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After her fascinating interview with HEVO founder Jeremy McCool, Jan reflects on the idea of declaring oneself a leader. Instead of fitting a mold, many successful young leaders are making their own statements of purpose, and the results are transforming the auto industry.

Drawing on lessons from Jeremy and other past show guests — including Michael Chime (Gen Z Ceo) and Doug Conant (former CEO of The Campbell Soup Co.)  Jan outlines a process for how leaders can remain true to themselves while creating a positive and productive company culture.

“We can influence somebody's life,” Jan says. “We can make it better; we can make it a wonderful, meaningful, challenging, awesome experience and culture — or we can make it as miserable as sin.”

On this episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, Jan challenges leaders to structure their company cultures around their value systems. Tune in for resources, inspiration, and practical questions to ask yourself as Jan speaks from her own experience in the industry. She shares a powerful story of how one of her clients stepped out with authenticity and vulnerability to radically shift her team’s culture. With the right mindset, any automotive leader can do the same. 

This is not about what it says on the company website or a set of motivational clichés. It’s time to get real and get personal. See how a simple statement can redefine your career.

Themes discussed in this episode: 

• Fitting an existing mold vs. establishing a new one
• Why Gen Z leaders often choose purpose over money
• Seeing leadership as an influence
• How company values are born from the leader’s vision
• Winning in the workplace — productivity and positivity can coexist
• Creating a high-performance team
• The framework of a leadership statement
• Questions every leader should ask

What she does: Jan is the co-founder and president of Gravitas Detroit, an organization dedicated to cultivating authentic leadership in the automotive industry by providing courses, workshops, speaking events, and more. She is also the host of The Automotive Leaders Podcast.

On leadership: “What I see coming through in the leaders of tomorrow — the leaders who will take this industry forward — they truly understand the importance of purpose, of vision, of conviction.” 

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:57] Break the mold: Jan draws inspiration from Jeremy McCool and explains why she feels encouraged by the rising generation of automotive leadership.

[2:03] Not your grandfather’s kind of leader: Jan contrasts her early experiences in automotive with the mindsets she observes in many Gen Z leaders, including Michael Chime of Prepared.

[4:23] Purpose over money: Many leaders are good at articulating what they do, but not why they do it. Jan challenges leaders to reflect on more than just the bottom line.

[5:13] ‘Leadership is influence’: An excerpt from Jeremy’s interview connects lessons from his time in the military to business leadership. Leaders must often ask people to do things that are impractical or illogical. Jeremy explains how to influence others successfully.

[9:43] Conviction over compliance: Jan shares what she sees as the defining quality of leaders of tomorrow and how company values are born from a leader’s vision.

[12:43] Tough but tender: It’s time to get practical. Jan recalls her interview with Doug Conant as she lays out how leaders can achieve both positive results and employee engagement.

[16:00] Think about your role: Building form lessons in Doug’s book, The Blueprint, Jan challenges listeners to make their own leadership statements. Jan shares the success story of one of her clients.

[18:59] Advice for auto industry leaders: Leaders should ask themselves these questions to define their leadership statements. 

[3:52] Jan: “The leaders we see coming up now are not interested in fitting a mold that somebody else has established. They're very comfortable in setting out who they are as leaders and being who they want to be. And they see leadership in a totally different way: They don't see it as a job. That's all about controlling and managing people. They don't see it that way.”

[4:55] Jan: “We're all very good at articulating what we do and how we impact the bottom line. But how often do we sit back and think, what is our job as a leader?”

[6:00] Jeremy: “What I learned how to do is influence people to do things that were radical. Going to war does not make sense. It really doesn't, when you think of it from a very objective point of view. Putting yourself in danger doesn't make any sense, either. So you have to learn how to influence people to do things that are really impractical.”

[10:28] Jan: “You've heard me say many times, company values are far more than some numbers that you throw up on a chart and stick in a conference room or throw on your website. They've got to be meaningful. They've got a flow from the purpose, from the vision and, yes, you have to have conviction behind it.”

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What happens when you have an idea for a start-up that’s ten years ahead of its time? Well, it helps to have conviction.

Jeremy McCool, HEVO Founder & CEO, knew auto companies would eventually want wireless charging, but it was at a time when they weren’t even really embracing electric vehicles. “I saw it as an opportunity that was different than anything else that anybody else was putting their energy into,” he says.

During Jeremy’s time in the U.S. Army, he helped Middle Eastern countries rebuild their power grids. It was here that he saw the true importance of power. The more auto fleets he talked to, the more he could see a need emerging — wireless charging technology. He started to observe what his few potential competitors were working on.

“I didn't have any resources. I was not an engineer. I didn't have money. I didn't have investors lining up, didn't have a team, didn't have anything,” he says. “I just thought, You know what, I see what these guys have. I think I can do better.” 

With that commitment, he’s making it happen today. HEVO is now partnering with one of the largest automakers. 

Tune in to this episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast as Jan sits down with Jeremy to talk about the EV wireless charging revolution and what it will take for tech start-up leaders to break through the silos of traditional auto companies. Hear how Jeremy started his entrepreneurial journey as an 8-year-old (!) and developed his leadership qualities. 

Themes discussed on this episode: 

• The importance of being able to influence a team as a leader
• How having conviction helps drive an idea forward
• How to get through to traditional auto companies
• The challenges of starting a tech company in an industry where you have no experience
• How efficiency and time management drive creativity

Featured Guest: Jeremy McCool

What he does: Jeremy is the Founder & CEO of HEVO, an electric vehicle wireless charging tech company. He is a U.S. Army veteran who spent 15 months in Baghdad following 9/11, and he applied the leadership skills that he learned in the military to his tech start-up, which has been at the forefront of wireless EV charging for more than a decade.

