Before Pinnacle, Connor was in a classic owner-operator position:

• He carried the weight of making all key decisions

• He held most of the critical business knowledge in his own head

• He felt personally responsible for building the book of business

“In order for this business to grow, I can’t be the one that’s personally responsible for building that book of business.”

Connor began working with Pinnacle Guide Anthony, who had been in his shoes, buying and scaling a printing business. Anthony introduced the Pinnacle process, with the Strategic Vision & Execution Plan becoming Connor’s go-to tool.

• Each quarterly offsite produces a fresh, one-page plan capturing identity, direction, and priorities

• The plan is shared company-wide to keep everyone aligned and accountable

• Clear priorities enable better decision-making and reduce distractions

When ISE’s president sought to restructure the leadership team, the group was new to working together, balancing family ownership with professional leadership. There was a need for:

• Alignment among leaders with different styles and skills

• Productive collaboration without unproductive meetings

• Greater trust and openness across the team

“We were a little bit all over the place… and we wanted all of the leadership to be on the same page.”

Working with Pinnacle Guide Kelly Renz, the leadership team began building alignment through:

• Open vulnerability and trust-building exercises

• Identifying individual strengths and weaknesses

• Structured, productive meetings with clear agendas

• A disciplined, consistent meeting cadence

For Erin personally, Pinnacle’s facilitation gave her the courage and framework to contribute more confidently as one of the few women on the executive team.

When Luke Carlson founded Discover Strength, he had the drive and curiosity to learn — devouring business books, attending conferences, and constantly seeking out new ideas. But he lacked a method for turning that learning into real-world application.

“I didn’t have a formula for applying all of that learning. I needed a consultant, a coach, a Guide.”

Luke began working with Pinnacle Guide Greg Cleary more than a decade ago. Greg facilitated not just Luke’s personal leadership growth, but embedded the tools, frameworks, and habits into the company’s leadership team and culture.

The process included:

• Quarterly Summits with the full leadership team

• Annual offsite strategy sessions

• Focused facilitation to tackle issues, align strategy, and strengthen leadership capacity

“Being together with my leadership team, being with a guide in that room, the topics, the work that we get into, the issues that we’re solving, the strategy that we’re challenging — that’s about as good as it gets.”

Cutlight America launched with energy but little clarity. In the early startup phase, daily priorities were unclear, and the leadership team didn’t have a unified framework for decision-making or scaling. Brian’s immediate challenge as 2IC was getting the owners aligned and committed to Pinnacle’s tools and process.

“The biggest challenge… was getting the owners on board with Pinnacle, and that it works if it’s embraced and invested in.”

Working with their Pinnacle Guide from day one, the leadership team quickly moved through three Base Camps, establishing:

• Core Purpose and Core Values

• A deeper understanding of the company’s identity

• Vulnerability and trust at the leadership level

The Guide provided the framework, system, and boundaries needed to shift from startup mode into structured scaling — customizing the Pinnacle Business Operating System to fit Cutlight America’s unique culture and strengths.

Brian credits the Guide with “reading the room,” understanding personalities and unique abilities, and tailoring tools to maximize both business performance and team development.

When Gianni stepped into the president role, he needed to:

• Earn the trust of the organization and leadership team

• Integrate new acquisitions without alienating teams

• Introduce structure into a large, complex division

Mergers and acquisitions often left managers apprehensive about “the big company” coming in. Gianni recognized that a framework was needed to bring clarity, alignment, and a sense of shared purpose.

“With acquisitions, you tend to go in there and everyone’s afraid of the big company or what’s going to change. I knew that we needed some structure.”

Working with Pinnacle Guide Preston True, Gianni and his senior leadership team implemented:

• Structured leadership meetings with consistent cadence and agendas

• Tools to foster trust and collaboration, including peer feedback exercises identifying each leader’s strengths and weaknesses

• A cascade approach to bring the Pinnacle framework from senior leadership down to managers and, eventually, all levels of the division

The process built buy-in and helped leaders across the company better understand each other’s abilities, leading to stronger communication and mentorship.