are using to stay ahead of the challenge? 

ZenPilot is hosting an 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 on 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 25. 

You'll get to hear use cases and practical advice from Paris Childress, Ian Garlic, Ali Schwanke, Jeff Cypher, and myself. 

The game is changing. 

What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. 

Join us so you don't fall into the trap that's going to claim so many agencies this year alone. 

#agency #ai #agencyoperations 

50% of “SEO” agencies will be gone by the end of the year.

Vanished. Gone.

Harder to find than El Dorado, Atlantis, or that one file you swore you bookmarked.

Why?

Two primary reasons.

✖️ AI is changing search.

Zero-click content was already becoming more prominent but now with AI generated answers people don't need to search further.

✖️ Most SEO agencies are selling the deliverable, not the strategy.

If your deliverable can be created with AI, you are replaceable.


So what's the fix?

1️⃣ Prioritize strategy.

Just doing keyword research is no longer enough because even AI can do keyword research, meaning you clients can do it for themselves.

Also, standard keyword research will only show you what everyone else is writing.

You need a method for collecting the topics your customers care about, similar to Brendan Hufford's 3S strategy.

Additionally, you should have a plan for each stage of the funnel. Check out Lashay Lewis's content for great examples.

2️⃣ Content needs to go deeper than surface level.

Google can read every blog on the internet. When every single blog says the same exact thing there's a good chance it’ll be cast aside. It’ll potentially even be flagged as AI.

The blogs that will win are those that provide “information gain.”

Those articles embrace humanity and bring new ideas to life in a way that AI can't replicate.

Bernard Huang has awesome content on this.

3️⃣ Price to deliver outcomes, not output.

Customers want a result, not a blog post.

Getting that result is more important than how many articles you can write in a given month.

This stops you from being bottlenecked into specific tactics where the client sees you as a vendor, believing all you do is “write some blog posts.”

Instead, you're viewed as a partner, helping to achieve the company's goals.



It's only a prediction that 50% of SEO agencies will be gone this year, but it's been echoed by nearly every guest I've had on Agency Forward.

PS - Agency Forward goes live tomorrow, so you can listen for yourself. Subscribe today so you can catch them each week.

What are the reasons for the downfall of SEO agencies?

What is outcome-based pricing and why is it important?

Who is Brendan Hufford and what is his 3S strategy?

Agencies, you need to differentiate. 

I just entered "hubspot solutions partners" into Google. 

One of the results: 

The 2550 Best Agencies or Service Providers in the United States

Yeah. 2550 "Best". 

No one is fooled by that claim. 

I promise you, everyone wants you to be different. 

✅ Partners can refer you more easily. 
✅ Prospects can find you more easily. 
✅ Your team can focus more easily. 

Even your competitors want you to differentiate instead of being like them. 

Peter Caputa joined me for an episode of Agency Forward where we dive into that and so much more. 

Check out the show on your favorite podcast player. 


How can agencies differentiate themselves?

1 common trait across all the people I look up to.

It sounds common-sensual, but I'm seeing it less these days. 

And it's disheartening. 

The trait is that 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. 

They put in effort because they want to see results where it matters. 

When their team is struggling, they show up to help them. 

When things aren't going well in their company, they do what's necessary to get it back on track. 

When their families are missing them, they take time off. 

They've chosen what's important to them and they prioritize those things in life. 

When you see someone who truly cares about what they're doing, you notice. And it can be contagious if you spend enough time around it. 

What are some ways to help a struggling team?

New rule:

If you're an agency owner and cold pitch me with a poor offer, I'm pitching back. 

Cold outreach isn't dead. People just suck at it. 

They make lofty promises that don't address the audience's current pain points. 

Unless someone has the problem you solve, they're not looking for your solution. Even if you drop it in front of them. 

Start your cold reach out with the struggles your clients are telling you they face. 

Make it glaringly obvious you understand this problem better than anyone in your space. 

If you do that right, you don't even need to pitch your solution. By knowing the problem so well, your prospects will assume you have the solution. 

Pitch better, people.

#agency #leadgen

PS - Just a reminder, ZenPilot is hosting the AI in Agency Operations Roundtable next Thursday the 25th. 

Great opportunity to learn from some experts on how agencies can better use AI in their daily flow.

Link below.

3 must-have skills every agency owner needs in their arsenal:



𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
For a long while, you're the agency's sole salesperson.

But you get a bonus lift in success. If this were a video game, you'd have +10 conversational skills when it comes to your offer.

Someone needs to make it rain, and even when you have a larger team, that responsibility is with you.

Plus, getting good at selling means you can train your team to do the same.

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠
Marketing comes down to storytelling.

The stories you tell your audience, your team, and even yourself are what drive change.

