The Paterson Podcast

On today’s episode we are grateful to be joined by Jason Lippert. Jason is the CEO of Lippert Components Incorporated, a $2.5B public company with over 10,000 employees across the US, Canada, the UK and Italy. Based in South Bend, Indiana, LCI specializes in complex component solutions for customers in the RV industry. LCI is known for their deep commitment to community service, people development, and building a remarkable and world class organizational culture.

But the culture at LCI wasn’t always as healthy as it is today. "I asked everyone to make commitments… the people in the company needed to be able to see their leaders act out of our values. A big piece, one we were missing for many years, was just listening to our people. You can’t listen unless you take time.. and not time to talk, but time to really listen," comments Jason.

"Listening has profoundly changed our business. Because we are listening, people have decided to stay longer. When people stay longer, quality, efficient, safety, people’s health have all improved; it always gets better,” Jason adds. "You can’t make a culture work unless you do great things for the people and a lot of times that needs to come from the people. You need to hear what it is they’d like to see changed, what it is they’d like to see improved, and you can’t do that without listening. And then the next piece after you listen is you have to act. There’s got to be listening, there’s got to be action, and it’s got to be timely."

For more insights on how Jason and his leadership team practiced listening and took on the challenge of changing their company culture, listen in.

On today’s episode we are joined by Andrew Voysey. Andrew leads Strategy and Business Development at Soil Capital. Based in Europe, Soil Capital works with food and agricultural businesses, financial institutions, and governments to help them enjoy the benefits of transitioning to regenerative agriculture.

“Soil is the most essential asset of the world’s food supply chain,” states Andrew. "Unfortunately, modern industrial farming has become a largely unprofitable, thankless task... Over the last 70-80 years, since the end of the Second World War, the system of agriculture that has been built has been fundamentally degenerative in terms of its impacts on the soil — the soil that all farmers depend upon to build their business.”

“It’s better for business — and the business of farming — to do better for the environment,” Andrew continues. “We want to forever put to bed the idea that there is some sort of trade off between doing better financially and doing better for your soil.”

Andrew doesn’t come from a farming background; he actually started out his career in sustainable finance. “Not many people would think there are transferrable lessons from finance to farming. But there are. In agriculture, we have the yield maximization goal and it drives an entire set of behaviors and investments. And the same is true in finance - the dominant goal has always been profit maximization. So the first lesson is: goals matter. And if you can change them, you can have a very big impact.”

For lessons from finance to farming, and to hear the story of how Andrew made such a big career shift, listen in today.

“What is the call of this moment?”

Over the last couple of months, we have been speaking with leaders of movements who have a heart for remarkable transformation in the world. These conversations have come at a time none of us could predict. In this time of disruption there is a call to action. For the team at Paterson, we faced the need to shift our approach, to come alongside individuals and organizations in creative ways.

Today we are excited to share with you the release of LifePlan Launch. This self-paced online process invites people to self-discover their unique contribution and gain clarity on their vision to create a strategic plan to move forward into each of the life domains: personal, family, vocation and community. It is designed for both the individual and for groups, encouraging participants to engage their community as they embark on the journey.

We are inspired by the work that is taking place across the globe to create lasting change. We see LifePlan Launch as a resource to help many more people come alive to their talents and heart to thoughtfully contribute to their families, their causes, their congregations, their workplace… their arenas of impact. 

Visit lifeplanlaunch.com to learn how you and your team can start today.

Today we are honored to have a conversation with Karen Dillon. Karen is the former editor of the Harvard Business Review magazine and she’s the co-author of three books with Clayton Christensen, including the Prosperity Paradox, Competing Against Luck and How Will You Measure Your Life?

"How is strategy formed? And why is it that so many companies don’t succeed at whatever they say are their goals?” asks Karen.

"It comes down to a very simple disconnect." states Karen. "Strategy is formed not by whatever you say your goals are, in the budget you set for yourself, or in the ambitions the company has from the top floor on down. It’s formed in the every day decisions of every one of your employees — what they choose to spend their energy, time and the company resources on, what they prioritize over other things. So no matter what the company thinks the strategy is, the strategy is formed by all of those hundreds of every day choices made by people in the trenches. And that’s exactly what happens in our lives too — our own personal strategy is not what we say it is, it is formed in our own every day, dozens and dozens of choices about how we spend our own energy and time and resources."

For more of Karen's insight and some great stories from her own journey, listen in!

In a moment when there is so much division and difference, how do we engage?

John Inazu has some wonderful insight on this. John is the author of the book Confident Pluralism and the creator and co-editor of the recently released book Uncommon Ground - providing us with a guide to faithful living in a pluralistic and fractured world. John is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis.  He teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment classes.

“One of the primary reasons that we internalize difference as human beings is because we feel threatened,” comments John. “And probably in its own category of difficulty is differences across race and ethnicity, which is another place where people may feel threatened or challenged, especially around baseline assumptions."

"If we have grown up in a racially homogeneous setting we tend to think that our way of doing things — how we talk, how we sing, how we think about the world, how we spend our days — we tend to think our baseline is the right baseline. It’s only if we take the time to think ‘Somebody raised in a different homogeneous culture might actually have a different baseline. What does that mean for how I see the world? Does that mean I might be off, relative to their baseline?’ But we never really get to these discussions until we are confronted with it head on, and then it can be unsettling because not only is that trying to learn about someone else’s differences to understand them better, but it often might help us understand ourselves better and that can often be a bit of an anxiety-inducing experience.”

In light of all that we are all facing today, an invitation exists for all of us to become better "translators"; not only learning how to communicate our own thoughts and our own story, but really learning to translate the stories and thoughts of others. When we translate well, we can engage from a place of truth.

