Why More Process Does Not Solve People & Performance Issues with Zac Gregg
Thu Feb 05 2026
In this episode of Higher Power Radio, Rick Gerard sits down with Zach Gregg of Vital Design to tackle a problem that quietly drains momentum inside growing companies: hiring and placement misfires. When leaders feel stuck, burnt out, and buried under endless “fix-it” processes, the real culprit often isn’t culture, systems, or motivation—it’s the wrong people in the wrong seats (or the right people placed incorrectly).
Zach shares hard-earned lessons from scaling Vital Design from a small team to a 100+ person agency, explaining how “hitting the ceiling” shows up across companies, departments, and individual roles. Together, they unpack how process bloat becomes a defense mechanism against avoidable mistakes—and how leadership teams can use EOS tools like the Accountability Chart and People Analyzer to diagnose what’s actually broken.
What You’ll Learn
Why burnout and culture breakdowns are often symptoms—not root causes
How process overload can become a crutch that lowers standards
The three most common “ceiling” problems: company, department, or person
Why leaders avoid people problems (and why it always costs more in the end)
A practical rule: If you add process, subtract something else
How to separate org structure decisions from people decisions using EOS tools
Why top performers don’t automatically become strong managers—and what to do instead
How core values reduce process needs by improving decision-making quality
Guest Links:
LinkedIn: Zac Gregg
Company: Vital Design
Host Links:
LinkedIn: Rick Girard
Company: Intertru, Inc.
Job Description Builder
Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast
Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)
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In this episode of Higher Power Radio, Rick Gerard sits down with Zach Gregg of Vital Design to tackle a problem that quietly drains momentum inside growing companies: hiring and placement misfires. When leaders feel stuck, burnt out, and buried under endless “fix-it” processes, the real culprit often isn’t culture, systems, or motivation—it’s the wrong people in the wrong seats (or the right people placed incorrectly). Zach shares hard-earned lessons from scaling Vital Design from a small team to a 100+ person agency, explaining how “hitting the ceiling” shows up across companies, departments, and individual roles. Together, they unpack how process bloat becomes a defense mechanism against avoidable mistakes—and how leadership teams can use EOS tools like the Accountability Chart and People Analyzer to diagnose what’s actually broken. What You’ll Learn Why burnout and culture breakdowns are often symptoms—not root causes How process overload can become a crutch that lowers standards The three most common “ceiling” problems: company, department, or person Why leaders avoid people problems (and why it always costs more in the end) A practical rule: If you add process, subtract something else How to separate org structure decisions from people decisions using EOS tools Why top performers don’t automatically become strong managers—and what to do instead How core values reduce process needs by improving decision-making quality Guest Links: LinkedIn: Zac Gregg Company: Vital Design Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru