Authentic Leadership in Transformation

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In this episode of the Automotive Leaders Podcast, host Jan Griffiths interviews Jon Husby, president and CEO of ADAC Automotive, about the critical elements of leadership and culture in the automotive industry.

Jon grew up as a shy child who was always worried about what other people thought. However, after taking on a leadership role, he discovered that he enjoys leading and getting things done.

"I am imperfect. I'm learning as a leader," says Jon. Despite spending 30 years in the industry, Jon still believes every day is new for him. As a leader, Jon is unafraid to roll up his sleeves and get into the trenches to help his people. He embraces a transparent leadership style that empowers people to be better versions of themselves.

Jon highlights a common issue where companies focus heavily on KPIs at the expense of culture. He says this unbalanced focus on metrics and people prevents companies from evolving their culture. At ADAC, they address this by putting concerted effort and commitment into the people aspect of the business.

Jon shares a significant challenge ADAC faced—a cyber event that tested the company's strength. Despite the adversity, the incident showcased the power of strong leadership and teamwork. By understanding each other's strengths and placing the right people in the right roles, ADAC could respond swiftly and effectively, earning customer compliments for their quick recovery​.

Transparency is a fundamental trait in Jon's leadership philosophy. By fostering an environment where employees feel comfortable asking questions and understanding the reasoning behind decisions, Jon believes transparency can significantly enhance trust and engagement within the company. ​

Jon suggests that industry leaders should tackle their challenges with leadership and culture by being transparent and collaborative. He emphasizes the need for giving and receiving feedback to improve the industry. This is especially important during a time of major changes in the industry.

Join Jon and host Jan Griffiths as they discuss his career journey, the importance of transparency and mindset in leadership, and how leaders can drive transformation within their organizations.

Themes discussed in this episode:

• Understanding how Jon Husby is driving transformation with ADAC Automotive
• The importance of transparent and collaborative relationships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
• Ensuring a focus on both organizational culture and key performance indicators for long-term success
• The impact of understanding and effectively communicating with employees on leadership effectiveness
• Creating an environment where employees feel valued and comfortable asking questions.
• Strategies for leading a company through significant changes and challenges.
• Encouraging a mindset that seeks to address issues before they become significant problems

Featured guest: Jon Husby

What he does: Jon Husby is the President and CEO of ADAC Automotive, a leading vehicle access and diversified solutions company. Joining ADAC in August 2022, he was appointed to its board of directors in January 2024. Before ADAC, Jon was the President and CEO of SEG Automotive North America, where he managed mechanical and e-machine technology from 2018 to 2022. He also served as SVP of Global Sales during his tenure. Jon's extensive career includes leadership roles at Harman International, TomTom, Tele Atlas, and DENSO Corporation, with expertise in sales, marketing, and advanced automotive technologies. He holds board positions with MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers and the Automotive Hall of Fame. Jon earned his Bachelor’s in Economics and Management from Albion College and an MBA from Wayne State.

On leadership: “I am imperfect. I'm learning as a leader. Every day is new for me, but I embrace a style of empowerment. I embrace a style of trust and transparency in coaching. I fully, fully believe, and I've learned this through my well over 30 years of leading people in this idea of rolling up your sleeves, getting in the trenches, and not being afraid to help people and coach people, right? And I've seen so many different styles of leadership. And so, for me, personally, being able to grab onto that, being able to be that transparent type of leader that empowers people, but also holds them accountable in a fair way and helps people learn to be better versions of themselves where they can go. That's really who I am as a leader.”

Mentioned in this episode:

• Plante Moren 24th annual North American Automotive OEM-supplier Working Relations Index® (WRI®) Study
• Meet Stefan Krause, A driving force in the world of EVs
• Martin Fischer on Shaping ZF's Automotive Leadership and Culture
• Getting to Know Collin Shaw, the next President of MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers Group



Episode Highlights:

[00:03:02] Jon Husby As A Leader: Jon describes his leadership style as one of empowerment, trust, and transparency, focused on coaching and helping people become better versions of themselves.

