In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Steve Snower, CEO of Parts Town Unlimited. 

Steve has been with the company since its early days, starting as the sixth employee 20 years ago. 

Under his leadership, Parts Town has experienced significant growth, now employing over 5,000 individuals. The company has sustained its place on the Inc. 5000 List for 15 consecutive years and has been recognized as a Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune for four years. 

Steve emphasizes the importance of deep partnerships and innovation in driving the company’s success. He has also established six Core Values for Parts Town: Safety, Integrity, Innovation, Passion, Courage, and Community, which reflect the organization’s commitment to excellence and ethical practices.

During our conversation, Steve discussed his three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Clearly communicating the vision, core values, and value proposition to all team members
2. Genuinely caring for the team while challenging them directly to maximize their potential
3. Setting clear goals that are ambitious yet achievable

Tune in to be inspired by Steve’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the privilege of interviewing David Allison, a renowned human values expert, bestselling author, global speaker, and the visionary founder of the Valuegraphics Project.

The Valuegraphics Project is the world’s first global inventory of core human values, revolutionizing how we understand ourselves, those around us, and the audiences we aim to engage. 

David has collaborated with major brands like PayPal, Five Star School Supplies, the United Nations Foundation, and Google, helping them connect with people by honoring their values.

David is also the author of The Death of Demographics, a groundbreaking book that critics have praised as “convincing, insightful, and revolutionary.”

During our conversation, David discussed his three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Understanding who our team members are as people so that we can understand their values
2. Giving team members the autonomy to learn and figure things out for themselves. 
3. Making sure everyone feels connected to what you’re actually trying to accomplish

Tune in to be inspired by David’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Paul White.

Dr. White is the co-author of the best-selling book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, which explores how to effectively communicate appreciation to employees, co-workers, and team members. 

During our conversation, Dr. White discussed his three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Show genuine appreciation to your team members for their individuality, not just their performance, in ways that resonate with each person.
2. Train your team members to show authentic appreciation for one another.
3. Be vigilant in reminding team members that the goal is to serve clients and customers well (and what that looks like in daily life behaviors).

Tune in to be inspired by Dr. White’s wisdom!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, we sit down with the remarkable Dr. Yosi Amram. Dr. Amram is a visionary leader, licensed clinical psychologist, and award-winning author who has coached over 100 CEOs of large organizations. 

As the founder and CEO of two companies that went public, he brings a wealth of experience and insight into the realm of spiritual intelligence.

With engineering degrees from MIT, an MBA from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Sofia University, Dr. Amram is a pioneering researcher whose work in spiritual intelligence has garnered over 1,000 citations. 

His acclaimed book, Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired, earned the prestigious Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal.

In our conversation, Dr. Amram shares three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Align Personal Purpose with Team Mission: Integrating individual purpose with team goals to drive motivation and commitment.
2. Foster a Sense of Community: Building a culture of mutual care and collaboration through a shared vision and values.
3. Lead with Grace: Creating an environment of trust and hope, fostering creativity, and expressing appreciation to all involved.

Tune in to gain invaluable insights and be inspired by Dr. Amram’s wisdom and passion.

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with CEO and author Jean Gomes.

Jean is the CEO and founder of the research-based consultancy Outside. He is also a Professor of Practice at the University London College Global Business School for Health.

With over 30 years of experience, Jean has coached more than 80 CEOs and senior leaders. He has notable expertise in elite sports, including performance coaching for the Women’s Tennis Association and the British Olympic community. 

He is also the author of the book Leading in a Non-Linear World: Building Wellbeing, Strategic and Innovation Mindsets for the Future.

During our conversation, Jean discussed his three ideas for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Mindset-driven change is more successful than strategy alone

2. Mindset is embodied and amplifies human value creation

3. Mindset-building practices increase accountability for outcomes

Tune in to be inspired by Jean’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Mark S. Babbitt and S. Chris Edmonds, the inspiring authors of the best-selling book Good Comes First: How Today’s Leaders Create an Uncompromising Company Culture That Doesn’t Suck.

Mark, an author and speaker, is President of WorqIQ and CEO/Founder of YouTern. His work has appeared in Entrepreneur, Inc., and Forbes, and he was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers.

