State Of Readiness

Video Version

https://vimeo.com/702374226

About the Podcast

My guest today is Tim Pettry, Program Director for Continuous Improvement at the Cleveland Clinic's Akron General (CCAG) Hospital where he directs the implementation of a Culture of Improvement for over 5,500 caregivers, utilizing the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model.

One of the biggest "take-aways" of this conversation is the difference in syntax between manufacturing and healthcare that needs to be considered when attempting to deploy an Continuous Improvement program in a healthcare environment.

But we start the conversation at the beginning (where else?) with Tim's 18 years of experience at Ford Motor Company at their Cleveland Manufacturing Site. As a result of the continuous improvement efforts of Tim and his colleagues, Ford won the Shingo Prize with Tim himself being appointed to the Shingo Institute's Board of Examiners in 1996.

I am sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation as much as I did. Give a listen.

About Tim Pettry

Tim Pettry is the Program Director, Continuous Improvement at Cleveland Clinic Akron General (CCAG) where he directs the implementation of a Culture of Improvement for over 5,500 caregivers, utilizing the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model. He has been a member of a Continuous Improvement team since 2008 that serves over 70,000 Cleveland Clinic caregivers worldwide.

Prior to jumping into the Healthcare field, he spent 18 years with the Ford Motor Company at their Cleveland Manufacturing Site in several roles including Cost Analyst, Training Manager, and Ford Production System Coordinator. His final year at Ford he served as a Ford Production System Coach for Powertrain Operations.

Tim's career started in retailing as a Department Manager for the May Company (now part of Macy's) where he learned to appreciate the concepts of customer service. Recognizing that a career in Retailing did not fit with his new role as a father, Tim joined Ernst & Whinney's (now Ernst & Young) National Client Services department in Cleveland, where he led a team of 6 analysts and multiple students who were responsible for providing secondary research data and analysis in support of major request for proposals for Audit and Consulting services, and maintaining the firm's Mailing and Alumni programs.

Tim's passion for continuous improvement work comes from participating in and leading several cultural transformation efforts while at Ford and the Cleveland Clinic. A highlight of his career was helping to save Ford's Cleveland Engine Plant 1 from closing in 2002. The work there was recognized as one of the pivotal events in valuing work and delivering results in the book, "Inside the Ford-UAW Transformation"

Tim was appointed to the Shingo Institute's Board of Examiners in 1996 after leading the team responsible for writing Cleveland Engine Plant 2's Achievement Report and coordinating the site visit that led to the plant being awarded the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. He has served as a lead examiner for over 10 years. As an examiner, he has participated in a number of site visits to a variety of different manufacturing and healthcare organizations. Additionally, as an examiner, Tim has had the opportunity to review numerous books vying for the Shingo Prize for Publications.

Tim served for 6 years as the Shingo Institute's representative on the AME / Shingo Institute / SME Lean Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee, serving as Chairman of the committee in 2010. He earned his Master of Business Administration in Management and Labor Relations from Cleveland State University.

He and his wife, Lisa, have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpettry/ Company: Cleveland Clinic Title: Program Director, Continuous Improvement Headquarters: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Year Founded: 1921 Company Type: Not-for-profit Hospital Company Size: 72,500 Employees, $12.4 Billion in Revenue Practice Areas: Cleveland Clinic is a not-for-profit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio with expertise in all healthcare practice areas and is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the United States. It is owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio not-for-profit corporation established in 1921. It runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, as well as 11 affiliated hospitals, 19 family health centers in Northeast Ohio, and hospitals in Florida and Nevada. International operations include the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi hospital in the United Arab Emirates and Cleveland Clinic Canada, which has two executive health and sports medicine clinics in Toronto. Another hospital campus in the United Kingdom, Cleveland Clinic London, opened to outpatients in 2021 and is scheduled to fully open in 2022

Video Version

https://vimeo.com/687446935

About the Podcast

My guest today is Kevin Robinson, Managing Director of OPEX Performance Solutions Ltd and Toyota Alumni; having spent over 28 years at Toyota UK at the Deeside Engine Plant; starting as an Engineer in 1991 and working his way up the ranks until retiring as the General Manager of Manufacturing Operations.

Rather than starting at the beginning of Kevin's journey, we start in the present with Kevin sharing that he had many mentors along his journey who proved invaluable to him on a professional and personal level. And to honor them, he devotes a considerable amount of time being a mentor to others.

