Jon and Anna walk through Sagan's dramatic talent pool transformation. From clunky PDFs to a sophisticated searchable platform, they’re demonstrating what modern internal software development looks like in the AI era.

The original concept, simply, is that candidates who didn't get hired were already vetted, interviewed, and qualified. Rather than let this "sawdust" go to waste, Sagan created a talent pool where members could hire these candidates for free.

One member has made over 20 hires this way!

But the initial execution was rough. PDFs scattered across Google Drive, static posts in Circle, and no way to search or filter. Members were frustrated. They wanted searchability, confirmed availability, and a seamless experience integrated directly into their member portal.

The new platform solves these pain points systematically. Real-time availability confirmation prevents candidates from expiring before members can act. Advanced search filters by country, skills, and specific software. A "reserved" function prevents the talent auction problem, which is when multiple members request the same candidate, driving up rates and creating chaos.

Anna's key lesson from managing this project resonates beyond Sagan: you need to be specific about what you want, but don't let perfect planning paralyze you.

The first draft enables iteration. Once you see a prototype, feedback becomes concrete rather than abstract.

Sagan's development philosophy is "make it exist, then make it good." The platform will continue evolving with features like talent drops, personalized notifications, and specialized alerts.

Future additions might include: notify me when you add a CSR from South America, or alert me to full-stack developers under a certain rate.

This isn't just about hiring. It's about building internal software quickly using AI coding tools, getting feedback fast, and iterating relentlessly.

KEY TOPICS: (01:34) The Talent Pool Concept: Turning Interview "Sawdust" Into Value (04:10) Problems Being Solved: Availability, Searchability, Integration (08:22) Full Candidate Profiles: Video, Resume, Interview Q&A (10:01) Lessons from Developing the Talent Pool (11:22) Make It Exist, Then Make It Good

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon and Peter dive deep into a problem every growing business faces: team members saying "I'm too busy" and processes accumulating like barnacles on a ship's hull. More than just a matter of workload management, this issue is about the fundamental architecture of how work gets done.

So what exactly makes up these "barnacles"? According to Jon, it’s threefold: outdated forms, irrelevant marketing copy, and processes that solved problems from three years ago but nobody remembers why they exist.

Peter connects this with the principle of Chesterton's Fence. That is, never remove something until you understand why it was built.

To begin solving this problem, establish what you want this person doing at their highest level.

That’s their "zone of genius."

For a CFO, that's strategic planning rather than transactional bookkeeping. For a business owner at $2-4M revenue, it's growing revenue and developing leadership instead of fulfillment work.

It also helps to do a detailed task mapping exercise. List every output, identify inputs needed, describe the transformation process, and define triggers.

Jon's framework adds complexity and time assessments to identify "high time, low difficulty" tasks. Those are the lowest hanging fruit for delegation. Peter had the revelation that this exercise is often unintuitive for team members who can't articulate where their hours actually go.

Finally, avoid fragmenting roles too much (increasing internal transaction costs), but recognize that labor specialization is actually a sign of operational maturity. Both Jon and Peter hate documentation and SOPs. But they hate being tied to their desks even more.

As George Soros said: "I work furiously because I am furious that I have to work."

Key Topics: (04:00) The Barnacles Analogy (09:04) Understanding Why Things Exist Before Removing Them (12:06) Define Their Zone of Genius (14:58) Task Mapping: Outputs, Inputs, Transformation, and Triggers (21:12) Difficulty vs. Time: Finding the Low-Hanging Fruit (27:11) How Specialized Should Your Roles Be? (39:32) The Pain of Transformation vs. The Golden Ring of Freedom

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon sits down with Sagan’s Head of Recruitment, Sofía Bravo, to talk about what American team leaders often overlook when working with people from Latin America.

Sofía identifies the Latin American default: when something goes wrong, the immediate response is performative work: lengthy reports, detailed timelines, exhaustive documentation. These are all designed to prove effort was made. The fear, especially among junior employees, drives them to muddy the waters with complexity rather than deliver clear, confident analysis.

Problems arising from this phenomenon often stem from a fundamental misunderstanding about what managers want. When a boss asks "what happened?", junior team members hear "who's to blame?" So they build defensive fortresses of documentation. But what Jon and Sofía actually need is the thinking: tell me what you know (facts), what you don't know (gaps), and what you think (judgment). That confident assessment is the actual value.

The solution centers on radical candor. That’s high care combined with high honesty. Jon's approach is to explicitly acknowledge when he's about to give hard feedback, but frame it with demonstrated care. This creates psychological safety for honesty in both directions.

Two years ago, Sofia would've struggled with bluntness. Now she catches herself using "we" instead of direct feedback and immediately corrects. Leadership reinforces this by selectively praising what matters. Not "everything's green" but "you owned the mistake and drove the solution."

