Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
Deborah Fell welcomes Kyle Buckett, a former Navy SEAL and author of "Leadership is Overrated." Buckett shares lessons from his military career and consulting work, emphasizing the importance of trust, delegating authority, and developing leaders at all levels. "Great people working together really makes elite teams. And when you have elite teams, you have organizations that become elite," Buckett notes. Listen to this episode, "Lessons from a SEAL: Culture Improvement with Culture Fit to Build Your Elite Team," to discover insights that can help transform your organization's culture and performance.
Links from this episode:
Kyle Buckett's book
Culture Force
Kyle Buckett on LinkedIn
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
About Kyle Buckett:
Kyle Buckett is an unshakable idealist who believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together through developing strong cultures.
Kyle’s WHY is to refine and create positive cultures that attract great people. He believes great people working together make elite teams. Elite teams make organizations elite. And when you have elite organizations striving for excellence in their missions, the world is a much better place!
With a vision to change the way businesses think, act, and operate, Kyle and his team work with leaders and organizations in nearly every industry to help transform company culture and create a better working world.
As a retired Navy SEAL leader, board member, and former COO and CHRO of a publicly traded company, Kyle has discovered remarkable patterns about how some of the greatest movements in history were led by self lead teams. He is fascinated by the people and organizations that make the greatest, lasting impact on the world. He has devoted his life to sharing his thinking, and leading movements to inspire people to do the things that inspire them.
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
EP56: From ThighMaster to Trampolines: Tailoring Customer Experiences
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
In this commentary, Deborah Fell reflects on her conversation with Joe Grace from the previous episode. She relates Joe's insights to her experience working with a trampoline park client in Canada whose business was threatened by new competitors. Deborah describes how she helped the client segment their customer database, tailor messaging and offers, and improve the customer experience, ultimately allowing them to recover lost revenue and grow the business. She emphasizes the importance of deeply understanding the customer and focusing on the details of the 360-degree experience. Deborah then highlights a clip from the Joe Grace interview where he discusses his success with direct-to-consumer marketing of the Thighmaster in the 80s and 90s, and how the insights he gained about marketing to women proved valuable in later turning around WebMD's struggling business.
Links from this episode:
[email protected]
Joe Grace on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders Profile page
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
In a world where brands struggle to connect with their audience, Joe Grace, Partner at Chief Outsiders and a seasoned marketer, shares his insights on the power of authentic storytelling and omnichannel marketing. From transforming WebMD into a household name to launching successful products like the Suzanne Somers Thighmaster, Joe's unique approach has consistently delivered results. He emphasizes the importance of understanding your target audience, crafting a genuine brand positioning, and adapting your story as competition emerges. Drawing from his diverse background in business and the film industry, Joe reveals how weaving together compelling narratives and leveraging the right mix of media channels can accelerate your company's growth. Join Deborah as she delves into Joe's wealth of experience and uncovers the secrets to captivating your customers through authenticity.
About Deborah's Guest, Joe Grace:
For over 25 years, Joe has disrupted industries, introduced new products, grown market share, accelerated growth, and built brands with the power and efficiency of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies. As the Head of Marketing at WebMD, Joe developed and executed the marketing strategy that grew WebMD into the most trusted source for online health information with over 40 million registered members. As a Partner with Chief Outsiders since 2011, Joe has created growth strategies for a broad range of healthcare companies, including Pharma, medical devices, providers, payors, and more.
Links from this episode:
[email protected]
Joe Grace on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders Profile page
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
EP54: Inspire Unity and Focus Through Simplifying Complexity
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
In episode 49 of Success Beneath the Surface, host Deborah Fell spoke with Torey Carter Conneen, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects. One key theme was simplifying complexity. As the leader of a trade association with diverse constituents, Torey sees his role as uniting everyone around a shared mission.
Deborah reflects that whether in complex organizations like Torey's or simpler ones, complexity can quickly arise from a lack of listening and leadership. Without the air of inspiration, problem-solving focus, and commitment to achieving better outcomes together, complexity takes over.
Torey shares how his roles have been driven by a deep connection to organizational missions and purposes that align with his own values.
