By The Book. Wednesdays.
4:00 to 6:00pm, on the third Wednesday of each month in 2026,
at Stone West Village, Fargo
By The Book is the disciplined counterweight to Unscripted. Wednesdays. This is where continuous learning becomes a responsibility, not a slogan.
Each month, CEOs work through The Executives Institute curriculum chapter by chapter—studying a focused set of Rules and the timeless business books behind them.
The room is intentionally small and peer-driven, allowing leaders at different stages to challenge, mentor, and sharpen one another through real experience. You’ll hear how the same Rule holds up across industries, ownership structures, and seasons of leadership—and where it breaks if misapplied. The goal isn’t agreement. It’s clarity, earned through reading, discussion, and thoughtful application—by the book.
Wednesday, January 21st | Laying the Foundation; 2026
— What remains unsolved in your business, in your life, if you change nothing this year?
— What perspective or experience do you need in this room, that you cannot generate on your own—different industry, different scale, different scars?
— What long-held habits, beliefs, or shortcuts are most likely holding that change back?
Wednesday, February 18th | Foundations First
Get grounded in what makes a business worth building—and worth leading.
— Rule No. 1: Solve a real problem.
— Rule No. 2: Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.
— Rule No. 6: Your first idea is rarely your best.
— Rule No. 10: Never stop learning.
— Rule No. 15: Work on the business, not just in it.
Wednesday, March 18th | Know Your Customer
Who you serve—and how clearly you serve them—determines your future.
— Rule No.11: Your Brand is Your Promise
— Rule No.12: Know Your Customer Deeply
— Rule No.18: Your Calendar Reflects Your Priorities
— Rule No.21: Clarity Creates Confidence
Wednesday, April 15th | Hiring Without Regret
Your company becomes who you hire—and what you tolerate.
— Rule No. 22: Hire slow, fire fast.
— Rule No. 24: Own your mistakes.
— Rule No. 31: Delegate outcomes, not tasks.
— Rule No. 49: People over processes.
Wednesday, May 20th | Strategy in the Real World
A strategy isn’t a slide deck—it’s the choices you make when it counts.
— Rule No. 3: Differentiate or Die.
— Rule No. 4: Play the long game.
— Rule No. 5: Make fewer, bolder moves.
— Rule No. 25: Ask better questions.
— Rule No. 26: Define it. Measure it. Achieve it.
Wednesday, June 17th | Execution Beats Ideas
Discipline over dreaming. Action over analysis.
— Rule No.7: Momentum beats motivation.
— Rule No. 8: Don’t mistake movement for progress.
— Rule No. 9: Focus beats multitasking.
— Rule No. 27: Do the hard things first.
— Rule No. 28: Learn by doing.
Wednesday, July 15th | Hard Conversations. Hard Decisions.
Leadership means saying the thing no one else will—and acting on it.
— Rule No. 14: Know when to let go.
— Rule No. 19: Stop doing what doesn’t work.
— Rule No. 42: Feedback is a gift.
— Rule No. 50: If you’re going to eat shit, don’t nibble.
Wednesday, August 19th | Systems That Scale
Systems replace strain. Discipline replaces burnout.
— Rule No. 23: Simplicity scales.
— Rule No. 32: Don’t scale chaos.
— Rule No. 36: Build a business that runs without you.
— Rule No. 33: Processes protect your time.
Wednesday, September 16th | Sales—the Lifeblood
Revenue doesn’t solve everything—but without it, nothing gets solved.
— Rule No. 13: Know your numbers.
— Rule No. 20: Cash flow is king.
— Rule No. 38: Build once, sell forever.
— Rule No. 40: Sell the vision, not just the product.
Wednesday, October 21st | Culture You Can Count On
Culture isn’t what you say—it’s what you tolerate, reward, and repeat.
— Rule No. 34: Great businesses outlive great products.
— Rule No. 35: Raise the bar, then raise it again.
— Rule No. 46: Don’t outgrow your values.
Wednesday, November 18th | Leadership That Lasts
The leader grows or the business stalls. There is no neutral.
— Rule No. 16: Time is your most precious asset.
— Rule No. 17: Speed Matters.
— Rule No. 29: Protect your downside.
— Rule No. 39: Your network is your net worth.
Wednesday, December 16th| Avoiding the Common Pitfalls
It’s not the hard problems that kill a business. It’s the easy ones you ignored.
— Rule No. 30: Profit is not a dirty word.
— Rule No. 47: The bottleneck is at the top.
— Rule No. 41: Reputation compounds.
— Rule No. 44: Own your edge.
(tentative bonus meeting to coincide with Unscripted. Lunch) Wednesday, December 30th| Reflection and Recommittment
Recommit to what matters. Let go of what doesn’t.
— Rule No. 37: Build trust before selling.
— Rule No. 43: Run your race.
— Rule No. 45: Protect your mental bandwidth.
— Rule No. 48: Give more than you take.