Profiles In Leadership

Mike Horsfield returns to the program to discuss what lessons were learned while leading in new territory during an international pandemic.  He self admits he gets geared up and actually enjoys "a train wreck" to lead through and COVID 19 certainly pushed him to a new level of crisis management.  Communicating with your people and being transparent is the key to working through the huge challenges this pandemic has thrown at the business world and the health of the communities our businesses are in.  What lessons did we learn and where do we go from here.  Business leadership was and still is being tested at the highest level.  What moves you make and how you can reassure your employees is paramount right now.  Mike gives great insight into his thought process and how he believes coaching and mentoring should be used in organizations .  He is also running for Private Practice Section of the American Physical Therapy Association President position with election results revealed in early November. 

Errol Doebler has had what most people would think is an exciting life.  From the Naval Academy to a Navy Seal and then an FBI agent his life has been certainly interesting.  He had some hard lessons to learn along the way and had to learn how to reinvent himself after everything he fought so hard for to become a Navy Seal was taken away when he was injured and had to give up his dream job.  He learned what poor leadership looks like serving in the FBI.  Now as a Business Coach he takes what he has learned through his incredible journey and shows how the principles of success are the same for running a business and leading employees and your executive team.  Errol Doebler is the creator of The Process, Art, and Science of Leadership. Through Leader 193, his leadership consulting firm, he teaches his methodology to business leaders around the world. Errol developed this methodology through his experience as a United States Naval Officer, where he served as a Surface Warfare Officer and Navy SEAL, and through h

Jeff Ostrowski is the first guest to be on the program for a second time.  He was interviewed about 15 months ago shortly after he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in the prime of his life.  On episode 45 he goes deep and shares how devastating the news was and how difficult chemotherapy was to get through.  In this episode we check back in with Jeff to see how his battle is going.  Jeff is very brave to wade into the darkness of the disease, the emotions of fear and how special relationships are the key to his survival.  His openness and willingness to be vulnerable is a gift to those of us who listen and try to image how tough his journey is.  His positive mindset is impressive and the love he has for his family jumps out at your during our discussion.  A brave man, a proud man, a generous man in the battle for his life.  This is an episode you won't forget.    

Discussion with Jimmy McKay a physical therapist who earned his degree in Communications and entered his dream job as a Rock radio station DJ.  He later discovered physical therapy as he was training for an Ironman competition and one of the guys on the team was a PT.  We discuss the long road to switch gears and get into and through PT school.  We also talk music and how now he is back doing similar things as the Director of Communications for Fox Rehab as he was at the radio station just now gearing the message to a very different audience.  He says he found his people with PT's and feels like he has combined the best of both his worlds in healthcare. 

Gabby Reece is not only a volleyball legend, but an inspirational leader, New York Times bestselling author, wife, and mother.  The former professional beach volleyball player and Nike's first female spokeswoman is the definition of both athleticism and beauty.  Gabby won an athletic scholarship to Florida State University where she played two seasons before accepting offers from the modeling world.  During her time at FSU she set two school volleyball records that still stand today.  Gabby created with her husband big wave surfer and waterman Laird Hamilton, a company Extreme Performance Training, XPT.  XPT is a unique and powerful fitness training and lifestyle program featuring their unique water workouts, performance breathing, recovery methods and high-intensity and endurance training for people of all fitness levels and backgrounds.  Gabby's most recent book, My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper, boldly shares her personal story of real-life ups and downs of motherhood and career in order to encoura

Matt Johnson is a marketing agency founder, podcaster, and musician. Matt runs a podcast launch & production agency based in San Diego, an international team that helps business coaches,  consultants and thought leaders use done-for-you podcasting to attract an audience, build influence & become MicroFamous.Matt is the author of MicroFamous and currently hosts the MicroFamous podcast. He is a frequent podcast guest and event speaker to audiences around the US, Canada, and Australia.

