SEEKING EXCELLENCE: Conversations with leaders working to be their best

Cory Pinegar is the CEO of CallForce. In this episode, you will learn a little bit about what it's like to be a young CEO, what motivates him, how he thinks about risk, and what advice he would give budding entrepreneurs. We also what mental models inform his thinking, how he prepares for each day, and what he is doing to make the best of COVID-19.

Joseph Woodbury, Colton Gardner, and Preston Alder are the co-founders of Neighbor. Neighbor is the "Airbnb of storage." In this episode, I interview Joseph and Colton about their experience as relatively new leaders.   

During our conversation we covered:

• The challenge that led to the founding of Neighbor and the intentional role fostering community plays.  (2:29)
• What motivated people who weren't thinking about being entrepreneurs to take the risk of building startup. (6:25)
• The role these play as leaders on the team. (9:15)
• Their biggest surprise being leaders Neighbor. (11:15)
• The value of having experience on your side. (19:00)
• Using data to drive decision-making. (20:00)
• How they keep each other accountable. (25:40)
• The power of two-way feedback sessions. (30:40)
• How do they avoid the distraction of bright and shiny objects? (33:45)
• Getting better as a new leader. (36:40)

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available on our show site: http://seekingexcellence.io

The best ways to connect with Joseph and Colton:

• Web: https://storagebyneighbor.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/woodburyjoseph1
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/coltongardner

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now, and if you love it, rate, review, and share it with folks you think would be interested.

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Bassam Salem is the CEO of AltasRTX based in Park City, UT. They deliver an integrated A.I. chatbot and message platform that enables a real-time customer experience that moves seamlessly from A.I. chatbots to real, live humans. I had a chance to meet the team and they are an impressive group of individuals.

Previous he was the Chief Operating Officer at MaritzCX and the Chief Business Officer at inContact.

During our conversation we discussed:

• His first professional leadership experience and the importance of having a mentor who really cared (5:57)
• The biggest change in his leadership approach over the years – evolving from an analytical to more human-focused style and how hard that is (11:45)
• His real leadership heroes – those that swim against “norms” (13:45)
• How sure we are that we are right when we are dead wrong (14:10)
• The key to making a difference as an entrepreneur (17:00)
• His leadership style today – ”communal” (22:45)
• Making unpopular decisions (25:00)
• His vulnerable awareness of things he is still working on (24:10, 28:00)
• The evolution of his leadership mindset (30:45)
• How he maintains his energy level (33:30)
• The connection between personal and professional success (36:15)

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available on our show site: http://seekingexcellence.io

The best ways to connect with Bassam and AtlasRTX:

• Web: https://www.atlasrtx.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bassam/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BassamSalem
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassamtsalem/

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now, and if you love it, rate, review, and share it with folks you think would be interested.

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Stephenie Larsen is the CEO of Encircle, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to deepen and enrich the conversation among communities of faith and LGBTQ teens and young adults. They teach individuals to love themselves and empower families to cultivate an environment where LGBTQ individuals can thrive.

During our conversation we discuss:

• Why Stephenie started Encircle and how her vision for what it could be has grown.
• How her belief in her purpose helped be brave, the strong motivation she has to get “stuff” done, willingness to accept the help of others and give people a chance.
• How we came to realize that "all people matter" and why she enjoys getting to know people in the shadows.
• The power of learning to work hard.
• Daily questions she asks herself to hold herself accountable.
• The value of celebrating the small things.
• Dealing with differences in perspective and belief while still respecting everyone.
• Wanting to do something big and finding herself as a woman.
• The importance of being an effective communicator.

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available on our site: http://seekingexcellence.io

The best ways to connect with Stephenie and Encircle are:

• Web:  https://encircletogether.org/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/encircletogether/
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/encircletogether/
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/encircle2gether

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now, and if you love it, rate, review, and share it with folks you think would be interested.