A lifelong learner, Kevin shares his passion for exploration and discovery. That he is humble and understands that what he knows is nothing compared to what is left still to learn is obvious throughout our conversation.

Throughout the entire conversation, Kevin shares nugget of wisdom (knowledge with experience) on a wide variety of topics, which is not a surprise considering his journey within Toyota.

I am sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation as much as I did.

About Kevin Robinson

Kevin Robinson

Kevin Robinson has three decades of hands on leadership experience in manufacturing operations within Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK. Having enjoyed a diverse career working in all key functions before stepping into a general management position.

Responsible for delivering on all performance measures he led power train manufacturing operations in the UK through a period of significant challenge, securing a 30% manufacturing capacity improvement with zero capital investment and becoming a benchmark for Toyota global best practice. With a deep knowledge of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and the Toyota Way, Kevin understands the key leadership behaviors, practical methodologies and skills that are essential for delivering operational excellence into any organization.

As the founding senior manager for the Toyota Lean Management Centre (TLMC) he developed a program of educational materials and onsite coaching support for sharing Toyota best practice to external clients across a diverse range of sectors, including Government economic development initiatives in Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Kevin's passion lies in creating the right environment to engage all employees, allowing them to contribute positively, grow as individuals and deliver on the key metrics that really matter. He continues to support organizations in their pursuit of operational excellence, providing both executive coaching and mentoring services.

Additionally, he continues to share his knowledge as an adjunct lecturer with Trinity College, Dublin and as a Non-executive director with the Irish Centre for Business Excellence (ICBE).

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-robinson-opex/ Company: OPEX Performance Solutions Ltd (retired Toyota-UK) Title: Managing director (GM Manufacturing Operations at Toyota-UK) Headquarters: Greater Cheshire West and Chester Area Year Founded: OPEX Performance Solutions was founded in 2019 Company Type: Privately Held Practice Areas: OPEX Performance Solutions exists to help organizations achieve their true potential. Through the provision of coaching, mentoring and consulting services we aim to add significant value to your current operations. We bring practical hands on experience, deep subject knowledge and a passionate desire to share and make peoples working lives richer and more rewarding.

Video Version

https://vimeo.com/672153514

About the Podcast

My guest today is Sam Smolik, SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) for LyondellBasell and author of the book, "The Power of Goal Zero".

After his retirement, Sam decided to share the lessons learned during his journey and years of experience - the best practices and techniques for achieving Operational Excellence - and that led him to authoring his book, "The Power of Goal ZERO" (published in June 2021).

Through the telling of personal stories and sharing his experiences, "The Power of Goal ZERO" provides a proven roadmap for demonstrating strong leadership, creating a culture of excellence, implementing organizational change, developing effective management systems, and achieving superior performance. In today's competitive environment, individuals and organizations must be best in class to compete and win.

The book is designed for leaders and aspiring leaders at all levels to improve personal effectiveness, organizational efficiency, and motivation of people; with the principles helping to enable rapid transformation in any organization.

In my interview of Sam, you will gain insights that will undoubtedly help you and your organization become best in class.

About Sam Smolik

Before retiring from LyondellBasell Industries in 2017, Sam served as Global Vice President for Environment, Health, and Safety for LyondellBasell, Royal Dutch Shell, and The Dow Chemical Company (where he started his career).

Sam earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Board there.

In addition, Sam currently serves on several Boards of Directors including; Axalta Coating Systems, Evergreen Industrial Services, and Ducks Unlimited.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-smolik-7084725/ Company: LyondellBasell Title: SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) Website: https://www.lyondellbasell.com/ Headquarters: Houston, Texas (for US) Year Founded: 2007 (as a result of the acquisition of Lyondell Chemical Company by Basell Polyolefins. Company Type: Publicly Traded (NYSE; LYB) Practice Areas: LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world and produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through; lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances.

LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world's largest producer of polypropylene compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2021, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine's list of the "World's Most Admired Companies" for the fourth consecutive year.

Video Version

About the Podcast

In this episode of "State of Readiness", I welcome William Bierce, co-founder of Bierce & Kenerson PC and author of the book, "Smarter Business Exits". I have known Bill for some time. He is a multi-faceted and worldly individual who is engaging in conversation on many topics.

The topic of discussion for this episode is the importance of taking into consideration the exit strategies that might present themselves in the future and how to properly prepare to minimize the anxiety and angst and maximize the return.

