Build Kickass Teams is the no-fluff, battle-tested playbook for business owners, managers, and leaders who are tired of hiring the wrong people, babysitting underperformers, and wondering why their teams aren’t thriving. Whether you're leading a startup, a scrappy small business, or a growing team inside a larger company, this book gives you a field guide to build a high-performing, values-aligned, and accountable team—without becoming a micromanaging robot or burning yourself out. Author Pete Srodoski, bestselling writer of Lead With Empathy and The Small Business Playbook, combines two decades of real-world leadership experience with stories from the trenches—running companies, coaching entrepreneurs, and leading teams through chaos and clarity alike. Inside this book, you'll find: -A tactical, step-by-step system for recruiting and retaining top talent (before you're desperate). -Real strategies to eliminate toxic culture and reset expectations with clarity and confidence. -A practical framework for onboarding new hires with intention and structure—so they’re not just “drinking from the firehose.” -Leadership tools to coach, develop, and challenge your team members to reach their potential—without fake praise or empty performance reviews. -Proven scripts and structures for confronting underperformance, entitlement, and cultural sabotage. -Powerful mindset shifts to help you lead with ownership, not just oversight. Every chapter includes a “Monday Morning Playbook” — a ready-to-use section with questions, action steps, and templates to help you implement the ideas right away. This isn’t a corporate textbook. It’s not fluffy inspiration. It’s a tactical, honest, real-world guide for those who lead. If you believe great companies are built by great teams — and that great teams are built by intentional leaders — this book was written for you.