TomTalks??with Paul Burani, Founder of Mission Flywheel

Welcome to another edition of TomTalks??! ??

Innovations and their impacts are accelerating at unprecedented rates, driven largely by the exponential rise of artificial intelligence. Against that backdrop, TomTalks ?? aims to provide valuable business, leadership, and innovation perspectives from a diverse range of executives, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders.

Today's guest: Paul Burani , founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Mission Flywheel .

Mission Flywheel is a consultancy and fractional CRO practice, focused on helping mission-driven organizations prove their impact with measurable outcomes.

Having spent considerable time at the intersection of technology and workforce strategy, I look at all the rapid change happening around us and always push clients to think: “Are we going to have enough skilled hands on deck to actually get work done in the future?”

This is especially true for all the emerging tech supporting our transition to clean energy and sustainable economies. Last year, we already had a gap of 7 million jobs linked to climate change without the skilled labor to fill them. That number will almost triple in the next few years. What a tragedy it would be, if we summon all the capital and political will for this fight, and then fall short because we can’t find qualified people to do the work.

Early on, I spent many years in the advertising industry, and then felt a growing desire for a career pivot. Once I landed in a good spot, I was met by three big changes all at once: first time in a new industry, first time in a pure business development role, and first time selling to governments.

In my experience, if you want to turn over a new leaf, it can be strangely empowering to bundle a bunch of changes at once. By immersing yourself in so much unfamiliarity, you’ll calm any desire to rely on your existing expertise and cling to what you already know. Instead, you’ll double down on soft skills like flexibility, active listening, creative problem-solving, and nurturing relationships.

I’m a relentless time tracker. A long time ago, I noticed that people truly believe time is money, and a lot of people meticulously count their money, but almost no one looks at their time the same way. When you know with precise detail how much time you spend on this or that, you start making much more informed decisions on how you invest your time. You become better at delegating. You’ll be more effective at requesting resources. And on and on.

The best way to scale this approach is to simply lead by example, sharing transparent insights and how they form a rationale for a decision. I teach a course on time tracking, in which I profile how Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg does this for his organization.

One thing I’m constantly nervous about is loss of momentum. (Turns out, it bothers our clients too.) We all can relate – especially founders who are there from day one – to how much effort it takes to build inertia in our business. To lose that momentum, and have to rebuild it, can be demoralizing. This is why I named my company Mission Flywheel. The flywheel metaphor celebrates the immense power that comes from building and maintaining momentum. We study the past and present, to inform smart business plans. We set measurable goals and always listen to our customers. That’s the best formula I’ve found, to keep momentum on our side.

Thanks, Paul!

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Tom Popomaronis is an innovative GenAI consultant and seasoned communicator, leveraging his vast experience in executive ghostwriting and thought leadership to pioneer innovative AI-driven solutions that transform cross-industry productivity and efficiency.

Tom has published over 1,000 op-eds across mainstream platforms including Entrepreneur Magazine, CNBC, Inc., and Forbes, while enabling the publication of an additional 3,000+ op-eds for executive clients. He lives on the East Coast with his wife, two children, and TikTok famous dogs , Henry and Holly.