On leadership: “If you can’t influence people to join, build something together, to get online with your vision, to move on to the next steps and go through a lot of different phases of challenges and unforeseen things that you would never know about until you got there, then you're never going to do it. Because team is everything. Without team you cannot do anything.” 

Episode Highlights

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[4:05] Lessons from the military: After 9/11, Jeremy knew he wanted to join the military. He eventually worked his way up to U.S. Army Captain and spent 15 months in Baghdad. He shares what his service taught him about leadership.

[5:27] You’re nothing without your team: Being able to influence others to build something with you is one of the single best traits of a leader, according to Jeremy. He shares why team is everything.

[9:06] An 8-year-old business owner: Jeremy started his entrepreneurial journey early in life — very early. He was running a full-fledged business at 8-years-old, riding a paper route and providing lawn services to neighbors. He elaborates on where he got his entrepreneurial spirit.

[15:46] A conviction for wireless charging: Conviction, according to Jan, is authentic leadership at its core. When you’ve got conviction, you can make your vision happen — no matter your skill set. Where did Jeremy get his conviction for HEVO?

[29:01] Breaking through to the auto companies: When auto companies were still unsure of EVs, Jeremy was trying to sell them on the idea of wireless charging. He talks about what it was like going to Detroit for the first time and explaining his tech start-up to auto manufacturers. 

[33:36] Advice for auto industry leaders: Jeremy’s biggest tip for auto industry leaders is to coach the tech companies navigate silos. Traditional automotive companies can be difficult to navigate, so companies like HEVO need guidance to figure out the process.

[39:25] ‘The first of many’: HEVO has a partnership with a major OEM right now, and Jeremy believes this is just the start. More automakers are talking about wireless charging, and he wants his tech company to lead the charge.

[41:42] Why HEVO?: Jeremy shares how his tech company landed on the name HEVO. Brand identity and values played a large part.

[44:03] 21 traits: Of Jan’s 21 traits of authentic leadership, Jeremy says his top two are vision and accountability. Without those, you don’t have a focus.

[49:45]: Remarkable efficiency: Jeremy has a no-meetings-in-the-afternoon rule at HEVO. This allows more time for creativity and efficiency, something he prides himself on and helps him set his days up for success.

Top quotes

[04:44] Jeremy: “What I've also learned through the process of being a leader for 20-plus years now, in all kinds of forms, is that the more that you are able to influence people to do things that are positive, the more they're willing to subject themselves to doing things that are unique to them, are out of their bounds or out of the box of what they've ever done before.”

[07:59] Jeremy: “Set a vision. Create a mission and a purpose around it. Create values, and values that other people are willing to also get on with because the company culture is everything. You can build the greatest product in the world, but if you have a terrible company culture, it's going to destroy everything that you've built.”

[15:46] Jan:  “This idea of conviction — conviction to your beliefs — is quite possibly one of the most important leadership traits because people feel that. It's not something that you learn, it's who you are. It's authentic leadership at its core.”

[26:28] Jeremy: “I said, Wow, all right. These people figured it out. I think I can too. And that is the most naive decision I've ever made in my life, that one single decision. Because there was no way I should have ever thought that decision. I didn't have anything. I didn't have any resources. I was not an engineer. I didn't have money. I didn't have investors lining up, didn't have a team, didn't have anything. I just thought You know what, I see what these guys have. I think I can do better.” 

[31:58] Jeremy: “You can actually do something radical with technology today that you've never been able to do as an automaker. You can now become a technology company. And so many of them are moving away from the idea of even personal ownership of cars and thinking about the bigger opportunities.”

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Everyone wants to know about Amazon. Its ultra-fast, customer-centric culture couldn’t be more different from traditional automotive, but in the age of software-defined vehicles, leveraging cloud technology is vital for OEMs.

Wendy Bauer has a strong background in traditional automotive and currently serves as the general manager of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for automotive and manufacturing. AWS helps companies operate more efficiently and better understand their customers’ needs. Yet despite the limitless capabilities, there are often challenges in bringing enterprise cloud computing to the auto industry.

“These two worlds are colliding in many ways,” says Wendy, “but they talk past each other — often. I see it every day.”

To remove the obstacles, companies need a culture of innovation. It’s more than just cloud computing or performance diagnostics. Partnering with tech companies is a strategic decision that requires enterprise-level buy-in. From rethinking workflows to creating top-down changes in the corporate mindset, automotive leaders can unlock the potential of a full-scale digital transformation.

Wendy joins the Automotive Leaders Podcast to share more about what’s possible with Amazon Web Services. Jan presses for details about how OEMs can accelerate forward to prioritize big data. These aren’t far-fetched, futuristic ideas. But for change to happen, companies need to embrace it.

Themes discussed in this episode:

●      How Amazon Web Services can help the automotive industry

●      Why OEMs need big data to stay competitive in today’s market

●      The steps involved for an OEM to purchase cloud services

●      Why do so many companies struggle to implement enterprise-level solutions

●      The importance of failure in a culture of innovation

●      Listening skills as the key to open communication

●      The mindset required to maximize the potential of cloud technology

What she does: Following a successful career in the auto industry, Wendy has worked with Amazon Web Services since 2019. She currently serves as the general manager for automotive and manufacturing, where she helps automotive companies leverage data and cloud-based technology to develop new products and work more efficiently.

 On leadership: “[Listening] can’t be understated … we will far sub-optimize what is possible with our organizations as leaders if we don't listen more than then we speak.”

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:58] Ask Alexa: Everyone knows about Amazon’s fast delivery speeds and home devices, but what are they doing in auto? Wendy describes the mission of Amazon Web Services for automotive.

 [3:48] Put simply: What does “leveraging cloud-based IT capabilities to maximize value” really mean? Wendy explains how Amazon collects data to help OEMs understand their customers’ needs.

 [6:03] Problem solving for optimization: Many automotive companies recognize the strategic decision of partnering with technology companies. Jan and Wendy discuss how OEMs purchase cloud services.

 [9:05] Speaking the same language: The tech and automotive worlds often talk past each other. What does it take to bridge the gap in communication? Wendy gives an example.

 [14:04] The speed of innovation: Wendy shares the difference between a one-way door and a two-way door — a mental model for implementing new ideas.

[16:59] Advice for auto industry leaders: How can leaders create space to fail and a culture of innovation? Jan and Wendy discuss the importance of different perspectives.

 [22:22] Building the ecosystem: The conversation turns to the future implications of software-defined vehicles. How will they affect the business model of OEMs?

[27:52] 21 traits: Of Jan’s 21 traits of authentic leadership, Wendy chooses trust and listening skills. She says that in complex business dealings, partnering is an art form. You can’t play the “blame game.”

 [36:17] Get in the boat: Jan asks about the fun stuff. Wendy brags about her team and shares her leadership secret for how they work so well together.

[42:31] Closing comments: Wendy challenges automotive leaders to challenge their understanding of what is truly possible.

[12:34] Wendy: “When you start to talk about technology transformation, generally things that are very valuable at an enterprise level and don't fit squarely into a bucket … technology is one variable. There's culture, there's [the] business process, there's data flow — there are so many layers to this onion.”

 [17:02] Jan: “In a lot of Tier 1 [companies] out there, the CEO will talk about innovation, and then he'll look at his VP of engineering or technology and go, ‘You’ve got that on your agenda for this year.’ And it's like, no, wait a minute — slow down. Innovation is part of the culture. It's not a thing that somebody does.”

 [30:23] Wendy: “I can't underscore the trust piece [enough]. Every minute of every day in

every conversation … in the speed that we're moving, [with] the complexity of the problems that have to be solved and the opportunities that we all have in working together, that single thread of trust just has to be there, or you not going to get anywhere.”

[38:19] Wendy: “At one of my employers along the way, I learned this notion of bad news first. Go solve it. It's not about blame. It's about making that constant improvement on behalf of the customer. I want to know what's wrong because we want to get better.”

[44:28] Wendy: “There’s such an opportunity to really advance our understanding of what is possible and what is here [with digital transformation]. It is not far away.”

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Would you work for Mary Buchzeiger? Following her electrifying interview with the CEO of Lucerne International, Jan invites two automotive leaders of different generations to deconstruct Mary’s inspiring — and unconventional — company culture of trust and accountability.

Seeking both Gen Z and Millennial perspectives on the future of automotive leadership, Jan speaks to two rising stars in the auto industry. Mary Mason is a Senior HR Business Partner at AirBoss, and Mark Hebert is a Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Woodbridge. While both of them look up to Mary Buchzeiger’s ideals, they find them difficult to live out in practice.

“Building that structure of trust and accountability can definitely be a struggle,” Mary Mason says. 

From rising costs and supply chain issues to work-life balance and raising kids, automotive leaders face no shortage of challenges. How can leaders build the kind of culture that Mary Buchzeigher describes?

On this episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, Jan and her guests get real about why so many companies struggle with fostering trust and empowering their employees. Yet there is hope for the future. Gen Z especially has little tolerance for outdated systems of management, and they’re making moves to do something about it. Mary Buchzeiger’s model of resilience shows that leaders don’t have to be aggressive in order to be strong.

Themes discussed on this episode: 

• Self-awareness in leadership and the ability to pivot
• How to bring levity while keeping a meeting on task
• Gender equity and changing expectations in the workforce
• Power dynamics that hinder a culture of trust
• Accountability systems that lead to results

What she does: Mary is a Senior HR Business Partner at AirBoss supporting both plant and corporate employees. She worked her way up since joining the company as an intern four years ago.

On leadership: “It’s really important to have [a trusting] relationship and rapport with your employees, to have them give you honest feedback and to get criticism. You don't want sycophants on the team, right? You can't just agree to everything.”

What he does: Mark is the Vice President of Sales and Business Development for North and South America at Woodbridge. As a provider of global material technologies, Woodbridge serves a diverse customer base in automotive, healthcare, packaging and other industries. 

On leadership: “From a leadership standpoint, as long as I have clear goals and objectives — I've been told what the expectation is and I'm given the freedom to try to meet those challenges however I want to — I will be happy with that. I don't need things to be perfect.”

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[3:08] What stood out to you?: Mary and Mark share their favorite moments of the Mary Buchzeiger interview. Many of her ideals are challenging to emulate.

[7:50] Throwing squirrels: Jan and her guests react to Mary Buchzeiger’s unusual way of keeping a meeting on task.

[11:01] Meetings are an art form: Mark explains the importance of both having some levity and measurable goals in a meeting agenda.

[15:08] Family matters: The conversation turns to Mary Buchzeiger’s supportive marriage. It’s personal for Mark as he shares about the sacrifice his wife makes for their family.

[18:30] Gender equity: Jan discusses the stigma around choosing family over work, and Mark predicts a big change that companies will need to make to keep Gen Z leaders on their teams.

[22:44] 21 Traits: Mary names her top three from Jan’s 21 Traits of Authentic Leadership and shares why leaders need to welcome honest feedback. As for Mark, everything comes down to just one leadership trait.

[27:42] Advice for auto industry leaders: Bosses have more control over their employees than they often realize. Jan, Mary and Mark discuss the implications of this power imbalance.

[31:38] The F-bomb: Feelings: With so much emphasis on goals and metrics, what about the emotional component of leadership? Jan and Mary share their thoughts.

[33:14] Closing comments: Would you work for Mary Buchzeiger? Mary and Mark submit their final answers — although Mark’s comes with an important caveat.