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Brock Blake is the CEO of Lendio. Lendio is a small business loan marketplace, where business owner fills out one application, and gets access to about 75 lenders on our platform, and can comparison show, and choose the loan that is best for them.

I love their mission of fueling the American Dream.

During our conversation we discuss:

• How the business pivoted and evolved the business to the place it is today.
• How team members share customer stories to inspire each other.
• What they did when they received a “bad” customer review to turn things around.
• Increase the pace of change and winning by failing faster.
• Where he gets his motivation and drive from and how that has changed over time.
• The intentionality he brings to his life and work.
• How he took on the challenge of being a great CEO and a great dad.
• Books he is reading and much more.

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available at - https://brettpinegar.com/seekingexcellence

The best ways to connect with Brock are:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrockBlake
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brockblake/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brockblake/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brockblake

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now and if you love it, rate, review, and if you feel so inclined, please share it with folks you think would be interested.

•  iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1364727844?ls=1
• Google Play - https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ieeuey3tmjmrycs5wjukbwc7yne
• Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brett-pinegar/seeking-excellence-with-brett-pinegar
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/15NBZQtezyMyhQl1DtZrPN?si=WWlV6wHfRN2NyHLEgaY9TA
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jPkKXsvOfmwabnv7aHc0w
• Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/seekingexcellence

Summer Harris is the CEO of Baby Bling, an infant accessory company based in Utah. Baby Bling was founded in 2005 and has grown from a creative endeavor into a thriving business owned by women. Summer offers a compelling example that leadership excellence doesn’t depend on a business school degree or earning your stripes working for a well-known company. Summer is self-taught. She is hungry to develop and offers a path that more and more people are taking today.

During our conversation, Summer shares insights on:

• Overcoming insecurities
• Battling gender discrimination in the business environment
• Evolving as a leader and staying passionate
• Staying open to opportunities
• Being humble enough to keep learning and growing
• And much more.

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available at - https://brettpinegar.com/seekingexcellence

The best ways to connect with Summer are:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babybling/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Baby-Bling-Bows-54956972433/

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now and if you love it, rate, review, and if you feel so inclined, please share it with folks you think would be interested.

•  iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1364727844?ls=1
• Google Play - https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ieeuey3tmjmrycs5wjukbwc7yne
• Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brett-pinegar/seeking-excellence-with-brett-pinegar
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/15NBZQtezyMyhQl1DtZrPN?si=WWlV6wHfRN2NyHLEgaY9TA
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jPkKXsvOfmwabnv7aHc0w
• Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/seekingexcellence

David Bywater is the Chief Executive Officer at Vivint Solar, a leading full-service residential solar integrator. Prior to joining Vivint Solar, David served as COO at Vivint Smart Home and was executive vice president at Xerox. Earlier in his career, David was a consultant with Bain & Company and the Monitor Group.

In our discussion David shares his thoughts on:

• How to make failure a positive;
• The importance of a plan and momentum;
• Helping ordinary people do extraordinary things;
• Incentivizing your team members effectively;
• The upside and downside of data;
• Bending light and running towards the fire;
• Staying curious and questioning the status quo; and
• What happened when he was 14 years old that changed the course of his life.

Complete show notes and a transcript of the podcast are available at - https://brettpinegar.com/seekingexcellence

The best ways to connect with David are:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidbywaterceo
• Email: [email protected] 

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now and if you love it, rate, review, and if you feel so inclined, please share it with folks you think would be interested.

