Dive into a riveting tale with William Roche, CEO of S. Clyde Weaver, as he unfolds the challenges and triumphs of steering a 104-year-old family business through modernization. Discover how defining core values, fostering innovation, and crafting a culture of ownership transformed internal dynamics and customer relations. This episode is a must-listen for leaders wrestling with change and tradition!

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• First non-family CEO in 104 years.
• Opened books for transparent trust-building.
• Created actionable core values.
• Performance reviews aligned with core values.
• Emphasis on hiring for cultural fit.

Resources:

• S. Clyde Weaver
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with William Roche:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 11:14 - Take ownership. It's not just ownership generally, it's take ownership. You need to act like an owner. You need to honor your commitments. You need to own up to y your failures. You need to act with integrity. So those are just some examples of how we, we took this idea of values, core values and found a way to apply it or to make it actionable.
• 18:02 - That might be the most important thing is avoid hiring the wrong people because it's so much more work and energy if you hire the wrong person. But if you do happen to do, so having a set of core values as a framework to course correct makes it so much easier than saying like, I don't know if we hired the right person. On the other hand, if ahead of time you, you go into, in an interview with somebody and you can, you can identify that they're kind of matching, and meeting all of these kind of core values or most of them you can feel good about making the hire to fit even if they don't have the best skillset you can hire for fit and train to skill.
• 26:06 - We did, we had some turnover over the years with change. And you're going to have that with any organization. There's gonna be those that just don't wanna participate. You've chosen to go different directions. The thing is, once you define the direction you're going, you define who you are, you define those values. If you've got somebody that says, well, I don't agree with it, then the entire team can be, can be accepting of that and say, okay, that's fine. It doesn't mean you're a bad person, but it means that we have to part ways here and we can all be okay with it.
• 27:15 - To really figure out what are your values and two, what it is so important to do. And it's so important that you really put thought into it. And I love that you took the approach of who are we now and who do we wanna be, right? What represents who we are and what's really important that is, is maybe always a part of who we are, but also let's think about who it is we need to become or where we wanna go and create values that address that as well and the impact that those values can really have.
• 31:12 - And I would just go back to kind of what I said at the beginning about communication. It is so important to communicate, build trust, to frequently be seen, and be connected with those that you're working with. Yeah, I mean, without trust, nobody's gonna wanna do anything for you. And the way you do that is being open, being there, connecting, and communicating well.

Dive into a revealing chat with Joseph McLaughlin, the CEO who's been a cornerstone to a financial firm’s 32 years of growth, boasting astounding staff and client retention rates. Explore mentorship, company culture, and the genuine art of becoming indispensable.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Secrets to a 98% Client Retention.
• Key to Thriving in Your Career.
• Philly CEO's Lifelong Company Tenure.
• Mentorship & Growth in Corporate.
• Cultivating an Essential Service.

Resources:

• The Haverford Trust Company
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Joseph McLaughlin :

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 10:10 - Whenever I'm thinking about assessing our status, I'll always ask myself, are our company's values clear? And are they being, are they achievable? Are they being communicated effectively across all levels of the company? And are team members enjoying a consistent experience across departments? And I think, you know, the average person spends about a third of their lifetime in work. And so to make those days matter, you have to have a cultural positive relationship and a sense of community in your company in order for people to achieve and thrive.
• 16:36 - If you alienate your peers, you won't need any other corporate enemies. And it's so important that people understand how well you get along with others and, you know, work on your leadership skills first with your peers, and then it'll be recognized by people in the top mentorship, you know, within the company. You can make a phone call and have somebody outside your company to be a mentor, but it's more important, important to identify people within the company, to be your mentor and to push you along.
• 15:52 - So I think it's really important that young people have that in mind. You know, the other lessons are never, you know, integrity is at the forefront of everything that you should do, and you should never deviate away from that. Every day you're building your reputation and integrity and telling the truth and being honest is most important. You know, personally, I think that lessons where, and word don't wait for things to happen, you have to make them happen.
• 21:44 - But as I mentioned before, you gotta grow where you're planted and give the job an opportunity and give it your best. But sometimes you're at a roadblock and, or you know, you want a different opportunity and you have to look elsewhere. You know, don't wait for somebody to call, you know, make it happen yourself, reach out to, that's why I think it's really important for people to stay connected to their college or to their, or to their high school, because opportunities will arise through those, through those organizations as well.
• 20:09 - And so for people out there that are starting their careers and are just, you know, just learning, just trying to figure things out, I think seeking a mentor is the best thing they can do. And I also think of them are nervous to do so. So my question really was to say people are gonna be really open to that, and I do think you have to take responsibility for seeking that out yourself unless your organization has a formal mentorship program. But if they don't, seek it out on your own, you know, find a mentor, find somebody that you can go talk to. I do think it's critical for your success.

