CultureForce: Recent Episodes
CultureForce
Culture junkies Chris Mefford and Kyle Buckett spend their inaugural season of Culture Force bringing you inside the mind of some of their favorite business leaders, entrepreneurs, and even congressmen. From Chick-fil-A to the NBA, this season’s guests have designed, created, and impacted culture at the some of the biggest names in the Fortune 500, and they’ve sat down with Chris and Kyle to share how they did it and what you can learn from them. Although most guests have worked in the C-suite, started their own business, or led hundreds of employees, this podcast is perfect for anyone interested in culture, leadership, and teams – from recent graduates and startup mavens to venture capitalists and successful CEOs.
The former CEO of Ben & Jerry’s and Stonyfield Farm; Walt has been building Iconic Brands for decades.
We are excited to welcome our dear friend and learn from his experience and impact over the years. Also, get ready to listen as Walt shares how Ben & Jerry’s impacted the culture and strategy at Facebook and eventually the entire world of online marketing. Its remarkable!
Support NYAGI: https://www.nyagi.org/
Support The Honor Foundation: www.honor.org
We host the one and only Garry Ridge, chairman and CEO of the household name - WD-40.
Listen as Garry shares about getting out of the way; Empathy Eats Your Ego; what values mean; what their tribe means to them; his meaning statements; and his 3 most powerful words! This is packed full of nuggets. You will want to listen again and again!
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Culture Force Linktree
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Gary on LinkedIn
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All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
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Chester Elton’s Leading with gratitude
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Impact yourself Daily APP
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One Minute Manager
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What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
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WD40 2,000 Uses
Chris sits down with Kyle for this season’s last episode to discuss getting corrected by Gary Vaynerchuk, turning around a flailing department, and how to stay energized when you get bored quickly. Kyle hosts
Mentioned ResourcesBuy-ology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller with Dr. JJ Peterson
Linchpin by Seth Godin
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Other:Culture Force
One More Wave
Qontent Agency
Fortisᴺ Partners
Join Chris as his quizzes Kyle on all his best stories and tips, from the tactics they use to ensure SEAL trainees stay alive during Hell Week to the best way to build team trust if you don’t have a lot of time.
Resources:Culture Force
One More Wave
Qontent Agency
Fortisᴺ Partners
This episode’s guest, Ty Smith, is a 20-year SEAL veteran and business school golden boy – one of the few students who can say he launched his own business in a matter of weeks. For Ty, two decades of SEAL training came in handy when friends began to call on him for help in the wake of the San Bernadino shootings. These friends were scared for their own safety and the safety of their employees at work, and Ty knew he needed to seize on a gaping hole in the market – practical, impactful conflict and violence prevention training. Three weeks later, with the help of two classmates, Vigilance Risk Solutions (VRS) was up and running.
Mentioned Resources
Books
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon
Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
Without Remorse by Tom Clancy
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Other
Ty Smith’s LinkedIn
Vigilence Risk Solutions
Tom Kereszti is a Hungarian immigrant, globetrotter, devoted father, and business guru who has lived or worked on every continent except Antarctica. After Tom graduated from NYU, he spent 11 years working his way up the corporate ladder before serendipity struck. Tom was working at Colgate Palmolive when his manager put together a development plan for him which included having to present to four executive Vice Presidents. In that same year, the Iron Curtain came down, and when those VPs were looking for someone who spoke Hungarian and held promise as a young leader, Tom was a perfect fit.
Mentioned Resources
Books
C-Suite and Beyond by Tom Kerezsti (upcoming)
Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Various Titles by John Maxwell
Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City by Andrew Kirtzman
Organizations
Kerezsti.com
Tom Kerezsti’s LinkedIn
President and Founder of YouSchool Scott Schimmel has spent his entire career in either ministry work, non-profits, or education, despite a relatively secular upbringing and an undergraduate degree in finance. Scott recalls graduating from college and planning to do something meaningful in the short term, only to find himself deeply immersed in ministry work ten years later. Around that ten year mark, Scott began to wonder how much of an impact he was truly making. After 400 interviews with former program participants, 397 of whom felt less happy and spiritually connected than in college, Scott realized he needed to change his approach.
Mentioned Resources
Books and Authors
The Surprising Power of Questions by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Various Titles by Daniel Siegel
Various Titles by Richard Roar
Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni
Various Other Titles by Patrick Linchione
Organizations
The YouSchool
Marc Brown is a fascinating blend of likable characteristics: kind, quirky, humble, curious, cerebral in the way he approaches business, but most of all genuine. Marc describes himself as “the kid who took things apart” and admits that he’s an "odd duck in the HR space," perhaps as much for his introversion as his fascination with understanding how things are made – from ring laser gyros to pet food.
