I’m naturally drawn to Don Mcneeley, president and CEO of Chicago Tube and Iron (CTI). I love his story and the story of CTI.
100 years of profitability doesn’t happen by accident. The culture that allows for 100 years of profitability doesn’t happen by accident.
At the core of both stories – that of CTI and Don McNeeley are capitalism, country and culture. “We are unabashed capitalists” Don tells me in this conversation. In embracing our great country, which created the capitalistic environment where there is a relationship between risk and reward – profitability have always been central to the CTI culture.
And it’s those profits – that financial wherewithal that creates jobs, which in turn improves the standard of living of society … and this is what CTI has been doing for 100 years.
So, listen in to this amazing conversation I have with Don. We’ll explore the CTI culture that is based in part on capitalism and country and importantly at the very end of our conversation Don shares why and how leaders must focus on furthering our life’s work.
In this 41 minute episode Don and I discuss:
- Importance of culture
- Identifying the range of permissible behavior
- The role of culture in sales compensation
- Intrapreneurship
- The age old dilemma – what to do when a top performer’s behavior does not align with the culture
- How the “grayness” of expectations damages cultures and individuals
- When the past meets the future and its impact on culture
- Two types of risk taking
- How to leverage fear (you’ll have to listen because it’s really good!) to create an amazing culture
- The longevity of culture
- How to sustain the culture at that tipping point when new hires outnumber the veterans
- How to turn over your life’s work to the next generation
The Show Notes
- Don McNeeley Bio: Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering
- Chicago Tube and Iron
- Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering
- Articles Written By Don McNeeley at The Wholesaler
- Inflection Point Definition on Investopedia
- INNOVATE! How Successful Distributors Lead Change In Disruptive Times
- Dirk Beveridge Speaking
- UnleashWD Innovation Summit
Other Episodes In The 5 Part Don McNeeley Podcast Series
- Episode 1 – Points of Inflection and 100 Years of Continuous Profitability
- Episode 3 – Value Proposition: November 9th
- Episode 4 – Business Model: November 16th
- Episode 5 – Transformative Leadership: November 30th
Links will be provided with each episode broadcast.
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