Hot Mess Hotline

Action and empathy move at different speeds in companies. Don Monistere is a longtime IT leader who has driven a lot of change. He's led the acquisition and merging of several companies and freely admits that plans on paper sometimes sound great and play out in the real world in a terrible way. He cares deeply about his people and he has a strong bias for action. For those of us who have a bias for action (me included) it's easy for us to run over people, push them out of the way, or dismiss their concerns because it slows us or the result down. Bottom line is that we end up with less people following us because they don't want to keep up, can't keep up, or think we've lost our minds.

Listen in as Don describes how he now prioritizes listening and empathy over action and how that leads to more buy in.

About Don Monistere

In his current role as CEO and President of General Informatics, an information technology company, Monistere is responsible for the strategic vision and day-to-day execution of their corporate plan to achieve the goal of organic growth as well as choosing the right acquisition partners that add value to the GI services portfolio and service delivery model.

Monistere’s tenure at General Informatics has been very productive. General Informatics has expanded their footprint from a Louisiana based business only headquartered in Baton Rouge, to a growing Information Technology company that serves the entire Southeast as well as portions of certain western territories such as Colorado and California, growing from less than 40 employees to more than 200 today.

Monistere has been a well-known executive for many years in the technology space and has been quite successful in his career as an executive in the Information Technology industry.

Don has a strong background in successfully leading information technology companies and his experience in sales, marketing, operations, and IT services helps organizations accelerate their growth trajectory, better serve their customers, and facilitate management frameworks that allow organizations like Vista, TekLinks, IBML and now General Informatics to scale their operations and prepare for hyper-growth

Monistere is also an author publishing “Enhanced Life Performance” in 2017 “Enhanced Executive Performance” in 2019 with his third in the trilogy “Enhanced Corporate Performance” that just came out in November of 2022.

All three books focus on an approach to life, career and business that allows you to achieve a flow state that Monistere describes as “Enhanced.” He has used many of the techniques in these publications to create the success that he has achieved to date.

How do you come back from burnout as a leader? Jimmy Burroughes was an overachiever who tried to prove himself for too long and burned out. In epic fashion. As someone who knows he's here to make a difference in this world, he wanted to do too much, be too much, and was burning the candle at both ends. One day in 2017 it all caught up with him and the life that he had unraveled.

Luckily for him and for us, he came back from being lost, feeling hopeless, and being unable to get out bed. He now uses his experiences to work with teams and leaders so they never get to where he was. My hunch is that you've been where Jimmy has been...or are on the brink of it...or have a colleague who is burnt out now. Listen in for real guidance to re-engage in life with joy.

See the full blog post at: stefaniekrievins.com/how-to-come-back-from-burnout-with-jimmy-burroughes

About Jimmy Burroughes

Jimmy Burroughes is a leadership expert on a mission to change the way we achieve results. With over two decades of experience as an Officer in the British Military and a track record of success as a people leader in top global organizations.

With an MBA and extensively qualified as a coach and facilitator, Jimmy has developed a passion for building high-performance cultures by making the complexity of better performance simple, and therefore easier to apply. He and his team have developed a proven facilitation-led approach and delivered in some of the world's largest organizations.

Jimmy hosts his own podcast and is also the author of Beat Burnout - Ignite Performance. It’s the leader's guide to building a high-performance team. The book was the product of multiple years of research, working with 7 to 12-figure businesses all over the world and taking those best practices and distilling them down into five simple variables. He can share insights incorporating elements of neuroscience, behavioral science, energetics, and a variety of standard leadership concepts.

Jimmy is a highly engaging guest, who is a specialist in simplifying high-performance concepts into a format that will both engage and encourage your listeners to try new things. Outside of work, Jimmy splits his time between living at the beach in Los Cabos scuba diving, or in central Mexico, hill running, whilst constantly searching for his next property project with his partner and dog.

You know firsthand the challenges of balancing higher performance expectations & avoiding burnout & high turnover. Jimmy's team helps high-performing senior leaders like you to create a team that achieves success, boosts your profile, & helps you all get your weekends and evenings back!

How to say "No" in IT is tricky. Heather Darring shares with us what's even trickier: saying Yes too frequently, projects going out of scope, and then reading an IT audit that says, "You suck." Okay, okay it didn't actually say that she and her 1 colleague sucked, but it described missed expectations and she took it personally. Years later she's able to share how that experience turned into an opportunity to reset expectations across the entire business, to grow, to learn, and ultimately expand her department and become the CIO.

Listen in to this episode with Heather, the CIO of an international nonprofit, as she shares what happens when IT doesn't say No to their business colleagues (and should) and how they're mortals like us not magicians! ha!

