From the Corner Office

”Anything less than the best is a felony” with Pushing the Envelope’s Samantha Scott

This week we sat down with Samantha Scott, President of Pushing the Envelope, a marketing and PR firm based in Fort Myers. Samantha shares with us leadership lessons, including taking feedback from your employees, hiring based on character and culture, and striving for the best for their clients. To top the podcast off, Samantha explains how a Vanilla Ice verse from 1990 chart topper “Ice Ice Baby” leads Pushing the Envelope to strive for the best.
3 Takeaways:
(12:15) You have to stick to your word
(15:45) Being able to dissent with respect is important
(16:20) “Anything less than the best is a felony” - Vanilla Ice
Timestamps:
(00:25) Tell us about how you got started with Pushing the Envelope
(01:35) What were you doing before Pushing the Envelope and what gap did you see in the market?
(02:50) How did the company adapt after 2008-2009?
(04:07) What is the company like today?
(06:15) As a business leader, how do you deal with and respond to rejection?
(07:35) What defines you as a leader?
(10:00) How were you able to shift your mindset as a leader?
(13:25) Hiring on character and culture
(14:55) What leadership skills do you look for when promoting individuals?
(16:20) “Anything less than the best is a felony” - Vanilla Ice
(17:30) Leaders you have tried to emulate?
(19:40) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
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Gather Around the Melting Pot with Dan Stone

This week we are joined by Dan Stone, Chief Operating and Development Officer at Front Burner Brands, parent company for the Melting Pot restaurants. Together, we talk about how Melting Pot has both built a welcoming place to work while maintaining a go-to spot for event and experience-based dining, leadership lessons from Dan’s time in the hospitality industry, and how the Melting Pot is staying up to date with their clientele.
3 Takeaways:
(06:10) You should want your employees to be better when they leave you than when they came
(09:00) As a leader, be fanatical about your goals and celebrate when employees exemplify them
(10:50) Have team members recognize other team members
Timestamps:
(00:40) How Dan got into the industry and his role at Front Burner Brands
(04:50) What have you learned from the leaders at Front Burner Brands?
(08:30) Leadership lessons from Marriott and examples
(11:55) How does working with different age groups play out at Front Burner Brands?
(16:00) How do you exemplify servant leadership?
(21:30) What is next for The Melting Pot?
(25:50) Hot Seat Questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Running with the Bulls: Leadership lessons from USF President Rhea Law

This week, we are speaking with University of South Florida President, Rhea Law. Together, we chat about how Rhea tackles leading a 16,000-employee organization, leadership advice for students, being invited into the Association of American Universities (AAU), and a status update on a new football stadium. 
Rhea Law was named president of USF in March 2022. She’s the eighth president in USF history and the first USF alum to serve as president. 
3 Takeaways:
(00:55) The principles of leadership are the same in business as they are in academics 
(14:00) When you are merging two entities, it is about culture and trust
(21:30) The best thing a student can do to better themselves is to soak up everything
Timestamps:
(00:28) What are some leadership lessons you have learned over your time as USF President?
(04:30) As a leader, how did you set up communication systems?
(06:20) How did you end up as USF President?
(10:40) You started as interim president, what made you want to be president?
(12:10) Are there any leaders you try to emulate?
(13:35) What did you learn from the merger of the law firm?
(15:40) Tell us about USF’s new football stadium
(17:40) Tell us about becoming part of AAU
(20:55) What advice do you give to students about leadership?
(22:30) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Carrying the Legacy With Sunshine Ace Hardware’s Michael Wynn

This week, we are speaking with Sunshine Ace Hardware’s President, Michael Wynn. Together, we discuss how the organization has stayed relevant in the highly competitive sector, Sunshine Ace’s core values, and how Michael looks for leaders to promote from within. Michael has done a wonderful job carrying on the legacy of his grandparents, who started the company, and is now looking to expand the brand even further with home services and additional locations. 
3 Takeaways:
(03:45) It is important to have a purposeful culture
(04:45) ROI on “best place to work” organizations can outperform the general market by 2-3x
(16:35) We want leaders who listen generously
Timestamps:
(00:50) Interview starts and Michael tells us about his growth in the company
(03:25) How do you build and maintain your company culture while expanding?
(06:25) Can you tell us about your core values?
(08:45) How do you hold people accountable to these values?
(10:30) How have you been able to stay competitive in this field for so long?
(14:40) What do you look for when promoting leaders from within your organization?
(18:25) Tell us about your grandparents and what they meant to you growing up
(21:20) Where is Sunshine Ace headed in the future?
(23:36) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Building sustainable restaurants with Ed Chiles

This week, we are speaking with Ed Chiles. Ed’s company owns and operates three popular Manatee County waterfront restaurants: Beach House, Mar Vista and Sandbar. 
Together, we discuss how Ed and his team built the waterfront restaurant company over 45 years, working for a purpose larger than yourself, and the leadership lessons Ed learned from his father, the late Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles. 
3 Takeaways:
(12:45) Especially now, you want to be about something that addresses a greater challenge.
(14:30) Your culture is how you get people to self-police.
(15:10) Every business tells a story.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introducing Ed Chiles
(01:40) How Ed got into the restaurant business
(07:25) Why does the experience of going to the restaurant matter?
(11:00) How do you create an environment where people want to work?
(13:30) Composting from the restaurant scraps
(18:40) Gamble Creek Farm and being sustainable
(25:22) What leadership lessons have you learned from your father?
(28:00) Hot Seat Questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

