The Automotive Leaders Podcast

This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Buy the book The Blueprint -  6 Practical Steps to Lift Your Leadership to New Heights Keeping employees happy and engaged while advancing a company is a delicate balancing act. Go too easy and the work doesn’t get done; go too hard on them and they check out. Right? Not according to Doug Conant , the former Campbell Soup Company...

In this episode, Jan talks about the new supplier Terms and Conditions recently issued by automaker, Stellantis and what this means to the automotive industry. Topics covered include:- Command & control leadership, compliance vs conviction, remembering SCORE, the bottom-line impact of collaborative relationships and where do we go from here? Here are the links to the articles and episodes quot...

How do you not just survive but thrive as an authentic leader at General Motors (or, indeed, anywhere)? It's not very often you come across a large number of people who rave about their boss. But self-described servant leader Mark Bole , Senior Executive at General Motors, Head of V2X & Battery Solutions, has a following. He firmly lives — and leads — in line with his values. “It's not the num...

Learn more about creating your own internal company podcast There’s never been a greater need for honesty and transparency — for people to tell it like it is. Enter Lynn Kier , VP Communications at Diebold Nixdorf , who talks about the importance of embracing your authentic self to further your personal mission. Lynn began her career in 1997 as a financial analyst. After five years, she realised t...

The Pandemic has given us cause to pause and rethink how we live our lives. In this episode, Jan explores her personal story and how she decided to quit her corporate job along with some things you should consider before you quit.

The first time Rich Sheridan touched a computer was in 1971. The CEO and Co-founder of Menlo Innovations, who went on to write “Joy Inc.” and “Chief Joy Officer,” was then a freshman in high school who instantly fell in love with the idea of writing software. For Rich, who refers to himself as a “pure Michigan kid,” software was an artistic medium. He started by typing the names and stats of Major...

Let's talk about trust and transparency , not only in terms of leadership, internally and with our teams, but externally, with our stakeholders more specifically, with our suppliers. And yes, that's going to lead us into a supply chain discussion and the chip shortage. These two traits of authentic leadership have been coming up time and time again in the last couple of months. And that's why I wa...

This episode is sponsored by Lockton, click here to learn more Leaders need to have conviction in themselves and their employees. Without it, a compliance mindset can creep in. Seeking compliance is a sign of a “weak manager,” says Stefan Krause , former Chairman & CEO at MOOV Throughout his career with BMW and in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Stefan has built innovative management syste...

Meet Delaina and Luke, members of Gen Z in the workplace. There’s a lot to be gained from a fresh perspective — even then it’s a viewpoint that doesn’t quite align with your own. Instead of interviewing a seasoned leader, Jan is flipping the script in this episode. She hosts a conversation with two members of Gen Z, Delaina Yatoma and Luke Tappen , recent graduates of Wayne State University, to un...

The pandemic hasn’t been easy for business leaders. And that’s especially true for people leading businesses that physically bring people together.  But rather than lamenting the challenges of the last 18+ months, Paul Glantz, co-founder and chairman of luxury movie theater company Emagine Entertainment, believes he’s the “luckiest guy on earth.”  A CPA by training, Paul spent 27 years o...

In the season 3 opening episode, Jan shares the audio from the highly energetic and engaging speech at the Centre for Automotive Research conference, Management Briefing Sessions In Traverse City, Michigan. We dive into authentic leadership and the behaviors that support and detract away from it and why authentic leadership is critical to our future and the way we lead. The audio refers to slides...

In this episode, Jan explores the deeper questions around authentic leadership and the plans for season 3 including an increased focus on Gen Z

Audio from a recent webinar exploring the benefits of an internal podcast for your business or your team along with exactly what you need to know before you start. Presentation slides Webinar video How to be a great podcast guest - mini course

Jan Griffiths, President of Gravitas Detroit talked about the mission on the Automotive Leaders Podcast

In this podcast, you’ll meet Carrie Uhl, Chief Procurement Officer for GE Healthcare. Carrie is one of the most impactful supply chain leaders in not one, but two different industries. She shares with us her belief in bringing her best self to work, being tough on issues and not people, and being relentlessly positive. 02:24 – Carrie’s formative years in Pittsburgh 04:15 – First job in Supply Chai...

Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book In this podcast, you’ll meet Carla Bailo, President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. Carla shares with us her love of cars and deep roots in the automotive industry. Her long career has been full of opportunities to start from a blank slate, she loves doing things no one has done before. She also enjoys breaking molds and challeng...

Today, you're going to meet the change leadership guru. Jesse Jacoby is the founder of the business consulting service Emergent , which focuses on organizational change management and business transformations. Jessie is exactly the subject matter expert we need right now, to help us all transition into this new way of doing business. We will benefit from his experience, and expertise to navigate t...

In this episode, you’ll meet Mark Lecher, President and CEO of HFI. Follow his journey from an impoverished beginning where he had to start working at age 12, to being the President and CEO of a tier-two Automotive Interiors company. Mark speaks of being true to your purpose, being your authentic self, and bringing out the best in your team by demonstrating trust. 02:29 – Mark’s blue-collar beginn...

As pandemic restrictions come to an end, we find ourselves facing another transition. Many of us are heading back to the office, but not necessarily in the same way we did it before. There is understandably some concern over what this “new normal” is going to look like. In this episode, we are going to delve into research and strategies that harness the power of the restart to help us successfully...

In this episode, you'll meet Jason Stocker , President of C&U Americas . We’ll learn about his blue-collar roots, how he took inspiration from a 1980’s sitcom to send him on his career path, and how he lives his life with volition. 02:13 Jason’s story 05:49 Honing in on Accounting as a career choice 08:30 Incentive to graduate college at lightning speed 12:44 Living and breathing volition 15:3...

In this episode, Jan shares her thoughts on Mother’s Day, what she learned from her grandmother and mother, and how their influence translates into powerful lessons about psychological safety and leading with Gravitas through challenging times. 00:50 Mother’s Day musings 01:24 My grandmother, Mary 05:23 My mother’s encouragement 07:40 Psychological safety. Important in parenting, and in leadership...

Download the 21 traits of authentic leadership e book In this episode, you’ll meet Kimberley Gardiner, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Volkswagen. She truly is a model in leading authentically with confidence, caring, and understanding. You’ll learn how her twin passions for marketing and the environment propelled her into a career in automotive, and how her many experiences and her love fo...

The way we work is forever changed, in this episode I share my thoughts and experiences on the subject and why this is an opportunity for leaders.

In this episode, you'll meet one of the most well-known figures in the automotive industry.  Jason Stein , Publisher of  Automotive News , has spent decades interviewing automotive industry leaders, now he’s on the other side of the mic.   We learn about his journey from a small-town sports reporter, to becoming the publisher of the most well-respected ...

More importantly, now than ever before, effective leaders need to demonstrate the quality of Gravitas. Why is that? And what is Gravitas, anyway? In this episode, Jan answers those questions and more, exploring the meaning of Gravitas, how it can be developed, and why the changing landscape of business demands an upgraded approach to leadership, now. 00:51 What is Gravitas? 04:04 Judge me by how m...