Michael MacDonald is a former scholarship player at Rutgers’ high-level Division I basketball program who turned into a highly successful executive at Xerox, and then chairman and CEO of Medifast.

In his new memoir From the Bench to the Boardroom, Michael details his journey and lifetime of learning: https://www.amazon.ca/Bench-Boardroom-Journey-Underdog-Turnaround-ebook/dp/B091JH42FX

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The Journey from Underdog Athlete to Turnaround CEO w/Michael MacDonald Ep#155

On the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, we interview CEOs, business leaders, authors and thought leaders to get their perspectives on strategy, leadership, management and other trends to support your career as a leader. 
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Karryn Christopher is the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Preferred Partnerships at Signature Travel Network. For over 23 years, She has played a pivotal role in marketing, technology training, and creating preferred partnerships to optimize travel agency profitability. Her dedication to the company and extensive experience in the travel industry have made her a key figure in supporting the network's members and ensuring their success.
Episode Summary:
In this insightful Strategy and Leadership podcast episode, host Anthony Taylor catches up with Karryn Christopher, the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Preferred Partnerships at Signature Travel Network. Karryn, who has been part of the organization for over two decades, shares her journey and the importance of staying mission-focused, the dynamics of the travel industry, especially during crises, and the pivotal role of communication and community in effectively serving their members.
Karryn talks about Signature Travel Network's structure and mission, emphasizing how being a member-owned cooperative has fostered resilience amidst industry turbulence. She discusses how the pandemic reshaped their operations and business models and how their commitment to communication and best practices has enabled them to support their network. Karryn also touches upon the importance of embracing change and the challenges of working with external partners to drive technoloy
Takeaways:

Staying Mission-Focused: Signature Travel Network’s unwavering commitment to its mission of serving members has been crucial in navigating the unstable travel industry.


Strong Communication: The organization’s multiple communication channels, including daily emails, Facebook communities, and an intranet, ensure members have access to valuable information and support.


Member Collaboration: Community and member-driven committees are instrumental in providing valuable insights and fostering collective growth.


Embracing Change: Challenges like the pandemic highlighted the need for adaptability and leveraging external expertise to innovate and grow.


Leadership and Support: Effective leadership involves creating space for others to grow and being committed to the success of colleagues and partners.


Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Signature Travel Network and Mission-Focused Approach
02:19 Supporting Members and Partners During the Pandemic
05:00 The Value of a Travel Advisor and Community Support
08:18 Staying True to the Mission and Evolving the Value Proposition
10:08 Lessons Learned and Embracing Change Internally
12:45 Structural Support for Mission-Focused Work

Staying Mission Focused in an Ever-Changing World with Karryn Christopher

Summary
In this episode, Anthony Taylor interviews Rob Beer, the managing partner at Trellis and author of Smooth Scaling. Rob shares his insights on building great companies and the importance of being all in. He discusses the challenges of managing growth and the need for balance between operational and cultural needs in high-growth companies. Rob also emphasizes the importance of aligning incentives and timelines and shares lessons from his experience at Smart Money Group. He provides advice for CEOs on transitioning from a 'get shit done' mindset to building an organization that gets shit done. Rob concludes by sharing his personal hobbies and where to connect with him.
 
Takeaways
Building great companies goes beyond financial success and high growth; it involves how well the company does what it does.
The transition from a 'get shit done' CEO to building an organization that gets shit done requires discipline, patience, and the ability to delegate and empower others.
Growth should be aligned with the operational complexity of the organization; growing too fast can lead to organizational inefficiencies and breakdowns.
Private equity firms prioritize sustainable growth and profitability, while venture capital firms may push for rapid growth to achieve high valuations.
Success in scaling organizations requires discipline, alignment of incentives, and a focus on building an efficient and effective organization.
Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Background
01:08
Interest in Great Companies
04:17
Success and Failure in Organizational Effectiveness
06:15
Balancing Operational and Cultural Needs in High-Growth Companies
09:02
Driving Fast Growth and Managing Complexity
11:38
Aligning Incentives and Timelines
13:13
Transitioning from a 'Get Shit Done' CEO to Building the Organization
19:32
Lessons from Smart Money Group
22:16
Sustainable Growth vs. Capital Markets Game
24:52
Personal Hobbies and Fun Facts
25:50
Smooth Scaling and Where to Connect with Rob Beer
27:13
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
 
 
Prefer to watch video, subscribe on Youtube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1
 
About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:
 
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.
 