[19:50] Jan: “There's this thing called life, and there are many facets to it. You can't be all work.”

[24:06] Jan: “You talk to any leader and they'll say, ‘Oh, I empower my team.’ And then next thing you know, they're the most ridiculous micromanager on the planet … You’ve got to give people things that really throw them in the deep end and let them sink or swim.”

[27:53] Jan: “When you control the paycheck, you control [your employees’] lives. You control their ability to pay their mortgage, to put food on the table, and to live the life they want to live. … It's something that you've got to be very careful with, and it's something that you have to respect.”

[30:09] Mary: “[Pushing back] helps better the business … The people that have egos, you can't push them nearly as hard, right? So they're getting less feedback from their team.”

[31:30] Mark: “I've worked for some great men and women throughout my career. I've seen some really good examples, and I've tried to pull from every single one of them. I think it's a lot of like, ‘How did that make me feel when that situation came up? Okay, I never want to make someone feel like that.’ Or, ‘I always wanna make someone feel like that.’”

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Following her eye-opening interview with Mary Buchzeiger, CEO of Lucerne International, Jan wanted to know about how companies can achieve their long-term visions with business operating systems. To understand the concept, Jan speaks with Preston True, the coach who helped Mary establish a goals-driven culture at Lucerne.

Preston says that, fundamentally, there’s no difference between a tiny startup and a multinational corporation. Businesses of any size can develop successful operating systems built on the same simple frameworks.

A lot of leaders think that their company is too unique or different for Preston’s ideas to work for them, but he’s never found that to be true. Speaking from personal experience with both business success and the dark moments of entrepreneurship, Preston makes the case that a few guiding principles can help any organization radically transform its goal-setting process.

“There’s no magic in this whole process,” Preston says. “It’s really just reverse engineering. I want to ask the question — what do I need to do today that’s going to give me the result that I want 10 years out?”

Too often the automotive industry relies on lagging indicators to measure progress toward goals. Preston explains how better accountability and a “dumbed-down” vision can create a more effective growth plan.

Join this special episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast as Jan and Preston get real about why so many organizations overcomplicate their strategies and discuss how crystal-clear expectations and frequent course corrections can help any business succeed.

Themes discussed on this episode: 

• The functional components of organizing a business
• The frameworks that make a business operating system
• Why people need to have a cultural fit and a productivity fit
• The process of reverse engineering day-to-day priorities
• Why many automotive companies fail in their strategic initiatives
• How leadership can effectively hold employees accountable
• The importance of empathy and challenge in giving feedback

What he does: Preston is an entrepreneurial leadership coach and business operating systems guru. His consultancy, Get TPA Fit, helps companies go “from stuck to unstoppable” with consistent, measurable growth. He’s also a founding member of Pinnacle Business Guides.

On leadership: “[Resiliency] is not just, I can weather each quarter or I have the stamina to do great work over long periods of time. It's actually in that moment when you and I may have a disagreement, in which case, I can not fall victim to all the stories that are manufactured in my mind. [...] You're offering me feedback. It might be a little tough [but] what a great opportunity and a gift.” 

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:57] Diving deeper: This is a special episode — Jan explains how her interview with Mary Buchzeiger of Lucerne International struck a chord about business operating systems.

[2:38] ‘It’s not magic’: Preston explains how organizing a business starts with some fundamental functional components.

[5:06] Components defined: Jan wants details, and Preston names the five frameworks that create a strong business operating system.

[7:07] From excuse to opportunity: Preston calls out the number one reason companies give to justify their underperformance and says organizations need to “dumb things down.”

[10:07] The right people in the right seats: Where does Preston begin when he consults with a business? He breaks down how to think about forming teams and the operational pipeline. Ignoring this principle is enormously costly.

[14:30] Big, hairy, audacious goals: Jan expresses the dangers of leaders staying in the weeds, and Preston explains how reverse engineering a goal helps set priorities.

[17:56] Top of the mind: Jan observes that many automotive companies struggle with keeping to their strategic initiatives. Preston suggests how to keep goals front and center.

[20:28] See it in action: Does a business operating system really work? Preston gives examples of past and present clients who have found success with these simple tactics.

[23:26] ‘Peer pressure works’: Goal-setting is great in theory, but how do you hold people accountable to prioritize the right behaviors? Preston explains how and why small course corrections keep everyone on track.

[27:38] Advice for auto industry leaders: Preston invites anyone in leadership to see feedback as an opportunity and a gift. Empathy and a willingness to challenge others must be present.

[3:44] Preston: “A three-person company, when it comes to organizing itself isn't, isn't really that much different than a 30,000-person company. There are different flavors of the issues and different flavors of the opportunity, but fundamentally, it boils down to a few core components that you want to strengthen.”

[7:46] Preston: “I have worked with over 150 organizations in the last nine years. They have all said to me, Yeah, but we're unique, or We're different. The reason they're saying it turns out the exact same every single time — We just don't want to do the heavy lifting required to make ourselves stronger, faster, and smarter.”

[13:25] Preston: “Jim Collins said in his ‘Good to Great’ book, you have to get the right people in the right seats on the bus, then let’s figure out where that bus is going. I want to do both simultaneously. I don't want to be driving aimlessly.”

[26:51] Jan: “There has to be a safe environment in which to operate. There has to be transparency to those metrics, and there has to be trust. In so many organizations, if I'm missing my metric, I don't want to tell you because I don't want you to jump on me […] It takes a very strong leader to create that environment of psychological safety and also promote trust.”

[30:12] Preston: “Imagine if we consistently challenged each other not to just be better generally but to say, you have a goal, you have a desire […] How can I help you and challenge you to be better at what you're doing in the next five minutes than you were the last five minutes?”

