The Culture Gap

Mitchell Reiss is the President and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has a long and illustrious career in various areas – in the private sector practicing law, in the diplomatic space as the ambassador for the U.S.A. in Northern Ireland, in academia, in running Washington College, and for the past three years, in running one of the most iconic institutions in the U.S.

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Mitchell shares the things he has learned as a new CEO, his thoughts on moral courage and its importance in an organization, as well as his insights on identifying and closing gaps between culture and strategy. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Key Takeaways:

[:42] Daniel's guest for this episode is Mitchell Reiss, President and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

[1:38] Who is Mitchell Reiss?

[2:10] When Mitchell arrived at Washington College, what was in his mindset of how he was going to bring the college into a 21st Century context? Who were some of the groups he met with early on, and why did he do that?

[4:41] Mitchell shares his story of how he came to find himself in the kitchen of one of his predecessors. How did the slogan "What is best for Washington College?" become a part of the ethos of how Mitchell led the college?

[6:25] The next segment focuses on the idea of moral courage. How did moral courage shape the vision statement for Washington College? What are its implications for driving employee behavior, and creating a sense of trust among people? Mitchell shares his thoughts on this very personal topic.

[11:27] What was Mitchell's mental model of a CEO as he took the helm of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the first 60-to-90 days?

[14:46] Mitchell takes us through the gap-closing process he undertook at Colonial Williamsburg, and the fundamental changes he made within the institution.

[18:39] If the gap between the strategy and behaviors in the institution didn't close, what would that mean for Colonial Williamsburg?

[21:29] Mitchell convened groups of leaders across Colonial Williamsburg to define the organization's vision and mission. How did his process in Colonial Williamsburg differ from his actions at Washington College? How did he empower his employees and deal with that empowerment in terms of letting go?

[25:24] What is Colonial Williamsburg's mission, and what does it mean?

[28:22] What is the gap that is happening in larger America today? How can Colonial Williamsburg play a role in closing that gap?

[34:05] What advice would Mitchell give himself on his first day at Colonial Williamsburg?

[35:45] Mitchell shares some of his thoughts on what a CEO needs to succeed.

[38:45] What advice does Mitchell have for other CEOs on how they should structure and begin to close the gap between strategy and culture?

[43:15] What has surprised Mitchell the most about being the CEO of an institution?

[46:12] What is the most surprising thing that a teacher visiting Colonial Williamsburg for the first time would discover?

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The Culture Gap Podcast

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Learn more about the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation HERE

Kami Bond is the Senior Vice President of People at Uptake, a Chicago-based predictive analytics company that was recently valued at over $2 billion and was considered one of Forbes' hottest startups in America. Prior to her role at Uptake, Kami has had a wonderful career in various companies such as Cielo Talent, Aon Hewitt, GE Healthcare and Sapient. She has been in the human capital space for about 20 years in technology or technology-enabled professional services organizations and is now a dedicated career-mom.

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Kami talks about the importance of being authentic and real and about the need to develop the people in your team and organization. She discusses the possibility of pushing yourself to things beyond the limits you thought you could reach for and how a mismatch between the culture of an organization and individual values can result in a loss for both parties. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Key Takeaways:

[:43] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Kami Bond.

[1:43] Who is Kami Bond?

[2:35] What are some of Kami's deepest held personal values? Who are some of the leaders that have shaped the some of the values that Kami brings to her organization as a leader?

[4:54] Kami has had a long career of working with diverse companies. What is Kami's mental model for people and culture, and identifying gaps that need to be closed through the strategy of the company?

[7:55] What has Kami learned in her experiences about the role of communication in closing culture gap?

[12:44] Daniel and Kami touch on the reality of the fact that getting company culture to where it needs to be is a full-on, dedicated process.

[15:57] What has Kami learned about change management at GE, one of the most iconic companies in America?

[20:40] Kami discusses whether the Chief Human Capital Officer is or should be, by default, the Chief Culture Officer? What role does the CEO or President have in this aspect?

[23:22] How does Kami approach the duality of internal communications in culture, and the external branding at the same time?

[24:52] In her career, Kami has been a champion to minimize and eliminate gender and diversity gaps inside organizations. While progress has been made, how much further do we have to go?

[29:10] What is the regional role in terms of values adopted by a company? How does Kami intend to bring in other values that are not traditionally within the region as her company grows?

[32:47] Companies need to be unapologetic about their culture and the fact that it is not for everyone. A mismatch between an individual's values and the company culture ultimately results in a loss for both parties.

[35:04] How does Kami interpret Uptake's CEO's declaration about reducing drama, politics, and bureaucracy in the workplace and how does this translate into concrete actions?

[39:53] From a culture and feedback perspective, how does Kami approach working with four generations in the workforce? What is her advice for a multi-generational workforce, with a special emphasis on the power of the Millennial generation?

