Scaling Culture

Sunwing: Going From HR to People & Culture - Episode 61

Our guest is Deon Blyan - Director of  Global Talent Development at Sunwing Travel Group.
 
Driven to help people thrive in dynamic organizational cultures, Deon spent 17 years in corporate retail operations in roles focused within learning, development, and people initiatives. In 2015, Deon aligned his career focus by officially joining the People & Culture side of business. Now within North America’s largest vertically integrated travel group, Deon oversees talent acquisition, training, development and engagement., bringing aligned methods of support and a collaborative approach while maintaining divisional uniqueness where necessary.      
 
In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Deon discuss:

• Sunwing's 2-year journey going from traditional HR to P&C, from administrative to strategic partnerships.
• How to unite culture and align teams when operating from 10+ countries around the world? 
• Leaders role in “change leadership” model
• Ways that all companies can reinforce leadership competencies of the future  

For more information about Deon Blyan, please connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or the Scaling Culture Masterclass, go to scalingculture.org. 

Culture DNA: Defining and Hiring for It - Episode 60

Our guest is Brett Putter - the founder and CEO of CultureGene and the author of 2 books: “Culture Decks Decoded” and “Own Your Culture: How to Define, Embed and Manage your Company Culture”.

Prior to founding CultureGene Brett was the Managing Partner at a specialist London based Executive Search firm where he successfully completed CxO, VP and Director level searches for over 400 companies.

Brett is a contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur.com who writes a popular blog on culture-driven companies and is a sought-after speaker. 

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Brett discuss:

• Where many companies get hiring wrong when “hiring” for culture vs gut instinct? 
• How to really screen for values and behaviors? 
• Best practices for screening candidates from some of the most innovative companies in the world
  

For more information about Brett Putter, please go to culturegene.ai or connect with him on LinkedIn or by email at brett@culturegene.ai

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming Masterclass or our 2nd book “Scaling Culture”, go to ConnollyOwens.com.

Servant Leadership Legacy with Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch - Episode 59

Our guest is Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch, the author of “Your Leadership Legacy: Becoming the Leader You Were Meant to Be”

In his 23 year career in the Army he held numerous leadership positions in the Infantry and Armor branches and instructed at the US Army Ordinance School, the US Army Command and General Staff College, the Australian Command and Staff College, University of South Alabama, and Stetson University.

Leutenant Colonel McCulloch later became the Recruiting Operations Officer for the Eagle Battalion Army ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he has more than doubled the size of the program in 6 years. 

He received thirty-one military service awards including the Bronze Star, eight Meritorious Service Medals, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.

In this special episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and LTC McCulloch discuss:

• What do “selfless service” and Servant Leadership mean? 
• What can we learn from our best and worst bosses? 
• Can we become leaders or is this something that only some people are born with?
  
• How to build a team where you as a leader make others feel valued and appreciated while still having them be the best version of themselves?
  

For more information about LTC McCulloch, please go to www.ltcoakmcculloch.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming Masterclass or our 2nd book “Scaling Culture”, go to ConnollyOwens.com

Ruthless Consistency: How Committed Leaders Build Organizations That Win - Episode 58

Our guest is Michael Canic, President and Chief Flagbearer of Making Strategy Happen, a consulting firm that helps committed leaders of mid-market companies turn ambition into strategy, and strategy into reality.

His recent book, Ruthless Consistency reached the top of two bestseller
lists and was selected by The Enterprisers Project as one of “10 Leadership Books to Stretch Your Skills in 2021.”. 

Furthermore, this summer Michael’s book became available on Audible. 

Michael has delivered over 600 presentations on strategy + execution to audiences on four continents and is a former national championship-winning college football coach who has a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Human Performance.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Michael discuss:

• How best sports teams have lots in common with high-performing organizations with great culture
• How to create an environment where everyone is focused, committed, and engaged with the overall mission, purpose, and goals
• Why strategic initiatives fail
• How to use “Constructive accountability” to drive the right decision and actions

For more information about Michael, please go to www.makingstrategyhappen.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming Masterclass or our 2nd book “Scaling Culture”, go to ConnollyOwens.com

If you’re enjoying the Scaling Culture podcast, please subscribe and share, we’ll be back next week with another incredible guest! 

Zurich Insurance: Shifting From Command and Control to Employee Empowerment - Episode 57

Our guest is David Henderson, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Zurich Insurance.

Since joining the company in 2017, David has executed an HR strategy to support culture transformation, focused on delivering tangible improvements in employee experience and on aligning the capability, commitment, and culture of the company to its strategic vision, purpose, and values. Prior to Zurich Insurance, David also held a number of executive roles at MetLife and PepsiCo.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and David discuss:

• The experience of moving from a command-and-control culture to a more customer-centric and employee empowerment model with a focus on purpose values and soft skills
• Change management tools and processes, from Organizational Health Index and eNPS to new Zurich Insurance Performance Management System. 
• The process of getting 55,000+ people aligned as well as how to get a buy-in both at the Board and mid-management level.