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Where most people see a roadblock, Mary Buchzeiger sees an opportunity. Her infectious optimism and willingness to step into uncertain situations have propelled her career in automotive leadership. Jan welcomes the longtime CEO of Lucerne International for a frank and intimate discussion about navigating the turbulent auto industry.

From Lucerne’s recent decision to onshore manufacturing to the inner workings of its entrepreneurial operating system, Mary shares how her company has kept a focus on the future while adjusting to challenging situations in the present. 

Effective ten-year plans may seem like a pipe dream to some automotive suppliers, but Mary demonstrates how a positive team culture with high accountability can yield results in any business climate. 

“We've got crisis after crisis that we deal with just like any other business,” Mary says. She says it’s not always easy to set aside time to dream, plan and work on the business. Yet without making time for strategic projects, a business is doomed to stagnate and fail.

On this insightful episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, Jan draws out the details of Mary’s most daunting professional challenges and her unwavering commitment to her family. 

Themes discussed on this episode: 

• Why onshoring manufacturing is growing in popularity
• The importance of an entrepreneurial operating system
• How to set goals as a company — and stick to them
• Best practices for leading people in difficult times
• Tips for successfully managing career and family

What she does: Mary is the CEO of Lucerne International, a Michigan-based global automotive supplier specializing in castings, forgings and stampings. She sits on the Automotive Hall of Fame’s board of directors, and her numerous accolades include her recognition in Automotive News’ 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry.

On leadership: “My team and I spend a lot of time planning and looking at the future [...] Our business has an operating system. We use this framework to really help build our vision and make sure that we're all rowing in the same direction in the same boat. We all know exactly where we're going.”

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[2:04] Gray area: Mary admits that she struggled with the black-and-white world of mechanical engineering early in her career. This dissatisfaction propelled her transition into company leadership.

[4:01] Localizing for North America: Lucerne is onshoring manufacturing for the first time in 20 years while still embracing the global automotive industry. Jan and Mary discuss the industry’s progression and why onshoring is gaining popularity.

[7:43] ‘It takes guts to stop’: How does a company break from routine and pivot its strategy? Mary shares her experience with creating an entrepreneurial operating system and the inspiration she’s drawn from Gino Wickman’s “Traction.”

[11:02] Let’s get real: Jan asks how in the world a leader is supposed to protect time for goal setting when there are so many other issues to discuss in a quarterly meeting. Mary shares her accountability tips and says sticking to “rocks” must be non-negotiable.

[16:34] Squirrel alert!: Jan emphasizes the importance of modeling the behavior of planning for the future, and Mary offers a creative method to stay on track.

[19:33] ‘Running the ship together’: Trust, openness and surrounding yourself with the right people — Jan presses Mary to share how she achieves that at Lucerne.

[22:36] Managing people: Mary says the biggest challenge facing leaders in the automotive industry is “leading through change.” Jan and Mary discuss best practices for a remote workforce.

[28:01] 21 traits: Which of the 21 traits of authentic leadership resonates the most with Mary? Resilience — and she has several powerful stories to explain why.

[31:06] Keep the glass half full: Jan and Mary explore how to motivate people in scary situations. Mary reveals her secret to keeping the team together.

[32:28] On the homefront: Mary’s grateful for her husband’s support. She opens up about when she realized how hard it was to be a stay-at-home parent and shares how she and her husband keep communication lines open.

[39:33] Advice for auto industry leaders: Mary gets candid about managing a career and family, and offers advice that applies to everyone.

[46:03] Closing comments: Mary encourages listeners to seek opportunities even in a crisis.

[10:49] “One of the most important things that you can do is surround yourself with people that will both challenge you as well as believe in you, and believe in the vision that you have set out and work together to achieve that vision.” 

[20:43] “Culture is everything for us. We hire, fire and even pick customers and suppliers by our core values. And we stick to those core values. We all live by them.”

[21:26] “If I'm the smartest person in the room, I'm doing something wrong. I need experts around me. I need people that are going to advise me, people who aren't afraid to say, ‘No, I don't think that's right,’ and disagree with me. That's really important.”

[40:42] “Work-life balance is not a balance. Stop saying that. It’s a choice, right? You are going to make the choices that you're going to make. And sometimes you have to choose your family.”

[46:29] “Never waste a good crisis, because there's always opportunity in the middle of a crisis. So while everybody else is panicking and scrambling, just squint real hard and you can see those opportunities that are out there.”

Watch the full episode on YouTube - click here

What do the life and career of Janet Yellen have to do with automotive leaders? Jan invites the acclaimed Wall Street Journal writer Jon Hilsenrath — author of the new book, “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval” — to the show to discuss Yellen’s role at the center of the largest American economic crises of the past 30 years. 

“When she became treasury secretary,” says Jon, “she had done something that no person in American history had ever done. She became the first human in American history to be the treasury secretary, the Fed chair, and the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers — and, no less, the first woman to hold those roles.”

Jan and Jon dive into Yellen’s remarkable leadership and humanized approach to economic policy. Yellen’s success in traditionally slow-moving, male-dominated institutions has done more than break a glass ceiling. Her clarity of purpose, humility and gravitas have steered her through some of the most turbulent times in American economic history.

The historical backdrop of Yellen’s career sheds light on many of the present challenges in the automotive industry. Jan highlights lessons from this intimate look at one of the most powerful figures in American politics.

From lessons in building trust to the importance of feeling comfortable in one’s skin, Yellen’s life story has universal appeal. Stay until the end to hear how Jan once danced with the treasury secretary on stage at a conference. What else would you expect?