[43:58] What advice would Kami give her younger self?

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Podfly Productions

Learn more about:

Kami Bond on LinkedIn

Uptake

Colonel David Sutherland served 30 years in the U.S. Army and retired in 2012. He is passionate about the veterans, military families, and families of the fallen. He is also the President and Founder of the Sutherland Partnership, an organization dedicated to developing leaders, values, and culture within other corporations and organizations.

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Col. Sutherland reflects on over 30 years of either preparing for or being at war, in some of the most difficult circumstances. He shares his insights about the gaps that he has seen closed in strategy and culture from his time in the military and what he's learning from being in boardrooms and working with CEOs around the country. He also reminds us of the sacrifices that men and women in the military made for our country, and the challenges they face reintegrating into society. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Key Takeaways:

[:45] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Colonel David Sutherland.

[1:45] Who is Col. David Sutherland?

[2:26] Why did Col. Sutherland choose a career in the military?

[3:45] Why did the U.S. Army choose to tackle the issues of what leadership, ethical leadership and values-based leadership meant at the time that it did? Col. Sutherland shares some insights.

[11:43] What was going through Col. Sutherland's mind on the day of 9/11? Could he have imagined where we would be today, so many years after that day?

[16:18] Col. Sutherland talks about how, in war, values come alive and stay alive, in the face of unfathomable conditions and immense fear. How does this apply to leaders in corporations and organizations?

[20:29] What do commercial executives and leaders gravitate to the most, of what Col. Sutherland has learned about strategy and culture in the military?

[23:07] What is Col. Sutherland's advice to leaders and C-suite teams who choose a set of core values, to ensure that the gap is closed, and values do not remain as a plaque on the wall?

[28:56] Col. Sutherland has been working on closing the gap at a society level on two fronts — between general society and the men and women who serve in uniform, and the disconnect that soldiers returning from the battlefield experience when reintegrating into society. What are the consequences if these gaps are not closed?

[36:33] What do C-suite leaders need to know about embracing veterans into the ranks of C-suites as fast as possible?

[40:15] What advice would Col. Sutherland give to his younger self?

[42:04] What would Col. Sutherland want his grandchildren or future generations to know about war and peace?

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Learn more about:

Col. David Sutherland

Gen. David Petraeus

Adm. Michael (Mike) Mullen

Tom Lynch is the current Executive Chairman of the Board of TE Connectivity, a publicly-traded technology company that designs and manufactures electronic and connectivity products used in a variety of industries. Tom has spent many years in business, serving as CEO of TE Connectivity from 2006 to 2017, and subsequently took on the role as Chairman of the Board at TE as well.

In this episode of The Culture Gap, Tom reflects on an incredible career as CEO, from building leadership teams to his time as chairman of the board and the future of governance. He discusses the role of transparency, openness, and building trust in the success of a company, as well as what it takes to design a strategy, and to close the gap until every single leader globally knows and lives the strategy. He also shares some insights about making successful acquisitions and the importance of taking the long view of strategy. Welcome to Culture Gap.

Key Takeaways:

[:41] Daniel introduces his guest for this episode — Tom Lynch.

[1:10] Who is Tom?

[2:00] Every leader is shaped by the values they grow up with. What are some of Tom's personal values that have influenced his career?

[3:45] When Tom was building his leadership team, what is the mental mindset he had? How does a CEO go about building his or her leadership team?

[6:45] What is TE Connectivity? Where does it fit in the internet of things?

[9:15] What does strategy mean to Tom? How was he able to align his leadership team with his strategy?

[11:22] Tom took TE from a spinoff to a $13 billion global leader in the market, and TE now has operations across the globe. How did he create a strategy for his future state on a global scale?

[17:35] Tom shares how important it is for leaders to communicate with and involve everyone in the organization in the strategy and goals of the company, as well as how their efforts contribute back to the overarching strategy.

[20:57] Every leader tries to do the right thing, but mistakes are always inevitable. What has Tom learned about making mistakes in his tenure?

[24:21] How does Tom think about acquisition inside a global company like TE? What are some of his insights on making acquisitions that work?

[27:29] What have been the biggest differences between when Tom was the CEO and now, when he is a board member?

[30:59] What are the questions that elicit the most dialogue from a leader and a leadership team? How does Tom invite conversation as a board member?

[34:37] In the face of constant change in organizations and environments, what needs to change about boards and governance? Where do boards need to go to keep up with the changing times?

[38:09] What are some things Tom has learned throughout his career? What advice would he give his younger self?

[41:31] What is Tom's advice for the younger generation who may be considering a career in business?

Brought to You By:

The Culture Gap Podcast

THRUUE

Learn more about:

Tom Lynch

TE Connectivity