Episode 004: Rande Somma: Honesty & Integrity in Golf, Life and the Corporate World

Many of you have and know your 5-year goal. In golf it could be to break a score; 100, 90, 70, win an amateur or professional tournament, improve shop sales or reach a new plateau in your business or for the company you work for. But how many of you have asked yourself what that success looks like for you; i.e. did you change as a person to achieve it or did you compromise your values to get there?

While President of Worldwide Automotive Operations at Johnson Controls Inc., Rande Somma’s first question to his team wasn’t ‘What do we need to do different to achieve these new goals?’ it was ‘What won’t we do, under any circumstances, to achieve our new goals?’ They first defined what they wouldn’t do; which was violate their values. Things such as lay people off to reach earning numbers or not paying earned bonuses. They then defined the goal and how to achieve it. In today’s interview, we discuss that entire process, how to develop a culture so these things flourish.

Rande used this outline to help JCI reach Fortune 100 status and still uses it today when mentoring young professionals as part of his group Rande Somma and Associates. It helps people in all walks of life avoid some of the pitfalls so many fall into in their quest for success. In addition to his mentoring program, he and his wife also started the Rande and Georgia Somma Integrity First Scholarship Program at Robert Morris University, Rande’s alma mater. Last and certainly not least he is the author of the book ‘Leadershit: A Look at the Broken Leadership System in Corporate America’ a book that dives into some of the problems he encountered over four decades in and around the corporate system and leadership in general.

This episode is filled with a lot of great information and regardless of what industry you’re in or what your life’s ambitions are you will take away some great words of wisdom to help achieve them all after listening to this interview.