Lead to Grow

Most of us know the tremendous impact branding can have upon an organization. When most of hear “branding,” we think colors, websites, logos, and names.

But Bill Gullan says that’s not where branding starts.

Bill’s the president of Finch Brands, where they help clients brand and rebrand every day.

Bill says that branding starts well before you name a company or polish a website. It starts internally, with the values driven by your culture.

On this episode of the Lead to Grow podcast, Bill lays out his specialized plan of why branding is really an inside-out approach. He also gives listeners an inside peek into The Finch Way — Finch’s own values-driven approach to business.

Adam Vazquez spent two years at VaynerMedia as an account supervisor. The full-service digital agency, founded by celebrated author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, brought with it all the big name brands you could think of. Working on accounts like The North Face and L’Oreal made him feel like he could take on any client.

Before he left the media company, Gary Vaynerchuk sat down with Adam and gave him one piece of advice he’d never forget. Vaynerchuk told him he had the talent and desire to be successful, but if there was one thing that would hold him back, it would be a lack of humility. “You’re not going to be humble enough,” were his words.

He didn’t see these words come to life until he branched out on his own to start Strafire; a B2B content marketing agency that helps companies solve their marketing challenges through improved messaging and content. This is where he would learn what it truly looked like to be a humble leader.

Many leaders neglect true coaching and empowering. Often, leaders say they are giving their employees their own freedom to learn in their own way. But without proper coaching, teaching, and understanding, employees often take up valuable time before making a healthy contribution to their employer.

Andrew Breen used to have a hands-off approach when it came to management. When he first co-founded Outshine almost a decade ago, he gave his employees very little direction. However, as his company started to grow, Andrew recognized a need for more management structure. He created a program that empowers employees with decision-making skills, not just methodologies and tactics.

The best news is, Andrew joined us on the Lead to Grow podcast and shared how his management philosophy totally changed his workforce, and added value to his company.

When your company is experiencing tremendous growth, you often wonder how you’ll sustain your current workforce and keep your employees engaged.

Brian Stern has managed to not only sustain his employees, but actively engage them, give them ownership, and help their personal development. In less than ten years, their company has grown from nothing to four subsidiaries in multiple cities across the county, but he’s never lost touch with his employees.

Brian joins us on this episode of Lead to Grow to share his experience as an entrepreneur, and what he’s learned about leading a company through growing pains.

Brian is the CEO and President at LED Supply Co., which has been featured numerous times on Inc’s coveted Fastest Growing Companies list.

There is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth.

Listening is an incredibly important skill to develop and it will get you farther in your personal life and career than speaking too quickly ever will.

John Esparza is the President & CEO of the Texas Trucking Association, but before that he worked for Governor Bush’s office in the 90s as the Coalition Director.  

During this time, he got to see much of the great state of Texas, but it also gave him valuable experience hosting events.  While hosting these events, he learned about the importance of listening to local individuals at the venues where he was coordinating these events.  

This practice of active listening was instrumental in a lot of John’s success later in his career, and he now advocates within the field of public policy.  His job is to ensure that the voice of the trucking industry is part of the vernacular that creates the laws and rules that govern Texas. He must listen to the people he represents to ensure that they have a seat at the legislative table and are engaged in the political process.

In this episode of Lead to Grow, I spoke with John about the importance of listening, hearing out different opinions, and being an agent of change in the state of Texas.

Leaders lead.

It’s a simple truth, but one that can be hard to pin down pragmatically. When your business is growing, what’s the best way to execute your objectives as a leader in a way that ensures all your employees’ benefit?

Fortunately, we recently got to sit down with James Frank—the CEO of Sharp Iron and Transland, as well as a representative in the Texas House of Representatives—on the Lead to Grow podcast to talk about his perspectives on leadership and how focusing on the team as a whole bolsters their projects.

Workplace culture. Does this phrase sound familiar?

It probably does.

Why?

Because it is everywhere.

Why is it everywhere?

Because it is an interesting topic.
A topic that is constantly relevant.
A topic that has practical value.

Workplace culture is more than having a ping pong table in the office or offering gourmet coffee for staff in the break room.

Workplace culture is about values and mindset. It’s about leadership and management. It has to do with how decisions are made in an organization and how people are included and made to feel important.

Lynn Pace, Senior VP of National Sales at Cenergistic, gave some great insight into creating an abundant workplace culture with practical principles that are easy to implement.

Here’s what we learned from him.

What makes a good leader?

A delegator?

An inspirer?

A strong force on the front lines?

It can be argued that a good leader consists of all of those things.

But how should leadership in the workplace be encouraged and developed?

In this episode Bob Payton, President and CEO of Dental Planet, gives insight into what good leadership in the workplace looks like. Bob has handled a lot of turnaround management and is all about understanding the customers needs and fulfilling them. His knowledge is invaluable.

Here’s what we learned.

Bobby Albert, Host of Lead to Grow, sits down with Jason Turner, VP at ArcBest, to chat about the many faces of employee engagement.

Host Bobby Albert sits down with his long-time friend, Ray Klinginsmith, to chat about the parallels and similarities of leadership within both nonprofit and for profit sectors.