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During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, discusses the magic of customer-centricity. Gregg speaks with Lee Cockerell who threaded magic in all customer experiences in the Magic Kingdom, Disney, and who managed some of Disney’s largest resorts and is a student of hospitality. Of course, Lee speaks about his top three from a boss who taught him how to be confident, to a mentor who showed him all the ways of being hospitable, to his grandmother who started him on the journey, and his wife of 52 plus years who kept him on it, and to the former president of Disney who helped him to learn, listen and manage experts. And you have to hear what he has to say about making the schedule of life’s priorities part of your daily routine, all this and more! About Lee Cockerell Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort.  “As the Senior Operating Executive for ten years, Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping and entertainment village, and the ESPN sports and recreation complex in addition to the ancillary operations which supported the number one vacation destination in the world.” One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies which was used to train and develop the 7,000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for 8 years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project. Lee has served as Chairman of the Board of Heart of Florida United Way, the Board of Trustees for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the board of the Production and Operations Management Society, and the board of Reptilia a Canadian attractions and entertainment company. In 2005 Governor Bush appointed Lee to the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Public Service for the state of Florida where he served as Chairman of the Board. He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management, and service excellence titled, Creating Magic… 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney, which is now available in 13 languages, and his latest book, The Customer Rules… The 39 Essential Rules for Delivering Sensational Service. Lee also performs leadership and service excellence workshops and consulting for organizations around the world as well as for the Disney Institute. Lee has received the following awards: Golden Chain Award for Outstanding leadership and business performance from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operations Association (MUFSO). Silver Plate Award for Outstanding Operator in the foodservice industry from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). Excellence in Production Operations Management and Leadership (POMS) from the Productions and Operations. Grandfather of the year from his three grandchildren, Jullian, Margot, and Tristan. Lee and his wife Priscilla live in Orlando, Florida. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:01      What do customer touchpoints, customer journey, customer experience, customer-centricity mean? 2:07      “The full view of the customer is so easy yet, so complex… what it comes down to is empathy” 3:07      Put the customer in the middle 4:09      Welcome an expert in empathetic thinking: Lee Cockerell 5:43      Lee Cockerell: A boy whose story begins on a farm in Oklahoma Segment 2: The “Top Three” 11:27   Lee’s Top Three begins with his grandmother and a General Manager, Bud Davis, who helped him refocus his attitude 13:46   Diffusing defensiveness by building trust   15:35   Lee’s Top Three continues with Eugene Scanlan from Waldorf Astoria who taught him a lot – “the service itself is what shines, not the individual providing the service” 19:59   Lee’s Top Three expands with his wife of 53 years, who keeps him most in order   22:37   Expanding beyond food and beverage into full park management 23:42   “I didn’t try to be the expert in everything; my philosophy is to hire the experts and let them do their job.”   25:25   Letting go of always being in control and a successful career to thank for it 28:24   “Most people leave leaders, they don’t leave the company.” 29:04   Lee’s Top Three concludes with Judson Green who gave him his shot in Orlando 29:54   “He asked a lot of questions… he knew if you knew what you were talking about or not.” 31:25 “I want to be remembered as a teacher, not a boss because nobody likes a boss, a teacher teaches people.” Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 32:33   Lessons from Lee: Time Management, Customer Skills and Creating a better culture 37:28   Disney’s take on the customer experience   38:45   “Treat every customer as an individual” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 41:34   One additional lesson from Lee: “Schedule the priorities in your life” 44:24   How to get in touch with Lee Additional Information Contact Lee Cockerell: Lee’s Email Lee’s Twitter Lee’s LinkedIn Lee’s Facebook Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks with Daniel Epstein, CEO of the Unreasonable Group. Daniel discusses his Top 3 with Gregg, which range from his Grandpa, to a college advisor Paul Jerdy, to George Campbell, to his fiancé. And you have to hear what Daniel has to say about stepping back and taking a deep breath. All this and more! About Daniel Epstein Recently named by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders, Daniel’s life has been shaped by a fundamental belief that entrepreneurship is the answer to nearly all the issues we face today. By the time he received his undergraduate degree in philosophy, he’d already started three companies. In addition to being on FORTUNE's "the World's 50 Greatest Leaders" list alongside the likes of Bill Gates & Tim Cook, Daniel was awarded Inc. Magazine's “30 under 30 entrepreneur” (when he was under the age of 30 =), and Forbes identified him as one of the “top 30 most impactful entrepreneurs.” He also received the prestigious “Entrepreneur of the World” award along with Richard Branson & the President of Liberia at the Global Entrepreneurship Forum. Daniel’s unfettered belief in entrepreneurs led to him founding and being the CEO of Unreasonable ( www.unreasonablegroup.com ). Unreasonable is dedicated to supporting growth-equity entrepreneurs positioned to bend history in the right direction. Part investment firm, part media house, and most importantly a global community, Unreasonable partners with multinational institutions and revered brands to align them with impactful growth-stage entrepreneurs. Today Unreasonable actively supports over 200 entrepreneurs who have raised more than $4.7B in financing, generated over $3.7B in revenue, and are impacting the lives of more than 540M individuals across 180+ countries. Daniel speaks frequently on topics ranging from how multinationals and governments can better work with disruptive technologies, to working with public companies on how to create a worldclass and entrepreneurial culture across their employees, to the future of capitalism and our ability to profitably solve the most pressing challenges of this century. Daniel has given keynotes across more than 30 countries, has spoken at the White House, the UN General Assembly, in front of audiences larger than ten thousand, as part of annual corporate events and in closed door sessions with Fortune 50 executives and their boards of directors. He personally advises CEO's of multinationals on how to become more entrepreneurial and works with multi-billion dollar family offices on creating a new type of financial legacy with their investments — producing above market rate returns while combatting societal & environmental challenges. On a personal level, Daniel believes in militant transparency in his everyday life and in all of the projects he is part of. He also has an overt love for his hometown of Boulder Colorado and for his dog, Kaya.  Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:55   Understanding the environment to enrich your customers’ lives 01:43   Daniel Epstein – Fortune Magazine’s top 50 leaders 04:24   Gregg’s clues to the podcast – what to listen for in order to maximize your experience 05:39   Daniel’s background/story 07:53   How Philosophy has taught Daniel to think differently Segment 2: The “Top Three” 09:56   Daniel’s ‘Top Three’ begins with his Grandpa (Zaide) whose witty personality and love               for everyone taught Daniel empathy 12:16   Learning from osmosis – Daniel’s company has given him a good base to learn and adapt 17:15   Daniel’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Paul Jerdy, who helped pull him out of a tough               situation with his first business and taught him the lesson of documenting all the            work               you do 18:38   Tuition comes in many forms; learning how to pay your dues and learn the important               lessons 20:19   Pivoting to what works: moving resources to ideas that scale 22:58   Connecting disciplines: how Daniel’s love of philosophy connected to the contract law               he had to learn             24:21   Launching the Unreasonable institute with ambitious goals 25:56   Taking a semester at sea and learning from some of the brightest minds 27:09   Daniel wraps up his ‘Top Three’ with George Campbell, who taught Daniel key mindsets           he uses today to help put his best foot forward 30:19   Learning how to lead as a group 33:47   Managing energy is more important than managing time 35:44   Daniel adds his Fiancé to his ‘Top Three’ list for her drive and work ethic which pushes him to do more Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 40:44   Expanding on his work with the Unreasonable Group and what other initiatives Daniel is working on 42:28   Creating the Unreasonable Collective: giving access to investments to a wider range of people Segment 4: Wrapping Up 45:49   How to get involved with the Unreasonable Collective 47:59   Closing thoughts: we’re not doing enough to breathe as a culture. We need to focus     more on taking a step back at times 49:26   Keep up with Daniel at unreasonablegroup.com and via email daniel@reasonablegroup.com Additional Information Contact Daniel Epstein: Daniel Epstein’s LinkedIn Unreasonable Group’s website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg Garrett speaks with, Wendy Lea, CEO of Energize Colorado. Wendy discusses her work building out entrepreneurial communities across the Midwest and Colorado. Additionally, she shares her Top 3, which includes a former boss, a mentor, and the former CEO of P&G. Finally, Wendy shares her secret to approaching each new challenge with the same energy and drive as the first one. All this and more! About Wendy Lea Wendy Lea is a leading expert in digital innovation strategy and ecosystem development. As an experienced CEO, board director, and strategist, she advises government, public/private partnerships, and global enterprises on growth through innovation.  Recognized for work across industries and regions, Wendy is a maximalist who is equally well-versed in helping large enterprises systematize innovation as she is in creating vibrant startup innovation ecosystems that grow city, regional, and state economies. An active mentor and advisor for tech accelerators, Wendy leverages a global network of entrepreneurs to catalyze economic resilience. As CEO of Energize Colorado, Wendy mobilizes resources and relief for small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals recovering from the economic impact of COVID-19. She leads a team of inspired innovators from Colorado’s private, public, nonprofit, and academic communities to revive and invigorate Colorado’s economy. Wendy also serves on the Danaher Water Innovation and Technology Board, the P&G Ventures Advisory Board, and select venture-backed startup boards. In the State of Kentucky, she advises the Department of Community Economic Development, the public-private partnership LEAP (an initiative aligned with LHHC), and serves on the board of regional innovation hub Amplify, based in Louisville. Wendy provides corporate innovation subject matter expertise to Techstars’ ecosystem development partnership with the Country of Taiwan. She also serves university innovation and entrepreneurship programs, including Miami University’s John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Engineering and Applied Science Advisory Board. Wendy was named a “Woman of Influence” in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Recently she was honored with the Signal Excellence Award in 2018 by Procter & Gamble and the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business Distinguished Service Award. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Mississippi in Business Administration and has lived and worked around the world. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:46   Big game hunting in the connected world – looking for the biggest challenges to tackle 03:15   Bringing the entrepreneurial spirit to Southeast Michigan; creating the Connected               Detroit Innovates incubator 05:06   Looking back on our previous guests – a collection of individuals trying to hunt for      the big problems 06:49   Introducing Wendy Lea 06:27   Having the grit to win – Elon Musk 09:27   Wendy’s background 11:50   How Wendy got involved in community entrepreneurial activities 12:46   Balancing community impact with less independence in actions and decisions Segment 2: The “Top Three” 14:18   Wendy’s ‘Top Three’ begins with Randall Murphy, a small business owner who took    a chance with Wendy at a young age 17:05   Using the “student of the game” mindset to evolve and grow quickly in the               entrepreneurial space 19:22   Having a teaching mindset to help you navigate the tech sales space 20:22   Wendy’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Brad Feld, who got her into the VC space and was               instrumental in helping her direct her career to its present path 23:21   Making opportunity moves – making the trek from Texas to Colorado 26:01   Getting comfortable taking risks and making VC investments 27:32   Angel investing 28:24   Moving out to Silicon Valley and being a unique individual in a male dominated              industry 30:52   Falling in love with a startup and becoming it’s CEO 35:44   Wendy wraps up her ‘Top Three’ with the former CEO of P&G Bob Macdonald, who               taught Wendy to be a student again 37:05   Valuing social impact more than making money in the for-profit sector   39:37   Leveraging your experiences: why Wendy’s Silicon Valley experience was key Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 43:11   Using fear as a motivator for success and being a good student 46:34   Wendy’s work in Colorado: what she’s doing there 47:46   Using her skills to help Colorado weather the pandemic 48:40   Energize Colorado Segment 4: Wrapping Up 52:14   Check out Wendy’s organization – how can we collaborate? 53:09   Closing thoughts: embed three thoughtful rest periods into your day in order to               approach every challenge with the same energy 56:28   Keep up with Wendy at Wendylea.com and checkout Energize Colorado’s               website Additional Information Contact Wendy Lea Wendy Lea’sLinkedIn Energize Colorado’s Company website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks about passion, and then welcomes a guest who is filled with plenty of it. Jason Bressler is the CTO of United Wholesale Mortgage where he has scaled a team of passionate technology professionals that has raised his firm to the #1 position in its segment. Jason speaks about the current trends impacting the mortgage industry and how UWM has found so much success. He also shares his Top 3, which includes two of his colleagues – Mat Ishbia (CEO UWM) and Melinda Wilner (COO UWM), a former boss, and a friend. Finally, Jason shares the secret to pushing himself beyond his boundaries and comfort zone. All this and more! About JASON BRESSLER Jason Bressler is Chief Technology Officer at United Wholesale Mortgage. With more than 24 years of IT experience in the mortgage banking industry, Bressler excels in application development and enterprise implementation, specifically at mortgage companies that have started smaller and truly taken the leap into the stratosphere of the industry utilizing technology and practices that Jason brings to the table.   He is constantly developing intuitive technology platforms that help independent mortgage brokers grow their businesses. Under Bressler’s leadership, UWM has set the tone for the entire mortgage industry by reacting to clients quickly, efficiently, and with scale. Jason currently leads a team of more than 850 I.T members focused on delivering stellar client service through cutting-edge proprietary tools Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:47   Growing a firm in the aftermath of the pandemic: what to look for 01:49   Introducing Jason Bressler, CTO United Wholesale Mortgage  02:48   Building a culture for success at UWM 04:53   Putting passion at the center in order to have a successful endeavor 06:27   Having the grit to win – Elon Musk 09:25   Jason’s Background/story 10:21   How Jason got into the IT space 13:40   Using consumer centric practices to accelerate growth 15:46   Using UWM to help mortgage firms outsource their overhead for when times are bad Segment 2: The “Top Three” 10:47   Jason’s ‘Top Three’ begins with a friend who got him into the mortgage industry at a young age and pushed him to be successful 18:50   The power of projecting the right message 19:52   Getting a wake-up call that jumpstarted Jason’s career 21:13   Learning how to see the lessons in every event 22:53   Jason’s ‘Top Three’ continues with his former boss at another mortgage company whose aggressive leadership style pushed him to become a better leader 23:38   Using shared comradery to push through adverse conditions - or bosses 24:21   Knowing how to sell in the mortgage industry is key for all roles 26:22   Trusting the process: hiring people smarter than yourself in order to better your own               skills 30:46   Manage up to the leaders above us in order to build the dream you envision 35:44   Jason wraps up his ‘Top Three’ with Mat Ishbia CEO of UWM and Melinda Wilner,               UWM’s COO whose collective passion pushes Jason to be at his best 37:38   How to hold people accountable when they love you and the work you do 40:34   Why culture is so important when hiring people Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 42:27   Hiring for skills vs. hiring for culture: which is more important in a market disruptor? 43:09   Building the customer’s business with them creates loyalty 44:07   How going public will change UWM 48:32   Using technology to capture record refinance demand 50:57   UWM is hiring! Come check out the firm Segment 4: Wrapping Up 53:09   Closing thoughts: be purposeful and intentional in all of your efforts 54:35   Keep up with Jason at jbressler@uwm.com and checkout UWM’s website Additional Information Contact Jason Bressler Jason Bressler’sLinkedIn UWM’s Company website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks with Paul Tedesco, Managing Director CRM & Digital at TrackDDB, a digital marketing agency in Canada. Paul discusses how he got to where he is in the industry and his predictions of where marketing will go over the next 5 years. Of course, Paul shares his Top 3 which includes lifelong friends and people who help him ‘gut check’. And you have to hear what he has to say about winning trust with a normally counterintuitive business model. All this and more! About Paul Tedesco A 25-year marketing industry veteran, Paul has spent his career focusing on using data, technology and analytics to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time. This journey has led from mass advertising to promotions, shopper marketing and 1:1 CRM. Paul currently heads up the North American operations of Track DDB, a leading data, technology and analytics agency focusing on data driven marketing. Paul Tedesco (MBA, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University) has been an instructor in Marketing at the MBA level for over 15 years. Paul’s area of focus is in Customer Value Creation specifically in the Data, Technology and Analytics area and he has been and instructor in Brand Management, Customer Value Creation and Data and Analytics. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:50   The blending of Information Technology into everything we touch and see 01:58   Knowing the tension between many senior leaders in a firm as they try to transform               companies       02:48   Paul Tedesco introduction 04:45   Paul’s background 06:05   About Paul’s company, TrackDDB 07:48   Marketing in the food industry: B2B & B2C   Segment 2: The “Top Three” 10:47   Paul’s ‘Top Three’ begins with Barb Williams who has given Paul a conscience to help him navigate the competitive landscape of Marketing & Advertising 11:35   The power of projecting the right message 13:56   Filling your Top 3 with people that have unique perspectives 16:19   Paul’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Bill Hints who showed Paul how to be an               entrepreneur; being your own boss 19:34   Living a life of variability or stability 20:25   Paul wraps up his ‘Top Three’ with Mark St. Angelo, a friend and high school classmate               that is Paul’s cheerleader and who helps him succeed at his endeavors 23:51   Putting deliberate, precise trust in your peers and colleagues can be a key to success 25:36   Teaching your students how to invest properly in professional relationships 29:08   When thinking about professional relationships, remember what’s in it for each person               involved 32:45   Paul’s plan to disrupt the company’s media spend 33:54   Disrupting spaces often requires you to play the long game 34:29   Paul adds one more to his ‘Top Three’ with Bill Roberts, who’s consistency and stability               in Paul’s life made him a safety net 38:51   Bill’s guidance helps Paul with his leadership decisions Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 40:00   Paul’s customer experience work with McDonalds 43:00   What is FOFO? 47:37   Helping firms divvy up their marketing budget 51:01   Transforming the diversity of the Canadian Advertising industry via increasing               recruitment of youth 53:41   The latin word for sponsor and the meaning of taking ownership Segment 4: Wrapping Up 55:56   Closing thoughts: the most important thing in marketing over the next few years is               privacy 57:19   Keep up with Paul on LinkedIn and checkout his firm’s website Additional Information Contact Paul Tedesco: Paul Tedesco’sLinkedIn Paul’s Company website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks with JeVon McCormick, CEO of Scribe Media – an innovative book publisher. JeVon takes Gregg on the story-filled journey of his fractured childhood and shares what his tips are to be successful. Along the way, JeVon speakers about his Top 3, ranging from the industrialist Andrew Carnegie to Oil Tycoon turned philanthropist John D. Rockefeller. And you have to hear what JeVon learned from his father who was a pimp. All this and more! About JeVon Mccormick JeVon McCormick was born the son of a black pimp father and a white orphan mother. Today, he’s the CEO of Scribe Media, a multi-million dollar publishing company that was recently ranked the #1 Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. He’s made millions in the stock market (even though he didn’t go to college), he was the President of a software company (even though he can’t code) and he’s currently the CEO of a publishing company (even though he can’t spell). JeVon is the President and CEO of Scribe Media, a publishing company that helps individuals from a variety of backgrounds write, publish, and market their books. Scribe Media has worked with more than 1700 authors, including members of The Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Nassim Taleb and David Goggins, whose blockbuster book Can’t Hurt Me has sold over 2 million copies. In addition to his role at Scribe, JT is an author and highly sought after keynote speaker, delivering the message that “Everyone Has A Story” to enthusiastic audiences across the country. His book, I Got There: How a Mixed-Race Kid Overcame Racism, Poverty, and Abuseto Achieve the American Dream, tells the harrowing story of his struggle to succeed despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him. JeVon is passionate about conscious entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for at-risk youth. He has mentored young men and women in the juvenile justice system, as well as those in lower economic communities. JeVon currently serves as a board member for Conscious Capitalism and the StartEdUp Foundation. His story and work have been featured on CNBC, and in Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Inc. magazines. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Megan, and their four children Ava, Jaxon, Elle and Jace. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:51   Trying to listen in an age of unprecedented change 01:48   To listen & learn: the main reason this podcast series exists and why you should be               listening too 02:31   JeVon McCormick introduction 04:22   The power of listening to the ‘why’ or purpose behind one’s actions 06:18   Overcoming the systemic racism that comes from initial perceptions of a name 10:20   JeVon’s background and growing up with a fractured home life 13:34   Getting a GED and working his way up in the world of Payday loans 15:02   JeVon’s introduction to compound interest and later success in the software industry 16:55   Writing his book to remind his kids where he came from 18:04   Becoming the CEO of Scribe Media Segment 2: The “Top Three” 19:38   JeVon’s ‘Top Three’ begins with John D. Rockefeller who showed JeVon that people who               come from a fractured background can still grow up and achieve greatness. 21:19   Rockefeller’s desire to make a name for himself really resonated with JeVon 23:40   JeVon’s frsutration at how society has demonized capitalism while it gave someone like               him everything he has 24:33   JeVon’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Andrew Carnegie who showed JeVon the importance      of giving back no matter how big or small 24:33   JeVon’s ‘Top Three’ concludes with George Westinghouse who emphasized what JeVon   learned from Carnegie: how important it is to be philanthropic 27:19   Learning how to treat employees right 32:51   Learning from other’s mistakes: how not to raise someone Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 35:53   Scribe Media: disrupting the publication space 37:32   Self-publication: disrupting the publication industry 40:24   Using 21st Century distribution channels like Amazon to redefine the publication space 43:31   The power of showing vs. telling people what to do. Why actions go further than words 45:57   Keep an eye out for Scribe’s latest publications Segment 4: Wrapping Up 48:40   Lesson from JeVon: eliminate the words hope, wish and luck from your vocabulary 52:18   Follow JeVon on LinkedIn Additional Information Contact JeVon McCormick: JeVon McCormick’s LinkedIn Scribe Media Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg shares his thoughts about SEO – from trying to get to the top of ‘that’ list, to getting more eyeballs from your customers, to positioning your content ahead of your competition. He then speaks to an expert in the SEO space, Deepak Shukla, the founder and CEO of Pearl Lemon, an agency that's growing out of the UK to help companies do this globally. Deepak speaks about his unique journey of getting to the space. Of course, he speaks about his top three – from his father, to his partner, to his group of friends. And you have to hear what he has to say about how the secret to success may actually be mind-numbing consistency. All this and more! About deepak shukla Deepak Shukla is the Founder and CEO of Pearl Lemon, a multi-award-winning SEO agency in London. He's featured in Forbes, TEDx, SEMrush, BBC, Chelsea FC, Appsumo, Bright Talks & more. When he's not running his agency, you'll find him running marathons (33 so far), completing Ironmen (2 so far), getting inked (40% body coverage) or playing with his cat Jenny. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 1:05      Looking at SEOs from the perspective of an election 5:22      Introducing Deepak 7:00      Deepak’s background 9:34      Getting started in the SEO space 9:23      Pushing through personal tragedy Segment 2: The Top Three 10:29   Deepak’s ‘Top Three’ starts with his Dad 13:40   Mind numbing consistency a key to success 16:44   Application of Pearl Lemon lessons to life 19:40   Deepak continues his ‘Top Three’ with his partner, Daniela Colognesi 21:19   Knowing your ‘why’ 25:39   Meeting Daniella 27:33   Deepak wraps up his ‘Top Three” with Robin Luc Oppenheim Segment 3: Learning about the business: what is SEO? 33:33   Going in depth: what is SEO? 37:17   Finding success in SEO 42:09   Convincing people of the craft: how do you get someone to invest in SEO? 43:02   Getting creative: how to get customers to pay for your work 47:44   Impact of AI in the SEO market Section 4: Wrapping Up 52:11 Stay in touch with Deepak on LinkedIn and his company’s website! 53:31: Parting lesson: give good feedback Additional Information Contact: Deepak’s LinkedIn Pearl Lemon Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter  

In this episode, Gregg speaks with Jerry Cox, a 95-year-old entrepreneur who has lived at least three careers over his lifetime. From serving in world war II, to attending MIT, and then moving into the medical device industry, the digital networking industry, and now the cybersecurity industry, Jerry has taken the world by storm. Of course Gregg and Jerry explore his ‘top three’ from Hallowell Davis, who changed the world for kids that were born deaf, to Wesley Clark, who invented the personal computer, to Bill Danforth who reshaped Washington University and become a national research juggernaut. Jerry also speaks about some of the companies he's been starting during the Twilight of his career, which are reshaping industry after industry. And you have to hear what he has to say about how you can have breakthrough moments. All this and more! About Jerry Cox Jerry Cox is the Founder and President of Q-Net Security, a Quantum networking hardware-based cybersecurity company. He is also the founder and former chair of Washington University’s computer science department. Prior to founding Q-Net, Jerry worked on various startups including venture backed Growth Networks which was sold to Cisco. Jerry lives in St. Louis and has a PHD in Electrical Engineering from MIT. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 2:05      Learning from Elders 3:03      Lessons of living through turmoil: sticking to your principles 6:46      Introducing Jerry Cox 7:36      Don’t be afraid of adventure 9:23      Pushing through personal tragedy 10:55   Involvement in WW2 15:59   Moving to the CID (Central Institute of the Deaf) Segment 2: The Top Three 15:59   Jerry’s ‘Top Three’ starts with Hallowell Davis 19:43   Working with the Navy in Guantanamo Bay 23:36   Learning how to measure hearing in infants 28:34   Work Hard, Be Kind: Jerry’s License Plate 30:52   Jerry Continues his ‘Top Three’ with Wesley Clark 32:31   Getting the LINC to come to St. Louis 36:29   Wes Clark: the man that made the computer personal 39:01   Working with Mike Phelps to help create the PET scan 42:31   Jerry wraps up his ‘Top Three” with Bill Danforth 44:14   Cheerleading: A look into Bill’s leadership style 45:56   Retiring from Washington University Segment 3: Life after Academia 50:28   Starting Growth Networks 52:55   After Growth Networks: learning from failures 56:47   Hard-sec and trends in the cybersecurity space 1:00:20: Standing for what you think is the right decision Section 4: Wrapping Up 1:03:13: Parting lesson: Work Hard, Be Kind 1:06:42: Stay in touch with Jerry at jcox@blendics.com Additional Information Contact: Jerry’s LinkedIn QNETS Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this week's episode, Gregg speaks about the power of building a diverse table in order to have new conversations and drive a vision forward. He then speaks to Pam Lewis, the director of the New Economy Initiative in Detroit, Michigan. She speaks about her process and how her team brings diverse groups together to build a new economy. And of course, she speaks about her top three ranging from a personal coach that has become a friend, to a former boss who's partnered with her on bringing visions to reality, to many of the people that lean on NEI and get funded, but in return drive passion for Pam. And you have to hear what she has to say about how the power of moving things forward is simply to write things down. All this and more! About Pam Lewis Pam Lewis is the director of the New Economy Initiative (NEI), one of the country’s largest regional economic development initiatives led by philanthropy. Funded by 13 national and regional foundations, NEI makes grants to support and convene organizations that serve metro Detroit entrepreneurs and small businesses, from neighborhood-based businesses to high tech and high growth enterprises. Prior to joining NEI, she worked at companies like Next Energy and was a Director at DTE Energy. Pam has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from Spring Arbor University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 1:13      The importance of integration in a connected world 2:05      Building your virtual table 2:52      Introducing Pam Lewis 5:31      Pam’s Background 9:12      Three parallel tracks: private, public and philanthropic sectors Segment 2: The Top Three 12:52   Pam’s ‘Top Three’ begins with a 20-year confidant 16:09   Leaders need to celebrate their teams 20:42   Pam’s ‘Top Three’ continues by expanding to an old boss, Dave Egner. 24:49   “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” 29:36   Pam Concludes her ‘Top Three’ with entrepreneurs she’s helped like Clement Brown and       Nailah Ellis-Brown 31:46   Watching local businesses grow Segment 3: Your Virtual Table-Building for Diversity and Resiliency 36:57   Surround yourself with the right people to create a pattern of success 40:32   Creating incentives to secure businesses and employees 43:01   Helping underserved businesses 45:33   Developing business relationships in a hands-on environment 49:08   The power of non-traditional business relationships in the age of COVID-19 52:13   Building your virtual table vs. joining one Section 4: Wrapping Up 55:42   Closing thoughts: the power of writing down thoughts 59:50   Stay in touch with Pam via LinkedIn and Twitter!

