What if your obsession with sales, funding, or AI isn't what's holding back your scale-up—what if it's your people strategy that's silently sabotaging your growth? As someone who's spent decades helping founders scale smart, I know how tempting it is to chase the next shiny penny: more sales, more funding, more tech. But after my conversation with today's guest, Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer—a USA Today best-selling author and a world-class executive coach—I realised that most founders underestimate their biggest growth engine: their people.  Cynthia opened my eyes to what she calls 'human capital investment,' a strategic approach that treats your talent like your most important asset. In this powerful episode, Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer breaks down the myths around talent management and explains how leaders often sabotage their businesses by treating talent as an expense rather than an investment.  We dive deep into practical frameworks for aligning your team with your business goals, reveal how to spot hidden high performers, and explore how predictive assessments can transform your hiring and development processes. If you want to avoid the costly mistakes most founders make and turn your talent into your competitive advantage—this episode is a must-listen. Let’s be real — if you’re drowning in day-to-day crap, you’ll never scale or exit. The Exit Playbook is your ticket out of the chaos. Learn how to stop being your own bottleneck and start leading like a boss. It’s free, no email required and no BS. Grab it now: https://adamstrong.notion.site/The-Exit-Playbook-Shift-from-Operator-to-Visionary-Leader-220f5f71e63b80bc91a0d7e0ca050c82?source=copy_link Chapters 00:00 The Importance of Human Capital in Business Growth 04:49 Understanding Human Capital Management 10:26 Mindset Shift: From Industrial to Digital Revolution 15:46 The Science of Talent Assessment 21:31 Framework for Identifying Talent in the Right Roles 25:25 Navigating Team Dynamics and Performance 27:44 Addressing Underperformance in Family Businesses 31:18 Identifying Skills vs. Attitude Issues 35:14 Transitioning from Startup to Scale-Up 38:40 The Cost of Neglecting Company Culture 42:22 Regrets in People Decisions 43:42 Upcoming Book and Future of Human Capital 🙏 How To Support The Business Strategist 🎙️ If this is the first time you’re listening congrats, if you like today’s episode please subscribe, listen and leave a review on 👉 Apple, Spotify ABOUT THE GUEST Website: www.cynthiabentzenmercer.com https://www.youtube.com/@DrCynthiaBentzenMercer https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcynthiabentzenmercer/ Organizational Readiness assessment: Resources — Bentzen Performance Partners Global Organizational Development Strategist Company ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices