The Organizational Health Advantage

Accountability. It is a key practice of High-Performing Teams, but, unfortunately, this word connotes something dramatic and uncomfortable for most people. In this episode, James and Keith set out to change this association around the word "accountability" with six simple mindset shifts, which they discuss in-depth in the context of real-life workplace stories.

The topic of meetings is one that most Exec teams struggle with, but it is one of the most important to get right to foster a productive and enjoyable team environment. Keith and James discuss how to use the Four Meeting Model to not only make meetings more effective and efficient, but more enjoyable. The two go in-depth on how to implement each of the four parts of the model, and tell stories of Exec teams that utilized different aspects successfully.

"Keith and James reveal the glue that really holds a team together, especially during the important transformation into a cohesive leadership team that has clarity around strategy and culture and succeeds in communicating that clarity. What does it mean for leaders to really "own" this process? What does it take to ensure that clarity is reinforced through all the human systems of a company? Leading a healthy organization is the one thing that a leader cannot delegate to anyone else."

James and Keith interview Todd Dauchy, CEO of SMA Technologies, about the mixed feelings that come with the immense responsibility of leading a team. It can feel lonely and stressful in important leadership roles; hear about the difficult decisions Todd made to create the team he needed in order to tackle hard issues, one-by-one, until the team and the company were healthy and thriving.

James and Keith talk with Hugh McCutcheon, Olympic volleyball coach and current Assistant Athletics Director / Sport Development Coach at the University of Minnesota. Hugh describes his transition from assistant coach to head coach and the importance of finding ways to add value as a member of the team in any position. He sees humility, clear expectations and principle alignment as essential components of all successful teams and thinks of coaches as service providers that create value through authentic influence. Hugh shares how connecting attention to action by rallying around a specific mission creates competitive advantage. Hear more from Hugh McCutcheon about his coaching and leadership philosophy in his new book, Championship Behaviors: A Model for Competitive Excellence in Sports.

In this podcast, James Felton and Keith Hadley discuss the importance of developing a three year vision. This allows the team to get aligned over a core set of hopes and dreams ...a common picture around the future. The team can then map out how to get the company from where they are to where they want to go over the next three years.

There is a quality that can set a great organization apart from the rest – the ability to make bold, effective decisions in difficult and uncertain times. As you’d expect, it starts with the leader. After all, leaders are deciders. Yet many leaders struggle with this essential duty – making the decision and asking people to commit.In this podcast, James Felton and Keith Hadley discuss the importance of making faster, better decisions and four fears that often make this difficult.

James interviews Pat Vihtelic, founder and CEO of Home Chef. Home Chef is a subscription based meal kit company that delivers quality meals to millions of subscribers each month. In this podcast, Pat discusses his evolution as a leader, the traits he looks for in his employees, and the successful merger of his company with Kroger, currently one of the largest supermarket chains.

James is joined by Tim Leman, the chairman and CEO of Gibson located in South Bend, Indiana. He is on a number of boards and is the author of the book rEvolution: Turn Crisis into Clarity and Ignite Growth. He shares his experiences about creating a healthy company that is built upon a strong leadership model, his hiring practices, and his emphasis on connecting with his employees in a genuine way.

James Felton and fellow colleague Keith Hadley, interview Jon Brady, President of Midtown Athletic Club. Jon shares his unique experiences prior to Midtown that crafted the philosophies he holds today. Jon also shares that he was on the trajectory to having one of the best years yet because he took the time to develop a cohesive team and create clarity that has been adopted company wide. While COVID has presented a challenge to the industry, he's confident that because of the solid foundation, Midtown will continue down its strong path.