"What's Gaby Cooking?"  has become a powerful brand in the food and lifestyle world.  Gaby Dalkin describes herself as a communicator who happens to be a Chef!  She loves interacting with people, cooking and traveling and she has found a way to share it on social media, authoring 3 bestselling cookbooks and forming partnerships with well known brands in the industry.  Her passion is infectious and her driving to succeed is inspiring.  She continues to build an empire that people just want to be a part of.  She grew up a picky eater and now she shows people that anyone can cook and entertain as well as eat good healthy food.  A success story you just can't resist! 

Steve Miletich has worked as a reporter at The Seattle Times for more than 20 years, covering air-safety issues, criminal-justice matters, police reform and a wide range of watchdog and investigative projects. He was part of a team of Times reporters that was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for coverage of the killing of four police officers in Lakewood, Wash. He was also a finalist in 2007. In May of 2020 he received his second Pulitzer Prize for his work on a 4 person team covering issues with the Boeing 737 Max airliner.   He previously worked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1981 to 1999 and The Journal-American in Bellevue, Wa, from 1976 to 1981

Tony Gemignani is a 13 time world champion Pizzaiolo from San Francisco.  He is the chef and owner of 28 locations in Northern California and Las Vegas.  Tony has been perfecting his craft for more than 2 decades and holds an impressive set of awards for his pizza making and tossing skills.  He is the proprietor of the International School of Pizza in San Francisco, where he certifies chefs from around the world, and is an official U.S. Ambassador of Neapolitan Pizza by the city of Naples, Italy.  Tony has also been inducted four times into the Guinness World Book of Records.  Tony has appeared on several popular shows including Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and is a regular on Food Network Channel.  He is the author of PIZZA, Tony and the Pizza Champions, and The Pizza Bible, the definitive book on Pizza.  In this interview he talks of building a strong team and always striving to learn and grow.

In January of 2020 In Nashville at The 13th Annual Graham Sessions I gave a "What I Believe" speech.  Leaders need to be willing to collaborate, communicate effectively with different personalities and compromise when necessary.   The best ideas that last the test of time are gained with collective wisdom in a high functioning group.  We need to feel comfortable in our right brain thinking and embrace the gray.  Black and white thinking is limiting.  Being willing to wander and live in the gray opens up opportunities and allows teammates to feel included and listened to which results in more innovation and higher levels of success.  It might be messy, so be brave and "Say yes to the mess" and believe in the gray. 

Julie Huffaker is a breathe of fresh air bringing passion and hope to leadership and life.  She is a social scientist fascinated by how people come together in groups and outperform themselves.   She has more than 25 years' experience helping organizations deliberately evolve leadership, culture, strategy and capacity.  She has a PhD in Organizational Leadership and Change, a MA in Human Development and a MBA.   She is a Principal and Founding Partner at consultancy Deeper Funner Change.  Her wisdom and compassion are unmatched and her impact of helping people change how they communicate is unparalleled.  She is passionate about paddle boarding and diving deep into personal and group interactions.  She lives in Portland, Oregon.

This is the second episode of reviewing "Pearls of Wisdom" from interviews over the last couple of months.  This will be released one month into the COVID 19 Pandemic crisis we are in  not only as a nation but as part of the world.  Businesses are struggling, many are closed and people are getting anxious and frustrated with being at home to support the Stay at Home and Shelter in Place the nation is doing to help slow down the spread of the virus.  Leadership has never been more important than now.  This episode reviews some key points Leaders have made during interviews on this Podcast and I have elaborated on these key points in a discussion format.  As I stated during Pearls of Wisdom Summary I, I will do this periodically as a way to further highlight and learn about the amazing leaders I have the honor and privilege to interview in each episode I publish on this program. 

