Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast #222 Kyle McDowell Begin With We

Begin With We

On this episode of the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast, Craig Johns speaks with Kyle McDowell about Begin with We, challenging peers in the organisation and creating a culture of excellence within.

We also dive deeper into the principles for building and sustaining a culture of excellence, leaving a legacy of leadership and helping others in their journey through his leadership.

Kyle McDowell – Begin With We

Kyle Mcdowell is a former corporate executive of three Fortune 10 firms, a leadership expert, and the best-selling author of Begin With WE. He earned a BA in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida before making significant strides in Service Operations for a government-sponsored health plan. Under his leadership, the organization received the prestigious JD Power award for outstanding customer service, marking a historic achievement for a health plan.

His impact expanded as McDowell played a pivotal role in operational bail-outs for states grappling with the implementation of ACA and Health Insurance Exchanges, ensuring access to healthcare for hundreds of thousands of citizens. Adding to his academic accolades, he earned an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, ranked as the #1 business school in America. His leadership philosophy materialized in “The 10 WEs,” serving as the cultural manifesto for the $5 billion program he spearheaded with 15,000 employees

Kyle McDowell talks about:

• Being interested in leadership from an early age attributing it to playing football
• Similarities in the world of sports and leadership in and out of the business world
• Begin with We
• Ten Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence
• Creating a “culture of excellence”
• Employees being obligated to challenge peers and leaders with data or experience to gain different perspectives
• Focusing on outcomes rather than activity
• Believing employees should be rewarded based on their impact on organisational culture, not just top-line results.
• Unintentionally filtering out authenticity if not executed properly
• Challenging peers in a diplomatic way
• Aiming to “pick people up” when they stumble and propel them to new heights by helping them get promoted, get a new job, or leave the organisation if that’s what’s best for them.
• Helping others through his work and resources, not to gain followers or sell books.
• Finding fulfillment in positively impacting others’ journeys

Tweets

“You are obligated to challenge peer to peer or leader challenge members of your own team, challenge across the organisation. You are obligated to do so as long as you bring data and or experience with that challenge. The result of that is, we recognise we’re open and transparent about our areas of opportunity. When one person is open to challenging another, we get two different perspectives on the same topic, if not more.” Challenging each other to get different perspectives with Kyle McDowell on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast.

“You want to have a lasting impact as a leader.” Kyle Mcdowell talks about legacy and impact on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast.

“I hear from strangers saying how these principles have not only changed their lives inside the corporate world, but I hear pretty regularly now, almost once a month, I would say, or people say the principles have guided and changed how they raise their children because again, that system of beliefs is really hard to replicate. When we’re aligned around it, we’re just so much better positioned for success, continuity, and frankly, to be much more high functioning core.” Kyle McDowell talks about Begin with We on the Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast.

Resources Mentioned in this show:

Kyle McDowell www.kylemcdowellinc.com 
Kyle McDowell LinkedIn
Kyle McDowell Instagram
Kyle McDowell Youtube
Kyle McDowell Facebook
Kyle McDowell X
Craig Johns www.craigjohns.com.au
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Craig Johns Facebook
Inspiring Great Leaders Podcast
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com

Book

Begin with WE