The Automotive Leaders Podcast

In the season 3 opening episode, Jan shares the audio from the highly energetic and engaging speech at the Centre for Automotive Research conference, Management Briefing Sessions In Traverse City, Michigan.We dive into authentic leadership and the behaviors that support and detract away from it and why authentic leadership is critical to our future and the way we lead.The audio refers to slides in the presentation, click here to access the slide deck.Click here for the full video of the speechEngage with us for more tools to help you on your authentic leadership journey at www. gravitasdetroit.com Enjoy!

In this episode, Jan explores the deeper questions around authentic leadership and the plans for season 3 including an increased focus on Gen Z

Audio from a recent webinar exploring the benefits of an internal podcast for your business or your team along with exactly what you need to know before you start. Presentation slidesWebinar video How to be a great podcast guest - mini course

Jan Griffiths, President of Gravitas Detroit talked about the mission on the Automotive Leaders Podcast

In this podcast, you’ll meet Carrie Uhl, Chief Procurement Officer for GE Healthcare. Carrie is one of the most impactful supply chain leaders in not one, but two different industries. She shares with us her belief in bringing her best self to work, being tough on issues and not people, and being relentlessly positive.02:24 – Carrie’s formative years in Pittsburgh04:15 – First job in Supply Chain, with Guardian Industries05:31 – After many years in Automotive, moving on to healthcare08:46 – Carrie’s leadership style10:14 – How Carrie creates a safe environment12:50 – Building high-performance teams17:48 – Lean Thinking18:30 – Carrie’s definition of Gravitas22:17 – How Carrie’s leadership style has evolved28:16 – Developing people globally31:14 – Work/Life balance36:15 – Carrie’s surprising morning routine40:47 – Carrie’s advice to her 25-year-old self42:38 – Carrie’s legacyPlease share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you.

Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book In this podcast, you’ll meet Carla Bailo, President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. Carla shares with us her love of cars and deep roots in the automotive industry. Her long career has been full of opportunities to start from a blank slate, she loves doing things no one has done before. She also enjoys breaking molds and challenging people to think differently.02:27 – Carla’s deep roots in automotive05:30 – GMC ride and handling performance on big rigs, driving cross-country09:30 – Moving to Nissan’s newly opened R&D center, the “blank sheet of paper” job11:36 – Joint venture with Ford, negotiating differences in culture and customer expectations19:00 – Request from President to start three new departments for R&D23:50 – Moving to Japan for 5 yrs to be program director for trucks and SUVs globally27:37 – Moving back to be head of R&D for North and South America28:00 – Retiring from Nissan, working for Ohio State to do mobility research29:48 – Asked to go to the Center for Automotive Research32:00 – Modernizing the CAR – MBS conference  37:24 – Gen Z has a totally new way of thinking about things, employers have to change too38:45 – What authentic leadership is to Carla48:29 – The joys of getting back to in-person human interaction54:20 – Carla’s definition of Gravitas56:23 – Advice for her 25-year-old self1:02:23 – Carla’s morning routinePlease share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you.

Today, you're going to meet the change leadership guru. Jesse Jacoby is the founder of the business consulting service Emergent, which focuses on organizational change management and business transformations. Jessie is exactly the subject matter expert we need right now, to help us all transition into this new way of doing business. We will benefit from his experience, and expertise to navigate this new normal, and avoid pitfalls along the way.02:28 – How Jan and Jesse met04:39 – Jesse’s background – developing a strong work ethic06:30 – Joining Accenture to satisfy curiosity about the workings of large corporations07:47 – Started consulting business, Emergent10:10 – Why so many change efforts fail13:45 – Qualities of authentic leaders17:29 – Figuring out a flexible work model, companies with a culture of trust have a huge advantage21:51 – Remember this is an ongoing process25:56 – The dangers of inconsistency29:26 – The importance of leading by example34:09 – Remembering the human element of change38:35– What Jesse would say to his 25-year-old self41:38 – How Jesse starts his dayPlease share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you. 

In this episode, you’ll meet Mark Lecher, President and CEO of HFI. Follow his journey from an impoverished beginning where he had to start working at age 12, to being the President and CEO of a tier-two Automotive Interiors company. Mark speaks of being true to your purpose, being your authentic self, and bringing out the best in your team by demonstrating trust.02:29 – Mark’s blue-collar beginnings04:20 - Learning self-reliance from his mother06:17 – High School, College, and accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers07:25 – A business unit’s transition from a family-owned business to being part of a large corporation10:00 – Becoming CFO of GST Auto Leather, 3 days before division spin-off12:54 – Embracing the “gray area” in leadership16:39 – Being a servant leader20:24 – When you’re playing a part, you’re not being yourself25:39 – Demonstrating trust with your team members29:20 – How Mark starts his day35:45 – Mark’s definition of Gravitas40:29 – Advice for young leaders44:00 – What Mark would say to his 25-year-old self49:33 – Mark’s legacyPlease share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you. 

As pandemic restrictions come to an end, we find ourselves facing another transition. Many of us are heading back to the office, but not necessarily in the same way we did it before. There is understandably some concern over what this “new normal” is going to look like.In this episode, we are going to delve into research and strategies that harness the power of the restart to help us successfully lead through this transition. 00:50 Going back to the office02:38 Some science behind the restart: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901.04:45 Use this transition to break the mold of corporate leadership08:43 Talking about culture… yes, again09:45 7 things to establish a High-Performance Team - #1, Connection12:40 #2 Get it off your chest14:06 #3 What we love16:52 #4 Strengths21:00 #5 Trust battery24:32 #6 Team Traits26:17 #7 What now?29:20 Take advantage of the Gravitas Workshop to harness the power of the restart.Please share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you. 

In this episode, you'll meet Jason Stocker, President of C&U Americas. We’ll learn about his blue-collar roots, how he took inspiration from a 1980’s sitcom to send him on his career path, and how he lives his life with volition.02:13 Jason’s story05:49 Honing in on Accounting as a career choice08:30 Incentive to graduate college at lightning speed12:44 Living and breathing volition15:35 Jumping into sales21:00 Desiring to create wealth, as well as have an impact, identifying qualities of a leader25:00 Look up Sumantra Ghoshal, work on volition30:30 Automotive industry is at a turning point38:00 Importance of conflict management45:20 It’s ok to fail49:20 Jason’s definition of Gravitas56:23 Finding your own definition of work-life balance1:03:15 Storytelling and imagination as an essential toolPlease share your thoughts on this episode, email me at Jan@gravitasdetroit.com,  I'd love to hear from you.