Get To Know Our Founders
Q & A with Co Founder Mike Sheahan
Question: What made you decide to get into a training/consulting career?
Answer: I have always been a good leader. Whether in sports or business, I thought good leadership alone would carry me far in the world. While training and consulting are not a specific field I intended to pursue, I found that I had developed a knack for teaching best practices and offering advice to those who asked. Before I knew it, more peers and leaders were asking for my input and these traits became greater assets than what I had previously thought to be my defining trait of leadership. Leadership is great, but without a clear direction of where the ship is heading and why, a good leader may be lost.
Q: What is your favorite thing about what you do (training/consulting)?
A: I love being able to pretend the world is perfect. Training gives you an opportunity to practice “making everything right”. While this is never reality, and we train around the ability to adapt to ever changing scenarios, a trainer can envision the world as it should be. No flaws in the process, no unhappy customers, no unhappy employees. Where everyone is doing everything correctly and firing on all cylinders. While this “perfect world” rarely exists, trainers and consultants frequent that world in their mind and attempt to deliver that experience to others.
Q: Why do you think training/consulting is so important to a business?
A: Training is important to business because it sets clear expectations for your team, as well as giving them the tools to meet or exceed those expectations. Without the knowledge of what they are working towards, or the tools to perform it, your team is just treading water.
Consulting is important to a business because it gives those involved in the day to day minutiae a non biased objective opinion sharing best practices and exploring gaps in the current process. When heavily involved with something you have had a part in building, it is easy to miss common details, as you may be too close to see the whole picture or issue at hand. An outside consultation allows you to maximize your efficiencies in working towards a common goal.
Q: If you could have a meal with anyone in the history of the world; who would it be and what would you eat?
A: This is the toughest question of this interview by far. There are so many important figures who have greatly impacted this world and its history, that I have respect for. However, if we are eating food together I would like to make this a pleasant experience that I will never forget. And for that, I choose to dine with Chris Farley. We will be supping in the basement of Gino’s East in Chicago on their Chicago deep dish pizza. After Farley and I finished the whole pie, I would be unsure if the source of my stomach ache was the pizza or the constant laughter. And I would thank him for showing a chubby teenager how to be confident in his own skin, and for all the laughs.
Q: What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
A: I love to play disc golf, and go hiking. The main reason my wife and I moved here was to enjoy the mountains of Western North Carolina. If not on the courses or playing in the mountains, I am an avid fan of film (especially Horror) and music, and enjoy working on my podcast talking about these things. I love to do all of this with my lovely wife of 11 years Nicole, and our 2 rescue dogs Elvis (chihuahua) and Evie (beagle).
Q: What is something you gain from doing training/consulting (other than $)?
A: Helping others succeed through either of these channels gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Both my training and consulting acumen have been crafted during years and years of experience, trial and error, and learning from mistakes and wins. Seeing the advice gained from this being put into motion by another business is one of the most fulfilling and validating experiences I could ask for. We all love to be heard and listened to, but to see your words breed success in others, is sometimes better than money.
Q: If you didn't choose training/consulting what would you be doing today?
A: If I still followed a “more traditional” path, I would probably be a warehouse or supply chain manager somewhere. I enjoy leading by example, and implementing/following protocols to get hard jobs done safely and efficiently. If I were to go a “less traditional” route, I would have pursued something in broadcasting and be further along (hopefully) with my podcast, and possibly be spinning soul jams on a radio station at 3am to 20 listeners with good taste.
Q: What person or experience taught you the most and why?
A: I try to walk away from every previous experience with a speak able and measurable takeaway that I learned. Given this, I have learned a little bit from every person I have worked with, or business I interacted with. Sometimes the learning has come in the form of “what not to do”, and sometimes I have seen obstacles handled flawlessly by those I hope to emulate. At the end of the day the best (non original) quotes I have ever heard from 2 peers/friends are applied often to my personal and professional life:
“It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” -Rick Rodgers
“Don’t trip on dollars to pick up cents.” -Keith Anderson