Leadership Secrets

Listen to a great interview with Nico Procos. He describes his journey to becoming General Manager of Alameda Municipal Power, and the lessons he's learned along the way. 

Listen in to a great conversation with Michelle Reimers, General Manager of the Turlock Irrigation District. Michelle shares her journey to become the CEO, and the importance of communicating with employees and the community. 

Listen in to a great conversation with Beth Hassett, CEO of WEAVE. Beth shares her journey to become the CEO, and how her priority has always been being open, engaging with others, and showing up as her whole self.

Judi Hays is the CEO of Judi Hays, Inc. She serves clients globally, helping individuals and companies elevate their brand, expand their network and engage their most powerful relationships on LinkedIn. Here’s some of what we discussed: 

• LinkedIn is a great way to highlight your business. You want to be helpful. A few ideas for posts include providing a news roundup, becoming a go-to source for the news media, providing insight through a case study, talking about projects in the works, and having some fun, like posting a “Funfact Friday.”
• It’s really important to understand your audience.
• As a leader, hire people who can do things you can’t do or would take much longer.
• When there’s a problem, bring solutions, not more problems.
• Help others, and always be grooming future leaders.
• And even though she helps individuals and organizations use LinkedIn, she says don’t be too dependent on technology – be able to talk to someone and have a deep conversation.

Lou Bernardi is the Chief Benefit Optimization Officer for BritePath, an employee benefits agent for companies with healthcare plans. They help employees optimize their benefits. Lou is passionate about his work and loves helping people learn about the true cost of healthcare so they can make wise decisions about their medical care. Our conversation was filled with great ideas and learnings about the healthcare system. Here’s some of what we discussed:

• Why consumers need to ask doctors and their officers about the cost of care, procedures, and expect transparency about their care.
• Why it’s so important to lead by example. Others are always watching.
• Employees need persistence and see projects through to the end.
• Brand yourself. He’s the Chief BOO, the Benefit Optimization Officer. People can remember he’s the BOO.
• A few tidbits of advice he’s received: Don’t take yourself too seriously, put your phone down and experience the world, and find a mentor.

Joe Carbone is CEO of Eastward Partners, an executive search and human capital consultancy. Our conversation was full of great leadership ideas. Here’s what we discussed:

• Connecting with your customers is key. Understand their needs and focus on fulfilling them.
• Leadership is a privilege. Bring your true self every day.
• His leadership philosophy is to always put the team above the individual. Joe feels like he works for his team rather than them working for him.
• It’s important for leaders to connect with their team individually, understanding what’s going on in their lives, their families.
• When you share your vision, what’s possible, people get excited and want to be a part of it.
• Always invest in yourself and seek executive coaching. Joe sees a coach weekly.
• His brand follows a Pablo Picasso quote: “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Help people become the best version of themselves.

• The great, accidental lesson Jared learned in his college summer job about the high value of being authentic.
• How he takes time for himself every morning to exercise, and shuts off his phone each evening to spend time with his family. 
• He puts confidence in his colleagues to make decisions. He doesn’t worry about making wrong decisions; he makes decisions and moves on. If it’s not right, the next decision will fix the last one. 
• Everyone in the company knows and lives by the meaning of the word T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R. Listen in to learn more.