In this episode, host Gregg Garrett discusses thinking big and how this skill enables leaders to compete in this ever-changing environment. He then speaks to Tom Chi, the founder of One Ventures. Tom is the former head of experience at Google X where he was responsible for creating the first Google car and Google glass. Tom speaks about zooming your perspective out as far as you can before making any decisions. Of course, you have to hear about his top three, which even includes people he doesn't get along with, and you have to hear what he has to say about understanding the world through verbs over nouns. About TOm CHi Tom Chi has worked in a wide range of roles from astrophysical researcher to Fortune 500 consultant to corporate executive developing new hardware/software products and services. He's play's a significant role in established projects with global reach (Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo Search), and scaled new projects from conception to significance (Yahoo Answers from 0 to 90 million users). Tom has pioneered and practiced a unique approach to rapid prototyping, visioning, and leadership that can jumpstart innovative new ideas as well as move large organizations at unprecedented speeds. These approaches have benefitted over a dozen industry-leading companies. He most recently served as head of product experience at Google X developing technology such as Google Glass and Google's self-driving cars. His current focus is working with social and environmental entrepreneurs around the globe, rebooting the fundamental frameworks of entrepreneurship itself, and coaching/teaching a limited number of values-aligned organizations & leaders. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 00:59   Seeing perspectives: the power of using systems 3:00      Taking a step back: always look for the bigger picture 4:00      Introducing Tom Chi 5:08      Tom’s Background Segment 2: The Top Three 09:54   Tom’s ‘Top Three’ begins with Buckminster Fuller 11:24   Looking at the bigger picture in Architecture 12:04   Tom’s ‘Top Three’ continues by expanding to anyone that inspires him 16:07   Studying the context is just as important as studying the topic 18:58   Modern thought process and the struggles to peel that away 21:22   Tom Concludes his ‘Top Three’ with anyone he disagrees with. Segment 3: Teaching Verbs not Nouns 23:34   Creating a world that fosters healthy relationships 24:33   People are obsessed with nouns and states. This needs to be the opposite. 25:31   Using verbs to compress key info on something 28:07   Survival of the fittest and how this embodies the usage of verbs vs nouns 30:21   Understanding the why and not the what 32:59   Static leaders vs active, involved ones 36:59   Using verbs instead of nouns to develop action statements 40:45   Leadership cannot be a bottleneck for decisions 42:40   Using the free market as an agent for change 44:23   Getting financial incentives aligned with environmental goals Section 4: Wrapping Up 48:05   Closing thoughts: change a system by pushing its current state to obsoletion 52:13   Stay in touch with Tom via LinkedIn and his website! Additional Information Contact: Tom’s LinkedIn Tom Chi’s Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, host Gregg Garrett discusses how digitalization is both the greatest equalizer and creator of incredible divide. He then speaks with Richard Hicks who leads a not-for-profit that looks to close the digital divide by bringing together senior IT leaders, investors, and the community. Of course Richard speaks about his top three – from his current leadership team, to his experienced industry board. And he even speaks about disconnecting to connect with his donkey named Fiona. And you have to hear what he has to say about recruiting for mission over skills. All this and more! About Richard Hicks Richard Hicks is the CEO & President of Inspiredu, as well as a transformational nonprofit leader and speaker committed to improving opportunities for children and helping families improve their socioeconomic status. In his 11+ years with Inspiredu, and in his previous roles, Richard has led teams, managed high-dollar projects, and developed growth and fundraising strategies. He has been instrumental in creating relationships and alliances with Fortune 500 companies and with the tech community. Richard has a BA in Information Systems and Communications from Georgia College & State University and serves on the Executive Advisory Board for ATP (Atlanta Technology Professionals) and Advisory Board for Lincoln Tech. In addition to his career at Inspiredu, Richard also enjoys volunteering with and supporting other service organizations like the Agape Family and Youth Center. He sees the focus on families and communities as pivotal in our ever-changing world. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 00:53   The power of digitalization 1:53      The great divide: how digitalization will empower some and divide others 4:56      Introducing Richard Hicks 6:51      Richard’s Background 7:46      Richard’s push to shrink the digital divide 09:54   Equitable access to technology training Segment 2: The Top Three 11:47   Richard’s ‘Top Three’ begins with his Leadership Team – Oneisha Freeman, Eddie Matano and Carmen Saladin who bring a strategic mission. 12:51   Connecting your teammates and telling your individual story 17:55   Recruiting for your dream team 21:10   The power of reverse mentorships 22:12   Your team makes you who you are 25:52   Richard’s ‘Top Three’ continues with his board, and specifically, Patrick Hiller. 29:05   Transversal skills in the Digital Age 33:21   Learning from Leaders in the non-profit space 37:29   Richard’s ‘Top Three’ concludes with the committee chairs and underserved members of the community that push him to do his best Segment 3: Closing the Digital Divide 38:30   Closing the digital divide in Atlanta 42:58   The problem is wealth based 43:25   Digital Divide: the Literacy Gap of the 21st century 44:51   Serving the needs of the community at the intersection of wealth management, education and community development 47:57   Evolving an organization in a time of crisis Section 4: Wrapping Up 51:00   Fiona the Donkey and escaping the daily commotion 53:05   Closing thoughts: reflect on the mistakes you made yesterday, but realize today is a new day 54:55   Stay in touch with Richard via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact: Richard’s LinkedIn Inspire Edu’s Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg touches on the importance of being able to play the long game. He then has one of his most insightful conversations yet, this time with a power couple. He speaks with Jane Finette and Pascal Finette. They speak about their storied careers that have led them through eBay, Mozilla, Google, and Singularity University, along with advising board executives to shape society. And of course, they each highlight their top three, which starts with one another and extends to professional friends and team members. And you have to hear their hints for having breakthrough moments and how women may be the secret to accelerating change. All this and more! About Jane and Pascal Finette Jane Finette, CEO & Co-Founder at be radical. Jane is obsessed with accelerating change at scale through conscious leadership. Her passion, expertise and two decades of experience are anchored at the intersection of technology and human potential. Jane’s past work includes leadership roles at eBay, Sotheby’s and Mozilla. She has founded and run large international teams, expanded organizations globally, built products, ran marketing departments and grown large scale open source communities. She was part of the founding team of jungle.com, the UK’s first large-scale Internet company. Jane is also the President and Founder of The Coaching Fellowship, a 501c3 non-profit which nurtures and brings together some of the world’s most extraordinary emerging young women leaders in social change. Pascal is Co-Founder at be radical, EY’s wavespace Advisory Board Chair, SingularityU’s Chair for Entrepreneurship & Open Innovation, VC at BOLD Capital Partners. Previously he held leadership positions at Google.org, Mozilla, and eBay, built technology startups, launched a Venture Capital firm. He is the posse leader at TheHeretic.org, and is a general upstart when it comes to creating meaningful change. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview & Introductions 1:00      Staying focused on the long term; eliminating white noise 2:49      Speed: one of the biggest elements that determines a transformation’s success 4:52      Introducing Pascal and Jane Finette 7:08      Jane Finette Introduction 8:56      Pascal Finette Introduction 11:20   Getting lucky in the dot com bubble Segment 2: The “Top Six” 16:48   Pascal’s ‘Top Three’ begins with his spouse, Jane Finette 17:50   Jane’s take: managing business and personal 20:41   Jane’s ‘Top Three’ beings with her spouse, Pascal Finette 22:35   Pascal’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Christian Müller 28:04   Jane’s ‘Top Three’ continues with Athena Katsaros 31:22   The power of coaching 33:33   Pascal’s ‘Top Three’ concludes with Daniel Epstein and Samantha Snabes 37:50   The value of inspiration in achieving your goals 39:31   Jane’s ‘Top Three’ concludes with her team at The Coaching Fellowship 42:52   Sharing your network with your partner Segment 3: Aligning Your Network with Your Values 45:31   Making your professional network more than just transactional 47:34   Helping women achieve more leadership positions 50:28   Leveraging their network to disrupt the executive education space Section 4: Wrapping Up 52:59   Teaching for good, not profit 55:43   Closing thoughts: Be curious in all aspects of life, even what doesn’t apply to you 58:54   Stay in touch with Jane and Pascal via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact: Jane Finette’s LinkedIn Pascal Finette’s LinkedIn The Coaching Fellowship Website Pascal Finette’s Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks with Jeb Hurley, Co-Founder & CEO, Xmetryx. They discuss the importance of attempting to live life with no regrets and about the importance of teams in making transformations a reality. And of course he speaks about his top three from his spouse and cofounder to two of his favorite mentors. And you have to hear what he has learned from the Israeli military and seal teams that has driven a lot of the theory of his transformation leadership. All this and more! About Jeb Hurley Dr. Jeb S. Hurley is the co-founder and CEO of Xmetryx, a behavioral science-based team relationship management platform. He is insatiably curious about why people, and especially leaders, do what they do, and passionate about using behavioral science to help organizations develop more conscious leaders. Jeb’s career journey began in sales and product management. Over the past 25 years he has held GM, VP and CEO roles at companies ranging from Fortune 100 to startups. He is the author of Team Relationship Management (2019) and The One Habit (2017), along with over 70 articles on the crafting exceptional teams. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 00:46   Live with no regrets. 3:06     Introducing Jeb Hurley- Living life with action and no regrets 5:18      Jeb’s Background Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:10      Jeb’s “Top Three” begins with his spouse, Elena Newton who is his muse, co-founder, and confidant. 10:54   Starting a company with your wife 14:08   Using software to help close the gaps in trust in Corporate Teams. 16:52   Separating personal and business relationships. 21:23   Jeb’s “Top Three” continues with Ryan Kuder and Kendra Dixon who were sounding boards and mentors during the startup process. 24:47   Characteristics of a good mentor. 27:59   Jeb’s “Top Three” continues with David Mandell who turns the concept into a narrative and a story that is impactful. 29:19   Helping CEOs and Founders through the early days. Segment 3: Transforming the Individual or the Organization 30:09   Transforming your message to get funding. 31:56   Developing your customer story. 35:40   Transforming your leadership style-common attributes of exceptional leaders. 37:22   Creating a transformational team. 41:57   New team structures-Hybrid teams. 43:05   Working with multi-time zoned teams: Eliminating communication friction. 48:18   Making sure unconscious biases don’t get in the way of your leadership. Section 4: Wrapping Up 49:29   Closing thoughts: making the work environment inclusive. 50:57   Stay in touch with Jeb via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact Jeb Hurley: LinkedIn Xmetryx Blog Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

In this episode, Gregg speaks with Sangy Vatsa, a highly regarded transformation leader with significant experience in being a chief technology officer and chief information officer for fortune-level companies. Sangy, the EVP, Chief Technology & Digital Officer at FIS, discusses how he establishes a pattern of rapidly learning the specifics of business models and the disruptive forces taking place in industry, and then applies them to build deep relationships with the heads of business units to earn a seat at their table. And of course, he speaks about his top three, that range from business unit partners to direct report teams to future leaders who reverse mentor him to broad group of peers that he's had a hand in formalizing into an industry board. And you have to hear what he has to say about co-creating bold visions. All this and more! About sangy vatsa Mr. Sangy Vatsa is the EVP, Chief Technology and Digital Officer of FIS Global. As a seasoned Chief Information, Technology and Digital Officer with a track record of accelerating growth and maximizing value, Vatsa has delivered such value in progressive leadership roles at Fortune companies like American Express, Ford Motor Company and Comerica Bank. He is currently responsible for digital transformation at FIS Global.   Prior to joining FIS Global, Vatsa served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Comerica Bank. He joined the Bank in 2016 and was responsible for all of digital technology, technology operations, cybersecurity, enterprise data office, business continuity and technology risk management at the Bank.    Prior to joining Comerica Bank, Vatsa served as the Chief Information Officer for global customer service, credit, collections and payments issuance at The American Express Company. Since joining American Express in 2006, he served in leadership roles for IT strategy, architecture and innovation, enterprise shared services, global business travel and corporate payments digital capabilities. Prior to American Express, he spent 13 years at Ford Motor Company (and Ford Financial Services) in various progressive leadership, architecture and technology delivery roles.   Vatsa earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.  He also holds a Master of Computer and Information Systems degree and a Bachelor of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering degree. Vatsa is actively engaged in the industry, both with technology companies and with non-profit companies.   Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:09      Midwestern grit 3:58      Introducing Sangy Vatsa 6:37      Sangy’s Background 9:37     Tri-model Digital Leadership 12:09   Being an effective leader in all environments Segment 2: The “Top Three” 13:52   Lots of leaders have impacted Sangy. It’s hard to pick the top 3 so he lists 3 of many that have impacted him. 16:30   Sangy’s “Top Three”: Jim Bush - really think big and deliver big. 17:32   Sangy’s “Top Three”: Marcy Klevorn - just simply believed in you. 20:14   Sangy’s “Top Three”: Ash Gupta – making time to mentor not only Sangy but his children.    Segment 3: Product Co-Creation Model 22:47   Introducing the product Co-Creation model. 26:24   Using the methodology to bring decisiveness to your product development journey. 28:47   Ian Hogan- Working Sangy to help Comerica develop digitalized customer experience . Segment 4: Who is an Advisor? 29:58   Millennial Roundtables. 31:37   Expanding the definition- who can be an advisor? 32:35   Reaching out- creating programs to educate young professionals. 33:32   Looking for other ways to connect with new groups of people . 36:08   Helping Detroit become a digital hub; expanding on the Silicon Lakes philosophy. Section 5: Wrapping Up 40:08   What to focus on for your business in the Pandemic. 42:31   Continuing to push Digital a focus. 44:13   One thing you can do tomorrow to be a better leader. 46:16   Stay in touch with Sangy via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact Sangy Vatsa: Sangy’s LinkedIn FIS Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

Gregg Garrett, explores the power of borrowing startup concepts and applying them to established enterprise innovation programs. He then speaks with Fred Soller, a leader who crossed over from a successful enterprise executive to scaling a startup, Data Oceans, through leadership. Fred shares how this switch has allowed him to make a more significant impact on the world. And of course, he speaks about his top three from the higher power above to the founders of the firm to community members who let him recharge his batteries and adjust his bearings. All this and more! About Fred Soller Fred Soller has over 25 years of Sales, and Sales Management experience in High Technology.  He has been a catalyst for successful Marketing and Business Development initiatives, including building and reorganizing organizations for sustained growth. He currently serves as the Chief Revenue Officer for DataOceans, a leader in the Customer Communications Management (CCM) industry, where he is responsible for overseeing all revenue generating functions.  He has been instrumental in shaping the go-to-market planning and execution, and leading a rebrand marketing strategy. Previous to joining DataOceans, Fred held several global Sales and Leadership positions within Enterprise Technology providers including Intradiem, Oracle, and most recently at SAP, where he served as the Head of the Customer Experience Line of Business in the Mid-Market, overseeing multiple years of triple digit growth year over year.  Additionally, he was instrumental in delivering new highs in Leadership Trust, Employee Engagement, and Business Health Culture Index to the business, which led to the organization being recognized as a Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For recipient. Fred earned an Accounting degree from Clemson University, and currently lives in Roswell, Georgia with his wife Kimberly, and daughters, Ashlynd and Austin.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Kyle Pease Foundation, and is actively involved in the community as a youth sports coach and volunteer work with Camp Sunshine, High Tech Ministries and his church.  An avid sports fan, he travels often to see the Clemson Tigers play football and has completed over 19 Half and Full Ironman Distance events Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:47      The power of exchanging ideas & having a good team. 6:22      Communication is key between innovation units and other parts of the firm. 7:59      Fred Soller introduction. 10:02   Turing down the University of Michigan; an opportunity to reinvent yourself. 14:12   Recognizing a tipping point in your business. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 16:48   Fred’s “Top Three” starts with his faith in God. He discusses his mission to live his “life walking with God.” 17:33   Fred then lists his wife as the second “Top 3.” Fred’s wife pushes him to be the best person he can be; she helps him evolve to be the best version of himself.   19:10   Your wife as your gut check; Fred’s wife is supportive but challenges him to make the best decisions. 20:00   Fred’s rounds out his “Top Three” with his dad. While he wasn’t super close to him growing up, his charisma and guidance gave Fred the direction to be the best person he can be. 23:06   Expanding beyond the Top Three: Ed Littleton. Segment 3: Avoiding Judge-mentation 26:26   Controlling your narrative; avoiding social media for your own health. Not judging others on what their social media says about them. 27:17   The power of having “safe zones” away from the judgement of modern society. 29:33   Taking time to meet people face to face. Segment 4: Life-long work 30:17   Building a company is like running a marathon. 34:39   What does Data Ocean do? 38:02   Getting involved philanthropically. 40:39   Dangers of holding on too tight. 45:42   Surrounding with good people for the long haul. 52:30   Looking for ways to continually improve yourself. 57:06   Being resilient in the face of a pandemic. Section 5: Wrapping Up 58:52   Having a plan A, B, and C 1:00:34 Stay in touch via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact Sean Killian: Fred’s LinkedIn Data Oceans Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

Gregg Garrett, discusses how transforming an organization is a lot like baking a cake. Gregg then speaks with Sean Killian, President North America, Atos Medical. Sean shares insights he has gained as a global citizen and observations he has made as he pivoted his career from industry to industry. Of course, he speaks about his top three who include mentors who taught him to bring structure to unstructured situations, inspirational leaders in the world of sports, and day-to-day confidants who help him scale. And you have to hear what he has to say about what it’s like to become the president of a company in the midst of a pandemic. About Sean Killian Sean serves as President of North America for Atos Medical, a PAI-portfolio healthcare company that serves customers in the laryngectomy space. Prior to joining Atos earlier this year, he was on the executive team of Performance Health, a portfolio company of Chicago-based Madison Dearborn Partners, where he was VP of Global Strategy and GM of Specialty Products. Previously, Sean was Global Head of M&A Strategy at Mondelez International and, prior to that, a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group in its Chicago office. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:07      Why do over 70% of transformations fail? 3:01      Transformation is like baking a cake. 6:52      Sean Killian: His journey began with journalism and consulting that led him around the world and back to his current role in the medica. industry. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 14:06   Sean’s “Top Three” beings with mentors who give perspective on the tools you need, connecting it to where you are today as an individual on a development curve, and playing a role model 16:39   Weighing mentor quality vs boss quality. 18:02   Hints for leaders: Be structured. Get into the 80/20 – what really matters. Have a plan and execute that plan. 20:47   Sean’s “Top Three” expands with a speakers, personalities, and leaders in the world of sports, such as Jim Valvano & Brian Kelly from whom he can gain life advice. 23:05   There aren’t lines between the workplace and personal life; it just is. 26:12   Modeling for your team that it is okay to make a mistake is really important. 28:28   Sean’s “Top Three” concludes with day-to-day confidants who help him scale including Mauricio Atry. Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 33:57   Accepting the President role during the pandemic. 40:00   The realities of what ‘after’ the pandemic looks like. 45:15   Blurring the lines: what is the role of a business in providing a social output for people? 49:09   “What matters is how you are trying to evolve the organization.” 53:06   Atos Medical: Passionate to make life easier for people who breathe through a stoma. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 58:39   Use an extensive filing system for emails. 1:00:34 Stay in touch via LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact Sean Killian: Sean’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Ted Serbinski, managing director at Techstars, about the power of pivoting and how it is needed for startups as well as enterprises trying to innovate. He discusses a wide array of topics from becoming a mobility industry luminary to investing in nearly 100 companies to being a xennial and the importance of being a sponge. Ted of course shares his Top Three who include member of the Foundry Group to fellow alumnus who help him stretch his thesis to all the founders in whom he has invested to make mentoring a two-way street. And you have to hear what he has to say about how mobility may be more about what is not moving, rather than what is, especially in a post-COVID world. About Ted Serbinski Ted Serbinski is a venture capitalist and managing director of TechStars with 70 global startup investments across mobility, automotive, logistics, manufacturing, fintech and AI/ML. He focuses on helping entrepreneurs succeed through mentorship and investment and seeks to establish lifelong relationships with the founders he backs. Ted holds a degree in computer engineering from Cornell University and is a dad to four energetic kids. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:10      “Pivot! Pivot!”: The criticality of change and importance of being brave to achieve it 4:18      Ted Serbinski: His journey began as a coder and has led him across the country to becoming an investor 5:30      Ted’s Mission: “Changing people’s perception of what’s possible” 9:24      Being Brave: A cold email to Dan Gilbert brought him to Michigan and began his venture career 11:53   Success breeding success: “Spreadsheets don’t create, they measure.” Segment 2: The “Top Three” 15:10   Be a sponge: Soak up everything you hear and see around you 16:46   Ted’s “Top Three” starts with Jason Mendelson who challenged his perception of what’s possible being a VC 18:33   A pattern develops: Sending the cold email, making the cold call 22:57   Ted’s “Top Three” expands with Gretchen Knoell, a fellow Cornell alum, who has great experience and provides great wisdom 24:43   Investment Thesis Challenge: “It’s all about make and move” … and what else? 27:12   Ted’s “Top Three” concludes with the group of founders he has invested in due to the depth of knowledge they provide 30:03   Relationship Lens: “Investing in founders is a lifetime commitment” Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 37:34   Disruption: It’s all about timing and people’s ability to change 40:04   Are innovators seeing the silver lining in this post-COVID market? 41:50   “Building a startup is a lot like a game of chess” 44:48   Pivoting: Where are auto and mobility going? 46:58   “What is mobility?” Ted’s blog on Detroit becoming the Mobility City 51:00   Futurists look at the consumption market and far outside the industry 52:48   Mobility Spectrum: “Not moving is moving too.” 55:54   Drawing Parallels: Being a Xennial and Mobility Segment 4: Wrapping Up 58:55   Ted’s Journey: “Being open to [almost] anything” 1:01:02             Copious Note Taker: What’s the process? 1:04:01             Meditate: “It is a way to defrag your brain” 1:06:36             How to stay in contact with Ted Additional Information Contact Ted Serbinski: Ted’s Email Ted’s LinkedIn Ted’s Twitter Ted’s Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Sean Kramer, CIO at SiteOne Landscape Supply about recognizing opportunity while it is still happening. He discusses his career journey that has taken him from a mid-level IT leader to CIO through 25+ acquisitions and a move from private company to IPO. Of course he speaks about his Top Three who have helped him along this journey including his spouse, private equity advisor who helped him grow from industry to industry, and CEO and business unit leads who have taught him how to lead beyond his function. And you have to hear what he has to say about getting out of technology to drive communication in leadership. About Sean Kramer Sean Kramer is a senior executive who leads digital transformation through innovative technologies and data analytics and is personally invested in translating business demands into supportable and strategic IT solutions. In his current role as Chief Information Officer at SiteOne Landscape Supply, he has the opportunity to define the IT vision and strategy as well as to lead large, multi-functional teams through implementation. What he enjoys most is leveraging versatile knowledge and experience across Information Technology, Finance, Business Intelligence, Data Analytics, E-Commerce, Digital Marketing, HR and Operations to transform and deliver business results. He is also deeply involved in the industry and earned Georgia’s CIO of the Year ORBIE Award in 2018 as well as the ATP Leadership Award in 2017. Additionally, he serves on several industry boards as well as the Advisory Board for Inspiredu of Atlanta, a national education nonprofit that strengthens the triangle of learning relationships between students, teachers, and families to ensure every child excels. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:03      The Story Arch: purpose to drive or effect change 2:35      “Another thing that has an arch or narrative to it is a career journey” 4:16      Sean Kramer: cool, calm, calculated and the guy who is always looking ahead Segment 2: The “Top Three” 5:50      Sean’s story began in automotive and landed in green industry 9:00      A story arch that included a shift from stabilization to a digital strategy roadmap 13:25   Sean’s “Top Three” begins with his wife, Brandy Kramer, who helped him be brave, courageous and bold in the decision making process of moving industries 16:49   Sean’s “Top Three” continues with his ‘influencer’, John Seral, who sold the role and set expectations as well as served as catalyst to building relationships 25:07   Sean’s “Top Three” also includes his boss, Doug Black, who emphasizes keeping the mission in the forefront and following Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People   36:35   Sean reflects on needing to pause energy on various technologies to focus on stability  40:32  Sean’s “Top Three” rounds out with, Matt Hart who’s an excellent leader of people and encourages him to “be bold” Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 45:22   Technology: How is it impacting the green industry? 48:33   A focus on e-commerce enhanced due to current events Segment 4: Wrapping Up 49:58   Communication: Key to being a better, braver leader 51:55   How to connect with Sean Additional Information Contact Sean Kramer: Sean’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks about how creating connected products may blur the boundaries of manufacturing and aftermarket service. He then speaks with Jerry Foster, CTO at Plex Systems. Jerry, an expert in Industry 4.0, shares how he bravely launched an information technology company from the gritty floor of a foundry. He then discusses how the manufacturing sector is dealing with COVID-19 and gives hints on how manufacturers are redefining their supply chains in real time. Jerry shares his Top Three ranging from his wife to his cofounder to the CFO of his current team. And you have to hear what he has to say about building confidence by surrounding yourself with people smarter than you.    About Jerry Foster Jerry Foster is CTO and leads Plex System’s technology strategy, along with research and design initiatives focused on next-generation cloud solutions for the manufacturing enterprise. A founding member of the Plex team, Jerry has been instrumental in the entire evolution of Plex, overseeing the technical transitions in each phase of our growth. Jerry earned his degree in computer science at Liberty University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:09      Industry 4.0 – the movement toward the digitalization of manufacturing (the Fourth Industrial Revolution). 4:34      Industry 4.0 isn’t just within four walls – it extends to supply chains, retail and beyond. 5:25      Ask yourself: “What is manufacturing in the future?” 7:03      Jerry Foster: An Industry 4.0 expert and a history in the manufacturing space. 10:55   Plex System: Connect with the future of smart manufacturing (ERP solutions) Segment 2: The “Top Three” 14:44   Jerry’s “Top Three” beings with his wife, Angie, who is empathetic, compassionate, sacrificial and brave. 17:42   Keeping the focus on empathy. 23: 44  Jerry’s “Top Three” continues with Rob Beatty who was a true leader with intelligence, leadership, wisdom and fairness. 25:33   Best leadership advice:  “Lead with your heart, lead with honor and don’t fear the lawyers.” 30:26   Rarely argue. Instead, ask: What do we need to do to get this fixed? 36:19   Jerry’s “Top Three” continues with Don Clarke who teaches the balance between customer-centricity and representing the value you are providing. 40:42   Jerry’s “Top Three” concludes with Drew Flint who is a best friend. Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 41:41   Real-time monitoring of the impact of COVID-19. 46:40   The early payoffs of Industry 4.0 and being in the cloud. 51:00   Disruption is occurring globally and across all industries. 52:29   Advice for transformations: “You have to solve real problems. There has to be a business driver involved.” 54:08   Why people push back on transformation. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 56:24   Advice for leaders: “Surround yourself with, and hire people who are, smarter than you.” 59:47   Check out Plex and the recent ‘5th Annual State of Manufacturing Technology Report’. Additional Information Contact Jerry Foster: Jerry’s Email Jerry’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Paul Chambers, a multi-time founder who has launched the Subscription Trade Association, about the rising growth in the subscription economy and accompanying business models. He discusses how the Subscription Trade Association has brought together subscription based business leaders from across many industries. He also shares his Top Three ranging from his multi-time co-founder who helps bring his ideas to reality to an amusement park line-jumping friend who has helped him better understand the events industry to his business coach. And you have to hear what he has to say about taking the time to truly disconnect, in order to connect. About Paul Chambers An entrepreneur since fifth grade, Paul Chambers is the President and Co-Founder of the Subscription Trade Association (SUBTA) and CEO and Founder of Core3 Solutions, a parent company to Element5 Digital, Gentleman’s Box, Rocket Effect, Moka Boka, and Unity Management System. Paul has extensive expertise in the subscription economy and digital marketing, dating back more than two decades, and he has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as a 20 in Their 20’s. In his spare time, Paul is a firefighter in the City of Troy and loves to spent time with the world’s most amazing wife, twin daughters, and two sons. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:04      “Trying to become frictionless is really the key” 3:36      Reshaping the value chain: Differentiators in the subscription industry 7:14      Paul Chambers: An entrepreneur from an early age who became a subscription expert Segment 2: The “Top Three” 11:45   “Surround yourself with people smarter than you.” 12:35   Paul’s “Top Three” begins with his business partner, Christopher George, who is his yin to the yang   17:57   As the visionary: “My greatness weakness is underestimating the amount of effort it takes.” 20:00   The birth of the Subscription Trade Association   23:17   Paul’s “Top Three” grows with Ben Jones who makes a living by jumping lines at Cedar Point but events background has become extremely helpful 29:55   Transforming business models: An exciting time to be in the subscription industry 32:09   Paul’s “Top Three” continues with Dr. Fradi Baradihi, who is a great mentor and supporter 34:28   A lesson never forgotten from a business coach 37:31   Paul’s “Top Three” concludes with a few honorable mentions including his brother, Chris Chambers, who is never afraid to tell him like it is 41:53   “Pick a channel”: Keeping boundaries around home life and work life Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 43:14   Gentleman’s Box response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Bowties at home? 47:55   Connected World: Is it impacting trends in the subscription industry? 52:39   Upcoming Virtual Events: “We have to find ways to bring the community together to help people” 55:50   Sharing data across the subscription industry? Segment 4: Wrapping Up 59:08   Stay in touch with Paul 59:52   A hack for managing multiple outlets and to be a better, braver leader Additional Information Contact Paul Chambers: Paul’s Email Paul’s LinkedIn Paul’s Twitter Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks first about the unique nature of building connections during the COVID-19 quarantine. He then interviews middle-school teacher turned CEO Chanel Hampton, founder and president of Strategic Community Partners, who has a fantastic message about following your passion. She shares her Top Three ranging from the founder of Build-a-Bear to an ambassador of Belize to an executive coach who holds her accountable. And you have to hear what she has to say about dealing with that pit in your stomach. About Chanel Hampton Chanel Hampton serves as the Founder and President of Strategic Community Partners (SCP), a Detroit-based firm focused on working with local and national organizations rooted in education, equity, and justice. In 2015, Chanel launched SCP with a vision of partnering with mission-driven organizations to build capacity and positively serve Black and marginalized communities. SCP works with a robust array of partners, including Detroit Public Schools Community District, The Skillman Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Washington, D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education, WEPOWER St. Louis, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, The Obama Foundation and numerous other community-based organizations and leaders. SCP also operates a community center and the first co-working space in Detroit’s legacy-rich Fitzgerald neighborhood. Prior to founding SCP, Chanel began her career as a middle school teacher, where her passion for larger systemic change in the education system grew. Particularly moved by the need for diverse teacher talent and organizations with the right motivations and mindsets working in communities, Chanel began her work with administration and later joined Teach for America’s National Recruitment Team. Founding and leading national diversity initiatives, Chanel served as a national recruitment team leaders and also worked with the organization’s 52 regions as a strategic advisor and partner – resulting in unprecedented community engagement, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and progress with communities across the country. Chanel also led several additional organization-wide initiatives and partnerships, including the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. During her career, Chanel has also served as a central office executive in public school systems, including Detroit Public Schools; and worked with the Michigan Department of Education to ensure equitable practices for all districts across the state. Chanel holds a bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies, Psychology, and Sociocultural Anthropology. She also has two master’s degrees in Secondary Education and Education Administration. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership. Chanel’s lifelong passions for Detroit, justice, education, and equity drive her personally and professionally and motivate her to continue, as well as expand. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:03      The importance of your “Quarantine Crew”: focus on your present and be OK with it 3:27      Chanel Hampton: A lifelong educator who began as a middle school teacher and is now a CEO 4:42      Strategic Community Partners (SCP): Cultivated from a quick-growing passion for teacher diversity and realizing a need for strategy and community to work hand-in-hand 10:38   Drawing Parallels: Taking a corporate/ operations lens to the work of SCP Segment 2: The “Top Three” 13:08   Chanel’s “Top Three” begins with Maxine Clark who became her first mentor in St. Louis and believed in Chanel when she didn’t believe in herself 20:17   Simple but important lesson: Send the follow-up message 21:38   Chanel’s “Top Three” grows with Ambassador Shabazz whose brilliance and ability to coach without noticing you’re being coached has pushed her through tough love 28:42   “Coming home is hard”: The key is making shifts and realizations in life to make it a positive transition 31:50   Chanel’s “Top Three” continues with Priscilla Archangel whose coaching helped bridge gaps and make tough decisions to take SCP to the next level 37:30   Coach vs. Mentor: A big difference in being held accountable 38:24   Chanel’s “Top Three” concludes with individuals in her “Quarantine Club” (Dr. Robert Simmons, Laura Khalil, Adam Layne, Anthony Smith, Charli Cooksey, Michelle Moss, Mel Mills, Mike Walters, Racheal Allen, Janet Dickerson, and Richard Grundy) whom she is grateful for during these unprecedented times Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 43:00   Opportunity from Challenges: Two specific examples outlined by Chanel 45:30   The future of Education: “Are we bringing the right community together?” 48:23   Hints/ Areas of Focus for Community Leaders: Making sure we don’t forget 51:00   SCP Incubator: What is it and how do you learn more? Segment 4: Wrapping Up 54:53   Upcoming SCP Event: Culture for Change 56:00   How to stay in contact with Chanel 56:30   How to be a better leader? “Deal with that one thing” Additional Information Contact Chanel Hampton: Chanel’s LinkedIn Chanel’s Instagram Chanel’s Twitter Chanel’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks about finding your drive. He speaks with Jack Lintol, a multi-time CEO who is currently with Detroit Trading Company. Jack shares the importance of how leadership differs during disruption and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can be part of your system. And, of course, he speaks about his ‘Top 3’ – from his wife, to fellow CEOs, to trusted colleagues who have run the plays with him in the past, and ultimately to his faith and the father figures who speak with him from afar. And you have to hear what he has to say about knowing when it is right to look in the mirror or when to look through the window. About Jack Lintol Jack Lintol possesses more than 25 years of senior leadership experience. His success in growing, optimizing and turning around companies is attributable to his ability to develop, articulate and execute a clear strategy, build an effective team and engage / motivate all constituents necessary to achieve the objectives. Jack's leadership is characterized by his compelling and inclusive interpersonal skills, inspiring values and a strong talent orientation. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:01      Motivation is key – starting with the why. 3:00      Transformations often fail because of motivational ambiguity. 5:12      Jack Lintol – a successful history and the importance of giving people everything you can.   12:37   Detroit Trading Company: We Bring Car Shoppers and Dealers Together. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 16:00   Jack’s “Top Three” begins with faith – God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – that guides through the most complex and difficult decisions. 18:30   The growth and evolution of spirituality. 22:24   Believing in something greater than yourself is so critical. 25:01   Jack’s “Top Three” continues with his wife who is his moral compass. 26:46   Jack’s “Top Three” grows with a group of people who can provide him with subject matter views, including: Mark Green, John Hern, Dan Minkus. 30:32   The Foundational Operating Process. 36:47   Jack’s “Top Three” concludes with a Tom Dutch who was a father figure and guide. 39:20   Leaders grow during adversity. Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 43:15   The silver lining to the pandemic – get through and get strong. 49:04   “Consumers have been trained...so they want a different experience.” 53:03   How connected and technology are impacting the industry. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 57:23   “When things are going wrong, look in the mirror. When things are going right, look through the window.” 58:22   “It takes a conscious effort to go positive.” 59:13   Stay in touch: jack@detroittrading.com Additional Information Contact Jack Lintol Jack’s LinkedIn Jack’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Samantha Snabes, co-founder and catalyst at re:3D about resiliency through disruption. She shares firsthand experience of driving resiliency through major disruptions like COVID-19 as well as several natural disasters. She also discusses how she motivates her team to shape the future of manufacturing through 3D printing and using it to change the landscape across the world. Additionally, she notes her Top Three who include her amazing NASA based co-founder and two moon-shot advisors: one who is the chair of Singularity University and one who founded GoogleX. And you must hear what she has to say about helping the world make new stuff from trash. About Samantha Snabes Samantha Snabes is an officer in the Air National Guard and the CEO for re:3D where she facilitates connections between others printing at the human-scale and/or using recycled materials to access locally driven manufacturing in 53 countries. As a serial entrepreneur, she currently volunteers as the Global Chair of the IEEE Entrepreneurship Steering Committee. Previously, she served as the Social Entrepreneur in Residence for the NASA HQ and Deputy Strategist supporting the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Directorate after selling a start-up for a DARPA-funded, co-patented tissue culture device. Samantha holds a BS in Biology, BA degrees in International Relations & Hispanic Studies, a MBA with concentrations in Supply Chain Management & International Relations, and certifications as a firefighter & EMT-B. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:04      Is it really about “resiliency” or rather building capabilities and finding bravery to move forward into the unknown? 2:07      Samantha Snabes’ ability to standout, command attention, and disrupt her industry Segment 2: The “Top Three” 4:48      Samantha understands disruptions in supply chains and is a leader in manufacturing and 3D printing 8:02      Samantha’s “Top Three” starts with Matthew Fiedler whose influence and genius helped shape her view, and ability to positively impact the world 11:43   “What we love about 3D printing… it appears to be gender agnostic… and more about what they make” 14:30   “We had to think about our role…it was a real test as things were extremely tight, we were making tough calls… to still try to do R&D and trying to keep offices viable.” 16:35   Hints for finding and selecting the right co-founder for you 21:40   Innovation from disruption: The silver lining from disasters 28:40   Samantha’s “Top Three” also includes her re:3D advisors, Pascal Finette and Tom Chi 31:27   Realizing the need for advisors to hold the team accountable, serve as sounding board   Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 37:22   Manufacturing: Is there starting to be a macro shift in the industry? 41:07   Working through another disruption: COVID-19s impact on the 3D printing industry 44:17   A glimmer of hope and what the future will look like Segment 4: Wrapping Up 46:06   A partnership with Impact Hub and Impact Hub Houston to donate PPE to frontline and essential community members 49:05   Never be afraid to ask too many questions, even the dumb ones, to be a better leader Additional Information Contact Samantha: Samantha Snabes’ LinkedIn Samantha Snabes’ Twitter Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Kevin Withane, senior legal and ethics director at TI Fluid Systems. As a global citizen, he discusses some of the difficult realities of ethics, diversity, and the current social unrest tied to race. Kevin also shares his Top Three that includes his wife who helped him find his professional purpose to his father who taught him to never give up to his colleague who let him into the system. And you have to hear what he is trying to do to change the world for his daughter.  About Kevin Withane Kevin Withane is a purpose led senior in-house lawyer and ethics and compliance professional. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in the United Kingdom in 2002 and later dual-qualified as a solicitor. For the last 10 years, Kevin’s work has had an increasing focus towards ethics and compliance. Kevin’s career has spanned a charity, a quasi-governmental organisation, a regulator, private practice, SMEs and now a FTSE 250 multinational company. From the UK, he has worked and lived in Europe, China, Hong Kong, Russia and now, Michigan, USA. Kevin’s purpose is to use his skills and knowledge to help others make a positive impact on the world. He is passionate about helping build positive work cultures with strong climates of integrity, and supporting companies to become truly diverse and inclusive.   Kevin will launch his first podcast, “Cocktail Leadership” in July 2020. The podcast will be a platform for Kevin and his guests to share ideas around human leadership and purpose, as well as talk cocktails, with the hope to inform and inspire current and future leaders on the changing environment of leadership. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:58      A conversation Gregg is scared to have  4:37     Kevin Withane is “not just talking… he is trying to motivate and do” Segment 2: The “Top Three” 5:51      Kevin’s path to becoming a global citizen 9:03      Focusing on diversity and inclusion to make the world better, especially for his daughter 11:58   Kevin’s “Top Three” begins with his wife, Claire, who keeps him grounded & helped him realize why he wanted to become a lawyer in the first place 14:20   “My purpose is to help other people make positive impact on the world” 17:24   Kevin’s “Top Three” continues with his father who provides him wisdom and serves as a sounding board 20:04   “Has the meaning of we don’t give up changed over time?” 23:04   Human Leadership: Hints for leaders on managing a team’s home life within the workplace 26:29   Does diversity impact how people interrupt a phrase like ‘we don’t give up’? 34:20   Kevin’s “Top Three” concludes with David Ludlow who “let him in” 37:41   “Let’s make sure I’ve given you some doors to open, it’s up to you to go through them” Segment 3: Transformation & Disruption 42:44   Kevin is offering pro-bono work to help organizations build/ develop and revamp diversity and inclusion programs 44:21   “This isn’t about making money… I want things in the world to be better” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 45:52   How to contact Kevin to continue this honest conversation Additional Information Contact Kevin Withane: Kevin’s Email Kevin’s LinkedIn Kevin’s Twitter Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jennifer Charters, executive vice president and CIO at Flagstar Bank. She discusses how leaders can use the power of storytelling to drive clarity of purpose and consistency of transformation. Jennifer also shares how she has honed this superpower as a chief-of-staff to a global executive before embracing this same method to take on her own corporate officer role. She shares her Top Three including her spouse who creates a safe-zone to question the right way of doing things to bosses who help mold her perspective to current colleagues who give her the space to truly move her organization from good to great and to her fellow Women in Technology who, with her, continue to shape the landscape for women in the IT profession. Lastly, you must hear what she has to say about building intentional habits. About Jennifer Charters Jennifer Charters joined Flagstar Bank in June 2018 as executive vice president and chief information officer. In her new position, she is responsible for providing overall executive leadership and strategic direction for the IT organization, including the successful delivery of technology initiatives and management of IT operations. Previously, she was chief information officer, Corporate Technology, at Ally Financial. She is an experienced professional with 24 years of experience in IT financial services and telecommunications. She serves as vice president of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:18      Influential leadership vs. control leadership 8:18      Jennifer Charters’ career and the positive impact of successful storytelling Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:20     Charters reflects on the impact being able to play and explore from an early age played on her career 15:54   “What do I want to do for the next 12 years?” 16:49   “Not wanting to close too many doors too quickly” 19:38   Charters’ “Top Three” starters with her husband Jim Charters who serves as an understanding, sounding board for problem solving 22:43   Charters’ “Top Three” builds with the former leaders she has worked for including Cheryl Railey who highlighted the importance of relationships and managing up 27:40   Charters’ “Top Three” continues with Michael Baresich who emphasized the impact successful storytelling can have on strategy and purpose 34:40   Charters’ “Top Three” expands with current leaders she works with including Alessandro DiNello who challenged her to see technology as an enabler to the business model 39:37   Charters’ “Top Three” also includes Lee Smith who gives her freedom and has established trust for her to do what she needs to successfully execute the technology 45:02   Charters’ “Top Three” conclude with Jane Sydlowski and John Bonapace who brought her into the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Segment 3: Impact of Technology and Lessons Learned from the Financial Services Industry 49:28   “What advice do you give to leaders to get closer to the mindset of industry service with technology serving as an enabler?” 51:02   “If you don’t feel like you’re continuing to learn… grow and like the organization is not continuing to invest in you, you might want to think about if you’re in the right place.” 52:10   Today’s increase in technology acceleration Segment 4: Wrapping Up 53:34   Building the right habits to be a better, braver leader 55:56   How to stay in contact with Jennifer Additional Information Contact Jennifer Charters: Jennifer’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Roy Sexton, director of marketing at Clark Hill. He discusses the changing landscape of the legal industry and provides hints on how to deploy effective digital marketing efforts as well as how to breakdown barriers through social media. Additionally, he shares his Top Three including an author he learned to call “mom” who taught him all about empathy, his ‘fairy God sisters’ who took him under their wings and broke down a scary new industry, and his Braveheart-like Irish boss who balances understanding what makes him tick with pushing him to learn how to manage and lead. And you must hear what he has to say about looking for the naturally worn paths before pouring the concrete for sidewalks in your organization. About Roy SExton Roy Sexton leads Clark Hill’s marketing, branding, and communications efforts, collaborating with the firm’s exceptional team of marketing and business development professionals. Roy has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, business development, and strategic planning, having worked at Deloitte Consulting, Oakwood Healthcare (now Beaumont), Trott Law (formerly Trott & Trott), St. Joseph Mercy Health System, and Kerr Russell, PLC. He has been heavily involved regionally and nationally in the Legal Marketing Association as a board member, content expert, and presenter. He is treasurer-elect currently for the Legal Marketing Association’s Midwest Regional Board of Directors. Roy was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Unsung Legal Hero” in 2018. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College, and holds two masters degrees: an MA in theatre from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit and Leadership A2Y, was a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth, and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012. He served as an at-large member of LMA’s Midwest Regional Board, served on the advisory committee for Strategic Magazine, and was a member of the Social Media SIG steering group. He has been involved on the following nonprofit boards and committees: First Step, Michigan Quality Control, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. He currently sits on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor, Royal Starr Film Festival, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, and encoremichigan.com. He is a published author with two books Reel Roy Reviews, Volumes 1 and 2. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:22      “Be a true leader by seeking the common bonds that bring people together first, then celebrate the differences to make that even better.” 2:16      Roy Sexton has a real unique view on the world of marketing Segment 2: The “Top Three” 3:02     Sexton celebrates the path and experiences that lead to his current role at Clark Hill 6:28      “I didn’t set out to be a marketer” 7:54      Sexton’s “Top Three” begins with his mother (Susie Duncan Sexton) who taught him to lead with empathy, thoughtfulness, honesty and candor 10:41   Sexton’s “Top Three” continues with Nancy Myrland and a whole group of ‘fairy God sisters’ who positively impacted his legal marketing journey 14:30   Meeting people first through social media can help breakdown barriers to establish rapport and ease face-to-face interactions 17:05   Sexton’s “Top Three” concludes with Susan Ahern sees who he is and finds ways to celebrate who he is Segment 3: Impact of Disruption & Technology on the Legal Industry 21:50   Drawing similarities from various industries to prepare for the future 23:32   Legal needs to remember it’s not in the brick and mortar business, but rather the law firm business 26:24   Two types of strategic change to come for the legal industry 30:04   The current law firm model does not incentivize collaboration, cross pollination or industry solution 31:05   The transformation strategy that will work for the legal industry 33:07   The role of dominant logic inertia to impact change and willingness to change              37:30   “Enrich your life with other people and you’ll be surprised by what you learn” 37:44   “Maybe the variance is actually where your business is going” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 38:53   A simple hack on social media for being a better leader   40:42   How to stay in contact with Roy          Additional Information Contact Roy Sexton: Roy’s LinkedIn Roy’s Twitter Roy’s Facebook Roy’s email Roy’s blog Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Andre Arbelaez about the connective power of race and ethnicity. We learn how some ethnic groups support one another with lessons that will help any group of people perform better. Andre is the founder of HITEC and HC3 – a Hispanic, technology executive group. Andre speaks about the significant leaders who have helped him to become the humble cheerleader he is today. From executives at Facebook, Cisco, and HP to mobility experts with whom he grew up with, Andre documents lessons through the stories that help bring them alive. And you have to hear what he has to say about the responsibilities that leaders have to both push up and pull up other leaders.   About Andre Arbelaez Andre Arbelaez is a Global Technology Executive and a Leader in the Hispanic community nationally as the President & CEO of the Hispanic C-Suite Corporate Council (HC3).  He is a frequently sought speaker on Technology, Diversity & Inclusion and Smart Cities topics and has spoken at events from the White House to the United Nations Headquarters. Professionally, Andre has had global technology executive roles with Globant, Argentina’s largest technology firm & Softtek USA, Mexico’s largest private nearshore firm as their SVP and Chief Strategy Officer.  He also has served Leadership roles in Global Business Development with T-Systems and Covisint LLC, the automotive global portal owned by General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, PSA and Renault. Andre leads HC3, a non-profit organization, to increase the number of successful Hispanic executives in public and private companies by adding value to their development, leadership, and philanthropic endeavors thereby strengthening their companies, organizations, and communities.  HC3 is focused on the promotion, advocacy, connectivity and development of the Hispanic Executive. Andre also helped develop HITEC during its inception in 2007 and became HITEC’s President in 2011. He has cultivated a premier group of relationships including CEO’s, CIO’s, CTO’s and both VP’s of IT and Diversity and Inclusion leaders from Fortune 1000 global companies and was named by Latino Leaders magazine as the “Technology Diversity Guru”. He also serves as Oakland University’s (Rochester, Michigan) Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Information and Decision Sciences Department.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of iWorker Innovations, a Michigan company driving equality and designing benefits tailored to America’s fast-growing independent workforce and on the Board of Advisors for the Miss America Organization. Andre received the 2018 Maestro Award in Leadership in August of 2018 and was also named one of the “101 Most Influential Latino Leaders in 2017” by Latino Leaders Magazine. He received the 2016 Alumni of the Year award from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:08      Seeking the familiar. 3:57      How bonds are shaping mechanisms of societies. 5:33      Andre Arbelaez: A leader in the Hispanic community (HITEC; HC3). Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:07      Andre’s “Top Three” Guillermo Diaz – reciprocate the greatness that one receives from others. 9:44      Push up and pull up – the responsibility of knowing you have to help others go to the next level. 11:39   Hispanic IT Executive Council – Founders: Francisco DeArmas. David Olivencia, David Segura. Key Individuals: Thaddeus Arroyo. Tim Campos. Ramon Baez. Javier Polit. 16:10   “Show me friends and I’ll show you your future.” 21:29   Andre’s “Top Three” Thaddeus Arroyo – intentionality and preparedness. 24:40   Hints to maintain relationships that matter – always focus on maintaining loyalty and trust and care to see people succeed. 28:30   Balancing Corporate America and the Christian Hispanic culture. 33:30   Our duality of heritage should be considered a plus. 37:30   Andre’s “Top Three” Rahul Misra – keeping you centered and humbled. 41:47   Andre’s “Top Three” Marty Martinez – the importance of digital marketing in all we do. Segment 3: Impact of Disruption & Technology on Manufacturing and Home Furnishing Industries   44:53   The importance of the connected world. 46:27   Companies that have strong digital presence succeed. Those who don’t fail. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 48:01   A piece of advice: “Spend five minutes every day and look outside your window.” See what is happening in the world. 49:39   Connect with Andre on LinkedIn! Additional Information Contact Andre Arbelaez: Andre’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with David Behen, Chief Information Officer of the iconic company and brand, La-Z-Boy. He discusses the power of being brave enough to ask and how being brave can make all the difference in a mentorship relationship. Behen highlights his closest virtual advisors from his life partner to day-to-day business partners to experienced IT and investment advisors to the former governor of Michigan. Additionally, he shares must-hear advise on keeping things uncomfortably fun. About David Behen David Behen has served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at La-Z-Boy, Inc. since June 2017. In this role, he leads the information technology (IT) function across the enterprise, aligning technology with the La-Z-Boy business objectives. Behen works to ensure optimal technology performance and cybersecurity for the company in support of La-Z-Boy’s future growth and success across manufacturing and retail operations. His responsibilities include IT strategy, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployment, network optimization and procuring new technologies. Prior to joining La-Z-Boy, Behen spent over six years as a Cabinet Member for Governor Rick Snyder as the Director of Department of Technology, Management and Budget and Chief Information Officer for the State of Michigan. There, he led a department that employed 2,800 associates with an annual operating budget of $1.4 billion. Under Behen’s direction, Michigan established itself as a national leader in the IT arena, delivering a portfolio of high-impact and innovative initiatives aimed at improving government through technology. Earlier, Behen founded a software company, InfoReady, and served as a vice president and CIO of its parent company. He also worked as CIO and Deputy County Administrator of Washtenaw County, Mich. Behen holds a number of board and committee positions in professional and technology organizations. He is currently a member of the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is a co- chair of the governing body for the Detroit CIO Executive Summit and is a member of the National Retail Federation CIO Executive Council, as well as the Cybersecurity Council. Behen frequently serves as a keynote speaker, expert panelist, and moderator for national and international audiences providing expertise on information technology, cybersecurity, data management and leadership. Behen earned his Master of Public Administration degree and Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:06      Building meaningful relationships starts with being brave enough to ask 3:38      David Behen’s willingness to just ask created a first of its kind Kitchen Cabinet of Advisors Segment 2: The “Top Three” 6:12      A career full of leadership roles with help from mentorships and coaching 7:50      Behen’s “Top Three” starts with his wife, life partner who keeps him humble 12:00   Behen’s “Top Three” continues with a provider of great practical advice, Doug Wiescinski 14:57   How to operationalize your network 17:05   Behen’s “Top Three” builds with a mentor/ mentee relationship with James McFarlane who challenges him 21:10   How to make yourself vulnerable to learn something from the people who report to you   23:06   Similarities between a sports team and a team in the workplace 27:34   Behen’s “Top Three” grows with Chris Rizik who is an outstanding soundboard 33:40   Behen’s “Top Three” concludes with former Michigan Governor, Rick Snyder 38:47   Be brave enough to ask for the mentorship 42:03   “Great leaders make things simple, don’t they?” Segment 3: Impact of Disruption & Technology on Manufacturing and Home Furnishing Industries   42:41   “What are the big things people in technology should be paying attention to for these industries?”    