About Heather Darring and Kappa Alpha Theta

Heather Darring is the Chief Information Officer for Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. A rising IT executive, Ms. Darring has worked in the industry for 15 years. After earning her master’s at Ball State University’s Center for Information and Communication Sciences, Ms. Darring has worn many hats, including networking, database management, hardware and software support, and project management. She loves solving challenging problems and leaving things better than she found them. She champions change management and strives to support staff through meaningful and lasting change.

Kappa Alpha Theta is the first Greek-letter Fraternity for women. It was founded in 1870 just as women were allowed to seek higher education. The legacy continues today, leading every member to personal excellence through lifelong sisterhood.

Courageous leadership is a choice. Deseri Garcia is a coach and faculty member here at The Change Architects. Because she's been in the trenches as a leader, she knows what it takes to have hard conversations, lead with clarity and vision, and adapt to those around you while maintaining authenticity. Deseri's experience is now in teambuildng and coaching. Specifically she creates teambuilding experiences that build connection, problem solving skills, and shared results.

Listen in to this episode to hear about Deseri's coaching success, approach, and how she gets as much as she gives as a coach, trainer, and facilitator. Also, you'll hear how we met and why everyone should have a happy dance!

Deseri Garcia works with top-level executives, directors, managers, and business owners to provide transformational coaching, team building support, and leadership development. Her goal is to genuinely connect with people and identify with them in an effort to improve both team and personal effectiveness. Deseri is an accredited facilitator of 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, certified in ACCT (Association for Challenge Course Technology) certified and holds a certificate from the Coaching Clinic–Corporate Coach U and Predictive Index.  She has a bachelor’s degree in small business and entrepreneurship.

Deseri began coaching and leadership development work in 2004. Prior to that, she spent nearly 20 years in Corporate America, where she gained invaluable insight into the value of building relationships in the business world. She worked in International Business Development for Langham Transport Services for over 13 years and in operations and sales for Roadway Express for over 5 years. Her Pro Troublemaker skill is straight talk: “I won’t step over much. I make direct requests. I give straight advice and I expect your best.”

Deseri is a multi-sport adventure racer/endurance athlete and has completed seven marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2000 and 2002.

"Challenge the status quo!" The executives we work with shout this from rooftops with their teams. "Business as usual" means a slow decline toward irrelevancy.

The reality is that a business that isn't growing in some way is in decline and shrinking the value it's bringing to the world. And "growth" doesn't always mean revenue, profit, and headcount. Growth in rate of change; growth in technical capabilities; growth in integration; growth in project management skills. These are all forms of valid growth too. "Growth" also means that some things do stay the same to create stability.

While we tend to encounter leaders who NEED and WANT growth, their everyday habits reward compliance — until sh*t hits the fan. Listen in to Wally's lessons as a longtime CEO to reward challenging the status quo now.

About Wally Brant and Indiana Oxygen

Wally Brant is the CEO and owner of Indiana Oxygen Company, a 108-year-old, four-generation, family-owned company.  Indiana Oxygen manufactures and distributes industrial, medical, and research laboratory gases and related welding and safety equipment and has branch stores/production facilities in fourteen (14) Indiana cities and two (2) in Ohio.

Its online subsidiary, weldingsuppliesfromioc.com, has consistently been voted top welding supply online store by Newsweek Magazine each of the past five years.  Online sales account for 25% of Indiana Oxygen’s total annual revenue, which exceeds $90 Million.   

A graduate of Purdue University, Wally served seven (7) years in the U.S. Air Force as a Navigator on a B-52 Combat Crew, flying missions in S.E. Asia during the Vietnam War.  He later served in the Air Force Reserves, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  In 1982, Wally was named CEO of Indiana Oxygen Company.  He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the “Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year” and is a “Purdue University Distinguished Graduate.”  In 2018 at the age of 68 Wally graduated from the University of Notre Dame with his MBA Graduate Degree.

A little-discussed asset class known by rich leaders is to have rich relationships. Jack Gibson is a leader who values trust over money; friendship over revenue. Just a few short years ago, he was feeling hot, hot, hot about real estate investing with a business partner. He referred his friends to this person. Everything was great while everyone was making money together.

Until it wasn't and they were all losing money. Big time.

Jack put on his cape and saved the day. While he's learned since then that "saving others" isn't his job, he'll never regret saving a relationship at the expense of virtually everything else. Listen in to our conversation where lifelong friends have stayed trusted partners because he knows the value of the best investment out there: relationship capital.

Jack Gibson is an international, serial entrepreneur and financial thought leader. He began his journey at 19 in direct sales from his college dorm room in a nutrition distribution company, where he built a multi-million dollar venture before he was old enough to rent a car. After a series of stock market setbacks, he became obsessed with learning everything about Real Estate Investing and built another multi-million dollar portfolio generating passive income.

Have you ever wanted insights into uncomfortable race conversations at work but didn't know who to ask? Our guest, Danielle Meadows-Stinnett, is generous enough to share a hot mess she found herself in as the CEO of her marketing company. She describes what it felt like when a client said to her teammate, "Do you even speak English?"

