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The Leadership and Learning Podcast

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  2. Episode #170 - Hire – Train – Retain with Mike Matalone, Founder and Chief Talent Officer XP3System

Jul 29, 2026

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk talks with Mike Matalone, founder and chief talent officer of the XP3 Talent System and author of Hire, Train, and Retain. Together they unpack why most business problems are really people problems in disguise and why you can’t hire great teams; you have to build them.

Drawing on years of work with CEOs and leadership teams, Mike explains how to:

  • Use two critical hiring filters: are they smart enough to learn and are they coachable?
  • Replace vague job descriptions with clear definitions of success, results, time frames, and required behaviors.
  • Build an integrated people system that connects hiring, training, coaching, and career paths.
  • Create true employee engagement by linking people to your mission, vision, and values.
  • Tap into discretionary effort, the extra 40–60% of performance most employees never give.
  • Dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity, illustrated by a case study that cut sales turnover from 80% to 23%.

If you lead sales teams, manufacturing operations, distribution, or construction crews and feel too busy “just surviving the day” to focus on people, this conversation will challenge you to slow down, get better before you get bigger, and treat training and development as your best investment.

Website: https://www.xp3talent.com/

Hire, Train, Retain Book:
 https://www.amazon.com/Hire-Train-Retain-high-performing-organizational/dp/B0F8Z4KQ84

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-matalone-6029b87/