“The vocation of translation is something we are all called to in some way. We meet people who are different than us, who see the world differently than we do and we have sometimes responsibility and sometimes an opportunity to communicate across difference. This means understanding context, understanding the barriers that might be between people, and working hard to talk carefully and kindly across those differences."

“I had to redefine courage. I had always equated courage with fearlessness. I thought: 'Well, if you are really a courageous person, you don’t experience fear.' I thought of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and I created a story about these people - that they were these perfect heroes. When I realized that I could still live into purpose, meaning and impact — that I could be afraid and just go anyway — that’s when I really began to experience purpose.” - Jessica Honegger

Today, in a moment where fear feels so rampant and courage is so needed, we have an inspiring conversation the courageous Jessica Honegger. Jessica is the entrepreneur and creative force behind Noonday Collection, a jewelry and accessories company partnering with artisans in vulnerable communities around the world. Jessica is also the author of the book Imperfect Courage, and she’s the host of the Going Scared Podcast.

"As leaders, when we are able to strike that delicate balance of confidence and vulnerability, of courage and authenticity, that’s a really attractive thing to people… it gives people permission to breathe a sigh of relief and say ‘Gosh, you mean I get to be myself?’”

In reflecting on the voice of fear, Jessica adds, "If I would have let fear be my reason to not move forward, Noonday would not exist. There’s this idea that we have to let fear have a seat at the table but not let it be the boss…. We’re not meant to live within our comfort zones. I think we can all say that. It’s about finding that edge where I can get out of my comfort zone, find my purpose and let there be just enough fear that it can sit alongside me, keep me moving and not keep me paralyzed."

For more, click the link below to listen. We are so inspired by Jessica and are sure you will be too.

Today we have the honor of being joined by Mark Suster.

Mark is the Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in LA. Before stepping into the world of VC, Mark started and sold 2 companies (selling the last company to Salesforce, where he became VP, Products). Mark is also a prominent blogger - you can check out his thoughts at bothsidesofthetable.com. In today’s episode we explore Mark’s own journey and career, some of his big venture bets, and some leadership lessons from his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.

In this conversation, Mark talks about his approach to investments, sharing the four key factors he looks for. He also talks about the importance of Mentors: “If you give people access to Mentors, you can change people’s lives forever." Mark is a great storyteller and has some crazy stories to share, with wisdom packed in -- so join us for this fun and engaging conversation and if it brings you value, please consider passing it on.

"I cannot achieve my way out of this, I can only grieve my way through this." - Steve Carter

Hello friends, David here. On today’s episode we are joined by author, speaker and pastor Steve Carter. Steve is the author of the book This Invitational Life, creator of the Desert Sessions, and co-host of The Home Team podcast, with ESPN’s Sam Ponder and NFL player Sam Acho. Today, we explore Steve's story, his talents, and his love for crafting communication. We also explore integrity, diving into one of the most challenging experiences that I've ever seen a leader walk through; Steve walked that path with great courage and great integrity.

Steve was kind enough to share some of his story with us, recalling: "As one of my mentors in high school would tell me 'I don’t care how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how gifted you are. The only thing that matters is your integrity. It all rests on your integrity. It will take seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and months and seasons and years and it’s the only thing that can be gone in seconds…so just don’t let it be you.' "

Listen in to hear more.

In today’s conversation we are joined by Jennie Allen. Jennie is the Founder and Visionary of IF: Gathering, a million strong movement of women around the world. Jennie is also a best selling author of a number of books including Nothing to Prove, Restless, and her latest best seller, Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts.

While Jennie may be an internationally known speaker and author, Jennie is the first to admit her weaknesses. “I’m not the best person for the job. I’m not uniquely suited for everything I’m doing. I’m not worth following as an individual. The most freeing thing for me has not been realizing how awesome I am but realizing how not awesome I am, and living into that. The power of the strongest leaders I know is that it’s from a place of weakness. I don’t need to be awesome to lead, I need to be obedient and kind and have character...The irony of my leadership is that the very things I thought disqualified me have become the qualifiers. It’s about not being afraid of that weakness. Lead anyway. That’s a more powerful narrative.”

Jennie’s insights and wisdom on leadership, purpose, and on our thought-lives are inspiring, fun, and practical. We hope you enjoy this conversation and, if you do, please consider sharing it with someone you love.

Hey Friends, David here today (President at Paterson and host of the Paterson Podcast).

One of the beautiful gifts of getting to host this podcast is the opportunity to invite incredible people to join us for conversations; including those men and women who have greatly influenced my own life. It’s a delight to share the wisdom and work of these individuals with you. Today’s guest, Dan Allender, is no exception. This man’s work has profoundly impacted my life in remarkable ways and I am so grateful and honored to share this conversation with you today.

Dan Allender, Ph.D, is an author, speaker, professor and therapist, focused on the topics of sexual abuse and trauma recovery, as well as story, marriage and family. In many ways Dan is a pioneer, helping us to understand both the beauty and the brokenness of our own stories. “We must begin to see where our brokenness and beauty combine, creating the necessity for one another -- the necessity for grace and goodness,” says Dan.

"The reality is we live in a fallen world that’s full of trauma, loss, injury and insult… we live in a world where we expect -- almost demand -- that things be as they should be, but they are not (as they should be) and that reality always brings some level of trauma to our lives,” comments Dan.

Dan's thoughts on how shame, contempt, kindness, beauty and brokenness are as rich with wisdom as they are full of invitation. We hope you enjoy today’s conversation. If you find that it benefits you, please consider sharing with someone you love.