For teams: We can facilitate your strategic planning offsite meeting and strategic plan creation. As well as support your strategic plan implementation. 
 
For individuals leading strategy: Join our community of strategy leaders who have learned SME Strategy’s approach and tools for aligning teams, and driving strategic plans forward.
 
For more visit www.smestrategy.net/

Building High Performing, Scalable Organizations: An Interview with Rob Bier

Summary
In this episode, Anthony Taylor interviews Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge and author of The Ownership Mindset. Kerry shares her journey of becoming a leader at StoneAge and the importance of trust and empowerment in building a successful company. She emphasizes the need for leaders to have an ownership mindset and to surround themselves with smart people. Kerry also discusses the challenges of aligning a large organization and the importance of defining a clear vision and values. The episode concludes with a discussion about Kerry's book, which provides actionable insights for leaders looking to build a great team and culture.
 
Kerry Siggins is the CEO of StoneAge, a leading manufacturer of industrial cleaning equipment and one of Outside magazine’s top 100 companies to work for. In 2021, she was honored by Industry Era magazine as one of its Top 10 Most Influential CEOs, and in 2017 she was a finalist for Colorado’s CEO of the Year. She sits on the boards of several companies and is member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). She is regularly invited to deliver keynote speeches on several business and leadership topics, including how to create employee-centric cultures in which it’s safe to speak up and show up as your whole self. She is an active blogger and contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Authority magazine, and BIC magazine and hosts several podcasts, including the popular Reflect Forward.
 
Takeaways
Trust and empowerment are essential in building a successful company.
Leaders should have an ownership mindset and surround themselves with smart people.
Defining a clear vision and values helps align a large organization.
Regular check-ins and accountability systems are crucial for ensuring success.
Kerry's book, The Ownership Mindset, provides actionable insights for leaders.
Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Background
01:07
Becoming a Leader at StoneAge
07:43
Empowering Others and Building Trust
12:02
Aligning the Company and Ensuring Accountability
14:08
Creating a Unified Culture
16:28
The Ownership Mindset Book
 
Prefer to get video, subscribe on Youtube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1
 
About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING:
 
SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster.
 
For teams: We can facilitate your strategic planning offsite meeting and strategic plan creation. As well as support your strategic plan implementation. 
 
For individuals leading strategy: Join our community of strategy leaders who have learned SME Strategy’s approach and tools for aligning teams, and driving strategic plans forward.

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Kerry Siggins on her Ownership Mindset


