On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Zach Mercurio, a researcher, author, and leadership development facilitator specializing in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. His latest book, The Power of Mattering, is available now. 

Zach is an expert in the importance and implementation of mattering in the workplace, but it’s a path he had to carve out for himself. The desire to explore this topic was sparked in him after his first job out of college. Working in advertising sales, he noticed the jarring fact that he and his team treated their clients as a resource rather than people with their own lives and interests. When he went on to complete his PhD research, he befriended the custodians who were in the school buildings late at night like him. This led him to focus his research on people in overlooked (and often underinvested in) professions like cleaning, and how they experience meaning in their work. 

Listen to this episode to learn Zach’s practical methods for scaling mattering in the workplace, the difference between mattering and belonging, and why Zach sees now as a time when people want to feel that they matter at their work more than ever.

Show Notes:

2:35 - What is mattering?

9:27 - “Work was always an act of community”

14:37 - Early influences & Zach’s PhD research

24:40 - “Common sense is not common practice”

39:00 - How to scale mattering

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Greg Toback, Founder and CEO of Resolute Dental Partners. 

As a periodontist and member of the healthcare community, Greg has seen various areas of the industry become consolidated over the years. In 2018, he decided to do his part in keeping practices doctor-owned. When two fellow dentists in his community felt they had no other option but to sell to a private equity organization, Greg stepped in and purchased their practice. This eventually led to Resolute Dental Partners, and they now have seven locations, all with strong leaders who can implement the company’s values while still leading with their own style. It took years of learning (and reading the Small Giants book!) to get to where they are now, but Greg is passionate about keeping the ever important doctor-client relationship at the core of their culture. 

Tune in to this episode to hear Paul and Greg discuss the changing landscape of the healthcare industry, Greg’s near career shift into telecommunications, and much more.

Show Notes:

6:13 - A changing industry

17:09 - Implementing Small Giants ideas

25:06 - Early influences

37:00 - Difficult decisions

41:33 - Advice to young people

On this very special episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, I sit down with Hamsa Yaqo, formerly the Executive Director of the Small Giants Community, and now a board member. Hamsa is also the Co-Founder of Kintsugi Village, a non-profit hub in Detroit that will provide a childhood education center, artist incubator, culinary kitchen, and more to the local community. 

Many of you likely know Hamsa as the bright, caring leader who helmed the Small Giants Community operations for nearly a decade. But you may not know about her previous time in the education and tech sectors, as well as her journey with her family from Iraq to the US when she was 12 years old. All of these experiences have shaped Hamsa into the leader she is today; ready to embark on a new journey in the non-profit space and give back to a city that she loves.

Listen to this episode to hear Hamsa and I discuss what it was like for her to be the eldest child of an immigrant family, how learning a new language in a new country made her resourceful, the tough lessons she’s learned as a leader, and so much more. 

Show Notes:

3:32 - A serendipitous Small Giants journey

5:45 - Moving fast at Mango Languages

10:05 - A childhood on the move

20:06 - Building bonds in academia 

29:10 - Areas for improvement

34:18 - “You have to enjoy what you do”

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Kevin Schnieders, Chief Servant Leader and CEO at Educational Data Systems, Inc. (EDSI). 

From sports broadcaster to English teacher to owner of the family business, Kevin has tried on several seemingly different careers, but he’s always had a throughline: a passion for connecting with people. When he stumbled into working for his father’s business, he realized he could make an impact, and enjoyed the opportunity to work with his dad. EDSI has grown from a team that was in the single digits to an employee population of 900 over the decades. Kevin still finds purpose in the work the company does to help people who are economically disadvantaged, and has successfully scaled their people-focused culture.

Tune into this episode to hear how Kevin was one of the early adopters of the term “servant leadership”, how he stays connected with all 900 of his employees, and why he’s continually trying to be a better listener. 

Show Notes:

3:30 - What is a Chief Servant Leader?

12:47 - Early influences + family business matters

22:20 - Translating the culture to the customers

33:00 - Advice to young people

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Amy Courter, the Principle of Azimuth Centers of Excellence and a Certified EOS Implementer.

Amy grew up outside of Flint, MI with humble beginnings and parents who lived out their heart-first, community values. She adopted those same values and wanted to find ways to be a part of and give back to her community. After excelling at a law enforcement program in high school and wanting to stay involved, she enrolled in the Civil Air Patrol, and has been a member ever since. 

From the Civil Air Patrol and beyond, Amy has found ways to marry career and community. While working for a large tech company, she found purpose and alignment in her small, entrepreneurial clients. And now, as an EOS implementer, she appreciates working with a wide array of clients, many of which do meaningful work.

Tune in to this episode to hear Amy and Paul discuss how she’s adapted her experiences to fit many different roles, how being an athlete influenced her professional life, and why she took theater classes in college. 

Show Notes:

2:35 - EOS and culture

8:57 - Early influences

18:37 - Joining the Civil Air Patrol

24:00 - Not a career path, but a scavenger hunt

30:15 - Sports and community involvement

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Kyle David, CEO of The Kyle David Group. He is also a graduate of the Small Giants Leadership Academy Class of 2021.

