The Automotive Leaders Podcast

These are troubling times indeed yet they open up an opportunity to connect with people on a deep and meaningful level like never before.It's time to step up and embrace one of the most rewarding leadership experiences of our lifetime. Are you ready?In this episode, we cover exactly what it takes to lead through this crisis.Staying positiveProviding meaningGalvanizing the teamFears of leading a remote teamTrust issues?How to manage the demands of the family when you work from homeTechnical tipsDesigning your workspaceand much more.

Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book (Recorded when Heather was Global Vice President Logistics & Lean Manufacturing – Delphi)Meet Heather Klish, Heather is the daughter of a GM tool & die maker on a mission to positively impact American manufacturing and she’s rocking it.Tune in to hear how she prioritizes family, faith, career, and fitness and how her leadership compass and moral compass guide her leadership philosophy.In this episode, you can expect to hear how Heather transformed herself from an introverted engineer to a global leader who clearly recognizes “It’s a people business”We explore how the power of visualization and positive affirmation early on in her career impacted her life. How she galvanizes people around a vision and drives accountability into the details yet staying true to her firm belief in empowerment and fully supporting her team.  We go deep into Trust, the speed of trust and the hard-line impact on a business. All of this and more…..There are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.03:27 Heather’s story07:27 Why did you pick manufacturing?  08:57 Leadership style12:11 The power of negative knowledge13:11 Evolving from that introverted engineer15:06 Mentors and the power of visualization17:05 Galvanizing a team around a vision21:17 Detail-oriented or micromanager?23:46 Gravitas27:16 Lead by example, leadership compass29:06 Hot buttons30:06 Advice to your 25year old self32:00 Working through fear – coaching34:25 Leading yourself36:41 Saying NO39:42 Positive energy42:40 Advice to an emerging leader

(Recorded when Kristy was President of mortgage at Flagstar bank)Meet Kristy Fercho, the daughter of a track coach from Compton CA on a mission to help people achieve the American dream of homeownership and she’s rocking it! a leader with GRAVITAS exuding warmth, competency, and connection. Three words describe Kristy – Energy, Light, and Grace, you’ll know exactly what that means after you tune in to this podcast.In this episode, you can expect to hear how her father’s coaching philosophy influenced her leadership style and drives her to focus on “personal best” for herself and others.We explore what happened that day she displayed enormous courage and vulnerability on stage that resulted in an overwhelming outpour of social media attention and support.We dive deep into an open and honest discussion about race, gender, industry stereotypes and fitting a corporate mold.There are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.03:00 Kristy’s story04:57 Being your best self09:22 Staying true to yourself12:09 Breaking the mold16:41 Attracting Millennials18:34 Embracing social media22:48 Courage, leadership and vulnerability33:01 Advice to your 25-year-old self35:42 What’s your legacy?36:49 Leadership influence – see people41:21 Gravitas - Energy, Grace & Light

Meet Nick Skislak, Nick comes from the small town of Sparta, Michigan and learned very quickly how to rock Google ad words like Gary Vaynerchuck. Nick made the bold decision to launch his business in 2008 in the metro Detroit area and he’s never looked back. Nick is a Millennial leading a company of multi-generational employees and he embodies all the traits of leadership we need for the future.In this episode, you can expect to hear how Nick made the shift from being “in the weeds” on everything to trusting, delegating and letting go. He talks openly about having “the tough conversations” with his team and his thoughts around “radical transparency” and what that really means.We go deep into trust, safety, complacency, vulnerability and the creative process. Nick sees his role as a guide and mentor.  “We’re here to make each other better” and “We’re arm in arm” are quotes driving his leadership philosophy. Nick is passionate about breaking down silos and you’ll hear why and how he does that.One of his favorite quotes comes from The Andy Griffith Show, “I’d rather be nice than right”There are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.

Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book Meet Jeneanne Hanley, a leader with over 25 years’ experience in the automotive industry culminating in her position as President of the E Systems division at Lear Corp, a business with revenues over $5B, 50 sites and 70,000 people. It’s clear that her mission is to match “people with purpose”, she leads with a firm belief in “modeling behavior” and “we win as a team”.  A self-confessed “strategy zealot” and a “list person” Jeneanne takes us through many facets of authentic leadership.In this episode, you can expect to hear how she engages a team around a new technology play specifically in the EV space, how they embrace innovation and execute in troubled times, particularly when “there’s fear in the air”. The transition to a company with a Silicon Valley based culture and more.You’ll hear insights gleaned from her interview with Mary Barra CEO of General Motors and Jocko Willink, the Navy Seal and co-author of the book “Extreme Ownership”There are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.03:01 Jeneanne’s story08:01 The Mary Barra interview11:02 2010 – the year of the Volt12:27 Fear in the air16:08 Innovation – allowing people to experiment18:37 Engineers must have a seat at the table19:58 Working for a Silicon Valley based company22:16 Connecting hearts and minds25:59 The Jocko Willink interview30:52 Personal accountability32:36 Authentic leadership40:21 Gravitas41:34 Fun and the corporate offsite44:31 Advice to my 25-year-old self47:08 What’s your legacy?