Dive into an enthralling talk with CEO Tony Horwath, as he shares his unconventional transition from computer engineering to founding Sales Focus. Hear about the evolution of sales and BPO, the internet's early days, and the challenges of creating a successful sales culture in today's fast-paced world.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Transition from tech to sales.
• The birth of sales BPO model.
• Hiring ethos in diverse sales.
• Culture impact on retention.
• Future of office work post-Covid.

Resources:

• Sales Focus
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Tony Horwath:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 08:56 - For us it's really about, you know, painting that picture of value to a customer and being able to empathize with someone and really, you know, really provide them with something that's valuable to them. Whether it's, you know, reducing cost or increasing productivity or whatever the case may be. And you don't need to be an extrovert to do that. You just need to be, you know, you need to care about people, you need to be able to communicate well, and you need to be able to think. And if you can do those some really basic things, I think you'll, you can find success in sales. So I think it's a big misnomer that you have to be this big talker and extrovert. You don't need to be
• 05:41 - Once I started really opening up and going into different industries and bringing in other more intelligent people than me, it allowed us to really expand. And that's when we really started developing our culture stronger, developing our relationships, our skill sets, our tool sets. And it allowed us to grow year after year and still to this day, the last I think seven years in a row, even through Covid, we continue to grow and we continue to grow now and expand. So it's been a great ride.
• 13:32 - I think a lot of companies have is, is recruit, right? It's finding good people. It's a challenge across the board. So when it's hard to find people, turnover, attrition becomes even more of a focus, right? Once you get somebody you want to keep them, because there are a lot of companies out there trying to grab them and trying to pull them in when you find someone that's, you know, of quality. So it's a challenge.
• 06:60 - So you're solving business problems. And that was always the part that I enjoyed the most. I'm not the most outgoing person. I'm not an extrovert. I'm not, you know, that typical salesperson who talks to everybody or talks too much, I'm that, you know, thoughtful listening type salesperson who's gonna analyze and then give a response.
• 04:00 - I believe, eighth or sixth-largest company in the world. And they engaged with this tiny little company called Sales Focus. And it was Enron. So most people know the story of Enron, but it was a great six month run until they went bankrupt. But it was a great experience. 'cause what it did, it opened my eyes and said, Hey, we don't have to be an expert in the product. Right? That was the energy sector, but we are the expert in, is we're an expert in sales and marketing. So that kind of developed me to say, all right, let's go outside the, you know, outside our boundaries and outside our comfort zone and start looking at other types of businesses.

Join Margaret Uhrich as she chats with Martin Brown of Steel Sports about transforming youth sports into a powerhouse for positive change. Dive into an episode that weaves the Steel Sports coaching philosophy, inspired by Tommy Lasorda, into an intriguing narrative of data-driven success and character-building, both on and off the field.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Steel Sports: More than games.
• The Lasorda Way in coaching.
• Transforming youth, one child at a time.
• Building character and leadership.
• Steel Sports expanding globally.

Resources:

• Steel Sports
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Martin Brown:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn
• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn

