The Conscious Entrepreneur is the podcast where founders come to sharpen their edge from the inside out - building businesses that are sustainable, aligned, and actually work for their life. It’s about becoming the kind of leader your business needs you to be, and doing it with clarity, connection, and purpose.
We don’t buy into hustle culture. And burnout? It’s not a badge of honor. Here, we believe thriving businesses are built by thriving people.
Hosted by Sarah Lockwood, The Conscious Entrepreneur is where growth starts within.
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The Conscious Entrepreneur is the podcast where founders come to sharpen their edge from the inside out - building businesses that are sustainable, aligned, and actually work for their life. It’s about becoming the kind of leader your business needs you to be, and doing it with clarity, connection, and purpose.
We don’t buy into hustle culture. And burnout? It’s not a badge of honor. Here, we believe thriving businesses are built by thriving people.
Hosted by Sarah Lockwood, The Conscious Entrepreneur is where growth starts within.
EP 102: Talent Density: Your New KPI for Culture, Productivity & Profit
The Conscious Entrepreneur
33 minutes 24 seconds
2 months ago
EP 102: Talent Density: Your New KPI for Culture, Productivity & Profit
Annual reviews are broken, and leadership coach Mike Goldman, author of “The Strength of Talent” has a different way to think about performance management that puts people growth at the heart of profit growth.
Joining Sarah Lockwood in this episode, Mike questions why so many organizations still rely on outdated HR metrics and rigid systems like annual reviews or quarterly reviews when so few leaders believe they make a real impact. He introduces the idea of “talent density,” a measure of the gap between high and low performers, and explains why it’s a sharper way to understand organizational health. He walks through his five-step framework that calls for clear expectations, honest assessments done as a team, real leadership accountability, and a balance between productivity and culture fit.
How often do we keep a top producer who quietly undermines the culture? Where is “good enough” quietly slowing the roles that drive a company forward? Mike shares strategies leaders can start using right away, even without company-wide adoption, and explains why a slow, thoughtful rollout builds trust and lasting results. This episode challenges the way performance management is typically done and offers a grounded approach to helping both people and the business grow stronger.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Talent Density Explained
01:51 People Growth Drives Profit
03:55 Assessing Performance Beyond Annual Reviews
06:25 Leadership Accountability for People Growth
08:01 Broken Performance Management System
09:17 Quarterly Talent Assessment Meeting (QTAM)
11:14 Talent Density Indicator (TDI) Overview
14:40 Culture Fit as a Performance Metric
18:45 Roles Where Good Enough Fails
23:06 Applying the System as a Middle Manager
29:01 Change Management and Rollout Strategy
Connect with Mike Goldman:
Website
Book: “The Strength of Talent”
LinkedIn
Connect with Sarah Lockwood:
Website
LinkedIn
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The Conscious Entrepreneur
The Conscious Entrepreneur is the podcast where founders come to sharpen their edge from the inside out - building businesses that are sustainable, aligned, and actually work for their life. It’s about becoming the kind of leader your business needs you to be, and doing it with clarity, connection, and purpose.
We don’t buy into hustle culture. And burnout? It’s not a badge of honor. Here, we believe thriving businesses are built by thriving people.
Hosted by Sarah Lockwood, The Conscious Entrepreneur is where growth starts within.