44:57   The impact of technology in retail 46:00   “The evolution of people buying furniture online will still continue but there will still be a need of a presence of a store.” 46:35   The need to talk about the continuation of automation in every business 47:00   Long-term impacts on buying and shopping habits from COVID-19 48:45   “How are you going to digitalize your business to be pandemic proof moving forward?” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 51:21   Tips for being a better, braver leader 52:24   How to follow up with David on his great advise Additional Information Contact David Behen: David’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks about how a company’s culture, combined with where you work early in your career, can have a huge impact on the trajectory of your career. Gregg then speaks with Raman Sehgal, the founder of 20 Nickels, a serial entrepreneur, and a P&G alumnus. Raman discusses P&G’s corporate culture, his podcast experience, and lessons learned along the way. Of course, he speaks about his ‘Top Three’ from a past colleague at P&G, to a former colleague and mentor at a startup, to a former employee. And, you have to hear what Raman’s mentor said about controlling the narrative. About Raman Sehgal  Raman Sehgal is a recovering marketer and emerging podcaster. Having worked on big brands (P&G, Dannon), built startups (Ahalogy, TVision), and been around the world, Raman's brings his unique perspective to life across his 3 podcasts: "the P&G Alumni Podcast," "Model Minorities," and "Quarantined Comics." These shows share candid conversations that aspire to provide mentorship, solve racism, and debate Superman's management style, respectively. Raman's from Alabama, lives on the NY border, and has been on all 7 continents.  Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:57        The importance of your first job –  how the culture of your first workplace affects your entire career. 5:10        Gregg’s Advice: Where should you work first? 6:37        Introducing Raman Sehgal. 8:19        Adjusting a career path and the lessons learned. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 12:08      Raman’s ‘Top Three’: Bob Gilbreath – leadership and learning how to get your foot in the door. 14:02      Sharing the P&G culture. 16:57      Starting Ahalogy with Bob. 18:00      Seeing “the matrix” and controlling the narrative. 19:04      Raman’s ‘Top Three’: Bob Arnold – fighting in the trenches; learning how to conquer the corporate jungle. 20:58      Climbing the corporate ladder and making relationships 24:10      Raman’s ‘Top Three’: Jonathan Kriner- Making connections with P&G’s network Segment 3: Career lessons, observations, and others who helped along the way 28:28      Being a servant leader. 30:48      Doing the harder “right” thing vs. the easy “wrong” thing. 31:17      Lessons from two other significant people in Raman’s life. 35:10      Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast (PGalums.com/podcast). 36:15      The strength of the P&G network. 40:38      The importance of ‘people who care’. Segment 4: The Future of Raising Leaders 43:45      The future of mentorship. 46:07      Doing it right: having diversity discussions. 48:05      Learning from other perspectives. 50:05      Seeking to understand others, not to necessarily agree. Segment 5: Closing Thoughts 51:00      Advice to young leaders: talk and listen – especially with someone you don’t understand. 53:30      Stay safe and re-center. Additional Information Contact Raman Sehgal: Raman’s LinkedIn Raman’s Website Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast Mode Minorities Podcast Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks about how the world and the working world may be changed forever and how working from home, or anywhere, is the new model. Gregg then speak with Amanda Lewan, CEO and Co-Founder of Bamboo Detroit who is an expert in the working from home space. Amanda discusses the impact COVID and the COVID-driven disruption is having on this shared work model. Of course, she speaks about her ‘Top Three’ from her founder husband, to her co-founder partner, to her customers, to her mentors and formal advisors. And you have to hear about how this disruption is giving her an opportunity to pull ahead the digitization of her business. About Amanda Lewan  Amanda Lewan is a writer, entrepreneur, and community builder. Her life mission is to unite others and move our world forward. Amanda worked at a variety of startups in marketing & operations, before launching Bamboo. One of the first co-working spaces in Detroit, Bamboo specializes in building collaborative work spaces and community. Her leadership has been honored locally and nationally. Amanda’s writing is inspired our changing times. After winning a national essay competition by The Nation in college, she went on to study fiction writing in graduate school. She writes essays and fiction in a lyric style. Her work been published and honored by The Rumpus, Glimmer Train, Rust Belt Magazine, Belt Publishing, The Journal of Americana, Lumina Magazine, and nominated for Pushcart Prizes & Best of Net. She’s currently at work on upmarket literary fiction books. She  lives in Detroit with her husband Marc and their three dogs. When she’s not writing or planning community events, she’s often cooking, hosting friends, reading, and exploring.  Amanda holds a BA in Professional Writing from Michigan State and an MA in English from Wayne State. She sits on the board for Venture Catalysts, and Co-leads the Detroit Writers Collective writers group.  Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:56        The importance of rowing relationships – especially during quarantine (in the trenches). 3:26        Amanda Lewan – CEO and Co-Founder of Bamboo Detroit (building community and co-working spaces). Segment 2: The “Top Three” 4:50        Amanda’s ‘Top Three’: Marc Hudson – founder and leader perspective. 5:40        Amanda’s ‘Top Three’: Mike Ferlito – bring alternate perspectives. 6:48        Keeping balance while also having focus. 9:19        Amanda’s ‘Top Three’: Customers and community – customer feedback to keep the focus. 13:04      Learning from the dissatisfied. 15:05      Amanda’s ‘Top Three’: The Market – if you can’t make a sale yet, the market will push you in the right direction. 16:33      Amanda’s ‘Top Three’: Formal Mentors and Advisors (Gretchen Knoell) – experts in parts of the field (ex. real estate). 19:35      “A good mentor pushes you to ask the right questions or think about something in a different way.” 25:08      Bamboo Detroit – co-working and turn-key offices designed for startups and small businesses growth. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 28:11      The COVID disruption – expediting the work from home trends. 33:12      What one or two big culture shifts be post-COVID that affect your company or industry? (Coping with COVID) 36:30      Culture comes from the founder first. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 38:39      Hint for leaders: Learn a better habit while working from home. 41:34      Stay in touch with Amanda!   Additional Information Contact Amanda Lewan: Amanda’s Email Amanda’s Twitter Amanda’s LinkedIn Bamboo’s Website Bamboo’s Events Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter  

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, reflects on how we should all consider the journey we are on and how we may find some useful patterns in it. He then welcome Walt Brown, a Certified EOS® Implementer and Founder of Walt Brown Co. Walt speaks about how organizations are getting much more complex and how major change is needed now more than ever. And, of course, he speaks about his ‘Top 3’ ranging from business partners, to his father, to a coach, to visionaries. And you have to hear what he has to say about the power of asking questions and then just listening. About Walt Brown “Seasoned multi-company entrepreneur” is one label that has been used to describe Walt over the years. Many folks refer to Walt as an entrepreneur, but he insists this is much too generous: “I don’t consider myself an entrepreneur. I consider myself someone who is good at seeing existing patterns and pulling them together in logical ways that people are willing to pay for, then I build teams to serve the pattern.” Walt is seven for seven when it comes to launching and growing new companies. During the last decade, he has helped transform the culture of more than one hundred fifty organizations across the country as an Implementer of an OOS known as the Entrepreneurial Operating System®. It is his greatest pleasure to work with his clients as they think, plan, execute, observe, adjust, and reflect as they master the skills necessary to permanently enjoy the fruits of a Patient Organization. So you can get a sense of his experience, combined, Walt’s 50 largest business clients have 8,711 employees, with average sales per employee of $245,786, their average size is $45.5 Million in revenue per year and combined they are doing over $2.2 Billion in sales. Since working together, their employee engagement has consistently risen, employee tenure has increased, and they have doubled their bottom lines and doubled their net free cash flow. Plus they are enjoying life with more freedom. He is typically working with 30 clients across 150 days in a year. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:47        Have we paused to document the world around us? 3:54        Activity: Make two lists and then consider them: What is different in your business? Who are you as a leader?  7:22       Walt Brown – Certified EOS® Implementer - Large and Small Companies Segment 2: The “Top Three” 10:27      “You know you’re leading when you see others aligning part of their future to your future.” 11:38      Walt’s ‘Top Three’: Ron Schuler; Walt’s father – early career and life guidance. 13:30      Walt’s ‘Top Three’: Alan Cobb – wisdom and leadership; the integrator. 16:30      Walt’s ‘Top Three’: Greg Walker – the coach; strategic thinking. 19:03      Current org. charts don’t capture the complexity of today’s organizations. 22:18      What drives the complexity? Culture. 24:28      The uniqueness of millennials – asking the right questions. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 28:51      “All evil is buried in an organization structure.” 31:06      What capabilities are needed in organizations? Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 35:04      Advice for leaders: “Stop thinking out loud.” 37:22      Advice for leaders: Stop talking and start listening. 38:27      Check out Death to the Org Chart. Stay in touch: walt@7q7p.com Additional Information Contact Walt Brown: Walt’s LinkedIn Walt’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks about how the disruption being caused by COVID is giving us a chance to look a bit into the future. He then speaks with Marc Hudson, the Co-founder and CEO of RocketFiber. Marc speaks about the journey of building a company that literally connects an iconic, American city and what it is like to vision and grow a company and the critical moment of deciding to sell it. And of course, Marc speaks about his ‘Top Three’ – from his co-founders who went down the journey with him, to successful tech leaders who walked in his shoes before he did, to like-minded business leaders who he meets with regularly, to his wife who pushes him and demonstrates bravery often. And you have to hear what he has to say about what it is like to move from an intrapreneur to an entrepreneur. About Marc Hudson Marc Hudson is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Fiber, a Rock Family Company, providing hyper-fast Internet and connectivity services for residential and business clients throughout Southeast Michigan and beyond.  During his time at Rocket Fiber, Marc has served on the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee and the State of Michigan’s Consortium of Advanced Networks working group where he has advised government on critical broadband infrastructure policy initiatives. Prior to Rocket Fiber, Marc was a User Interface Engineer with Quicken Loans where he designed and built software that managed complex data sets used by the Capital Markets team. During his time at Quicken Loans, along with partners Edi Demaj and Randy Foster, he co-founded Rocket Fiber within the Quicken Loans innovation program known as Bullet Time. Before joining the Quicken Loans and the Rock Ventures Family of Companies in August 2012, Marc was the Co-founder of several tech startups including LandscapingScene.com, Hudson Digital, and CareChat.  He is also a member of the startup community and co-working space Bamboo Detroit. Marc earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Media and Communication Technology and a Certificate in Landscape Design and Construction, both from Michigan State University. He currently lives in Detroit’s Boston Edison neighborhood. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:11        Ensuring we get some good out of this crisis (CGS Report). 5:39        Seeing the silver lining and planning toward it. 7:00        Marc Hudson – Rocket Fiber Segment 2: The “Top Three” 10:22      Marc’s ‘Top Three’: Edi Demaj and Randy Foster – a great partnership. 11:19      Marc’s ‘Top Three’: Dug Song – always giving, teaching, and invested in entrepreneurs. 16:03      Intentionally learning from working from home. 17:36      “You do have to take a chance. You have to be brave. And realize everyone is a human being.” 20:54      Marc’s ‘Top Three’: Amanda Lewan (Marc’s wife) – a CEO sounding board. (Bamboo Detroit. Mike Ferlito.) 26:22      Marc’s ‘Top Three’: ‘The Table’ (Pat Casey. John Coleman. Steven Berger. Ken Cauley. Ivan Katz. Rob Amico.) – a resource for the hardest problems. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 34:45      Connectivity is everything in today’s economy. 40:34      The process of growing and exiting a business. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 48:28      Hint to leaders: “As a leader, it is all about how quickly you can learn and how fast you can help your team learn.” 49:59      Stay in touch with Marc (marc@bamboodetroit.com) and Rocket Fiber. Additional Information Contact Marc Hudson: Marc’s LinkedIn Marc’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, discusses beginning to see the good that can come out of a crisis; the silver lining if you will. He then speaks with Sarah Craft, Director of Detroit Venture for America. Sarah discusses the power of a network and how VFA uniquely positions young, top talent around the United States to help spur economic-type growth. Of course, Sarah shares her ‘Top Three’ – from members of the community that help her stay connected to her past and the bigger picture, to a team who keeps her connected to today’s ecosystem, to close friends who are experts in the commercial venture space and who challenge her to stretch for tomorrow. And you have to hear what Sarah has to say about connecting ‘grassroot’ efforts with ‘grasstop’ efforts. About Sarah Craft Sarah Craft was born and raised in Southeast Michigan and has lived in Detroit for the last 10 years. Sarah started her career as a community organizer working with Detroit students and families on issues related to education and youth violence prevention. She has also worked at Detroit SOUP, the Michigan Municipal League and the Detroit Regional Chamber where she specialized in equitable economic development, community building, and talent development, retention and attraction. Sarah now serves as the Director of Detroit for Venture for America, a nonprofit dedicated to building the next generation of entrepreneurs and equitably growing local economies. Sarah serves on the Board of Directors of nonprofit Center for Community Based Enterprise and the Millennial Board of First Independence Bank, the only black-owned bank headquartered in Michigan. She has a master’s degree in public administration from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        Pause and believe in the future. 3:06        There are silver linings in all of this. 4:58        What are you going to do after this crisis is over? 6:37        Sarah Craft – Venture for America. 7:50        The importance of community. 10:30      The impact of the pandemic on the graduates of 2020. 12:54      Venture For America – Building the next generation of entrepreneurs. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 17:00      Sarah’s ‘Top Three’: Jessica Lienhardt – Looking at things from different perspective and pointing them out.  22:01      Looking beyond the 1st connection and into their network (Heather Van Poucker). 23:30      Sarah’s ‘Top Three’: Darren Riley – the system we have is broken; build your own system (Bryan Lewis).  30:47      Sarah’s ‘Top Three’: Molly Sweeney, Jamila Martin, Susan Hooks-Brown – staying centered and focused; living in the uncomfortable. 33:58      Grasstop vs. Grassroots community organizing.   37:05      Sarah’s ‘Top Three’: Dug Song, Patti Glaza, Edi Demaj, Chanell Scott Contrerars, Hassan Bazzi, Lisa McLaughlin, Kelly Sexton, Asha Garro, , Dan Ngoyi, Medvis Jackson, Melanie D'Evelyn,  Kelly Golden, Maggie Craft, Cara McLogan, Laura Grannemann, Lisa Katz, and Steven Mazur. – having perspective and a sounding board. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 42:00      The biggest divides and opportunities: equity. 45:57      The future of education – focus on teaching the skill of learning. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 49:00      How to develop an empathetic leader. 51:51      Hint to leaders: “Bring others to the table.” 53:32      Reach out to VFA for high caliber individuals and contact Sarah on LinkedIn. Additional Information Contact Sarah Crafr: Sarah’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Sheryl Connelly, Head of Global Trends and Futuring at Ford Motor Company. She discusses what it’s like to consider situations much like the COVID-19 pandemic way before it even occurs and how leaders should consider scenario planning as a must-have capability in the future. Of course, Sheryl speaks about her ‘Top Three’  - from her family who helps her bring empathy, to remarkable professionals from all over the world, to her breakfast club that helps her stay true to and take care of herself. And you have to hear what she has to say about simply listening to be able to think about tomorrow. About Sheryl Connelly Sheryl Connelly has served as Ford Motor Company’s futurist for more than a decade. She is responsible for identifying global trends, exploring potential implications and cascading these insights on futuring to organizations throughout the company, including design, product development and corporate strategy. She is a member of the Global Advisory Council on transportation for the World Economic Forum. Fast Company magazine named her one of the Most Creative People in Business in 2013 and 2015. Connelly has been a featured speaker at TED Global, appeared on CBS This Morning , CNBC’s Fast Money and NPR’s All Things Considered with Robert Siegel. Before working for Ford, she practiced law. In addition to a juris doctorate, Connelly holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s in business administration. When her schedule permits, she teaches design research at Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:55        The ‘new normal’. 2:49        Collaboration and innovation during the pandemic. (Article Link) 6:16        Sheryl Connelly – Chief Futurist at Ford Motor Company. 8:15        The path to becoming a futurist. 13:56      The role of the futurist – no one can predict the future; consider what can happen if assumptions are incorrect. 18:30      The rise of hope in times of uncertainty. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 21:25      Sheryl’s ‘Top Three’: Her Husband, Children, and Siblings – Having a diverse spectrum of perspectives to see your blind spots and biases. 25:36      Empathy is the skill most needed for effective leadership. 26:37      Sheryl’s ‘Top Three’: Network of Remarkable Provocative Thinkers – Specialist individuals who know nothing about cars. (Bill Ford TED Talk. Sheryl Connelly TED Talk.) 29:22      Examples of Remarkable Provocative Thinkers (Jaron Lanier). 36:29      Bringing unlikely connections together – the polite contrarian. 42:00      Sheryl’s ‘Top Three’: The Harlan Mom Breakfast Club – sharing life and challenges. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 45:00      Think through the long-term consequences of your actions. 47:26      “Things will be different, but that usually means they’ll be better.” 50:50      “The status quo exists because it works for somebody.” 52:10      Courage as a capability. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 54:05      “When we listen to people, we tend to listen with the notion of what are we going to say next. But what if we shifted to listening with the intent to understand.” 56: 38     “You can’t have empathy without listening.” 57:08      Stay safe. Be healthy. Take care of your loved ones. 57:42      Visit FordTrends.com Additional Information Contact Sheryl Connelly: Sheryl’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, discusses how CEOs may be able to take a lesson from government during this pandemic. He then welcomes Brenda Meller, Chief Engagement Officer at Meller Marketing. Brenda is a social media marketing expert who shares how to unlock the power of LinkedIn to grow your network. Of course, Brenda speaks about her ‘Top Three’ ranging from her closest family members who keep her true to herself and cheer her along the way, to vendors who go beyond being just vendors, to a services company she leans on to help her find efficiencies to scale. And you have to hear what she has to say about being brave and putting yourself out there to succeed in social media. About BRENDA MELLER Once upon a time, I hated speaking in front of people. Then, I realized I needed to figure out how to get comfortable with it to move up in my career.  In 2006, I joined LinkedIn and developed a knack for helping others unlock the power of this amazing professional networking site. Fast forward to 2020 and now as an independent marketing consultant, I've trained thousands of individuals, corporate teams, conference attendees, executives, sales people, and marketers how to unlock the power of LinkedIn. PLUS: I also give away a pie to one lucky attendee every time I present. 2020 has already been an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G year at Meller Marketing. And if you're looking to ROCK on LinkedIn, I'd love to help YOU. www.linkedin.com/in/brendameller Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:54        Learning from the government: the importance of changing policies. 5:10        Brenda Meller – helping business and individuals unlock the power of LinkedIn. (Meller Marketing) Segment 2: The “Top Three” 7:40        Brenda’s ‘Top Three’: Chris Meller – supporting the career pivots. 10:45      Becoming an entrepreneur. 13:15      Brenda’s ‘Top Three’: Susan Schmidt – providing guidance in growing a business. 16:27      Brenda’s ‘Top Three’: LegalShield Attorneys – having peace of mind in the evolution of business. 18:20      Brenda’s ‘Top Three’: Tina Marie Wohlfield, Lee Meadows, Sandy Harvey, Cathy Mott, Laura Rolands  – providing expertise. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 22:43      The right approach is to always think about the ‘what ifs’. 25:35      The importance of marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic.  28:07      Disruption to the digital marketing space. 31:22      The importance of ‘the face’ in connecting,. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 34:52      “This is going to be a time period that defines leaders.” 37:46      “We need to be authentic and genuine as leaders. True leaders are willing to bear their soul a little bit.” 41:47      Hint: How leaders can let their guard down. 45:25      Hint to leaders: Go to LinkedIn and show you’re human (and tag Brenda in your post!). 48:10      Reach out to Brenda to increase your LinkedIn presence and join Brenda’s weekly webinar! 50:30      Keep in touch and “Stay positive – this too shall pass.” Additional Information Contact Brenda Meller: Brenda’s LinkedIn Meller Marketing Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Randy Urban, Global CIO at Martin Brower. Randy is responsible for keeping quick service restaurants stocked and operating during this time of disruption. He speaks about trends in the global QSR industry and transformations that are taking place in his firm. And, of course, he speaks about his top three – from his first boss who instilled customer centricity into his system, to a systems thinker who taught him to not accept mediocracy, to a modern-day transformation artist. And you have to hear what Randy has to say about the need to find your catalyst. About Randy Urban Randy Urban is a transformation leader that incorporates innovative leadership techniques to drive high performing teams and engaged team members. Randy is the Global CIO for Martin Brower. In his role, Randy leads the progressive adoption of information and digital technology to lead the rapid expansion of the QSR business capabilities and revenue growth. Prior to his role with Martin Brower, Randy spent time with Adient / Johnson Controls as a Vice President in the Digital Office. He has also worked at Delphi Automotive, Solutions Consulting Group, and the Dow Chemical Company. Randy is a graduate of Central Michigan University and Kettering University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:02        That pattern of resiliency that is emerging from COVID-19. 3:27        Can we return to the original? And should we? 5:18        Never waste a good crisis. 7:02        Leading a  global Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) provider. 8:58        Randy Urban – a life of stability mixed with great opportunities. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 13:08      Randy’s ‘Top Three’: Ron (Rocky) Brock – acute attention to detail & relentless focus on the customer. 17:44      Randy’s ‘Top Three’: Doug Quada – don’t accept mediocrity. Always consider the broader organizational requirements. 22:37      Randy’s ‘Top Three’: Peter Diamandis – there is a wealth of information that can influence your thinking and behavior if you seek them out.  (Singularity University) 29:36      Hints on leveraging the one-way relationship: Go out and talk to other people – industry conferences, other professionals, etc. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 31:52      “You have to still run your current business.” 34:52      The requirements of digital transformation. 40:04      The Quick Service Restaurant industry. 43:58      The effects of ‘Fresh’ on QSR – shortening the window of delivery. 46:52      The impact of Autonomous  and AI on the QSR industry. 50:10      Hint for managing through transformation. 52:38      The impact of the trend of personalization. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 54:30      “The essence of leadership in influence.” 55:46      Thinking in terms of abundance versus scarcity. 59:48      “I think to think of gratitude in leadership – being thankful to the people around you and giving people compliments.” 1:01:45  Keep in touch with Randy Urban, Martin Brower. Additional Information Contact Randy Urban: Randy’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with CGS Fellow and Former COO of Ally Financial, Angie Tuglus. Gregg begins the episode by speaking about the realities of dealing with the global health pandemic and financial meltdown that is disrupting our world. He then turns to Angie to discuss innovating, leading and transforming cultures. Angie shares her experience leading a portion of the transformation from GMAC to Ally and speaks about what it is like to move from the IT department to operations of a digital services firm. And, of course, Angie shares her top three – from an early career leader, to a senior leader who helped her build her approach for transformation, to another great woman leader who, no matter what executive seat she is sitting in, does it her own way. And you have to hear what she has to say about ‘finding the value’.  About Angie Tuglus Angie Tuglus began her career in technology startups, building new businesses, and then later applied her passion for transformation in large corporations undergoing major change. At Ford Motor Company, she was hired into the IT Leadership Program, and delivered a variety of projects across global IT management, IT security and new product research. At GMAC, which transformed into Ally Financial, Tuglus became CIO of International Insurance and led a global cross-functional team to replace multiple legacy systems across 25 countries with a single new platform: a new core transactional system, financial system, data warehouse, and the complementary organizational changes to jobs and processes. She then became EVP of Product & Project Delivery and led the creation and launch of the flagship Ally Premier Protection product and customer experience, the division’s largest product line. Following that success, she became COO for Ally Insurance, leading all core operational functions such as Contract Administration, Claims, Payments, Loss Control, and Collections.  Upon inheriting a legacy culture that had not changed in decades, she drove a cultural transformation across the company, making Innovation the new normal and establishing new businesses such as Fixed Operations Consulting and Direct to Consumer. Angie joined the CGS Fellows Network as an expert at successfully delivering large, cross-functional change initiatives, from concept creation through to delivery. She loves collaborating to find ways to transform businesses, to innovate, to change culture, and to deliver sustainable results. As both a business strategist and tech nerd, she also enjoys diving into technological and social changes that are at the point of real applicability to businesses and discussing how to build great leaders in an increasingly virtual, rapidly changing world. Working with cutting edge digital companies, she keeps close to her entrepreneurial roots by advising startups such as TRED, a Seattle-based digital auto disrupter, and AQN Strategies, a boutique financial services consultancy with strong data expertise.  She holds a BS in Materials Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from Duke University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:15        The past week – unlike anything else. 3:05        The leaders of the past don’t exist – we must lean on each other for support. 4:52        The role of women during past pandemics – The Spanish Flu of 1918. 8:37        There is opportunity in every disruption. 9:48        Angie Tuglus: CGS Fellow – From tech startups to Fortune 500 IT & Transformative Operations.    Segment 2: The “Top Three” 16:00      Angie’s ‘Top Three’:  Executive Mentor at Ford – Build your empire...or don’t? 17:54      “There is always a way you can make something happen.” 20:14      Angie’s ‘Top Three’: John Boris – have a jovial attitude and being ‘in it’ together. 23:25      Angie’s ‘Top Three’: Adriana Karaboutis – the importance of being who you are. 25:00      Fighting the corporate push to become someone different than who you are. Segment 3: Disruption & Transformation 28:00      “Let’s start with the fact. Companies have to change.” 30:22      Customer Centricity – analyze where you’re actually making the money and if that is going to change. 35:25      “Are you brave enough to  pull people together to look at the core of what you offer?” 38:05      A transformation is all about the ‘people systems’. 41:38      Own the Transformation: own what you are doing and own the future. 44:17      Learning from a failed transformation. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 47:10      Don’t fear ‘making the move’. 51:07      It shouldn’t be about box checking at all – it should be about what you want to achieve next. 52:40      What is leadership? “Guiding people toward a common vision.” 53:44      “Even if you can drive more value out of the technology, you will still treat it the same way.” 59:14      Hint for leaders: Be open to the possible. 