In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO & President of Doug Thorpe Group, Doug Thorpe.   In today's world, employees want to be recognized as more than just a number on a payroll. The pandemic has accelerated this mindset shift, and leaders need to embrace this change and recalibrate their thinking to have open dialogues with their teams. Doug has worked with large corporate and entrepreneurial clients and noticed a trend where employees want to be recognized as whole human beings. He believes recognizing employees as individuals with unique needs and desires is crucial for creating a positive workplace culture. As a business therapist, Doug emphasizes the importance of coaching to improve leadership capacity and abilities. He believes changing behavior takes time and effort and prefers longer engagements to help clients achieve their goals. His website, dougthorpe.com, offers much information, and he invites visitors to join him for a 30-minute discovery call. During the podcast, Doug also discussed his new book, "The Exit Strategy Handbook," which focuses on helping business owners plan for their exit from their businesses. He emphasizes the importance of beginning with the end in mind and engineering decisions accordingly. One of the biggest challenges for business owners is figuring out how to make the business run without them being there. Doug recommends delegating, automating, or outsourcing repetitive tasks and developing a solid team with problem-solving skills. Doug's book is especially relevant now, as data suggests that up to 80 million baby boomers are getting ready to exit businesses they've built over the last few decades. It is essential to plan for the future and consider the nine different scenarios of what an exit could be about to maximize the outcome of that transaction.   About Doug Thorpe: Doug is a seasoned executive coach and business advisor with over 20 years of experience. His expertise lies in assisting small business owners to scale their businesses and develop leadership skills. A former US Army Captain and Senior VP in the banking industry, Thorpe's diverse background also includes founding five successful businesses. Known for his podcast 'Leading Powered by Common Sense,' he interviews and learns from renowned leaders worldwide. Over his career, he has provided more than 19,000 hours of leadership coaching, including engagements with major oil companies and global brands, significantly enhancing their market value.   About Doug Thorpe Group: The Doug Thorpe Group provides coaching and consulting services for senior executives and leadership teams. Recognizing that the skills which propel individuals into leadership may be different skills needed for consistent long-term growth, the group aims to facilitate adaptive learning. Over three decades, they've helped hundreds of teams build new capabilities, create clarity, and foster individual leadership styles. Their ideal clients are mid-cap companies with 100+ staff and eight-figure market values, particularly those feeling stagnant, undergoing transitions, or experiencing challenges in scaling their businesses. Doug Thorpe, the certified executive coach and experienced business advisor at the helm, functions as a business therapist, enabling leaders to identify opportunities for improved effectiveness while growing their businesses.   Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guest Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Doug Thorpe Group website at https://www.revenuegrowthengine.com/ Check out Doug Thorpe Group on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/company/dougthorpe-com/ Check out Doug Thorpe on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougthorpe/ Check out Doug Thorpe on Twitter at https://twitter.com/dougthorpe_com  Check out Doug Thorpe on Facebook at https://facebook.com/headwayexec Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here. Want to learn more about all the podcasts managed by UpMyInfluence? Opt in here.