For those of us in more privileged positions in our American culture, we need to learn what it's like sitting in the chair across from us as a person of color, a non-native English speaker, someone without a college degree whose colleagues all have college degrees, etc. etc. Unfortunately we've created too many ways to outrank each other. This conversation is a great reminder that we all show up to work looking to make a difference as a fellow human. Not a fellow human with all the labels we put on each other and ourselves.

Danielle educates us on what it takes to partner with a supplier who brings diversity to your tables and how you can be an effective partner with them. Listen in, my friend.

The full blog post can be found here: https://stefaniekrievins.com/insights-into-uncomfortable-race-conversations-at-work-with-danielle-meadows-stinnett/

About Danielle Meadows-Stinnett

Danielle is owner of Octane Design Studios, a 12 year old branding and identity firm based in the heart of the Bluegrass. Danielle is a podcaster, wife, mama of 3, and lover of rustic cuisine, chai, cosplay, Star Trek’s Picard and live MMA.

With over 13 years of marketing and multimedia agency experience, Danielle is a Grassroots Developer & Curator, helping brand and launch over 100 local businesses across America; ⅔ in Kentucky.

Danielle is an advocate of non-traditional education leading online meetups and workshops for DIY marketing. Her latest education platform Q1 essentials is an online membership of 10+ mini courses to level up your digital marketing each year within the first business quarter of the year.

In 2021 Danielle launched Kentucky Creatives, an all new Kentucky-based membership community comprised of bloggers, photographers, copywriters, podcasters and more to help connect small businesses with influencers for their brand.

As much as Danielle is passionate about providing creative services she strives to be more than just the graphics she creates. Over the years her hashtag #MoreThanGraphics has become more than just a marketing slogan; it has become a life principle for herself that she executes through storytelling and life chronicle as producer and co-host of the #MoreThanGraphics podcast.

About OCTANE

Big change is created by small tweaks. One of our faculty members, Nikki Evans, reminds us that change happens in small steps. Our brains are wired for overwhelm when we try to prioritize, do, plan, think through too much. Coaching reminds us to use our human superpowers of focus, critical thinking, and taking one step at a time.

Nikki shares her coaching perspective, why you might want to work with her, and what to expect. After listening I hope you’ll find her as amazing as I do and see why she’s a natural fit here at Stefanie Krievins & Co.

Critical thinking in leadership teams is not the norm. Too many meetings are focused on who's winning, who has the best idea, who's talking the loudest, etc. Steve Pearlman, a critical thinking expert, makes the analogy to poker. We hold our cards close and jockey to win. But then tell everyone else to show their cards so the team can win.

I learned so much about how critical thinking is a bit more complex than I knew and yet there are some key tricks we can all use to be more present, aware, and unbiased in our thought processes.

Since 1992, Steve has taught critical thinking and writing in higher education, including elite liberal arts colleges and state universities. In 2011, Steve founded one of the United States’ first departments in higher education specifically focused on teaching critical thinking skills. His work resulted in something exceptionally rare in academia: documented, campus-wide improvements in critical thinking.

A premiere expert in critical thinking, Steve has presented at countless educational institutions, conferences, and businesses about improving critical thinking and related habits of mind. He is frequently found in national and international media, including CBS Atlanta, The Hill, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Connecticut Today, First Coast Connect, The Nation Speaks, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Point of View Radio.

Devoted to the idea that everyone needs access to elite critical thinking skills, Steve founded The Critical Thinking Institute to bring his unique, proven methodology to the general public.

In addition to academic articles, Steve is the author of America’s Critical Thinking Crisis: The Failure and Promise of Education, as well as the host of the podcast (for educators), Headagogy.

Change feels hard when we try to use old habits to drive new results. No one knows that better than our very own faculty member, Tedra White. On this episode of the Hot Mess Hotline, we talk through big career transitions; how bad employees create amazing results and how to turn them into great employees that create amazing results; what gets us stuck during transformation; and the power of coaching through all of this.

Tedra shares her coaching perspective, why you might want to work with her, and what to expect. After listening I hope you'll find her as awesome as I do and see why she's a natural fit here at Stefanie Krievins & Co.

About Tedra White

As a career and leadership development coach and expert, Tedra helps people be the best of who they have been called to be. She equips her clients with the tools and strategies that help guide them, as they take the consistent actions needed, to get to where they desire to be.

She uses her 20+ years of experience working and leading in business, higher education, and nonprofits to change the way women engage as leaders. She understands the importance of women’s voices being.

Tedra holds 2 degrees from University of Georgia, making her a Double Dawg of UGA; plus an MPA from the University of West Georgia. Additionally, she holds an Advanced Certification in Communication with True Colors International and is a certified John Maxwell Team member. When she is not empowering others, she is spending time with her husband and 2 wonderful and talented children.