In this episode of The People Playbook, I sit down with Steven Wright, President and CEO of Focus, to unpack one of the most common - and costly - misconceptions in sales: the belief that success comes from hiring the elusive sales “rockstar.”

Steven shares how his team helps growth-minded business owners scale by installing systems, structure, and leadership that empower average performers to become great - and great performers to thrive without the business owner micromanaging every deal.

We talk about:
✔ The dangers of chasing unicorn salespeople
✔ Building a sales engine that’s scalable and predictable
✔ How to balance structure with human flexibility
✔ Real-world stories of sales teams transformed
✔ What business owners must let go of to truly lead

If you're tired of being stuck in sales management mode and want to build a self-sustaining growth machine - this conversation is for you.

In this episode of The People Playbook, host Jason Taylor sits down with John Evans - award-winning entrepreneur, proud millennial franchisor, and founder of EverLine Coatings. What started as a small pavement marking business in Calgary is now a $51M franchise network spanning North America.

John shares how he scaled EverLine by mastering people leadership, building systems, and disrupting an overlooked industry. From battling self-doubt to expanding into the U.S. market during a pandemic, this candid conversation unpacks lessons in leadership, trust, and how to stay authentic in a world increasingly driven by AI.

If you want to hear how bold leadership and people-first culture can turn the “unsexy” into unstoppable success, this episode is for you.

What holds most leaders back isn’t strategy - it’s trust.

In this episode of The People Playbook, Jason Taylor sits down with Jeremy Harvey - strategist, leadership coach, and former Unilever exec - to talk about how leaders can unlock momentum through better people decisions. From Oxford to the Middle East, from billion-dollar brands to peer groups in Canada, Jeremy’s leadership lens has been shaped by decades of global insight.

They discuss:

• The underrated skill leaders avoid (but desperately need)
• Why “balance” is overrated - and how discomfort drives growth
• How to foster buy-in from high-performing teams
• And why curiosity - not certainty - is what keeps great leaders going

Whether you're scaling a business or just trying to stop doing your team's job for them, this episode is a must-listen.

Follow for more unfiltered conversations from The People Playbook Podcast - where leadership meets real life.