Themes discussed in this episode: 

• Finding purpose through humanizing your work
• Listening well and embracing cognitive diversity
• How leaders can benefit from skeptics
• The importance of admitting mistakes
• Building trust in a politically divided nation
• The complexities of democratic market-driven capitalism
• Stories of Janet Yellen’s gravitas in difficult situations

What he does: Jon Hilsenrath is a senior contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of America’s most influential financial writers. Jon’s most recent work is his critically acclaimed biography “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval.”  

On leadership: “People around a leader can detect if that leader feels comfortable with his or her place in an organization and is comfortable enough to accept challenges from other people, to accept contradictory information, to accept dissonance when it occurs — because that's inevitable.”

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:58]  Spotlight on Yellen: Jan explains her admiration for Janet Yellen and introduces this episode’s guest, award-winning financial journalist Jon Hillsenrath and author of “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval.”

[2:36]  Economics meets auto: Jon shares his inspiration for writing “Yellen.” The treasury secretary and her husband George Akerlof have been at the center of American economics for the past 60 years. This historical backdrop helps us understand the modern auto industry.

[6:20]  Purpose in her work: Jon explains how Janet Yellen thrived in inertial, male-dominated institutions and her motivation to humanize economics.

[10:13]  Market for lemons: Yellen’s husband George Akerlof won a Nobel Prize for a research paper about emotions and information asymmetry in the 1960s used car market. Jon says these humanizing insights are a calling card of Akerlof’s career.

[12:17]  21 Traits: Of Jan’s 21 traits of authentic leadership, Jon says purpose, gravitas and trust best describe Janet Yellen’s leadership style. He describes how these traits have played out in her career.

[16:50]  One-on-one: How did Yellen reach consensus decisions as the Fed chair? Jon shares how she leads by listening and embracing cognitive diversity.

[21:12]  Thoughtful skeptics: Jon explains one of his biggest lessons from writing the book and why leaders should listen to skeptics: “Sometimes, they’re onto something.”

[24:14]  Ingredients of gravitas: How does Yellen exhibit authentic leadership? Jan and Jon discuss the treasury secretary’s unconventional formula for success.

[29:35]  ‘I was wrong’: Jan and Jon are amazed by Yellen’s willingness to acknowledge her mistakes. Jon shares a story about one of her greatest blunders that she later laughed at.

[35:30]  Silver style: The conversation turns to Washington’s superficial criticism of Janet Yellen’s wardrobe. Jan feels an affinity with Yellen’s signature gray-haired look.

[37:47]  Crisis of trust: How involved should the government be in a free market? Jon explains why democratic market-driven capitalism relies on public trust in government institutions — and how Yellen navigates her duties to a country skeptical of its leadership.

[46:36]  The fun side of Janet Yellen: Jan goes behind the scenes about when she met Janet Yellen and convinced her to dance on stage. Jon has a Yellen dance story of his own and shares his experience meeting her at her Berkeley home.

[8:46] Jon: “Both [Janet Yellen and George Akerlof] got into the field with a sense of purpose. They wanted to use their math skills and their analytical minds to do something for the greater social good, and they saw economics as a way to do that.”

[22:03] Jon: “There are some skeptics who are like broken clocks, just saying the same thing over and over again. But there are others who come at a conversation thoughtfully … you have to listen to these people because sometimes they’re onto something.”

[22:59] Jan: “When a leader who has gravitas walks into the room, you feel it. You feel safe. You know that they’ve got your back. You know that they will challenge you, but that they’ve got you.”

[45:10] Jon: “​​Part of creating trust isn't just securing it with the people who admire you, but convincing the people who doubt you that there's more to you than some political label.”

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Katelyn Davis knows how to create a personal brand. She’s a marketing expert with diverse experiences in mobility, making her the perfect person to help Jan deconstruct her recent interview with Assembly Ventures’s co-founder Jessica Robinson. 

New mobility — especially for EVs and autonomous vehicles — is a fast-moving, rapidly changing industry driven by startups. Katelyn says the internal company dynamics are different from what she's experienced in traditional automotive, and leaders are the ones who can empower others and create a positive company culture.

“It's now about who has the ability to…inspire people,” Katelyn says. “Who can make the culture be better? Who's cracking jokes here or there? It's really fun to see how you can have different leaders come out of your organization.”

Jan and Katelyn discuss the importance of giving professional development opportunities to everyone on a team. Effective mobility leadership requires the right mindset to maintain a stable team culture in a constantly evolving work environment.

Reflecting on Jessica Robinson’s advice that leaders should sit with their fears rather than quickly push through them, Jan and Katelyn draw practical takeaways. Leaders should welcome honest discussions and constructive feedback, and they should be quick to say no rather than be “too nice.” It’s also important for leaders to embrace all professional backgrounds and recognize the validity of non-linear journeys into a particular workspace.

Join Jan and Katelyn to find out what dancing, bingo, and tier-one suppliers have in common. Reinventing company culture can happen at the team level, even if no other group in the corporation operates the same way.

Themes discussed on this episode: 

• How new mobility startups differ from traditional automotive
• The importance of setting a positive tone in a company culture
• Having the right mindset for an ever-changing work environment
• What it means for leaders to sit with their fears
• Why honest feedback and disagreement are vital to a team’s success
• Advice for mobility industry leaders

What she does: Katelyn is the communications lead at Cavnue and the co-founder of Women Driven Mobility. She is also a board member of the Automotive Public Relations Council (APRC) and a member of Inforum's AutomotiveNEXT.

On leadership: “You don't necessarily need to be the person with 35 years of experience, who's managed a hundred people over the course of their career…It's now about who has the ability to lead people, inspire people…who can make the culture be better.”

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:58] Welcome back: Jan introduces Katelyn, a former guest and ambassador for millennials and mobility. Katelyn is recognized for sticking to her value system and her personal brand. 

