Episode Details

Gregory Offner is an award-winning keynote speaker and author who focuses on helping organizations improve performance by redesigning the experience of work. Greg was a keynote speaker at the 2026 Sandler Summit, and he introduced the concept of the Encore Experience—a powerful shift in how we think about engagement, culture, and sustainable high performance.

In this conversation, we break down:

• The real driver of most employee performance problems —even when numbers look strong
• How true ownership (versus compliance) impacts long-term performance.
• Why incentives and pressure stop working over time
• Who your internal, and external, audience is; and why it matters.
• When disengagement starts, and the two questions that can stop it in its tracks.
• What leaders can do, right now, to create an "Encore Experience" for their audience.

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or sales leader looking to build a high-performing team that's energized, engaged, and sustainable, this episode will give you a new framework to lead by.

To learn more about Greg's work, or to inquire about bringing him in to speak at one of your events:

Website: https://www.gregoryoffner.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregoryoffnerjr

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryoffnerjr

Chapter 1: Opening and Theme: The "Encore Experience"

00:00:02 – 00:02:22 Dave Matson frames the podcast's focus on the Success Triangle—attitude, behavior, and technique—then Jim Marshall introduces guest Greg Offner and the premise: performance problems are often experience problems. Greg is positioned as a keynote expert on engagement, ownership, and results, and Jim asks him to define the "encore experience."

Chapter 2: Defining the Encore Experience

00:02:22 – 00:03:42 Greg explains an encore experience as any interaction that leaves people eager to repeat it, like shouting "one more song" at a concert. He argues workplaces should intentionally create encore experiences daily for customers, colleagues, communities, and oneself.

Chapter 3: Engagement Crisis and Opportunity

00:03:42 – 00:05:12 Greg cites long-standing data showing roughly 70% of workers are disengaged, with a subset actively disengaged. He positions encore experiences as both a remedy for struggling cultures and a multiplier for organizations already doing well.

Chapter 4: Creation, Agency, and Meaning at Work

00:05:12 –

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