Podcast Summary: Build with Leila Hormozi – "Why The Best Leaders Always Plan on Sundays | Ep 294"

Release Date: July 7, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 294 of "Build with Leila Hormozi," host Leila Hormozi delves into the critical discipline of preparation for effective leadership. Drawing from her extensive experience in scaling businesses to a $100M milestone by age 28 and expanding acquisition.com into a billion-dollar portfolio, Leila emphasizes the stark contrast between preparation and repair in leadership roles. This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for leaders seeking to cultivate unshakeable businesses through strategic planning and proactive management.

Key Topics Covered

1. Preparation vs. Repair
2. Costs of Neglecting Planning
3. Preparation as a Leadership Discipline
   • Tactical Planning: Meetings
   • Strategic Planning: Hiring and Business Strategy
4. Ripple Effects of Preparation
5. Actionable Tips for Leaders

Detailed Breakdown

1. Preparation vs. Repair

Leila opens the discussion by contrasting preparation with repair, highlighting that effective leaders prioritize planning to ensure smooth execution during the week. She states:

"The best leaders I know never skip Sunday planning. If you skip preparation, you borrow time from your future self and with interest, right?"
[00:02]

Leila underscores that preparation ensures that weekdays are dedicated to executing plans rather than making last-minute decisions or fixing unforeseen issues.

2. Costs of Neglecting Planning

Skipping preparation leads to higher "interest" costs in the future due to the need for repairs. Leila elaborates that the repercussions of neglecting planning include:

• Wasted time
• Damaged relationships
• Lost trust
• Missed opportunities

She emphasizes that the time invested in planning is significantly less than the time and resources required to address problems that arise from lack of preparation.

3. Preparation as a Leadership Discipline

Leila breaks down preparation into two main areas: tactical planning and strategic planning.

a. Tactical Planning: Meetings

Effective meetings are a cornerstone of productive teams. Leila advises:

• Set Clear Agendas: Every meeting should have a defined purpose and desired outcome.
• Selective Participation: Only include individuals who are essential to the meeting's objectives.
• Pre-Meeting Preparation: Distribute relevant information beforehand to ensure informed discussions.

She shares a personal habit:

"Yesterday I wrote eight memos. Eight. I write memos. I send them out Sunday night to my team so they can read them ahead of the meeting."
[Transcript Segment]

Leila highlights that well-prepared meetings lead to higher efficiency and outcomes, citing that teams assigning action items post-meeting are 42% more likely to follow through and projects with clear plans are 2.5 times more likely to succeed.

b. Strategic Planning: Hiring and Business Strategy

Hiring:

• Define Roles Clearly: Avoid rushing to fill positions by thoroughly assessing job needs.
• Rigorous Assessment: Ensure candidates fit both the technical and cultural requirements.
• Continuous Evaluation: Regularly reassess job titles, compensation, and role priorities based on market feedback.

Leila recounts a scenario where inadequate planning in hiring led to misaligned departments and strained leadership bandwidth, illustrating the long-term costs of hasty recruitment.

Business Strategy:

• Set Clear Goals and KPIs: Organizations that plan are 30% more likely to achieve their goals and 12% more profitable, according to McKinsey studies.
• Avoid Constant Pivoting: A clear strategy prevents wasted resources and maintains team focus.

4. Ripple Effects of Preparation

Preparation fosters a culture of competence and trust within the team. Leila explains that:

• Modeling Behavior: Teams emulate leaders who prioritize preparation, leading to more efficient meetings and smoother project executions.
• Trust Building: Preparedness communicates competence, making leaders more trustworthy and reliable.
• Reducing Chaos: Prepared leaders minimize the need for reactive measures, thereby maintaining team morale and reducing burnout.

5. Actionable Tips for Leaders

Leila concludes the episode with three actionable tips to enhance preparation:

1. Schedule Weekly Preparation Time:

   • Commit to Planning Before Monday:

     "The best leaders plan on Sunday, not Monday."
     [Final Tip Section]

   • Allocate specific time slots (e.g., Sunday evening) exclusively for reviewing the upcoming week.

2. Clarify Priorities:

   • Identify Top Priorities: Determine what needs to be accomplished in the week and align your schedule accordingly.
   • Say No More Often: Prioritize tasks efficiently by declining non-essential commitments to maintain focus on critical objectives.

3. Leverage Your Team:

   • Delegate Preparation Tasks: Empower team members to handle aspects of preparation, such as meeting agendas or project planning, fostering growth and responsibility within the team.
   • Utilize Tools and Resources: Implement systems that aid in organizing and tracking preparation activities.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On the Importance of Planning:

  "The best leaders I know never skip Sunday planning. If you skip preparation, you borrow time from your future self and with interest, right?"
  [00:02]

• On Separating Thinking and Execution:

  "I set aside specific time to make decisions and make plans, and then I set aside other time to execute on things."
  [Transcript Segment]

• On Leadership as a Choice:

  "Leadership is a choice. And if you choose to be a leader and you choose to move up in an organization and you choose to lead people, then you should choose to spend your time on preparing."
  [Final Reflections]

Conclusions and Final Thoughts

Leila Hormozi wraps up the episode by reinforcing that preparation is not merely a task but a leadership ethic. She challenges leaders to reflect on their current practices and invest more time in planning to reap long-term benefits, including growth, trust, and efficiency. Leila posits that while preparation demands effort and discipline, the dividends it pays in fostering a resilient and high-performing team are invaluable.

She leaves the audience with a contemplative prompt:

"If you've gotten this far in this episode, take a moment to reflect. Where in your leadership could you invest more in preparation? And how would that change you? How would that change your team? How would it change the company if you just took an extra hour every Sunday to plan?"

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize Preparation: Allocate dedicated time each week for planning to ensure focused execution during the workweek.
• Set Clear Priorities: Identify and align your weekly activities based on what matters most, and be willing to decline non-essential tasks.
• Empower Your Team: Delegate preparation responsibilities to foster growth and distribute the workload effectively.
• Cultivate a Culture of Competence: Prepared leaders inspire their teams to emulate proactive and organized behaviors, enhancing overall team performance and morale.

By adhering to these principles, leaders can transform their approach to management, leading to more organized, efficient, and successful organizations. Leila Hormozi's insights provide a roadmap for building unshakeable businesses through the disciplined practice of preparation.