For more information about David, please connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, go to connollyowens.com

Deloitte: How to Use Language and Collaboration to Align 330,000+ People - Episode 56

Our guest is Dawn Crouch, COO Global Regulatory & Public Policy for Deloitte.

Dawn has spent over 20 years of her career with Deloitte in both internal strategic roles and client-facing consulting roles across the financial services, pharmaceutical/life sciences, manufacturing, and the public sector. In her current COO role, she leads talent, finance, operations, and strategic projects for the business unit. A common thread Throughout her career has been focusing on initiatives around people engagement and inclusion for the firm.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Dawn discuss:

• Why “words really matter” and how to use language to align hundreds of thousands of Deloitters around the globe 
• How to use a collaborative mindset to execute strategic global initiatives in ways that are not disruptive to local leaders
• Deloitte’s experience with giving autonomy to their associates by moving away from compliance to professional obligations

For more information about Dawn, please connect with her on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, go to connollyowens.com

KingSett Capital: The Power of Vulnerability, Sustainability and Company Stories - Episode 55

Our guest is Jon Love, the founder, and CEO of KingSett Capital, a Canadian private equity real estate investment business that owns interests in a $19.1 billion portfolio of assets. Founded in 2002, KingSett has raised $12.5 billion of equity for its Growth, Income, Urban, Mortgage, and Affordable Housing strategies.

Jon serves on the Board of Directors of the Chief Executives Organization, is a member of the Business Council of Canada and YPO and of the Order of Canada. We were honoured to host Jon on the podcast.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Jon discuss:

• Core values being a foundational component of any culture 
• The power of company stories and how critical they are for sustainability 
• Nothing-is-perfect mentality and vulnerability as key drivers of constant growth

For more information about Jon, please connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, go to connollyowens.com

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of Creating Company Culture - Episode 54

Our guest is Lorenzo Gomez - a 3x bestselling author, the founder of Geekdom Media, Texas’ largest coworking space, and cofounder of The 80/20 Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to investing in the future of San Antonio.

His new book, The Rack We Built, hit #1 best seller on Amazon and is catching a nice bit of buzz. It talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of creating company culture and shares a couple of culture horror stories some of us can relate to that are still all too common in todays workplace.

Lorenzo is an amazing resource on what it takes to build award-winning company culture -- especially during periods of growth -- based on his experience working with Rackspace from a scrappy startup through to its IPO.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Lorenzo discuss:

• The Rackspace story of building “a winning team on an inspiring mission with each member being valued” 
• Practical strategies and tactics to help systemize a process of scaling a workplace culture 
• What is the future of “culture” and current trends companies should be embracing

For more information about Lorenzo or his books, please go to lorenzogomez.com or his Amazon page

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, go to connollyowens.com

Driving Culture Through Employee and Customer Experience - Episode 53

Our guest is Tina Hodges - Chief Executive & Chief Experience Officer at Advance Financial and President at Tennessee Action 24/7, an online sports betting company with fantastic customer service which very different from many of their competitors.

Obsessed with employee and customer experience, Tina grew Advance Financial to 1,400 employees across 100+ locations and was named for 8 consecutive years on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest-growing privately-owned companies.

Tina was appointed to serve as Board Chair of the Volunteer Tennessee Commission. She is a member and supporter of numerous non-profits and charitable organizations both personally and through the Advance Financial Foundation.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Tina discuss:

• How to create a culture focused on both employee and customer experience in a tough industry
• The “Zero Risk” concept, Paid Volunteering, and other culture development systems
• Advance Financial’s pandemic experience and how to change employee mindset

For more information about Tina, please connect with her on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, follow us on LinkedIn or go to connollyowens.com

A Culture of Caring & Active Listening - Episode 52

Our guest is Bob Selle - Chief People Officer at Ocean State Job Lot.

Bob is recognized as an HR Icon, Futurist, and Culture Transformation Influencer. Together with his team is leading a transformation that has named Ocean State Job Lot a Forbes Best Midsize Employer three of the past four years and has received DEI recognition and multi state safety and associate wellbeing awards.

Also, as a believer in collaboration and giving back, Bob is committed to pay it forward by consulting and advising several startups. His volunteer work includes the Rhode Island Free Clinic and mentoring at the Non violence Institute.

In this episode of Scaling Culture, Ron and Bob discuss:

• How critical it is to practice active and deep listening to create a culture of trust and belonging
• Ocean State Job Lot systems and processes to stay focused on the wellness of their associates and making sure people love coming to work 
• Some great questions every company should be asking themselves when trying to redesign a workplace in the post-pandemic world

For more information about Bob and to follow his work go to bobsellethehrguy.com or just connect with him on LinkedIn.

For more information about the Scaling Culture Podcast or our upcoming book and Masterclass “Scaling Culture”, go to connollyowens.com