This cultural challenge isn't unique to Latin America, but recognizing these defaults makes them addressable through deliberate modeling, selective praise, and relentless focus on judgment over justification.

KEY TOPICS: (01:00) The Latin American Default: Justification Over Analysis (04:08) Performative Work (10:48) Leadership Modeling (14:22) Radical Candor (17:12) Building Relationship Bank Accounts Before Honesty

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Christian Ruf, special operations veteran turned executive search leader, delivers a masterclass in expectation-setting that exposes why most delegation fails before it begins.

Effective leadership, according to Christian, rests on four pillars: feedback, accountability, consistency, and expectations. But expectations come first. Without clear standards, the other three collapse into subjective interpretation and frustration.

Christian's three S's framework cuts through management theory bloat:

• Specific means zero room for interpretation. "End of week" becomes "Friday 3PM PST, PDF format, in my inbox." The rule of thumb is to ask, “Could a four-year-old understand it?”
• Shared understanding gives people the "why" behind the task, enabling autonomous decision-making when you're not there. Cooking dinner for two versus twenty requires completely different approaches. Without context, people optimize for the wrong outcome.
• Supported means providing actual resources: training, SOPs, budget, organizational access. Asking someone to do Turkish getups without a kettlebell sounds absurd, yet managers do the equivalent daily.

At the same time, you shouldn’t stop giving your team the "why". Your purpose needs repetition until it becomes organizational muscle memory. He introduces the brief-back technique, where you have team members explain their understanding before executing. This allows leaders to catch misalignment before it becomes failure.

The framework's power lies in its diagnostic utility. When someone underperforms, leaders ask: Was it specific? Shared? Supported? Three yes answers mean it's a performance issue. Any no means it's a leadership failure. This shifts accountability where it belongs and prevents the toxic cycle of blaming team members for unclear expectations.

KEY TOPICS: (02:02) The Four Pillars of Effective Leadership (05:10) Pillar One: Specific Expectations (08:24) Pillar Two: Shared Understanding (12:38) Pillar Three: Supported Execution (15:24) The Three S's Diagnostic for Failed Expectations

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon and Peter tackle two challenges facing successful entrepreneurs: being truly present with family despite physical attendance, and navigating career transitions without severing valuable connections.

Ever felt "a million miles away at work” when spending time with family? You’re not alone. It’s a common paradox that many an entrepreneur has to deal with. That “paradox” of being present in body when you’re out with family, but absent in mind because all you’re thinking about is work.

The entrepreneurial personality that drives business success (obsessive, curious, relentless) becomes the enemy of presence. Entrepreneurs often swap one addiction for another: trading work obsession for ultramarathon training or school board positions, still pressing the gas pedal instead of learning to simply be.

Peter introduces the framework of quality versus quantity time. Having household help isn't about avoiding parenting. It enables better engagement during hours spent together. And it’s not an easy transition for entrepreneurs. Imagine building and managing "palaces of business operations" where everything bends to their control, then returning home where nothing does.

On career transitions, Jon argues against two extremes. Don't make your next chapter entirely about your previous identity (the Navy SEAL who only does SEAL ventures), but don't abandon it completely either. The answer is to "reinvent yourself 25% at a time" by leveraging your background to open doors while building toward something new.

Peter adds Charlie Munger's principle: "The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily," especially regarding relationships. That fraternity photo from twenty years ago? Those shirtless beer-drinking kids are now senior lawyers, venture-backed founders, and doctors. That makes for an invaluable network that compounds over decades.

KEY TOPICS: (01:46) Physical Presence vs. Mental Presence with Kids (08:00) Trading Addictions: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Just Sit (17:26) Psychedelics as Tools for Presence (19:00) Quality Over Quantity Time: The Case for Household Help (23:35) Unlearning Survival Habits (30:47) Reinventing Yourself 25% at a Time (38:11) Never Interrupt Compounding (Especially Relationships) (45:32) Carl Rogers on Appreciating People Like Sunsets

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon sits down with Christian Ruf to discuss why labor-intensive small businesses need both affordable global talent and battle-tested leaders who thrive in chaos.

Christian’s specialty is recruiting former military personnel. He’s not just thanking veterans for their service, but also solving a specific problem for lower-middle-market companies stuck between drowning in operations and being unable to afford a $250K president.

Christian personally experienced the ego death necessary to understand what small business operators actually need. After all, he’s flown helicopters in special operations and power-washing patios for country music stars, earning more than $20/hour. All drawn from real and raw on-the-ground experience!

Jon and Christian distinguish between two hiring categories. First, the premium tier: former special forces operators with MBAs commanding $180-250K as COOs and presidents.

But the real volume, and arguably bigger impact, sits in the second category: former company commanders earning their undergrad at state schools, serving 5-7 years, then spending a few years discovering they hate wealth management. These leaders command roughly $10K/month and provide asymmetric value to small business owners who need someone to "just run the show."

