The Effort Trap: Discover the Smarter Path to Business Success

Feeling like you’re putting in a ton of effort but not seeing the payoff? You’re not alone. This year’s top podcast episodes revealed a crucial truth: effort isn’t everything. We’re diving into the conversations that offered clarity, structure, and real strategy – the keys to working smarter, not just harder.

This week, I’m highlighting our most recent episode and the top three most-played episodes of 2025—a CEO interview, solo deep dive, and expert insight—all with a golden nugget to take into your business today.

🎙️ Latest Episode: Ops Excellence with Ryan Fortner, Director of Operations for William Valve

In this raw and honest conversation, Ryan shares what it takes to lead a legacy brand through change. With decades of operational experience and a no-excuses leadership style, he talks about scaling a people-first company, the pressures of modern leadership, and why culture eats strategy for breakfast.

🎧 Listen to Ryan’s Episode → Ryan’s grounded perspective on business—from shop floors to boardrooms—offers invaluable insights on the future of leadership. 

🎙️ Most-Played CEO Interview  Jon MacDonald, CEO of The Good Jon helps companies like Adobe and The Economist turn browsers into buyers—and he does it without gimmicks. In this conversation, we talked about the real metrics that move the needle, why cleverness is the enemy of clarity, and how testing should be culture, not chaos.

🔑 Golden Nugget: “Too many brands are ‘being agile’ when really, they’re just being ad hoc. If you don’t start high-level with real human insight, all the tools in the world won’t save you.” 🎧 Listen to Jon’s Episode →

🎙️ Most-Played Solo Episode  Why Your Team’s Success Depends on Streamlined Processes

I broke down exactly what it looks like to build the plane while flying it—without burning everyone out in the process. This one hit home for leaders who are growing fast, but want to do it with more ease and less friction.

🔑 Golden Nugget: “It’s not a lack of talent—it’s a lack of clarity.” 🎧 Listen to the Solo Episode →

🎙️ Most-Played SME Episode  Streamlined Processes with Steve Niehoff, COO of Group Plan Systems

Steve shared what it takes to operationalize change at scale—and how to make process improvement not just possible, but practical. His insights on prioritizing effectiveness before efficiency are a must-hear for anyone reworking systems.

🔑 Golden Nugget: “A process has to be effective first and efficient second. If you have an efficient process that’s ineffective, you’re just getting to the wrong answer faster.” 🎧 Listen to Steve’s Episode →

💡TL;DR: What These Episodes Reveal

Across all three, one message stood out: Success isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters, better.

Here’s what you can do now: ✅ Re-evaluate your current processes: What’s effective, not just efficient? ✅ Pinpoint where clarity is missing: With team roles, handoffs, or priorities? ✅ Shift from ad hoc fixes to intentional systems.

🧰 Turn Insight into Action

Want to move from podcast wisdom to business change?

You’ll find the exact tools we use with clients inside the Learning Center:

  • A Process Audit Checklist to uncover bottlenecks

  • A Streamlining Handoffs Tool to reduce dropped balls

  • A Step-by-Step Guide to Implement Scalable Processes that grow with your team

Everything you need to create a system that supports—not suffocates—your growth.

✨Want to Work With Us?✨

📚 Join the Waitlist for The Ops Edge Academy The Ops Edge Academy is where service-based leaders go to master process improvement and scale with intention. Be the first to know when enrollment opens for the next cohort. 👉 Join the Waitlist

🌀 Book a Flow State Workshop Go from confusion and chaos to feeling crystal clear about the state of your business—in just one day. This live, virtual workshop helps your team uncover what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next. 👉 Explore the Workshop

In your service,

Hilary Corna

Hilary Corna

Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, Podcast Host, Founder of the Human Way ™...

Hilary’s favorite title is HUMAN.

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