When people first form their companies, usually the last thing on their minds is exiting the company sometime in the future. Sure, there are those individuals who only form a company with the exit in mind. But they are the exception and not the rule.

Most people think of their companies as their legacy; hard evidence that they ever existed at all. But what happens when an opportunity to exit appear, such as a suitor wanting to purchase the company? Or, more challenging, that opportunity is thrust upon them such as a death of the founder (or one of the founders).

This is a fascinating conversation and every entrepreneur (or would be entrepreneur) should give a listen. It can save considerable angst (and wealth) in the future.

About William Bierce

William Bierce

As co-founder of the law firm of Bierce & Kenerson, P.C., William Bierce has over twenty-five years of experience in advising American and foreign entrepreneurs and businesses on sustainable growth through corporate transactions, commercial contracts and technology and intellectual property management.

William's business advisories assist companies, their owners, boards, and investors throughout a company's business lifecycles where he advises on such matters as organizational design, business formation, capital raising, equity compensation, governance, risk management, crisis resolution, resiliency planning, compliance, roll-ups, corporate sales and divestitures. And with his technical advisory, he assists domestic and foreign clients on digital transformation, e-commerce, privacy, cybersecurity and strategic transactions.

#SuccessionPlanning #BusinessExits #HighGrowthCompanies

Fluent in French, William has an undergraduate diploma from Yale and law degrees from New York University and the University of Grenoble, France.

Company: Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Website: https://biercekenerson.com/ Headquarters:  Mount Kisco, New York Year Founded: 1990 Company Type: Professional Corporation Practice Areas:  Bierce & Kenerson focuses on advising American and foreign entrepreneurs and businesses on sustainable growth through corporate transactions, commercial contracts and technology and intellectual property management.  Their extensive legal and business expertise includes; company formation, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and exits. In addition and of particular note are the in-house specialties for cross-border transactions and intellectual property.

Video Version

About the Podcast

In this episode of "State of Readiness", I welcome Michael F. Schein; author of The Hype Handbook and the Head Hype Man at MicroFame Media. We met at a "non-conference" in Saratoga Springs in the summer of 2021 where Michael was speaking about "hype".

When Michael graduated from university (much to his parent's chagrin) he announced that he was going to be in a rock-band. Even though the band didn't become its own genre, they did pretty well. Much of the band's success was attributed to do with Michael "hyping-up" the band and its promotion; even going so far as purposefully booking themselves in a venue where they knew they would be booed off the stage. After all, there is no such thing as "bad publicity".

In our conversation, Michael shares his thoughts on what hype is and how to use it as a positive force to create an energy around your persona to stand-out from the crowd and be recognized; mastering the art and science of using shameless propaganda for personal and social good.

Imagine if you could generate and leverage hype for positive purposes―like legitimate business success, helping people, or effecting positive change in your community.

Influencers have always deployed the power of hype to get what they want. But never in history have people been so susceptible to propaganda and persuasion as they are now. Hype truly runs our world.

About Michael F. Schein

Michael F. Schein

Michael F. Schein is the Head Hype Man at MicroFame Media, a company that specializes in making consultants and coaches famous in their fields, and author of the book entitled "The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers" which is published by McGraw Hill and released in January of 2021 and is available on Amazon and wherever else books are sold.

The Hype Handbook

Michael's clients range from the outliers with fresh ideas who want to get their message out and make their mark – to executives at companies such as eBay, Magento, The Medici Group, Ricoh, LinkedIn, Citrix and many others.

Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors of Arts degree in English and his writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and Huffington Post, and he is a speaker for international audiences spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China.

LinkedIn Profile; https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfrancisschein Company; MicroFame Media Website; https://microfamemedia.com/ Headquarters;  Beacon, New York Year Founded; 2012 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties;  MicroFame Media is a marketing agency that turns consultants (and other idea-based businesses) into thought leaders when they don't have the time to do it on their own.

Video Version

About the Podcast

On Your Game

In this episode of "State of Readiness", I welcome Marcy Axelrod, Author of "On Your Game" where she explains that each of us have our "A-game"; our individual "superpowers" that we bring every day. And most of the time we are on our game. But what do we do when we get knocked off our game and what do we need to do to fix it?

She shares that "research shows that 80+% of Americans lays in bed every night feeling they are not accomplishing what they feel they can", attributing to loneliness, discontentment, and depression; often leading to substance abuse.

