Chris Younger is the CEO of Class VI Partners and is an executive with many chapters in his career. As President of Expanets, a telcom reseller, he acquired 27 companies in 3 years then sold it to Avaya. He owned a Private Equity Firm and now provides transactions and strategic advisory services to middle market businesses.  

Chris provides insight into:

• ·         Managing the stress of leadership- why you must
• ·         Importance of executive presence
• ·         The Dinner Test with CEOs

Chris has bought, sold, led companies across all business sectors and advises organizations and family offices on transactions. This provides Chris with insights on C level leaders that he shares in this episode.

He also shares the physical toll of being an overworked President and how it changed him.   

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks!

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

In a very honest conversation, onsite in Boulder, Colorado, we speak with Raphael Crawford Marks, who founded Bonusly over 11 years ago by accident. It was a off shoot of another project that has since taken off and recently secured it’s Series B funding.

Raphael speaks to several points:

·         The transition from being hands on to leading

·         Differences between being a Founder and CEO what it is like

·         How the role of CEO continues to evolve and the company setback of a bad hire

Raphael discusses the challenges and learning moments moving from being a hands on start up Founder to a governing company CEO.  His job as CEO is still constantly changing- it changes every three months.  He also embraces hiring those who are smarter than himself, talks about why, learning new leadership skills, the value of a support network and mentors.

Bonusly is an enterprise platform that helps companies create a high-performance, high-engagement workplace. Prior to founding Bonusly, Raphael was an early employee at several startups, a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, and an instructor for Year Up. Raphael dropped out of high school to work as a software engineer in the mid-nineties, but did eventually earn his BA in cognitive science from Hampshire College, where he wrote his senior thesis on artificial intelligence.

Also, in a Medium article, Raphael discusses “Five Things Business Leaders Can Do To Create A Fantastic Work Culture”

Raphael also contributed to benefitnews.com where he discusses “Four Benefits of positive Recognition to Boost Employee Engagement”

On Entrepreneur.com, Raphael has several articles discussing employee feedback, communications and how to harness staff evaluations.

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks!

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Eric Lougher is a versatile CFO who comes from an investor background. He has served as Chief Financial Officer for both VC and PE backed companies that provides Eric a balanced and insightful view of today’s CFO.

Eric talks to two key points:

• The art of balance various department budgetary needs and fiscal health of the company and achieving strategic goals
• Board relations and the role of the CFO during and in between the quarterly meetings.

Eric views balance needs of sales, marketing, HR, IT and others with the overall vision and trend of his company. Sometimes that leads to an awkward conversation with a department head.  His relationship and management style is one of trust, collaboration and openness. 

When it comes to Board relationships, Eric’s sees teamwork as the key communication, strategy alignment as the cornerstone of trust with the Board. 

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Upcoming interviews include Eric Lougher, of Taskray  who discusses the role of today’s CFO and Board relations, CEO Raphael Crawford Marks on the transition from Founder to CEO,  and Chris Younger, successful executive and CEO of Class VI Partners on advice to CEOs.  

Other guests include Jay McMullen, a Chief revenue Officer who decided to accelerate his career by switching from industrial materials to start ups and  , Carla Fowler, an MD who pivoted to C suite Executive coaching who about getting outside of your comfort zone and be willing to try new things.

I’m truly excited with the 2023 line up of guests and please visit OCnationalsearch.com for our all-new podcast episode page.

Michael Mitchel, Host

2022 was a year of achievements and 2023 brings new challenges and opportunities

 William Toti, after naval career of distinction that included commanding an attack submarine and Commadore went on to a successful career in corporate America.  We discuss having the hard conversation between yourself and your boss. William also provides insightful advice on how to reach the gain experience to reach the C suite.

Show Notes:

Former CEO Bill Toti joins CXO Conversation to discuss having hard conversations with senior executives to learn and improve your career. 

Bill discusses three main points:

• His boss pointedly told him “Bill, you’re screwing this up”.  Bill shares lessons learned.

• What skills he brought to Corporate America from the Navy

• What Leadership Development meant at Raytheon and how it positively impacted his executive career. It wasn’t what he initially thought.

Bill is the author of “From CO to CEO”  and a  former Submarine Commadore who retired as a United States Naval Captain. 

His post Naval career includes Deputy Vice President for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Vice President Hewlett-Packard (HP), VP at DXC Technology President of Cubic Corporation, and President of L3 Technologies for the Maritime Systems sector. 

Bill discusses personal transition experiences from the Navy to corporate America and the importance of hard conversations with executives. He felt that there was lacking meaningful information for transitioning Veterans. Most of the Veteran employment related books were written by Recruiters for senior officers, not lower grade officers or enlisted personnel. 

While attending the United States Naval Academy, he met the legendary Admiral Hyman Rickover, father of the nuclear Navy. 

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Chuck Mollor is the CEO of MCG Partners, an advisory and executive coach firm as well as the author of “The Rise of the Agile Leader”. For over 15 years Chuck has advised executives on a wide range of areas from one-on-one coaching, team effectiveness, assessments and more.  

In our interview, Chuck provides unique insight into the challenges today’s CEOs face. 