The Business of Advocating for Businesses with Heather Kasten

Join us this week as we speak with Heather Kasten, President and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
Together, we discuss Heather’s career trajectory, her success in returning to work after raising children, what qualities she sees in great leaders, and how she has shaped the culture of the Chamber.
3 Takeaways:
(13:00) You have to have a balance of stress and fun in a work environment
(16:25) Don't be afraid to take a risk and be bold
(19:00) Don't be afraid to ask, and don't mind when someone tells you “no”.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introducing Heather Kasten
(00:48) Tell us about your career before moving to Sarasota
(03:40) Overcoming the obstacle of being a mother who took time to raise her children
(04:55) Where does your passion for businesses come from?
(07:00) What are some of the big picture goals for the Chamber in the future?
(09:53) The culture of the Chamber
(14:00) How the workforce has changed
(16:20) What stands out as characteristics of a good leader?
(17:40) What was your work experience growing up?
(20:40) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Storytelling will never go out of style with West Herford

Join us this week as we speak with West Herford, President and CEO of On Ideas. On Ideas is a branding, PR and change management company with offices in Jacksonville and Sarasota. 
Together, we discuss West’s interesting background in advertising. West started his journey in Paris and London, then came back stateside and worked with companies like Jack Daniels. We chat about lessons learned in navigating the challenges of the pandemic, being “like a duck” and the importance of storytelling.
3 Takeaways
(10:57) Sweat the details
(11:45) Constantly look for “odd ball” opportunities
(16:30) Storytelling is never going to go out of style
Timestamps
(01:00) Tell us about On Ideas
(02:40) You had a thriving work environment, how did you deal with working from home?
(04:20) How did you change and adapt to the new environment?
(07:25) How did you get to FL and into the business?
(10:30) Advertising is very competitive. How do you build a business in a competitive environment?
(13:30) What makes a good leader?
(15:55) What is the future of On Ideas?
(19:20) Mad Men and the advertising industry
(20:52) Hot Seat Questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Finding problems and figuring out solutions with Brian Anderson

Join us this week as we speak with serial entrepreneur, Brian Anderson, co-founder of ERTC Express. ERTC Express is a Tampa business that helps businesses nationwide apply for the federal pandemic relief Employee Retention Tax Credit Program.  
Together, we chat about the art and science of hiring dozens of people at the same time to staff a rapidly growing company, how to maintain a strong culture as a startup and empowering management and staff alike.
3 Takeaways:
(18:50) Learning to work with others under heavy pressure is a good teacher.
(22:30) With good people you can do anything.
(23:45) Empower your team.
Timestamps:
(01:00) What is ERTC Express and how was it started?
(04:38) How did you build from there?
(10:55) How do you create a sustainable company with this program that will end in 2025?
(16:50) Key leadership lessons in Brian’s career
(21:45) How do you advise other entrepreneurs to enable teams to function at a high level?
(28:00) Hiring employees
(29:45) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Even cheetahs need to slow down with Julie Henry

Join us this week as we welcome Julie Henry, founder of Finish Line Leadership. Julie has presented her leadership teachings before more than one million people across 32 states and six countries. That goes from on-site and online settings, and, she says, “from auditoriums and ballrooms to boats, beaches, forests, theaters, boardrooms and even underwater while feeding sharks and moray eels.”
We discuss lessons that can resonate with any leader from her 2021 book, “Wisdom from the Wild: The Nine Unbreakable Laws of Leadership from the Animal Kingdom,” nametag leadership and the importance of resilience and slowing down. 
Wisdom from the Wild: The Nine Unbreakable Laws of Leadership from the Animal Kingdom on Amazon
3 Takeaways:
(02:45) Resilience is not just self care, but energy management.
(13:42) If you lead with your nametag, you are not leading with your whole self.
(16:15) If you are distracted by fear, you will miss the opportunity.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introducing Julie Henry
(02:06) Leadership themes Julie works with
(03:20) Even cheetahs need to slow down
(05:08) Do you get resistance to this?
(06:30) Julie’s mentors in leadership
(08:30) Trust your questions
(09:40) But the leader is supposed to know the answers… How do you address this?
(11:28) What was your ah-ha moment?
(13:40) Nametag leadership
(14:07) When you cant see the finish line, let purpose be your guide
(16:15) If you are distracted by fear, you will miss the opportunity
(17:40) Why is critical thinking important in leadership training?
(19:30) Keynote speaking, retreats, and facilitation
(20:23) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.

Begin with We with Kyle McDowell

A former corporate executive of three Fortune 10 firms, Kyle began to transform his career with the book “Begin with We: 10 Principles for Building and Sustaining a Culture of Excellence.” His motto now is to rid the corporate world of its toxic ways using 10 principles that govern how the team treats each other and those they serve. 
Join us as we speak with Kyle about the concepts in the book and how executives can apply them. We also talk about how to challenge employees with respect and kindness, and why obsessing over details is crucial to build and sustain a winning organization. 
Begin With We on Amazon
3 Takeaways:
(08:10) If you are high functioning behind the curtains, we will be successful externally
(11:50) Authenticity + relatability = trust
(14:40) As a leader, be vulnerable
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introducing Kyle McDowell
(01:25) Kyle’s journey
(03:50) Guiding Principles of Kyle’s leadership
(05:30) How Kyle came up with the guiding principles
(10:00) What is the “Begin with We” elevator pitch?
(11:40) What are the characteristics of a good leader?
(13:20) Struggling with imposter syndrome
(16:50) Principle #5: “We own our mistakes”
(19:45) How do you facilitate a team that can productively disagree?
(24:24) Example of team member not buying into the “10 We’s”
(27:50) Approach your work life the way you approach your personal life
(29:20) Begin with We
(30:30) Hot seat questions
Join us every week as we interview business leaders to learn what makes them great, what they look for in growing leaders, and much more.
Visit businessobserverfl.com for more.