CONVERSATIONS WITH EXECUTIVES

In this episode of CEO 2 CEO, I had the opportunity to talk with Bob Freytag, the CEO of Introworks, about branding.  When people use the term ‘branding’, I think of the true meaning of what a brand is and how building a truly differentiated brand can be the catalyst in changing your organization.  Brand is about the stories you have created where you have helped customers in a unique way.  It’s not just the product, service, or the social media posts.  It is how you live your brand in every interaction with your stakeholders – employees, customers, vendors – that builds the essence of your brand.

Bob talks about great brands that have three common traits:

✔They are emotional: they appeal on a higher level that compels you.

✔They are simple: while products and services can be complex, the result they deliver needs to be conveyed with simplicity.

✔They are remarkable: In the minds of a customer, a brand is different from all the others.

He takes you through the thinking you can do concerning your brand and how to bring it to life in the eyes and hearts of your customers.

In this episode, I talk with Karen Kleinhans, CEO of Community Dental Care, about change management.  Karen candidly shares her experience tackling the challenges she inherited and orchestrating a profound shift in her organization’s culture and results.

We explore how an organization can perceive its circumstances through a biased lens, overlooking harsh realities. Karen’s data-driven approach, peeling away opinions and conjectures, enabled her to convince both her board and her team of the business realities Community Dental faced.

Through her determination to overcome the company’s inertia, she led them to a stronger financial footing and future.  Whether you’re in the midst of change or contemplating its necessity for sustainability or growth, you will find this episode invaluable.

Tom Henrich, the CEO of Eagle Aluminum, talks with me about his decision to become a business owner and his process towards a successful acquisition in 2022.

Amidst a landscape where transactions may be opportunistic or with tunnel vision, Tom’s approach was very strategic and deliberate.

He identified his preferred geographic area and targeted industry sectors and then did the really hard work of networking and forging vital relationships with key advisors to any business–– from accounting firms to banks, attorneys, and consultants.

This work led him to evaluate numerous deals and put together multiple Letters of Intent (LOIs), giving him a spectrum of options.

Additionally, he also built his financing structure to get the deal done.    This is a fun success story of a local entrepreneur who is now growing Eagle Aluminum into the future.

Forward thinking CEO’s will tell you how important executive development is to the growth and health of the organization.

Deliberate focus on the development journey can accelerate the pace of building solid teams aligned with your vision of the future.  The reality of today’s business world is that intentional development can often get overrun by the needs of today’s strategic and operational challenges.

Do your direct reports have a development plan, and are you having consistent conversations about their progress?  What role are you playing in their growth?

We’ve turned to Mary Nutting, CEO of CorTalent, for insights on those questions.  Mary has developed an executive coaching platform that is helping companies drive more growth.

This conversation with Mary is on point with what visionary CEOs are thinking about and her perspective on the error many make in thinking that hiring a strong COO or integrator will solve all the problems…far from it, as Mary is quick to point out.

The strategic separation of visionary and integrator roles in a company, as emphasized by EOS Traction, can be a catalyst to accelerated business growth.

Mike Monson, CEO of Benson-Orth General Contractors, talks about the inflection point when he knew he needed to make this move, his decision, as well as the execution plan for a successful leadership transition.

He shares how he successfully hired the right person and developed the President position to help accelerate the growth of the company.

You’ll hear Mike’s thoughtful approach to this and the communication cadence they honed, creating a tandem that ensures Mike and his president are on the same page with major decisions.

In this episode, Matt Kucharski, President of Padilla, shares some deep insights from Padilla’s recently completed annual survey, Mindset of the C-Suite. In just a year’s time, the major theme has shifted from ‘conflicted’ to ‘fatigued.’

Matt and Scott go deeper on the significant factors driving this shift and why CEO’s are now thinking about stepping back and stepping away. Matt also begins to unravel the challenges companies are having in finding the next group of key leaders. This episode is going to have you thinking beyond the difficulties you may have today to what’s needed to set your company up for success into the future.

Time, money, growth, and culture are on the line when hiring for an executive position so finding the right person is crucial. In this episode of CEO2CEO we talk with Steve Yakesh, President of Direct Hire and Executive Search for Versique.

Steve leads one of the top recruiting firms in the Midwest and he, along with his team, helps companies find exceptional talent to fill critical executive roles. He provides some great perspectives on the current market for talent, as well as when and how to begin thinking about that next transformational hire you will make. For many companies, the need to reach outside the organization for that next hire has significant upside, as well as risk, and Steve shares his experience in guiding owners through that process.

This iconic Minnesota-based brand has built a growing national footprint while staying true to the Warner family roots – and values – planted in 1971. In this episode, Bob Warner, CEO of Warners’ Stellian Appliance Company, gives us insight into:

* Finding the right role for everyone in the family
* Creating strong governance in a family business
* G3- How Warners’ Stellian is thinking about family succession

Bob provides some great perspectives plus shares stories of his own as well as the Warner family journey.  Every family business will find this valuable.

The fight for talent in small and medium-sized companies is ever present with nearly 10M job openings.  How do you attract and retain the talent you need?   Glenn Starfield, owner of two Express Employment franchises in Minnesota, shares how to find people faster and make better hires.  It will not be a surprise that it comes down to culture.

Are you thinking about selling your business to private equity? Renee Ernste, CEO of Orange Tree Employment Screening and John Dyke, Executive Chairman of All States Ag Parts, both sold their businesses to Private Equity firms as platforms and also acquired other companies, integrating them into their platforms. They give great perspectives on how to begin building your playbook.

In this special episode, we turn the spotlight on our very own podcast host and long-time curator of wisdom, Scott Sustacek. In this introspective conversation with Lisa Orts, executive leader of The CEO Roundtable, Scott shares insights he’s garnered through peer-to-peer experience sharing and the transformational moments – business and personal- sitting in the CEO chair.