On Your Game

On Your Game is a wake-up call to all of us who find our days whizzing by without achieving our goals. In a witty, captivating style, Marcy explains the challenges people face, why they face them, and how they can be overcome (and not you).

She shares how the "off your game" systems that surround us are constantly conspiring to block our achievement and details what living "on our game" is really about; providing elegant solutions and easy tools to propel us back "On Our Game!" and keep us there.

About Marcy Axlerod

Marcy Axelrod

Marcy Axelrod is a Management Consultant, subject-matter expert/keynote speaker, Author of "On Your Game!", and Forbes Magazine contributor on trending topic of Customer Journey Mapping with over 25 years of hands-on strategy and innovation work at 'Big 4' consulting firms and boutique consulting organizations focused on accelerating company growth.

Marcy's award-winning book, On Your Game! directs consulting tools to drive achievement in our busy lives, supporting business and personal achievement, and earning highly favorable reviews from professors at Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Cornell.

With a foundation of ten years as a leader in KPMG Consulting's (BearingPoint's) High Technology Practice in Silicon Valley, Ms. Axelrod proved her abilities to secure new clients and build ongoing revenue streams by delivering meaningful process and financial results. She utilizes a mix proven and innovative approaches to customer strategy, operational effectiveness, and growth strategy by integrating design thinking (a la Dave Evans and Bill Burnett), Jobs-to-be-Done and customer empathy based approaches.

Marcy helped build Gartner Group's Silicon Valley Strategy Consulting practice, was Vice President of Strategy for 3Q Digital, (Silicon Valley's digital agency of record, where she built the company's consulting capability, contributing to its 40% revenue growth and redirecting how the company goes to market. Since then she has been delivering independent work (see attached), and advising CEO's from Wall Street firms to computer science camps.

Prior to joining KPMG Consulting/BearingPoint (1999), Ms. Axelrod performed buy-side equity research at Lehman Brothers on Wall Street. She also consulted to Fortune 500 companies such as Applied Materials, Hillenbrand Industries and others in business strategy, process redesign and go-to-market strategy creation. Ms. Axelrod earned a Bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University and an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird.

LinkedIn Profile; https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcy/ Company; On Your Game Corporation Website; https://onyourgame.today Headquarters;  Port Chester, New York Year Founded; 2008 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties;  Deliver corporate growth, innovation and effectiveness projects for global leaders and late stage start-up organizations. Deliver Jobs-to-be-Done customer strategy through primary and secondary research surfacing what they need to accomplish (important, under-satisfied jobs). Accelerate top line growth and internal effectiveness. Work with executives to evaluate issues, design and implement changes to make teams more effective and innovative. Speak about the nature of achievement today, how it actually works, what keeps people and businesses from achieving more, and what her 20 years of research shows.

Video Version

About the Podcast

My guest today is John Bicknell, CEO and Founder of More Cowbell Unlimited.

Our conversation focuses on processes and the data, and information, that is captured and generated in these systems. But more important, what this information is trying to tell us, how we can hear the messaging, and how it can help in our decision-making process by adding clarity, squelching the noise, and increasing our confidence in that what we are about to do is wise (or not)

Processes underlie all naturally occurring phenomena. Poorly understood or opaque processes are a national security intelligence gap. If corporate, critical infrastructure, government, and societal processes were visible and explicit, opportunities become available to strengthen, exploit or monitor these processes.

Process mining interrogates system event logs to find the wisdom that might exist in the data and information (with information being data with context). And although many might immediately think of digital information system such as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system when they think of event logs, this does not have to be the case. For instance, a pilot's flight log is a system event log; with the people reviewing it being the interrogators.

A really interesting conversation which I am sure you will enjoy.

About John Bicknell

John Bicknell

John is a national security thought leader and passionate analytics visionary. He has written extensively on national security matters related to information warfare, critical infrastructure defense, and space situational awareness. And he founded More Cowbell Unlimited to help America remain a beacon of hope and strength on the world stage. America must adopt Process Dominance as a core capability in order to innovate and survive in the Information Age. His vision is for process technologies to be as ubiquitous as processes are.

John earned his Bachelor or Engineering degree at Vanderbilt University and was a NROTC Midshipman (but without a scholarship). Afterwards, John joined the United States Marine Corps and served worldwide including tours in Afghanistan and assignments at the Pentagon. He retired as Lieutenant Colonel in 2010. 

He also earned a Master's Degree in Manpower Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School.