Only 1 of 55 placements had industry experience. Operators need to read between the lines of a resume to find these guys and girls. A pilot who flew night missions at 300 feet over Syria while being shot at can probably manage restaurant operations. The military community provides a translated skill set that small business owners struggle to evaluate: leadership under chaos, accountability systems, and the ability to link strategic intent to tactical execution.

TIMESTAMPS: (01:23) From Special Operations Helicopter Pilot to Small Business Operator (05:42) The Handyman Ego Death: Power Washing Investor Patios (10:17) Strategic Partnership: 50% Off Executive Recruiting for Sagan Members (13:35) Two Categories of Military Hires: Upper vs Lower End (15:07) Category One: Special Forces + MBA = $180-250K Leadership (20:56) Why Industry Experience Doesn't Matter (22:20) Category Two: The $10K/Month GM Who Just Runs the Show (31:50) Translation Services: Flying at 300 Feet Over Syria vs Restaurant Stress

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon and Peter tackle the hardest pivot for operator-minded entrepreneurs: recognizing when systematic optimization becomes a distraction from strategic leverage.

Peter's consulting for AppFolio, a publicly-traded property management software company with thousands of customers in Crane's exact target market. He's speaking on stage with their CMO at conferences. Yet, up till recently, he was still grinding through membership drives like a bootstrapped startup.

Jon's intervention is part confrontation, part masterclass in "deal guy" thinking. While Peter was perfecting his systems, Jon believed he was overlooking the partnership that could deliver more members in one email blast than six months of webinars.

In short, Jon says that engineers optimize existing systems, while deal-makers architect new leverage points that make old systems irrelevant.

Next, Jon and Peter discuss vehicle selection within industries. They believe that no operator is ever stuck in a bad business model, but that they’re likely adjacent to better ones. Property managers become software companies. Gym owners become SaaS founders. The question isn't whether your industry has potential, but whether you've chosen the right vehicle and identified your center of gravity. That single relationship or initiative that carries along a dozen minor results.

Jon then introduces backwards planning from desired outcomes, the art of having your pitch ready when green lights appear, and why you must be prepared to "go all the way" in the moment. Peter explores the Rule of 40 as a forcing function: if your business isn't either growing fast or printing money, you're playing the wrong game entirely

KEY TOPICS: (02:23) Why Jon Isn’t Into Clickbait for Top-of-Funnel (11:03) Stop Running Bake Sales and Just Close the Deal (17:20) Being a "Deal Guy" vs. Systems Thinker (19:00) The Center of Gravity: Marine Corps Strategic Thinking (22:08) Vehicle Selection Within Your Industry (26:00) Momentum in Deal-Making: Being Ready to Close (30:00) The Rule of 40 for Business Health (34:00) Competing With Your Customers or Vendors (41:23) Toyota Way Principles for Small Business (44:00) Crane Conference Insights and the Power of Pins

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com

Jon coaches Priscilla, a first-time manager at Sagan, through one of management's fundamental challenges: being accountable for everything while not doing everything yourself. Priscilla manages six recruiters and struggles with the classic new manager trap: when something goes wrong, she pulls control back and starts reviewing every email.

Jon introduces the Marine Corps concept of "directed telescopes," where managers selectively sample their team's work rather than monitoring everything. Instead of being CC'd on every email, he advises Priscilla to periodically dive deep into specific projects, checking calendars, reviewing select emails, and asking targeted questions during one-on-ones. This creates "fingertip feel", or knowing what's happening without being in every meeting.

The conversation reveals a critical distinction between mistake types. Jon embraces "aggressive mistakes" (errors made while pushing boundaries or exercising judgment) and has zero tolerance for "sloppy mistakes" stemming from laziness or lack of attention. When a team member pushes back too hard on a client, Jon backs them up. When someone leaves AI prompts visible in an email, that's unacceptable.

Priscilla can't work her way out of this problem by staying later and reviewing more emails. She must think her way out by developing her team. The goal is getting her voice into their heads, so they anticipate her standards without needing constant oversight. Drawing from his own experience with mentors, Jon describes how effective leaders create space for growth while maintaining clear expectations and documentation through proper feedback frameworks.

KEY TOPICS (01:40) Why Leaders Need to Foster Accountability Without Being a Control Freak (04:55) "Directed Telescopes": The Marine Corps Sampling Method (06:51) Creating "Fingertip Feel" Without Micromanaging (09:31) Mistakes of Aggression vs Mistakes of Sloppiness (12:51) The Four Steps of Giving Feedback Framework (20:11) Getting Your Voice Into Your Team's Heads (24:12) Rose-Colored Glasses: Priscilla's Leadership Strength and Weakness

Stay connected for more insights and strategies by following: Jon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MatznerJon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lazyleverage.beehiiv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pslohmann⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on X and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peterlohmann.com