About Torey Carter-Conneen
An accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience, Torey Carter Conneen formulates strategies and plans to drive organizational success. As COO of AILA, he oversees operations, education, conferences, publications, finance, and more to support the 15,000+ immigration attorney members. He led the development of strategic and operating plans and ensured accountability against goals. As SVP, Finance, and CFO at the Center for American Progress, he oversaw accounting, administration, and IT for the $50M organization and advised the President & CEO as part of the executive team. As Acting President & CEO of the Victory Fund and Institute, he partnered with leaders and the Board on strategic, operating, and financial plans during the CEO’s sabbatical. He excels at managing deadlines and challenges while delivering immediate results. Skilled at cultivating engaging work environments to promote performance excellence.
Torey Carter-Conneen on LinkedIn
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
EP53: Scaling Culture: DataArt's Secrets to Employee Loyalty
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
In this insightful commentary episode of Success Beneath the Surface, host Deborah Fell shares her key takeaways from her conversation with Alexei Miller, Managing Director of DataArt. Discover the secrets behind DataArt's impressive employee referral and loyalty metrics, which have remained strong over decades of growth. Alexei emphasizes the importance of a culture-based organization, where informal ties, trust, and freedom fuel employee longevity and willingness to refer others. However, as the company scales, maintaining this culture becomes increasingly challenging. Alexei candidly discusses the difficulties of passing on the company's culture to new hires as DataArt expands rapidly. Despite these challenges, DataArt's employee loyalty metrics remain high compared to industry standards. To dive deeper into Alexei's masterclass on building culture and retaining people, be sure to listen to the full episode:
EP52: Humble Beginnings to Global Success - The DataArt Story
Links from this episode:
Alexei Miller on LinkedIn
DataArt
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
About Alexei Miller:
Alexei Miller is a Managing Director at DataArt. He leads strategic sales and client engagement efforts for global technology consultancy, focusing on IT strategy, new system development, and technology innovation. Alexei joined DataArt when the company was founded, in 1997, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2002. Over the past two decades, he has been overseeing product and service development, delivery, sales and management of key accounts and has built DataArt’s Finance practice. Alexei has been instrumental in establishing DataArt’s position as a global technology leader dedicated to service excellence and helping to significantly grow the company's operations on a global scale.
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
EP52: Humble Beginnings to Global Success - The DataArt Story
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Tuesday Mar 05, 2024
Step into the world of Alexei Miller, managing director at DataArt, as he engages in a captivating discussion with host, Deborah Fell on Success Beneath the Surface. Alexei's story is one of curiosity, adaptability, and the power of a strong company culture, from his humble beginnings in a little town in the north of Russia, beyond the polar circle, to his 27-year journey to being part of a team leading DataArt, a global software engineering firm. He shares his insights on fostering employee loyalty, navigating the ever-changing landscape of AI, and creating an environment where people can thrive. Alexei's passion for his work and people shines through in this thought-provoking conversation, leaving listeners with valuable lessons on leadership and success in the tech industry. Tune in for an engaging exploration of what it takes to build a company that stands the test of time.
Links from this episode:
Alexei Miller on LinkedIn
DataArt
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
About Alexei Miller:
Alexei Miller is a Managing Director at DataArt. He leads strategic sales and client engagement efforts for global technology consultancy, focusing on IT strategy, new system development, and technology innovation. Alexei joined DataArt when the company was founded, in 1997, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2002. Over the past two decades, he has been overseeing product and service development, delivery, sales and management of key accounts and has built DataArt’s Finance practice. Alexei has been instrumental in establishing DataArt’s position as a global technology leader dedicated to service excellence and helping to significantly grow the company's operations on a global scale.
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
In this episode, Deborah shares her anticipation for the upcoming Chief Outsiders National Conference, where she will be recapping the event and conducting insightful interviews. Reflecting on the growth and success of Chief Outsiders over the years, Deborah emphasizes the importance of vision casting and fostering a culture of collaboration. As we look forward to the conference highlights, Deborah encourages listeners to revisit Art Saxby's full episode for valuable insights on strategic growth. Stay tuned for exciting recaps and interviews from the conference on "Success Beneath the Surface"!
EP25: Scaling Your Business - Curiosity and Leadership
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
EP50: Nurture Trust to Align Imperfect Decisions
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Deborah Fell unpacks key insights on gaining alignment from her conversation with Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects. With multiple stakeholders to consider, Torey shares how he approaches creating change and uniting his team behind a common vision. Deborah reflects on how a lack of alignment in an organization, though often invisible, manifests in lower scores and sales momentum. Torey stresses the "trust equation" - communicating the why behind decisions while listening carefully to staff and members. For CEOs leading their teams through change, this commentary offers takeaways on fostering trust and strategic alignment. Tune in to hear Torey's advice on maintaining focus amidst competing priorities.