[2:41] Build who you are: From her first interview with Jan, Katelyn recalls entering the workforce during a recession and recaps her professional journey from working for traditional automotive companies to late-stage mobility startups to her current role with a company building road infrastructure for autonomous vehicles.

[7:08] Mobility moves faster: In Jessica Robinson’s interview, Jessica shared that new mobility may not have the traditional customer-supplier relationship we’re used to in automotive. Katelyn agrees. New mobility is aggressive, fast-moving and largely dependent on startup funding.

[9:15] Set the tone: Jan and Katelyn discuss how the culture of the mobility industry has impacted internal company operation dynamics. Emerging leaders are the ones who can inspire others in the organization and set a positive tone in the company culture.

[13:11] Share the mic: More and more, companies are offering professional development opportunities. It’s important for leaders to uplift their staff and value their opinions. 

[14:55] 21 traits: Jessica Robinson said that of the 21 traits of authentic leadership, mindset resonated with her the most. Katelyn agrees that the right mindset can help leaders thrive in a fast-changing company environment.

[16:07] Embrace your fear: Acknowledging fear leads to greater self-awareness. Katelyn compares the process to leaning into a stretch in yoga.

[19:54] Just say no: Jan’s mantra for 2023 will be Jessica’s quote: “A fast no is better than death by a thousand meetings.” Many mobility startups are still in a honeymoon phase during which everyone is too nice to each other. Honest discussions help good work get done quickly.

[22:52] Advice for auto industry leaders: Many startups focus their messaging on consumers, but their primary business will be with the supplier network, not end users. Companies need to consider their audience.

[25:39] Roundabout way: Jessica’s pathway into the mobility industry resonated with Katelyn. Hiring managers need to recognize the validity of non-linear journeys to an industry.

[30:12] Disrupting auto: Jan and Katelyn share unique ways leaders can reinvent company culture even in the traditional automotive industry.

[36:01] Closing comments: Katelyn encourages company leaders to stop looking at things so linearly, to humanize themselves, and to include more people as decision-makers. 

[24:00] Katelyn: “In mobility, most of this technology is not going to be acquired by you and [me] at Best Buy. We're not going to go out and buy a LiDAR sensor…the grand majority of all of the mobility tech, or any automotive tech, is really coming through the supplier network.”

[30:21] Jan: “We have the power to choose who we want to be…and how we show up and what our brand is all about. But we also have the power to choose what we want our companies to be.”

[34:10] Jan: “Start changing things up, people. Why do we feel that we've got to be so straight-laced and fit this mold, otherwise we're going to be judged and we're not going to be liked. Get over it.”

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It’s the end of 2022, and you know what that means — it’s goal-setting season. 

Many of us automotive leaders find our minds wandering this time of year, envisioning all the success that will come our way in 2023 and setting goals to get us there. 

But the truth is, an estimated 91 percent of people fail to achieve their New Year's resolutions. The biggest reason why? They lack an emotional connection to their goal. Knowing why you want to do something is a huge motivating factor in getting it done.

The same applies when leading a team. We in the automotive industry are great at putting together the metrics and the numbers. But achieving success as a leader is also about articulating the why.

If you really want to make a change within your company culture and achieve your goals in 2023, simply declaring a goal is not enough. You’ve got to inspire, you’ve got to show why a goal is so important and you’ve also got to break it all down with your team.

In this special episode of the Automotive Leaders podcast, you’ll learn three things you can do differently in 2023 to ensure success.

Themes discussed in this episode: 

• What’s a temporal landmark and why they’re the perfect time to set new business objectives
• Why we need to look to the past to achieve success in the future
• How to inspire people around your goals and get where you want to go
• Why culture and processes are integral to getting things done 
• How language makes a difference when holding your team accountable 

What she does: Jan is the co-founder and president of Gravitas Detroit, an organization dedicated to cultivating authentic leadership in the automotive industry by providing courses, workshops, speaking events, and more. She is also the host of The Automotive Leaders Podcast

On leadership: “Leadership is [about] inspiring a team around more than the numbers. To be truly successful and reach the goal of a high-performance team, we have to inspire not only our team, but the people around us.” 

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[0:57] The power of the restart: 2023 is about to begin, and you’re probably thinking about how you can be a better leader for your team next year. Repeating the same strategies year after year won’t generate success. How are you going to do things differently? 

[3:55] Tip 1: Look in the rearview mirror: Why look back when we want to move forward? Reflecting on your team’s 2022 mistakes and accomplishments will go a long way toward ensuring future success — and it keeps your team engaged in the process.

[6:56] Tip 2: Ask the question, Where am I going?: Metrics and numbers alone won’t help you become a better leader. You need clarity and an emotional connection for your team to understand and execute your goals successfully.

[12:48] Tip 3: Articulate how you are going to get there: In the automotive industry, we’ve got the metrics for everything. But we need to work harder on the ‘how’ — how we’re going to improve our culture and boost efficiency to achieve our goals.

[17:05] Rethink accountability: We need to stop associating accountability with blame and instead with following up on our commitments. Accountability language matters. Be clear, be specific, and don’t accept wishy-washy language. 

[20:00] A new realm of possibility: Make 2023 the year you step into your authentic leadership power. Lead from the heart and inspire your team. Most importantly, believe in yourself. 

[4:58] “We need to recognize accomplishments all the time. Whenever there's a win, take a moment to recognize that success. It fuels not only you as the leader, but it fuels the team and the team members to go take on the next success.”

[10:35] “You can't stand on January 1 … and say, we're going to launch all of our programs on time and in budget. Great. Love that. But how? How are you going to do that? What exactly are you going to change in your organization and the way that you do business to make that happen? Just declaring a goal doesn't make it happen. You’ve got to inspire people around that goal, [explain] why that's so important, but then start to break it down. ”

[13:03] “We're great in automotive at talking about the metrics and the numbers. We're really good at that … But it's the how part that needs more attention.”