Quotables

• 13:00 - I think they're some of the hardest skills to actually teach and utilize and be successful with that kind of, we like to use the term core competencies, you know, human-centered skills. So I think that that's kind of what the piece because you know, the teaching the technical element and even in a sport that's, you know, it's, yes, it's difficult, you need experts to do it, but it is actually easier to teach a kid how to hit a baseball or hit a soccer ball and then actually teach them about empathy and leadership skills and how to do that. But I think it's also critical, and I get into the leadership space that we talk about to also recognize that it's important as well that they become intentional and they're genuine and authentic when you're doing teaching those skills.
• 16:02 - I'm listening to you and the thought that keeps running through my head is the power that one person has to make a difference in somebody else's life. I mean, Tommy did it with that kid when he is, you know, [...] and whatever he said, he made a difference. And we all know that one teacher can really make such a huge difference, difference in a child's life or one coach. I think that's the case for a leader as well.
• 18:06 - And I think, you know, you're saying if you can just lead yourself, I don't think that's such a small statement that you're making. I think first and foremost, we all need to be leaders of ourselves and I think we have to own that role that I do have to take care of who I am and how I show up in this world. And if we could all do that, you know, really what a better place I think things could be. But I do think it does start with us as individuals and realizing that we can make a difference for ourselves, which then can have just this, you know, snowball effect, which is huge.
• 20:26 - I think, well, the biggest lessons I've learned is I think really is twofold. One, you are only as good as the content that you can give, teach to other people, right? You have to have something there, and it has to be based in some sort of evidence, research, science, you know, anybody can just go out and say, Hey, you should do this, you should do this. You know, we meticulously take our content and build it with experts. And if we're not, if we are not the expert in that field, we'll go find whoever that expert is, or one of those experts and help say, this is what we wanna achieve. How can we help us develop that content?
• 21:52 - And we, well, we've also had, you know, coaches as part of our organization that haven't bought into what we've done, and it's just not what gonna be, that's fine. There's no right or wrong, this is how we do it, and this is, you know, if, but you've gotta look on what's a fit for you. So if this isn't a fit for you, then, you know, go ahead and do it somewhere else. That's fine. So we are really kind of big on making sure that our coaches are internalizing what we want to do because that's how they then have the biggest impact.

Dive into an inspiring chat with Steve Lindsey, CEO of Garden Spot Village, where we explore the transformative power of purpose in senior living. Discover how purpose, engagement, and community culture redefine experiences for both staff and residents. Learn about cross-generational connections and the evolution of a thriving organization. Get ready for tales of culture shifts, purpose-filled stories, and senior living turned upside down – all in this riveting episode!

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Building culture: CEO’s key role
• Creating resident-driven culture
• Empowering staff with accountability
• Intergenerational connections uplift
• Purpose in employee orientation

Resources:

• Garden Spot Village
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)
• The Brave New Work

Connect with Steve Lindsey:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 10:29 - We'd been doing some reading and learning around Maslow's hierarchy of needs and, you know, Viktor Frankl's Man Search for Meaning, and that sense of, you know, that we can weather a lot of storms in our life if we have a sense of purpose. And oftentimes that purpose comes from serving others, from reaching out and sharing what we have with others.
• 13:30 - It's really a fascinating journey because, you know, if you listen to all the voices in our culture, one of the things they tell you is that, you work hard all your life and then you retire to live the good life, right? And so if you look at the images in advertisements and things, the good life looks like five days of golf a week, right? On a great golf course. Or it looks like, you know, sitting hand in hand and watching the sun go down at the beach, you know, every day. You know, those kind of things. It tends to be a more passive approach to life. And I think what we're learning is that that's really not the good life at all. The life that brings the most joy, the life that brings the most happiness, the bright life that brings the most sense of fulfillment is a life of engagement and involvement.
• 27:16 - Creating a strong culture is something that we have to do for ourselves. You know, if we're passive, then we're going to be at the whim of others. And so by stepping into that space and being a part of the solution, it helps us to build something that we can all be proud of, that we can all belong in, and that we can all come to work every day feeling good about this place that we spend so many hours in the course of a week.
• 26:45 - I think the accountability as you describe it, you know, is tied to, at least as I think about it. So I'd love to hear your thoughts is really tied to the conversation you had earlier about we've become this consumer society, right? We buy our solutions, right? Instead of taking personal accountability for them, ourselves, whatever it might be, you know, and some things we can't, right? Some things we do need to buy, but there are other things that we can do ourselves if we were to take that personal accountability to do so.
• 36:32 - To me, autonomy is that sense that I have a voice, that my being here matters and I can help to shape the environment in which I work every day. And the way that we serve people here, and then relationships, we all want to be respected. We all want to be connected with other people. We all want a place where we can belong, where we can love others and be loved by others. And, and so, you know, that kind of all rolls together in with that sense of purpose to really try to create an environment that people are pleased to come to work. That they feel that sense of ownership and a sense of pride in what they do every day.

