What's Beyond the Hammer?

“I have a question for you.” 

The time was 2022 and the place, a crowded cocktail reception. The questioner was Brian Gottlieb, an industry superstar known for building—and then selling—a highly successful group of home improvement companies. 

“Sure. What’s up?” 

His answer not only surprised me, it launched a two-year professional journey for us both, a journey that proved to be of incalculable value. 

Brian wanted to write a book on leadership and was looking for an editor to partner with him. I immediately jumped at the opportunity. 

Initially drawn by my passion for writing and editing, as well as my deep respect for Brian, I soon discovered an unexpected, yet profound, benefit. 

Working closely on this project with such a great leader was like taking a masterclass on how to build an aligned team.   

Throughout the book, titled Beyond the Hammer: A Fresh Approach to Leadership, Culture, and Building High Performance Teams, Brian seamlessly weaves in examples of exemplary (and not so exemplary) leadership practices. Suddenly I was spotting these qualities everywhere—from an everyday encounter with a Starbucks barista to parenting my three-year-old son. 

The book makes it easy to adopt Brian’s principles without even consciously trying, they are that powerful and effective. 

The first half of Beyond the Hammer is written like a novel. It’s the story of a troubled remodeling company run by a man named George Warren and the firm’s eventual savior, Marty Gold. George’s employees are quitting and the ones who stay take no ownership of their work. Leads are down, as are close rates and profitability. Some things are increasing though: slippage, percentage of bad reviews, and jobs coming in over budget. 

George is desperate, and for the first time seriously considers closing his third-generation, family-owned company. Enter Marty, an experienced business leader who throws George a lifeline when he needs it most. With Marty’s mentorship, George grows to understand the ways that effective leadership drive team alignment which in turn drives results across the business. 

But how exactly is that supposed to work? What concrete actions should a leader take to build a high-performing team? 

The second half of Beyond the Hammer takes a deeper dive into the principles that Marty shares. It’s highly actionable and relevant to businesses of any size.

Both George’s story and the explanation that follows are full of pure gold for leaders and managers alike. This is especially important in remodeling since much of the time the roles of leader and manager are both filled by the same person wearing different hats on any given day. 

Beyond the Hammer  is scheduled for a September release, but you can preorder it now on Amazon. This book provides a new mindset as well as clear practices to implement it. Enjoy!