[20:10] “I know that you can step up into your leadership strength. Be the authentic leader you know you can be and lead from the heart, inspire your team, and take them into an entirely new realm of performance and possibility.”

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Jessica Robinson is not your average venture capitalist. She started her career, not in finance or investing, but as a professional tea taster.

In fact, Jessica’s entire career path can be characterized by unconventional pivots. After that tea-tasting gig, she fell in love with the mobility industry and spent time working for tech startups like Zipcar and Techstars before moving on to one of the legacy automotive OEMs: the Ford Motor Company.

That’s when she realized where her true passion was in business, specifically the business of changing the way the world moves and improving the mobility industry while she’s at it. That’s why Jessica joined Chris Thomas to co-found, Assembly Ventures, to help uplift the companies moving the industry forward.

When it comes to taking big career leaps like hers, Jessica says it’s all about embracing the fear of failure — and using it to your advantage. 

“In embracing this idea of failure, what you're really looking to do is find better ways,” Jessica says. “In startup life, we call it finding product market fit. It's a little dry and clinical, but the idea here is, you’re really looking for something that makes your customers’ eyes light up.”

Themes discussed in this episode: 

• Is ‘mobility’ more accurate than ‘automotive’ to describe our industry?
• How the addition of EVs is changing the culture of traditional OEMs
• How to tackle big career shifts and shake-ups
• How to lead cultural changes within your automotive company 

Featured Guest: Jessica Robinson

What she does: Jessica is a co-founder and partner at Assembly Ventures, a venture capital fund helping move and transform the world of mobility in the West. She also co-founded the Detroit Mobility Lab, an organization dedicated to helping create a better future for the mobility industry through educational and networking opportunities. With over a decade in the mobility industry, Jessica is a rising global leader and sought-after speaker in her field.

On leadership: “Mindset, I really do believe, is linked to the change that we're talking about in this industry, in the sense that we have the power to choose what we want our companies to be, what the opportunities are that we're going to pursue. And that starts with the mindset of who do we want to be, and everything else follows from there.”

Episode Highlights

Timestamped inflection points from the show

[1:36] From tea taster to venture capitalist: How did one of Jessica Robinson’s first jobs as a professional tea taster kick-start her journey toward venture capitalist and automotive thought leader?

[4:02] An industry rebrand: Does the word “automotive” still accurately sum up our industry today? Jessica explains why the term “mobility” is becoming the norm and how it can take us into the future.

[7:10] Climbing the ladder: From her first auto industry job at Zipcar to a podcast in the sky with Richard Branson for Virgin Media, here’s how Jessica climbed the mobility ladder to a position at Ford’s Smart Mobility project and beyond.

[11:01] The big split: Ford recently announced that its electric vehicle business would be a venture separate from its legacy company. That split presents new opportunities as well as new challenges for workplace leadership and culture.

[13:39] The next chapter: How can the auto supply chain industry learn how to work in tandem with Silicon Valley startups to bring in new technology? Companies are still figuring it out, Jessica explains.

[18:17] A new beginning: Though Jessica enjoyed working for a big OEM like Ford, she soon found she was an entrepreneur at heart. That’s why she started the Detroit Mobility Lab with the goal of bettering the industry.

[23:40] Not your average venture capitalist: Jessica made multiple big career shake-ups — from working at startups to OEMs to starting a venture capital fund. She offers her best pieces of advice for those looking for the confidence to make similar career leaps.

[28:38] Don’t deny the fear: One of the biggest barriers to making a bold career shift and achieving success is overcoming the fear of failure. Jessica and Jan discuss how aspiring automotive leaders can embrace that fear and use it to their advantage.

[30:02] Advice for auto industry leaders: Many leaders have been conditioned to believe that controlling their team is the most important thing. But Jessica says listening to team members and customer needs is the key to culture change. 

[34:46] Changing the way the world moves: To Jessica, the mobility industry is about a lot more than making cars. She explains why changing the culture of the industry is so important to her. 

[36:49] 21 traits: For Jessica, mindset is the most important of Jan’s 21 traits of authentic leadership when it comes to creating change in the industry.

[41:15] Now is the time: It’s almost that time again — strategy planning meetings for the next year. How can teams make big cultural changes? “It starts with each of us,” Jessica says.

[46:14] Jessica’s big distraction: Checklist items. They keep her busy but get in the way of the work that will actually change the world. The Eisenhower Matrix helps keep her organized and focused.

[53:49] Closing comments: Jessica encourages everyone to check out the Henry Ford Museum, where she recently served as an entrepreneur-in-residence. “There’s a lot of inspiration right here in our backyard that we don't always take advantage of.” 

Top quotes

All quotes below are from Jessica Robinson:

[12:42] “I can see a world where people start to feel like they're in the old side of the business, or the new side of the business — the boring side of the business and the cool side of the business. And I think that would be really challenging to have success in both of those cultures and let them thrive and deliver the best that they can. So I think that will be the question of the day — does that split create that focus? Or does it start to create that fragmentation?”

[24:38] “The ability to move can really open people's access, and access to whatever their dreams are. That's been my guiding light for years now. At the end of the day, I think you still, to some degree, have to follow the money.” 

[27:50] “If you've got the vision and you want to make a run at it, you’ve got to put it out there in the world and let everyone else come along for the path as well.”

[33:02] “If you're a leader, and you see command and control behavior and that's not what you're trying to reinforce in your culture, you got to call it out. And I think this is part of the change, too, to say, is this who we are and who we want to be, or is there a different way? […] I think we're all accountable for those changes.”

[35:13] “What are we actually out to accomplish here? Are we just going to build and sell more vehicles of a certain kind? Or are we truly going to change the way the world moves? It's simple.”