1:00:00  Stay in touch with Angie via LinkedIn and her blog. Additional Information Contact Angie Tuglus: Angie’s LinkedIn Angie’s Blog Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with LeeAnn Mallorie, Founder and CEO of Leading In Motion and Program Founder and Author of Guts & Grace. Through her work, LeeAnn helps leaders align their body, their mind, and their soul. She explains that her approach can apply to all leaders, but why she specifically finds it so critical for women to lean into the process. Of course, LeeAnn speaks about her top three – ranging from business coaches who have been there before, to spiritual leaders who align the soul, to here and now peers that help her be brave and break through all the normal patterns. And you have to hear what she says about dismantling the patriarchy or any system that holds you back. About LeeAnn Mallorie LeeAnn Mallorie, CEO of Leading in Motion, is a transformational leadership coach and facilitator over fifteen years of experience helping leaders and organizations achieve great results by truly walking their talk. Her background includes working with CEOs, VPs, directors and managers in diverse organizations from start-ups and non-profits to large publicly traded organizations. LeeAnn specializes in leadership embodiment and executive presence, supporting her clients to lead mission-critical new initiatives and steward organizational change. LeeAnn is also uniquely skilled at reducing burnout and cultivating emotional resilience –especially with female leaders. Her clients appreciate her keen ability to see right to the heart of the matter, help them clearly articulate visionary goals, and mirror their behavior –both liabilities and strengths –in real time. LeeAnn’s new book Guts and Grace: A Woman’s Guide to Full Bodied Leadership was published by Conscious Capitalism Press in January of 2020. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:03        Leading through disruption – the coronavirus impact on global markets, industries and our future leaders. 5:39        Women’s History Month – celebrating women leaders in healthcare (Dr. Patricia Bath. Rachel Schneerson. Dr. Mary Guinan.) 8:17        LeeAnn Mallorie – specializes in working with female leaders who innovate. 10:29      The transformation of psychological change.  15:48      Bringing the body-based side together with the brain-based side. (Leading in Motion. Guts and Grace.) Segment 2: The “Top Three” 19:15      LeeAnn’s ‘Top Three’: Business Advisors – Phil Dyer – translating what a business leader really wants. (Angelique Rewers) 24:29      LeeAnn’s ‘Top Three’: Spiritual Advisors – Nilima Bhat – leaning into your spiritual roots. (Shakti Leadership.) 27:59      The emergence of the spiritual aspect of business. 33:34      LeeAnn’s ‘Top Three’: Entrepreneurial Advisors – Lise Melvin and Catherine Cassidy – the ups and downs of entrepreneurship (Better Cotton Initiative.) Segment 3: Leadership 38:15      “Not a precedent for innovators today.” 41:05      The truth about doubt. 45:24      Guts & Grace – bringing a woman’s full self to leadership. 50:35      Do men need to lose in order for women to win in leadership? Segment 4: Wrapping Up 54:30      A hint for leaders: a mindfulness practice of observing the practice of listening and doing or leading and following. 57:38      Connect with LeeAnn on LinkedIn. Guts & Grace.  Leading in Motion. Additional Information Contact LeeAnn Mallorie: LeeAnn’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Kripa Krishnan, Director, Cloud Product Operations at Google, Inc. Kripa speaks about her journey that took her from India and the Middle East to Silicon Valley. She reflects on her unique career that spans art, music, medicine, finance, and now technology. And, of course, she speaks about her ‘Top Three’ – from path-nudgers who helped her try new things even when she didn’t see them, to reverse mentors who helped her recognize new patters, to friends who just listen. And, you have to hear what she has to say about having empathy as a leader. About Kripa Krishnan Kripa Krishnan was born in Chennai, India. Attending a university in India with the idea she would someday be a doctor, Krishnan changed course midstream and decided to follow her real passion — playing in a rock band. She moved on to theater and the performing arts, until she accidentally took a Computer Science course at the University of Massachusetts -- which took her on a path to working in tech. She worked as a systems administrator for a while, and was a college lecturer. She built the foundations for a telemedicine network in Kosovo. Eventually, this path led her to Alphabet Inc.'s Google, where she has made her mark as senior director, technical program management, Google Cloud Platform. Krishnan is the first woman director in the SRE organization at Google, which is something she is very proud of. Something she’s even more proud of is being a character in a children’s book promoting STEM education. And for the record, she’s the "Prolific Problem Solver" in the book "Ara the Star Engineer." Her community involvement has included the Board of Advisors, Department of Management Information Systems at the University of Arizona. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:02        Women making history in technology – Grace Hopper. Radia Perlman. Katherine Johnson. 5:04        Kripa Krishnan –  Director, Cloud Product Operations at Google, Inc. 6:55        From medicine to art to finance to technology. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 9:34        Kripa’s ‘Top Three’: A Friend, a Professor, and Dr. Mohan Tanniru – A nudge to a path. 13:44      Komal Singh’s “Ara the Star Engineer” – featuring Kripa Krishnan 17:32      “Everyone should have a lot of people they can go to.” 18:16      Kripa’s ‘Top Three’: Reverse mentors – You can also learn from those with less experience than you. 22:00      Kripa’s ‘Top Three’: Friends – don’t change just to change – “do anything stupid.” 24:49      Kripa’s ‘Top Three’: Great Managers – mentors, teachers, and holding the mirror to your face. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 25:39      Adapting what you learn to your leadership style. 28:19      What leaders should pay attention to in the technology space. 30:36      “The definition of technology itself is becoming harder to articulate.” 32:24      The impact of technology at the industrial level.  35:55      Does society understand the critical role information is playing? Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 40:25      Leaders: “are able to rally people to move toward an environment that is different from the one they started with.” 41:51      The differences for women in technology leadership. 44:53      Advice: “It is really important to push past friction point. That is what will propel you.” 46:34      Hack for leaders: Try to see something from another person’s perspective and lead with empathy. Additional Information Contact Kripa Krishnan: Kripa’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Char Hu, CEO for The Helper Bees. Char and Gregg talk about The Helper Bee’s focus of tacking inefficiencies in the home healthcare market. Char speaks about how this problem is both very personal to him due to an elderly family member and how the United States’ aging population is forcing new approaches to support the ‘aging in place’ concept. Char speaks about his ‘Top Three’ – from his hard-working, immigrant parents, to his cofounding team of experts, to the Austin-based company that helps push him even further. And, you have to hear what he has to say about always tackling problems as a learner. About Char Hu Char received his Doctorate in molecular biophysics from Baylor College of Medicine where he researched the underlying mechanisms for diseases like Alzheimer’s. He went on to co-found Georgetown Living, a certified Alzheimer's and dementia facility known for its evidence-based design building and pet therapy ranch animals. Following this, he founded a Medicare-accredited home health agency who uses skilled services to keep older adults independent at home. Dr. Hu also founded and is CEO of The Helper Bees, an insure-tech company that uses data and technology to improve home care delivery. In 2018 he was awarded the SXSW Global Community Service Award and was appointed by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to the Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:05        The aging journey and aging in place. 4:22        Helper Bees – one-stop shop for aging well in place. 5:44        Char Hu – a ‘recovering scientists’: from science research to entrepreneurship. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 8:19        Char’s ‘Top Three’: His Parents – humbleness and grit. 15:56      Char’s ‘Top Three’: Danny Lynch & Eric Corum – the safe space in the entrepreneurial journey. 21:27      Char’s ‘Top Three’: Amos Schwartzfarb and Monica Landers – The battle of being a CEO. 24:45      Finding an energy giver. 27:14      Char’s ‘Top Three’: Many more people – from his wife to colleagues, and beyond. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 28:33      The most significant demographic shift the world has ever seen. 30:04      Who is really afraid of the problem created by the demographic shift? 32:38      The experience of guiding the company through pivots. 38:26      The importance of finding early customers to act as advisors. 49:56      The importance of learning in the sales process. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 49:23      Are you a professional leader or are you something else? 50:28      “When is the last time that you talked to your key players?” 52:18      Helper Bees continues to grow! 53:11      Stay in touch with Char via LinkedIn or email: Char@TheHelperBees.com Additional Information Contact Char Hu: Char’s LinkedIn Contact The Helper Bees: Website: https://www.thehelperbees.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thehelperbees Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Brandon Curry, Vice President of Human Resources for DRiV Incorporated. Brandon and Gregg talk about transformation techniques and discuss the major disruptions taking over the HR and mobility industries. Brandon’s ‘Top Three’ gives us a glimpse into the origins of his “do something” attitude  – from his dad who instilled his inner drive, to his church community who helped him keep grounded in the ‘why’, to his c-level coworkers who let him fill the whitespace that he desperately needed. And you have to hear what Brandon has to say about how you have to learn to lean into relationships to drive forward and to lead. About Brandon Curry Brandon Curry is Vice President of Human Resources for DRiV Incorporated, a $6 billion division of Tenneco, expected to spin-off. Currently, he leads global HR for the DRiV Motorparts segment which sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products in the global vehicle aftermarkets including the brands -Monroe®, Walker®, Champion®, Fel-Pro®, MOOG®, Wagner®, Öhlins®, Rancho®, Thrush®, National®, and Sealed Power®. Brandon is passionate about helping individuals and organizations perform and function by purpose and design rather than default, building more engaged and effective organizations and talent. He has consulted internally and externally with organizations of diverse size, industry, sector, and scope. He’s led global HR teams, departments, organizational processes and technology for talent acquisition, learning, organization development and talent management. Brandon has served as a guest speaker at Talent Development and Talent Management conferences, panels and blogs. He has served on workforce development, start-up and product advisory committees in the talent management space and as a part-time faculty member in Oakland University‘s Department of Human Resource Development in Southeastern Michigan, where he resides with his wife and children. Curry earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in training and development from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:07        The importance of the question: should innovation be a centralized or decentralized capability? 4:06        Brandon Curry: being progressive in the HR industry. 6:14        DRiV: Driving advancements that help people get the most out of every vehicle, every ride, every race, every journey.   Segment 2: The “Top Three” 7:55        Brandon’s ‘Top Three’ –  family & specifically his dad –  the importance of not living in fear and, instead, to live with confidence and take risks. 11:49      Brandon’s ‘Top Three’ – church community – understanding what success looks like for you and what you are trying to achieve and understanding what kind of citizen to be and how to interact with neighbors. 16:16      Brandon’s ‘Top Three’ –  colleagues and mentors –  individuals that have embraced his curiosity (Scott Pepin. Brad Norton.) 20:07      Bravery in ‘packs’. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 27:04      How consolidation and various shortages are disrupting industries. 31:25      The consumerization of employment. 35:10      Critical capabilities: what does it take to run a company like DRiV today? 41:15      “Engage”: Creating value within in your organization. 43:32      “Fear is the kryptonite for an organization.” 45:55      How to drive a cultural shift within the organization. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 50:25      “Leadership is an influence process…what can somebody do to non-coercively bring a group of people to produce outcomes.” 52:33      Hint for leaders: It is important how you handle the things that don’t work out. Lean into those unexpected relationships and take a chance. Tell people they are doing great things. (Bob Walters.) 57:45      “Parts matters.” Check out the DRiV website for information and job opportunities. Additional Information Contact Brandon Curry: Brandon’s LinkedIn Brandon’s Blog Contact DRiV: Website: com Career Opportunities: tenneco.com Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Chris Uhl, Executive Director of the Eastern Region at IFF – a nonprofit mission driven lender, real estate consultant, and developer that helps communities thrive. Chris and Gregg spend time discussing the importance of becoming a multiplier within the industry. Chris shares his ‘Top Three’ – from those he was inspired by to give back to the community, to likeminded individuals, to those who helped him understand the value of both sustainability and the triple bottom line. And, you have to hear what Chris has to say about the Appraisal Bias. About Chris uhl Chris Uhl joined IFF as the Executive Director – Eastern Region in 2017. Located in IFF’s Detroit office, Uhl oversees IFF’s full-range of services in Michigan and Ohio, including lending, real estate consulting, and community strategies program operations. Prior to joining IFF, Uhl served in leadership roles at Rock Venutres LLC, The Skillman Foundation, and Detroit Children’s Fund, as well as working several years as a banker at major financial institutions. As Vice President of Social Innovation at The Skillman Foundation, Mr. Uhl helped the foundation move beyond grants to program-related investments in the form of low-interest loans and loan guarantees. He most recently led community investment efforts at Rock Ventures, a Detroit firm that serves and connects a portfolio of more than 100 companies owned by Dan Gilbert – the founder of Quicken Loans and majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mr. Uhl is a Michigan native with a M.B.A. from Wayne State University and a B.S. in business administration from Central Michigan University. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        Being a multiplier. 3:05        Introduction: Chris Uhl and IFF. (Skillman Foundation.) 5:50        Finding who you are and setting your path. Segment 2: The “Top Three”  8:45        Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Michael J. Brennan – Supporting ‘finding your calling’. 11:03      The journey to ‘finding your calling’ – dialing in on who you are. 14:40      Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Existing Leaders  – Surrounding yourself with the right people. 16:50      The values of the “kitchen cabinet” around you. 18:10      Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Tom Brennan – The Green Garage – Creating sustainability & triple bottom line. 19:45      Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Bob Weins – Driving socially impactful businesses. 22:40      Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Matt Uhl –  Having a sound board. 24:10      Chris’s ‘Top Three’ – Tricia Uhl – Prioritize your time and reign in your ego.   Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation  29:20      IFF:  CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution)    33:40      The structure of working with firms that are for-profit. 38:00      Technology disruptions have not impacted the CDFI space, yet. 40:10      The appraisal bias. 42:32      The impact investing space – “doing well by doing good”. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 45:30      Becoming a Multiplier. 51:00      Learn more about IFF. (IFF.org) 54:00      Brave leadership: “The biggest thing for me is continue to stay in touch with your team.” Additional Information Contact Chris Uhl: Chris’s LinkedIn Chris’s Email Contact IFF: IFF Link Website IFF Link Twitter IFF Link LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Seun Phillips former Managing Director of PlanetM & Founder of STEMNETICS. Seun and Gregg talk about mobility and how the roles of safety, accessibility, and electric and autonomous vehicles are playing a major role within the automotive industry. Seun’s ‘Top Three’ gives us a broader look into who he leans on for inspiration – from those who give him the drive to have an entrepreneurial spirit, to business groups who gave him first-hand experience that allowed him to excel today’s world. Seun shares his thoughts on the challenges facing the automotive industry and shares hints on what makes a good leader and how leaders can not only preach inclusivity, but also live it. Finally, Seun highlights the My Dream Big Club which focuses on bringing like-minded individuals together to discuss transformative topics, motivate each other and support big dreams. About Seun Phillips Seun Phillips is the co-founder of My Dream BIG Club, which started in 2018 with the mission to inspire and motivate others to dream BIG. In 2015 also founded STEMNETICS and is currently serving as the Executive Director to deliver projects catered for ages 4 – 10 at home and in the classroom to strengthen 21stcentury skillsets. Phillips started his professional career as a Senior Electrical Engineer at Motorola Mobile Devices, where he focused on audio circuitry and accessory compatibility. Phillips went on to co-found the Chicago-based non-profit, Project SYNCERE, with the mission to increase the number of underrepresented and disadvantaged K-12th grade students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Phillips recently served as the Managing Director of PlanetM, an initiative of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). As the Managing Director, he was responsible for growing operations, partnerships and technology development within Michigan’s connected autonomous vehicle industry. Prior to joining MEDC, Phillips served as the Vice President of Education and Engagement at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit, MI. Phillips was responsible for programming and developing partnerships between corporations, schools, foundations and community organizations. Phillips graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a minor in mathematics. Phillips received the Five Under Ten from his alma mater to recognize his professional achievements and contributions to the community-at-large. He also received the Conversations Awards, which highlighted Chicago’s most dynamic movers and shakers within Entrepreneurship, Medicine and Non-Profit businesses. Phillips serves on the Board of Directors for Project SYNCERE and the Folu Phillips Foundation. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:15        Ven Diagrams – The history behind them and their importance in the connecting world. 3:15        Leadership – clearing the path to success. 6:23        Work Life Balance – creating the ‘integration’ 9:20        Seun Phillips: From consumer electronics, to education, to mobility. Segment 2: The “Top Three” 12:50      Seun ‘Top Three’ – Omonye Phillips –  Surround yourself with people who drive you and have a strong entrepreneurial spirit. 14:40      Seun ‘Top Three’ – ‘The Corporate World’ – How different experience allow you to excel. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 17:20      Mobility – How increased safety, accessibility, data, and emerging vehicle types are driving change. 19:30      Concerns about the industry – “There is no true one standard for us to follow” 22:10      The opportunities California presents. 24:45      My Dream Big Club – To bring like-minded individuals together to discuss transformative topics, motivate each other and support big dreams. 29:40      Trends as the enablers of dreams. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 32:50      “Leadership is empathy, truly and genuinely caring about the people that are around you.” 35:50      Advice for leaders: As a leader you need to be able to include everyone in the conversation. Make the workplace as inclusive as possible. 41:00      Is the diversity ‘why’ starting to be believed?   44:20      Listen to the (new!) My Dream Big Club Podcast. 45:36      Keep in contact with Seun via LinkedIn and email. Additional Information Contact Seun Phillips: Seun’s email: seun@mydreambig.com Seun’s LinkedIn Contact My Dream Big Club: My Dream Big Club Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Michael Healander, Co-Founder, President and CEO, Airspace Link – a company that is building highways for the autonomous drone industry. Michael and Gregg spend time discussing the importance of ingenuity and the patterns of disrupting an industry. Michael shares his ‘Top Three’ – from coaches that helped him recognize that you don’t need to be cut from the same cloth to succeed, to those that taught him that intentionally applying oneself increases the chances for success and greatness, to those who believed him before he even did, to the teammates who made the team stronger than the individual. And, you have to hear what Michael has to say about the magical power of passion. About Michael Healander As President & CEO of Airspace Link, Inc. Michael Healander is responsible for running all facets of the business. Michael has a proven executive management track record and 15 years of experience driving sales growth in the technology industry. Prior to joining Airspace Link, Michael was Vice President of Business Development at Acuity Brands and he was responsible for all software sales across four brands. Previously, he was the co-founder and CRO of Geometri where he built an indoor mapping, analytics and navigation business that was successfully acquired by Acuity Brands. Michael also served on GISinc. management team for six years and was recognized as a leader in location technology. GISinc grew from 25 to 170 employees over this period. Michael has 20 years of experience in spatial technology, 12 years in state & local government, 7 years in the commercial and retail industry, 2 years in Federal (DoD) and currently holds an FAA commercial drone pilot license. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        The importance of reflecting on the industrial revolutions of the past. 6:50        Doubling back into the industrial era – where digital and industrial economics will start to collide. 8:19        Michael Healander –  a geospatial engineer turned entrepreneur (Airspace Link.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   13:15      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Dave Gomez – Understanding what motivates people. 14:40      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Jim Silver – “If you apply yourself, you can be great.” 20:52      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Carl Ojala, Dr. Yichun Xie – Finding the passion for geospatial engineering. 21: 58     Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Sally Price – The ability to feel like I can do anything. 22:58      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Lee Lichlyter – a GIS and business mentor. How to scale. (Sean Savage. Patrick Lencioni.) 32:17      Stepping back and handing your success to the next person. 33:40      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Danny Bradshaw – a partner with extreme trust. 35:45      Michael’s ‘Top Three’ – Alex Iskold – here at any moment. (Voxer.) Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   39:46      Airspace Link:  A geospatial asset management system. 45:30      Being the ‘Vanderbilt’ or ‘Eisenhower’ of drone travel. 47:32      How big is this industry? Global. 49:11      The Airspace Link growth path. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 53:17      Advice for youth: “Geospatial capabilities is a niche and people want that.” 56:58      Advice for leaders: ‘Hack’ passion and build your passion for whatever you are doing. 59:29      Check out Airspace Link’s newest launches and contact Michael on LinkedIn. Additional Information Contact Michael Healander: Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Twitter Contact Airspace Link: Airspace Link Website Airspace Link Twitter Airspace Link LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Alisyn Malek, COO and Co-Founder, May Mobility. Alisyn talks about how her company is helping to define a totally new transportation system and what it is like transitioning from being an engineer to corporate innovator to founder and industry disruptor. Alisyn and Gregg discuss large macro systems and the delicate balance between simplicity and complexity. Of course, Alisyn speaks about her Top 3, a group of strong women who helped her find empathy, bravery, and to reflect on her own future career path. And, you have to hear what she says about “badass women” who support one another.   About Alisyn Malek Alisyn Malek is the COO and Co-Founder of May Mobility, Inc. May Mobility’s vision is to transform cities through autonomous technology, creating a safer, greener, more accessible world. They have made it their mission to reimagine transportation by developing and deploying autonomous shuttles that get people to their destinations safely and easily. Service has launched in Detroit, Columbus, Ohio, Providence, Road Island as well as Grand Rapids, Michigan. Alisyn was formerly the head of the innovation pipeline at General Motors. Prior to that role she was an investment manager at GM Ventures. During her tenure there, she led investment in the autonomous space, including the early negotiations with Cruise Automation, helping to cement GM’s autonomous strategy. As an automotive engineer, she led a global team to develop SAE Level 3 charging technology for GM’s Spark and Bolt EV Products. As well as supporting release of electrical components for the first generation Chevy Volt. Alisyn holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering and German Language. Malek was recognized as a top ten female innovator to watch by the Smithsonian in 2018, named a top automotive professional under 35 to watch by LinkedIn in 2015 for her work in cutting-edge product development and corporate venture, and identified as a Crain's Detroit 20 in their 20’s awardee for her work in engineering and deployment of advanced charging systems.. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        Thinking through macros systems – societal/industrial systems, organization systems, and the leadership system. 3:18        Over the next decade – there will be less and less independent systems (with examples). 10:16      Alisyn Malek – May Mobility. Corktown Studios. And more. (General Motors) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   12:23      Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Alyssa Jernigan – A clear dialogue. Seeing the blind spots. 14:44      Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Vanessa Miller – Surround yourself with people who have different skills than you. Creating empathy. 18:20      Alisyn’s ‘Top Three’ – Elaina Farnsworth – A source of experience and guidance. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   22:58      May Mobility – founded to solve a unique challenge facing the world today; an imbalance in access to mobility within the backdrop of increasingly congested cities and towns. 23:50      Look at global mobility marketplace and how they use ACES (autonomous, connected, electric, shared) vehicles. 28:04      Expanding May Mobility to the global market. (Toyota Motor Company.) 30:43      “The last mile is hard. That is a lot of what we are doing today.” 34:27      Being a leader in a growing organization: you have to be thoughtful to keep everyone growing in the same direction. 39:38      Creating a startup in Southeast Michigan and growing it for sustainability. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 44:14      How do you accomplish everything at the same time? “Learning to forgive myself.” 47:59      “People don’t actually like women who are direct.” – being a woman leader in the automotive space. 49:11      Special advice for women: For any perceived minority...”Don’t take no as the first answer. And sometimes you just have to brush it off.” 51:32      Detroit Badass Ladies – There are a lot of bad ass ladies in this city and we need more excuses to get together and elevate ourselves to new levels of bad assery. 56:01      Advice for leaders: Actively listen. Depersonalize things. 58:54      Follow Alisyn Malek on LinkedIn and Twitter. Additional Information Contact Alisyn Malek: Alisyn’s LinkedIn Alisyn’s Twitter Contact May Mobility: May Mobility Website May Mobility Twitter May Mobility LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You, Me, and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Marcus Heitmann, General Manager and Vice President Digitalization & Connected Car, SAIC Volkswagen. Marcus is a global expert in connected automotive and mobility and is one of the few people who have spent time on both the ‘internet’ and ‘things’ sides of the IoT business. Marcus is a global IT expert and speaks to the similarities and differences of connected industries across the globe. And, of course, he speaks about his Top 3 – ranging from outside of industry experts who have helped him to think different, to seasoned company executives who teach him how to navigate strategies to increase transformation success, to close family members who keep his feet planted while his brain may be up in the sky. And you have to hear what Marcus has to say about competing in the Chinese market. About Marcus Heitmann Dr. Marcus Heitmann is General Manager for Digitalization and Connected Car at SAIC Volkswagen in China, responsible for the brands Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen. Previously he was responsible for VW’s connected car program worldwide since 2012, supporting in various management positions the digitalization and transformation of the company enabling it to become an excellent service provider. Prior to that he was Director Innovation and Business Development at Deutsche Telekom Laboratories in Berlin and the Silicon Valley for the topics Automotive, Machine-to-Machine Communication (M2M) and Smart Grid. He has been an entrepreneur and founder of an IT security company and received his PhD in economics on the topic of IT security. Marcus combines digitalization, new business models, telematics, IT and IT security through +20 years of professional experience and has a strong record of combining engineering and business expertise with customer and product orientation. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:09        IoT is at the heart of the Connecting World. (Learn more by read Competing in the Connecting World) 3:13        Leaders of the future will have a foot in each camp of IoT. 6:02        Marcus Heitmann: From social sciences and marketing to the leading edge of Connected Vehicle.  (Deutsche Telekom. SAIC Volkswagen.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   11:00      Marcus’ “Top Three”: Oliver Diener – providing insights on general management and the connect car. 13:38      Defining the mindset people need for an agile organization. 18:12      Marcus’ “Top Three”: Axel Rüb –  the importance of analytics, understanding intentions, and navigating the Volkswagen cosmos. 23:06      People management should not be seen as a distraction – it is worth the investment of time.  24:37     Marcus’ “Top Three”: Klaus Heitmann and Ulrike Schneider – the outside-industry perspective and people management. 27:22      A trend: Leaders surround themselves with fantastic people, but also with people who will ground them. 29:27      “If you’re not close with a parent or a spouse [who will be direct and honest], give someone else the license to play that role for you.” Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   31:05      To understand the future of the Mobility industry, it is important to look outside the industry. 35:30      CES will give you hints for the future, but are not the future. The people there are more important than the technologies.  36:47      The Chinese Market: Understanding and designing to differences. 39:27      Technology usage in the Chinese market – payment, facial-recognition, and more. 41:40      Is the Chinese market the example of how other markets will adopt technology? 44:40      Transformation of the automotive industry.   47:38      Hint to leaders: “Take half of a day off every month and sit at home with large pieces of paper/whiteboard and think about all the things you have done and what you will do in the next few months.” 50:57      Hint to leaders: “If you’re in digital transformation, always think about what is the reason for this transformation. If you’re answer is profit, you are doing something wrong.” 52:28      The impact of automotive on the future of other industries. 