Join host Holly as she speaks with Daniel DeFranco, Co-CEO of One Beat Dance Brands. In this vibrant episode, Daniel embodies the fusion of passion and business, sharing secrets from backstage management to executive boardrooms. Discover how culture, growth, and employee wellbeing choreograph the success of this dance-focused enterprise!

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Daniel's Journey from Groove to One Beat
• Merging Dance Brands & Corporate Ethics
• Prioritizing Employee Growth & Culture
• Strategic Decisions in Entrepreneurship
• Retaining Talent in the Arts Industry

Resources:

• One Beat Dance Brands
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Daniel DeFranco:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 02:35 - I love when people walk in and they're excited about the atmosphere, the environment, the energy that is the thing. I think one of the things I'm most passionate about, and I love the art of dance and I love work working with kids, especially as time's gone on, I've grown to love that even more. And creating a positive environment for young people to dance is really fulfilling. And to do a good job at it, I think is even more exciting.
• 16:14 - When you really are thoughtful about this kind of change and you are committed to doing the right thing, you mentioned ethics in the beginning about your partnership. While change is not easy for everyone when it's the right decision and the right thing to do, you can tend to sort of have less of a hiccup through it and have better sort of overall business results because of the way you go about that change.
• 10:47 - Holly: How did you go through the process of taking two different businesses and and molding them together down below? Obviously there was some duplication, you didn't need it all. Tell me about that.
  Daniel: So that's a great question. There's been some duplication. However, we kind of took on the mindset that as we merge, we want this to be better for everybody. It needs to be better for the customer, it needs to be better for the partners, it needs to be better for the employees. So we tend to err on the more generous side of things.
• 16:32 - Holly: While change is not easy for everyone when it's the right decision and the right thing to do, you can tend to sort of have less of a hiccup through it and have better sort of overall business results because of, because of the way you go about that change.
  Daniel: Yes, totally. And I think it would be foolish to say that of, you know, out of 50 people that nobody would have an issue with the change. So some people will have issues with change in the short term and then they adapt to long term.
• 30:35 - And traditional military thinking was about hierarchy, hierarchy, right? This general. And then your soldiers kind of executed and that was not how Al-Qaeda was operating. So what they needed to figure out was really how were they, how do they fight this new type of, of enemy? And the idea was rather than having one large team, was to create a team of much smaller teams, hence the title of the book.

Dive into the riveting world of mergers, leadership, and company culture with CEO Brooke Smith. Discover how Deep Water Point & Associates navigate the challenging waters of blending distinct corporate identities while maintaining client trust and financial prosperity. A tell-all session packed with lessons on transparency, mentorship, and the perpetual quest for balance in the ever-evolving business landscape.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• “Recovering engineer" to CEO Journey
• Bridging two distinct corporate cultures
• Focus on people & transparent leadership
• Strategic downsizing to 13 service offerings
• Blending mentorship with executive duties

Resources:

• Deep Water Point & Associates
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Brooke Smith:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 9:31 - So thing one for me was people, let's dig in, let's understand where are the folks who can see around the corner and see the future and embrace it. You know, not everybody, you know, change is, change is difficult for everybody. Some people it's harder than others. And you really need to surround yourself with a leadership team that's embracing the nature of the challenge. So that was thing one. Thing two was then get to the rest of the people.
• 25:53 - You have to be good with the difficulties between the known and the unknown and the what, what is run of the mill, and what is gotta be done to create something uniquely in impactful for a client. And then there's this pesky thing called the finances and running a profitable business and making good cost trade-offs there, had my door is darkened multiple times a day with requests for money. Hey, I would like to, can we make this? And so kind of keeping that all in balance so that you kind of keep the momentum of all of those kind of working constructively and productively forward. I think that's the magic of the job. That's the art of the job. That's, the yin and the yang of it all. It's just being able to kind of keep those in balance and, and, you know not make it look hard and crazy.
• 30:47 - It's a little easier 'cause I can be really candid and direct, but you know, I'm a little bit sensitive and a little, you know, nudge the ball. Not, not, nail the ball with some of these young folks and with everybody. But I also in my one-on-ones, even with my executive leaders make this point, come back to this point all the time that we are known by the book of our business and we are the face of that and we represent that brand and those brand qualities. So are we doing that? Are we ensuring that, are you inspecting for it? Are you with your teams ensuring that we're not just letting things that we wouldn't be proud of creep into our business and look forward actively.
• 19:05 - I was kind of trumpeting some of the power of these experts that we have. And I called it a superpower. And that superpower comment has it's a pariah to me now because there's a whole group of 'em who feel like I've overemphasized people who are part-time employees over full-time employees. It was just this, trying to build a bridge, trying to build a connection, trying to create some balance between the two different business models. And, you know, with good intentions, you kind of create its own soundtrack of something that actually I wish I could take back. So it's strike that balance in kind of neutral ways.
• 29:19 - You're known by your brand, your honesty, your impact, your reputation. It really does matter that you treat that seriously. I counsel that with my children that, you know, as young, young in their careers how important it is to be seen, be there, be visible, get engaged, re-raise your hand and take a challenge on take, do something that you're uncomfortable with.