Imagine being the first at something?  Dr. Darlene Iskra was the first woman Commander of a ship in the US Navy!  She served in the US Navy for 21 years..  She was also one of the first woman officers to serve as a Diving Officer and she served on four different ships before taking command of the Rescue and Savage ship USS Opportune during Operation Desert Shield/Storm in December 1990. She has a Ph.D in Sociology and an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.  She was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2008 and the San Francisco State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009. 

Covid 19 pandemic has brought businesses to crisis mode.  Leadership has never been more important.  This episode brings 6 different people from the trenches with boots on the ground navigating this uncharted territory day by day.  People need to hear facts and know the truth as everyone tries to figure out how to manage the next few weeks and likely months.  No one knows the answer but Leaders have to move forward and do what they can to help those counting on them for their livelihood.  In a crisis leadership matters.

Tyler Ott is the long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.  He has played for the team for 3 years and has a contract through the 2022 season.  He is a graduate of Harvard University where he won two Ivy League Championships and graduated with a degree in Economics and a minor in Environmental Science and Public Policy.   He shares his theory on leadership and has experience with 5 different NFL teams and describes how the team cultures are very different.  He believes Seattle under coach Pete Carroll is the best place to be in professional football and states many players want to play for this team and stay with this team because of the team culture the coaches and players have created.  As an unsung staple of the team he knows when he is doing his job when he is not mentioned on TV or in the media.  He talks about his leadership role on the team. 

Michele Heffron has over 30 years experience as an executive leader most recently in philanthropic non-profit organizations.  Currently she is the executive director in the Pacific Northwest for One Love Foundation.  One Love is the nation's leading educator of young people on the topic of healthy and unhealthy relationships.  She also serves on the National Leadership Team for the One Love Foundation.  She has also held positions as Director of Resource Development and Capital Campaign for the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue, Washington.  She also shares her expertise with other foundations and organizations through her own consulting business.  She lives and works and works in the greater Seattle area.  www.joinonelove.org 

Cherie Baker was the Deputy Chief of Police of Bellevue, Washington. She was a member of the police department from 1978-2013. Her position in leadership was to lead a department of 224 employees. She begun her career as a patrol officer and moved up to become a Police Lieutenant, then a police Captain, a Police Major, and eventually a Deputy Chief of Police. She has been a hostage negotiator for 20 years. She also received the Commanders Award for Excellence. Cherie joined a male dominated profession and was one of the earlier female leaders to rise through the organization and reach the top. Her insights and experience is a journey in leadership and how to do it with grace and eloquence in a para-military world of law enforcement.

Isabelle Nussli is a seasoned senior executive who lives in Switzerland.  She is the current Chairperson at Responsible Leadership AG.  She is a leadership and life coach and the author of "Cockfighting: Solving the Mystery of Unconscious Sabotage at the Top of the Corporate Pyramid."She has an executive Masters in Coaching and International Business Law.  She also holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management from Northwestern University.  Hear how she believes unconscious biasescan lead to difficult relationships at the top of organizations where power becomes a struggle.  She has interviewed 150+ CEO's to find out who they are and how they think.  Her knowledge on leadership and how people got their is immense.

Marc Berejka is the government affairs Director and community affairs Director at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.)  REI is a national outdoor retail cooperative with over 16 million members and annual sales exceeding $2.5 billion.  The co-op's mission is to "inspire, educate and outfit people for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship."  He has worked as an executive at Microsoft, was a technology policy advisor to then-Secretary Gary Locke at the US Department of Commerce, and in the first part of his career he was a telecommunications attorney.  He walks the talk by being an avid outdoorsmen and gives time and money to charities he supports in his local community.   Marc is a leader who believes in being a part of a greater purpose than yourself and helping people enjoy the benefits of interacting in a responsible way with nature. 

Pearls of Wisdom summaries will be released as episodes periodically to highlight insightful points made by guests of Profiles in Leadership.  The goal is to choose impactful themes and use exerts from the interviews to dig deeper into leadership strategies and philosophies.  This is the first such episode with more to follow.