State of Readiness | Benjamin Taylor; MD of RedQuadrant
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast Benjamin Taylor, the Managing Director of RedQuadrant, engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with Joseph Paris, delving into the nuanced intricacies of organizational evolution and improvement within the public sector landscape. Drawing from their wealth of experiences and insights, Taylor and Paris underscored the paramount importance of democratizing knowledge accessibility and fostering collaborative group dynamics as catalysts for organizational advancement. Taylor elucidated the genesis of Red Quadrant, inspired by a London cab...
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State of Readiness | Ron Crabtree; CEO of MetaOps Inc and MetaExperts
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast In the realm of strategic business discussions, Ron Crabtree, a seasoned entrepreneur, assumed the mantle of authority. With a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations inherent in business scaling and talent acquisition within dynamic environments, he underscored the necessity of fostering robust professional networks and discerning between strategic and tactical hiring approaches. In collaboration with the esteemed Joseph Paris, they delved into the pivotal role of effective facilitation in propelling organizational...
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State of Readiness | Michael Webb; President @ Sales Performance Consultants, Inc.
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast I have known Michael Webb for several years. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Operational Excellence Society almost since its inception and led the Operational Excellence Society Chapter in Atlanta. We start the podcast by discussing the application of operational excellence and continuous improvement principles to sales and marketing activities. Paris made note of the challenges due to the personality-driven nature of sales and getting salespeople to document processes and how there might be a...
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State of Readiness | Scott Lushin; Senior Manager, Global Operational Excellence @ Donaldson
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast My guest today is Scott Lushin, Senior Manager of Global Operational Excellence at Donaldson Company, Incorporated. In this episode, Scott takes us through his professional journey. Starting off in retail automotive and the restaurant business, it is obvious that has two passions; problem solving and leadership. Although his passion for problem-solving made itself readily apparent in his early life, his skills in leadership made themselves known later and over time. Scott started his journey right out of high school at an automotive...
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State of Readiness | Ben Guttmann; Author of "Simply Put"
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Ben Guttmann, Author of “Simply Put; Why Clear Messages Win―and How to Design Them.” We start the conversation going back to high school where Ben was fortunate enough to have attended a high school that had a business department and offerings for those who were interested in business goings-on. It's here where Ben got hooked on marketing. We share our ideas on communicating, mostly born of experiences. Why do people...
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Jesse DePriest; President, Jesse DePriest Consulting, LLC
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Jesse DePriest, President of Jesse DePriest Consulting, LLC; Privately held consultancy specializing in Lean including; strategy development and deployment, leadership development, process design and analysis, process improvement, problem solving, teamwork. I have known Jesse for several years and his story is as American as Apple Pie. Jessie grew up on a dairy farm in Alaska where he was the youngest of 10...
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Daniel Varroney; President & CEO of Potomac Core
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host Joseph Paris. My guest today is Daniel Varroney, President and CEO of Potomac Core; a consultancy specializing in helping trade organizations transform into strategic partner for industry and professions. I have known Daniel for many years; having first met him when I was a member of the New York City Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) which is an organization of professionals serving the mergers and acquisitions ecosystem and he was its...
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Innocent Hadebe; Director of Business Excellence for Chick-fil-A Corporate
State Of Readiness
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host Joseph Paris. My guest today is Innocent Hadebe, Director of Business Excellence for Chick-fil-A Corporate. I met Innocent like a meet a great many people and that would be through LinkedIn. Of course my initial attraction to Innocent was that we were like minded professionals pursuing Operational Excellence. But it was not until we met face to face in Orlando at an Operational Excellence conference where I was able to really understand Innocent and...
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Manuel Ugarte; Director and Strategic Accounts Manager of the United States Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC)
State Of Readiness
Video version About the podcast In this edition of “State of Readiness”, I welcome Manuel Ugarte, Director and Strategic Accounts Manager of the United States Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC). The US Army’s CCDC mission is to provide the research, engineering, and analytical expertise to deliver capabilities that enable the Army to deter and, when necessary, decisively defeat any adversary now and in the future. And the CCDC’s vision is to be the scientific and technological foundation of the...