Mentioned Resources
Books
Level 5 by William Ledbetter
How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
The Third Option by Miles McPherson
Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
OrganizationsThe Honor Foundation
Culture Force
San Diego Christian College
One More Wave
Qontent Agency
Zovio
This week’s guest is a mentor and dear friend of Kyle’s, as well as a decorated officer with a distinguished career of military service. Rob Newson has spent over 30 years as a SEAL and top DoD senior executive, serving under multiple presidents and bringing together cross-functional teams. This year, Rob decided to take his passion for culture to the NBA as the Vice President of Strategy and Vision for the 76ers.
Mentioned Resources
Books
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
Aging Well by George E. Vaillant, M.D.
Various Works by Brené Brown
Organizations
The Honor Foundation
Congressman Dan Crenshaw joins Culture Force to talk about American cancel culture, the importance of local politics, and his small but meaningful contribution to Space Force.
Dan Crenshaw is not just a U.S. congressman for the second district of Texas, he’s a retired Navy SEAL who served three tours of duty before losing his right eye to an IED in Afghanistan. Not one to let hardship hold him back, Dan served two more tours of duty following his injury before retiring and enrolling at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. After obtaining his Master in Public Administration, Dan was elected to Congress, beating out nine other Republican competitors.
Mentioned Resources
Books
Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage by Dan Crenshaw
Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America by Scott Adams
How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps by Ben Shapiro
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Dan Crenshaw Personal Links
Personal Facebook
Congressional Facebook
Personal Twitter
Congressional Twitter
Personal Instagram
Dee Ann Turner lives and breaths culture; during her 33 years at Chick-fil-A, she was the chief architect of a culture that is considered the gold-standard for customer service. The first female officer at the company, Dee Ann served as Vice President of Talent and Sustainability and championed diversity and inclusion efforts. In addition to becoming a New York Times best-selling author, she now runs her own company, Dee Ann Turner LLC, where she consults and coaches on all things talent and culture.
Mentioned Resources
BooksBet on Talent by Dee AnnIts My Pleasure by Dee Ann
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
This episode’s guest, Jeff Campbell, has held positions many of us would consider dream jobs: CEO of Burger King, Chairman of Pillsbury Restaurant Group, SVP of Branding at Pepsi-Cola, and CEO of Johnny Rockets, among other. Like many Culture Force guests, Jeff Campbell’s illustrious career began in the armed forces.
Mentioned Resources
Books
Why Vietnam Matter by Rufus Phillips
The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Henry James Complete Stories 1864-1874 by Henry James
Organizations
Chairman’s Roundtable
Joe Musselman, the visionary and CEO behind the Honor Foundation and Fathom Ventures, articulates his personal vision with rare clarity: “I envision a world where people feel psychologically safe and compensated for work they love.”
Find Joe on LinkedIn
Mentioned Resources
The Honor Foundation
Fathom Ventures
Brent Gleeson is an exceptional example of just how translatable a career in the Navy SEALs can be to the corporate world. Born and raised in Dallas, Brent graduated from SMU and started a lucrative job as a financial analyst in a real estate company. Although he started out training with a friend for the sake of exercise, Brent ended up enlisting in the Navy and eventually joining for the SEALs.
Brent Gleeson Personal Links
Forbes Column
Organizations
Taking Point Leadership
Mentioned Resources
Books
The Terminal List: A Thriller by Jack Carr
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Partners in Leadership (various books)
Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis and Bing West
Culture Force guest Dan Luna is a former Navy SEAL and 3LX Founder with a masters in Organizational Leadership from Georgetown University and a very simple leadership mantra: “be a good person.”
Find Dan on LinkedIn
Mentioned Resources
Organizations
3LX - https://team3lx.com/
From Corn Chips to Computer Chips; the star of this episode, Larry McIntosh, has had a storied career at some of the best-known companies in the world and shares how Big ideas can mobilize people and energize a culture; while Protecting culture is a full-time job.
Find Larry on LinkedIn
Mentioned Resources
Books
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
Organizations
The San Diego Master Chorale
Chris kicks off this first episode by taking us back to Kyle's childhood to learn what drew him to a 20-year career as a Navy SEAL. A self-proclaimed "water rat", Kyle describes a predilection for all the activities one would expect from a future SEAL - from swim competitions to breath-holding challenges. By age 10, Kyle had mastered his paper route and moved on to several small business ventures well-suited to an entrepreneurial teenager. But when his father brought home a book on Navy SEALS, Kyle was hooked.
Culture Force
One More Wave
Fortisᴺ Partners
Mentioned Resources
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? By Seth Godin
We overthink leadership. We over prepare and indulge in unnecessary vocabulary and training programs—all to create better leaders. But research reveals that 79% of employees leave their jobs due to poor leadership. People don’t quit jobs because they want more money; they quit because of bad bosses. In a society obsessed with leadership, why are we so bad at it? Join Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL, and Chris, an award-winning business executive as they explain why leadership is overrated and culture is the only game worth winning.
In season 1 they discuss with industry leaders on their experiences, successes and failures to improve organizational cultures. Their guests give you the advice, accountability, and support you need to grow yourself as a leader and take your career to the highest levels!