424: Bert Bean & Sam Kaufman - Rebuilding A Culture, Taking Risks, & The Next Step...

Jun 20, 2021

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Full show notes can be found at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter/IG: @RyanHawk12 https://twitter.com/RyanHawk12

Notes:

Bert Bean is the CEO of Insight Global. Insight Global is a 3.3 Billion Dollar staffing company that focuses on living its shared values and empowering people. started with Insight Global in 2005 as a Recruiter and has since worked his way up within the company, exemplifying Insight Global’s “promote from within” culture. Bert was announced as Insight Global’s CEO on January 13, 2018. According to Comparably, Insight Global and its executive team (led by Bert and Sam) have been rated as an A+ by their employees.

Sam Kaufman is the Chief Revenue Officer of Insight Global. Sam began his career at Insight Global as an Entry Level Recruiter in 2004, and he has earned many promotions throughout his career. Sam’s mission day in and day out is to improve and grow as a leader in sales so that he can help his people develop personally and professionally.

Notes:

Don't Bury The Lede -- The purpose of this episode is to announce that we (Insight Global + The Learning Leader) are formally working together. Insight Global will be the presenting sponsor of all episodes moving forward and I will work with the leaders at Insight Global.
Changing the culture -- In 2017, employee turnover was 40%. Bert took over as CEO in January 2018. The current turnover is 14%.
Fortune Magazine ranked Insight Global as one of the best workplaces for both millennials and women.
- 70% of leadership promotions in 2019 were for women
The impact of episode #242 with Daniel Coyle
- "A leader at a Private Equity conference told me to listen to your episode with Dan Coyle. I did and it changed the trajectory of our company."
Why Bert is a great CEO (according to Sam):
- "Bert gives everything to his people. He wakes up at 4:00 am every day to handwrite notes to people. He cares so much about developing people."
Why Sam is a great leader (according to Bert):
- "Sam is super driven. Extremely hard worker... And cares about his people. He's also willing to take a risk and bet on himself."
Insight Global has a "promote from within" culture.
- "We are the ultimate growth mindset business."
"We must invest in training and developing our people." I will be helping with Insight Global University, Leadership Academy, and providing feedback for leaders within the business.
Bert -- "I love aligning with grinders."
- The "Bert voicemail" -- "When I see something I want, I love being a bad negotiator and just telling them."
- "I believe in first WHO, then what. That's why I want to work with you."
- "We want you to remain independent and out in the market giving speeches and learning from leaders outside of Insight Global. We value you having fresh eyes to help us."
The Utah Offsite retreat:
- Rented a big house with 28 leaders and rebuilt the value system and the culture
  - "We all got in a big circle and shared our lowest moment and highest moment. There were a lot of tears... And we came together in the moment."
- Legendary leader -- "Kirby was dying from cancer. He couldn't walk. The cancer was eating his bones and he flew out there to be with us. He means everything to us. He is the ultimate example of grit." Kirby died a few months after that off-site meeting.
Leadership "must-haves"
- Sam - Three things.
  - You have to care - You won't follow someone who doesn't care about you.
  - High character - Must earn the respect of your peers. Do the right thing all of the time.
  - You're there to serve - "Don't think of leadership as power. Think of it as a burden. A massive responsibility."
- Bert - "You can't be a bullshit leader. Must be authentic. Not a phony. People see through that. You must take care of and develop people in your charge."
The Insight Global shared values:
- Everyone matters
- We Take Care of Each Other
- Leadership is Here to Serve
- High Character and Hard Work
- Always Know Where You Stand
Purpose - “Our purpose is to develop our people personally, professionally, and financially; so they can be the light to the world around them.” - Bert Bean