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Ofra Kalechstain, CEO of Matics
State Of Readiness
Video version About the Podcast Today I invite Ofra Kalechstain, CEO of Matics, to “State of Readiness”. Ofra started off her career as a computer programmer at SciTex where she helped develop applications for aiding in oil and gas exploration. Afterwards, she worked for over 26 years at Paradigm where she moved-up through the ranks until becoming the Executive Vice President of Product Development until 2014. She then turned her attention to being an active investor in start-ups. She took a particular interest in one of her investments,...
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Video Version
About the Podcast
Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness with your host, Joseph Paris.
Today I am happy to have Billy Ray Taylor, CEO of LinkedXL and author of "The Winning Link" on my podcast. Billy previously worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for 30 years; starting off on the plant floor and retiring as Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Executive Director of Commercial, Off Highway, and Support Manufacturing North America.
The Winning Link
We start the conversation taking a stroll down memory lane. Soon after graduating from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Billy joined Goodyear starting where every recent graduate does; on the floor of the night shift.
A life-long learner, Billy recognized early on as he steadily climbed the ranks at Goodyear that he had to "earn the right" to be appointed to the various roles and to retain the right to remain there. This meant that he had to have both the technical skills and also the leadership skills necessary to succeed in the various roles.
The conversation comes to diversity and inclusion; with Joseph sharing that, having walked the Earth and worked with many companies located around the world, that the completive advantage of companies based in the States (along with those in Canada and the United Kingdom), is their diversity (regardless of what might be current assumptions).
People bring forward what they have learned during their lives. And if everyone on a team has had the same life experiences and brought-up in a homogeneous culture, then everyone will look at a challenge with the same solution set.
As the saying goes; "If everyone is thinking the same, then nobody is thinking".
Diversity and Inclusion - What's the difference?
But Billy also drove the point that there is a significant difference between "diversity" and "inclusion". Whereas diversity means there are a members on the team with a variety of backgrounds and expertise, inclusion means you use that talent.
I guess I never gave the difference too much mind because, as an entrepreneur since 1985, I don't have resources that I would gain but not use. The thought would never occur to me.
So it's not about quotas and making sure every race, creed, and sex is included in the picture (like marketing departments are apt to do). It's about understanding that the differences are strengths, but only if you use them.
This was a really good, interesting, and valuable conversation.
Give a listen...
About Billy Ray Taylor
Billy Ray TaylorBilly Taylor is an American business executive, dynamic speaker and leadership guru. He is the Founder and President of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm.
Billy spent 30 years with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT), serving as Director of North America Operations and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. During his tenure at Goodyear, the company's earnings rose from a loss of 38M to +17.5B. As the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Goodyear, Billy formulated and led the diversity and inclusion strategies for 64,000 employees across the 22 countries where Goodyear operates.
After retiring from Goodyear, Billy founded LinkedXL, a consultancy that specializes in helping companies architect their Business Operating Systems, and serves as its CEO.
Billy is a dynamic speaker and leadership guru who is routinely called upon by universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Armed Forces to demonstrate how to drive and sustain effective results through creating a culture of leadership and enabling employee ownership.
He is a disciple of continuous improvement and operational excellence. And as a trusted global industry leader, Taylor is a member of the executive advisory board for the Shingo Institute, Utah State University Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, and The Executive Board for the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME). He is also an independent Board Member of M-D Products.
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billyrtaylor/
Company: CEO of LinkedXL, Retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Title: Website: https://www.linkedxl.com/
Headquarters: Independence, OH
Year Founded: 2020
Company Type: LLC
Company Size: 3 Employees
Industry Experience: Across industries, but specializing in the Process Industry
Practice Areas: Business Operating System Architecting Firm. We’re a Premium Business Solutions Provider. We analyze your business needs and develop a custom operating and daily management system that aligns your enterprise -- Linking people, processes, and assets to deliver Customer & Company value.