Podcasts Business Coaching Through Stories Putting Character at the Heart of Culture Change with Former VA Secretary, Robert (Bob) McDonald and University of South Carolina President, Robert (Bob) Caslen

Putting Character at the Heart of Culture Change with Former VA Secretary, Robert (Bob) McDonald and University of South Carolina President, Robert (Bob) Caslen

Published: Feb. 10, 2021, 5 a.m.

Today\u2019s Coaching Through Stories episode features former VA Secretary, Robert \u201cBob\u201d McDonald. Dr. Eric Bean is also joined by guest co-host, University of South Carolina President, Robert \u201cBob\u201d Caslen. Learn how McDonald placed character at the heart of culture change to deliver Veterans with consistent, high-quality experiences and achieve sales metrics as the CEO at The Procter & Gamble Company. Listen to this episode and get the dose of depth and inspiration you need!

McDonald is credited with rescuing the VA from the brink and transforming the VA culturally to provide better and faster care for the nation\u2019s veterans. Prior to serving as the VA Secretary, McDonald led Procter and Gamble (P&G) and significantly impacted\xa0 their product portfolio, \u201cexpanded the marketing footprint by adding nearly one billion people to its global customer base, and grew the firm\u2019s organic sales by an average of three percent per year.\u201d\xa0

Caslen is a retired Three-Star Lt. General who served 43 years in the U.S. Army and as the former Superintendent at West Point. He is the current President of the University of South Carolina and a co-author of the phenomenal book entitled The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity.\xa0

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Episode Highlights:

  • How McDonald got far in his career and what he is working on
  • McDonald\u2019s purpose in achieving more in his life and career
  • What happened earlier that drives McDonald to strive
  • What McDonald believes in and what he thinks is most important looking back
  • Why McDonald thinks that character is an essential trait of leadership
  • McDonald\u2019s encounter with non-driven employees and how he deals with them
  • What the Leaders Developing Leaders Program is
  • McDonald\u2019s principles and values that drive his leadership philosophy
  • McDonald\u2019s role in transforming the culture of VA and the process he went through
  • How the Leaders Developing Leaders Program impact cultural change in VA
  • What challenges McDonald encountered and the strengths he draws on
  • How McDonald focuses on character development on the senior level leadership
  • The annual McDonald Leadership Development Conference
  • How to strike a healthy balance between fostering positive relationships and keeping sight of priorities and goals
  • McDonald\u2019s recommended books

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Three Key Points:

  1. Character is an essential trait of a leader as well as integrating it in the organization.
  2. Having the purpose and driving values to the leaders and employees are the foundation of high-performance organizations.
  3. Understanding culture and the situation you are in and having a principle-based culture are keys in transforming an organization.\xa0

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Quotes:

\u201cI think it\u2019s a shame that too many people waste their time reacting rather than leading to where you want to go.\u201d

\u201cCharacter is defined as putting the needs of the organization above yourself.\u201d

\u201cIf your ambition is for yourself, chances are you are not going to win in the long term. If your ambition is for the organization, you stand a much better chance of winning.\u201d

\u201cChoose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.\u201d

\u201cPurpose and values are the foundation of any high\xa0 performance in the organization.\u201d

\u201cIn the sense you are taking initiative based on the values, you\u2019re guided by the values, you are not guided by the rules.\u201d

Taking the quote from Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s The man in the arena: \u201cBasically, it\u2019s easy to be the man in the arena. But if you are the man in the arena, you are getting the bloody nose, you\u2019re getting knocked down, you get up again\u2026 Who\u2019s better? What Leads to a more fulfilling life? The person standing outside of the arena throwing the stones or the person in the arena constantly getting up?\xa0 You know you gotta apologize one or twice, I\u2019d rather be in the arena. I think it leads to a more fulfilling life.\u201d

\u201cAs you grow within the company and as you train on culture and purpose and it\u2019s all written down, then you\u2019re promoted based on that.\u201d\xa0

\u201cI stopped the military culture that had developed in VA. No more tent cards, no more standing up with my come in the room, no more calling me secretary. I am Bob and I want to have an ultimate relationship with you. So intimate that when something goes wrong you\u2019ll tell me it goes wrong.\u201d

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Resources Mentioned:

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