•  iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1364727844?ls=1
• Google Play - https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ieeuey3tmjmrycs5wjukbwc7yne
• Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brett-pinegar/seeking-excellence-with-brett-pinegar
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/15NBZQtezyMyhQl1DtZrPN?si=WWlV6wHfRN2NyHLEgaY9TA
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jPkKXsvOfmwabnv7aHc0w
• Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/seekingexcellence

Vance is the senior executive for Dell EMC in Utah, a significant base within Dell Technologies, the largest privately-controlled IT company in the world. Under his leadership, Utah operations have grown rapidly with over 1,300 team members now based in the state. Last year, he was selected as one of Utah Business’ CEO of Year honorees. He has been with the Dell EMC since 2007, when EMC acquired Mozy. Prior to Mozy Vance worked at several other high-tech firms, including 10 years at Oracle in Silicon Valley, WordPerfect, Novell and several start-ups.

In our discussion, Vance shares his thoughts on:

• Weathering storms and the lifecycle of a business
• Being his authentic self and learning from challenges
• His philosophy that emphasizes relationships, risk-taking, speaking up, diversity, and humility.
• The importance of pivoting and taking opportunities that are uncomfortable.
• Focus and jumping into opportunities and how he learned it from climbing on Mount McKinley (Denali) and being told to jump if necessary.
• How he keeps himself grounded.
• Using the one-on-one from work at home.
• Diversity in the workplace and how to build acceptance and love for others.
• The Law of Excellent People
• “We are wildly optimistic!” Saying “yes” to things… the qualified “yes”
• Saw time every day
• Being rejuvenated by spending time outdoors and working out.

The best ways to connect with Vance are:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vancechecketts/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vchecketts

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now and if you love it, rate, review, and if you feel so inclined, please share it with folks you think would be interested.

•  iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1364727844?ls=1
• Google Play - https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ieeuey3tmjmrycs5wjukbwc7yne
• Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brett-pinegar/seeking-excellence-with-brett-pinegar
• Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/seekingexcellence
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-jPkKXsvOfmwabnv7aHc0w
• Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/channels/seekingexcellence

Dr. Trent Kaufman is the Chief Executive Officer of Cicero Group, a strategy and management consulting firm based in Salt Lake City. Trent is respected globally for developing sophisticated systems to enable the use of performance data to maximize individual and team performance. Trent’s first “career” was in public education. He began as a social studies teacher in Washington D.C. before becoming a high school principal in the Bay Area of California. Trent earned a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and master’s degree and a doctorate from Harvard.

In our discussion, Trent shares his thoughts on:

- The importance of culture on product and their culture guidebook, the Cicero Way

- “Do you treat each other like your clients?”

- Holding people accountable to live the Cicero Way

- The influence of his dad on his leadership approach

- The influence reading books by Steven Covey, Harvey McKay, and others had on him as a boy

- The importance of relentless feedback from his university professors and their willingness to mentor him

- His belief in the capacity of humans, especially kids.

The best ways to connect with Trent are:

LinkedIn - Trent Kaufman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentkaufman

LinkedIn - Cicero Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cicerogroup/

Twitter - Cicero: https://twitter.com/cicero_group

Website: https://www.cicerogroup.com/

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/

- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now and if you love it, rate, review, and if you feel so inclined, please share it with folks you think would be interested.

W. Sean Ford serves as LogMeIn’s Chief Marketing Officer. Sean is responsible for leading all aspects of LogMeIn's global marketing organization including product marketing, field marketing, demand generation, communications, brand, and e-commerce. Sean previously was at Avid, where he led worldwide marketing strategy, he has also held executive positions with Zmags, Syncsort, and Oracle.

Sean offers an introspective take on leadership to this episode of SEEKING EXCELLENCE.

In this episode we cover:

- What Sean learned to become a leader from his Grandfather.

- The importance of standing up for what you believe.

- How Sean learned to have candid conversations.

- Why Sean uses mantras and what his five mantras are.

- How working in an addiction recovery center changed his perspective.

- What Sean does to hold himself and other accountable.

You can follow Sean on:

- LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/w-sean-ford-63a1478/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/wsford

You can follow Brett Pinegar on:

- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brettpinegar/

- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brettpinegar/

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/brettpinegar

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettpinegar/

Subscribe to SEEKING EXCELLENCE now!