His Desk Was Buried in Paper. Four Months Later: 700% Growth
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A general manager's desk was buried under his branch managers' paperwork. He was running out of time, unable to reach the work that mattered, and heading towards burnout. Four months into working with Paul Tanton, the desk was clear, he was home in time for dinner, and his division's profitability had grown by 700%.
In this episode of Meet My Business, Paul Tanton of U-Vita explains the approach behind that kind of change. A self-described leadership entrepreneur, Paul spent 26 years in corporate before leaving to combine two disciplines: using leadership principles to develop entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurial principles to develop leaders. His work begins not with strategy or systems but with self-knowledge, stripping back the layers that school, parents and corporate life paint onto a person until they can see who they actually are.
Paul is candid about his own start. He talks about the false comfort of a six-month financial buffer, the loneliness of going from a team of twelve to working alone, and the tenacity that kept him facing an empty desk. Along the way he unpacks delegation, employee engagement, supporting retrenched teams through a career transition, and why a coach is celebrated in sport but still viewed with suspicion in business.
Contact Paul: lead@u-vita.co.za
In this episode of Meet My Business, Paul Tanton of U-Vita explains the approach behind that kind of change. A self-described leadership entrepreneur, Paul spent 26 years in corporate before leaving to combine two disciplines: using leadership principles to develop entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurial principles to develop leaders. His work begins not with strategy or systems but with self-knowledge, stripping back the layers that school, parents and corporate life paint onto a person until they can see who they actually are.
Paul is candid about his own start. He talks about the false comfort of a six-month financial buffer, the loneliness of going from a team of twelve to working alone, and the tenacity that kept him facing an empty desk. Along the way he unpacks delegation, employee engagement, supporting retrenched teams through a career transition, and why a coach is celebrated in sport but still viewed with suspicion in business.
Contact Paul: lead@u-vita.co.za
Chapters
- 00:00 — The general manager buried in paperwork
- 00:56 — Welcome and introducing Paul Tanton
- 01:13 — Who Paul is as a person
- 01:54 — A typical day
- 02:49 — From 26 years in corporate to leadership entrepreneur
- 04:09 — Unlocking potential, in plain terms
- 04:52 — The problem he solves
- 06:00 — The honest early days
- 07:08 — The hardest part of starting out
- 07:38 — What kept him going
- 08:23 — His massive transformative purpose
- 09:03 — What he wishes he had known
- 09:56 — What surprised him most
- 10:46 — Explaining the work simply
- 11:45 — His ideal client
- 12:16 — How a client knows they need him
- 13:07 — The coaching process end to end
- 14:31 — The Comrades analogy
- 15:44 — What sets him apart
- 17:26 — Misconceptions about coaching
- 18:26 — What changes for a client
- 19:15 — Working with retrenched teams
- 20:23 — The Codebreaker value cards
- 21:29 — Late bloomers and redefining success
- 23:19 — Should this start with younger people?
- 24:46 — How success is measured
- 25:37 — The Michael story: a 700% turnaround
- 27:56 — Working locally and globally
- 29:13 — How to reach Paul
- 30:39 — Final tip: know thyself