And we hear about being a Cranberry Farmer!

Show Notes:

CEO and Executive Coach Chuck Mollor joins the show to discuss the pressures of the modern CEO. 

Chuck started MCG Partners 15 years ago. Author of “Rise of the Agile Leader”  

Chucks discusses three key points:

• The evolution of the success & skills needed for today’s CEO

• Provides advice for future C level executives

• What gets overlooked in the hybrid work from home model and how do leaders instill trust to employees

The average tenure of a CEO is now three years. They face intense pressure from outside and inside forces. Be it start up, mid-size or Fortune 500 companies. The cycle of change and intensity is getting faster while cycles of innovation is getting shorter. Expectations are higher and the complexity of management is increasing; different age demographics, DEI, access and ensuring all voices are being heard. 

Life cycle of companies are getting shorter due to M&A or closing their doors due to lack of innovations or opportunities. 

CEOs must be more externally focused, while constantly learning and seeking feedback from peers and key stakeholders.  CEOs must ensure they have a network of peers that they can turn to for advice and be a sounding board. 

An effective leader must hold other executive team members accountable so that culture starts from the top and filters down. 

He has also been a Cranberry Farmer.

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Ray Gogel  has served as COO, President and Board Director numerous times in the energy sector throughout his career. 

He has served in executive roles as CIO, CAO, COO, Managing Director and Board of Directors for companies such as Xcel Energy, Accenture, US Grid Company, IBM and others. 

Ray joins CXO Conversations to discuss needed skills for today’s CEO and where they may struggle.

Show Notes:

Ray Gogel has been a President and Board Director for energy companies such as Bridge Energy Group and US Grid. Additionally, Ray was the President/COO for Current, CAO/CIO for Xcel Energy and VP at IBM.

Three points that Ray discusses:

• Ray expands on his belief that CXO tends to be quiet once they reach the corner office.

• Skills that are needed for today’s CEO and where they may struggle

• What he looked for in C level executives has a board director and CEO

On your path to the C suite you learn different things, but also have the opportunity to build teams, learn what works and what doesn’t work.  See teams evolve. How get teams not to develop group think or individuals overpower other team members.  All invaluable experience to build on as a leader. 

Ray points to a much needed skill needed today from 15 years ago- the ability to listen. Not just the marketplace, but listen to your partners, customers, and people.

Breath of experience is critical. Beyond vertical tactical planning- it is horizontal and saying what are the combinations that are unique and powerful. That is strategy. 

Referenced book: Brad Feld’s book Startup Boards 

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Brad Feld is a successful Venture Capitalist and founding member of the Foundry Group.  Within the Colorado startup scene, Brad is a bit of a celebrity having been part of some well-known successful companies.  

Brad really sees founders and start ups not just investments, but as a community that he supports, sees areas for improvements, mentors and loves. 

In this very personal full-length interview, Brad shares his personal Board experiences, what he looks for in Board Director candidates and advice for first time Board members. 

He also shares his experiences from his Colorado Trail 2021 days as well lessons learned from the first job he was fired from. 

Show Notes

Venture Capitalist Brad Feld of the Foundry Group has invested in many well-known and successful companies. Brad has authored and co-authored several books on leadership for startups.  Recently, Startup Boards, a book he co authored released it’s second edition. 

Today, Brad discusses:

• Critical and insightful advice for serving on a board

• Key skills for first time board members

• Important perspectives on C level hiring

Brad also shares a story or two from his Colorado Trail hiking experience and why he will never serve on 30 boards simultaneously ever again. He closes with a personal experience early in Brad’s life, what he learned from that moment and how it continues to guide him daily. 

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.

Chuck Melcher is a retired Naval Commanding Officer that has served in various roles including Chief Engineering, XO and Skipper on several Nuclear Attack Submarines. 

After retiring from the United States Navy, Chuck joined an international energy company as a VP and quickly rose to CEO. 

Chuck discusses interviewing to become a Submarine skipper, his successful civilian executive search and career. 

A graduate of the USNA, Chuck earned his MBA at John Hopkins.  The interview was conducted outdoors in the Colorado Rockies in-between altitude training hikes for a Mount Kilimanjaro excursion.

Show Notes:

Chuck Melcher is a retired Naval Commanding Officer that has served in various roles including Chief Engineering, Executive Officer and Commanding Officer on several Nuclear Attack Submarines. 

After retiring from the United States Navy, Chuck joined Veolia, an international energy company as a VP and quickly rose to CEO. 

Chuck talks to X experiences:

• Interviewing to become the Commanding Officer of a Nuclear Submarine

• The importance of not being focused on a job title- see the big picture

Chuck looks at new challenges and roles not for a CXO title, rather how can he contribute to and learn from that opportunity. 

He also shares leaderships tests and why “that’s not my job” doesn’t exist in the deep. 

A graduate of the USNA, Chuck earned his MBA at John Hopkins.  The interview was conducted outdoors in the Colorado Rockies in-between altitude training hikes for a Mount Kilimanjaro excursion.

Enjoy the show? Review us on iTunes- thanks! 

Thank you Jalan Crossland for lending your award-winning banjo skills to CXO Conversations.