Kyle got his professional career started earlier than most. Due to childhood autoimmune issues, he couldn’t participate in a lot of physical activities, and instead turned to reading – mostly books about technology and business. This self education led to a job with a consulting firm at just 14 years old. Thanks to a meritocracy culture and supportive mentors, Kyle was able to grow his skills as a technology consultant well before he could drive himself to his clients (good thing his colleagues didn’t mind giving him a lift!). 

When Kyle started his own firm after school, he took the values from both his previous job and his church upbringing and instilled them into his own culture. Now, Kyle takes pride in leading an organization that gives back to its people and works with values-aligned clients. 

Listen to this episode to hear about Kyle’s jump start in the consulting world, his grandfather’s wise words about entrepreneurship, and what growing up in a church-focused household taught him about leadership. 

Show Notes:

1:11 - In his Doogie Howser era

13:33 - A grandfather’s wisdom

24:10 - Challenges & humbling moments

32:35 - “Establish humility young”

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Bill Roark, co-founder of Torch Technologies, Inc., as well as the founder of Starfish Holdings, Inc. and Freedom Real Estate & Capital, LLC. He is also the author of Built with Purpose. 

Bill grew up in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, in a small community where people looked out for one another. From a young age, he learned the importance of a strong work ethic and treating people with kindness and respect. By the time he had gained some defense work experience and started Torch Technologies, he knew that if he took care of his employees, they would in turn take care of the company and their customers.

With this employee-focused mindset, as well as his desire to create a long-term, sustainable company, it felt like the natural decision for Bill to turn Torch into an ESOP right away. And that has proved to be a crucial component of the company’s cooperative culture, especially in a competitive contracting industry.

Listen to this episode to hear about Bill’s passion for employee ownership, why he emphasizes integrity in his companies’ cultures, and the very important lesson that carpet samples taught him. 

Show Notes:

7:20 - What is a defense contracting business?

10:27 - Employee-focused napkin manifesto

15:50 - “The mountain people are good people”

21:40 - Life lessons from carpet samples

32:10 - Define your principles

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Danielle Krischik, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of Knight Agency. 

It’s no wonder that Danielle has a passion and a talent for storytelling, because her life has all of the trappings of a good story: joy and heartbreak, struggle and triumph. Danielle grew up in a house alive with love, family, and even a chocolate factory in the basement! But in a condensed amount of time, she lost all of the most important adults in her life, and was forced to grow up and take care of herself to survive. She moved from New York to Florida for college, got a job out of her internship, and has been building her career steadily ever since. 

Although she experienced heartbreak from a young age, Danielle exudes warmth and positivity, and has made her story into one about growth and compassion.

Tune into this episode to hear Paul and Danielle discuss the importance of human connection in business, Danielle’s transformative work trip to Dubai, and why she roots for the villain in movies. 

Show Notes:

5:13 - The power of purpose-driven storytelling

9:35 - Life is like a box of chocolates 

24:40 - Human connection in business 

31:46 - “Do not aim for perfection”

On this live recorded episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with David Friedfeld, president of ClearVision Optical, one of the largest family-owned eye distributors in North America. 

The Clear Vision story starts with David’s father, a Navy veteran who was looking for his next chapter in life, and found it in a six-week optometry program. After becoming licensed and working for someone else for several years, he began his own business, looping family in along the way. Now the company is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and with David and his brother Peter at the helm, it remains a family affair.

And while working with family naturally comes with its tough moments, ClearVision is a testament to how a family can come together to create a successful, healthy, and welcoming business that positively impacts a community far larger than their own family tree.

Tune in to this episode to hear Paul and David bond over being failed-attorneys-turned-entrepreneurs, the highs and lows of scaling culture alongside a growing business, and David’s fragrant race routine from his track days. 

Show Notes:

4:08 - A culture that's 75 years strong

16:35 - Getting the real family stories

27:53 - Scaling culture

On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Matt Hoying, President of Choice One Engineering. 

Matt grew up on a farm in Ohio with a loving and supportive family. And while both his parents held jobs in addition to running the farm, Matt’s mom always found the time to go out to the edge of their rural property with him and look up at the stars. This ritual not only taught Matt the value in slowing down, but showed him that he was a part of a world much bigger than himself, and he had a responsibility to make sure his contribution was a positive one.

Fast forward to 2004, when Matt interned at Choice One. He saw that the founders of the engineering firm had created a special culture where people mattered and integrity was central, and he wanted to be a part of it. As Matt’s risen through the ranks, he’s maintained his stargazing mentality: to appreciate what was created before him, while also committing to positively impacting the company and its legacy. 

Tune into this episode to hear about Matt’s personal vision and how it influences his leadership style, Choice One’s emphasis on two-way communication, and the importance of teachers in shaping Matt’s career path. 

Show Notes:

2:09 - Clarity in culture

6:10 - Bolstering the feedback loop

9:40 - From intern to president

12:28 - Early influences

33:02 - Getting checked by his own culture