57:04      The integration of mobility and insurance/healthcare. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 59:57      What makes a great leader? “Stepping down from the old, top-down leadership approach.” 1:01:50  Stay in touch with Marcus via LinkedIn. Additional Information Contact Marcus Heitmann: Marcus’ LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host and CGS Advisors CEO, Gregg Garrett, takes a short pause from interviewing guests to reflect on 2019 and the evolution of IoT. Gregg speaks about three main topics: 1) observations from working in IoT and the ever-connecting world, 2) how this year has been a tipping point for the connecting world and the mindset many leaders have as they drive their companies through this disruptive potential, and 3) doubling down on integration and how 2020 will really require some different types of development skills. Show Highlights Segment 1: IoT Overview 1:04        The evolving IoT industry. (Kevin Ashton.) 3:32        The past: IoT was mostly driven by technology integrators. 5:04        “I started to see the difficulty of the connected product....it wasn’t only a promise, it was now a cost.” 5:43        The present: Can anything not be ‘connected’? Segment 2: The Evolving World 10:00      “We’ve reached this tipping point.” 11:21      It is no longer about the connected product; it is now about the connected enabled experience. 12:48      “I believe the number one most importance capability to compete in this ever-connecting world for companies....is the ability to develop connections.” 14:00      A challenge: Build meaningful, business-oriented relationships over points on the journey.  Additional Information Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host and CEO, CGS Advisors, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jane Sydlowski, President and CEO AMI Strategies. Jane, a self-made entrepreneur, discusses the process of leaving the stable situation of working for an established company and entering the unknown of her own venture. She speaks about the decades of ups and downs she has experienced during market corrections and the realities of being a female founder in a tech-centered industry. As the recent president of one of the country’s largest professional organizations for women in technology (MCWT), Jane shares the two-way nature of board work and hints for women in the technology industry. And, of course, Jane speaks about her top three – from her mother who always pushed her to be comfortable to put herself out there, to her spiritual copilot who steered her through the loneliness of being an entrepreneur, to her colleagues who help her stretch into new adventures. And, you have to hear what Jane says about the power of ‘friendtors’ who support her in taking the road less traveled. About Jane Sydlowski As the CEO of AMI Strategies, Jane Sydlowski is responsible for directing and growing a dynamic, experienced AMI team.   She is accountable for all business aspects of AMI Strategies and has created strategic vision for AMI that includes exceeding client expectation, profitable growth, and employee empowerment.  Jane has embraced a Human Centered Design approach that contributes to both the culture and hockey stick growth.         AMI has recently (2019) received two awards from its Industry Association; Innovation of the Year for their Invoice AI product and the Giving Back award for their strong commitment to helping the community.      During AMI Strategies twenty-eight-year history and under Jane’s leadership, she has been recognized by; Michigan State University as a “distinguished alumni”, Lawrence Tech as a “Leaders and Innovator”, and Rhonda Walker as a “Powerful Woman of Purpose.”   Jane also received the “Top Notable Women in Tech” from Crain’s Detroit Business.  Board Membership: As the 2019 President of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT), Jane is accountable for directing a dynamic nonprofit organization that includes over 60 Board and Advisory Board members, and a 1000+ members.  The MCWT hosts 60+ events per year that encourage advancement for girls and women in Tech.    Janes responsibilities include creating the strategic plan, messaging for the organization and speaking to the various stakeholder groups; be it Middle or High School girls or Early to Mid to Late Career women.   Jane serves on two additional boards; Board Member of the Midwest Technology Leaders and Chairman of the Board for Greenpath.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jane has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Engineering from Michigan State University and an MBA from Wayne State University.  Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:12        The role of a catalyst. 3:55        The superpower of being a catalyst – Jane Sydlowski (AMI Strategies. GreenPath Financial Wellness. MCWT.) 5:37        AMI Strategies – an integrator in Technology Expense Management. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   7:40        Bravery by choice – taking the entrepreneurial road less traveled. 10:50      Jane’s “Top Three”: her mother – come out of your shell and literally sing ‘ta da – I’m here’ 14:12      How being different impacted success. 16:28      Bravery – Managing the ups and downs of business. 24:94      Jane’s “Top Three”: her spiritual co-pilot – “thank you, Lord, for traveling with me today” 26:46      How adversity strengthens a team. SOUND BITE 28:20      How AMI Strategies is disrupting itself. 30:38      Jane’s “Top Three: Dean Keeler – true thought leadership, insight, and forward thinking positioning. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   34:59      Cannibalizing your own business.    39:21      AMI Strategies: 2019 Innovation of the Year Award Recipients from the Enterprise Technology Management Association. 41:30      The human-centered design revolution. (Kristen Holt) 50:38      The Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) – building the pipeline of girls and women in technology. 53:33      Bravery for women in technology. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 56:24      “Make yourself get involved.” 58:38      Creating your own golf course – ‘friendtors’ (Mamatha Chamarthi.  Rod Davenport. Jill Maiorano. Tracy-Ann Palmer. Teri Takai.) 1:05:53  New MCWT President – Melanie Kalmer 1:07:22  Stay in touch with Jane via email: jsydlowski@amistrategies.com or via LinkedIn 1:08:05  Hint to leaders: “Make sure that you’ve considered the road less traveled as possible.” Additional Information Contact Jane Sydlowski: Jane’s LinkedIn Jane’s Email Contact AMI Strategies: AMI Strategies’ Twitter AMI Strategies’ LinkedIn AMI Strategies’ Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host and CEO, CGS Advisors, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Shiva Bhardwaj, CEO Pitstop – a cloud-based Prognostic Maintenance Platform that enables enterprises to leverage the wealth of information available from their vehicle fleets. Shiva hails from Toronto and is making a name for himself in the mobility and AI industries. He discusses how his company was born from bridging being raised by a mechanic in an automotive garage with his experiences working in Silicon valley-based tech giants. He explores what it is like being early to market and how he needs to shape the minds of customers. And he shares how he successfully cracked the code on attracting some of the most sought after secret weapons in competing in today’s businesses – data scientists. And, of course, Shiva speaks about his ‘top three’ ranging from his father who gave him space to create and experiment at a very young age to a thought partner in the data science space who pushes him to be intentional about how to monetize that data to a board member who encourages him to take risks to grow. And you have to hear what Shiva has to say about how to really assess someone’s net worth.    About Shiva Bhardwaj Shiva Bhardwaj is the Founder and CEO at Pitstop. While earning a Degree in Electrical and Electrical Engineering, Shiva spent time working at NVIDIA and Blackberry QNX. Shiva started his entrepreneurship journey by inventing ShockLock (https://www.shocklock.ca) which brought a safe, simple and cost-effective hardware solution to the automotive world. The second innovation has been Pitstop (https://pitstopconnect.com).  which was an inaugural participant in the Techstars Mobility Accelerator program securing investments from Verizon, Ripple, BDC to name a few(https://betakit.com/autotech-startup-pitstop-raises-1-5-million-partners-with-continental/). Shiva has been recognized as the Vaughan Entrepreneur of the Year, SEMA 35 Under 35 and the winner of the Sci-Innovation Competition in China from a field of 1,450 international contestants. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:17        What makes entrepreneurs different? 3:40        Shiva’s Background: From Toronto to Silicon Valley. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   6: 43       Shiva’s “Top Three”: Paul Bhardwaj (his father) – hard work, controlling your own destiny, and allowing the space to learn. 13:24      Shiva’s “Top Three”: Christopher Mah – how to evaluate a problem and identify a solution and the power of data. 17:14      Shiva’s “Top Three”: Michael Garb – taking bold risks on spending capital. 18:56      A ‘being brave’ story – making the investment in people. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   21:40      Pitstop – predicting vehicle failures before they happen.  22:35      The future is based on information and data. 25:15      Having the change before the industry is ready for the change. 30:00      How auto markets around the world differ – focuses on electric, autonomous, and what comes next. 32:41      “Using your resources in a way that will get you to some step that helps you move forward, progress and prove yourself out. And then proving yourself on a larger scale.” 35:27      “That new pivot might not be meant for everyone you’re working with. And that’s probably the hardest part.” 37:41      Pitstop’s recent successes – Grants. Awards. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles. Investment. 39:58      Paying it forward through mentorship/networking. 42:43      Hint to be at the cutting edge of technology: High-tech people are motivated by the problems they are solving. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 45:20      “Leadership is all about your network and your network being your net worth.” 47:10      Hints to leaders: “Think about those three people around you and are those people helping align you with the biggest problem that you have on your to do list. If not, how do you bring additional people into your fold.” 48:19      Exciting Pitstop activities are in process! 49:21      Stay in touch: Email Shiva (shiva@pitstopconnect.com) and check out Pitstop’s website. Additional Information Contact Shiva Bhardwaj: Shiva’s LinkedIn Shiva’s Email Contact Pitstop: Pitstop’s Twitter Pitstop’s LinkedIn Pitstop’s Website Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Larry Freed, CEO Give and Take, Inc.. Larry is a multi-time CEO who utilizes the concepts from Adam Grant’s best-selling book Give and Take to scale businesses. He speaks about SaaS businesses and partnering with academic institutions and their PhDs to create unique and valuable business opportunities. Larry dives deep into the knowledge collaboration capability and the art of encouraging people to invest in one another by giving and seeking help; deepening relationship trust. And, of course, Larry shares his top three – ranging from his spouse and three sons, to leadership teams who built trust and support to win together, to ultra-smart experts that define industry segments via the seeds that grow into businesses. Finally, Larry shares the secret to deep relationships – being brave enough to ask for help. About Larry Freed Larry is the CEO of Give and Take Inc., a company that was co-founded by Adam Grant (Wharton), Wayne Baker (Univ. of Michigan) and Cheryl Baker.  Give and Take provides solutions that help organizations improve knowledge collaboration, foster a culture of generosity and improve engagement.  The Reciprocity Ring is a dynamic, face-to-face exercise where groups learn to bring the “pay-it-forward” concept into action and practice.  Givitas is a purpose-built, knowledge collaboration platform that can scale across an organization that makes it easy to ask for and give help every day, while fostering a giving culture and providing equal access to community knowledge and experiences. Larry’s background includes being the co-founder and CEO of ForeSee, the leader in customer experience analytics.  He led the company from inception (2001) to successful exit in 2013, returning over 22 times the capital invested in the business.  After the exit at ForeSee, Larry advised, mentored and consulted with early stage and growth stage technology companies.  He also served on the board of directors of various tech companies. Earlier in his career, Larry also had executive leadership roles at Compuware (Vice President) and Bank One (CTO).  Larry has authored two books, Managing Forward and Innovating Analytics. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:14        The three types of relationships: Takers, Matchmakers and Givers (Adam Grant Give and Take – Book) 3:19        Larry Freed – CEO. Investor. Mentor. (Give and Take, Inc. ForeSee. 2nd Stage Partners. Wolverine Venture Fund. Compuware.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   5:39        Larry’s “Top Three”: Former and Current Colleagues – people you rely on to “help you go”. (Cia McCaffrey. Don Morrison. Mitchell Cohen. Dave Jansen.) 7:02        “If tech doesn’t work, the company doesn’t work.”  9:20       The importance of the ‘people person’. 11:30      “Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear because that is a waste of our time. Tell me what I don’t know. Tell me what you think I don’t want to know.” 14:31      Larry’s “Top Three”: Co-founders, Board Members and Investors – Know what you know; know what you don’t. Knowledge, expertise, and brilliance. (Claes Fornell. Wayne Baker. Cheryl Baker. Adam Grant.) 16:44      How to create a Board of Advisors. (Pete Karmanos. Scott Johnson.) 19:43      What drives satisfaction in sales? Accentuating the positive but not embellishing. 23:12      The pattern of tech transfer, etc.: “The key is to always understand what [the professors] role will be.”  28:29     Larry’s “Top Three”: Family – wife, three sons and the extended family –the support to work the enormous amount of hours. 30:58      Engaging children in the world of business.   Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   34:48      The core focus of Give and Take, Inc – boosting performance and building culture. 40:37      “I would have thought that getting people to give help would have been harder than getting people to ask for help. It’s the complete opposite.” 43:10      The request must be SMART 1) Smart. 2) Meaningful. 3) Actionable. 4) Real .and 5) Time Boxed. 44:54      Not trying to recreate other solutions – complimentary to other solutions. 48:51      Purposeful Networking – “Build a relationships because I’ve asked for something and you’re going to help me with it.” 50:00      Micro-mentoring: “Don’t ask them to be your mentor, ask them for help.” – Adam Grant 53:47      Hint: “Start asking for help...most people want to give if it is easy to give.” 57:22      AI and the knowledge collaboration industry. Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 1:01:12  “Leadership is setting a vision and leading by example.” 1:01:47  Piece of advice to leaders: Ask for help. 1:02:32  Stay in touch with Larry via LinkedIn or email (larry.freed@giveandtakeinc.com). Visit  Givitas.com or GiveandTake.com for more information on Give and Take, Inc. Additional Information Contact Larry Freed: Larry’s LinkedIn Larry’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Michael Farber, Managing Partner of Ratio Companies and former EVP, Booz Allen Hamilton. Michael speaks to his 30+ year career in driving large transformation in both federal government agencies as well as market-leading companies and shares how innovators need to not just disrupt to disrupt, but rather define the purpose of being different. Michael explains how making safe spaces and encouraging people to explore and embrace differences is key to being a true leader in today’s rapidly changing world and notes how this digital transformation needs to be met at the cross-section of capabilities. And, of course, Michael shares his top three – from the woman who makes him brave, to the teachers that made being different purposeful, to the colleagues who solidify structure innovation, and finally to the client executive who is acting as a window to a thirty year career. You have to hear what Michael has to say about how the key to transformation is really an art of orchestrating trust. About Michael Farber Michael is the Managing Partner of Ratio Companies and a former Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton. He helps clients and business partners invest in and accelerate the identification, creation, adoption, and enablement of advanced, edge, emerging, disruptive and transformational technologies. As often as he can, Michael looks to leverage technology for positive public change and the societal good. Michael holds a MPA from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a BA from the School of Architecture and Planning at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also continued his education through post-graduate doctoral studies in public policy and administration at New York University. Michael lives in Laguna Beach with his wife Donna and dog Finn -- he and Donna have two children who they followed out to the West Coast. They plan to stay a while... Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:24        Where does innovation occur? 4:15        Michael Farber: Assisting the United States’ federal agencies to transform. (Booz Allen Hamilton.) 5:49        Michael’s Background: From baseball and architecture to public policy and planning consulting. (Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Weston Solutions.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   9:47        Michael’s “Top Three”: Michael’s wife, Donna – being brave, having the courage to try things, and having a benchmark for the past. 12:01      Michael’s “Top Three”: Michael’s Educators: Mrs. VanOrt, Professor Gary Scott Danford, PhD , and Professor Steve Cohen , PhD – engage, ask questions, and do the research. (University of Buffalo.) 14:03      Michael’s “Top Three”: Susan Penfield – celebrating the ability to think about things in a different way. 16:36      Encouraging exploration and discovery in parenting – creating the environment safe space to try things and explore. 19:24      The role of innovation at Booz Allen Hamilton – innovation was there, but how do we create the innovation environment? 21:17      Michael’s “Top Three”: John Bear – transforming leadership and culture in addition to the business and having the courage to take time and be patient.   (MISO.) Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   25:40      What topic motivates Michael to get up in the morning? “The enormity and complexity of what has to come together for transformation.” 28:42      What styles of innovation are working today? 34:39      “You could start with outcomes and objectives, but new capabilities are allowing you or others to see things that you would have never thought to ask for.” 35:41      Breaking down artificial boundaries for innovation. 39:09      “Focus more on what you’re trying to accomplish or solve or address than prescribing potential solutions or defining the requirements set so narrowly where you’re just constraining any innovation at all.” 43:43      The government as a major R&D player. 48:10      “The mistake I made several times was to not recognize the need to change workflow /  capability / competency / etc, while trying to introduce disruptive technology and having a mismatch with culture.” 51:05      Hint to overcoming: 1) insulate a new capability internally, and 2) create it outside of the organization. 52:51      An important part of disruptive change: “How much trust is there within the organization?” Segment 4: Leadership & Wrapping Up 56:50      “Leadership is vision.” 59:07      “The leaders were best evidenced by their followership.” 1:00:38  Hint for tomorrow’s leader: “ [The key] is your network, your trust in other folks. Trust is key; absolutely essential.” 1:02:32  Build your net. 1:03:24  Stay in touch with Michael via email: farbermf@ratioim.com Additional Information Contact Michael Farber: Michael’s LinkedIn Michael’s Email Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jeff Cripe, Founder and CEO of Cargo – a fast moving company on a rocketship-style path to success. Jeff is a 30 under 30 award recipient from Forbes and, in just a few years’ time, he has founded a company, created a new category, raised over $40 million of capital, and successfully partnered with almost every name brand consumables company worldwide. During the discussion, Jeff shares the secrets of growing a business by recognizing and solving problems for emerging industries before the leaders of those industries even know they exist. Jeff also shares his top three – from seasoned deal makers who helped him learn that the art of deal making may be his super power, to venture psychologists, to day-to-day experts who help guide operations and new segment creation. Finally, you have to hear what Jeff has to say about how leaders need to know how to fill their gaps. About Jeff Cripe After graduating from Yale, Jeff became an early team member at Birchbox, then a founding Ecommerce team member at Christie's where he helped build the world’s leading online art platform. In 2015, Jeff joined Loehmann's Advisory Board to relaunch the discount fashion icon as an online-only retailer after it was purchased out of bankruptcy by a hedge fund. In 2016, Jeff founded Cargo, the leading provider of in-car services to the rideshare economy. Based in NYC, Cargo is venture-backed by $40MM from leading VCs and strategic partners including Founders Fund, Coatue, Techstars Ventures, and Kellogg's eighteen94 capital. Jeff was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 and Ad Age 40 Under 40 for his work on Cargo. Outside of work, he is on the Executive Board of Project Art and is an amateur paleontologist credited with the discovery of new species of tyrannosaur. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:28        Balancing fundraising with operating in the startup landscape. 5:04        Jeff Cripe: An expert at deal making. (Yale. Birchbox. Christie’s Auction House. Cargo.)  6:24        The rise of Cargo: $40 million in venture capital. (Founders Fund. Detroit Venture Partners. Fontinalis Partners.) 8:20        Cargo: an overall fleet monetization platform for rideshare that helps drive better profitability for rideshare partners. (Uber.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   12:11      “Nobody is good at everything. The best sign of a good leader, and the highest indicator of success,  is someone who knows what their strengths are. But also knowing what your gaps are.” 15:10      Jeff’s “Top Three”: Emil Michael – Thinking of the business at the 30,000 ft level (executive strategist). (Uber. DiDi. Yandex. Softbank) 18:30      “It’s about liking and having alignment with the person on the other side of the table.” 22:33      “You’ve gotta load the board with chess pieces early on because you’re going to have to sacrifice some of those pieces.” 26:04      “My biggest regret is not trying to start a business sooner.” 28:46      Jeff’s “Top Three”: Dmitry Shevelenko – day-to-day operational counselor. 34:24      Jeff’s “Top Three”: Greg Arrese – deal psychologist and founder therapist. 35:30      “A no is a no. But it isn’t a no forever, it is a no for now.” 38:39      You have to ask – what will get an investor to a yes. 46:14      Jeff’s “Top Three”: Dave Yang – steering the ship. (Facebook. Snapchat. Reddit.) Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   51:03      Cargo’s businesses – retail and product placement. 52:48      “[Rideshare companies] need to monetize their fleet more effectively.” 55:18      The impact of autonomous vehicle on Cargo. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 58:34      Hints to leaders: “You’re always going to have fires burning. As CEO you need to figure out what to put out and what to keep burning.” (Master of Scale Podcast.) 1:00:03  Hint to leaders: Hire an executive coach (when you can afford it). 1:01:52  Stay in touch with Jeff Cripe and Cargo! Additional Information Contact Jeff Cripe: Jeff’s LinkedIn Jeff’s Twitter Contact Cargo: CargoWebsite CargoLinkedIn CargoTwitter CargoInstagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Steve Tack, SVP, Product Management at Dynatrace – a technology giant that is part of the backbone of many of the most well-known brands in this digital world. Steve shares the journey that took the company from a small division of a large technology organization to a spin-out and PE-backed growth firm to a publicly-traded technology firm. Steve also gives hints on how to grow a successful global product team and how to stay ahead of the market by focusing exclusively on hiring ex-founders to lead different product segments. And, of course, Steve speaks about his top three –  from his executive peers to his global product group to his former athletic coaches. Finally, you have to hear about how the most critical moment of Steve’s success wasn’t ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, but a milestone that took place years ago when the executive team decided to bravely cannibalize their own business and innovate the entire product offering. About Steve Tack As SVP of Product Management, Steve is responsible for product vision and go-to-market strategy at Dynatrace. Steve has a passion for delivering innovative solutions that help customers digitally transform and, with 20 years of software experience, he uses his market development expertise to bring a relentless customer focus to the company’s products. Prior to this role, Steve held management positions in technical sales and engineering. Outside of Dynatrace, Steve is an active volunteer and enjoys time cycling, coaching and spending time with his wife and two kids. Steve has a B.A. in Economics from Kalamazoo College. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:25        Competing the connecting world – The Transformation First Mile. 3:45        Having the bravery to change. 5:43        Steve Tack – From technology in the dot com era to leading product strategy for an enterprise software company. (Dynatrace. Compuware.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   8:30        Steve’s “Top Three”: John Van Siclen – Managing a business while maintaining a customer first mindset. 12:16      Steve’s “Top Three”: Bernd Greifeneder – Always think about the next step of disruption. 14:17      Steve’s “Top Three”: The Dynatrace Executive Team – Bravery. 15:08      Steve’s “Top Three”: Dynatrace Product Leaders – The importance of an entrepreneurial mindset. 18:48      “We don’t want people who are going to delegate decisions up.” 20:29      Steve’s “Top Three”: Steve’s high school swim coach – You really can’t control anything around you, but you can control what you do. 22:50      Steve’s “Top Three”: Steve’s collegiate football coach – “There are people who want the play coming their way, and then there are people who hope it goes in the other direction.” (Kalamazoo College.) 28:00      Steve’s “Top Three”: Steve’s wife and his father – The reasons Steve can put his focus on work. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   28:55      Dynatrace – Software Intelligence for the Enterprise Cloud. 32:19      Buzzwords and clichés only matter when you understand how enterprises are adopting technologies and personalizing them to their business. 35:15      “Go out there and find out what the market is going to look like in 2020.” 38:25      The steps required after going public – the company inside the company. 44:31      How customers are taking an interest in the Dynatrace reinvention and transformation story. 46:46      Hint for leaders: Establish the vision and have mantras that are clear, tangible, and actionable. 48:14      Hint for leaders: “Putting the candidates into a spot where you really feel like you are working with that person.” 51:33      The surreal experience of going public. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 54:06      How to make speed real: Set the cadence for the business. 56:02      Know when it is your own energy trying to push something forward versus the market. 57:50      Hint for leaders: “You have to invest and think in different time horizons.” 59:31      Follow Dynatrace and Steve on LinkedIn. Additional Information Contact Steve Tack: Steve’s LinkedIn Steve’s Twitter Contact Dynatrace: DynatraceWebsite DynatraceLinkedIn DynatraceTwitter DynatraceInstagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Ryan Green, Co-Founder and CEO of Gridwise - The #1 companion app for rideshare drivers. Ryan shares his history as a Naval Officer turned entrepreneurial CEO who is actively shaping the ride-share market in the US. He discusses how fragmented the mobility market is and how companies that fill the white space and provide integration will be the long-term winners. Ryan speaks to the importance of keeping the ends in mind and how being focused on realistic means is key to driving out a two-sided business model. Of course, Ryan speaks about his top three including his first entrepreneurial business partner, his tech-minded business partner of today, and a formal investor and advisor who reminds him to always “keep his saw sharp”. Finally, Ryan shares his thoughts about the difference between management and leadership and shares advice with leaders about how to surround yourself with positive energy to maintain the bravery to innovate and disrupt. About Ryan Green Ryan started his first company while attending the Naval Academy, providing online financial education & coaching services in the realm of Foreign Exchange Trading. He grew the team to 7 members and partnered with one of the largest FX currency brokerages in the US. After serving as an active-duty Naval Officer, he transitioned into working on an FX trading desk at PNC, where he worked with clients to execute multi-million dollar currency trades. He later left PNC to start Gridwise. As the CEO of Gridwise, Ryan plays a pivotal role as the visionary for the company focusing the majority of his efforts on platform strategy & execution, customer acquisition strategy & execution, business development, sales, fundraising, and hiring. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:22        Capitalizing on the edges of the mobility industry. (Uber. Lyft.) 4:16        About Ryan Green – Co-Founder and CEO of Gridwise – The #1 companion app for rideshare drivers. 6:11        The non-traditional route: From middle school Entrepreneurship to the Naval Academy and Collegiate Football to the Mobility space. (United States Naval Academy.) 8:46        About Gridwise  – solving the inaccessibility and fragmentation of data problems for mobility providers. 11:50      Entrepreneurship from a young age. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   13:22      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Ty Nielson – The highs and lows of life. (CircusTrix.) 17:34      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Brian Finamore – Key part to the success of Gridwise. (Cornell University. Carnegie Melon University.) 24:43      “The strongest relationships are built when people who go through adverse challenges and overcome together.” (Techstars.) 26:50      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Ted Serbinski – The support system for the company. (Techstars Detroit.) 29:38      Accelerator Classes – building and maintaining strong relationships. 31:48      “If you’re going to cut down a forest of trees, you can’t do that unless you sharpen the saw.” – Ted Serbinski 35:32      The importance of the family support system. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   37:13      The experience of being in the midst of disruption. 39:10      Trends: On-demand modes of transportation. The fragmentation of services in the industry. 42:51      Building a two-sided business model and creating a smarter mobility grid. 47:09      Gridwise’s Growth: 4 to 32 cities in one year.  90,000 ride share drivers on the platform. Growing 20% month over month.  49:30      Keeping the faith through the ups and downs of building a company. 52:30      Hints for entrepreneurs: “You have to just figure out what those core tasks/projects/initiatives are that you can keep moving while, in parallel, fundraising.” 54:44      What’s going on with autonomy? “We will see quite the hybrid market until 2030 – 2035.” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 57:45      “Leadership comes down to your ability to empower people to achieve their full potential.”  1:01:26  The importance of team on the leadership position. 1:03:10  Advice to leaders: “A lot of the successful has come from surrounding yourself with likeminded people who share your ambitions.” 1:05:50  Visit Gridwise.io or the app store!