Getting good at storytelling will help you attract clients, manage your team, and stay motivated in those less-than-desirable times.

𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠
Not socializing in the “pass me another martini” way, but in building partnerships and uniting people.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦.”

I didn’t come up with that quote, but it’s like one of Newton’s laws. It’s just a fact.

When you bring people together with common interests (community) and align them to a common goal (unity), magic happens.



Obviously, there are other important skills. But if you can nail these 3, you’re well on your way to becoming bullet-proof.

How important is socializing for agency owners?

What are the six key strategies for selling?

What are the benefits of good storytelling?

No one trusts your agency.

Unless you've given them a result, they’re skeptics.

This is the challenge of the modern business world.

Buyers are more skeptical than ever and need more proof you can deliver on your promise.

Half the content you're reading on LinkedIn was created by AI. (Not this one. It's my wife transcribing me talking as we drive home from a family trip.)

Chatbots can pretend to be human.

AI-generated avatars can pretend to be human.

Someone created an entire podcast of the Joe Rogan Experience interviewing Steve Jobs. Postmortem.

People do not trust modern businesses.

I'm taking too long to finish Jared Fuller's new book, Nearbound, but in it he makes the case that we're in a trust economy.

The companies with the most trust are the ones that will win.

Marketing has the goal of two things—to inspire action and build trust

Now more than ever, we need to prioritize the trust building.

Trust comes from predictability.

The more consistent you can be in your messaging, delivery, and support, the faster you will build trust.

Do not sleep on opportunities to build more trust with your audience.

#trust #agency 

PS - Tomorrow is the AI in Agency Operations Roundtable hosted by ZenPilot.

We'll discuss the ways agencies can leverage AI to improve their business. You don't want to miss this one. Sign up link below.

There's a simple way to build team cohesion, but I see agencies screw this up a lot.

Set company values that your team sees every day.

If you’re not seeing them, it’s likely one of three reasons.

1️⃣ No one is enforcing the values.

You stopped prioritizing certain values and now they’ve faded into the ether.

If you don’t lead with the values, no one else is going to follow them.

2️⃣ They’re not strong values.

If the opposite of your value would be stupid, pick something else.

Examples:
➡️ Clear communication.
No business is striving for unclear communication.

➡️ Accountability.
Because you don’t want everyone running amok? Obviously.

➡️ We care about our customers.
If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have a business.

Essentially, you’re just saying, “We believe more strongly in these than other values.”

That’s a missed opportunity to use your values for culture-building.

Your values should be things you believe strongly in, where the opposite isn’t idiotic.

Examples from my business:
➡️ We play positive-sum games.
Some companies are strictly in zero-sum games. That’s fine. We’re going to find ways for everyone to win whenever we can.

➡️ Our cadence is our credibility.
You can build a reputation on whatever you want. We choose our speed to result.

3️⃣ They’re not actionable values.

If you can’t see the value showing up in the day-to-day, it’s not a strong enough value.

Often, this just takes reframing.

Make it incredibly specific:

Instead of “We value our time,” try, “If it can be an email, cancel the meeting.”

That says a lot more about your values, and it’s far more concrete for your team.

Values are important.

Customers (especially in B2B) likely won’t buy from you because of them. There’s too much on the line for those purchases.

But even if the customers don’t know your values, your team will. And you can build an awesome culture around them.

#values #dynamicagency

PS - If you want to see the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business, I've got a mini email course just for you. Links below. 


How can company values be used to build team cohesion?

How can values be used for culture-building?

What are the consequences of not enforcing company values?

Problems in your agency don't accumulate, they compound.

I call these Cascading Dilemmas.

When you let that one problem sit, it leads to more problems much faster.
It’s like giving a mouse a cookie.

When you miss deadlines, it leads to client dissatisfaction, which leads to negative reviews and churn, which leads to challenges acquiring new clients, which leads to financial issues, which leads to layoffs, which leads to other team members jumping ship, which leads to you living in a van down by the river.

When you over-rely on a single client, you tailor your offer to them, which leads to needing to rework your team’s skills, which leads to team members leaving when they’re in a position they didn’t sign up for, which leads to lower capacity, which leads to financial strains, which leads to living in a van down by the river.

Are you seeing a pattern?

Constantly be aware of your problems. Address them swiftly.

And if you can see the problem because you’re too close to it, get an outside perspective.

It could save your business.

PS - Want to see the problems I notice most frequently in agencies? I've got an email course that shows the problems AND the solutions. Link in the comments. 

What are some examples of cascading dilemmas in agencies?

How can seeking outside perspectives benefit agencies?

How can agencies prevent client dissatisfaction?

Oh, yes. It's April Fools Day. 

The day my inbox turns entirely into junk mail. 

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