Dive into the compelling world of Greg Cathcart, the CEO of Exellis Health. Join us on "The Better People Podcast" as he uncovers the challenges of leading a globally integrated firm, the nuances of supply chain in pharma, and the art of fostering a culture that embraces flexibility. With a peek into the merger of three companies and personal leadership anecdotes, it's a masterclass in management and growth.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Better People Podcast:

• Greg's early days at J&J.
• Importance of supply chain traceability.
• The flexibility mantra at NNIT Inc.
• Blending cultures post-merger
• Personal leadership anecdotes

Resources:

• Excellis Health Solutions
• MidAtlantic Employers’ Association (MEA)

Connect with Greg Cathcart:

• LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

• Holly DePalma - LinkedIn
• Margaret Uhrich - LinkedIn

Quotables:

• 04:51 - The biggest issue though, around all the legislation is really around patient safety. So, and that's counterfeit drugs and or divergent drugs. Something like a cold issue, right? So if something is supposed to kept cold and it shows up in Oncology clinic for your cancer treatment and it's been warm for two days, it can't be used. Right. And if that's the same day that you're supposed to have your infusion right or whatever. So it's so important to the health of patients.
• 08:21 - I think early on there was no job markets. So we met and did recruitment at the universities. We kind of knew what we wanted. Supply chain education's very big at Drexel, very big at Penn State, very big at Stevens Institute over here in New Jersey. So we focused on those schools. We went to education days, right? We talked to the youngsters and told them our backgrounds and told them where we were today. And we said, you wanna go to that route? Or to your point, do you wanna go work for big pharma? But we're big consulting, right? Do you wanna go small consulting where you're gonna be closer to a customer or you're gonna go work for Deloitte or an Accenture? I'm not saying they're bad pass at all, but you really have to, you know, work your way up the chain of ever get in face with a customer, right? 'cause it's such a large firm.
• 24:36 - I think the transparency's the biggest. Yes, you could do lots of little things, but if you're not willing to open up and let folks know what you're either thinking or trying to accomplish,you won't get them to get on board. And the last thing you do, they might still do their job, but if they're not focused at the same goals, to your point. How can we as an organization make our goals, even though some individuals might make their goals, that doesn't help the overall organization either.
• 27:55 - Pharma is a very regulated industry. So we preach to our customers every day how to make sure they button up all the details. Similar to what you just said. So I think a lot of that's intuitive in the way we work as a company. So we've had one leader, I could tell you right now, that we had to let go a couple of years ago because that leader was not leading. That leader was, I don't wanna say abusive, but nasty son of a, you know what? And the people that worked for him were doing great work, but still getting, you know, told they weren't and this and that. And I said, I can't afford to lose the 15 people that work for them. I gotta get rid of the one that's causing the problems. But that was just a bad hire. So you have to address it. Correct. It, that's probably the biggest challenge as executives of companies.
• 32:16 - Hey, you lie about anything. People know you're lying. Guess what? They call you a liar. That's the biggest thing. Right. People are challenged by that. I see it every day. People are challenged with telling the truth. They think the truth's gonna be bad sometimes. I said, you gotta tell 'em the truth. If it's bad information, they gotta hear it too. 'cause if not, they're gonna come back and say, why'd you tell me that when it was really this. Right. So, and for the youngsters, same thing. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't sit back in the corner and hide, raise your hand. Good questions. Any questions a good question, ask it. If you don't know the answer, ask it. We'll help you understand. It doesn't mean you're not smart enough to answer the question yourself. Right. So I think that's the secret.