It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. —Roy Disney

On Today’s Episode:

* I talk with Carla about the core values of a high-performing team

* The axioms of Southwest Michigan First

* Letting the team share how they see the values lived out in the organization

* Breathing life into core values

The most important thing to keep in mind about an organization’s core values is that if you put it on the wall, you have to live up to it. At Southwest Michigan First, we discuss our axioms regularly to avoid falling into this trap. As coach Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Tune in now to hear our conversation about our outlook on core values of a high-performing team!

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me directly via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Does your organization have core values? How do you see these lived out? 

It’s unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. —Mahatma Gandhi

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about humble leadership

* How social media drives transparency

* Humility means authentically apologizing

* Humble college students have been found to be higher in academic achievement

* Be humble enough to set the whole team up for success

Talking about humility can be a very, well, humbling experience. Why is being humble such an important characteristic, and more specifically important to effective leadership? Humility strengthens social bonds, which is especially important in relationships that may experience conflict (such as between supervisors and direct reports). Also, humility is most accurately judged under strain. And it optimizes the benefits of competitive traits by buffering the damage those can have on relationships (think along the lines of how oil prevents an engine from overheating). Perhaps the best news is that humility can be a learned skill. Tune in now to hear more!

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me directly via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Who is an example of a humble leader to you? Which qualities make them a humble person?

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. —Booker T. Washington

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about co-leadership

* Having the self-awareness to accept that you have weaknesses

* How I got smart and asked Carla to co-lead with me

* Making the organization better through co-leadership

It can be daunting at first; co-leadership for some feels like an admission of weakness. Some will let their resolve falter because they let fear wear them down with questions like “What if the co-leader outshines me and undermines me?” But the truth is that having a co-leader who has strengths that fill in your weaknesses will make you smarter, better, faster, stronger. Today’s podcast dives deep on what it looks like and how I made the transition with Carla.

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me directly via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Is there an opportunity for you to explore co-leadership? Why or why not?

Pressure has the power to create a diamond, but it has to be the “right” pressure. —Shannon L. Alder

On Today’s Episode:

* I talk with Carla about dealing with internal pressure

* As leaders, we often put more pressure on ourselves than what is put on us via external sources

* The danger of having a lack of grace for ourselves

* Know that we cannot always be incredible

Pressure is an interesting thing to talk about. Internal pressure can be healthy, but in its unhealthy forms it can stem from fear, lack of grace for ourselves and performance which is driven by obligation rather than excitement. It is important that you know what success looks like to you. Pressure is a positive force when you are in command of the situation, it drives productivity and success. You have to know when you are demanding too much from yourself so that you can stay on top.

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me directly via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What causes internal pressure for you? How do you deal with it?

You’re not learning anything unless you’re having the difficult conversations. —Gwyneth Paltrow

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about the importance of having the hard conversations

* Why many of us avoid difficult talks

* Using these moments as opportunities for growth

* Loving your people no matter the projected outcome

Having tough conversations is nobody’s favorite thing, but as leaders these are inevitable. Growth does not happen without growing pains. Showing your team that you are willing to go through the hard things and bring them with to emerge better, stronger, faster will make you a better leader.

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: How do you handle those hard conversations with your team?

Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients. —Sir Richard Branson

On Today’s Episode:

* I talk with Carla about putting employees first

* Turning the age-old cliche “customer is king” on its head

* Your organization will not be sustainable if your people are not happy

* Reasons why an employees-first focus works

* Ways to put employees first

I strongly believe that taking care of my team first and foremost lends itself to increased customer satisfaction. A Harvard study found that places with highly engaged employees have an 18% higher customer retention rate. And putting employees first is not all about a big paycheck; a 2017 JUST Capital survey found that 80% of people would be willing to take lower pay to work for an organization that’s perceived as making a positive impact. Listen in to the conversation to find out more about the why and how of putting your team first.

I love to talk leadership, culture and high performing teams. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What is your organization’s strategy for creating highly engaged employees and boosting client retention?

A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. —Vera Nazarian

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about gender equality

* How Southwest Michigan First became a women-led organization

* The importance of embracing specific needs of women

* Creating supporting policies

* Know better, do better

I always thought the idea that women are equally capable was normal and just good business—not something “progressive” or earth-shattering—and over the years a ton of research has been done to prove this. The Petersen Institute found that bringing more women into higher management positions boosts profitability, and McKinsey & Co found that when women are at 20% or more at the decision-making level, higher performance of the organization is measured.

The hard part of gender inclusion initiatives is that most are aimed at women only, which sees success in only 30% of organizations. But when men are engaged in gender inclusion programs, 96% of organizations see progress.

I know this topic can feel big and heavy. If you have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Does your organization have specific measures to promote gender equality?

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes. —Andrew Carnegie

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about productive goal setting

* Is what you are working on still what you want?

* Pressure of arbitrary dates

* How can you be happy if you do not know what you want?

* What are the things keeping you from your goals?

The beginning of the year always brings with it a focus on setting new goals.  Today’s conversation focuses in on why goals matter and provides tips on setting goals that will get you to where you need to go.

Sharing insights with you is the highlight of my week. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for topics, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Do you have a process for goal setting? What does it look like? Why does this method help you succeed?

If you’re going into leadership, you have to be fearless, you have to be willing to take a risk. —Dr. Candy McCorkle

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla talks with Dr. Candy McCorkle, vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at Western Michigan University

* The important distinctions between diversity, inclusion, equality and equity

* Key behaviors of a truly inclusive organization:

* Recognizing everyone counts

* Understanding the gaps in how different people engage

* Education of staff

* Intentionality of changing behaviors

* Advice to those getting ready to step into the uncomfortable

* Where leaders get tripped up in diversity and inclusion initiatives

Carla’s conversation with Dr. McCorkle is eye-opening and has real insights to help change organizations. I hope the concrete examples and steps to get started are helpful for you and your organizations to explore a path to a more inclusive and equitable environment.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from today’s episode is that the words “diversity,” “inclusion,” “equity,” and “equality” are often interchanged, though these words, while related, are not interchangeable and mean vastly different things.

You can reach out to Dr. McCorkle via this page if you desire more information regarding diversity and inclusion. If you have any questions, comments or requests for me, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What do you see as the biggest obstacle standing in the way of becoming more diverse, inclusive and equitable?

I think we often look at the great needs in the world and see all the things we can’t do, which keeps us from doing the things we can do. —Brad Formsma

On Today’s Episode:

* Brad Formsma, author of I Like Giving, joins me on the podcast to talk about generosity

* The seven ways people can be generous

* What role Brad’s grandfather played in his journey

* Brad’s insights on today’s attention demands

* How Brad is modeling the way for his son

I hope today’s episode helped you identify different ways that you can be generous. If you’d like to connect with Brad, you can find him on Instagram @bradformsma, or on Twitter @bradformsma.

If you have any questions, comments or requests, feel free to drop me a line, email me direct via [email protected] or tweet me @ronkitchens. The podcast will be taking a break for the holidays, but I look forward to connecting again in 2020. Happiest of holiday wishes to you, whichever holiday you celebrate!

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Which of Brad’s seven ways of generosity strikes you most?