The Culture Fix® Podcast with Will Scott

Linda Maclachlan is the CEO of Entara, a successful IT support firm. Entara was originally named YJT Solutions and operated for 17 years under that name. Expanded services for the company led to a rebranding with attention to the future of the IT industry. Linda also serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Previously Linda had served as owner and CEO of Bracken Resources, LLC.

David Nance is the CEO and President of SABRE, a world-class personal safety company specializing in providing top-quality pepper spray products to law enforcement organizations and civilians around the world. Since becoming the CEO in 1997, David has developed multiple safety programs such as the Law Enforcement Training Department, the Civilian Safety Awareness Program, and the College Safety Program to help citizens and officials better understand personal safety and the operation of SABRE's products.

Bejan Douraghy is the founder and CEO of Artisan Talent, a staffing agency that Bejan started in the Chicago area in 1988 when he was 25. The company tripled in size in just three years and was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing magazines in America at the time. Artisan Talent went on to be recognized by a myriad of awards and publications including Forbes and Entrepreneur. In 2018, Artisan Talent made the lists of Best Talent Satisfaction and Best Client Satisfaction from Inavero & Career Builders.

Dan Heurtz is CEO of HiRise Hospitality, a hospitality company that brings hotels to smaller, developing towns in the Midwest. A true, lifelong entrepreneur, Dan has been self-employed since he was 18. Dan is also a certified EOS Implementer with around 20 clients. He helps his clients achieve the vision they seek for their company through a proven roadmap to success.

Mel Schwartz is a psychotherapist, author, marriage counselor, speaker, and consultant. He works globally by Skype and locally in Westport, CT, and Manhattan.

Steve Gumm, is the VP of Marketing at AssociaDirect. He helps organizations get from where they are to where they want to be, utilizing smart strategy and well-crafted game plans.

Anthony Vidergauz is the former owner and CEO of California Closets, which offers custom storage solutions for their closets and beyond. He is an experienced advisor and has extensive experience in the franchise and home service industries. He is skilled in business development, entrepreneurship, and branding strategy, and has a professional law degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Claude Silver is the Chief Heart Officer at VaynerMedia, a modern, full-service global agency. She is a mentor, coach, manager, and the first CHO of VaynerMedia. The position was created to help scale Gary Vee and make sure that the over 800 employees feel they have a home in the company.  

Jaime Neely is the Chief Culture Officer for Trend Hunter, the world's number one largest trend-spotting platform. Trend Hunter has over 300,000 articles published, covering everything from fashion, tech, and marketing campaigns. Trend Hunter helps powerful brands to identify new opportunities and validate successful ideas through the company's innovative algorithm.   

Gino Wickman is the creator of the Entrepreneurial Leap but he is best known as the Founder of the Entrepreneurial Operating System or EOS Worldwide. He is also the author of the best-selling book Traction, the book that popularized the business management system. Gino has written many other books in the series including Get A Grip, Rocket Fuel, How To Be A Great Boss, and What The Heck Is EOS?

There's never been a better time when companies needed their culture to come alive than now when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is raging. Dan Arriola knows everything about it as his company, Inktel, has had to pivot from working in an office to working from home. Inktel was not only able to avoid the downturn caused by the pandemic but turned it has also turned the situation into something positive and it has in fact increased their business. According to Dan, the secret is being deliberate about your company's culture and making the necessary small investments to make it come alive. But many companies focus on the features of their office rather than developing a valued culture, which is the exact opposite of what needs to be done in times of crisis. Sometimes, they do the complete opposite of what they claim to be their culture which is why, for Dan, the company culture must be memorable and actionable through their core values because this is what keeps their essence going even when things change abruptly. So what do you do to make your core values stick and come alive? For Dan, they have an acronym for their six core values that everybody at the company knows and owns. It's STRIVE. And so far, Dan says their investment in building a valued culture has paid off. Now that your culture is identified and embedded into every member, how then can you measure the ROI from investing in your organization's culture? Dan Arriola is the President of Inktel, a contact center solutions company that provides call center, email, chat, and social media support for fortune 1000 brands. They've been in business for over 20 years and they have seven locations throughout the U.S.  If you're someone who wants to build a strong culture in your organization that does not take the fun away from work and generates returns at a low cost but is not sure how to move forward, be sure to tune in to this episode of Culture Czars. In this episode, you'll glean insights on how to develop a valued organizational culture, maintain it, generate ROI, and have fun along the way.

David Snelson is the Managing Director of Waer Systems Limited. He leads the business development function and is primarily responsible for setting and delivering against, the company strategy. Waer is a cloud software company behind the Warehouse Management System called WAERlinx. 

Todd Smart is the CEO and founder of Chicago Traction Center, a company that helps entrepreneurs and their company leadership conceive and develop core values that encourage a healthy culture within the organization. Todd is a lifelong entrepreneur who started his first business in 1991, when he was only 23 years old. He has started many other businesses since then including EO Accelerator, an entrepreneur training company.

Rachel Nielsen is the founder, and CEO of Result Drivers. The company is designed to train leaders on how to be result oriented. Rachel will remind us of one of Newton's laws: Cause and Effect.

