How often does your board meeting force you to look back instead of ahead?

In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners and host of Sit Down with Sugden, discusses why CEOs and CFOs lose entire weeks to board prep that does not help them plan the future. Drawing from decades on more than 50 boards, he explains how to shift reviews out of the boardroom, streamline materials, and make every meeting more useful for the business.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How the 80/20 rule sharpens board materials and saves valuable prep time
• Why moving financial reviews outside the boardroom leads to better strategic discussions
• How twice-yearly reviews of board prep improve alignment and overall efficiency

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:28) How board prep, budgets, and planning collide
(02:19) The 80/20 test for every board deck
(03:11) Rear view mirror data vs forward-looking insight
(04:46) Monthly or quarterly calls to reduce boardroom noise
(05:30) How audit committees streamline financial reviews
(06:55) Why reviewing prep time improves every meeting
(08:46) What the 20 percent of new material should cover
(10:29) How to grade your own board meetings
(11:19) A simple question every CEO should ask
(12:10) Giving CFOs room to reset expectations

Leading a team through change demands the same instincts as an NFL quarterback: read the field, set direction, and earn the trust needed to move as one.

On this episode of Electrifying Growth, Chris Sugden talks with Tom Flick, former NFL quarterback and President of Tom Flick Communications. Tom shares how his experience on the field shaped his views on leadership, especially the importance of clarity when people feel uncertain. He explains why resistance to change is emotional, not logical, how urgency is created through shared purpose, and why influence becomes a leader's most reliable tool in complex environments.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why emotional buy-in matters more than logic when leading change
• How trust shapes team behavior in high-pressure environments
• Why influence keeps teams aligned as conditions shift

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introduction
(03:10) From NFL quarterback to leadership advisor
(07:59) Talent is not enough, culture wins
(09:42) Leadership vs management
(14:32) Complacency and the illusion of urgency
(20:30) When someone doesn't want to be on the team
(25:55) The quarterback job and winning the day
(28:06) Three ways to build real urgency
(32:03) The leader's voice and why words matter
(37:53) Culture means care and safety drives performance
(42:48) A simple way to measure safety and run better meetings
(46:20) What Tom would tell his younger self

Are you measuring the right metrics to supercharge your sales growth in 2026?

In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners and host of Sit Down with Sugden, breaks down the critical metrics every sales leader needs to track to fuel durable growth, whether you're raising capital, planning for an exit, or gearing up for 2026. From raising quotas without losing top talent to understanding the magic of revenue per FTE, Sugden offers actionable insights that can supercharge your sales efficiency.

Learn how to fine-tune your sales and marketing spend, optimize your CAC payback period, and rethink your pricing strategy to drive real results. This episode is packed with data-driven strategies for building a high-growth, capital-efficient sales engine that can thrive in the age of AI.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How raising quotas can drive better results, with 26% of top performers surpassing their targets.

• Why a customer acquisition cost (CAC) payback period under 15 months is critical for sustainable growth.

• The importance of revenue per FTE, with top companies achieving 2x the revenue compared to their peers.

• Aligning sales and marketing budgets and fostering collaboration is key to optimizing growth.

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:24) Why sales productivity feels chaotic at year-end
(02:20) Higher quotas and what they reveal
(03:55) CAC payback as a wake-up call
(05:20) Pipeline coverage and go-to-market alignment
(06:50) Revenue per FTE in an AI-heavy environment
(08:40) What durable growth companies do differently
(10:15) The problem with sales and marketing planning in silos
(11:50) Pricing, experiments, and avoiding "set it and forget it."
(13:40) Final guidance for 2026 planning and key metrics to watch

Edison Partners 2025 Growth Index
https://www.edisonpartners.com/download-2025-growth-index-0?hsCtaAttrib=190418574900