Timeout With Leaders

S3:E3 Timeout with Shan Foster ”You Can’t Help People Be Who YOU Want Them To Be”

This week we take a TIMEOUT with Shan Foster basketball legend, the all-time leader in both points and three-pointers made at Vanderbilt University, drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2008.

Today Shan Foster is Co-Founder and CEO of Fostering Healthy Solutions committed to taking the lessons he learned on and off the court to inspire others. Focusing on creating safe spaces to have difficult conversations to change the paradigm of how we view our differences.

"When you push past your own discomfort you tap into your true potential" Shan shared what he learned early on going from being the 397th player ranked in the country to the #9 small forward in the country a summer later. 

Shan shares that when you meet adversity, the times that make you question if this really is for you, having you think if you just like it or love it, is when you give yourself the ability to learn and grow. 

S3:E2 Timeout with Tom Ulbrich ”Climb Bigger Mountains”

We take a timeout this week with Tom Ulbrich, President & CEO of Goodwill of Western New York. 

Did I Live, Did I Love, Did I Matter

This is the billboard that Tom would put up on I-90 for all of us to read, to ensure we are the best leaders we can be at home, at work, and in the community in which we all live and work. Tom shares that his goal as CEO and President has always been to create a business that is not "about" the leader. From his time working with entrepreneurs, and teaching in higher education, and business he has seen how egos can interrupt and impact the overall performance of a company when it is ALL about the leader.  

Tom's Top 4:

1. Look in the mirror 

2. Build a great team that doesn't need you

3. Predict the future by constantly innovating 

4. Always remember it is about momentum 

S3:E1 Timeout with Chelsea Conway ”Teach Me What You Know”

Timeout with Leaders kicks off Season 3 with a BANG sitting down with Chelsea Conway, CEO at Conway Beam Truck Group in Rochester. 

We talk about leadership and racewalking in the Olympic trials. In case you were wondering Chelsea has a 7:14 average mile time but this wasn't her biggest challenge. Chelsea stepped in as CEO of the family-owned business which started in 1951, but she was the daughter of the owner and a woman in a male-dominated industry. 

What stood out most was her humility to ask questions and surround herself with great people willing to give her honest feedback. Reminding us as leaders today that we cannot let out fear stand in the way of our progress. 

We must understand that what drives others may be different than what motivates you, but is it not WRONG. 

S2:E28 Timeout with Dale Petroskey ”Be Interested, and Be Interesting”

“Let me tell you how I got to the Whitehouse”

 

We had the honor and privilege to sit down with Dale Petroskey. When you’ve been President Ronald Regan’s Press Secretary, The President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Vice President of National Geographic, and now the CEO of the #1 Chamber of Commerce in the country, how do you stay hungry?

Well, Dale has the answers and experiences to share on this episode of “Timeout with Leaders.”

Dale is currently the President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber, one of the largest and most established business organizations in the state of Texas, representing 800 unique member companies and now the #1 Chamber in the country.

The DRC works to strengthen the business community by attracting companies and talented workers from around the world, improving education, advocating for pro-growth public policies, and enhancing the quality of life for all in the Dallas Region.

When Dale talks, you listen was the mantra of this episode. Dale dropped some valuable knowledge and we are so grateful for the hour we got to spend with him.

S2:E27 Timeout with Brittany Simmons Willis ”You Are the Asset, Invest In Yourself Accordingly”

Have you ever realized that YOU, yourself are the common denominator? We take a TIMEOUT with Brittany Simmons Willis 9-5preneur and a franchise business owner when she is off the clock with the day job.

 

More and more professionals are realizing that they have more time and value they can give in return for a "side" hustle. Starting your own business can seem "crazy" to some because they would never take the risk themselves. However, it is NOT crazy when you have a little faith and you have done your homework. It is always a "little less crazy when you do your research"

 

With every opportunity you are present, did you leave that conversation, relationship, or environment better than when you found it?

S2:E26 Timeout with Jeff Pier ”Make Training Harder Than The Fight”

Boxing, Life, and Leadership what do they all have to do with one another? 

Tyler White and Kevyn Rustici take a TIMEOUT with Mayhem, aka Jeff Pier, Executive Director at the Child Care Council in Rochester, NY! There aren't many leaders like Jeff but then again not many people have a theme song written for them either. "Bring out the Mayhem" 

He shares his stories of sparing with Oscar De La Hoya and other boxing legends with a few pairs of Golden Gloves himself. The lessons he learned in the ring have taught him how to become a truly electric Executive Director, no matter what challenge he is faced with.

Jeff shares that preparation is key in order to be ready for both the wins and the losses. If you make the training harder than the fight, you will be prepared for just about anything. 

S2:E25 Timeout with Pat Smith ”If You Aren’t Failing, You Aren’t Trying”

We sit down with Pat Smith, CEO of Serve Denton located in Denton, Texas down is Tyler's country, everything is said to be bigger in Texas!

His favorite meal and musician is George Strait, and he has a big heart for his community and our country. He is a veteran and now has turned his mission into serving the Denton, Texas community. 

Desperation is a powerful force, if you aren't failing then you are not trying. FAIL stands for the first attempt at learning. He empowers his employees, by embracing the Toyota Way where failure is celebrated. If you fail in Pat's mind the process is broken not the person. It is if the company has set that individual up for success or failure with the given policies, procedures, and processes. 

Pat shares that we in leadership today need to give our employees space. Trust them, that they can and will fail but as long as we learn and continue to improve we are always getting better. 

S2:E24 Timeout with Wade Norwood ”Learn a Different Value of Time”

We take a TIMEOUT with Wade Norwood, Chief Executive Officer for Common Ground Health, one of the nation's oldest and most effective regional health planning organizations located in Rochester, NY!

Wade shared that leaders today need to find more joy and peace in their lives today in order to lead effectively. Practicing gratitude often helps to keep things in perspective for him. Wade's focus on building real meaningful connections with his team is special, noting that he is preparing to "give this community to our children."

It isn't about the title for this CEO, he understands there is no "easy button" to leadership today but his honest understanding and constant reflection helps him to focus on what matters most. 

S2:E23 Timeout with Anthony Ditucci - ”Best Ideas Win”

Join Tyler and Kevyn as we sit down with Anthony Ditucci, President and COO at Livingston Associates. Tony is a father of 5 but takes the lessons he has learned at home and brings them into his leadership style and practices. 

Tony has learned early on that it is all about the people, the relationships that you are able to build with those individuals and how you drive #teamthink in order to uncover the BEST IDEA. It is not about who is right and who is wrong, or we have always done it that way with Tony, which is a lesson most leaders need to learn today. 

It is ok to celebrate the wins but also the losses as a team to create that continuous learning environment and sharing of intellectual capital across the entire business.  

S2:E22 Timeout with Mohammed Ahamed ”Learning and Unlearning in Leadership”

We sit down with Mohammed Ahamed, CEO and Chief Diversity Officer at EDI Executive Search to discuss leadership today and how it has changed over time. Sometimes we must wear the cap if it fits in leadership in order to learn or unlearn to make positive progress in our learning journey. 

Mo starts and ends each day in reflection focusing on gratitude to see the sun rise and set that day, knowing he has been given the opportunity to make a difference by being ALIVE! It is that intentionality, to make the most out of today, that energizes Mo in the work he does. 

We could all be a little more grateful and thankful today to realize what we do have and not focus all our energy on what we do not. 

"Don't count the days make the days count" - Muhammed Ali