Please describe your leadership style.
I try to lead by example, there is nothing that anyone on my team does that I wouldn’t do if I had to. But I also understand the value of letting go and allowing people to take swings and misses. There are valuable lessons to be learned in falling short of a goal.
What is your mission statement?
“To create products, content and experiences that uplift and entertain.” Our private mission is “for profit yet for purpose” the two can peacefully co-exist.
What three skill sets are critical for the future executive that you hire for your organization?
They have to be willing to think differently about whatever they are charged with building.
They have to know that ideas are nothing without execution.
They have to remember that no matter how much technology exists and the world changes, people and the human touch still matter.
How does having an advanced degree benefit you and your clients?
I would never discount the work that is involved with pursuing an advance degree. My mother has a Ph.D. as does my sister and another very close friend
However, I think there are highly educated people who can’t run a lemonade stand let alone a client-based business. I don’t think there is a magical educational bullet that guarantees the success of business or client. Smart people become smart because they have a curiosity about a certain topic or topics. In the business I work in instinct and innovation win all the time. Sometimes those can’t be taught.
How do you utilize technology to benefit your organization?
We are constantly searching for ways to take work out of the business, to automate processes. Project management and document sharing software are high on my list of necessities. Publishing is a project and process heavy business. Having a six sigma background and bringing in someone with project management and six sigma knowledge has truly helped. To communicate to everyone on the team we all use the GroupMe app. It’s much easier to text a group good news, bad news and real-time happenings.
Finish the sentences:
Teamwork is important because … At some point we all need a helping hand, no one is a success all by themselves.
The best way to recruit great talent is … Look for people smarter than you are, and find leaders. Life and business are about learning and adapting, and you can’t do it with a bunch of people that only know how to follow.
Speaking a second language is important because … The world is shrinking, technology is bringing the world to your doorstep. We are creating Spanish language books because we’d be doing a disservice to our authors if we didn’t try to capture that market.
What social media platforms do you engage in the most? Twitter, I like the quick hit nature of it and its become a good networking tool. Linkedin is a close second, Facebook is a constant for its sheer size alone.
What professional organizations do you support? I try to support any and all networking and marketing professional organizations. and I support as a member of the board, South Central Community Services. Also I’m looking forward to teaming with a number of business owners to help revive Business Builders Circle a support organization of small business owners that provide access to services, mentoring and talent.
Describe your networking style. Subtle, I’m not the shove the card in your face type, I want to know who you are and what you do, find common ground then move from there. How can I serve someone versus what can they do for me.
If you were giving a graduation speech to college students, what would the title of your speech be and give three reasons for your title.
The title would be “Look Forward With Confidence, So That You Look Back Without Regret”
1) I was raised by a single mother which statistically punches my ticket for failure but she never let me forget that success wasn’t something that was reserved for people in better situations. It was for those who wanted it and worked for it. I looked forward to a life better than any could imagine. I was confident there was more for me to do in the world.
2) Remember where you came from it will help determine where you go remember the people who got you there and one day you’ll be faced with the same chance to become that bridge to someone else. Remember everyone has value.
3) Life is a series of preparation, purpose and sometimes luck. Your destiny is controlled by a series of choices. Early in life there are so many choices that can lead to a road of failure and destruction. We choose our paths very early and our mindset helps guide us down that path. Accomplishment is the result of making a series choices that position you to succeed.
Name your two favorite vacation destinations to relax and recharge.
Napa Valley – Wine, sun and the beauty of the land
Toronto – It’s a clean, international city with excellent restaurants and genuinely nice residents
What are you reading and what are your two favorite books?
I’m currently reading two books I helped publish – The Entrepreneur Within You Volume 2 by Julie Holloway and 17 other contributors. And Time Signature by Carlo Kennedy. (I like to read them in their entirety once they are finished. I’ve seen the first few chapters but usually I wait.)
Two favorite books – Your Best Life Now by Joel Olsteen, and Freakonomics by Steven Levitt
Name three business and political leaders who inspire you.
Business it would have to be Steve Jobs, Earl Graves and John Johnson
Political leaders? I don’t have many who “inspire” me
Favorite sports team and hobbies?
L.A. Lakers hands down … Pittsburgh Steelers a close second.
Hobbies include wine tasting, listening to great live music and
Two favorite quotes that motivate you?
I cheated and named three.
“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Your reputation is more important than your paycheck, and your integrity is worth more than your career.” –Ryan Freitas
“We make a living by what we receive, but we make a life by what we give back.”