Meet Kevin Browett, Kevin comes from a one red light town in Pennsylvania he rose through the corporate ranks to head up an $18 Billion P&L  and then……..the pivot, a magazine? tune in to hear his story it covers toys, drugs, start-ups, martial arts and more.In this episode you can expect to hear about a man who was born to serve, it’s in his DNA, it started with the community he grew up in and continues to be a driving force in his life today as he unites the community. Kevin supports the philosophy of “no man left behind” and practices servant leadership in his professional and personal life.  He holds several board positions, supports charity organizations and is proud to put family first, all of this with a strong sense of personal accountability and a strict workout routine starting at 3AM !Kevin speaks openly about failure, lessons learned from the experience and standing up in the boardroom to take the unpopular stand.There are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.03:41 Kevin’s story07:11 We want somebody like you08:45 Financial bonus or something else - incentives11:47 It’s about trust12:27 Staying true to yourself when others are not19:09 Failure and lessons learned21:44 The pivot32:06 Personal accountability – 3AM ?37:09 Boards, charities and making it all work41:59 The GRAVITAS factor43:54 What’s your legacy ?

Meet Renee Harmon, they call her “coach”  and they acknowledge her with a slight tip of the head as they pass her by in the hallways and wide open spaces at United Wholesale Mortgage and you can feel the level of respect and warmth toward her servant leadership approach.In this episode you can expect to hear more about the coaching culture at UWM and the training program that supports over 500 + leaders and placed UWM in the top #5 ranking of training teams across the country.How technology plays a part in improving employee engagement and a very different approach to the traditional performance review.“We’re not the culture police” states HarmonThere are valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.01:38 Renee’s story03:37 The leadership development program05:58 People are our greatest asset06:31 Did she say retention rate of over 90% ?09:34 Not the culture police10:12 The team huddle12:50 Automotive culture – impact ?15:07 Service level agreements16:46 Where did the dance party idea come from ?23:28 Nurturing psychological safety24:54 Technology and the impact on employee engagement27:43 Advice to your 25 year old self28:24 What’s your legacy ?

Meet Laura Lawson, an authentic leader who takes her skills and creativity from her Hollywood job on the Ellen show and becomes the “chief architect of culture” for a mortgage company in Michigan hiring over 3,000 people in 2019.  Laura exemplifies the servant leadership model of leadership and practices it every-day at UWM.  Tune in to hear what this culture is all about and how they make it a reality at UWM.  Yes, there is GRAVITAS in Pontiac Michigan, a city once known for car production. 01:33 Detroit – the mortgage town ?03:20 Laura’s story05:33 The pivot08:18 Our first meeting09:28 Ascending to the C suite12:16 Culture14:30 Blame culture15:25 Fun and friendship16:45 Coming from automotive ?19:44 On-boarding21:18 Thumb pointer22:47 Coaching24:23 Technology28:05 Your time31:50 Dance party ?35:42 What about the metrics ?39:01 Advice to leaders going through cultural transformation42:47 Does Mat Ishbia have GRAVITAS ?45:40 Legacy

Meet Don Akery, a man who walks the talk when it comes to authentic leadership, a man who knows what it takes to take care of all of his stakeholders, customers, suppliers, owners, and most importantly, employees. We will explore today exactly how he does that and stays true to himself.When people come to work at TTI they tend to stay.  The values statement at TTI talks about providing a home and it hasn’t changed in 40 years, the culture has evolved with the times and retained its core values.A real southern boy from Atlanta Georgia who sold subscriptions to the Atlanta Newspaper and now runs a Berkshire Hathaway company, Don has valuable insights to share as we pursue our quest to find GRAVITAS.02:20 Don’s story03:49 Technology and leadership model changes05:40 Attracting Millennials07:07 Embracing social media13:09 The executive roadshow / with a waiting list ?20:52 That irresistible quality of leadership21:36 The TTI story / the American dream23:18 Working for Warren Buffett29:48 Positional power vs supportive / coaching leadership34:33 Creating a home for people40:07 Advice to your 25 year old self43:14 What’s your legacy ?

In this episode, Jan provides the background on her transformation from farm girl to Automotive executive and her passion for authentic leadership. You’ll hear about the questions that will be asked and answered during the podcast series and the type of guests we can expect to hear from as we launch the quest to find GRAVITAS00:27  Jan’s background02:45 Moving to America04:04 Dial it back, tone down the personality04:52 The dream job06:10 Now what? aligned to purpose?07:04 Start my own business, are you crazy?07:50 Launching Gravitas Detroit09:34 What is authentic leadership?12:28 Have you given yourself permission to lead?13:18 The industrial revolution model15:18 The types of guests you can expect to hear from16:06 Staying true to yourself