Why Most Founders Plateau — and What to Do About It with Zach Schaefer, founder and CEO of Spark The Discussion

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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