In Corporate America you often have to “deal with” toxic corporate cultures. As an entrepreneur you can create a Culture of Excellence instead.
I discuss how to do that with my guest, Kyle McDowell.
Kyle was like many corporate employees in several ways. If you know what it’s like to spend your entire career in Corporate America, you start to lose your energy, your enthusiasm, your optimism and excitement for the thing you do every single day, work. For Kyle it was palpable. He spent nearly 30 years in Corporate America, having led tens of thousands of employees at really marque corporate names.
Asking the Right Question
The ironic thing is, as Kyle managed to ascend the corporate rankings he managed to check a lot of boxes for traditional success criteria. The fancy titles, the big compensation, and so on. But the ironic part was the more traditionally successful he was the greater the sense of apathy Kyle felt for the work he was doing. That happened because he didn’t ask the right questions, he was asking how do I take on more, how do I get more, how do I become more important?
Kyle says the question he should have been asking was “Am I having the impact that I can look back at one day and be proud of?”
So, he made a major pivot that changed the trajectory of his professional life.
Everything Changed Overnight
He was given the opportunity to lead a seven-billion-dollar program with 15,000 employees. He was warned of cultural problems with the program. Kyle knew if he wanted to find greater fulfillment and reconnect with his passion and purpose, he felt he would have to do something different.
The night before meeting with the 50 leaders of the program he came up with the 10 “Wes” of successful business culture and the rest, as they say, is history.
Kyle calls it the “Culture of Excellence” and that’s what he shares with his clients today. In a Culture of Excellence all players involved operate on a level playing field and they are aligned in their personal, professional, and corporate goals. They connect to their passion and purpose for work.
We also dive into topics such as:
- Why when teams help each other with personal goals as well as professional goals, everybody wins.
- How to align personal and professional goals.
- The power of making authentic connections.
- Why it’s important to invest in your team members’ personal aspirations.
- How a culture of excellence begins.
- Why leading by example is still the best way to go.
- The importance of even solopreneurs creating a Culture of Excellence.
- How solopreneurs and small business owners can create a Culture of Excellence.
- How to have a leadership impact with those around you.
- The importance of embracing challenges.
- Where the journey to the Culture of Excellence starts for entrepreneurs.
- How to leverage the Culture of Excellence to differentiate yourself in your market.
- How to maintain a Culter of Excellence when you get traction.
- Some challenges with adopting a Culture of Excellence.
…and more golden nuggets of advice!
You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea”
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About the Guest
With nearly three decades of experience leading tens of thousands of employees at some of America’s biggest firms, Kyle McDowell’s philosophy is rooted in his trademarked principles, The 10 WEs. While today’s workforce is plagued with uncertainty and apathy, his strategy is simple – Begin With WE.
McDowell’s mission is clear: crush the deep-rooted dysfunctions so many organizations passively accept. During his incredibly successful run in corporate America, McDowell’s leadership legacy was born from delivering superior results, empowering leaders, and driving massive cultural transformations.
His Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Begin With WE, delves into the root causes of business dysfunction, offering a remedy through The 10 Wes framework. Rather than outsourcing solutions or ignoring cultural challenges, McDowell elevates leaders and sparks massive change within organizations by adopting a mindset that prioritizes
“WE” over “I,” “you,” or “me.”
McDowell’s insights have earned him invitations to speak at prestigious business, educational, and nonprofit institutions, and his expertise has been featured in major national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine.