Chris, founder of the Purposeful Culture Group, is an author and top 30 organizational culture expert. He’s an Inc. Magazine Top Leadership Speaker and has presented at South by Southwest, with insights featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Fast Company

During our conversation, Mark and Chris discussed their three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Understanding that company culture comes from the top and can’t be delegated

2. Transitioning to a culture that equally values respect and results

3. Holding leaders and team members accountable for embodying company culture

Tune in to be inspired by their wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Kelly Roddy, CEO of WOWorks.

As the president of Schlotzsky’s from 2012 – 2019, Kelly’s transformative leadership in the restaurant industry repositioned Schlotzsky’s from a sandwich deli chain to a high-quality eatery, doubling its sales.

In 2019, he took over Saladworks and successfully navigated it through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In 2020, he formed WOWorks, which now includes six thriving brands: Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls, The Simple Greek, Barberitos, and Z!Eats (formerly Zoup!). 

WOWorks is dedicated to offering healthy, flavorful meals with exceptional hospitality. The company has experienced significant growth, opening new locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. By expanding into non-traditional locations such as grocery stores, college campuses, and military bases, WOWorks demonstrates an innovative approach to increasing convenience and accessibility in the fast-casual sector.

During our conversation, Kelly discussed his three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Effective communication
2. Empowerment and trust
3. Continuous learning and development

Tune in to be inspired by Kelly’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Robyn Bolton, author and founder of MileZero.

Robyn previously worked at Innosight, the consulting firm founded by Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, BCG, and Procter & Gamble, where she helped develop and launch the Swiffer. She is the founder and Chief Navigator at MileZero, a consultancy that helps leaders use innovation to confidently and repeatedly grow business revenue.

Robyn is the author of the forthcoming book Unlocking Innovation: A Leader’s Guide for Turning Bold Ideas Into Tangible Results. Her articles and perspectives have been featured in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review Online, The New York Times, and NPR’s Marketplace. 

During our conversation, Robyn discussed three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Doing the opposite of your instincts
2. Being honest about what you are and aren’t willing to do
3. Walking the talk

Tune in to be inspired by Robyn’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Debra Corey, an accomplished author and respected HR leader.

Debra has been recognized as one of the top 101 global employee engagement influencers. Throughout her career, she has worked for prominent companies such as Gap Inc., Quintiles, Merlin Entertainments, and Reward Gateway. During her tenure, she developed and implemented HR strategies in an unconventional manner, constantly pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo to drive genuine employee engagement.

Following her extensive corporate experience, Debra took on the role of Chief Pay It Forward Officer at DebCo HR. In this capacity, she motivates and collaborates with others to unleash their inner rebel and catalyze cultural and business change through employee engagement and management development.

Additionally, Debra is the author of Bad Bosses Ruin Lives: The Building Blocks for Being a Great Boss, a practical guide designed for aspiring great bosses. The book outlines common bad-boss tendencies and offers actionable solutions through the Great Boss Building Block™ model.

During our conversation, Debra discussed three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Awareness – Becoming aware of the blind spots and traps we fall into that unintentionally cause us to take on bad boss traits.

2. Acceptance – Looking in the mirror and accepting our own individual bad boss traits so that we can take ownership of them.

3. Action – Taking the right actions and leveraging the right knowledge, skills, and tools to become great and overcome our bad boss traits. 

Tune in to be inspired by Debra’s wisdom and passion!

In this episode of the Inspire Greatness Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Val Ries, author and founder of Executive Muse. 

Val is a former nurse and director of sales and training, with over 12 years as an executive coach working with leaders from companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft. She also has 10 years of experience teaching and creating curricula on various leadership topics.

Val is the founder of Executive Muse, an executive coaching and management training company. Through Executive Muse, she coaches and trains high-impact leaders at startups, Fortune 500 companies, and small businesses. Her goal is to help them build powerful micro-cultures, increase productivity, decrease attrition, and improve employee engagement.

Val is also the author of the best-selling book Chief Inspiration Officer: How to Lead the Team Everyone Wants to Be On.

During our conversation, Val discussed their three proven methods for inspiring greatness in team members:

1. Inspiring yourself first
2. Knowing what your team CRAVEs

• Connection/collaboration
• Reliability
• Appreciation
• Value – making impact
• Effective communication

3. Gaining clarity on your real ideal

Tune in to be inspired by Val’s wisdom and passion!