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Andrew McCuiston, President of Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC – one of the country’s fastest growing franchise brands. Andrew discusses how franchising allows brands to scale through partnerships with like-minded business owners and shares why he and his business partners believe that their company is an Amazon-proof business. Andrew discusses the unique leadership culture he and his business partners have developed and how it is likely due to the fact that all three of them are Division 1 NCAA athletes and captains of their respective teams. Andrew speaks about his top three including his brother, his former boss, spiritual and business service leaders, and advisory board members. Finally, Andrew shares advice about envisioning a lifestyle, building it for yourself, and scaling it for others to live along with you. About Andrew McCuiston Since 2008, Andrew McCuiston has served as the President and Integrator for Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC.  Opening the first franchise location in 2009, the Goldfish system has grown to over 90 locations across the US and Canada with more than120 schools in development. System-wide, there are over 4,500 staff and 135,000 students in the water week after week.  As the Integrator, Andrew manages the leadership team who provide comprehensive services and support to the franchisees in areas of development, construction, finance, operational support, technology, curriculum development and marketing.  He is also responsible for the business plan for current development and future growth and spend a significant amount of time building relationships with franchisees. Andrew and his family live in Birmingham, Michigan and he spends his free time with his children, enjoying food, skiing and traveling. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:20        The battle at the top. 4:22        Goldfish Swim School: 100 locations, 51 staff that train, coach, and support franchisees, and 130,000 students enrolled across 26 states in two countries. 5:59        Andrew’s path to Goldfish (Niagara Bottling, LLC. University of Denver.) Segment 2: The “Top Three”   12:45      Andrew’s “Top Three”: Chris McCuiston – Athletics. Character. Morals. Values. XXX ROBERT WOLF 16:13      “Surround yourself with people who will give you free advice.” (Albion College. Bill Payne - Amway.) 18:30      Andrew’s “Top Three”: Ashley Dorna – Operational excellence. Structuring a leadership team. 21:03      “Live your values to live the life you want.” 25:06      Andrew’s “Top Three”: Clint Dupin – Speaks life into Andrew. The importance of reciprocal relationships. (Kensington Church. Eastown Church.) 28:30      Andrew’s “Top Three”: Mark Burzych – Examining every angle when looking at something. 31:51      Andrew’s “Top Three”: Gino Wickman – Business Coach. Talk about the uncomfortable.  (EOS Process.) 35:26      How athletics drives leadership: Discipline. Perspective. Compassion. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   38:18      “We’re in the business to teach water safety to children and teach them how to be safer in and around the water.” 41:26      The Industry is growing. 42:59      “There are certainly ways to use technology in the future to edge ourselves in front of competition.” 44:14      Franchising – the decision and the process. 49:26      The skill of partnering. 52:25      Goldfish Swim School: Leading the swim school category. 54:28      “Everything comes from the parent influence on children.” 57:26      The Amazon-proof business. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 1:00:51  Advice for leaders: Read Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. 1:01:50  Contact Goldfish Swim School and Andrew. (Franchise Details. Website.) Additional Information Contact Andrew McCuiston: Andrew’s LinkedIn Andrew’s Email: andrew@goldfishfranchise.com Contact Goldfish Swim School Franchising: Goldfish Swim School Franchising Website Goldfish Swim School Franchising LinkedIn Goldfish Swim School Franchising Twitter Goldfish Swim School Franchising Instagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Ryan Sullivan, CEO of Xenith – an athlete-centric lifestyle brand that is an emerging challenger in the very competitive football market. Ryan speaks about how it is no longer good enough for CEOs to be incredible operators, but how they must now be transformation specialists. Ryan also opens up about what it’s like to hold the CEO position and the challenges of being at the top. Ryan shares his top three including his wife who is his foundational rock, journey-mates on the CEO path, and time-tested industry professionals. And, of course, Ryan shares advice for leaders and, specifically, how some of the best journeys start with being forced to ‘jump without a parachute’.  About ryan sullivan Ryan Sullivan has led the Xenith team as CEO since 2016. Every day, Ryan instills in himself and his team members three foundational qualities – passion, purpose and pride. These qualities drive Ryan and Xenith to pursue the mission of designing for the athlete. Ryan challenges his team of forward-thinkers to continuously create and innovate the best protective gear in sport. Ryan has grown the team to twice its size while leading Xenith’s major milestones including the company’s rebrand and its biggest selling season yet in 2019. Prior to joining Xenith, Ryan was VP of Business Development with Detroit-based Rock Ventures. In this role, Ryan was focused primarily on the evaluation, execution and financing of gaming and real estate activities within Dan Gilbert’s portfolio of companies. Ryan started his career on Wall Street as a financial analyst with Bank of America and an associate with private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners. A third generation Spartan, Ryan graduated with high honor from the Eli Broad College of Business and Honors College at Michigan State University, where he received his BA in Finance.  He is a proud resident of the City of Detroit, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and three sons. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:06        The journey to being brave and intentionally building relationships. 5:20        Ryan’s Story: “Jumped out of the airplane without a parachute - so to speak.” (Michigan State University.) 8:18        Becoming the CEO of Xenith – a leading designer, manufacturer and athletic brand. (Dan Gilbert. Rock Ventures.) 9:11        Ryan’s Personal Passions: Family. Athletics. Running. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   10:47      Ryan’s “Top Three”: His wife – His foundational rock who motivates and inspires him. 14:30      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Mike Vichich – An advisor and collaborator who is walking a similar path. (Wisely.) 17:30      Where it all started: Student Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations. (SCNO) 20:40      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Matt Cullen – True mentorship and a ‘never quit’ attitude. (Bedrock. JACK Entertainment. General Motors.) 25:03      Patterns of relationships: Intentionality and pre-investment. 26:45      The difference between networking and building relationships. 30:54      A lesson for leaders: Going through the tough times really brings groups of people together. 33:16      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Roger Holstein – Being challenged to drive success. (WebMD. Vestar Capital Partners.) Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   37:42      Xenith: “Designing outstanding products for the football athlete from head to ankle.” 39:54      How flag football and 7 on 7 are disrupting the football industry. 43:07      Esport’s impact on the physical game. 45:45      How to manage change and growth concurrently – ensure everyone knows the key goals, those things that are important, and roles and responsibilities to accomplish goals. (OKR Framework.)  48:55      Xenith: A Challenger Brand. 50:13      The CEO role – all about Transformation. 52:22      The challenges of being the CEO – Until you are there, it is hard to really understand the sense of responsibility. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 56:12      Advice to leaders: “Honor your relationships, invest in them.” 57:22      Advice to leaders: “Nothing in life is wasted.” 58:46      Connect with Ryan and Xenith! Additional Information Contact Ryan Sullivan: Ryan’s LinkedIn Ryan’s Twitter Contact Xenith: Xenith Website Xenith LinkedIn Xenith Twitter Xenith Instagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Mat Ishbia, CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage and United Shore – industry leading mortgage companies. Mat talks about growing the firm from a mere twelve people to north of 4,400 employees and shares the lessons that he learned along the way. Mat reflects on how he doesn’t use technology to replace humans but to make them better and enable them to excel at customer service. Mat shares his top three including his father, his collegiate basketball coach and one of the top coaches in the world, Tom Izzo, and his colleagues who push him every day to be better. And, of course, Mat shares advice with leaders on how to be intentional in order to be a champion. About Mat Ishbia Mat Ishbia is the President and CEO of United Shore, home to United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) – the No. 1 wholesale mortgage lender in the nation. Under Ishbia’s leadership, UWM has soared to new heights, becoming one of the most innovative lenders in the industry. Mat has taken UWM from a two-man broker shop to a 4,400+ person team.  His management style and dedication to a team-focused business approach stem from his time playing and coaching with Tom Izzo on MSU’s men’s basketball team. Mat’s leadership has enabled UWM to gain market share and rapidly grow into an industry-leading operation. Ishbia is known as the most prominent advocate for mortgage brokers nationwide while promoting the wholesale channel on national platforms such as CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg TV.  He has been named one of the “Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40” and one of the “25 Most Connected Mortgage Professionals” by National Mortgage Professional magazine. Additional accolades include being named a “Rising Star” and Vanguard Award winner by HousingWire.  Rapid growth at UWM, both in team members and production, has helped them earn recognition as an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company for the past three years and one of the largest privately owned mortgage lenders in America.  Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:02        Transforming Motor City into Mortgage City. 6:11        Mat’s Journey: “Success breeds success “– From a collegiate basketball National Championship to building a championship team and industry-leading business. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   9:09        Mat’s “Top Three”: Father (Jeff Ishbia), Mother, and Brother – Support. Competition. Reputation. “Do right by others and expect no return.” 13:59      Mat’s “Top Three”: Michigan State University Men’s Basketball Coach, Tom Izzo – Be a champion. Grind all day. 15:08      Mat’s “Top Three”: Basketball Teammates (including Mateen Cleaves) – Leadership by example. 16:38      Learnings from Tom Izzo: Everything counts. You must be intentional, focused, and detailed. If you take a play off, you will lose. 18:32      Mat’s “Top Three”: UWM/United Shore Team Members (including Melinda Wilner, Alex Elezaj, Sarah DeCiantis, Laura Lawson, Kristina Bennett, and Sabrina Saracino) – Continuously challenging the status quo. 22:02      Staying engaged with mentors is important and valuable. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   24:02      Always focus on the client experience and make it easier, faster, and cheaper. 26:46      The counter-cultural AI movement – focus on the human. 29:00      How did United Wholesale Mortgage and United Shore become #1 in wholesale mortgage and #2 in all mortgages? “We focused on disrupting it [the industry] through what really matters.” 30:19      “We’ve gotta be great every day.” Using data to measure and improve. 31:53      “If you want to be something big – define who you are and where you want to go.” 34:57      Mat’s learning from basketball: No matter if its sports, school, or business –When you make a mistake, you get back up, make changes, and you go right back at it again. 37:06      Advice to leaders: “If you aren’t positive, you aren’t going to win.” 39:04      Mat’s favorite saying: “The team with the best players wins as long as they have the right vision and leadership.” Segment 4: Wrapping Up 41:03      Preorder Mat’s book, Running the Corporate Offense. 42:10      Additional advice for leaders: “We all get 24 hours – you have to prioritize what matters. You can’t be great at everything. You have to decide.” 44:12      Follow Mat, United Wholesale Mortgage, and United Shore on social media! Additional Information Contact Mat Ishbia: Mat’s LinkedIn Mat’s Twitter Mat’s Instagram Contact United Wholesale Mortgage and United Shore: United Wholesale Mortgage Website United Wholesale Mortgage LinkedIn United Wholesale Mortgage Twitter United Shore Website United Shore LinkedIn United Shore Twitter United Shore Instagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Tracy-Ann Palmer, Vice President Global GTM, Strategy and Transformation at Rackspace and global technology executive who hails from South Africa. Tracy-Ann has worked with iconic tech brands that are known around the world. She is a humble leader who appreciates being pushed and encouraged to reach far beyond where she thinks she can reach. Tracy-Ann used her passion to found Midwest Technology Leaders and the non-profit We Build Character. Of course, Tracy-Ann talks about the importance of mentoring stemming from her “Top Three,” ranging from a caravan leader in Africa, to CEOs of tech companies, to the top tech executives in the federal government – all of whom helped her to never accept the status quo. About Tracy-Ann Palmer Tracy-Ann Palmer has over 25 years of experience in high-growth, global, technology driven businesses. She has been consistently recognized for her strong leadership and ability to help accelerate growth for companies.  Tracy-Ann is currently Vice President Global GTM, Strategy and Transformation at Rackspace.  Rackspace is a leading provider of expertise and managed services across all major public and private cloud technologies. Prior to joining Rackspace, Tracy-Ann held a variety of leadership roles in sales, channel and business operations at Cisco, Salesforce and in the start-up world including founding her own experiential marketing company that received numerous business awards.  Since 2005 she has been a very active contributor to the community through numerous philanthropic efforts including serving on a variety of boards.  She has a strong passion for developing leaders and founded a non-profit “We Build Character” focused on building future leaders through executive mentoring programs.  In 2004, Tracy-Ann founded Midwest Technology Leaders, an annual executive IT event bringing together top IT leaders together focused on collaboration, innovation and excellence. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 2:03        Tracy-Ann Palmer – a global tech executive whose worked with iconic brands. (Cisco. Salesforce. Rackspace.) 3:17        A journey across continents and across industries. Segment 2: The “Top Three”   5:18        Tracy-Ann’s “Top Three”: Her Father – Work ethic. Discipline. Warrior. 6:16        Tracy-Ann’s “Top Three”: Mark Moritz – Believed in Tracy-Ann more than she believed in herself. 8:31        Tracy-Ann’s “Top Three”: Jane Sydlowski – Creative. Absolutely resilient. (Michigan Council of Women in Technology. AMI Strategies.) 11:16      The history of Midwest Technology Leaders (MTL). 14:08      Tracy-Ann’s “Top Three”: Teri Takai – Be deliberate about your career. Direct. Honest. Pragmatic. 15:22      “Surround yourself with people who aren’t necessarily like you.” 16:12      Honest and directness are key. “Are you open to coaching today” – David Behen. 19:46      Tracy-Ann’s “Top Three”: Phil Bertolini – Incorporating the business into IT. Career coaching. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation   22:18      We Build Character – providing structured, community-based leadership mentor programs to high-potential professionals. 25:29      The “absolutely invaluable” role of reverse mentorship. 28:10      “I cannot tell you what an impact this has had in my life” – a We Build Character Mentee. 34:01      Rackspace – a managed cloud computing company focused on mid-market organizations. (AWS. VMWare. Microsoft. SB.) 36:33      The fascinating facts about a cloud model: 1. There is always a lot of disruption. 2. The business model is very different. 39:05      In response to transformation – “I believe in looking externally for your answers – not in your industry.” 40:19      Disruption: “We’re the problem, or the opportunity – It’s all about consumerization.” 43:56      Learnings from transformation of the past – “As a transformation leader, you’re at risk.” (Billhighway.) Segment 4: Wrapping Up 49:36      Advice to leaders – “Don’t accept the status quo.” 51:15      Advice to leaders – “Break our own patterns.” 52:04      Rackspace is transforming – watch the news! 52:38      Connect with Tracy-Ann, Rackspace, and We Build Character.   Additional Information Contact Tracy-Ann Palmer: Tracy-Ann’s LinkedIn Tracy-Ann’s Twitter Tracy-Ann’s Instagram Contact Rackspace and We Build Character: Racksapce Website Rackspace LinkedIn Rackspace Twitter Rackspace Instagram We Build Character Website We Build Character LinkedIn We Build Character Twitter Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Jordan Darragh, an expert in sustainability who is the founder and CEO of PrintReleaf, Inc.  Jordan discusses his deep understanding of the print services industry's effect on the environment and how he used it to find his passion in founding a successful business. He also shares how sustainability of the environment can relate to sustainability of your business. Of course, Jordan talks about the importance of the mentorship stemming from his “Top Three,” ranging from a power lifting champion to a shoeless colleague. About Jordan Darragh Jordan is the founder and CEO of PrintReleaf, Inc. At PrintReleaf, Jordan and his founding team have worked closely with industry experts in print and forestry to develop standards for measuring, offsetting, and verifying the successful reforestation of paper consumption. They have developed a standard, methodology, and technology platform that makes it simple for customers to certifiably reforest their paper consumption. He is a successful multi-time entrepreneur.  Prior to PrintReleaf, Jordan founded EverWorx  which is one of the fastest growing ‘Managed Print Services’ companies in the industry. Prior to his entrepreneurial endevours, Jordan kicked off his professional career as a sales executive at LaserCycleUSA. Jordan lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two sons. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:08        Disruption and brave leadership in the Connecting World = transformation. Environment and sustainability are different reasons for transformations. 3:20        Jordan Darragh: An expert in sustainability for businesses and the environment. PrintReleaf is at the epicenter of technology, print services industry, and environment. He bridges value chain of printing - from forestry to use and reforests the amount of paper being used. Segment 2: Mentors Pushing Potential & the “Top Three”   5:14        Jordan grew up in metro Detroit, moved to Boulder, and got involved in the print industry. 7:22        Jordan’s “Top Three”: Don’t pick a job. Pick a boss. Sales opportunity as first job (Scott Zwaanstra at LaserCycleUSA).  13:34      “Your quota is your potential.” There was more to give and to achieve. 16:54      Jordan’s “Top Three”: Dad (Kent Darragh) and Father-in-Law (David Carney) – different paths to success in business serve as mentors 20:58      Trying to find passion outside of school – eventually found it in building and leading in business 22:06      Building a company from scratch – importance of mentorship to an entrepreneur 24:34      Dream big 25:10      Jordan’s “Top Three”: Current right hand guy Casey O’Hara – fresh perspective on business and life for decision making 30:01      Give people a chance 30:38      Importance of foundation/support system/community for entrepreneur and company to be successful Segment 3:  Opportunities generated from print industry 32:24      Two companies born from the print industry – EverWorks (Xerox reseller) and PrintReleaf (software measuring paper consumption equates to forest impact and makes actionable via planting trees on equivalent basis) 33:58      Working at both ends of the print ecosystem 34:40      Measuring success in trees 35:27      What drives the business? Segment 4: Disruptions to print industry and phases of development 38:32      Digitization movement – blessing or a curse? 41:46      Starting PrintReleaf – spent time in energy industry along the way, leading to interest in carbon credits and saw a void to be filled 45:10      Socialization phase – Discussed APIs with Kimbal Musk 46:54      PrintReleaf is first reforestation API 48:15      Bravery and loneliness while creating reforestation industry standards Segment 5: Wrapping Up 51:23      Advice to leaders – be humble and confident 53:06      One thing people can do to be a brave leader – take the first step and talk about it 54:35      How to connect with Jordan and PrintReleaf Additional Information Contact Jordan Darrah: Jordan’s LinkedIn Contact PrintReleaf: Website LinkedIn Twitter Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Amos Schwartzfarb an expert in scaling sales who is a six-time entrepreneur, is currently the Managing Director of Techstars Austin and is a very recent author of Sell More Faster: Ultimate sales playbook for startups. As an avid climber and biker who truly lives life as an adventure, Amos credits his success to having learned how to not be afraid to fail. Additionally, Amos discusses how to sell more, faster and how the principles can apply to startups and enterprises with some nuances for each. Of course he talks about his “Top Three” and how advice from his current business and investment mentors mesh with earlier “in the trenches” experiences with startup colleagues. He even shares advice his mother and high school wrestling coach gave him which changed his trajectory on the mat, and maybe in life. About Amos Schwartzfarb Amos is the Managing Director of Techstars in Austin. He has more than 15 years of sales leadership and strategy experience in software, digital, advertising and entertainment. Before joining Techstars, Amos served as co-founder and Head of Customer Development at Joust. Prior to Joust, Amos served as Vice President of Customer Development for BlackLocus, which was acquired by The Home Depot in 2012. Amos was also Co-Founder and served as COO of mySpoonful, which was acquired in 2011. Prior to mySpoonful, Amos served on the Executive team of Business.com, as Vice President of Sales and Client Services, which was acquired by RH Donnelly in 2007. Prior to Business.com, Amos spent 5 years at HotJobs.com during which time went through both an IPO and acquisition by Yahoo!. Amost has lived in Austin since 2008 with his wife and two daughters. When you can’t find him at home or work, you can usually find him on one of his 5 bikes. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        Market Facing Functions: Among the necessary capabilities to compete in the Connecting World 4:10        Amos Schwartzfarb: An expert in sales and business development who understands products, service value Segment 2: Identifying Mentors through Life Experiences & the “Top Three” 5:50        A kid from Jersey fell into interesting situations, sought adventure and eventually landed at Techstars 6:53        Amos’ “Top Three”: When your mom asks, “are you afraid to win?” 10:40      Amos’ “Top Three”: Bridging hobbies and interests into working relationships and confidants (Rob Taylor -  BlackLocus) 13:22      “Ability to be my most authentic self” 13:33      Vulnerability: Understanding the “why” to various mentors 14:19      Amos’ “Top Three”: A teacher, a cousin and influencer named Neil 16:23      “Are you reapplying lessons learned outwardly back?” 17:22      What is Techstars? 19:22      Amos’ “Top Three”: “At light speed, Mark has become one of the most special and important people in my life.” (Mark Solon - Tech Stars) 22:02:    Amos’ “Top Three”: His bike a.k.a. him 23:27      Do your mentors know they are your mentor? Segment 3:  The birth of a book: Sell More Faster 25:28      Becoming the author of “Sell More Faster: Ultimate sales playbook for startups” 28:53      “Serendipity is an interesting thing” 31:07      “Everyone told me I was crazy.” 31:50      The W3 Model: Who is the customer, what are they buying and why are they buying it? Segment 4: Don’t hire a sales person too soon 33:00      “Is sales, sales?”  35:27      Hire Customer Development people to bridge the gap between product marketing and sales 36:42      “How do we act like a startup?” 38:24      It’s all about who you surround yourself with 40:30      Can a head of sales also be an operator?   Segment 5: Wrapping Up 42:38      Disruption in industries to pay attention to 45:43      Firm Transformation: “Pivot worn as a badge of honor in startups” 48:46      The importance of starting small to figure out if you’re right: “Have big vision but be humble in the process” 49:23      Rapid Fire Questions 50:58      Monday Morning Hack 51:24      How to get the book and how to connect with Amos Additional Information Contact Amos Schwartzfarb: Amos’ LinkedIn Amos’ Twitter Amos’ email Contact Techstars: Website LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, speaks with Roy Verstraete, a founding member of the Private Directors Association; a group helping to build advisory boards for private companies and owners.  Roy discusses the importance of an independent advisory network and the critical role of mentors and advisors in today’s day and age. Specifically, Roy talks about his career leading manufacturing and product companies in Europe, North America, and South America. Additionally, he speaks about what it was like to work with iconic brands like Velcro and the excitement of working with founders and owners in these spaces. Finally, Roy shares his “Top Three” and talks about how when he was growing up in management, having mentors was actually a sign of weakness and how he turned to virtual mentors to help guide his career. About Roy Verstraete Roy is a corporate director, advisor, senior executive and internationalist with 30+ years of leadership experience. He is currently a Director for 4 Private manufacturing companies in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. Roy has served on Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards for public, private and start-up companies as well as not-for-profit organizations. Also he is Past Chair of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association and the Private Directors Association. Roy holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University and earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. In addition, Roy completed “Making Corporate Boards More Effective”- a Certificate program, from the Harvard Business School. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        What is the role of a board in a successful career; both personally and professionally? 4:33        Roy Verstraete: A global citizen in manufacturing whose career also became his hobby. Segment 2: Evolution of Mentorships & the “Top Three” 6:00        What made Roy, Roy? Learning to evolve from management to leadership in various cultures.(Velcro Corporation.) 9:33        Roy’s “Top Three”: A hunger for information & learning fed through attending conferences with key thinkers and leaders - Peter Drucker, Management Theory. 10:50      Roy’s “Top Three”: Evolution from management to leadership – Jim Collins (Good to Great), Clayton Christensen (The Innovator’s Dilemma), Michael Porter 12:55      “Those were foundational pieces that came together to make something.” 13:30      The importance of being vulnerable. 14:44      Attending conferences: what’s the relationship makeup? Segment 3: Becoming an Advisor, Mentor & Board Member 16:40      The journey of becoming an advisor, mentor and board member. 18:42      The Private Directors Association: Filling the whitespace of private companies. 22:54      The four pillars of PDA – private owners, private equity owners, ESOPs, and startups. 25:00      The evolution of the board in startups. 26:35      75% of the clients that  he had would not have lost their business if they would have had an external advisor of two. - Bruce Goldstein. 27:44      Hints to management and board members. Segment 4: Industries & Disruption 34:38      The greatest impact on industries: The geopolitical state and cyber security.  37:20      Current trends: consolidation and divestitures. 39:43      Evolutionary changes in manufacturing. 42:23      “All of our training, all of our education, was how to grow, how to push....nowhere was the training of how to handle a true, serious, heavy recession.” 43:43      What to do now to prepare for a recession? “Preemptively look at what you don’t need.” Segment 5: Wrapping Up 48:33      Best piece of advice he has received: “Being curious and remaining curious leads to continuous learning....but decide what direction you want to go and share that” 50:45      How to get started? “Rather than the morning, tonight write down what you want to do tomorrow. And tomorrow you start on it.” 52:11      The Private Directors Association – 80 Detroit members. 4 major chapters. And growing. 55:11      For owners: the only environment where owners can come to a meeting and ‘window shop’. 56:46      Contact Roy via LinkedIn or Email (Roy@RoyVerstraete.com! Additional Information Contact Roy Verstraete: Roy’s LinkedIn