[00:03:48] The Journey Towards Authentic Leadership: Jon's leadership journey was shaped by early leadership opportunities, mentorship, diverse professional roles, and a focus on learning and adapting his leadership style to different cultures and challenges.

[00:12:33] Compliance vs Conviction: Effective leadership involves understanding and connecting with individuals on a personal level rather than adhering to a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach.

[00:16:07] Balancing Accountability and Empathy: By retooling meeting structures to include a focus on people, culture, and strategy, Jon ensures that leadership consistently considers and addresses both business performance and employee well-being.

[00:18:40] The 12 Variables of Success: Jon talks about ADAC's 12 Variables for Success, emphasizing its practical and relatable approach to leadership and cultural change and how these variables are actively integrated and promoted within the company.

[00:23:06] Where are the KPIs for Culture? In a world obsessed with KPIs and urgent issues, Jon Husby highlights the critical need for a cultural KPI, stressing that many companies fail to evolve their culture due to their fixation on metrics.

[00:27:45] Cyber Intrusion: Jon shares a significant challenge ADAC faced—a cyber event that tested the company's strength.

[00:29:17] Key Leadership Traits: Understand the importance of transparency and mindset in leadership from Jon's perspective.

[00:32:49] Advice for Industry Leaders: Jon believes it's important for Tier One suppliers in the auto industry to be transparent and communicate openly. He encourages them to engage with OEMs and industry peers to drive cultural and leadership change.

[00:37:09] Going Personal with Jon Husby: Diving into the personal side, Jon shares his love for binge-watching history and business documentaries, his morning routine of walking and listening to podcasts, and his commitment to balancing work, family, and personal growth.

Top Quotes:

[00:04:38] Jon: “There was a part of my early leadership days that were a bit of that chasing the title, chasing the recognition. And what I started to learn eventually over time was it can't be about that; with great power comes responsibility, too. And you need to be able to be that more humble, vulnerable leader. Once I started to get that, the whole world of leadership changed for me. It became about working with others, empowering others, always trying to learn, et cetera.”

[00:23:19] Jon: “There's always such a focus on KPI, but where's the KPI on culture?  And most companies don't have that KPI in culture. And frankly, I'm not going to proclaim that we have the exact math and science behind it, but we take the focus to make sure that we're going to talk about people. We're going to talk about what we need to do. We're going to talk about the messaging. And so, we make a just a really concerted effort and commitment to go do that. I just think there are so many companies that can't get out of their own way when it comes to KPIs. It stops them from being able to evolve the culture. And that's really dangerous.”

[00:26:41] Jon: “One of the things we did was change the cadence of meetings the minute I walked in the door. And we went from just being a report out to being a strategy meeting and being an alignment meeting. And I promise you that when that senior leadership team walks out of that room, we all have the same message. We all have the same understanding. And some of those are tough discussions. We have a lot of very healthy debates, but those debates weren't happening before. And now, those debates are happening. And for me, that's awesome because that's starting to change the way we're going to advance the strategy and the culture because we're having those tough discussions now. We're not just going to launch something and hope it sticks.”

[00:29:28] Jon: “If there's anything I've learned, and it doesn't matter if it's my career if it's in industry groups, it can be in nonprofit boards, it can be whatever. There's got to be that sense of transparency. There has to be that sense of help explaining the background. Just don't tell me something. Don't go to that command control; you will do this; here's our mission. Help people understand and talk through it.”

[00:36:00] Jon: “Where we go as an industry is only going to be more transformational. Not in terms of, “Well, where are we going to be a decade from now?” It's where we're going to be 12 months from now, right? When we talk about the changes that are going on with EVs around the world, with China suppliers and automakers, and what's going to happen with tariffs and all these other things. The job of suppliers in this industry is only going to become more complex and harder. And this is it again: why do we have to be transparent and open? Trying to solve it all by yourself isn't going to work.”