If you'd like to understand more about how John and the More Cowbell Unlimited team are adapting process mining to enable better, faster decisions for United States Space Force, be sure to check out John's guest article, Process Mining, Situational Awareness, and Competitive Advantage, published by the Operational Excellence Society.

Company; More Cowbell Unlimited Website; https://morecowbellunlimited.com/ Headquarters;  Lake Oswego, Oregon Year Founded; 2018 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties;   More Cowbell Unlimited is developing bleeding edge process technologies for national defense and industry. We create machine readable process models of naturally occurring phenomena such as; societies, governments, businesses enable numerous applications: Reflexive maneuver operations; Information warfare defense; Antifragility and network vulnerability analyses; Trans-national crime organization chart discovery; Red Team projects such as realistic threat emulation; Business and government agency optimization and "what if" simulations

Video Version

About the Podcast

My guest today is Steven Leuschel, Director of Operational Excellence at Guardian Elder Care, with a network of elderly care facilities located across Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio.

Steven and I had met at the Operational Excellence Summit at the Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence at Saint Vincent College where I was delivering a "State of Readiness Masterclass and Workshop in 2018.

With four books under his belt and another in process, Steven is a rather prolific writer and we start by discussing the books he had written and the messages and lessons he hoped to convey to the reader. A true academic at heart, Steven is always studying, researching, learning, and teaching.

But the real meat on the bone is our discussions related to Lean and the healthcare industry; how the adaptation and application of Lean principles in the healthcare industry are different and how they are similar to their origins in manufacturing.

About Steven Leuschel

Steven Leuschel

Steven is an experienced practitioner and academic of Lean and Operational Excellence with an emphasis in applying his skills in the field of healthcare.

He has published several books including; • "Lean Culture Change: Using a Daily Management System" • "The Executive Guide to Lean Culture Change", a companion workbook • Why Lean Transformation Fails: Common Challenges to Adopting New Leadership and Management • and his latest book; "Sensei Secrets: Mentoring at Toyota Georgetown" which is based on his thesis for his Doctorate Degree and is a study with former members of Toyota Georgetown's start-up years and their relationships with their Senseis.

He was previously an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and a member of the Operational Excellence team at Indiana Regional Medical Center located in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Steven earned his Bachelors in Liberal Arts and his Masters in Business Management, Operational Excellence at Saint Vincent College (one of the few institutes of higher learning that offer a degree in Operational Excellence). And he earned his PhD in Business Administration and Leadership Studies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He is married and the father of four. And his goal is to climb the highest point in all 50 States.

Company; Guardian Elder Care Website; https://guardianhc.com/ Headquarters;  8796 US-219, Brockway, PA 15824 Year Founded; 1995 Company Type; Non-Profit Company Size;  5,500 Employees Specialties;  Rehabilitation Services, Long-Term Care, Pharmacy Services, Healthcare Staffing

Video Version

About the Podcast

I invite David Mackey is a senior manager at AbbVie presently responsible for the implementation of the SAP "procure to pay" processes at AbbVie. Previously, he was the Director of Operational Excellence at Pharmacyclics (a subsidiary of AbbVie). In addition to AbbVie, he has had senior leadership roles at Genentech and Roche.

We start the conversation with David's early days when he was "bitten" by the travel bug, specifically the international travel bug. He was an exchange student to Sweden in high school and to Mexico when at community college.

His first degree was in Geography with an emphasis on international trade from Humboldt State University and he earned his MBA in International Business Trade and Operations from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

His love of travel has guided his professional journey; always seeking and chasing opportunities which would take him near (across the US) and far (everywhere else). Most of this work was found in the pharma/biotech industries.

David shares the various companies he has worked for and the assignments he had there; each building on the other and each adding to his ever-increasing variety and scope of his accumulated life's experiences.

We also spend some time discussing how he and the people who he leads, which are located around the world, have coped during the COVID pandemic. Interestingly, he shares that already being a disbursed workforce, the workings of his team were already purposely designed and configured for working virtually. The conversation then gravitates to post-pandemic business operations, what that may look like, what challenges might be faced, and what may be needed to keep a edge of the team's knife sharp.

Give a listen. I am sure you will enjoy hearing David's story as much as I did.

About David Mackey

David Mackey

David is a global operational excellence leader that focuses on competitive advantage by optimizing employees, teams, technology, organization structure/culture, physical infrastructure, processes and the ability to measure and manage performance and results.

