0:00 – 1:00 | Introduction & Setup

• Dan Cooper introduces the episode and guest, Drew Hiss—Founder and Chairman of Acumen.
• Episode theme: Drew’s journey from founding Acumen to re-entering a CEO role.

1:00 – 4:00 | The Origin Story of Acumen

• Drew shares that Acumen was born from his entrepreneurial struggles at Checkdate Solutions.
• Emphasizes the value of peer support and wise counsel for CEOs.
• His vision: a community for Christian CEOs to accelerate learning and reduce costly mistakes.

4:00 – 7:00 | Leading CEO Cohorts

• Insights on coaching CEOs through cohorts and one-on-one support.
• Emphasizes humility over having all the answers.
• Describes a key coaching success story involving a high-performing but difficult employee.

7:00 – 9:00 | Lessons and ROI in Coaching

• Further reflections on coaching’s tangible and intangible impact.
• Discusses how wise counsel saved a critical employee and generated $20M in revenue.

9:00 – 12:00 | Returning to a CEO Role

• Drew felt a spiritual calling to step into a leadership role at another membership organization.
• Describes the transition, team dynamics, and his sense of purpose.

12:00 – 15:00 | Applying Acumen Tools as a CEO

• Implemented tools like EOS, Culture Index, and membership feedback systems.
• Describes it as a lab experiment to apply lessons from Acumen.
• Saw transformational internal and external results within 18 months.

15:00 – 18:00 | Prioritizing Tools and Vision Clarity

• Started by addressing organizational clarity—vision, values, org chart.
• Focused on high-impact changes (20/80 principle).
• Handled resistance to change and kept team focused on mission.

18:00 – 20:00 | Navigating Team Transitions

• Approximately 4-5 team members were transitioned out.
• Emphasized honest conversations and top-grading.
• Some changes happened organically as the organization evolved.

20:00 – 25:00 | Acumen’s Value Philosophy

• Explains the concept of “plain glass before stained glass”—performance first, values-based foundation.
• Prefers letting outcomes attract like-minded CEOs rather than leading with overt religious language.
• Aims to build a peer community grounded in shared biblical worldview without alienating newcomers to faith.

25:00 – 27:00 | Grace & Truth in Business

• Discusses the balance between grace and truth in business leadership.
• Stresses living out faith practically, not just verbally.
• Drew shares his contact info and resources for listeners.

27:00 – 30:00 | Personal Journey & Obedience

• Drew reflects on his career path, calling, and current discernment about what’s next.
• Reading Experiencing God—focus on observing where God is at work and joining Him.

30:00 – End | Final Reflections

• Key takeaways: know your journey stage, build your tools, walk your talk, and find community.
• Drew emphasizes the power of being in a peer community.
• Dan and Drew close with encouragement to join Acumen and access shared tools (like FETCH).