Brian Waspi, the CEO of Clear Water Outdoors, one of the leading outdoor companies, will be joining us today to share his insights into good culture versus bad culture. He will detail his personal experiences in a poorly developed culture and what it cost him.

If you’re looking to build a company that stays profitably in business even after you exit the daily operations, you want to pay close attention to building valued company culture across the board and taking your brand where it needs to go. So what is your company culture? Where is your brand trying to?  Scott Silver is here to help companies find out where they are going with their brand and help suggest product ideas and ways to bring them to market. Whether it be trade show giveaways, employee recognition, gifts, and custom logo merchandise.  Scott Silver is the President of Printable Promotions, an ad agency that focuses on promotional items and helping brands take their products to markets. Scott started his company over 25 years ago and the company has won industry awards for its website, marketing, use of technology, and a five-time winner of the Best Places to Work award in its industry. This week host Will Scott is joined by Scott to talk about his company, the importance of building a valued culture in his company.

When a new employee is brought in to a company, the first few days can be critical. This time can make or break the experience for both the company and employee alike. Andrew Blickstein has a very unique and effective onboarding process that is focused on getting things off to a great start. Andrew Blickstein is the Founder of Home Run Media, which helps companies utilize TV advertising to increase client acquisition by driving customers to their websites. Andrew is also an advisor for Shopping Gives, which creates a positive social impact by connecting consumers, retailers, and nonprofits for charitable donations. In this episode, host Will Scott is joined by Andrew Blickstein to talk about Corporate Culture, Home Run Media’s unique onboarding process for new employees, and getting a return on the investment into Culture.

As technology has changed, so has our culture. The result is a new breed of worker in the Millennial generation, with their own unique set of values. The traditional styles of management and employee retention are no longer useful to much of the workforce. So what are the best ways for companies to adapt to this change? Aaron Levy is here to help companies adapt to the changing times. Aaron Levy is Founder and CEO of Raise The Bar, a management training company that has set out to transform the managerial role. Aaron is also a speaker and author of the book Open, Honest, and Direct. This week host Will Scott is joined by Aaron to talk about his company, writing his new book, and the importance of a strong culture in his company. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:  [1:12] Background on Raise The Bar [4:48] How the training system at Raise The Bar works [7:54] Discussion on Aaron’s new book, Open, Honest, and Direct [10:31] Aaron’s experience defining the culture at his company [15:10] Extending the Culture of Raise The Bar to their clients’ [16:29] What are some of the Core Values at Aaron’s company? [23:09] Why “having fun” is a Core Value [31:04] An example of living the core values from Aaron’s work history Resources Mentioned on this Episode Raise The Bar Open, Honest, and Direct, by Aaron Levy LinkedIn for Aaron Connect with Will About Me Culture Czars The Culture Fix Linked In

Will Scott has made company culture his life’s work. His book, his company, and these vlogs have shown the value and importance of having clear Core Values leads to a strong Corporate Culture.  So where did Will get the passion to take on this profession? What were the events and choices in Will’s life which led him to start Culture Czars and help people create a strong culture, so that people love where they work, and why they work? This week Will is joined by Adam Boyd, Vice President of Client Sales at Beneplace, LLC. Beneplace helps employers attract, retain and recognize their people, their most critical asset. They discuss Will’s story, including how he started his company in 1999, his time in the Royal Marines, and why he places such values in Culture.    Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:  [2:48] Will's story and how he became a culture consult [6:24] Why Will became interested in core values [9:59] The lines between culture and Community can be blurred [11:30] The inspiration behind the decision to start his company in 1999 [14:48] A culture which has Trust is more productive than one with fear [17:55] Will’s time in the Royal Marines, and how his time there carried over into his professional life [25:20] Core values should be more than just words on a Wall [28:44] Why core values are sometimes ignored by employees [31:27] What companies must sacrifice in order to implement strong core values [35:25] Some employees will fear discussion about culture and feelings Resources Mentioned in this episode EOS - Entrepreneur Operating System Connect with Will About Me Culture Czars The Culture Fix Linked In

Will Scott has made a career and reputation of helping people develop strong Core Values and Culture, as we have heard on this program. But what is his history? Will has over 20 years of experience building companies and culture, including his own Waer Systems.  In this episode, the tables are turned on Will and John Corcoran interviews him to learn more about the Values that shaped the early days of Waer Systems, what companies can do to screen new hires for culture synergy, and how the leaders of an organization can know if their Culture is working. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:  [1:59] How Will started Waer Systems [3:01] Core Values can’t just be words on a wall [4:08] The early days of Waer and how they built a strong Culture [5:39] The first Core Values of the company [9:05] How to reward employees who live the Core Values [11:15] How to screen potential hires for a good fit [12:38] How public should the Core Values be? [15:59] Will management know if the Culture of a company is strong? [17:30] When a culture goes off track [19:50] Giving a reason for work can empower employees  [21:40] Who Will thanks for his success Resources Mentioned in this episode Waer Systems Connect with Will About Me Culture Czars The Culture Fix Linked In