This week’s Culture Architect is Michael Burns. During his distinguished military career, Mike was involved in hundreds of combat operations around the world and is the recipient of numerous military awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor. Mike also served as a team leader for multiple SEAL, Joint Forces, and multinational teams. Mike is currently an associate at Sway Ventures. In part one, Mike shares what he learned about being a leader while playing lacrosse at the University of North Carolina, what led him to enlist in the Navy, and the importance of working together as a team.

In the conclusion of David's discussion with  Kevin Oakes, the author of Culture Renovation:18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company, Kevin talks about why companies should rethink the way they bring on new employees and why there are no shortcuts when it comes to changing a culture.

David welcomes Kevin Oakes to the podcast. Kevin is the CEO and co-founder of The Institute for Corporate Productivity and the author of Culture Renovation:18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakeable Company. Kevin has made it his mission to study and measure the role culture plays in organizational success. In part one, Kevin shares how he was introduced to the human capital field and how he defines a successful culture change.

In the conclusion of David's conversation with Rich Miller, the retired CEO of Virtua Health, Rich talks about the two principles that guided his leadership journey and how his team screened for candidates that would fit their culture.

This week's Culture Architect is Rich Miller. In 1995, Miller was the CEO for West Jersey Health System and three years later he played a pivotal role in a merger between West Jersey Health System and Memorial Hospital in Burlington County. That led to the formation of Virtua Health in the marketplace, where Miller would work for 22 years. In part one, Rich shares when he first recognized the importance of culture, why he was inspired to create an employee advisory group, and why building a culture requires 'heavy lifting' by CEOs.

In the conclusion of David's conversation with Horst Schulze, the legendary co-founder of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Horst shares what every CEO is responsible for and why the principles of Ritz Carlton's Gold Standards apply to all industries.

David welcomes legendary Culture Architect, Horst Schulze. Horst is one of the co-founders of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company and over the course of his career transformed the approach of service and hospitality across multiple industries. In part one, Horst shares his humble beginnings in the service industry, why he joined the founding team of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, and how he built a culture of customer service excellence.

David wraps up his conversation with Peter Bayer Jr., who proudly served over 29 years as a Soldier in the United States Army and is currently the SVP of Operations at Penske Logistics.  In part two, Pete talks about the most difficult part of his transition to civilian life, the importance of being a servant leader with humility, and what he's learned from the biggest mistakes he's made as a leader.

David welcomes Peter Bayer Jr. to the podcast. Pete is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Penske Logistics. He is also the recipient of the Silver Star while serving in the United States Army during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, where he helped develop the strategy that brought down the regime in Baghdad. Pete joined Penske Logistics in 2014 where he leads numerous warehousing and transportation operations across the U.S. In part one, Pete shares how he 'stumbled' upon a 30+ year career in the Army, the importance of culture in the military, and how the Army's 7 values guide soldiers and leaders to do what is right on a day to day basis within their career.

David wraps up his conversation with Culture Architect,  Matt Doherty, the former head coach at Notre Dame and North Carolina and the best-selling author of Rebound: From Pain to Passion – Leadership Lessons Learned. In part two, Matt imparts some advice for the next generation of coaches and leaders and how his leadership skills evolved during his 22-year basketball coaching career.