Jacques Panis, the accomplished global brand builder, joins Gregg Garrett in this week’s episode of You, Me, and Your Top Three. Jacques transformed the Shinola brand from a defunct shoe polish brand brand into a globally recognized leader in the fashion and accessories industry. Jacques talks about the ups and downs of becoming an overnight success and specifically about the impact that can have on your closest relationships. Jacques gives insight into his current leadership adventure - leading the lab-grown diamond business New World Diamonds - and shares how he believes the industry is being completely disrupted by technology.  Finally, Jacques shares his “Top Three” and talks about how everyone should look for pattern-disrupting opportunities during their career journeys. About Jacques panis Jacques is an international brand builder and CEO of New World Diamonds. Prior to joining New World Diamonds in 2018, Jacques was the President of Shinola for six years during which time he led the company’s product development and strategic brand direction. Jacques also prides himself on his entrepreneurial spirit which he showcased when he founded Webosaurus.com in 2007. Jacques has also been active in the communities in which he lived, servicing on the boards of the Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit Children’s Fund, and the Empowerment Plan. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 1:00        Is the importance of ‘the brand’ going to be diminished moving forward? 4:29        Jacques Background: From small-town Virginia boy to CEO of New World Diamonds.   Segment 2: Brave Leadership & the “Top Three” 6:12        Jacques’ “Top Three”: “The guys who gave me a shot” 7:19        Jacques’ “Top Three”: Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin – the importance of the human. (Brand Fuel.) 8:07        Focus on the human aspect when interviewing individuals for a job. 9:12        Jacques’ “Top Three”: Steve O’Brien (Reel FX Animation.) 10:34      “It is about the person, not the ‘metrics’ on paper.” 13:38      The importance of scrappiness. 17:53      Jacques’ “Top Three”: Holly Jonnson Panis – being brave and how to ‘be human’. Segment 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 20:12      “When you’re on an epic adventure, you sometimes lose sight of what is important.” 23:36      Industry disruption via lab-grown diamonds. 27:58      New World Diamonds: A smarter diamond for a smarter consumer in a smarter world. 34:40      “Look for something that is pattern disruptive.”                37:23      The startup atmosphere: enabled to do what we need to do – just in 30 day sprints. Segment 4: Wrapping Up 41:35      Advice #1: Whether a corporate or a startup – force the bootstrap. 44:54      Advice #2: “You’re going to be told no a thousand times over in different ways. And I believe there is always a way to overcome the ‘no’.” 45:40      Advice #3: “Don’t be discouraged by failure.” 45:59      Advice #4: “Care for your people – go with an open heart, open ear, and open eyes and a willingness to trust in your people.” 49:11      “Don’t buy an earth-mind diamond. It’s the craziest damn thing you’ve ever bought.” 50:11      Follow Jacques on LinkedIn and New World Diamonds on social media platforms. Additional Information Contact Jacques Panis: Jacques’ LinkedIn Contact New World Diamonds: Website LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, You Me and Your Top Three host, Gregg Garrett, takes a short pause from interviewing guests to reflect on what we’ve heard over the first twenty weeks of the podcast. He breaks down the growth of the podcast in over 30 countries, discusses the patterns that have been observed around six types of advisors, discusses virtual versus real life mentors, and talks about the power of mentor to mentor networking. Show Highlights Segment 1: Overview 0:58        19 leaders. 20 episodes. Countless learnings. 2:14        My thesis: Great leaders surround themselves with great leaders, diverse ones! 3:25        Upcoming episodes: continuing on with more diversity. 4:30        My request to listeners: recommend podcast guests! (Gregg’s email) Segment 2: Discussing the types of leaders from our leaders 5:15        Leader Type 1: The top leader in an industry or a function.  (Been there, done that – Learn How). Example: EP 2 – Pat Falle speaks of Warren Buffett. Example: EP 17 – John Rossman speaks of Jeff Bezos 7:19        Leader Type 2: The formal coach. (Pushes you and draws the best from you.) Example: EP 14 – John Sung speaking about leading strong women. Example: EP 9 – Graeme Harper speaking about leading top tier students. 8:44        Leader Type 3: Executive leaders and investors. (Control the resources and help you to look “out” vs. “in”). Example: Ep 11 – Max Feber discusses leaning on his investor Mark Cuban 10:29      Leader Type 4: Centering Individuals. (Help you to remember “Why” you lead). Example: EP 6 – Stephan Tarnutzer discusses how he leans on his wife to keep him grounded. 13:06      Leader Type 5: Battle-mates. (Building you a base for success today, as you drive for tomorrow.) Example: EP 18 – Ed Rybicki praises how his co-workers center him as he drives a style of service leadership 14:12      Leader Type 6: Reality-checkers. (People that ground your dreams onto a platform that helps them get traction) Example: EP 5 – Elie Finelgold talks about his former CO), Pat Pott, who kept him grounded to begin to live the dream. Example: EP 12 – John Paul speaks about coaching the boss, and the tension in dreaming while trying to win today.   Segment 3: Some other early findings 15:41      The importance of reverse mentorship. 17:18      The role of the virtual mentor. 19:45      How the mentor-to-mentor relationship is continuing to be built. Additional Information Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, we speak with Ryan Schram, a leader in digital and influencer marketing and the Chief Operating Officer at IZEA Worldwide. Ryan speaks about the unique journey he and his colleagues took to disrupt an industry, form a new category and rise to the top. We discuss the celebrity influencers of today, the emerging role of the nano-influencer, as well as potential influencers of the future like artificial intelligence. Ryan highlights his ‘Top Three’ advisors and speaks about what it was like to grow up in a house that is filled with marketing and media juggernauts, what it’s like to work for, and partner with an industry visionary, and shares how spousal choice is critical for leaders beyond balancing work and home. And throughout the episode, Ryan shares several pieces of advice with the audience, including some of his most fundamental advice that was passed along at an early age from a Mad Men-esque character – Always Be Fabulous. About Ryan Schram As Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Schram provides day-to-day leadership and managerial oversight for IZEA – championing the needs of its team members, clients, partners, and creators around the world. Placing company culture and creativity at the center of his approach, Mr. Schram is responsible for the IZEA’s overall operational environment, including the Company’s client development, business development, marketing communications, human capital, and creator ecosystem organizations. He also leads the Company’s corporate business development growth strategy domestically and abroad. Schram was appointed to IZEA’s Board of Directors in November 2012. Nearing two decades of experience in the consumer marketing and technology space, Ryan has an established track record of driving growth, efficiency and profitability for leading- edge companies. In addition to his responsibilities at IZEA, Schram has been actively involved as a board member, advisor, and mentor in leading marketing technology companies, including TechStars Mobility, StageLeap, ProfitStreams, and Stratos. Prior to joining IZEA in September 2011 as the Company’s first-ever Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan served as Group Vice President at ePrize (now HelloWorld), the prominent digital engagement agency that was acquired by private equity firm Catteron Partners in August 2012. Previous to ePrize, Ryan held a variety of leadership positions at CBS/Westwood One and Clear Channel Media + Entertainment (now iHeartMedia). His work has been regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, AdAge, and ADWEEK. A proud Spartan, Ryan is a graduate of the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University (B.A., Management). Show Highlights Segment 1: Introduction 1:25        The Connecting World – a story built on data in a world built on humans. 3:59        The journey of a “self-aware nerd” through integrated marketing, sales enablement, and executive leadership. (iHeartRadio. HelloWorld. IZEA (NASDAQ: IZEA).) Segment 2: Brave Leadership & the “Top Three” 6:46        Ryan’s “Top Three”: Bill Burton – The professional product mover. Always “Be fabulous.” (Don Draper – Mad Men.) 16:14      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Ted Murphy –  “The most dangerous man in the room” – a leader in the creator economy. 23:04      Challenging each other is central to any professional dynamic. 25:30      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Steve Schram – Hold yourself accountable for maximizing the gifts that you have. 32:51      Ryan’s “Top Three”: Jamie Schram – Being a business pair. 37:18      Hiring in the ‘shoulders up’ economy. Part 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 41:11      “Always about the content, not the clutter.” 43:00      The roles of the macro influencers (celebrities & athletes) and the micro/nano influencers. 49:20      Bots and artificial intelligence as influencers. Part 5: Wrapping up 51:26      IZEA’s journey to going public. 54:30      Advice on going public (and beyond): “Be curious, be brave enough to realize that it’s like getting a graduate degree every 1-2 quarters in something totally different.” 59:02      “Don’t confuse  your title for your importance and the value you can bring to the team members you serve.” (Servant Leadership). 1:00:51  “Failure is one of life’s great gifts.” – Ted Murphy 1:02:06  Follow IZEA and Ryan! (IZEAx 3.0. Influencer Insights.) Additional Information Contact Ryan: Ryan’s LinkedIn Ryan’s Twitter Contact IZEA IZEA’s Twitter IZEA’s Instagram IZEA’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

During this episode, we speak with Ed Rybicki, Chief Information Officer at Vyaire Medical. Throughout the discussion, Ed highlights how throughout his journey to his global CIO role he never forgot to keep people at the center of pretty much everything he does – something he learned from his background in organizational behavior. Ed elaborated on how data has become one of the world’s most valuable assets and noted how it needs to find its way on to the balance sheets of many companies. He also discussed how he surrounded himself with non-traditional mentors throughout his career – ranging from his colleagues inside the companies he has worked for who helped him build a platform for success to those outside who helped him transform from role to role and that pushed him to be brave. About Ed Rybicki Ed is a highly accomplished and forward-thinking Senior Technology Executive with 20+ years of achievement setting and executing technology strategies for private-equity, private, and public global corporations. Ed has a proven record of success as part of executive leadership teams to align top-level business and technology strategies— fostering sustainable revenue growth and delivering top levels of efficiency and internal/external customer service through sustainable innovation. Ed has broad-based expertise in the planning and execution of strategic turnarounds, culture change initiatives, technical project portfolios, systems operations, and diverse service delivery efforts. Show Highlights Segment 1: Introduction 2:48        Ed’s history: An IT practitioner with a background in organizational behavior. (EDS. Vyaire Medical. University of Michigan.) 6:27        A differentiator for companies: Having the ability to value and incubate people as an asset. Segment 2: Brave Leadership & the “Top Three” 8:36        Non-traditional mentorship: picking pieces of advice based on need or intersection at a specific time. 10:10      Ed’s “Top Three”: Gerald “Gerry” Schunder – A guide through the foundation part of Ed’s career. (Volkswagen Group of America. Ernst & Young.) 13:15      “If I have a personal connection with someone, I’m just inherently going to be more successful in what I do.” 16:14      Ed’s “Top Three”: George Albert – Giving the outside perspective. (Brightwing. Southwest Airlines.) 20:18      Ed’s “Top Three”: Carol Moher – A friendship and emotional support that transcends reporting structure.   25:32      Ed’s “Top Three”: Gregg Garrett – Challenge with new thought and innovation of thoughts. 29:55      “You don’t have to have high commonality in everything to actually have great colleagues....there is huge power in diversity of thought.” 32:15      Ed’s “Top Three”: Dave Eckley – Shared approach and value on how to work with teams. Part 3: Industry Disruption & Transformation 36:12      Common thread of disruption: Data and information – how to capture, use, and monetize it. (Radio Shack Data.) 42:05      Pros and cons: working in a company’s “home country” vs working as part of a global network. 48:03      “I’m working for my team and my job is to enable them to be the best they can be.” (Servant Leadership.) 53:20      Building a team: enabling people to take ownership and reacting appropriately when things fail. Part 5: Wrapping up 56:33      Keep in touch with Ed via LinkedIn. 56:53      Follow Vyaire Medical as they enter an exciting time of transformation as a global leader in respiratory, diagnostic care. (Website. LinkedIn.) Additional Information Contact Ed Rybicki: Ed’s LinkedIn Contact Gregg Garrett: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

About this Episode As the original chief architect of the lifesaving and the most widely used telematics platform in the world (OnStar), and the CTO for several of the most widely used navigation (and marketing insight) platforms that likely guided you on your most recent appointment, Ty Beltramo understands technological driven disruption. He walks us through his journey as a transformation leader and shares the lessons his mentors taught him during his professional career. He sheds light on how technology itself is being disrupted, what you need to do as a progressive tech leadership, how speed has over taken scale as a differentiator in industry, and the importance of remaining human-centric.  Through the discussion Ty sheds his wisdom for both the top technology leaders, and those that must work with them in order to unlock the value in technological investments. About Ty Beltramo   Ty Beltramo is a hands-on technical leader with proven expertise in connected solutions and large enterprise integration projects. He has over 20 years of experience as the senior technology leader of large firms, including Fortune 50 companies, overseeing the design and development of complex enterprise systems. Ty is also a critical member of the CGS Advisors Fellows Network.   As the CTO of MapQuest, he was the head of a team of 60 and successfully completed a 3-year turnaround plan to modernize all aspects of infrastructure, core data, and products. As a partner and iOS application developer at Portable Hole Productions, he was the sole developer for General Motors OnStar MyLink application, which won the Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award. And as Chief Architect at General Motors OnStar, Ty led the evolution of OnStar’s enterprise architecture to grow from 1 to 4 lines of business and support over 3-million subscribers, one-hundred-fold the amount of subscribers since he started.   Show Highlights Segment 1: Introduction and Background 1:23         What makes Ty unique? 3:28          Why was it important to Ty to stay close to the technology? Segment 2: Disruption in Industry & Needed Capabilities 6:40         Technology: An industry or a craft? 10:26       What force is disrupting technology? 13:38       How can leaders use technology to differentiate their business? 15:00      How is architecture and, more importantly, “Good architecture” defined? 16:25      The two-sided business model: What is the process of monetizing a product that is free? Segment 3: Firm Transformation 19:48      How can leaders make their company faster when it comes to technology? 21:50      What role do people play in the success of technology and architecture? 23:08       In the professional sense, what makes someone a risk taker? 25:04       Whose job is it to set the culture of the company? 26:14       What is a CTO? 27:58      How do you differentiate the CTO from the CIO role? 32:36       Stories of transformation: Successes, Failure, and Lessons learned Segment 4: Brave Leadership & the “Top Three” 36:38      Who played a key role in Ty’s success…his bosses! Boss 1 Helped Ty learn and understand how technology can be applied to solve business problems. Introduced Ty to the importance of building a “fear-free environment” that encourages the company to possess no fear of failure – invoking a “move on” attitude. Boss 2 Helped Ty understand the culture of people: why and how to motivate, encourage and invest in people. Boss 3 Helped Ty understand the importance of grace in the hiring process. Whether you are hiring the best people or letting go of the wrong people, the key is always doing so with grace and dignity. 44:37      What one piece of advice does Ty give to others? 46:31      If you could select an advisor, who would be your fourth? Robert “Uncle Bob” Martin (LinkedIn. Twitter. Books. Website. Blog.) Neil Ford (Twitter. Books. Website. Blog.) 48:23      Does Ty ever think through the amount of lives he’s helped to save through his work with OnStar? Wrapping Up 51:54     What advice does Ty have for architects? 53:19     What advice does Ty have for CTOs or progressive CIOs? 54:08      What advice does Ty have for leaders? Additional Information Contact Ty: Ty’s LinkedIn Ty’s Email Ty’s Bio Contact Gregg: Gregg’s LinkedIn Gregg’s Twitter Gregg’s Bio CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

About this Episode Jon Rimanelli discusses how he and his firm, ASX,  addresses urban congestion to help fulfill the promise of mobility services as a time saver.  Jon gives incredible detail to the approach he’s taking by applying mass market supply chain methods from the automotive industry and applying them to the short-range aerospace industry. From aircraft design to discussion on multimodal modular configuration, we get a detailed look into what makes his firm so unique. Jon concludes with an honest look into how much “the team” means to him and guides us through the a discussion of his advisors who give him the immense courage to dive deep in the of attempting to shape a new industry category. About Jon Rimanelli Mr. Jon Rimanelli serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Airspace Experience Technologies. Inc. (ASX). He is an electronics entrepreneur and private pilot with over 1,000 hours of flight time. He is the founder of Nextronix Inc. As a contract manufacturer, he spent 18 years prototyping and producing automotive, aerospace and communications industries. He is also the founder of Detroit Air Racing Inc., which lead and facilitated the 2008 Detroit Red Bull Air Races, resulting in over $100 million in economic impact over three years for both Detroit and Windsor Ontario. In 2013, he teamed Lockheed Martin to manufacture and distribute the IndagosUAS VTOL for military, civil and commercial customers worldwide. He is also the founder of the Detroit Mobility Park (DMP), a non-profit 501C3, based at Detroit City Airport to facilitate autonomous air and ground mobility testing at the airport. Show Highlights Segment 1: Intro, Background, and Forming a firm. 3:16        Jon Rimanelli and his unique approach to urban mobility: What are his initial thoughts on where the  disruption rests? 5:08        What are the fascinations that inspired Jon and eventually got him to where he is today?   10:25      Why Detroit? What led Jon to build his firm, ASX, in the “Motor City”?   Segment 2: Disruption in Industry & Needed Capabilities 12:23      Reuse. Repurpose. Restructure. How do these three r’s fit in with the predictions Jon’s has for urban air mobility? 13:13      What does Jon see now and in the future ahead as it relates to mobility transformation? 16:17      What does Jon see as a necessity to smoothly and successfully bridge the aerospace and auto mobility   industries? 18:22      What makes his firm so unique in the Aerospace industry? 21:48      Unique attributes of the ASX aircraft design and architecture 24:54      Who are some of the individuals that make up the ASX team? Dr. Anita Sengupta – Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of ASX JP Yorro – Co-Founder of ASX Camilo Pardo – Chief Industrial Designer Senior Controls Engineers   27:30      How did Jon tackle the bridge into supplier base? 30:10      What is the process of raising money for his startup? How can listeners get involved?                 Seedinvest.com – Own a share of ASX ! Segment 3: Brave Leadership & the “Top Three” 37:17      Who are the individuals that Jon calls on for courage? Who are his “Top Three”? RJ King – Editor of DBusiness Magazine Bob Lutz – Automotive industry icon Bob Campbell – Former Senior Leader at Deloitte and Federal Government advisor Sandy Munro  - Founder, Munro & Associates Wrapping Up 41:42      What other big news can Jon share on the firm? 43:04      What advice does Jon have for the next generation of leaders? Additional Information About ASX: www.iflyasx.com www.seedinvest.com/asx/bridge Contact Jon: LinkedIn Contact Gregg: LinkedIn Twitter Bio

Ultimately, aren’t we all just looking for happiness?  It may be expressed as peace, contentment, or a sense of love.  Sadly, our brain that is a velcro for the BAD works against us.  How can retrain our brain to be happy?  Join CJ as she talks to NY Times best-selling author, Dr. Rick Hanson, about his book “Hardwiring Happiness” to learn how to train your brain to more contentment, calm, and confidence. Show Highlights: Segment 1: How does our experiences shape our brain?  What are the 3 operating systems in the brain and what is it looking for? What is the HEAL method? Segment 2:  A real-life scenario- How to turn around an awful day to a happy experience? Segment 3: Listener questions Blog post by our guest by Rick Hanson at http://www.rickhanson.net/ Down deep, do you feel at ease? The Practice: Pet the lizard. Why? I’ve always liked lizards. Growing up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, I played in the foothills near our home. Sometimes I’d catch a lizard and stroke its belly, so it would relax in my hands, seeming to feel at ease. In my early 20′s, I found a lizard one chilly morning in the mountains. It was torpid and still in the cold and let me pick it up. Concerned that it might be freezing to death, I placed it on the shoulder of my turtleneck, where it clung and occasionally moved about for the rest of the day. There was a kind of wordless communication between us, in which the lizard seemed to feel I wouldn’t hurt it, and I felt it wouldn’t scratch or bite me. After a few hours, I hardly knew it was there, and sometime in the afternoon it left without me realizing it. Now, years later, as I’ve learned more about how the brain evolved, my odd affinity for lizards has started making sense to me. To simplify a complex journey beginning about 600 million years ago, your brain has developed in three basic stages: Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm Mammal – Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards Primate – Cortex, focused on attaching to “us” Of course, the brain is highly integrated, so these three key functions – avoiding, approaching, and attaching – are accomplished by all parts of the brain working together. Nonetheless, each function is particularly served by the region of the brain that first evolved to handle it. This fact has significant implications. For example, in terms of avoiding harm, the brainstem and the structures just on top of it are fast and relatively rigid. Neuroplasticity – the capacity of the brain to learn from experience by changing its structure – increases as you move up both the evolutionary ladder and the layered structures of the brain. Consequently, if you want to help yourself feel less concerned, uneasy, nervous, anxious, or traumatized – feelings and reactions that are highly affected by “reptilian,” brainstem-related processes – then you need many, many repetitions of feeling safe, protected, and at ease to leave lasting traces in the brainstem and limbic system structures that produce the first emotion, the most primal one of all: fear. Or to put it a little differently, your inner iguana needs a LOT of petting! How? To begin with, I’ve found it helps me to appreciate how scared that little lizard inside each one us is. Lizards – and early mammals, emerging about 200 million years ago – that were not continually uneasy and vigilant would fail the first test of life in the wild: eat lunch – don’t be lunch – today. So be aware of the ongoing background trickle of anxiety in your mind, the subtle guarding and bracing with people and events as you move through your day. Then, again and again, try to relax some, remind yourself that you are actually alright right now, and send soothing and calming down into the most ancient layers of your mind. Also soothe your own body. Most of the signals coming into the brain originate inside the body, not from out there in the world. Therefore, as your body settles down, that sends feedback up into your brain that all is well – or at least not too bad. Take a deep breath and feel each part of it, noticing that you are basically OK, and letting go of tension and anxiety as you exhale; repeat as you like. Shift your posture – even right now as you read this – to a more comfortable position. As you do activities such as eating, walking, using the bathroom, or going to bed, keep bringing awareness to the fact that you are safe, that necessary things are getting done just fine, that you are alive and well. Throughout, keep taking in the good of these many moments of petting your inner lizard. Register the experience in your body of a softening, calming, and opening; savor it; stay with it for 10-20-30 seconds in a row so that it can transfer to implicit memory. (For more on how to take in the good and defeat the innate negativity bias of the brain – whose unfortunate default setting is to be Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones – go to this link.) Some have likened the mind/brain to a kind of committee. Frankly, I think it’s more like a jungle! We can’t get rid of the critters in there – they’re hardwired into the brain – but we can tame and guide them. Then, as the bumper sticker says, they wag more and bark less. Or relax, like a lizard at ease in the sun. About our Guest Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness,Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and on the Advisory Board of theGreater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, he’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. He has several audio programs and his free Just One Thing newsletter has over 100,000 subscribers. #hardwiring happiness, happiness, how the brain works,rick hanson phd, dr rick hanson,buddha brain, rick hanson,neuroscience of happiness, buddha books,how to train your brain, rick hanson just one thing,rick hanson meditation,dr rick hanson Stay Connected: Related Posts: Teenage Brain Development (Dr. Scott Swartzwelder) Change your Thought= Change your Destiny (Dr. Joe Dispenza) test EFT Universe: Powering up your daily affirmations with EFT… Mindfulness: Real Happiness at Work (Sharon Salzberg) Discipline with love (Amy McCready) - See more at: http://www.fireitupwithcj.com/hardwiring-happiness/#sthash.r1OOo9uA.dpuf