In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Chris Hallberg, entrepreneur, business coach, and former military and police leader, known for creating the Business Sergeant Leadership Philosophy. Chris brings decades of experience transforming teams, sharpening execution, and implementing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to help companies achieve breakthrough performance.
From his formative years in the Army National Guard and law enforcement to his career as a sought-after business coach, Chris shares powerful insights into leadership, accountability, and the non-negotiables that separate thriving organizations from stagnant ones. He discusses why the best companies are unafraid to make tough personnel decisions, the importance of “re-enlisting” your team every 90 days, and how to kill problems decisively rather than admiring them in endless meetings.
Listeners will hear candid stories from Chris’ journey, his philosophy on curating the right people in the right seats, and practical lessons from his book The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual: Military-Grade Business Execution Without the Yelling and Push-Ups. If you’re a leader looking to build elite teams, create accountability without politics, and drive results with clarity, this conversation is packed with strategies to elevate your leadership game.
Takeaways
Military and police leadership taught Chris the value of learning from both the best and worst leaders—and applying those lessons to business.
Elite teams are built by curating the right people, not trying to “fix” the wrong ones.
Commitment is key: employees should symbolically “re-enlist” every 90 days to stay aligned with company goals.
Healthy conflict is essential; if team members can’t speak the truth, accountability and results will collapse.
Hiring should focus on slow-to-hire, quick-to-fire practices, supported by assessments that ensure cultural and role fit.
Chris’ “three winners, three losers” framework highlights how keeping the wrong people hurts individuals, teams, and future opportunities.
Middle managers (sergeants) are critical bridges between leadership and frontline teams; they must be empowered to hire and fire.
Moving goalposts erode accountability—leaders must set clear deal breakers and stick to them.
Compensation should reflect high expectations: hire in the 75th percentile, expect 90th percentile performance.
Always be recruiting—maintain a pipeline of talent by networking, even with competitors’ top performers.
New hires provide fresh perspectives; leaders should actively solicit feedback in their first weeks.
Chapters
00:00 Intro & Guest Welcome
01:15 Lessons from Military & Police Leadership
03:00 Commitment and Sacrifice in Team Building
05:15 Applying Military Principles to Business Growth
07:25 The 90-Day Re-Enlistment Concept
09:30 Accountability and Volunteer Mindsets
13:55 Curating the Right People vs. Fixing the Wrong Ones
18:05 Decisiveness and Killing Problems Quickly
21:20 The Fire Triangle and Root-Cause Problem Solving
23:30 Healthy Conflict, Commitment, and Accountability
28:20 Hiring Practices: Slow to Hire, Quick to Fire
30:35 The Three Winners and Three Losers Framework
35:15 Empowering Middle Managers (Sergeants)
38:40 Lessons from The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual
42:00 Getting to the Next Level with the Right Team
44:15 Favorite Books and Closing Reflections
46:00 Outro & Key Takeaways
Chris Hallberg’s Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/
https://www.facebook.com/chrishallberg09/
Resources and Links:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com