About Torey Carter-Conneen
An accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience, Torey Carter Conneen formulates strategies and plans to drive organizational success. As COO of AILA, he oversees operations, education, conferences, publications, finance, and more to support the 15,000+ immigration attorney members. He led the development of strategic and operating plans and ensured accountability against goals. As SVP, Finance, and CFO at the Center for American Progress, he oversaw accounting, administration, and IT for the $50M organization and advised the President & CEO as part of the executive team. As Acting President & CEO of the Victory Fund and Institute, he partnered with leaders and the Board on strategic, operating, and financial plans during the CEO’s sabbatical. He excels at managing deadlines and challenges while delivering immediate results. Skilled at cultivating engaging work environments to promote performance excellence.
Listen to his full episode here.
Links from this episode:
Torey Carter-Conneen on LinkedIn
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
EP49: Navigating Change Through Stakeholder Engagement
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Do you aspire to lead with purpose and service? This week’s Success Beneath the Surface podcast features a remarkable discussion with Torey Carter Conneen, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Host Deborah Fell artfully draws out Conneen's inspiring path to nonprofit leadership guided by his family’s ethos of community service.
From his first nonprofit role out of college to helming major associations today, Conneen walks the talk of mission-driven business. He shares the CEO mindset needed to align strategy with core values during difficult decisions, constantly engaging stakeholders while moving change forward. For growth leaders who want their organizations to balance purpose, service and sustainability while thriving financially, this is an episode you can’t miss. Tune in for an uplifting dose of wisdom.
About Torey Carter-Conneen
An accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience, Torey Carter Conneen formulates strategies and plans to drive organizational success. As COO of AILA, he oversees operations, education, conferences, publications, finance, and more to support the 15,000+ immigration attorney members. He led the development of strategic and operating plans and ensured accountability against goals. As SVP, Finance, and CFO at the Center for American Progress, he oversaw accounting, administration, and IT for the $50M organization and advised the President & CEO as part of the executive team. As Acting President & CEO of the Victory Fund and Institute, he partnered with leaders and the Board on strategic, operating, and financial plans during the CEO’s sabbatical. He excels at managing deadlines and challenges while delivering immediate results. Skilled at cultivating engaging work environments to promote performance excellence.
Torey Carter-Conneen on LinkedIn
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
EP48: Rethink Assumption to Sustain Success
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
When established "truths" in business become outdated, companies that fail to adapt often struggle. In this episode commentary, host Deborah Fell explores a Mark Twain quote on questioning assumptions with guest Barry Traylor, co-founder of Sales Mastery. Barry explains why the "perfect prospect profile" can limit a company's vision and relationships. He advocates customizing outreach to understand individual customers’ needs better rather than treating everyone equally. He also discusses how adding value and sharing insights, not just selling, builds meaningful business connections over time. For growth-focused executives, re-evaluating internal "certainties" periodically and implementing more nuanced, customer-centric strategies can yield better long-term results.
Link to Barry's full episode here.
About Barry Trailer
Barry is Co-Founder of Sales Mastery Advisors, a sales research and advisory services firm started in 2018. Earlier, he was the founder and CEO of a successful SMB CRM company (acquired in 2000) before co-founding and helping lead CSO Insights, which he and his partner sold to Miller Heiman (2015-2017). Barry has been published three times in Harvard Business Review, most recently in Nov-Dec 2022, and has twice been the keynote at their Sales Summit in Poland. He is an Accenture Luminary and has been involved in complex B2B sales for over 35 years. He’s intrigued with how it’s changed/changing and what this means to Sales as a Profession (SaaP).
Links from this episode:
Barry Trailer on LinkedIn
Sales Mastery website
Sales Master on YouTube
Deborah Fell on LinkedIn
Chief Outsiders
Providing insights specifically for CEOs to help them unlock growth to increase the value their business.
With so many voices offering “hot tips” and “how to’s” for growing your business and team, it’s hard to know what’s worth listening to. Deborah brings simple, immediately actionable strategies and growth hacks through inspirational stories and real-world experiences that can help design enduring profit into any business plan.