His extensive experience managing operations and leading/participating in strategic global initiatives include; the design and launch of a new and ecommerce capable corporate websites, to restructuring multiple regional global supply chains and global service centers, to mapping the customers' experience to launch several improved and/or new operational processes and organizations. 

After high school graduation, David departed as an exchange student for a second senior year to Sweden where he lived with an exchange family, attended school, and got a job on a dairy farm in the village where he lived.

During his time there, he auditioned successfully to play keyboards in a rock band called Sista Utvagen (The Last Way Out); an opening act for more famous Swedish bands (such as Cal P Dahl) whose US hit "Can't Get That Feeling", with the crazy "Uga chaga uga chaga" as the memorable chorus. This gave him the opportunity to travel around Europe.

He returned to California and attended Delta Community College, during which he was a summer exchange student to Mexico to improve his Spanish.

Given his worldly experiences, he thrives in and across different cultures leading diverse, multi-site teams. And he has leveraged these experiences in his professional career with opportunities to work extensively in countries such as France, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden and across the US for extensive periods of time; as well as many other countries for shorter time periods.

He considers his Core Competencies to be: Customer Focus • Coaching to Potential • Global Process Development • GxP • Data and Process Management, Analysis and Communication • Global/Trade Challenges • Continuous Improvement • Program Development and Execution

Company; AbbVie Website; https://www.abbvie.com/ Headquarters;  North Chicago, Illinois Year Founded; 2013 Company Type; Pharmaceuticals Company Size;  ~48,000 employees worldwide Specialties;  Immunology, Oncology, Neuroscience research, manufacturing and sales/distribution.

AbbVie may have been founded in 2013, but its roots run deep. In 2013, AbbVie became a separate company from Abbott, though the company shares a common legacy and strong prospects for future success. When formed, AbbVie became a new kind of enterprise—a biopharmaceutical company.

AbbVie, sees a future full of possibility; where health is in reach and patient lives are improved. They blend the stability, global scale, resources and commercial capabilities of a pharmaceutical company with the focus and culture of a biotech. Today, their employees around the world focus on delivering transformational medicines and therapies that offer significant patient benefits.

AbbVie's ~48,000 employees are scientists, researchers, communicators, manufacturing specialists and regulatory experts located around the globe. They come up with new approaches to addressing today's health issues—from life-threatening illness to chronic conditions.

We target specific difficult-to-cure diseases where we can leverage our core R&D expertise to advance science. We're constantly working to create solutions that go beyond treating the illness to have a positive impact on patients' lives, on societies—and on science itself.

Video version

About the Podcast

Taking Point

Today I invite back to "State of Readiness", Brent Gleeson, a Navy SEAL combat veteran and serial entrepreneur. In addition to being a best-selling author of "Taking Point" and his new release, "Embrace the Suck", Brent has leveraged the principles of leadership, discipline, accountability and resiliency learned in training and applied down range for building high-performance teams in the business world.

Embrace The Suck

Brent was the very first guest on "State of Readiness" back when it was audio only and the conversation was riveting. In this episode, we talk about how he came to be a SEAL (hint: it wasn't a life-long ambition), what was involved, and the experiences and wisdom he has gained from his experiences; which he uses to help individuals and companies become the best versions of themselves they can be. And, of course, we talk about the lessons he shares in his books. I am sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high-performance teams to culture and organizational transformation.

I am sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

About Brent Gleeson

Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple tours to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. You can learn more about his leadership philosophies in his weekly columns on Inc.com and Forbes.com.

Brent is the Founder and CEO of TakingPoint Leadership, a progressive leadership and management consulting firm with a focus on business transformation and building high-performance cultures. With degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English and History from Oxford University in England and a graduate business degree from University of San Diego, Gleeson's extensive experience is both academic and real-world in nature. Gleeson has won awards for business leadership and was named one of the "Top 10 CEOs" in Entrepreneur Magazine's October 2013 issue for his exemplary approach to building high-performance teams in business.

Between his experiences in the SEAL Teams and building award winning organizations that have topped the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies, Brent has become a business transformation expert. TakingPoint highlights his ten-principle program all leaders and managers will need to lead change and achieve winning results in the twenty-first century business landscape.

Company; Taking Point Leadership Website; https://takingpointleadership.com/ Headquarters; Rancho Santa Fe, California Year Founded; 2014 Company Type; Consultancy Company Size;  10 Specialties;  Leadership and Organizational Development, Culture Transformation, Team Building, Workshops, and Keynotes.