 Andy Hilliard, CEO of Accelerance, joins the Strategy and Leadership podcast to delve into the future of competitive business landscapes and the power of dismantling traditional corporate barriers. Hilliard advocates for the synergy of globally distributed teams and the strategic use of software and AI to drive efficiency and maintain a competitive edge. 
 Andy kicks off by encouraging leaders to think without borders, urging companies to scrap outdated silos and embrace a global mindset. He stresses the importance of developing a culture that fosters collaboration and leverages the diversity of global talent—a topic he explores thoroughly in his book "Synergia." By empowering teams and tapping into worldwide expertise, organizations can outpace rivals who fail to adapt to this borderless business paradigm. 
 As the conversation unfolds, Andy provides insights into creating high-performance teams that are not bound by traditional "in-house" definitions but united under a single, thriving culture. He shares successful strategies for building a cohesive, accountable unit capable of swift adaptation and innovation in a fast-paced world. 
 ### Key Takeaways: 
 *   Emphasize the removal of traditional corporate silos to enhance global competitiveness and create a unified, efficient, and synergistic workforce. *   Recognize the vast pool of global talent and the advantages of cultivating specialized, distributed teams to develop proprietary software solutions. *   Focus on building a strong culture and team dynamics, regardless of geographical location, to achieve better efficiency and business outcomes. *   Adopt a mindset of gradual but steadfast progress ("go slow to go fast") to build systems and relationships that last and are more effective in the long term. *   Consider the book "Synergia" as a guide for CEOs and technology leaders looking to navigate the complexities of global team dynamics and cultural integration to achieve business innovation. 
 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:19 Building a Global Workforce 06:09 Creating a Culture of Trust and Accountability 10:21 Thinking Globally for Greater Efficiency and Synergy 15:06 Building a System and Engine for Value Flows 
 "As CEO of Accelerance, Andy leads and advocates for the globalization and collaboration of great software teams with companies in search of talent, innovation and a globally-distributed extension of their engineering function and culture. Andy founded the ground-breaking nearshore software development services company, Isthmus Costa Rica. He began his global software services career as a division manager at Cognizant during their early formative years. 
 Andy is originally from Sonoma, CA and has visited more than 60 countries. His passion for global travel, cultural appreciation and cross-border collaboration stems originally from his experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica in the late 1980’s. Andy holds an MBA in International Business, Finance and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Epistemology from the University of Denver after attending Phillips Academy in Andover, MA" 
 We do our podcast recording and transcription with Riverside.  Check it out here: https://www.riverside.fm/?via=SMEstrategy(Affiliate link)


Breaking Down Barriers: How to Build a Borderless Global Workforce with Andy Hilliard

Summary In this episode, Anthony Taylor interviews Rob Beer, the managing partner at Trellis and author of Smooth Scaling. Rob shares his insights on building great companies and the importance of being all in. He discusses the challenges of managing growth and the need for balance between operational and cultural needs in high-growth companies. Rob also emphasizes the importance of aligning incentives and timelines and shares lessons from his experience at Smart Money Group. He provides advice for CEOs on transitioning from a 'get shit done' mindset to building an organization that gets shit done. Rob concludes by sharing his personal hobbies and where to connect with him. 
 TakeawaysBuilding great companies goes beyond financial success and high growth; it involves how well the company does what it does.The transition from a 'get shit done' CEO to building an organization that gets shit done requires discipline, patience, and the ability to delegate and empower others.Growth should be aligned with the operational complexity of the organization; growing too fast can lead to organizational inefficiencies and breakdowns.Private equity firms prioritize sustainable growth and profitability, while venture capital firms may push for rapid growth to achieve high valuations.Success in scaling organizations requires discipline, alignment of incentives, and a focus on building an efficient and effective organization.Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 01:08 Interest in Great Companies 04:17 Success and Failure in Organizational Effectiveness 06:15 Balancing Operational and Cultural Needs in High-Growth Companies 09:02 Driving Fast Growth and Managing Complexity 11:38 Aligning Incentives and Timelines 13:13 Transitioning from a 'Get Shit Done' CEO to Building the Organization 19:32 Lessons from Smart Money Group 22:16 Sustainable Growth vs. Capital Markets Game 24:52 Personal Hobbies and Fun Facts 25:50 Smooth Scaling and Where to Connect with Rob Beer 27:13 Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Prefer to watch video, subscribe on Youtube. : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHLNRrpk3rGUdg7qUQjiog/?sub_confirmation=1 About SME STRATEGY CONSULTING: SME Strategy is a management consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop and implement their strategic plans. We work with teams to facilitate conversations about strategic direction and business strategy so that our clients can focus their energy on what will move them forward faster. For teams: We can facilitate your strategic planning offsite meeting and strategic plan creation. As well as support your strategic plan implementation. 
For individuals leading strategy: Join our community of strategy leaders who have learned SME Strategy’s approach and tools for aligning teams, and driving strategic plans forward.
For more visit www.smestrategy.net/


The Journey from Underdog Athlete to Turnaround CEO w/Michael MacDonald Ep#155

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